How Love Changed My Life (Jack Phillips, 05/11/24)

So my name is Jack Phillips and I'm glad to be here today.

I am accompanied by a friend of mine by the name of Karen Keaton.

This Karen Keaton, they can't see you Karen.

All right, that's a little better.

This is Karen Keaton.

She's a friend of mine.

We've been working together for a little while now.

This is my friend Mike Garcia and he is part of our team here in the conference that's

just here to help us share Jesus.

I mean that that with their life, they've been dedicated to sharing Jesus.

They've made sacrifices, changes just like we all have.

And they've they've went all in.

Karen, you heard some of Karen's stories this morning in China.

And if you hang out this afternoon, you'll hear some more stories from some other locations

that God took her and the way that God has used her.

But what I'm really looking forward to this afternoon are hearing your stories.

Your stories and us hearing each other's stories of how God is using us and how we have been

working with him to see others come to know Jesus.

Now, I was going to introduce my wife.

She's not there.

All right.

So makes sense.

She knew it was coming, so all right.

There was something else I wanted to say.

I have a few things.

First off, thank you for the song.

Such a blessing.

Thank you.

Pastor, did you call all of us and let us know the lights were going on last night?

I'm going to give you a hard time right now.

I know I caught that in the story.

I was like, my wife would kill me.

My wife would kill me over this.

Yeah, I said this morning I got up and I got on Facebook and everybody posted how they

saw all these beautiful lights.

Tonight too is what I have heard.

My wife is like, oh, we can watch it tonight.

So I encourage you to stay up late, find a very dark place, because outside our house,

it's the same way.

Every street light has these super bright lights.

And you can't see, it's like daylight out there.

Stay up late.

The darker it gets, the better.

Get out to somewhere away from the city lights and get a good view.

I called my cousin this morning and let her know that the lights, she missed them last

night.

She just took a trip to Alaska and didn't see them.

My wife and I went to Alaska earlier this year and didn't see them.

And they're everywhere apparently and I'm missing them at my house.

All right.

Sarah, what do you do for the church here?

Yeah, what's your role here at the church?

I'm sure you do a million things.

Personals ministry leader and clerk.

What does that mean?

So you're, you're for you're aware of who's a member, who's not a member, helping people

with that.

And but you're also organizing for events like 1890s day, getting involved in serving

and sharing with our community.

Anything else?

You put me on the spot.

I sure did.

I'm not sure I'm doing more.

But it wasn't you today.

Yes, yes, yes.

Leads leader tuning into your good trainings.

Okay.

So leads leader, which means what?

When the conference does Facebook and other campaigns to ask if people want Bible studies,

if they're in our area and they say they want to do Bible studies, we get alerted and I

get people like Paul and Medina who will mail studies.

Dr. Greg will visit people and we start those relationships going hopefully.

Okay.

So there are there as it go out paid for by the conference and then there are people in

this area that say I would like a Bible study and then you help someone from the church

connect with them and give them the Bible study.

They're they're wanting.

I heard a testimony this morning.

I don't see the and I'm sure it's just me not seeing her was here sharing that how the

Bible study in the Bible had changed her life.

There you are hiding back here.

All right.

And how studying the Bible had changed her life and what it had meant to her that someone

would take the time to do that.

Someone else shared how someone else had studied the Bible with them and their her spouse.

And how many here have had someone study the Bible with you that was part of your Christian

journey.

Okay.

Most of us if you have not had that, I want to tell you that the person that receiving

that Bible study is like one of the best experiences.

Someone taking the time to invest in us, knowing the word of God, meeting Jesus.

There's nothing like it.

And you will forever you forever love that person.

You have affection for that person because of what they did for you, how they helped

you know the Lord and doing it.

It is I think even more rewarding.

So years ago there was a pastor in a church and he he presented an idea to the church.

He stood up and said we have come up with an idea to reach our community.

They had been hosting evangelistic series in their church and they had recorded the

last one that came through.

And he said we're going to use these these videos and we're going to share it with the

community around us.

So what we'll do is we've got these flyers and if you just take these flyers out and

hang them up, people can send in and get those videos for free.

Well throughout the church, some people were thinking that is not for me.

Not putting out a flyer.

Now other people were gung ho.

Give me those flyers.

I can't wait to take them out.

And the most of the people in the church were kind of like want to don't want to want to

kind of scared to do it.

But the pastor asked and some people took those flyers and they took them out and and

they went out and they hung them up and there was and they laid them in different offices

and there was a couple of them that ended up at an apartment complex and they put it

up on a bulletin board where the mailboxes were.

And they you know they were praying as they were going.

They felt that God was leading them.

They didn't know what would happen to this flyer and they went on their way.

What they didn't know.

Was about 200 feet away there was a young man praying and asking God for the truth.

This young man had been to churches.

He had tried reaching out to people.

He had he had tried reading a Bible and he had given up.

He tried watching the TV preachers and they were always asking for money.

And so he had said a prayer down there.

God I want the truth and if it's true it's going to be free.

And this couple of people pin free end time prophecy video flyer just down from his apartment.

They go on their way.

And this young man comes down to check his mail and when he gets there he sees this flyer

and for this young man he gets all excited.

Yes this is exactly what I've been looking for.

And he and it's a beautiful flyer.

It's got these beasts on it.

And it's his free.

End time prophecy videos.

He takes it and he sends off and two weeks later.

Two weeks later a video shows up in his mailbox for the church now.

So it went in and down at the church was a volunteer who said you know what I'll do.

I'm not comfortable going door to door.

I'm not comfortable sitting in someone's home but I can mail this video out to those who

are interested.

And so they had put it in an envelope.

They had put the instructions if they wanted more had sealed it up stamped it and sent

it out.

And so when he got the video and he opened it up he was so excited.

Couldn't wait to put it in his apartment was empty no one was around he put in the video

and he started watching it and what he saw blew his mind.

He saw Daniel to King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that tells the future and when he gets

done watching it for the very first time he's understood the Bible for the very first time

he saw that the Bible knows the future and you can it just says what it means.

He got done.

He got up he hit eject and he hugged the video literally hugged the video in his living room

so excited that he had finally understood the Bible.

He had finally found someone teaching the Bible plainly and end time understanding and

he wanted more.

Well when he opened up the packaging and got the rest out it said you can if you like this

and want more.

Here's what you do.

Send it back.

We'll send you another one.

Well this young man for whatever reason decided that was a bad idea.

He would the better idea was just to keep the video and so he kept the video.

Now down at the church the pastor was starting to get a pile on his desk of people of cards

people who had got the first video but never asked for the second one and this pile was

growing on his desk and he's sitting there overwhelmed.

I don't know what I'm going to do with this.

I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of the stuff going on here at the church.

What am I going to do and he's praying and he and he's a little worked up when two men

walk into the church office two men walk in and say pastor we want to get involved in

evangelism like he about jump for joy.

He said oh great.

I have something for you and he hands them a stack of those cards and he hands them some

videos and he says go out and see these people and bring them another video.

So they went out and they started visiting people and they didn't really know what was

going on or how to do it well but they were we can do this.

Here's a video.

Here's a video and they get to this young man's door and they knock on it and when the

door opens up this young man's a little surprised to see two gentlemen standing on his porch

holding a video.

They were more surprised to see him.

See when they saw him he didn't look like what they expected to see.

He had his hair styled like horns.

I mean it looked like the guy was hanging out with the devil in there.

He's wearing all black.

He's got black fingernail polish.

He smells funny.

He's smoking.

He's cursing while he's talking to them.

It's very likely that this young man is intoxicated in the middle of the day.

So they confirm you are so and so who wanted Bible study videos right.

He's like yes that's me.

I'm so glad you're here.

I got the last one.

It was incredible.

Oh oh we've brought you another one.

They quickly hand it to him and he's excited.

He takes the video.

We'll see you next week.

He goes in.

He sits down right away and watches video number 10 over the Sabbath.

Just so you know I need to mention this.

If you're dropping off Bible studies or videos with someone Sabbath is not number two.

Not number two.

Usually doesn't work out.

But for this young man he sat down in his living room by himself and watched this video

and it went through the Sabbath point by point.

And when it got done he was like yes that's obvious.

And he made a decision right there.

I want to start keeping the Sabbath.

How do you do that?

What is holy meme?

And so he had questions for those two guys when they came back.

He wanted to know what it looked like to keep the Sabbath.

And so he's waiting all week for them to return.

And the next week when they come back that they knock on the door the door opens.

He is overjoyed to see them.

Oh I'm so glad you're here.

Please come in.

Please come.

I've got questions for you.

And they looked at him and they said words that would forever.

No.

They said words that would impact his life for the next several years.

And you know what they said to him.

I know what they said to him because when they said it to me.

When they said those words to me it changed my life for the next several years.

And you know what they told me.

You know what they said.

No.

We're too busy right now.

Maybe another time.

Now I don't know why they said no.

I don't know why they were too busy then.

But what you wouldn't do that would you.

Someone's asking you to come in and talk about the Bible.

You're going to talk about the Bible right.

Because this is what happened.

Watch this.

I never saw them again.

They handed me the third video which was like number 25 over the Antichrist.

And the devil went nuts.

He went wild.

See he was watching one of his make decisions for Jesus.

He was watching one of his have the mind open to what is true and what the Bible says.

And he got on the full offensive.

And he attacked.

And that week my roommate moves out in the middle of the night.

And I have to find a new place to live.

And I never see those two guys again.

I don't get any more videos.

That's the end of the journey.

So why was the guy who was doing drugs.

And drinking and smoking all day every day.

Playing with the devil.

Covered in demonic figures.

Why was that person interested in the Bible?

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

I'm going to tell you.

Let's pray.

Father.

Lord we are thankful to be here with you.

And Lord as we open up your word.

As we spend time with you.

We pray that you are encouraging us.

That you are inviting us to be closer to you.

To serve you.

To go where you lead us Lord.

And to know that we are loved by you.

Lord we pray your blessing upon this time.

We pray it in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

So it goes back a little ways.

When I was 16 years old.

My dad was becoming a Christian.

He had been on this Christian journey for a little while.

And he was starting to get gung ho.

He was starting to make these lifestyle changes.

He was reading the Bible every day.

And he saw me.

And he was concerned for his son.

Each of us in here whether we're parents or not.

Have people in our lives that we're concerned for.

And we start praying for them.

Mothers.

Ladies.

Maybe you're a mom.

Maybe you're not.

I know plenty of women who never had that experience of being a mom.

But have invested and cared for other children.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for investing.

And somebody.

Because it means the world to them.

Even if you don't have the title.

You have done the role.

So thank you.

My dad starts praying for me.

He's watching me in my life choose more and more demonic movies.

More demonic music.

He's watching me change friends.

He's watching me get less interested in church.

Less interested in godly things and more interested in the things of the devil.

And so he's praying and my dad decides to do something mind blowing.

He decides to buy me a Bible.

And he gives it to me.

And I was pretty excited.

I'd never held a Bible before.

16 years old.

I'd never held a Bible.

I get this first Bible in my hands.

And my dad says would you like to read it together?

Can you imagine?

I mean maybe you can put yourself in a place where you have done the same and asked would

you like to read it together?

He was overjoyed when I said yes.

And then he asked the question what would you like to read?

What would you like to read together?

Horrible question.

Horrible question.

I had no idea.

I only knew one book.

And it was the book because you see I was really interested in a lot of demonic and

end time movies and anti-Christ type movies and this sort of stuff.

And they always quoted from one book of the Bible.

Revelation and they quote something.

I'll tell you what they make an incredible movie out of that.

And they quote half of this thing there half of this thing there and they make up this

grand story and I had watched those movies and I was interested in that topic.

And so when he said what do you want to read?

I said Revelation.

So we sat down and we read Revelation every morning together little by little.

And you know what happened.

Those movies are not in the Bible.

Did you know that?

Those movies are not in there.

I was horribly disappointed.

And then the other thing happened that you might have guessed.

I didn't understand a word of it.

No idea to what I was saying.

My dad didn't have any idea.

We read it.

We bounced stuff around.

And when we were done reading it I was done reading it.

I had never felt so like out of touch.

So he kept reading the Bible.

I started carrying the Bible like a trinket.

Anybody ever ever carry a Bible like a good luck charm?

You ever read those those little urban myths that say if when you carry the Bible or this

happens.

Oh and if you open it up the devil runs.

That's a lie.

You know that right.

That's a lie.

When the word of God is in our hearts it has power.

When it sits on the shelf it's just a book.

But when it opens and we read the word and we allow the Holy Spirit to put that in us

and we're willing to follow God through it.

It has power in our lives.

But if we're not doing that.

But I carried it.

I was I was into the trinkets.

I had trinkets this trinket that carry this thing do that thing.

I was into that.

And this was just went in that pile for me.

And it would be in my car or in a drawer.

And I carried it for years.

Until I quit going to church altogether.

I quit God altogether.

And I kept it.

I kept the Bible around.

But it was in a drawer hidden away.

And as that happened I started making more and more lifestyle choices that were destroying

my life.

I got into addictions and intoxicants in order to live life because I thought I would find

fulfillment and happiness in there.

I thought I would find it in relationships.

But when I walked away from God I ended up finding emptiness.

It looked like it was happiness.

It was emptiness.

And I was miserable.

And I was sitting in my house one night filled with people.

My house was the house where everybody was.

And there was never a time when there weren't people coming and going at my house.

And everybody came there for one purpose and one purpose only to get what they needed.

And some hung out for a while and some stopped by and then left.

And that's what my house was.

And that's the life I was living.

And I was doing the same thing I did every day when my when I was sitting there staying

so busy and talking so much to try to not see what my life had become when a miracle

happened for me.

Open your Bibles with me.

Luke 15.

This miracle is described here.

You are familiar with it.

You know it better than I know it.

Let's look at it together anyways.

And I want to say thank you for the song choice today.

Because we're going to.

Yes.

Luke chapter 15.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

We're going to focus in on the parable of the lost son.

And I I really like to go with the parable of the lost sons.

Because both of them are lost.

But we see the one of the little more vocal one the little angrier one a little edgier

one who comes to his father and says give me my inheritance.

I wish you were dead.

I'm done with you.

I want nothing more to do with you.

Give me what to do me because I can't stay here anymore with you.

I got to go.

And basically he's saying father when he sees his father's love he saw his father as a controlling

figure.

He didn't see love.

He saw rules when his father tried to guide and keep him safe.

He saw him as keeping him from having fun and doing the things he wanted to.

And before long he can't stand the sight of his father even though his father loved him

completely.

And he can't wait to leave and the father gives him the inheritance and the son runs

away with everything he's got.

I got to get out of here.

And he goes out to find the happiness and the joy that he could have if nobody's holding

him back.

If no one's telling him what to do he can do anything he wants.

And he's sure this is where happiness will be found.

And at first it seems like he succeeds.

He's got according to the older brother the ladies.

He's got friends.

He's got food.

They're all gathered around.

They're eating.

They're drinking.

They're being merry.

They're just having a great time.

And he's like finally I'm happy.

Finally I found what I'd been missing until until a drought hits the land.

And it's at this moment where the ladies are like oh you don't have much money anymore.

And the friends are like oh you can't buy us a bunch of food and drinks.

See you later.

And all of the people fall away.

And he doesn't have money to buy anything anymore.

And he ends up enslaved to a man of the land.

And he's feeding the pigs.

Verse 16.

Luke 15 verse 16.

Luke 15:16

And he would gladly.

He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate and no one gave

him anything.

So he looked at the garbage and what did he want to do.

Wanted to eat it.

I wish that Moses I wish I could have.

I would have liked to have eaten it but he couldn't.

He wanted to eat it but still was unable and no one gave him anything.

People are walking by even the old friends imagine the old friends and the ladies that

used to be around are walking by and seeing him in this condition.

Can you imagine the words if they happen to be Christian.

I'll pray for you brother.

Hope it gets better for you brother.

Can you imagine the words.

They were loving in word but not in deed.

They wouldn't give him anything.

He's there starving.

His face is getting sunk in.

His eyes are going a little bit.

He no longer has a little belly because it's gone.

It's gone.

He's getting his wrists are getting smaller.

And what does he smell like.

Pigs.

Someone else said something.

You can say it's OK.

Because he doesn't just smell like pigs.

What a pig smell like.

Mud garbage and.

OK.

I can hear the giggles.

You're afraid to say it in church.

But if we're out in the field someone would say it with me.

They smell like excrement feces.

And he smells like it too.

He smells like the pigs he's been feeding and spending time with and his clothes got

holes in him.

He's covered in mud.

He's covered in excrement.

And it's in this moment.

That a miracle happens for him.

Verse 17.

But when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants have bread enough

to eat and to spare.

And I perish with hunger.

I will arise and go to my father and say to him father I have sinned against you and against

heaven.

See it.

He's right there.

And what he has this moment this coming to himself moment.

This is none other than the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is working on him right where he's at.

And now that he's got everything and lost everything he's in a place to hear.

And the Holy Spirit is able to speak to him.

And he says really what does he say to him.

What does he remind him of.

What does he say there in verse 17.

What does he remember.

About his father but what about his father.

He has food his father has food but.

Even the hired servants have food and.

And despair.

Now hired servants are just hired on for the like the summer.

They're not the all the time.

These are the passers throughs.

And even the hired servants the father pays enough and gives them enough that they have

food and enough to spare.

And I'm out here starving to death.

So he remembers about his father's goodness.

His father's goodness and we all know this one and maybe we don't all know it.

And I'm sorry for saying that because we don't always all know it.

But some of us know it.

The goodness of God leads to repentance.

He had been running from his father's house.

He had been running from his father.

And when he remembers the goodness of his father he changes direction.

He starts heading home.

I'm going to go home to my father because it's better in my father's house.

How the song lyrics go.

It's in my father's house.

It's better there.

And so God performs this miracle.

And then and then the son he's walking back covered in mud and filth and excrement and

his face is sunk in and his clothes are holy and the father sees him from a great way off

and he knows his child.

Watch this.

No matter what sin has done to you the father sees you and sees his child.

He knows you.

And the father gets off of the porch and he's been looking for his son because his son his

house hasn't been the same.

There's a shadow where his son should have been.

There's a shadow upon his home that only only with his father with his son there can it

be filled.

And so he sees his son and he runs full speed in my mind.

He's barefooted.

I got to see him barefooted here too.

He's running down the road and it's dirty and he's dusty and he gets to his son and

he wraps his arms around his stinky smelly filthy son and holds him close.

That's our father.

That's our father.

You covered in something that doesn't smell so good.

You've been falling into sin that has been keeping you enslaved and ensnared and pulling

you from him.

The father has been calling you back.

The father has been reminding you of his goodness so that you would be open to him.

And when you turn just a little and you reach out in the darkness you grow for him.

He's right there wrapping his arms all around you right where you're at right in the stink

and the filth.

And then he says hold up let's get you let me take care of that.

Let's put a new coat on you.

He doesn't ask you to wash.

He doesn't ask you to clean.

He doesn't ask you.

He says let me do this for you.

There I was sitting in my house and I started to recognize the wildest thing.

I'm surrounded with all these people where bad things are happening.

And God takes this moment and starts speaking to my mind and says this is where you're at.

This is what your life has become.

Look at the people that are surrounding you.

It was better in my house.

You didn't get it but it was better there.

You didn't see me for the way I was but it was better there.

And it just clicked and I stood up and I said y'all gotta go everybody out of my house right

now.

It's the middle of the night.

Go.

And I kicked everyone out of my house.

Everyone gone.

I locked the door and I put a chair under it because people just always tried to come

in anyway.

And I fell to the ground and I started crying.

That bitter weeping broken cry.

And I know I'm not the only one who's had that.

Because you're here today with the Lord you've had that moment.

I just poured my heart out to him and I confessed.

I'd been running so long and I confessed it all and I woke up the next day brand new.

Brand new person doing all the same things.

Doing all the same stuff.

I was still stuck in a lifestyle where I was selling things and people were coming to me

and I was still an addict.

But something had changed in my heart.

Something has started to grow in here and I started reading my Bible.

I pulled out that Bible my dad had given me and I started trying to read it.

And I had had friends that had become Christians and so I knew you read Matthew and you read

Mark and you read Luke and you read John and that's what you do.

So I went to Matthew and Mark and Luke and I read anywhere I was and I didn't understand

any of it.

So I quit trying and I started going to churches.

Guess where I went to church?

Sorry to say that didn't happen for a while.

I went anywhere I was invited.

If you invited me to church I would go with you.

I was on a journey to try to understand the Word of God and to get to know who God is

and I just tried everything I knew.

I even sought out those Christians that had used to live my lifestyle and to become Christians

and I'm like I got questions about the Bible.

I was that guy.

Can you help me?

And they wanted to goof off and play games instead.

I'm like I want to know the Bible man.

So I gave up there and I eventually went to the TV preachers and when they asked for money

well that's just not me at the time.

So when they asked for money I quit watching.

And I found myself in that place where I was willing to say God if it's true it'll be free

and someone answered the call and they put up a flyer just down from my apartment.

And so when I watched these videos and I was so excited I couldn't wait to study the Bible

with them.

It had been years of searching and failing to find an understanding of the Bible.

And when they said no and I would never see them again I had one thing to do one more

try.

I called my dad.

Dad I got what you've been looking for.

I have found the truth you've been searching for for years.

I got it.

You've got to look at it.

And my dad had the audacity to say no he didn't.

And my dad and I didn't really talk much at the time so forgive me for my rudeness with

my father.

But it was there and he was rude to me.

And we started arguing and he started telling me that he wanted me to look at something

that he was looking at.

And I said no I have found the truth and this is the wording I use I have found the end

time message before Jesus comes back.

That's what I told him because that's what I believed because I've never seen anything

like this before.

I have been listening to that and this finally getting it.

And after we argued for a while it turned out we had the same thing.

He was studying the Bible went through with male Bible studies and I was watching videos

and what I had found out on that last video about the Antichrist is that this was from

the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

And he had already found this out and had found a Seventh-day Adventist Church and was

attending.

He invited me to come to church with him and I went.

And I didn't like it.

And I want you to know something if I don't like something I'm going to try it again.

I learned to like olives every day for a year.

Finally like some of them came back the next week and I clap my hands the best I could

and I sang the songs had no idea what was going on.

I listened to the sermons and I didn't like it.

The third week I said to this lady who was in my life at the point.

Crystal would you like to come to church with me this week and she said.

She's like don't invite me into this thing.

Jack yes I'll come with you and so we went with my dad we went to church and neither

of us liked it.

What was wrong with the church.

Nothing nothing wrong with the church but when you wrong with the devil church is kind

of a weird place.

When you're used to liking evil liking evil church gets hard.

Good is not great to be around sometimes.

But so I will say this though no one I was obviously a guest.

OK it was obviously my first times coming into church over here.

And no one got my phone number.

No one offered me Bible studies.

So when I quit coming how many people could reach out to me.

None I would have been the guy who said yes I'll study the Bible with you.

Let's do it.

I would have been the guy on fire to start this with you.

But I didn't look like I was on fire for it.

But I was.

And so after this journey years go by I get a new job.

Crystal and I buy a house together and between the new house and the new job someone put

a seven day Adventist church right on the exit and entry ramp.

And I pass by at least two times a day and I say one day I'm going to church there.

You know what that means right.

Any of us with a few years know what the words one day mean.

Means never.

If you want to do something you better put a date on it.

Young people you want to accomplish something.

Don't say one day you put a date.

This is when I'm doing it.

Well thankfully God said I'm going to help you out Jack because one day is never coming.

So down at my work I'm working Sunday through Friday because as a non seven day Adventist

I refuse to work on Sabbath.

I am standing for the Sabbath in my job and they're OK with it until they come to me and

say Jack we now need you to work Sunday through Saturday.

And I say there is no way I'm going to do it.

That's the Sabbath.

And they came to me and said well if you're not going to work you should go to church.

I can almost not believe they said it.

Of all the things to say.

And I went home from work that day and I said Crystal this week we're going to church because

I'm not going to work.

So we went to church it was great.

We sat down right up in the second pew right here.

Someone got up to tell a children's story just like Pastor Day except it was on this

side and they carried a brown paper bag with them and they sat it down and they they started

sharing a story.

This is all I remember from church.

OK.

This is it.

I'm just going to give you the one piece I remember.

And they reach in partway through that children's story and they grab something out of the bag

and they lift it up.

And when I seen it I couldn't believe this was in church.

I was about to fall off of the pew looking at this.

What was it.

You know what it is.

Someone else knows what it is too.

What is it.

It's a turtle.

You can tell by the way I hold it.

And some of you didn't know what it was.

Some of you like you knew it.

Turtle.

This lady had a turtle in church.

I've never seen anything like it.

I loved it.

Loved it.

So the children's story was like my favorite part.

It's the only part I remember.

I left and we came back the next week.

We sat down right here.

They do.

They proceed in.

It's very formal.

They proceed in that everyone marches up and sits down everywhere and they start the message.

And then before you know it they're done with the message.

It's like 10 minutes and they say men we have a room for you over here.

Please we have a room for you over there.

I said OK.

See you in a minute Crystal.

And so we part ways and I go into the room and it's full of men.

And I I catch on pretty quickly.

I'm bright I think.

There were buckets in there full of water.

And they were getting them these bowls filled and they were sitting down and taking off

their shoes and their socks.

By the time the foot went into the bowl I figured it out.

They're going to wash each other's feet in here.

So I sat there and I need to say something.

If you haven't taken part in Seventh Day Adventist Communion.

You need to.

This is one of the most beautiful spiritual services I have ever been a part of.

It's incredible.

You come together.

We're all local washing feet.

Jesus instituted this and it's like a mini baptism where we're we're cleansed of something

we've been falling into.

And if you've been arguing with someone you can serve one another and see some healing

there.

People sing together they pray together.

It's incredible.

And I only say this really strongly to emphasize just so that you get what I'm about to say

isn't the norm.

But that day that none of that happened for me.

That day it was middle school P.E. all over again.

And if any of you were small and awkward then you know what middle school P.E. can be like

last picked every time.

And so I sat there or stood there and along the wall to be last picked.

And I say last picked because well not really picked there was some other guy that was last

picked and nobody talked to and nobody got his name.

And so we didn't get each other's names.

We partnered up.

We didn't pray.

We didn't sing a song.

We got our feet wet and we got back into the church as quick as we could.

But my wife Crystal Crystal came skipping back into church.

You ever seen a grown woman skip.

You want to see.

I don't know what she looks like and I look like.

But a skip is kind of like you get this.

This is how she comes back in all smiling and giddy.

I'm like what happened.

She's like oh it was amazing Jack.

This lady came and she asked me if I would partner with her and we we went we went back

there and she asked me you know who I was and why I was there and what brought us in

and she explained to me what was going on.

It was just wonderful.

Wow.

Incredible right.

That lady is the first seven day Adventist home I ever went to.

She's like I don't know this lady.

I'm going to get to know this lady and she intentionally targeted Crystal to build a

friendship.

We still know their family to this day.

They're special people in our lives.

I didn't have that experience.

We got the rest of church went home and we came back the next week and you know why we

came back.

I already told you because we're not going to work.

That's right.

Not going to work.

We're going to come back here to church and we sit down and and they do the whole procession

they come in they're doing and they say hold on hold on we want to just stop these we want

to stop these hold on a second.

Jack and Crystal would you mind standing up just so you know my wife dislikes this.

We stood up.

If you don't know Jack and Crystal you should get to know them they're wonderful people

and we found out something about Jack and Crystal.

What they find out.

How did they find it out.

Not yet kid.

I'll get you in just a minute.

Just a minute I'm happy to tell us.

How did they find it out.

First off they talked to Crystal right.

They asked you some questions.

Who is she talks man.

Should be telling the stuff.

They found it out and they said we wanted to do something nice for you.

We found out.

Here's what they found out what they find out story.

They found out Jack and Crystal are getting married.

And we wanted to do something nice for you.

And so the back doors of the church opened up and we're standing here and people start

bringing in gift bags and they start setting them down their house warming gifts wedding

gifts setting them down all around us and we're standing there.

You ever not want to cry but got to cry.

I don't want to cry in front of this church but it hurt not to my wife and I had never

received love just because a lot of time love comes with a hook and expectation and this

church loved us just because Jesus loved them and they showed it.

They didn't just say it they showed it.

It was the moment that everything changed for us.

We would not miss church again and it had nothing to do with work and everything with

getting to know that Jesus that they know to being around these people.

Now they were real people with real problems.

My wife was so overcome with joy that standing there in front of the church she said yes

we're getting married next Friday and you're all invited.

I don't know how she's going to feed them but they're all invited and the pastor and

then his wife came out to that that wedding and they left before things got rowdy on Friday

night they left before they got rowdy but they were there.

The only Christian I would say I wouldn't even go so far to say Christian real Christian

couple in our wedding period.

What an amazing joy that the pastor's wife she organized this all it took was someone

to come together and say let's do this.

She had the idea and she recruited everyone got involved and her and I would argue the

rest of our time together but she loved us.

They had their problems but they did it eventually someone would walk across the church and have

the gall.

Should I say gall?

No the guts the courage to offer us Bible studies and we would say yes and they would

give us not great Bible studies and my wife and I got baptized off of not great Bible

studies didn't have to be great just had to be and eventually and some of you know what

happens after sometimes people are so invested in you until a point and once a point happened

things changed and so another individual in that church recognized that Crystal and I

after after a baptism it was getting close to us leaving church because there's a hard

road sometimes and you feel disconnected you feel kind of left out and we felt that way

from a great church that wasn't perfect and so someone said I see an issue here and so

they came and they started discipling us and they built us a friend group built it piece

by piece for us and this person taught us how to preach in my living room so if you

dislike the preaching you could take it up with him okay he taught us how to study the

Bible taught us how to pray taught us how to have a devotion life and I'm still here

because of someone like that so I thank God for for praying parents if you're a parent

who's praying keep praying and I thank God for for a church that says here we can do

this one thing we can do this one thing let's do it and I praise God for people that would

go out and put up a flyer and the person who would make copies of that flyer so that people

could put it up and I praise God for the person who was in the church who was like I I may

not be able to walk around I may not be able to homes but I can put this in the mail someone

in here is putting things in the mail and mailing it to people and it means the world

to them thank you keep it up keep it up it means the world to them I thank God for for

the guys who intervened and started showing up at our house and bringing those videos

by because I really don't think I would have got to this point had they not showed up they

hadn't brought the video I wouldn't I wouldn't send off to get they hadn't brought it back

out I wouldn't be here those guys are part of this it wasn't perfect but they're part

of it and and I thank God for for getting to go to a church that my dad was going to

and I thank God that my dad would invite me to church and I'm thankful for a church that

said look here's a couple they're obviously got some issues let's love them let's love

them right where they are let's take time to invest in them because I'm here I said

yes to Bible studies later because I was there and I think God for this this little young

man who walked across the church and offered Bible studies and did it horribly but he did

it and he was terrified to do it and I thank God that somebody came along afterward and

said you know what Jack and Christ are in trouble spiritually they need help they need

relationship in this church I'm gonna invest in them I'm gonna help them and many more

people have been a part of this journey praying people loving people and most of them have

had mistakes through it but we're here today I'm here today my daughter is growing up as

a seven-day Adventist because of people like you and me willing to get involved if you

want God to use you if you want to get involved then we're gonna take a moment we're gonna

pray about it together and this is an opportunity between you and God to say I want to be used

this afternoon after lunch we're gonna do a training more getting involved but I want

to encourage you to pray right now if that's you if not you can have a general prayer between

you and the Lord but I'm gonna lead us in a prayer so please bow your heads with me

pray with me father we're coming before you as weak and airing human beings Lord we are

thankful for your grace and your mercy and your love we are thankful that your Holy

Spirit is willing to work and invest in us and in others that you have invited us to

join you Lord some of us here we want to get involved we want to be used by you we want

to see people come to know you just because you invited us to help we want to know that

joy so Lord as we have our eyes closed our heads bowed Lord right now we raise our hands

to say yes Lord use me between us and you no one else we see you Lord and we know you

see our hands and we say yes I want to be used by you more than I am now keep using

me stretch me Lord give me courage Lord I want to help someone else know you Lord we

we thank you for hearing our prayer we thank you for answering this prayer thank you for

using even us we pray this we thank you for this privilege in your name Jesus amen