Why Evangelism is Challenging | Strengthened to Multiply

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, right?

Amen. We never want to move the

target. The target has always been new

conversion growth around here. The target has always been

wanting to reach people. The same message that was been

given to us, we want to give that away to other people.

And evangelism is happening all throughout the week here.

I love this church because it is literally, I mean, I was on

campus on Wednesday and we're giving away.

It was a hot day. It was almost 90° and just

giving away iced coffee to college students and engaging

them and evangelism conversations and conversations

about faith. And it was just so encouraging

to see our people out there and they're out there throughout the

week. I almost can't even keep up with

it. I know we have a an evangelist

neighborhoods and nations chat that one of our guys holds.

He kind of holds the Fort down for just prayer and then sending

out messages. So I don't know how you get

that, but maybe talk to Jessica or talk to your life group

leader how you could be on that and find out all the evangelism

that's happening throughout the week.

Last week we were supposed to do those those testimonies, but our

administrative team says no, no, no, I think it's better for next

week. And so just just so happened

that again, like the unity of the Spirit is just cool to see

that today. What we're going to talk about

is why is evangelism so challenging?

Why is evangelism so challenging?

How many here have been, how many here are saved because of a

gospel tract, a gospel conversation?

Somebody's prayers should be everybody, everybody.

You didn't just get saved out of the womb.

Anybody believe that you're wrong If you do OK, you don't

get saved by baptism. You don't get saved by just

because your parents are saved. You don't get saved because you

go to a church. You get saved because someone

shared the gospel with you right Romans 10 someone shared the

gospel with you and you received that God opened up your heart,

which is the greatest miracle of all time is that somebody shared

with you and at that moment God opened up your heart.

It might have been been even been like, I know for me, it was

in high school, somebody was sharing their faith with me.

And I remember many hours just in this person's car, like right

in my driveway, right. And they were sharing and I, I

had all these questions and my heart wasn't necessarily right

in the moment, but I was asking all these questions, these tough

questions about faith. And I was asking questions about

Revelation and the end times and who's the Antichrist and when's

the world going to end and all that stuff.

I know God, I, I had no, I had no clue who God was really.

And but he was, he was this, this guy was just so gentle,

just answering my questions and you know, for, for a couple of

years, really just pursuing me and praying.

In fact, the prayers go back probably maybe even six or five

or six years, even before those conversations ended up happening

in that car in my driveway and, and I just had all these

questions. So come with your questions.

If you're not even saved, if you don't know God, come with your

questions. He's not bothered by that, by

the way, he's not bothered by your questions.

He's not intimidated. He's he, he can answer all

things, right? He's God.

And so just come, come, come and see.

Really. I mean, Jesus said to his

disciples, come and see. And so I was that come and see

person and I was asking all these questions about, you know,

you know, about Revelation, about the Bible.

And this person ended up being my cousin and he had gone to

California while I lived in Chicago area and he had gone to

California and he just decided every day for a while to get on

his knees and just pray for the family.

He knew that we're all lost. He knew that we didn't know God.

He knew that we maybe had a little bit of religion and knew

something about God, but we didn't have a relationship with

him. And so somebody maybe for you

guys, you're praying for the lost right now.

You're praying for your lost family, your parents, your kids

or whatever. Don't stop praying because God

will answer in due time. Amen.

Don't grow weary in doing good, for in due time you'll reap a

harvest. All right, Galatians 69.

God is, he is, He is wanting to answer your prayers.

And we're going to talk about why evangelism is so challenging

because the, there is the, there's an enemy that wars

against people's souls, right? And so there's a, there's two

ways in which the enemy 2 like bigger ways, like, you know,

like as far as the big picture, two ways that the enemy comes

after people. 1 He, he, he blinds the unbelievers and then

he comes after believers. We'll spend a little bit more

time on that because this is a church.

I'm talking primarily to believers.

But evangelism, evangelism in general, is a spiritual battle.

It is a spiritual battle. There is a war over your soul

and there was a war over my soul when I went to college.

Like I left, obviously. I graduated from high school and

I, I left and I, I, my cousin moved to California and then I

moved to the Mississippi River, right between Iowa and Illinois.

There I met my amazing wife and we are both unsaved.

We were 18 years old. We are fools for not for Christ,

but weirdest fools in the world. And we were lost, lost probably

I was more lost than she was. She was probably more on the

moral side. And but still, nonetheless, both

of us grew up Catholic. I'm not picking out Catholics by

any means, but I'm just saying like that for me, it was just

about knowing like about knowing the facts.

Like I knew Jesus died on the cross.

OK, I knew that, you know, there was a, there was God the Father,

God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

I mean, I knew facts about I knew there's a Bible.

We had a Catholics have a little bit, it's not just 66 books in

the Bible. They have a little bit more in

there. I didn't know who those books

were. I still don't know what the

really those books are. But but I, I, I just remember

going to college and I wanted everything else, every,

everything, what college students want when they first

come, when they're lost, right. I'm ever have to go through the

list. You got, you guys know what

those things are the, what you do at night and you know, and,

and so I just, I, I love the world.

I did, I love the world, but yet I was seeking, I was like, man,

I would remember as I was out at parties, I would remember a

little bit what my cousin said. You know, I, I remember some of

the things he was telling me about and the lostness that he

came from how he has now a relationship with God.

And so I, I, I had a, a night when I came home from colleges,

but the first month in and I went to a bunch of parties and,

and just nothing satisfied. In fact, I would say, I, looking

back, I would say now with the language I have, I'd say I was

pretty depressed. I was, I was pretty lonely.

I was pretty depressed. I didn't have any purpose in my

life. And I remember looking out my

dorm room window. I was was on the 3rd floor and I

looked down and there was a bunch of empty beer cans there.

And some of you guys Remember Me telling this story.

But I just for so many new people coming in just to again,

one of the college students came up to me and they said, man, it

was, it was encouraging. It was a one-on-one, It was

encouraging hearing your testimony because we just

thought you were always like that.

Well, I was not, you know, whatever that means.

And I remember looking out my window and seeing these empty

beer cans. And that was I, I and I didn't

hear any audible voice or anything, but just in my heart,

I, I'd almost as if God was speaking to me saying you're as

empty as those beer cans. You're empty and there's a

reason why you're empty. And I didn't want to be empty

anymore. I just didn't know how to be

full. I didn't know, I, I didn't know

how to do that. Even though, you know, I'd heard

bits and pieces from my cousin over the years.

It was just OK, how does one get saved?

And I remember looking over, I remember looking out the window

and then looking over. I still remember where I was

the, the, the dresser was there with my Bible on top.

I never read my Bible other than maybe a few pages in Revelation

because it's kind of cool. But there was inside, inside my

Bible was a, a gospel tract, very plain.

I still have it in my office as a memory.

It was, it was September 2000. OK, Do you remember September?

This is like a long time ago, OK, Almost 25 1/2 years ago,

right. So when I, when I, when I looked

at that, I opened up, I opened it up and I had a gospel tract

from my cousin's friend in California actually a couple of

years back. I ended up seeing him and

thanking him for that tract and he's like, you want a bunch

more? Took a few.

They're the, they're the ugliest.

It's just a trifle blue piece of paper.

I just had questions on it, no pictures, nothing.

In fact, I had a little dove on the front of which I was like,

why is there a dove on the front?

I had no clue. Now a little bit later, I know

that maybe that's symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

I had no clue. I just, I opened it up and I

read the simple gospel. I read that God wants a

relationship with you. I read that that our sins

separate us, right that. And then I read that, you know,

you can't not enough good works. There's there's not the scale

like in your head that if you just have a little bit more good

works versus not good works, you know, sin, then maybe if you had

a little bit more, it would tip the scale and God would be

pleased with you and let you into heaven.

That's not the truth. And I knew that it's like I had

heard all these things, but for the first time I was like,

actually, that makes sense. Like I am a sinful person.

I want a relationship with God. I don't know how to get there,

but I and I know that my good works could never save me.

Right. And then, and then I realized,

OK, there's an answer. Jesus died on the cross for my

sin. But look, listen, how many, you

know, I mean, maybe this has happened to you.

Like, you just hear this stuff. I've I've heard it.

I went to I went to 1st through 8th grade in a Catholic school.

I mean, we heard something along those lines every day.

Yeah. I still wanted the world.

Something happened there in September of 2000 in my dorm

room in Rock Island, IL Something happened there.

It's called a miracle. What's the miracle?

God opened up my heart, so I actually believe this stuff.

That's the difference. I actually believed it and when

I believed it, God transformed my heart like I was a new person

in that moment because I trusted Christ to save me from all of my

sins, past, present, and future. I mean, I don't know, like

yesterday I didn't, I didn't have that in my mind.

And that day I did. And the next day was the, was

the beginning of the rest of my life.

The next 25 1/2 years of following Jesus has been the joy

of my life. And that is because of Jesus.

That's because of the grace of God, not because of anything I

did or anything I will do. It wasn't is it like God saying,

OK, one day you're going to be a pastor and this and this and

then, you know, I had no clue. And then and then I'll save you

because you know, your, your, your trajectory is looking good.

No, no, no. It's because of the grace of

God. And then it was the first day of

the rest of my life. I joined the church right away.

You know, I, I, I was reading the other day and how important

the church is again. Of course I'm a believer in

that. The last 25 1/2 years I've been

a part of the church. The first day I remember calling

my cousin up, I said, oh, look, I answered all those questions.

Remember that track you gave me a few years, I'm sorry, a few

months back in California? Yeah, well, I actually read it

and I believe it. I believe it.

Thank you. Thank you for praying for me.

Thank you for like all those, all those days like just, you

know, being in the car with you and like you answering all those

questions. And then I'm like, OK, so now

what do I do? Just join the church, find a

Bible study, find do something. And so I did.

And some of you guys know that I was a part of all girls Bible

study, you know, like for like for two months until they told

me. Do you realize gone, this is an

all girls Bible study? I had no clue.

I was just, I just looked at my dorm.

I was I, you know, those little bulletin board things and it had

like different things pinned up there and I was like, OK, I'll

go to that thing, you know, like I was even reading.

I apparently I didn't see girls every time.

I don't know. And they're so gracious to me.

They really were. I was, I wish I could meet them.

I was like, thank you so much. Like I was clueless, you know, I

just wasn't aware. I think I, I like over time, you

know, God gives you discernment and you know, I didn't have any

then didn't have any discernment.

I just was saved. I, I, I was like, I'm in love

with Jesus now, you know, now I'm trying to follow him the

best way I can. And so found inner varsity,

which is very similar to crew. If you don't know who that is,

and then and then found the church and then and, and Nicole

and I just we, we loved, we loved just being together.

And, and, and she got saved several months after me and we

did, I guess we did a little bit of what you called missionary

dating. You know, I kind of wanted her

to become a Christian and she wanted to become a Christian And

it just worked out, which I don't always recommend doing

that necessarily, but it just, it just worked out.

Praise the Lord, four years we dated and then we got married.

But there's so much. And it's when I realized like

the first, within the first week of of being saved, I wanted

others to be saved. Like I had, I had all these lost

people, like I had all this lost friends.

And it's like, it was like this different world.

It's like, OK, now I got to go to this church and there's all

these believers. But then what do I do with all

these people who are I've known for so many years.

I've known. I mean, so I would go home with

my dirty laundry bag because I didn't know how to do laundry.

And I brought that home and just dumped it with my mom.

Thank you mom, for, you know, she just did all the laundry and

then so I would go out with my friends when I would go home for

the weekend. And so I would meet all them and

I'm like, you guys got to know Jesus and they're like, what the

world happened to you? Like used to be this cool guy.

Like we used to always go out and now you're like not fun

anymore. And what happened to you?

Like, you know, and so I started thinking through this.

I was like, I don't, I mean, I, I, you know, I started feeling

out of place. I felt, I, so I, I felt, felt

like I needed to be more with my church friends and less with

them. And it was frustrating and, and

you know, and I started praying for them.

I started praying for my family. My brother was super lost and my

parents still like stuck in religion and, and so I was just

like between 2 worlds when I first got saved.

Anybody feel like that? Like when they first get saved,

like they're just kind of between 2 worlds.

It's like, what do I do with these people?

You know, I'm not like them anymore, but I want to reach

them and I want to be like these people and I want to be with

them. And you know, it's crazy.

And overtime we'll find out. There's I'm, I'm clearing you in

and to point #10 OK, so point #10I I, it'll, it'll land.

Well, I'll finish with a story, but I want to press pause there

for a second because I, I, I want to share with you guys some

other things that that will be really helpful in realizing why

it is so challenging to do evangelism, why it's so hard,

why it's so easy in the beginning and it's so hard later

on. But if you would go ahead and

turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 4, the enemy, like I

said, there's two different kind of, I guess you can say two

different points here. The big picture, the enemy just

blinds and distracts unbelievers.

And then the enemy will attack godly believers.

All right, and we'll spend most of our time there.

But the enemy blinds and distracts unbelievers.

He is blinded them from hearing the gospel.

I was blinded by the enemy. I was actually there.

Like I, I know what that feels like is, is the enemy puts

blinders on my on my eyes and my heart.

Where all these people? Like I was thinking about this.

I was like, man, when I, when you know, like when the light

bulb turns on when you're saved, it's like, oh, I understand

everything my cousin was saying. I didn't understand what he

really what he was saying before.

I didn't understand his lifestyle.

I don't understand why he gave his life to the church and why

he gave his life to reaching other people.

Like it didn't really make sense.

I just thought, Hey, he's a nice guy.

But now I'm like, I understand because the reason why you don't

understand, and maybe that's you here.

Maybe that's you. Maybe this is your like second

or third time coming and you're just like, I still don't

understand what's going on. Like they're singing these songs

and people are getting rowdy and people are praying for each

other and people, you know, whatever.

Like, I mean, they're giving their life to the Lord.

They're going on all these mission trips and they're giving

money. It's like, why are they doing

all this? This sort of strange, we

understand religion. Everybody's got everyone's got

religion. I get that like you just you're

a Christian, this guy's a Muslim, this guy's an atheist,

whatever. I mean, we all get along right?

I under that's the thinking of an unbeliever because they're

they're blinded. It says in second Corinthians

44, the God of this world, the small G God of this world, and

there are many gods. Sometimes you just think it's

just the devil. It's it's the God, small G God,

the gods of this world blind you.

What have you been blinded by lately?

You're blinded like sex God blinds people from the gospel,

money God, many comforts, the American dream God.

You see, it's not just like one. It's not just the devil.

The devil is not omnipresent. He's not everywhere.

It's it's, it's just minions. It's it's demons.

It's, it's, it's small G gods that blind people.

It could be politics. Why did we talk about last week,

Turning Point USA? That could be that is a small G

God. It blinds people to think

they're OK. They're OK with themselves.

They're satisfied with themselves, but they're really

not satisfied because you kind of go in between, don't you?

And you're like, do you ever feel like that?

Like maybe even before you got saved, you go in between you do

you show up and be like, OK, this makes sense.

This is good. And you go back to your room and

you be like, that doesn't make any sense.

And you go back to your own gods because they're satisfying you

in the moment. And then Ephesians 22 says you

previously walked according to the course of this world,

according to the Prince and power of the air.

The Prince and power of the air it's in the airwaves.

The gods, small G gods are in the airwaves.

They're on your, they're on your, your screens.

They're, they're, they're in your, they're in the radio.

They're listening to your, they're in your classrooms at

UCF. They're in your class They're,

they're everywhere. There's these small G gods

airwaves just sort of got it going through your life, your

mind and you begin to believe these lies.

And you know, it says in Matthew 13, there's really three

different ways the enemy works in people.

Every Sunday morning, every time someone shares with you on

campus, every time these are these three ways, the word is

snatched from their hearts. Soon as they go to the car and

as soon as they put the key in the ignition, it's like that, as

if they just literally forgot everything that was said.

Now, is that like physically you might be like, well, I, I still

remember, you know, you might still remember, but it has not

penetrated your heart. Therefore, the enemy has

snatched that possibility of it going deep in your heart and

rooted deep. So that day, 25 1/2 years ago,

that word that I read on the page actually penetrated my

heart and never left. It never left.

Amen. And I'm praying that it never

leaves you. I I don't want it to leave you,

but I know how it works. The Bible says it will leave

Some just don't let it leave you don't get back in the car and be

like, oh, that was nice. All right, let's go to

McDonald's. You know, like, whatever.

Whatever it might be, I, I don't know.

Or just go home like in the fall, like watching football,

whatever. There's nothing wrong with any

of those things. Go, go eat lunch, go watch

football, whatever. I, I don't care what it is.

It doesn't. That's not what I'm saying.

We don't be legalistic around here.

What I'm saying is that your life isn't changed as a result

of the word. Have you ever had that?

I mean, my whole like 1st through 8th grade, that was me.

I mean, I would hear this stuff all the time.

I would hear and it would, it would just go, it would, it

would literally, it would be like water off a duck's back.

It would just come to me and it would leave me, come to me and

it would leave me, come to me. And it would leave me no

conviction. Every now and then I'd have a

little conviction. Every now and then I'd be like,

oh, maybe you know, all right. But these small G gods are so

good and so pleasurable. So that's what kept my interest.

But that day in September, God got my interest.

It was because of the power of the spirit.

Everyone should literally like when we have a response time.

Be on your knees for two reasons.

One, thank you Lord. It is like a gift.

Thank you. It it worked.

Your word worked in me. And the second is it's not

working. Please God make it work. 2

responses, 2 people, two different destinies.

And so that's what the enemy does and he discourages us with

persecution. So people fall away.

This happens all the time. I watch it in college ministry.

I mean, I've, we've given Nicole and I've given our life to the

youth the last 25 1/2 years. We've given our lives to the

youth and what, what, what, what I've seen over time is that

people get lured in by, by, by the gospel and they're like,

we're in, we're this is awesome. And then something hits them.

Something, some challenge, some challenge.

I don't know if it's sometimes it's parents.

Sadly, it is happened with me. I got persecution from my

parents. Not anymore.

They're saved now, praise the Lord, 3 1/2 years later, they're

saved because I prayed for them every day.

And she said Lords and and I tried to do my best to witness

to them and then other family members.

But what happened was when, when I got persecuted from my

parents. I mean, that hurts.

I mean, that does right? I mean, it does.

They don't understand because again, it's light and darkness

clashing. They it hasn't penetrated their

life, but it has for you. And now it's a clash.

And there's ways, I mean, we could talk about that would

soften that blow a little bit. Like you'd be kind and caring.

And I was just more like, you can't believe this is amazing.

You know, as you can imagine, like my 19 year old self, no

wisdom deal without knowledge. But and my mom just left this

week and it was just I honor, honor, honor, honor.

So thankful for for her because I mean, God produced something

deep there that just wasn't there in the beginning and so

and restored so much relationship there.

I was thinking about that. It's very it's amazing to see.

Don't give up, don't give up. But the persecutor could become

a friend, right by prayer. And, and so don't give up if it,

if it is your parents or if it's your brother and sister or your,

your, maybe it could be a professor or boss, you know,

maybe it's like, you know, you really want this job.

You're kind of going to compromise.

And then, you know, there's a temptation there and you get

that job and then you, your faith wins.

Because the reality is you're, you got fear of man, fear.

Man's a snare. It's a trap.

So now you're caught, you're caught, you're trapped.

Who do you trapped by? You're trapped by others man's

opinion and you're like, wait, hold on a second.

I'm saved the Lord of my life Is Jesus not this guy, right?

And like that is the most one of the most important truths is

that Jesus is Lord. Is he Lord of your life or he's

not the Lord of your life? And, and, and the way you test

that is be careful of man's opinions, how it can be a trap

in your life. And that's what he does.

The enemy does that all the time.

He does that and he snatches people away.

And then it, then the, the sun, it scorches the, the roots and,

and because it, the roots don't go deep into the ground, boom,

they're gone. Watch it, see it happen all the

time. And then the enemy lures us

because of the pleasures of sin, right?

I'm thinking maybe there's no long term consequences.

And so we're like, hey, it's not a big deal.

And so we give into it little by little by little, because it's

subtle and all of a sudden somebody's somebody's gone.

Well, wait, what do you do with like no one can once that once I

have them in my hands, right, John 10 like no one can snatch

them from my hand. Or what about like everyone who

comes to Jesus? He will by no means castaway,

right? What about those?

Well, you know, in the Bible, there's paradoxes.

It's there's two, there's it looks like a contradiction.

But as you listen carefully and as you live this out every day

of your life, you'll find that look, once you are a child of

God, no one can take that away from you.

The proofs in the pudding, man, like if you're in, if you're

persevering and you're in, no matter how how hard life gets or

how much pleasure is being, you know, being thrown at you,

you're like, I'm in with Jesus. Then you know, you're his right

And and and was it first John two, it says that they left

because they were never really of God.

They never really are of God. And I experienced that in high

school. I experienced that.

I I experienced there were times where I was like kind of in I

was like, oh, maybe I'm interested.

I would go to like, what was that thing called in high

school? Like it's like some high school

outreach. What is it young life?

That's it. I remember going there and I

remember it was like some bonfire and people are like on

the Qatar and like, you know, and stuff.

And I was like lost soul Rosalind.

I was like, this is so lame, Like why would anybody go?

But it's something was drawing me in at the same time.

And I remember walking home like I was walking back that there's

somebody dropped me off and I remember just thinking like man,

like I, I'm God brought back to memory that he's like, he's like

they were planting seeds that one day would be watered.

It wasn't a waste, but I experienced that.

But then one day that's it. No one can snatch.

No one can snatch me from His hands.

And then it's a life of perseverance.

I hope you have, I literally hope you have saving faith

because nothing will be able to snatch you.

You are fully secure, but if you are not in Christ, you are not

secure. And the enemy will throw stuff

at you. And in one day you will bite it.

He'll take you for a ride farther than you ever want to

go. That's why the seed must go deep

this morning. This is not a waste.

Do not waste your Sunday. OK.

All right. So, OK, So then the devil blinds

unbelievers by promoting distorted views of the gospel

cults like the Coexist. You ever see the Coexist bumper

sticker? That's ridiculous.

That's all I have to say about that.

Jesus is the only way. He's the way, the truth and the

life and the only way to heaven. That's it.

There's no such thing as coexist.

It just can't happen. It's a lie of the enemy to make

you think that everything can coexist.

Everything could just be nice and we can all sing together.

And Jesus divides because he loves.

Isn't that good? It's like a parent that just

says, hey, no, you can't have that.

It allows you to destroy your life.

And they're like, you hate me. No, I love you man.

Like hatred me. Like just destroy your life and

do what you want, kid. You know that's hatred.

God says no, no, no, no, no. I'm showing you the way I am.

The GPS system. I have it like it.

I have the coordinates to heaven.

And if you follow me, I will get you there.

If you do not want to follow me, then you will not be with me,

period. That's it.

OK, so the enemy attacks godly disciple makers.

Here we go. Top 10.

All right, just rapid fire. Hopefully.

OK, rapid fire. My wife tells me how I lie every

week. So I'm trying to she's like, you

know, you were you took. Do you know that?

That's the like when she asked me to go for a walk.

I know like feedback, feedback time.

I love my walks with you. I do.

I really do. OK.

All right, so the enemy attacks us because we are the primary

means to get the gospel to the nations.

That's why. That's why he attacks you every

day. Think about this.

Every day he attacks you because you are the primary means to get

the gospel to somebody else. That's crazy when you think

about it. You need to know that why?

I mean think about that every day of your life.

He is he's going to give you these There's ten ways.

He just keeps you from the mission of God, because do you

know that just as someone gave you the the gospel, they're

called a disciple maker that the disciple maker.

They did their job like they're the disciple maker.

They did their job by getting me the gospel.

Don't kill that line. Don't let it end with you like

you are a disciple of Jesus and a disciple maker.

Where's Bravo at? Where's your at?

Where? OK.

All right, listen. What is the definition?

You hate going to class? Professors at UCF don't do this,

do you? Do they?

OK, so OK, So what is the definition or the goal I should

say of discipleship? It's to, it's OK, it happens.

It happens to the best of us and when we're on the spot.

But you got this encourage to encourage and tell someone to

live wholeheartedly for Jesus, for Jesus and his purposes.

Woo, let's go, 9090%, 90%, we'll eventually get 100 there.

We'll eventually get it. That's good.

It's good, good, good, good. OK, so Spurgeon said this near

the nearer you live to God because it's nothing, it's not

like wow, it's profound. It's simple, but profound.

The nearer you live to God, like on purpose, right, the more you

can expect the devil's opposition.

And it's wherever or whenever the harvest is plentiful.

And I think the harvest is plentiful on campus right now.

I think the harvest is plentiful.

Like in our neighborhoods. People are hungry for Jesus.

They are. There's hunger.

You know what's sad is like you have hunger over here.

Like you have them. The unbelievers are blinded.

They're blinded, but they're many of them are hungry.

And it's sad. It's like, OK, if the enemy can

blind unbelievers, but also God can override that.

He's beginning to open up people to hear the gospel.

And then you got people over here like us in this room, the

church, we're not really interested in in doing any of

that. Like sharing.

That's like really sad. I think about it when I think

about that. Let's not do that.

Let's be a sharing church. Let's be a people that make

disciples. That is Our Calling.

And college students, if you're in college, please give like 4

years to it. It'll put something deep in you,

in the DNA so that like, you will teach your kids how to do

that. You will have, you will have,

you will be a family on mission. There's nothing more joyful and

more purposeful than that. So OK, So what are the 10 ways

that keeps us? He'll do whatever enemy will do

whatever it takes to keep us from evangelism #1 is tempting

us to sin. He tempts us to sin.

When we sin, it is OK. When we sin, guys, it is very

difficult to talk about forgiveness, mercy and the

victory of Christ when we're bogged down with rebellion and

guilt. Think about that like, what's

the what's the last? I mean, that is like evangelism

is the last thing you want to do.

You just keep, if you're living like right, so close to sin,

right, like right on the line, that's evangelism is not the

first thing you want to do, right?

What so not only that, but it says in Psalm 6818 to 19 says

that our sin hinders our prayer life for the lost in or just in

any area. Just I mean, if you fill in the

blank hinders our prayers for fill in the blank.

This is what he says. If I had been aware of the

malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

And you could exchange you could just like a little fill in the

blank for malice. I mean, it could be just drop

down menu, a bunch of just different things that are you're

dealing with. We talked about a couple weeks

back that husbands who don't treat their wives right, their

prayers are being hindered. So we we know there is a

theology of prayer in the Bible that says when we're messing

around with sin, our prayers are ineffective.

Is that right, Kai? Did I get that right?

Yeah, yeah. Kind of OK, all right, Isaiah 59

one through 2, the Lord's arm is not too weak to save.

OK, this is good. Like know this, it is not too

weak to save. His ear is not too deaf to hear,

but listen. But your sin is separating you

from God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that

he does not listen. That's crazy.

Like, doesn't that why you want to make me want to live like

holy lives? Like I want my prayers to be

effective. I want to pray for the lost and

then be saved. Amen.

So like church. So if in order for the enemy,

OK, the enemy to weaken this church in in the area of a

making disciples and evangelism, right, it's just to give it's

just put sin in front of people to weaken their lives.

And of course they're witness because unsaved, the unsaved

because of hypocrisy are less likely to listen to us if we

have ongoing sin in our lives. Like in other words, I mean,

this is what I would have asked if I watched the people sharing

the gospel with me. I would have said, well, if it's

not working for you, then why would it work for me?

You have to ask that. Number 2, discouraging

believers. The enemy is really good at

discouraging believers. Like the story of Elijah and

Jezebel, if you remember that. I think I shared something about

that a number of weeks back. The enemy doesn't quit after

he's been defeated once. He continues to go.

So like you saw Elijah, right? And, and you know, kill the 950

prophets of Baal and then Jezebel's like, I'm coming after

you and he runs to a cave. So just because the enemy was

defeated in an extraordinary way does not mean he does not try to

defeat you in some other ways. He is he is relentless and he

will continue. And then with that, he just

tries to get us to quit and feel hopeless.

He occupies us with discouragement because we're

just less likely to share when we're consumed with our with,

with all that discouragement and all the stuff that's going on in

our hearts, we're hopeless. We're not going to want to give

hope away because it first of all, we need the hope.

We're going to give it away, right?

All right, so #3 distracting us with things that are not

eternal. You know what Ecclesiastes says,

says go get perspective from the funeral over the wedding because

it is at the funeral. When you're there at the

funeral, you're saying one day we will be at a wedding feast,

being with Jesus for all of eternity at the wedding.

It reminds us that this isn't all that's going to last.

One day we will die and we won't have this earth anymore.

We will give account for our lives.

It's in that profound. I mean the proverbs are in

Ecclesiastes written by Solomon is so powerful because it we get

distracted on a daily basis. Just pause real quick right now

and think about this week, how many distractions came your way

for and especially in the area of of all the distractions that

had to do with this just the temporal just this life

distractions just in this life. Think about them all.

There's a lot of them in Luke 1038 to 42.

The enemy distracts us from the one thing that really matters,

intimacy with Jesus. Second Corinthians 11/1 through

4. The enemy takes us away from

what is most important, the simplicity and devotion to

Christ. He does it every day.

In fact, in the morning, how many moms wake up with with a

crying baby when you were just all you want to do is spend time

with God. Now listen, there's grace,

grace, grace because you can kill two birds with one stone.

You can listen to the Bible as you rock your baby or feed your

baby, whatever. I mean, there's different ways

to go about that. But honestly, we're all

distracted by so many different things.

Just every time you have a goal, you're like, OK, I want to read

the Bible, you know, 4 chapters a day or this is a boom the next

day distraction or five days later.

You, you because it all relied on you and your own strength.

You get disappointed and you quit and you stop and you don't

read any of the chapters, not even a half a chapter or a verse

because you're so discouraged, because you maybe perhaps

because we're it's, we're relying on our own strength,

which brings me to the fourth point, provoking pride in US.

It evangelism is can be challenging because of our pride

when we forget that Jesus is at the center of this work, not our

own strength. Somehow evangelism when it

becomes about us, you know, and sometimes I think I'm speaking

to the ones who go on evangelism often.

If you're one of those people like you put the stake in the

ground like Rich, you're always there, which is awesome.

I'm so encouraged. But a lot of times when we do it

over and over and over again, we rely on our own strength.

In other words, like you're not, you're not distracted, you're

going like that's what you've signed up for.

So the enemy, you got to watch it.

Don't be ignorant of a scheme. Second Corinthians 2 don't be

ignorant of the enemy's schemes in our lives.

And what is the scheme in our and, and maybe, and guys who go

on evangelism often is to do it in your own strength because

there was a victory. You rely on yesterday's

victories for today's right like, oh, I had that work that

little skill work or that little saying work.

Well, it doesn't work today because you're a different

person. So don't become don't be a

robot. All right so it's first First

Corinthians reverse Chronicles 21 one through 5.

You see David relying on the spirit often, but in this case,

David was tempted by the enemy later in life.

This is towards the end of his life.

He was tempted to take a census. Why, why?

Why was the? Why is that?

Some of you are like, oh, it's a census.

I mean, we do that all the time, every five years or something,

right? Or 10.

Is it 10 years? David wanted to see and show

others how powerful his army was.

He wanted, he was just flexing his arm.

He's like, look at how powerful we are and read that later.

It didn't go well for David. He had a pick between like, I

don't know if God ever came to you with like pick one of three

consequences. God's never done that to me.

Like the specifics, but that'd be scary.

Be like, I would like I'm reading that passage.

I'm like, I don't want any of those three.

And David's just like I rather be in your hands than the man

than the hands of man, which is wise.

So we depend on our own strength and then we fall in, in Mark 9.

There's a great example there when the when the disciples

tried to cast out a demon and their own strength and without

prayer, how did that go? It didn't go well.

You know who, who got the short end of the stick on that one?

The Father who's wanted their son healed.

So when we're relying on our own strength, guess what happens?

It's people don't get what they need from Jesus.

People have a disbelief in Jesus because we because of our pride.

So when, when evangelism becomes all about us or like when we

rely on our own strength, sadly, like the Father and the Son

could not get what they needed because they were, they were

basing their, their present success on yesterday's success.

And so #5 provoking embarrassment and fear, going to

move Luke 2252 to 62. Peter denied Jesus three times.

I love this part where he's like the, the, the slave girl, right?

She's like, are you a follower of Jesus?

Aren't you a follower of Jesus? I've seen you with him.

And he's like, no, no, no, no, I don't know what you're talking

about. Well, who is again, who is

hindered there not just because of your pride, but because of

your fear. When we give in to fear, when

the enemy makes us fear. And this happens a lot in like

in a, you know, maybe evangelism contact context overseas, you

know, you might hear stories or you might have been there where

the enemy messes with you, puts a spirit of fear on you.

And now you're, you're like cowering in fear and trying to

deny Jesus. Not this.

And I mean, I don't think any one of us would be like, I don't

even know him, you know, anymore.

I don't think it maybe it'd be that extreme, but fear hinders

you from evangelism. Fear hinders you from going on

mission, whether it's fear of like rejection or fear or

whatever it might be. I mean, there's tons of, there's

tons of reasons for that fear, but there's missed opportunities

to evangelize and reach the people around you because of the

fear. The spirit of fear number six,

physical and mental fatigue. Maybe like there's just undealt

with emotions. Just you're tired.

How many times you're like, evangelism happens like in a

family life group that night and you're just like overwhelmed by

all the stuff that just happened just in that day.

And you're like, I don't really feel like going out.

It's not fear, it's not pride. It's not all these other things.

It's not ruining your witness. It's just mental fatigue.

It's it's exhaustion. You're tired.

Maybe you're not taking a, you know, getting enough rest.

I mean, you need you need rest. You're doing too much and in

your doing too much, you're the enemy's hindering you from

giving out like the the the should be your joy, right?

Should be your joy to give away what was been given to you and

you forget. All right, and then number.

Oh, and one other thing at that. I know this is this is kind of a

an interesting. I I, I looked this up the other

day or I came across this article and I thought, man, this

is so good. I think along with physical and

mental fatigue, there's a selfishness, there's a looking

inward that's unhealthy. And maybe an extreme example of

that would be I read this article on on this new trend

with men, not women with men, which is crazy.

But this idea it's it's called, I mean, it sounds so ridiculous

when you say it out loud, but OK, so it's called looks maxing.

It's so ridiculous, isn't it so, so dumb when I say it out loud,

I'm like, Oh my gosh, but but I OK, it's ridiculous.

It's ridiculous, but OK, you, you need to understand that new

trend. It's so bad.

It's so it's so bad. It is OK.

So this is what people do. They they break their legs.

These men break their legs. OK, so this all is all this all

has to do with the fact that they think they're ugly and they

just want to look good, which is nothing wrong with looking good.

I mean, you definitely, you know, hygiene is good, brushing

your teeth, combing your hair, you know, all that's good.

And you should do that, right, Dick?

Yeah, So. But they'll break their bank and

even their bodies to get this image to get this sort of this

image that and look, it is not for the other person.

In fact, this is how crazy this is that I want to I want to be

sensitive. Not sure too much, but it it's,

it isn't about attracting a mate because this idea, instead of

knowing that he could be with a woman or have sex with a woman

was in just just the idea of being with somebody else in some

ways is better than the deed itself.

We call that narcissism. I don't think narcissists share

the gospel. Why?

Because they're so focused on themselves.

It doesn't have to be this extreme like breaking this one

guy broke his legs and had rods inserted in his legs in order to

be taller and he just went from 6/2 to 6/6.

I mean it's crazy, but he spent $100,000 on it and then

injecting fillers and having reconstructive surgeries to

improve their jawline. They hit themselves.

This is the craziest one. They hit themselves with a

hammer in their in their cheekbones so that it could

actually reconfigure their face to have a better look.

It's some sort of like treat micro fractures that will cause

it just hurts. They even say that like will

cause their facial features to be more pronounced.

They use meth, probably know this one, to suppress their

appetite, use anabolic steroids and to sacrifice even their

fertility in the future. Man, Can you imagine people

doing that and then went eventually when you wake up from

the God of this world who's blinded you, you can't have kids

now because you are a narcissist and your blindness, it's really

sad. You know what's happening on

campus. You know, it's, I mean, there,

there's a neutral, I mean, it's, but they say that like in young

men, it's about 54% are showing signs of this and 49% of women.

So men are leading in this, which is just crazy when you

think about it. But this narcissism is

destroying our culture and it's ultimately the enemy's way of

just he's, he's blinding the even believers.

And it, it doesn't even have to be that extreme.

So you don't take a hammer to your cheeks.

I mean, that's crazy. I get it.

That's like extreme. But perhaps maybe you're just so

self focused that there's, there's just, there's nothing in

that heart of self focus that could think about another person

who isn't saved. That's a problem.

That's why the the slowing of growth.

This place, look, I don't care about like I don't, I

personally, I'll just say this. I don't need this place to fill

up for me to feel good about being a pastor.

I really don't care about that. You guys know that I really

don't care. But but you should like, because

every empty seat in here, it could have somebody sitting

there that doesn't know Jesus. Now they know Jesus and now they

have a life full of purpose. And that should be like, I want

that. I, I, I want that.

But you know what, we're so self consumed, so selfish in America.

We don't really care because we got our wife or we got our kid

and we got some of you young adults selfish.

Like you're looking at, you're looking at the, the, the, the

college students coming in. You're like, wow, like does any

of you, when's the last time you actually broke for a college

student? When's the last time you did

that? You broke because they don't

have a wife that loves you. They do not have a purpose.

They they they are stuck in the world.

They don't have the comfortable life that you come home to.

They don't have that. That's not theirs yet.

Could be. But there has to be a breaking a

breaking a a a letting go of self in order to help somebody

else. Amen.

OK, I know we're 7 all right, so dividing.

I, I will we'll talk more about that some other time.

But when the basically, when unbelievers look at the world

and the look at the church and they're just dividing over

stupid stuff, or they're reading people who are hurt by the

church and never got over their offence and they're reading

ridiculous reviews. Why would unbelievers want to

come to the church, not just ours, but why would they?

I mean, like, I honestly, if I was an unbeliever, I literally

in my unbelief, I'd be like, this is lame, dumb.

I'm just going to do the unsaved life because what's the I mean,

why go through all this change for nothing?

So dividing over things internally keeps the church from

thinking outwardly and growing #8 blinding us from the cost,

the cost and benefits of of evangelism.

Of course it costs you. You know, I have like every in

every season I have like some sort of saying, you've heard me

say like you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Some people like in the college ministry, I said that they're

like, what is that mean? I have no idea.

I'm not going to explain it. Don't worry about it.

Just ask somebody else. But I'm like, but now I'm on

this like new kick of like this new saying that I've been

thinking about it a lot. It, it's, it's sounds

ridiculous, but I'll just say anyways, there is, there is a

cost to what we do and it's worth it.

Like planning a church, going out and sharing, sharing the

gospel with someone, actually taking a leap of faith in your

office when it's quiet and nobody really wants to talk

about the things that are important and everyone's just

negative. But taking a stance and saying,

Hey, I want to give you something that would change your

life. I want to invite you to church.

I want to share the gospel. Like it costs something.

It gets really messy. Like you being in the church

long term, like just saying like, Hey, I'm in no matter what

is, is, is incredibly messy. You saying as a family for me

and my house will serve the Lord, incredibly messy.

And so I, I, you know, the, you want to hear the same.

OK, so you can't make an omelette without breaking the

eggs. It's pretty good.

Hey, think about it. If we were like, I don't know if

I, I don't know, laugh at that or not.

But listen, listen, it's true. You can't get to this desired

end where the a church that's on fire for God like we like the

the, the I mean, don't you dream about do you ever just dream of

a church like coming in this place is just full of life, full

of life full of unbelievers who've gotten saved.

Do you know how like fiery would be in this room if it's full of

not just church transfer of people who are disgruntled with

that church in Oviedo and that church in Oviedo and they come

over here because that person hurt them.

And I don't want to. I literally do not want to lead

a church like that. So if that's you, please, just

please don't like, don't, don't cause any problems.

It's ridiculous. I have no patience for it.

But what I want to give my life to is new conversion growth.

And I want our church to be involved in that process of

sharing the gospel with people. And trust me, guys, it, if you

thought this was messy, it will be messy in a good way.

And we will make our omelettes, but we need to crack the eggs.

It's going to get messy, and you do understand that.

OK. If you don't remember anything

else, you're driving in the car Tuesday afternoon.

Would that bald headed guy talk about something about omelets

and cracking eggs? Yeah.

I want to be a part of that baby.

That's awesome. No.

OK, there's more. OK, so can't achieve something

incredibly beautiful without it costing you something.

And the enemy wants to blind you from that.

He wants to blind you from the cost, but the other one blinded

you from the cost. He wants to show you the cost,

but he wants to blind you from the benefits of the cost.

He wants to blind you from just out, man.

Like if I just step out and I and I'd be a part if I just do

what she just told me to do, which is make disciples.

All right, So what do you need to do?

It's practical. Bob.

Pray for Bob. OK, Pray for Bob.

We we nickname her little guy Bob.

Poor guy has a complex. He one day he comes up with me

and he's like, you know what, Dad, call me by my name.

Judah. Judah.

Judah. Fine, but Bob, break my heart

God, for what breaks yours? You came to seek and save the

lost. On your heart is always

brokenness. If you go to Jesus, if you have

a relationship with Jesus and you walk with Him long enough,

you will realize that his heart aches and breaks for the lost.

The question is, does yours #2 that's Romans 9.

You could read Romans 9, the first couple of lines, boom.

I mean, Paul's just like, hey, he's broken over lost Israel

number 20, right? Pray for opportunities.

And we, if, if you're, if you're having a hard time and you are

praying, you're praying you're like God, there's no

opportunities. We will give you opportunities.

There's plenty of them throughout the week.

But pray for your own opportunity.

You know, Paul prayed that in Ephesians 6.

He's like, pray for an open door.

Pray for an open door, OK, that God would give me an opportunity

to share. And then what?

Then what do you need? Once the doors open and the

person's in front of you and they're like, what do I do in my

life? You know?

Then you got to pray for boldness, that you would preach

the gospel with boldness. Amen.

OK do not stop praying for non believers, but also pray for

your heart, Pray for Bob, Pray that your heart would, that God

would use you. All right #9 moves the enemy,

moves the target. I think I've shared this

throughout, but I just for the point, for the purpose of not

getting in trouble and not forgetting to say #9 he lies to

you and us and says we are content as a church with church

transfer, not new conversion growth.

Are you content? Honestly, it's OK.

Just be honest. Are you content?

You're like, again, I got my friends.

Yeah. I, I mean, I'll go on mission,

but as a general way of life, does your heart just break?

And does when you go out in public, do you think about lost

people and then being opportunities to share your

faith and then being future disciple disciples of Jesus,

disciple makers, church planters?

I just can't think of it. There's the only way our church

is going to be a fiery life giving church is when there's

new church growth, like new conversion growth, new converts.

The enemy's fine with us. Just equating evangelism

opportunities is just like social gospel or just being

kind, but you have to actually speak the truth out in public to

people who are lost. Like evangelism.

Yes, it includes a helping hand. We want to do a lot.

We want to be practical. But it, it, if it's, if it's not

sharing physically your faith with somebody and using the

scriptures and sharing Jesus with somebody, it is not

evangelism. And no one gets saved #10 And

lastly, we'll, we'll end this one here.

The real problem, the real problem, I believe the main way

the enemy hinders new conversion growth and hinders our

evangelism is we have lost our fire as believers.

We've lost our fire, we've lost our friends and we've lost the

sharpness of sharing an accurate gospel.

Let me say that again, OK, because this is really

important. Actually, you might want to

write this down because I guarantee you 90% of this room,

this is where they're at, probably 95.

You'd be a fool not to write this down.

Actually, I honestly like I, I don't not sure what else to say,

but you need to write this down. And actually, you, you want God

to move this morning before you leave, we'll give an invitation.

The real problem guys, is we have lost our fire.

We've lost our lost friends and we lost the sharpness to share

an accurate gospel. Because you see, when when

there's passionate believers on fire for Jesus, plus they're

close and intentional with lost people and they have a clear

gospel presentation, maximum impact, we will be unstoppable,

no doubt in my mind to see what happens over time as Christians,

we lose our fire. We start to cut off our

unbelieving friends. We start to do the holy huddle.

We lose the sharpness because we forgot how much the gospel has

been impactful in our own lives. And so now we lost this ability

to even share an accurate gospel.

We've lost that ability and therefore no one gets saved.

So what we do is we do. And This is why we haven't done

that because I don't want to do that.

But we'll just have evangelism classes to try to pump different

practical ways for you to share. But we're we're pumping that

into a room who's lost their fire and their lost friends.

And So what happens is. What happens is we're, we're

just like a number of things. There's like, all right, get the

fire. OK, great.

But without the fire, if we, if, if practically we're like, hey,

get in the room and and get all the evangelism, you know,

equipping we, we just, we, we're going to give you like the top

three things of how to how to share.

OK, well, the problem is then, then we're like, OK, then go

connect with your lost friends. Without the fire, that's

dangerous. That's dangerous.

Without the fire, that's dangerous.

Why? Because they'll drag you down.

You must have fire to reach those without a fire.

And if you do not have a fire, they'll drag you, they'll pull

you away. So the answer is not just go

find a bunch of lost people to hang out with.

College students, seriously consider this.

If if you are newly saved, if you're newly saved and you have

that fire, it's in you, it's burning.

You're like, God just saved me recently.

It's so good. It's so great.

OK, keep that fire, Kindle that fire.

Just ask whatever God, like God, please keep that.

Please, please, please keep that so that that I want to continue

to to remain faithful to reaching my lost friends.

And I want to be equipped to how to share an accurate gospel with

those people. But if you're a young adult and

you've lost some of that fire, you lost that fire.

The answer is not just to go, just to go hang out with lost

people because you're in danger of falling.

What you need is the fire back. We need the fire back.

And there's only one way to get that fire is to ask for it, just

to simply ask for it. God, I want the fire back.

I want to be used by you. I want you.

I want to be used by you. I want the fire again.

You know how we lose the fire? So much of it is because we

quenched the Holy Spirit and we grieve the Holy Spirit.

We're we're in, we're in maybe in a sin, perhaps in some sort

of sin habit that's just destroying our lives and you

know it. And you need to repent of that

and turn back to God. And maybe perhaps some of you

guys, you're hearing that prompting like go share, go on

Wednesday, go, go to the tent, you know, go out with the young

adults and, and go do the, you know, the, the white board

evangelism. That's great.

Do those things. And then you're like, Ah, no,

you know what, I'm too busy. Whatever you're quenching,

you're quenching the Holy Spirit.

Just think of it this way. Inside your heart, when you get

saved, you have a heart. The the Holy Spirit is beating

that his heart is beating, and every time you sin and do

something you should not do, you hurt his heart.

It's called grieving the Holy Spirit.

That's in Ephesians. It's in Ephesians you grieve the

Holy Spirit. Also equally on the other side,

you have a fire in you when you get saved.

And, and what happens is every time the Holy Spirit says, go do

that. Go pray for somebody, go share

the gospel. You're here.

I got a word for somebody, you know, it's just doing something

that you should do and you're like, Nah, I don't really want

to do that. You throw sand on that fire.

Can I just say that perhaps we lost our fire because in this

room we are grieving and quenching the Spirit on a daily

basis. We don't have to anymore.

Say, Lord, I want to please you, want to please you, and I don't

want to quench what you're doing in my life.

Kindle that fire again. Amen.

Kindle that fire. I'm so thankful for people that

have shared the gospel with me, You know, and then because they

share the gospel with me, they've been blessings in my

life. I got to share the gospel then

with them. And there is a couple people

that come to mind that I'm just so thankful today.

One, my, my brother, when I, when I first got saved, I was

praying for him for about 3 or 4 years.

And it was when I, it was about 2000.

And let's see 2007, six or no, it was 2000 and six, 2006.

He was going to a church called Antioch Wheaton because he had

just gotten saved. And I was thinking, man, I was

thinking about this the other day.

I was like, if that dude didn't get saved because a result of

praying for him. I remember walking he he was

living at he was living at home and I was going home.

I lived actually there too as well when I graduated college.

But I went past his bedroom one time and he was just sitting

there just so discouraged. And I was walking down stairs

and I felt the Holy Spirit so strong because you know,

brothers, especially if they're unsaved, they just, they're at

odds, can't be at odds cause a lot of pain in your life.

And then so I walked back and I felt the Holy Spirit say, go in

there and you comfort him, share with him the gospel.

So I, I sat down next to him on his bed and I said, and I

remember he's got more thicker like Italian hands than I do.

So he's we just, I held his hand and this is awkward for me

because I don't know, just all those years and I just prayed

for him and I just said, all right, Lord, just pray whatever.

I remember everything. I prayed.

I just shared the gospel with him and just left it there.

He was so thankful for that. And it was years later, not that

long ago. He just not that long later

after that, he, he went to this church, Antioch, Wheaton.

And I'm just thinking man, because of the prayers, because

of the obedience, right? Like this church would never

exist as because I wouldn't have known Antioch and we would have

never planted a church in Antioch.

And just so thankful for not only the person who shared the

gospel with me, but then sharing the gospel with others and how

all those things work together. Then I want to share one other

one with you guys. It was hard this week after,

after the the college encounter night, we had gotten word that

if some of you guys know her, you got word that Trish, she

passed away. She was a part of the early

stages of this church plan. She's a part of my youth

ministry years ago and great source of encouragement like,

but she was lost, as lost as you can get.

I mean, she had buried drugs underneath the bottom of the

boat from Jamaica, bring it over to Florida.

I'm sure like heroin addict. The whole thing came to my came

to the youth ministry when I was, you know, like I left

Antioch, Wheaton to plant, not plant, but basically plant a

youth ministry that they didn't have on the beach near Daytona.

And we built this thing. She came in and she was, she was

probably in her 60s at the time and she'd come in and she would

be like, like, F bombing. Like she's like just, I was

like, I was like, OK, we are trying to build a youth ministry

and that is probably not what we want to do is just casually just

F bombing at the youth house, you know?

And she she's, you know, quickly caught on that that wasn't

appropriate. But she was so faithful.

She'd bring us McDonald's everywhere.

Like she'd bring bags of burgers and just dump it on the floor

and a bunch of dudes would just like pile it up.

She'd faithfully give me a milkshake like every week.

And then I would just preach the word and people would get saved

and we'd go out, we'd share the gospel.

We'd see the sick healed. And I mean, on the streets near

the beach, it was powerful. But the time where I needed her

the most is when we, I lost my position there.

And I was, I was asked to plant ENIAC Orlando.

And we were at a youth conference in Lakeland.

I'll not forget that. But we were walking around the

stadium and I was, it was early stages.

And I, I mean, we didn't know how we're going to be able to

support a family and all that. And I just felt like, all right,

Lord, I try to take the easy way out.

There was a guy there that knew me.

It was through a mutual friend. His name's Greg Steer, but he

shared with it was a mutual friend to say, hey, we could get

you a job really pretty quickly. And we could just kind of shut

this Antioch Orlando thing down And, and you could you could be

a youth pastor in California. And so it was a really good

offer. And it was really good money.

And it was like decent money. It was like, you know, for, for

a guy with very little experience, I was like, OK,

they're like, they're like, take this.

You'll be a fool not to. And, and Trish knew what was

going on, but she's like, hey, let's go for a walk.

And I went for a walk and she just said, Johnny don't want

this. I was like, she's like, you're

not raising a family, you know, like she's like, you don't want

this. Trust me.

So I've watched you for the last three years.

You are made for this. You need to plant this church.

It does not make any sense, but you need to do it.

And it was in April of this year, which she told me like,

I'm in Scotland and she's calling me and and I put it on

speakerphone. Nicole and I are are listening

to this. And we're both weeping because

she's like, hey, I think I probably have cancer and this is

probably it. She's like, it's my fault, my

fault. I destroyed my life with

nicotine. Cigarettes finally caught up to

me. But I love Jesus and I'm so

thankful. She's like, John, you have

changed my life. She's like watching you.

You were like a fool in youth ministry.

You didn't know what you were doing, but you stayed the

course. You still got the same passion,

vision and all that stuff as you do now.

And she's like, you're my favorite.

I listen to you even though I can't come.

I've lost all my hair. I'm, I'm, I'm weak and I can't

leave. I can't come.

I can't drive the hour and a half.

I'm watching on YouTube every week.

She's like continued to go. And then she called again in

August just to say, hey, it is true.

The doctor told me I don't have much to live.

And I just want to let you know that again, you're my favorite.

And you've changed my life. You've changed my life.

Powerful. And then this, this not like on

Thursday night, just got the text message that she's with

Jesus now. And it's just, I mean, yeah, I

wish I would have been able to say one more, you know, like all

of us wish we'd have had like, one more, like hug or something.

But God knew in that moment what I needed, what Nicole needed,

his closure is saying all those years for the last, I don't

know, was it 18, some years or whatever of just doing life

together, seeing the life that's been changed in her like God

radically saved and changed her life then became a great

encouragement to us. And it was one of those moments

where if I would have just in my ignorance and pride said, Nah,

I'm going my own way to the West Coast, this would never exist.

And just so thankful for those moments that it's a beautiful

thing when God not when he puts passion in you, he puts you in a

family and he gives you this incredible purpose to go make

disciples. I just think that's how you get

your fire. The fire remains as we remain in

Christ, as we remain in him and do the next thing that he tells

us to do. So we just say right now, as as,

as the sound of my voice right now, just everybody stand to

their feet and just we're just going to ask God for the fire

of, of the Lord is to come. We're just asking Lord for the

fire of God to come right now. We don't know what our future

looks like, Lord, but you got, you got it in the palm of your

hands. We just thank you, Lord.

We thank you for what you're doing.

We thank you, Lord, for Trish. We thank you for her life.

We thank you for my brother's life.

We thank you for my mom's life. We thank you for the people's

lives, the mentors that have been in our life throughout the

years. God, thank you for that.

Lord, we thank you. We thank you.

We thank you. We thank you.

We thank you, Jesus. Thank you.

Lord, we worship you. God, we worship you.

We worship you for giving us life when life when we don't

deserve it. You've given us life when we

don't deserve it. Lord, thank you.

Thank you. Lord, we never know who's paying

attention. We never know who's listening.

We never know the impact that we're making.

We never know and we'll make more impact as we surrender to

him. God, we ask you for the fire of

God, the fire of God to come on. Every person in this room who

wants it. Lord, if you've lost that, if

the people have lost that fire, if you've lost that fire, just

cry out to God. Lord, we ask you, Lord, for the

fire of God to come on. We ask you for the fire of the

Lord to come on, Lord, we don't want to go out out of duty.

We don't want to go out of just like, oh, just this principle,

that principle, whatever we ask you that, that those principles

would land on fire. We ask you for those principles

of evangelism to land on the fire of God in our lives.

May we not quench, May we not grieve the Spirit anymore.

May we not quench or grieve the Spirit anymore.

And if we have we, would you forgive us, Lord, Forgive us for

being foolish. Forgive us for being foolish,

Lord, with our lives. Forgive us for not obeying

quickly, cheerfully, and completely.

We ask you, Lord, to help us to obey quickly, cheerfully.

We ask you, God, that we will not quench or grieve the Spirit

any longer. We pray for the fire of God.

We pray, Lord, that you would rebuke apathy in US, break

apathy and indifference in this generation.

Lord, fill the seats of this house, Lord, with fiery people

who love you. God, would you remove all

religion out of here in Jesus name?

Lord, we thank you. Lord, thank you for what you're

doing.