Open Your Eyes

All right, give somebody a high five next to you.

Tell them you look like you've been losing a little weight.

Come on, tell them that.

I come to church.

I want to hear some good news.

Amen, everybody.

And that's great news for me.

Oh, that's great news.

In fact, we were talking about we were talking about how a lot of your pastors have recently have lost a ton of weight.

I mean, they've been uh going through this program, and it's pretty inspiring.

And and uh I too at the beginning of the year set a goal uh for that I would lose 20 pounds this year, and I am happy to report I only have 30 pounds to go.

Come on, somebody, all right?

So y'all pray for me.

It's good to see you.

I really I'm grateful.

And I want to look in the camera and say hello to all of the other campuses at uh the gateway churches that are meeting all across the Dallas Fort Worth area.

God bless you guys.

We love our church family at every location today.

And I'm I think uh uh since he's back home, uh Pastor Robert is actually uh an online watcher this weekend.

And let me just look in the camera and say, my brother, I appreciate you so very much.

Pastor Robert serves as one of our apostolic elders at Church of the Highlands for me personally, uh with uh four others.

And I'm just so grateful for your influence and your love and your covering and our relationship together as sister churches, what we get to do together around the world.

Do you love your pastor, everybody?

Come on, here's your chance to tell him.

Come on, give him a good hand.

That's awesome.

All right, and since I'm at Gateway Church, I want you to turn in your Bible to two passages of Scripture, everybody.

Come on, win in Rome, do like the Romans, ain't that right?

All right, here we go.

I want you to go to John chapter four.

We're gonna begin in John chapter four, and then we're gonna end up in 2 Peter chapter 1.

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

So get your get your Bibles, your iPhones, your iPad, your eyelids, whatever you got.

All right, let's study God's word.

Aren't you grateful for God's word today, everybody?

I love studying the Bible.

One of my favorite things to do as I study the Bible is I love looking at the detail.

What's so fun about being a believer and being someone who feeds on God's word every day, I've been doing this for more than 35 years now, serving Jesus.

And every time I read God's Word, there's something fresh in it.

It's amazing.

And a lot of the great messages aren't in the actual clear points of Scripture.

Some of the greatest messages in the Bible are in the details that many people breeze over.

I want to preach today on one of those details, one that you would tend to look over in this beautiful story of this woman at the well.

Most of you know the story how Jesus, for whatever reason, is separated from his disciples.

We don't know why.

They were running an errand.

We don't know why.

We just know that the disciples are off doing something, and Jesus finds himself at a well, I'm sure, because he's thirsty, but you know, he's he knows there's this divine appointment getting ready to happen where this Samaritan woman comes to the well and Jesus strikes up a conversation, which by the way, would have shattered the two barriers that existed in those days.

There was definitely a gender barrier.

Men did not speak to women, they would have considered them much lower than them.

And of course, Jesus shatters that barrier, making, making sure all of us know uh that that he warmly welcomes them.

And and then there would have been a race barrier between the Jews and the Samaritan, and he shatters the race barrier, and he ministers to this woman.

In fact, he begins it with some questions about her personal life and says, you know, do you have a husband?

And uh actually she says, No.

And he says, Well, that's right.

You actually have had five already, and you're actually living with a guy that's not your husband.

And she says, Well, sir, I perceivest thou to be a prophet.

And um, she realizes that, you know, he's reading her mail now, and of course, he ministers to her and shares with her that uh you're drinking this water, but I can give you living water where you'll never thirst again.

And it's a beautiful message.

And then the Bible says in verse 27, watch this, just then the disciples returned from whatever it is what they were doing, and they were surprised to find him talking with a woman for the reasons that I've already told you.

So they so I want you to picture the story in your mind.

They're walking up, and Jesus is having this encounter with this lady uh at this well talking to her, and the disciples walk up, and I'm sure they're only even whispering, like, Well, look at look there, what's what's he doing?

And then John, John, and John is writing this way after it happens.

He's including these details because they're important.

And I wouldn't even believe that he's writing these details with some regret.

Because John includes next in the text, he says, but no one asked, and he mentions two questions that no one asked.

So why would he mention something that did not happen?

But it can only be because he was writing it now, writing the story, and saying, Boy, I sure wish we would have asked.

Two things.

He says, No one asks, Lord, is there anything I can get for you?

Lord, what do you want?

Which, by the way, let me just say to you, if you're a disciple of Jesus, I don't know about you, but I would be saying that about every 10 minutes.

Hey, Jesus, anything I can get you?

I just want to know if there's something I can get for.

You know, uh, because he he's God.

I I've been here uh today ministering in the services.

Your staff has asked me that 47 times.

Pastor Chris, can we get you anything?

You need some water, you need a Hall's cough drop.

You need anything, Pastor?

I mean, and I'm not Jesus.

Have y'all noticed that, everybody?

All right, they just it would have just been common courtesy.

Lord, is there anything we can get you?

And John, John is saying, Boy, I sure wish you would have.

No one asked, Lord, what do you want?

And watch this, no one asked, Why are you why are you talking to that lady?

Now that would have been a great question because he's the rabbi, he's the teacher, you're the disciple.

So anytime your teacher is doing something you don't understand, it begs you to say, Hey, explain to us, because you're obviously right in doing what you were doing, so explain to us why you're doing that.

But John regrettably writes, No one asked that.

No one asked, Why are you talking with the woman?

There's a reason why, and that's it's actually the reason why is what I want to preach to you today.

It says, So while all these non-things are not happening, then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, So now this is happening in a matter of minutes, so it wouldn't be town like out of town.

It'll be town like around the corner town, the village, the place where she lived.

And when she got to her town, so just minutes later, she said, Come see a man who told me everything I ever did.

Could this be the Christ?

This guy just read my mail.

I think I've found the Messiah.

And so that strikes an interest in the town, obviously.

And it says, and they, the town, came out of the town and made their way toward Jesus.

And I want you to picture that.

So the disciples and Jesus are still at the well, and non-things are not happening.

That John regrets, but these are not happening.

And so now a whole town, I just want you to picture that.

A town is walking toward the well.

While the they're walking toward them, it says meanwhile.

So while that's going on, while the town is making their way toward him, the disciples said, they urged him, hey Lord, let's go get something to eat.

All right.

13 of you over here thought that was funny.

That is a whole lot more funny than that.

I mean, you've got to see humor in your Bible, everybody.

It's there, okay?

So a town is coming out to meet Jesus.

You can almost imagine Jesus going, I knew it'd work.

I knew if I ministered to her, they'd come.

And then right as he's getting ready to walk toward the town, the disciples say, Hey, um, let's go to Papa Dose.

You know, he said it's interested in lunch, right?

It says, Rabbi, let's eat something.

And so, since they brought up food, Jesus did what he often did, and he spoke in metaphors.

And so he used the food analogy to say, I have food to eat that you know nothing about.

In other words, I'm not fired up about lunch right now.

I'd really love to go ahead and minister to the town that's coming out to greet me right now.

And and they missed the metaphor.

They're there a big miss because then they say, uh, could someone have already brought him something to eat?

All right, you're getting it.

It's really funny, isn't it, right?

Did you already eat lunch?

I mean, they now they're upset.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

You're getting and so it's Jesus tries round number two using the same metaphor.

No, no, no.

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work.

I am so fired up about the town.

I'm I'm excited about doing the reason why I came to this earth.

And then he says this using the food metaphor again, says, you keep saying four months more, and then we'll harvest some food.

You keep saying four months more than the harvest.

You keep saying, oh no, no, no, we'll do the town another day.

We'll we'll let's do that meeting later.

Uh you keep saying, hey, let's harvest another day, let's go to lunch today.

You keep saying that.

And I tell you, I want you to read the next three words aloud.

Every campus, come on, I tell you, open.

Come on, every voice, here we go.

I tell you, open, open your eyes.

Open your eyes.

I'm convinced.

I'm convinced.

I could be wrong, but I'm personally convinced that if Jesus could stand on this platform and speak to believers, I think if he we are talking to those who are still trying to figure it all out, there would probably be a different message.

But if he was talking to his church, I'm convinced he would say, Open your eyes.

I'm convinced he would say, I wish you could see Dallas Fort Worth the way I see it.

I just wish you could see the world around you.

I wish you could see your neighbors the way I do.

I wish you could see your coworkers the way I do.

I think he would tell the church, open your eyes.

You say, Chris, why?

It's because you can never reach what you cannot see.

You you cannot love what you cannot see.

And so a lot of us actually operate in, well, in a condition that I personally have.

Last time I spoke here, I was not wearing glasses.

Um, these are new, right?

Well, at least new to you, kind of still new to me.

This whole glasses thing.

I had perfect eyesight for about 46 years.

I'm 51 now, and um I for 46 years I could see a freckle on a net.

I mean, I had perfect eyesight, really.

And then all of a sudden, I'm sitting at a football game with my sister, and I can't, she saw me squinting, I can't see the the number, the names and numbers on the jerseys.

And she goes, she goes, hey, put on my glasses.

And she handed me her glasses, and then my whole world came in high deaf again.

It's like, oh my goodness, I had no idea.

And so I went to the eye doctor uh that week.

And I'd never been to the eye doctor before in my life.

And and by the way, for you guys that have never been, it's strange.

It's very strange.

One of the first things they do is blind you.

I mean, they put stuff in your eyes and makes it where you're like, what'd you do?

I can't feel anything.

It's kind of strange.

And then there was even this moment where they were pushing stuff on my face, and I didn't know what to expect, and all of a sudden, this puff of air blew in my eyeball.

I mean, see your glasses people are laughing, like, yeah, they do that.

And that's a glaucoma check.

Like, what was that?

Glaucoma check.

I was like a Warner brother next time.

I mean, I didn't I didn't know.

And so, anyway, and I know I had this whole far problem, like I can't see that stuff.

Like, I can see, I can see the dust on my iPad.

Perfect.

I I all that's perfect, right?

I can't, I can't see you.

And um, so I know I know this condition, and and so when I get it, you know, he goes off and he comes back in.

He says, Well, we got it figured out.

I said, Well, great.

He said, uh, he says, You're nearsighted.

I said, No, no, no, I got far problems.

My problems with the far stuff.

Seeing you glasses, people are laughing because you already know it's backwards, right?

Like it's the only medical profession that names your condition for what you're good at.

It'd be like going to the doctor with a broken arm, and he says, Well, your legs work.

I mean, it makes no sense.

And by the way, I'm on a mission.

Optometry people, I'm on a mission to change it.

It's backwards.

You should talk about far stuff if that's your problem.

But anyway.

So I said, No, no, I got, I got, I can see, I can see near.

He goes, No, no, that's what we call it.

I said, Well, that's backwards, but thanks for the help.

And so, anyway, I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm leaving now with my glasses, enjoying the world in high deaf again, and the Holy Spirit speaks to me.

You know, I'm from South Louisiana.

I need cookies on the bottom shelf.

You know what I'm talking about?

So this is how he he talks to me, and and and the Lord just speaks to me and says, She says, you know, this is your spiritual, this is your spiritual condition as well.

Like, what do you mean, Lord?

What do you mean?

It's like, well, you're very good at the stuff that's all near you.

You see clearly the near.

But I wish you could see the far.

Uh you're you can always tell if you're spiritually nearsighted by what you pray for.

Because if the Lord doesn't mind you praying for your stuff, he's interested in every detail of your life.

We know that in Scripture.

But really, what He wants us to do is seek first the kingdom of God, and He takes care of those things.

I wish you just pray for the far.

I wish you could see the bigger picture and the world around you.

There's some spiritual nearsightedness.

And by the way, that is a spiritual condition.

If you go to your second text there, 2 Peter chapter 1, it's a beautiful text, a lot in it.

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

I wish we had time to study the whole thing.

But it says he's given you two things.

He's first given you his divine power, his power for everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

And then through his power, he gave us his precious promises.

So he's given you power and he's given you promises, his promises is his word, so that through his promises, the word of God, you may participate in a divine nature.

Think about that for a moment, and escape the corruption of the world.

Wouldn't that be great if we could do that, caused by evil desires?

So since you have power and you have promises, God expects you to grow because you have good stuff to do it with.

So for this very reason, you need to start adding to yourself, Christians.

You need to add your faith, goodness, goodness, knowledge, knowledge, self-control, self-control, perseverance, perseverance, godliness, godliness, brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness, love.

So just basically that means grow.

For if you grow, if you possess qualities because of power and promises, in increasing measures, watch what happens.

It reaches God's goal for your life, and that is that you will not be ineffective and unproductive.

Which let me point out, God wants you both effective and productive.

He wants you effective effective at what?

Like what it what mean what do you mean effective?

He he always intended for your life to make a difference.

And he always intended for your life to be productive, watch this, in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted.

So the actually the opposite of being an effective growing believer and a productive growing believer is one who just can't see past their own stuff.

And that's why I'm convinced that if the Lord had an opportunity to look at his church, he would say, This is there's never been a better time to reach the world than now.

In fact, I'm stirred up about this message.

It does, it happens to me every year at Christmas time, at the holiday season.

I mean, we're you're you're six weeks away from your Christmas production, one of the best in the country, by the way, and your team has been working on it for months and months and months.

And by the way, it's not just so you can have a little Christmas kumbaya moment with your family.

I mean, they want you to.

This church cares about your needs, but it's much bigger than that.

It's because this season affords us an opportunity to touch people who are hurting.

There's never a better time of the year to touch someone far from God, someone unchurched or previously churched, is probably the case in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, someone who's just decided that's not for me anymore, someone who's hurting.

In fact, I read a report that more people, people are more in touch with their pain during the holiday season than any other time of the year.

In fact, one report said that more suicides will take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas than the previous 11 months combined.

They don't have more problems, they're in touch with them more during this season.

What does that mean?

That means it's the best time for the church to be the church.

And it's not like you're not a church who doesn't love reaching people.

By the way, I was talking to Pastor Robert about this message.

He said, Man, I really want you to bring this.

I said, I'm happy to do it.

But but in the series before the one you're currently in, just in that one series that you start your fall off with, more than 1,100 people gave their heart to Christ in that one series alone here at Gateway Church.

How about we thank God for that, everybody?

Isn't that pretty awesome?

Yeah.

But you would need to know that there is in every one of us a gravitational pull, not toward others, but to self.

It's just there, everybody.

And that's why I think it's important to for us to hear that that a lot of times when we're wanting lunch, Jesus would want to say there's a whole town that we'd probably ought to focus on right now.

There's some things that are more important.

So one of my passions in life is to is to teach believers something that they're very uncomfortable with.

Studies say that only 11% of Christians in America are comfortable with personal evangelism.

Like even if you bring it up, they just, oh, it just it just freaks me out that you're going there.

And my one of my passions is to show how simple and how fun it actually is.

I personally teach this in our membership class at Church of the Highlands.

I personally lead our membership class and I teach this because it's the purpose of our church.

And I know it's the purpose of Gateway too, by the way, that we're not a church for church people.

We want church people to get a lot out of it, but we don't exist just for the people that are here.

We exist for the people that are not here yet.

Can I get a good amen, somebody?

Yeah, that's why, and you need to get used to that.

Because if you don't, you'll start thinking about lunch instead of the town.

And that's pretty important for us to remember.

So I give our church four things.

They're so simple.

You'll love how simple they are.

Just jot them down very quickly.

Four things that that that you can do to be an effective, productive, opened eyes, far-sighted type of a Christian.

And the first is to accept the personal responsibility.

So, in other words, don't put it on your church and don't put it on other Christians.

Listen carefully.

You're God's plan.

You're it.

God doesn't have a plan B.

You're it, everybody.

You're his plan.

In fact, I'll show it to you in scripture that it's our job to carry out the mission of Jesus.

What is that?

The Son of Man, Luke 19, 10, says, came to seek and to save that which is lost.

So if we're to live out, live out and carry out the mission of Jesus, our job is to is to seek and to save those who are lost.

Matthew 5 says that you're to be light to this world, a town built on a hill, not hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp or put it under a bowl, instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, Gateway, let your light shine in front of the people of Dallas Fort Worth, that they may see your good deeds and one day hopefully glorify your God in heaven.

Mark 16, 15.

Jesus looks you in the eye and says, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone.

Luke 14, 23, he said, Go into the countryside and urge anyone you can find to come into my house, because I want my house full.

God likes it full.

Acts 1.8 says that he's baptized you in the Holy Spirit.

He will you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

Not so you can have Holy Ghost goosebumps, but so that you can be a witness to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria in the uttermost parts of the earth.

Romans 10, 13 says, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is going to be saved.

All right, that sounds great.

But how can they call on the Lord to get saved if they don't believe?

And how can they believe unless they've heard, and how can they hear unless someone tells them?

1 Corinthians 9 22, I've become all things to all people that I might save some.

2 Corinthians 5 says that God reconciled the whole world to himself, not counting people's sins against him.

That's great news.

But he committed to us that message for us to go tell people, hey, you don't have to pay for your own sins.

Did you know hell is not a place that God sends people?

Hell's just a place that people get to pay for their own sins if they want to.

But they don't have to.

It's already been paid for.

That's he's entrusted to us, the Bible says, this message as though God were making his appeal through us.

Jude 1 says, snatch others from the fire and save them.

Ezekiel 33 says, But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and warn people, the sword comes and takes their life.

That person's life will be taken because of their sin, but I will also hold the watchman accountable for their blood.

Well, there's no amens there, but it's still true.

I mean, that's not a refrigerator verse, but it's true.

So what do we do?

We say, okay, well, now I know this might I need to I need to do everything I can to reach the people around me.

And how?

Number two, I develop a personal relationship with people.

This is so freeing to me to know that people don't really care what you know.

They don't want to get in a theological debate.

Honestly, most people don't have trouble with the Bible.

They don't care what you know, they just want to know that you care.

And then once you love them, then you do the third thing, and that is look for an opportunity to share your personal story.

One of the best evangelism tips I can ever give you is it's not our job to tell the world what's wrong with them.

God never asks you to do that.

You know what he asks you to do?

Tell your side of the story.

That's what a witness does.

A witness just tells their side of the story.

So our message isn't, hey, you better turn or burn, you're going to hell.

That's what you're going, you're going to hell.

Like, that's not our message.

In Alabama, it's two syllables.

Hail, you're going to hail, that's where you're going.

Like, no, that's that's not our message.

Our message is, can I tell you the difference God's made in my life?

Can I tell you how much better I sleep?

And I don't have it all together, but my life's so much better now that I found God.

I mean, really?

Yeah.

And then finally, we do the last thing, and that is that we look for an opportunity to give a personal invitation.

And if you don't know how to invite someone to Christ, you know what you can do?

You can't invite them to church.

If I were you, I'd start working on someone right now.

You want to have the best Christmas of your life?

Play a small role in someone finding a relationship with Jesus.

I promise you, trust me, please.

You will come back and you'll say, that was the best.

It was the best Christmas I ever had because I was there when they said every head bowed, every eye closed, and I had that unchurched, far from God friend with me.

And I didn't bow my head.

I bowed my head, but I kept one eye open.

I just did, I looked.

When they respond and tears are coming down their face, you'll say, you'll say, I've discovered what the holiday really is all about.

And I've discovered what being a Christian is really all about.

You say, Pastor, why?

Why why why this push?

I think we're in the best season ever to do it.

And I think there's this gravitational pull to selfishness.

I think I have it.

I am very embarrassed.

This is not some kind of false humility.

I can be one of the most selfish people you've ever met, and I'm embarrassed to say that to you.

Recently I was flying to Boston to speak for a friend's church there, and I took the Birmingham to Cincinnati, Cincinnati to Boston flight.

And on the Cincinnati flight, I get on first and I got a window seat.

I'm gonna take a nap because I'm landing and speaking.

I'm thinking I'm gonna catch a little nap.

And if I'll go ahead and get in nap posture before whoever my partner is next to me, they won't talk to me, and that'll be great.

They won't talk to me.

So I'm in nap posture while the plane's boarding, thinking they're gonna leave me alone now.

This is good.

But I'm peeking to see who's coming on because I'm wondering if that's my person or not.

And then my prayer life improves.

Oh God, please, not him.

In Jesus' name, Lord God, praise the Lord.

Come on, don't lie.

You've done it too.

Don't lie to me.

Don't look so holy out there.

I get my guy, he took it, he took his coat off and it hit me upside the head with it.

Like, and I'm in nap posture.

I'm like, oh, you know, this, I can't believe this.

And so he plops down and pushes my arm off the armrest.

I'd already claimed my half.

You know, we got that shared one, and I had back seats.

He had front seats, yeah.

That's just the way it works, you know.

And I'm thinking, but I can't wake up because then he's gonna talk to me.

So I just went, because he's gotta know I'm disgusted too.

I mean, come on now.

We Southerners and we don't act like that.

You obviously from Boston, you know.

So maybe I'm thinking, I'm gonna I'm going through all this in my mind.

I know I'm embarrassed to tell you this.

And so the plane takes off and he elbows be in my ribs and says, So what do you do for a living?

I'm thinking, well, I was sleeping, bro.

You know, so I sit up, and then and then pastors have to decide.

When you get asked that, you got to decide if you're gonna lie or not.

You really do at that moment, you know.

I have before said, I'm in sales, you know.

Anyway, but um I said, Well, I'm a pastor.

And he starts bawling, crying.

Now I'm not talking tears, I'm talking hoo-hoo, the whole plant can hear it.

And I'm thinking, and I'm I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but I said, I was thinking, well, here goes the nap, you know.

Counseling session.

All right, what was wrong?

You know, I was really disgusted that I was now having to counsel the rest of the way.

And I know confession's good for the soul, but bad for the reputation.

All right, there you go.

Um, so and so I said, All right, what's the problem?

What's your name?

Is it Billy?

I said, Billy, like, okay, what's the problem?

Well, I just buried my best friend.

He died of a heart attack at 55 years old.

He's telling me this, I'm never gonna see him again.

Oh, he's loud, like, all right, bro, hang on.

And I'm going through the files trying to find a verse, you know, and I'm like, I got one.

I said, Well, the Bible says, he goes, No, no, no, no, don't go there.

I said, Why not?

He says, I'm Jewish.

I said, but Jesus was a Jew.

He goes, All right, go ahead.

He did, I promise you.

I am not making that up.

That is a true story.

God be my witness, I promise you.

And so I so I said, Well, the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians that that people that don't know Jesus, they grieve more because they don't have a hope.

We don't, I says, we don't grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.

So it hurts me, but I get to see them again.

It's hurting you worse because you don't get to see them again.

And then he said, Well, how do you get the hope?

I mean, like, teed it up for me.

And so it was it was just right there in front of me.

And so, like, so from from Boston, uh, from Cincinnati to Boston, I explained the gospel to him.

The plane landed, and I'm thinking, okay, it was my job just to get him close.

I wasn't even thinking of closing the deal.

You know, I was just, I mean, I got him on third base, somebody else will bat him in later.

You know, that's what I was thinking.

And he's close, he's in scoring position.

And so, but um, so I'm like, all right, man, we're walking into Logan International Airport.

All right, man, it was great talking to you.

He goes, No, no, no.

You can't leave me until I get the hope.

I'm like, well, you're gonna have to confess Jesus as your Lord.

He goes, I'm ready.

And he knew enough to grab my hands.

He goes, pray.

Like, I'm thinking all these people, I've been hundreds of people going, I'm like, all right, repeat after me.

I mean, right here in the middle of this terminal, Billy from Boston prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord right there.

It was the great, it was so cool.

And when and when he finished, he goes, he goes, Oh, you're right.

I had the hope.

I said, I told you.

He goes, Man, this is good stuff.

What do I owe you?

And he grabbed his wallet.

Like, I'm like, no, there's a verse that says it's free.

I can't charge you.

You know, like it's and he goes, No, he says, I have to, I have to give you something.

He says, I'm very, I'm a very wealthy toy store owner.

I own a chain of toy stores in Boston.

I said, Well, you know, I do have five kids.

No, I did.

I was thinking it, but I didn't say it.

But anyway, uh, I said, no, I said, you're not buying my kids anything.

He said, he said, I said, look, look.

He said, how many boys do you have?

I said, four.

He said, um, he said, I was I was a groomsman in Dennis Eckersley, the great Hall of Fame relief pitcher for the Red South.

I was groomsman in his wedding.

Can I send your four boys some hand-signed baseball cards?

I said, sure.

And I handed my card.

Sure enough, a few days later, these four hand-signed baseball cards that I have never given to my boys.

Ha! So there you go.

Steve, kind of feels good to get that off my chest in church, actually.

So, Grace, unending.

All right, so anyway, um, so I filed three of them, I really did, and and my boys have never seen these, but I have one uh on my desk to this day, it sits on my next to my computer.

I see it every day of my life to remind me that it's not about the nap.

Let me say it this way the nap was good for me, not napping was good for him.

And I just don't know about you, but I need to be constantly reminded that while I'm really kind of thinking about what's good for me, there's a world around me who's one conversation away from a change of eternity, and that is why the church exists.

Can I hear a good amen, everybody?

All right.

So why don't you bow your heads in prayer?

Why don't you just bow your heads right there where you are?

And I want to pray for you.

I think, Gateway, you're entering in the greatest season ever.

And Lord, as we produce this great Christmas production, and as we just do what we do as a church, God, let us never think it's really just all about us, but about the people around us.

And God, I pray that you'd speak to everybody in this room.

Let me pray it this way, church.

Just receive this.

Lord, let us see our neighbors, our coworkers, the students that we go to school with, our employers, our friends, our family.

Let us see them the way you do.

Give us eyes, God, to see.

Lord, we want to just hear your prayer today.

Open your eyes.

There's a bright harvest right around us.

With every head bowed, every eye closed, before I turn it over to the pastors, I'm gonna invite the campus pastors at every location to come to the stage.

And I never like to close a service without just inviting you, just close your eyes right there and just ask you this simple question.

Do you have the hope?

Do you?

If you were to die this moment, do you do you know that you'd spend eternity in heaven?

I'm not asking you to join this church.

I think that's a good thing to do.

I'm just saying, who's here today is carrying your own sin?

And maybe you're here today, maybe you're a Christian, but you're far from God.

Maybe you're backslid.

Maybe you just know there's something there and you want to be free.

Your one heartfelt prayer from your entire life changing.

And I'm not gonna have you stand up or come to the front.

I just want to pray for you before I go.

If you're here today, say, Pastor Chris, I need that hope.

And I need to know Jesus, or I need to know Jesus again, because I'm far from God.

No one's looking around at every location, if that's you.

Say, when you pray that closing prayer, just count me in.

Would you just lift your hand so I can see it and put it right back down?

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This is all over this room.

God bless you.

Who else?

Count me in.

How about up top?

Just count me in.

When you pray that prayer, count me in.

Count me in.

Thank you, sir.

God bless you today.

All over this room.

God bless you today.

It's awesome.

If you lifted your hands, maybe pray something simple like this.

Say, Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins.

You paid for what I was what I was supposed to pay for, and today I receive it.

Forgive me.

Today I surrender my life to you.

Come live inside of me and change me.

And with all of my heart, tell him this now, I'm gonna live for you.

Be the Lord of my life.

Today I give you my life.

In your name I pray.

And church, say the biggest congratulations to a bunch of people who just gave their heart to Jesus.

Come on.

God bless you, church.