From Found to Sent | Pastor Trev Evans

Come on, lift up this Bible. Whatever

you have, paper Bible, phone, tablet.

Come on, say, "This is my Bible."

>> This is my word.

>> It is God's word. It is God's word.

>> It reveals to me

>> God's will.

>> Therefore,

>> it's the final authority final

>> to which I submit

>> to settle all the issues

>> of my life.

>> It's the standard

>> of my conduct

>> and the basis of all my expectations.

>> Come on, shout it out. I am what it says

I am. It says I am.

>> I possess what it says I possess. I can

do

>> absolutely everything.

>> It says I can do.

>> I'm a believer.

>> Not a doubter.

>> I'm a doer.

>> Not just a hearer.

>> And my life,

>> my everyday life everyday

>> is the better.

>> After having heard

>> the word of faith.

>> Word of faith.

>> Faith comes by hearing.

>> Faith comes by hearing. and hearing and

hearing by the word of God. Let's ride.

You may be seated in the presence of the

Lord. James Wson, I'll see you after

service. Stop by my office. I just had

to say it while I saw you. Amen.

>> Amen. I used to wonder why pastor did

stuff like that. All I had to do was

keep living. Amen.

>> Come on. We are headed to Mark chapter

Mark 3 · chapter mention

3. Mark chapter 3. And we'll be at verse

Mark 3 · chapter mention

14. Mark 3 verse 14

Mark 3:14

and it says

talking about Jesus, then he appointed

12

>> that they might be with him

>> and that he might send them

out to preach. Let me just finish it for

those who came. Well, he just stopped in

the middle of it. Let me finish it for

you.

Then he appointed 12 that they might be

with him that he might send them out to

preach. I want to talk to us from this

subject today from found to scent.

>> From found

to sent. Lord bless your word we pray.

Give us ears to hear, hearts to receive

in Jesus name. Amen.

>> From found to sent.

You know, according to research, Dr. Tom

Rener says that 80% of unchurched

Americans say that they would attend

church if they were personally invited.

>> 80%, catch this, of unchurched Americans

say that they would attend church if

they were personally invited. Now, think

about that. Eight out of 10 people are

willing and open to coming to church.

But the challenge is that many

Christians aren't extending the

invitation.

When I read this, it highlighted the

potential of s of the simple power of

the personal invitation to bring people

into the church community. You know,

last week we looked at the first call of

Jesus in this very same text in Mark

Mark 3:14

3:14. And we see Jesus's strategy for

his disciples. He appointed 12 that they

might be with him and that he might send

them out.

>> But now notice the order. First, they

were called to be with him.

>> Yes.

>> You and I, our first calling is to be

with God. That Jesus want us to spend

time with him.

>> Amen.

>> This is important. This is necessary.

The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 25,

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

do not forsake the assembly, the coming

together, the gathering, the ecclesia of

yourselves as the manner of some is. We

need this gathering.

>> But can I tell you, you and I need more

than just this gathering.

>> We need to be praising and worshiping

God at home.

>> Somebody shout, "At home."

>> At home.

>> Yeah. If the only place you give God

praise is in this house, you are missing

out on a large percentage of what God

wants to do in your life.

>> Yeah. There there are things that God

Let me tell you something. I grew up

with a old school mama who didn't didn't

who didn't just get happy or got or got

caught up in church. My mama would be

back there ironing clothes and HOLLER

OUT SAID, "OH, GOD did it." AND SEE,

GROWING UP, YOU KNOW, WE TRYING TO

FIGURE OUT WHAT DID WHAT.

Me and my sister used to get scared.

SHE'D BE IN THERE WASHING THE DISHES.

THANK YOU, LORD.

>> YES, SIR.

>> But what I learned was that wasn't just

for church.

>> It it it wasn't just for church. That

there was an element and a relationship

with God that was supposed to be at

home.

You know, you all, WE WE CANNOT do what

what I did a few months ago. You know, a

few months ago, I had I had lock jaw.

And uh I know you couldn't tell because

uh you would have thought I would have

lost a few pounds, but Jeremy, I found a

way to cram that food past that lock

jaw. But, uh I had lock jaw, so I had to

go to physical therapy. And uh when I

was going to physical therapy, had Dr.

Hill at Kinetic Physical Therapy. Shout

out to uh Dr. Hill. Great job. and uh

she began to do what was called dry

needling and uh boy that that was an

experience and uh she gave me other

exercises while I was there and so the

first session went well and uh it came

to an end she said now listen Mr. Evans

uh I'm going to give you some things

that you need to do at home.

I said okay and she said now you need to

do these things before your next

appointment so when you come back we can

be a little further along. I said okay

got it. And so she gave me these

popsicle sticks around a rubber band. I

was supposed to put them in my mouth for

a period of time to begin to stretch my

jaw. And so y'all know what I did.

Come on. I ain't got to tell the rest of

the story. I I didn't do it. I DIDN'T DO

IT TILL MY NEXT APPOINTMENT. AND THEN

I'M RIDING DOWN ARLINGTON BOULEVARD

TRYING TO PUT THE POPSICLES. Y'ALL,

there's too many of us in here.

Tori, I'M TRYING TO STRETCH IT OUT ON MY

WAY TO THE APPOINTMENT.

And and God said God said you can't do

that in with my relationship with you.

>> You can't just exercise when you're with

me.

>> But then there's things at home that you

need to do because if you don't do the

things at home, you are leaving some

progress on the table.

>> There's some things there's a there

there's a there's a progression that you

and I would have IF WE WOULD TAKE ALL of

this at home.

>> And and you can't have this at home. I'm

talking about turning the song on and

going for BROKE

>> THERE. CAN I TELL YOU THERE'S A MOVE OF

GOD THAT'S WAITING ON YOU IN YOUR LIVING

ROOM? CAN I TELL YOU THERE'S A MOVE OF

GOD THAT'S WAITING ON YOU IN YOUR

BATHROOM IF YOU WOULD JUST TURN THE SONG

ON AND GIVE GOD PRAISE.

>> There's some progress.

>> Teach, Holy Ghost. There's some progress

that God wants to make in you at home.

Somebody shout at home.

>> Yeah. So Jesus was telling them, I want

you to spend time with me. I need to

fill you at home. I need to pour into

you because he was not going to send

them out empty.

>> That was God's whole focus. And at the

same time, as it was true for them, it

is true for us. Our ability to invite

others and share our testimony. It flows

out of our time with God.

>> It flows out of our relationship. that

time that we spend not just in church

but that time we spend at home with God,

our ability to open up and to share and

to speak with other people will flow out

of that.

>> Today we want to talk about what it

means to go to go from being found to

being sent.

>> We're not just going but we are moving

with a purpose. We'll look at two

powerful tools that God has given us to

make an eternal impact. The first tool

is the power of a personal invitation.

>> Somebody shout it out personal.

>> Personal

>> invitation.

>> And the second tool that God has given

us is the power of our testimony.

Somebody shout testimony.

>> Testimony.

>> I need us to understand from the onset

that you do not need to be a preacher or

a theologian to share your faith.

>> Amen.

>> Yeah. You do not need to be a theologian

or a preacher to share your faith. All

you need is your story.

>> Amen.

>> And the courage to say to another

person, "Come be my guest."

>> That's it. NOW, YOU CAN TAKE ALL THE

CLASSES you want to take, and I

encourage you to take classes. BUT WHAT

I'M TELLING YOU TODAY, YOU have what you

need right now to invite somebody to

Jesus and to share your testimony.

>> The way we move, understand something,

the way we will move from being found to

being sent is to embrace one of our core

values, which is point number one. One

of our core values here at Cornia is

that found people find people

>> found people

>> find people. Found people.

>> Found people.

>> Everybody found people.

>> Found people.

>> The Bible says in John chapter 41 that

after after Jesus had found Andrew, the

first thing that Andrew went to do was

he went to find his brother.

That's because found people find people.

Understand when you've been found, you

understand the urgency of helping others

to find the same way.

>> It's not just understand it's not just a

duty. It is a responsibility to the

grace that you and I have received.

>> Found people don't just sit in the

safety of salvation.

>> We become a person who helps someone

else find their way to the one who can

save.

Yes.

>> Found people.

>> Find people.

>> You and I have a responsibility.

>> You know, I I saw this the other day. Um

I I went to a restaurant um that I I

frequent quite often uh last Saturday

after our uh ministry training day. I

went to one of my favorite restaurants.

And I'm not going to tell the restaurant

because I don't want to give them no

free publicity.

>> Amen.

>> Amen. So, I went to a restaurant

>> that's within the the boundaries of the

fast before y'all start judging me.

>> Where he go? He went to cookout. No, I

didn't go to Cookout. I went to

something that was in the boundaries of

the fast.

>> And so, I went there and got my food and

uh brother Ty came in behind me and uh

so, you know, listen, corner man, what

I'm going to do, I'mma pay for his food.

So, I paid for for for Tarmac's food and

then I left out. And uh I told you I

frequent the place. So uh I was back

there in like 2 days. So I went back

there in two days and the lady behind

the counter who was there on Saturday

was was there that day. And she said,

"You know what?

You started something the other day." I

said, "What? What' I do?" She said, "No,

honey. You started something the other

day cuz you paid for one guy's food and

after you paid for his food, then it was

like six or seven other people that you

paid for their food, too."

And you know, I just love country stuff.

So, I just kept asking her more

questions so she could keep on talking.

I said, "Shut your mouth."

Yes, you did. You did. It was like six

or seven more people. They they just

kept they kept coming in and paying for

it. And then there was this other there

was a guy, you know, and and he somebody

paid for his food, but when he got to

the register, he didn't pay for the next

man's food.

And and it was an older man, too. So, I

said, "You know what? He can't miss this

blessing." So, I paid for his food.

That was good to me.

>> But coach, you know what? God stopped me

right in my tracks and he said, "You

know, Trev, the real hero of that story

wasn't even you."

>> He said, "The real hero of the story was

the six to seven other people who didn't

let the blessing stop with them."

>> Yeah. They they DIDN'T GET SO CAUGHT UP

IN the blessing that oh somebody gave ME

GAVE ME MY FOOD AND JUST left but they

realized that this blessing found me and

now I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO FOR THE

BLESSING TO FIND SOMEBODY ELSE.

SOMEBODY SHOUT

>> FOUND PEOPLE.

>> Find people.

>> Bless people.

>> We have a responsibility.

>> This is not that it would be nice.

>> I have a responsibility

that because I have been found by the

grace of God

>> that that God after. See, this is what I

loved about that song is that I tried

him over

>> and oh, see, this is why you and I must

make sure that we don't sanitize our

testimony.

>> Uh-huh. You can't sanitize your

testimony. What do I What do I mean? You

can't take out all the dirty stuff out

of your testimony trying to make it

suitable so that we won't think

differently of you.

When in fact, there's too many of us in

here.

I wish somebody said it like you heard

it before. IT'S TOO MANY OF US IN here

>> for you to be the only one.

>> Lord, I said Oh, God. I almost said

something. Judge.

Oh, God.

I'mma say it. Just give me a second.

Do you think you're the only one

that has sex for money?

I know you can't. Don't Don't look.

NO, NO, NO. I I WANT TO COME RIGHT DOWN

YOUR ROW BECAUSE sometimes we think that

God only forgives certain sins.

>> Uh-huh. Uhhuh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah.

Yeah. We think that Yeah. You think God

is like man, but the Bible said God is

not like man. His thoughts are not like

our thoughts. His ways are not our ways.

>> No. You do you REALLY THINK WITH ALL

THESE PEOPLE IN HERE?

>> I'm not just talking to women either.

>> Uhhuh. Yeah. Oh Lord, I done got in

trouble.

>> Do you really think with all these

people in here, you the only one?

>> That's right.

>> No. What the enemy wants to get you to

do is to sanitize your testimony.

>> That's right.

>> Oh, God. Oh, I can't get ahead of

myself. Found people. Find people.

>> Somebody shout, "Found people."

>> Find people.

>> We have a responsibility. Let me let me

lift up this scripture. 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5 20 and 21. I know. I know. Uh

LED, I didn't give this to you. Just let

me read it. I love y'all. I messed up.

That was my fault. 2 Corinthians chapter

2 Corinthians 5:20

5 verse 20 and 21. We have a

responsibility. Yo, the Bible says we

are therefore Christ ambassadors.

>> As though God were making his appeal

through us,

>> we implore you on Christ's behalf. Be

reconciled to God. Understand something

this this when we when you're sharing

when you're talking to somebody we have

this responsibility because it is as God

speaking through us

>> to have you ever had somebody talking to

you

>> witnessing to you

and they spot on

>> and they don't you trying to save face.

You know what I'm saying? You trying to

keep it together but you trying to

figure out how in the world

do they know my business?

The the Bible says it's like God

>> Yes, sir.

>> talking through, making his appeal

through you.

>> When you This is This is why This IS WHY

YOU CAN'T GET SO CAUGHT UP. LORD, I'm

getting ahead of myself. This is why you

can't get so caught up in I don't know

what I'mma say.

>> No, no, no, no. The Bible, we used to

say it all the time in the church. If

you open up your mouth,

>> he said, "I'll speak for you."

>> Oh, YOU YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT

ALL GOD WILL USE YOU.

>> GOD, help me. I feel like I got a

thousand things going through my brain.

I want to preach a sermon one day about

the rooster that crowed

when Peter denied Jesus.

>> All right.

>> I do one day. I don't I don't know when

I'm I'mma do it because because that

that rooster

>> Yes.

>> crowed every morning.

>> And to everybody else, it was just a

rooster crowing.

>> But to Peter,

>> h it was a call to repentance. And what

I'm saying IS YOU MAY SOUND YOU MAY

THINK YOU JUST CROWING LIKE ANYTHING

ELSE, BUT GOD HAS GOT A WAY TO USE YOUR

CROW

>> TO CALL PEOPLE BACK TO REPENTANCE.

>> Sounded like a crow to everybody else.

>> BUT THE BIBLE SAID THAT WHEN PETER HEARD

IT, HE STARTED WEEPING.

>> That rooster didn't know what was going

on.

That's good.

>> God

will use us.

>> Oh, he will use us. Let let me let me

get right to it. Let me get right to it.

Then then you're asking how do we do

this? If found people find people h how

do we do this? What is the strategy?

Point number two. Your story is the

strategy.

>> Your story,

not my story.

>> Your story.

What God has brought you through

is the strategy,

not what he brought somebody else

through. See, because there's some of

you in here who think you haven't done

enough dirt for your story to be

attractive.

>> Yeah. You think you hadn't done there's

a there's a few of y'all in here like,

"Do you need some dirt?" I can loan you

some dirt cuz I done a whole lot of

I know

I can loan you some. I give you like a

scoop.

But there some of us thinking that that

we haven't done enough and thinking that

our story that God can't use our story.

Can I tell you something? God finds

people in different places.

>> Everybody is not found in the gutter.

Some people are found in the boardroom.

>> Oh. Oh. Oh. Everybody's not found in the

classroom. Some of us were found in the

club.

And God can use your story

>> to reach people.

>> That's right.

>> God, I feel the Holy Ghost right here.

>> Don't don't don't because I I know some

of my teens that grow up in church and

you think, "Well, I don't know if I can

use my testimony. I've been praising

God. I got filled when I was 14. Like,

what God gonna do to me?" Nuh-uh. Tell

your story.

>> No. Tell tell your story. I got filled

when I was 14 years old. God filled me

with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and

I've been walking with God ever since.

God can use that.

>> That's your rooster crowing.

>> Don't let the devil make you think you

got to go out here and do some dirt

before God can use you.

>> Oh my gosh. I wish some older people

would clap behind that.

You and I have a story.

You don't need to be a theologian to

invite someone to church. You just need

to be a witness.

>> He just called us to be A W TELL WHAT

YOU SAW.

>> When you a witness, you just tell him

what you saw.

>> I don't need you to make up nothing.

>> That's right.

>> No, JUST TELL WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR

YOU.

>> NO, you just say WHAT GOD WHATEVER GOD

has done. That's what you need to tell.

>> That's right.

Give me my next slide. Your your story

is the strategy. What's my next slide?

Catch this. Your eyewitness

is more persuasive than any why

argument.

>> Your eyewitness

what God has done for you.

>> Yes, sir.

>> YOU DON'T NEED TO ADD anything to it.

What God has done for you. In fact, you

don't need to add anything to it. You

just need to tell the whole story.

>> See, this is why I love senior saints. I

talked to Mother Gardener. She's one of

my oldest mothers. She's like 95. She's

not the oldest. She's one of the oldest.

I love Mother Gardener. Oh, yeah. I love

Mother Gardener. Her daughter and

granddaughter over there. Is she here

today? She was here this morning. Okay.

I love Mother Gardener because Mother

Gardener when I talk to her, she'll tell

me, "Lord, she'll slip start talking

real strong." Must say, "You know what,

baby? God saved me."

No, I need you to know the Lord saved me

cuz I used to be a mess.

I said, "Mom, were you honey? Don't let

don't let this white fool you, baby. I

used to be a mess." She said, "I used to

be just a fresher dish water."

Let me interpret that country term.

What she was saying was, "I know what

it's like to to be hot.

Golly, are we streaming this circuit?

Okay. They going to make me go there. I

don't want to go. We're not streaming.

Okay. Yeah. You know what it's like you

Oh, God. I can't say that. All right.

>> Can I say it? Okay. Yeah. All right. My

mom used My grandma used to call being

hot in the tail.

Okay. Okay. You y'all got that? Yeah.

She said, "I know what IT'S LIKE." SO,

SO I'M NOT GOING TO JUDGE A 16-year-old

like I don't understand wearing a short

skirt.

She said, "I know what the Lord has done

for me.

>> I'm not going to act like I never been

there.

>> I'm not going to act like I don't

understand. And when I get ready to

SHARE MY STORY, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE I

include that so that they really know

that God had TO USE REAL GRACE ON ME.

>> Your story is enough.

your story,

>> what God has brought you through is

enough.

>> Let me just hammer that point down. It

is enough.

>> Whatever it is, let God use it.

>> Amen.

>> AMEN.

>> WHATEVER THAT STORY IS, let God because

it is enough. The Bible said in

Revelations 12 11 it says and they

overcame him

>> by the blood of the lamb and by the word

of their testimony. Yes, you come you

overcome by the blood of the lamb but

the Bible says you also overcome by the

words of your testimony.

>> You and I got something to share.

>> Yes.

>> When we share our testimony, our

testimony is personal. It is relatable

and it is undeniable.

>> This is why I need you to share your

story because it needs to be personal.

>> I need you to share your story because

it has to be relatable.

>> And I need you to share your story

because it has to be undeniable. Can't

nobody talk you out of what God has done

for you. Amen.

>> SEE, BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES WE CAN GET

intimidated when we see others on the

street and they're they're sharing their

faith and whatever their faith may be

when it's different from ours and we get

nervous about, you know, I don't want

nobody to stop me and say nothing to me.

Or when the Jehovah's Witness come to

your door, you just pull the blinds and

act like you're not home.

Too many of us in here.

Yeah, YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE NOT HOME. BUT

LISTEN, YOU DON'T HAVE to be able to

quote twothirds of the New Testament.

All you got to be willing to do is share

what God has done for you.

>> I CAN'T LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. I

CAN'T CONVINCE YOU. ALL I KNOW IS I'M

CONVINCED.

>> WHAT I CAN TELL you is I don't know

about ALL THAT STUFF YOU JUST SAID, BUT

WHAT I KNOW IS I ONCE WAS BLIND,

>> but now I see.

>> I can't I DON'T KNOW ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU

JUST SAID. WHAT I KNOW IS I ONCE WAS

LOST,

>> BUT NOW I'VE BEEN FOUND.

>> And now YOU TALK ALL THAT STUFF YOU WANT

TO, BUT I IT'S ME and Jesus.

That's right.

>> He's done too much for me.

>> That's why YOU CAN'T FORGET YOUR

TESTIMONY. HE'S DONE TOO MUCH FOR PULL

THEM IN.

>> LET ME TELL YOU HOW God's been good to

me.

>> There was a time, THIS IS WHAT I'M

SAYING. JUST LIKE THIS. THERE WAS A TIME

WHEN I couldn't stop watching

pornography.

>> I WANTED TO STOP. WENT THROUGH A COUPLE

COMPUTERS AND A COUPLE OF CELL PHONES

AND GOD STILL WAS WALKING WITH ME THE

WHOLE TIME AND BROUGHT ME TO A PLACE

WHERE HE GAVE ME SOME CONTROL OVER THAT

THING. And he's working it out of me.

Oh, I wish. See how y'all can't TAKE

THAT HONESTY? OH, Y'ALL CAN'T TAKE THAT

HONESTY. BUT THIS IS WHAT THAT that's

what they need to hear.

>> This is what they need to hear. When you

share your story,

>> when you share your story, they like,

well, what what the Bible say? I I ain't

found that scripture yet, but let me

tell you what I do know. Yeah,

>> my mind was so confused

>> that I didn't know whether I was coming

or going.

>> But God, who is rich in mercy,

>> regulated my mind and my heart and

brought me UP OUT OF DEPRESSION. WHAT I

KNOW is he'll do it for you if you let

him.

>> He'll do it for you if you let him.

>> Somebody shout, "My story."

>> My story.

>> SHOUT IT AGAIN. MY STORY.

>> My story.

>> See, when you share your story, people

will never be the same.

because of your story.

>> People, when you make it, when you

extend them an invitation to come to

church, listen to me. I DON'T CARE HOW

THEY RESPOND.

>> They will never be the same.

>> Hey, Maze, come here, man.

They They'll never be the same.

Just stand up here with me. It's a

military man. This is a Marine right

here. Y'all thank God for this Marine.

You know, they told me in the back of a

story before the 9:00 worship encounter.

I was talking to to the team and Elder

Demarcus shared with us a story of when

they were on campus. Light. Shout out to

Light Campus Ministry. They were on

campus. Yeah, I hear y'all. Light campus

ministry. They was on they were on

campus for this event called Get a Clue.

And this is when you're out there,

you're just sharing about your

organization. And so we was out there

cornering there sharing about who we

are, what we believe in, how we roll.

And so one lady came up, uh, one young

lady, a college student came up to the

table with, uh, Jordan and Elder

Demarcus. And, uh, she said to them, she

said,

hilarious. She said, um, I don't want

your card.

>> No, you just hold your hold your card.

And she said, I don't want you to try to

convince me. She said, I'm an atheist.

She said, "What what I want to know is

why do you serve Jesus?"

Now, some of you are nervous, but if

you're hearing what I just told you that

your story is a strategy, you should be

rubbing your hands together and saying,

"Bone appetite."

Oh, you want to know my why?

>> Oh, I could put up them three them three

points that I LEARNED IN CLASS. LET ME

TELL YOU, YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I WALK

WITH JESUS? YES, SIR.

>> YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I I WALKED AWAY

FROM STUFF THAT WAS FUN TO ME.

>> YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I FORGAVE MY DAD

AND HE WASN'T THERE?

>> YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I DON'T CUSS PEOPLE

OUT NO MORE? YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY

WOULD SHE WOULD ASK HIM FOR THREE STEPS?

>> She wanted to know why do you follow

him?

>> Why have you changed your life?

>> Why? Catch this. LET'S BE HONEST. WHY

ARE YOU TRYING TO DO WHAT the Bible says

do?

WHY? WHY? WHY HAVE YOU CUT IT DOWN from

sleeping around every other week to now

once a quarter?

>> See, y'all can't appreciate progress. I

wish I wish you knew that that holiness

was a progression.

>> You see what I'M SAYING? WE TESTIFY

LIKE, "OH, TONY LORD SAVED ME. HE BURNED

ME OUT." NO, HE DIDN'T. YOU LYING.

>> YOU LYING. I WISH IT WAS SO.

>> Come on, Jay. I wish it was so.

That ain't so.

>> He walks with us.

>> Boy, I wish y'all would help me. He

walks with us.

>> STOP SANITIZING YOUR TESTIMONY. I'M

TELLING YOU, IF YOU WOULD JUST TELL IT

LIKE IT IS, PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE THE

JESUS YOU SERVE.

>> She wanted to know why.

And and and they told her why. And guess

what? She didn't say, "Oh, I want to be

saved. I want to be saved right now. I

want to fall out of my sin. She didn't

do that. She thanked him and she walked

away.

But what I realize is she will never be

the same.

>> She She will never

be the same.

Hey, May. Let me see. Let me see you.

You got good shoes on there. I know you

ain't going to crease them. Let me see

you walk from here to that to that

speaker. Touch that. Yeah. walk down

there and touch that speaker.

Yes, sir. That's a responsible walk.

That's a soldier walk right there. Yes,

sir. Go talk. Go back and touch it

again. Yeah.

Yes, sir. My marching orders right

there. Solid, man.

Come on. Do it one more time for the

Holy Ghost. The three times. Just right

there. Yeah. For the There you go. For

the Holy Ghost.

>> Yeah. Good. Align man.

He walks with no problem.

No problem. Was that any problem?

>> No problem.

>> No problem. He was walking with that

problem. But but what I found is

when they talked to that young lady, she

was walking one way when she came up to

the table, but they did what like I like

to call when they talked to her, they

put a rock in her shoe.

She was walking one way. Yeah. Uh yeah.

Start to un loosen one of your shoes.

Just take one of them off. Uhhuh. They

she put they put a rock in her shoe.

What size you wear?

But what God saying to us is when he

wants you to share your testimony

and invite them to put a rock in their

shoe. This is not what he's talking

about.

>> He's talking about this.

that what you have, your testimony

doesn't have to be a big boulder.

>> What God has done for you doesn't have

to be some great OLD BIG ASTRONOMICAL OH

MY.

He said, "Put a rock

in this shoe.

I want you to put that on.

Uh-huh. Come on. Let's There you go.

Uhhuh.

Uhhuh. Come on. Go on back. Go back.

Uhhuh. My God.

Yeah.

Come on. Let's go back. See, because

what has happened is I put something in

the shoe now. And although he looks the

same, look like he's walking the same,

LOOK LIKE HE'S acting the same, and

still going to some OF THE SAME PLACES

THAT HE WAS GOING IN BEFORE THE

CONVERSATION, THE REALITY IS HE WILL

never be ABLE TO WALK THE SAME AGAIN. He

may be going TO DO SOME OF THE SAME

STUFF, BUT IN HIS MIND,

he remembers the invitation. HE

REMEMBERS MY TESTIMONY.

And it may not be today. Yes, sir.

>> And it may not be tomorrow,

>> but one day.

>> She can't keep ignoring the rock in her

shoe.

>> One day.

>> One man plants.

>> One man waters. But God GIVES THE

INCREASE.

ONE DAY.

Thank you, ma. Take the rock out. you

ain't going to make it.

God said that's your the power of your

story.

>> That's the power. They may act like

they're still the same.

>> They will never be the same.

>> They may act like all what you said went

in one ear and came out the other,

>> but something about what you said

>> got them walking just a little

differently.

Something that you said got them moving.

Just they MAY BE STILL GOING TO GET GET

THAT SMOKE ON, BUT something you said.

>> Yes, sir.

>> They used to finish the whole blunt, BUT

NOW THEY CAN'T FINISH THAT WHOLE BLUNT

CUZ THEY GOT A ROCK. WELL, I wish I HAD

SOME HONEST PEOPLE IN HERE. THEY GOT A

ROCK IN THE SHOE.

They used to drink a whole bottle.

>> But something is different.

And see this is why you cannot discount

>> what God is doing.

>> This is why you can't put your mouth

talk Holy Ghost. This is why you can't

put your mouth on what God is doing.

Because we can't always detect what the

Holy Ghost is doing underneath.

>> Keep encouraging them.

>> Keep speaking life over them. THEY GOT A

ROCK IN THEIR SHOE.

>> TALK, Holy Ghost.

>> They got a rock in their shoe.

Hallelujah.

>> You and I have to understand that we we

we our story is the strategy. Lord,

let's get out of here. Listen, I can't

let it be International Women's Day and

then not not at least put up talk about

two women. who went from from found to

sin.

>> In John chapter 4, the woman at the

John 4 · chapter mention

well.

>> My God, this woman and I love her

because most times when we preach about

her, all we talk about how many husbands

she had

>> and she had five husband and the one she

had ain't her husband right now. She met

Jesus and he would have seven. Lord, we

just say that's good preaching. Good

preaching. But what I love about her is

that when she had that encounter with

Jesus, the Bible said in John chapter 4

John 4 · chapter mention

29 that she went back into the city

>> and told the guys,

>> "Come see a man

>> that has told me everything that I have

ever done." And the Bible said that the

city went out

>> sir.

>> She went and shared her testimony.

She went and invited them to Jesus.

And catch this, she didn't sanitize her

story.

>> She couldn't sanitize it because some of

the people she probably invited

were paying customers.

>> Yes.

>> Catch the women at the at the tomb of

Jesus. When Jesus gets up from the dead

and the Bible say the women came to the

tomb

and they saw that the Lord is risen. The

Bible said they went back in the book of

Mark chapter 16. They went back to tell

Mark 16 · chapter mention

the men

>> and the Bible said that the men God

bless us Jesus. Lord, sometimes we could

just be God help us. They didn't believe

the women.

>> They didn't believe the women. AND CATCH

THIS. I'M SO GLAD THAT THE WOMEN DID NOT

allow the the question of the men to

cause them to doubt their experience.

>> MAYBE I CAN'T answer every QUESTION THAT

YOU HAVE, BUT I SAW THAT THE TOMB was

empty.

>> He is risen as he said. Now, you may

HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOME STUFF ON YOUR

OWN, BUT WHAT I KNOW IS he is not dead

any longer.

>> And can I tell you, you have to have

that same conviction

>> about what you know about God.

>> And I don't care what they say. Yes.

>> I don't care what they ask you. You know

what you saw.

>> Yes, sir.

>> Y'all, God is calling us to be a church

that invites people to him and to share

our testimony when given a chance.

>> Amen.

>> God is calling. We are a church

that invites people to him and we share

our testimony when given a chance. Amen.

>> We are a church

>> that invites people to him and we share

our testimony when given a chance.

>> We are a church that invites people to

him and we share our testimony when

given a chance. Every time we do it, we

put a rock in somebody's shoe.

>> And God is galvanizing us as a body.

He's mobilizing us as a body because we

have an assignment. We mentioned it on

vision Sunday to have at least 700 first

or second time guest here this year.

>> Amen.

>> Let me tell you something. Easter Sunday

is coming.

>> And we're not going to assume that

people are coming to church just because

it's Easter.

>> Amen.

>> We know that he got up, but if we don't

invite them, they ain't getting up.

We're going to go get them.

>> Just like somebody went and got you.

>> Just like somebody came and said

something to you. You and I as corneria,

we have a responsibility.

>> Amen.

>> To go and get people.

>> How are we going to do it? The first way

that we're going to do it is that we

have a goal of 300 first time guests for

Easter. Amen.

>> We are going to see 300 first time

guests. Not not people who come on the

this first time.

>> We're going to have 300 first time

guests on Easter. So what that means is

we will make 30,000 personal

invitations.

>> Yeah. 30,000. We're going to make 30,000

personal invitations.

This is not on one person, right?

>> This is on all of us.

>> Somebody shout, "All of us."

>> All of us.

>> We're going to go get them. Would you

give me my next slide? We're going to go

get them.

This is how we're going to do it. Let's

do the math. 500 people commit to

inviting two people per day for 21 days

from March the 15th, that's next Sunday,

to April the 4th, that's the Saturday

before Easter,

500 people. Invite how many?

>> Two a day.

People you don't know or people that you

know that you don't associate with. Two

people a day. When we do that, we will

have done 21,000 invitations.

>> You say, "Okay, Pastor Trev, you said

it's going to be 30." Give me my next

slide.

Part two of this is that our evangelism

team is going to be mobilized and they

are going to be going out sharing and

inviting people. Now, this is I I did

the first one first because we're not

laying this all on the evangelism team.

We have a personal responsibility.

>> We have been saved by grace and we have

a responsibility to share what God has

done for us and to invite people to his

house.

>> Amen.

>> Write down Luke 14:23. He said, "Go out

Luke 14:23

into the highway and the hedges

>> and compel men

>> to come." Catch this.

>> So that my house

>> might be full.

>> Yes, sir. So we will have we will have

time where we will go out and we're

going to have starting next week. We'll

have personal invitations that we'll

start making starting next week all the

way 21 days until April the 4th. The

second part we'll do is that our

evangelism team will be mobilized. And

the third way I'm excited about this one

is that we have worship encounter teams.

Let me tell you what that means. On for

Easter Sunday, we have the 7:30

encounter, 9:30 encounter, 12:30

encounter. We have captains who are

responsible for filling up each worship

encounter.

We have two people that are captains

over the 7:30, two over the 9:30, and

two over the 12:30. And they are living

and breathing and taking all in. My

their whole goal is to fill the

sanctuary for our service.

>> Amen. Amen.

>> Whatever my service is, that's what

we're doing. So, they're what they're

going to do is they're going to employ

people and deploy people.

>> They're going to ask people to be a part

of their team and then those teams are

going to go out inviting people to that

worship encounter. Why am I telling

everybody this? Because there may be

some the captains may ask you to be a

part of their team

>> and I want you to be a part.

>> Amen.

>> What that mean? I got to change my

schedule. Absolutely. Amen.

>> I want you to shift because this is

important.

>> This is mission. THERE'S SOMEBODY

UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOMEBODY that is

praying that somebody will go by and say

something to their son that's weward

>> or to their daughter that is weward

>> and God is going to use us to send us

across their path

>> to let them know that they haven't done

too much and they hadn't gone too far

that God still wants you.

>> Those are the three ways we're going to

do it. Now, let me give you a heads up

on something else we're going to do on

one of these Sundays. We're coming up.

It might be the 29th. I believe we're

leaning toward the 29th or the 22nd.

We'll make that. We'll let you know. But

we're going to have what we call break

the huddle.

>> Yes.

>> On that day, what will happen

on that day, what we'll have, we'll come

in, we'll have praise and worship, give

God the glory, have the announcements,

we'll have offering. Then I'm going to

stand up and then y'all think I'm

getting ready to preach. I'm not going

to preach. I'm going remind us of this

assignment

>> and then we're going to break the huddle

and we're going to go and invite people.

You everybody get 10 cards and we will

go out and invite people within the hour

>> from the time we leave here.

>> See, in football there's this they they

huddle up on offense. Yeah, there's some

defensive players in here. Y'all don't

like this. I'll find a defensive analogy

after a while. Just hang with me, Sam.

Yeah. So, in football on offense, they

have a they have a huddle, but they

can't stay in the huddle all day.

>> That's right.

>> They're in the huddle talking about the

play that they're getting ready to run,

but there's a play clock that's ticking

down that's telling them at some point

you're going to have to break the huddle

and go run the play.

>> And what God is saying on that Sunday,

we're not just going to come in here and

see all how much we can get, but we're

going to break the huddle and go run the

play. And we're going to invite,

everybody's going to invite 10 people.

for that next Sunday.

>> And let's let me tell you what we're

doing. Oh, this is defense right here.

We're doing what is called a blitz.

>> In football, what a blitz is is when you

when the defense sends more people than

the offense can block.

>> And and and spiritually, if if it was

just one of us going out and we were

saying something to somebody, they may

be able to put up an excuse to block

that one invitation.

But by the time they get two or three of

those invitations,

oh, they going to get sacked by the Holy

Ghost. They going down. They won't have

enough to BE ABLE TO STAND UP AGAINST.

WELL, what is God? Is God really

speaking to me?

>> I need to go check out what is going.

This is not This is the second time, but

this is the third time that somebody

told me that I need to be. I'm getting

ready to go check it out.

>> Let me tell y'all something. We have a

responsibility. Thank God we are found.

But we have a responsibility to be sent.

And this is not on a evangelism team.

This is on all of us.

>> All of us who have been saved by grace

have a responsibility

to go and tell somebody the grace that

we have found. Bishop Jake puts it like

this, and I'm done. He says, "Sharing

the gospel with other people is like one

beggar

>> Yes, sir. telling another baker where he

found the bread.

>> That's what we're going to do.

>> All of us were beggars.

>> And we're not going to get full and look

down our nose at somebody who's hungry.

>> That's good.

>> But we're going to tell the other person

>> where it is we found the bread.

>> Yes, sir.

>> Can I tell Let me give me one more

thing. Come on, Doc. Stand up here with

me. I want you to share with us what you

shared before.

What that means for us is that you say,

"Well, God and Lee, it sound like we're

gonna have a whole lot of people in

here." I hope so.

>> NO. I I I hope so. I hope so. Listen, I

read something this week that said, "If

you come in on Easter and you find that

somebody's sitting on your seat, give

God praise."

>> Yes, sir.

>> Why? Because there's somebody who needs

that seat.

>> There's somebody who is trying God again

who needs that seat.

>> Right.

>> I'm so proud of our church. I was

walking through Walmart the other day

and somebody ran up to me and uh they

they tapped me on the shoulder say hey

man you look familiar.

I said what's up man? He said man you

look like are you a pastor? I was like I

am. He said corner. I said you got it.

He said I said listen I want you to come

to church with me. He said oh man I was

there Sunday. I said were you? He said

yeah I was there Sunday. He said, and

the cool thing about it, he said, "Me

and my girlfriend, we got there late."

And he said, "I just knew they were

taking me to the overflow." And he said,

"I didn't mind going. I was gonna stay."

He said, "But but but a guy got up and

gave me his seat."

>> He said, "I don't know if you know him

or not, but he like a guy that a big

guy." He had on purple and he had like

this this holster on like it had two it

looked like a gun, but he didn't have a

gun on. It was just a like a bag like he

had something in it. I said I said, "Did

he HAVE A HAT ON?" HE SAID, "YEAH." I

said, "Oh, that's Scotty.

I couldn't wait to tell Scotty. And

Scotty made a little joke of it. He

said, "Man, you know, I'm I'm so big. I

was sitting in one seat, but I take up

two. So when I got up, it was enough for

him and the girlfriend."

>> It made me so proud

>> because we get it.

>> That's somebody who gets it.

>> Like we believe here at Cornia, catch

this. Blessed are the flexible for they

shall not be bent out of shape.

Oh yeah. When when IF YOU NEED MY SEAT,

NO PROBLEM. If you NEED ME TO SCOOT

OVER, NO PROBLEM. WHY? BECAUSE I KNOW

THAT THERE'S somebody who needs this

seat. And maybe I need it, but I I KNOW

THEY MAY NEED IT MORE.

>> And I'm willing to slide down. Yay. Even

get up.

>> Yes, sir.

>> Before I let a first time guest,

>> have an experience outside of this

sanctuary. I believe God is calling us

>> to be prepared for Easter Sunday because

we're going to see more people on this

campus that day

>> than we have ever seen in the history of

our church.

>> Pastor Shandelle has something he shared

with me and I want him to share it with

you all. I want you to hear what it is

he had to say.

>> Yeah. So this morning, uh, Pastor Tre

was sharing just this with the team and

we had this race yesterday where people

run like a 5K, one mile, half marathon,

etc. And normally during the race,

everybody hangs out in this grassy area,

so they're spread out. So if people are

still running, they feel like they're

running by theel because everybody's

spread out. Well, this year there was

construction going on. And so when

people finished the race, they were

lining the streets. And what happened is

it created an environment so that even

though others were finished, the people

who had finished, they stood there and

cheered on other people as they came

across. And when I was telling Pastor

Trevor, he shared this moment. It made

me see us as a congregation. So that

even though on Easter Sunday in

particular, as we expect the 300 plus to

come, even most of the time we would sit

there and say, "Well, I'm just gonna

come to one service and I'm gonna go

home and get out the way." M

>> but what I saw for us is us doing that

same thing. Lining the hallways

>> and lining the parking lot. Yes, sir.

>> And instead of leaving to get out the

way, we stay here because we realize

that we are hosting the people.

>> Yes.

>> And that's what we're going to do this

Easter.

>> Absolutely.

>> This is all of us. We are doing this

together.

>> God is raising an army for us to grow,

to build, to serve, and to share. And uh

I'm excited about what God is going to

do. We are going from found

>> to sent

>> from found.

>> Let's pray. Father, in Jesus name, thank

you for this time around your word.

Lord, we thank you for how you're

leading us.

>> How you are causing us, God, not to just

be satisfied and resting in our own

salvation.

Father, may we never forget what you

have done for us. May we never forget

how far down you had to reach to grab

us, to pull us up. Whether whether we

were in the classroom or in the club,

whether we were in the boardroom or the

gutter, Lord, you reached way down

>> and you picked us up. May we be ever

mindful of what it is that you have done

for us. So much so that we don't just

bask in the blessing but Lord we will

take our responsibility

to go find somebody else to pay it

forward as it were realizing Lord we

don't want others to spend the rest of

their life not one other day lost if we

can help it. Father help us to get over

ourselves

whether we are fearful or nervous. Lord

help us to to see the the bigger

picture. Help us to step over our own

idiosyncrasies, our own nervousness.

Help us to see that people are lost

and they need to know you.

Help us, Lord, to share our testimony

when given a chance.

Help us, Lord, to step past whatever it

is we're feeling and extend that

invitation.

And Lord, we're not confident in our own

abil ability. We're confident in you.

We're confident that when we say what it

is that you've placed on our hearts that

Holy Spirit, you'll put that rock in

their shoe and that regardless of their

response, they will never be the same.

And Father, we thank you. We declare

right now, God, we thank you for 300

first-time guests that will be here on

Easter Sunday. We thank you for the

30,000 personal invitations that we will

make as we do and fulfill the assignment

you've given given us, and that is to go

get them. Father, we thank you for the

wind at our back. We thank you for the

strength in our bodies. Thank you for

the eyes for the sparrow that you have

given all of us. May we move with the

ferveny

in remembrance of the grace that you

have given us in Jesus name.