An Eternal Mindset | Keith Collins (with Calvary Duren and Joey Elhers)

We have a couple of testimonies first, and then Keith is going

to come up and share with us the word.

But I want to invite Calvary Dern to come on up here, bro.

Well, hello again. I came here last August and that

was actually my first trip to the Philippines and it was so

good. I had to come back and see

everyone. So thank you for welcoming me

back. This feels like another home.

I'd love to just talk to you about Jesus.

You know, over this past year I've discovered the love of

Jesus. The Bible says that we love

because he first loved us. And so in the receiving of his

love, I've began to see him in a new way.

I began to behold him in his sufferings with the cross and in

his resurrection power. And I've learned that it's much

easier to be used by God than to be a friend of God.

And so there's a lot of Christians who want to be used

by God. They want to be sent to the

nations. They want to see revival happen

and preach on pulpits and lead worship.

But very few desire to be a friend of God.

I'm reminded of story from the 2nd century where the Christians

at the time were persecuted by the Romans and one of the church

fathers. His name was Polycarp.

He was leading the church at the time as one of the fathers in

modern day Turkey and he was a disciple of the Apostle John.

He was in his home and the Romans came to take him into

captivity. And when they got there they

were very surprised because this threat, who they thought was a

threat to the Roman Empire, turned out to be an old man.

So Polycarp at the age of 86, was in his living room and when

the guards came to arrest him, he offered them water and food.

And he said, can I have an hour to pray before you take me?

This is what a friend of God looks like.

Love your enemies. Bless those who persecute you.

And as they took him, they threw him into the arena and he walked

in and they threatened him with suffering with lions and animals

in the cathedral where they were killing Christians.

And he said, what has God ever done to me?

Nothing. He has only been a friend.

So why would I betray my king? And they threatened him with

fire at the stake. And he said don't chain me, I

want to hold on. And he believed that God would

give him the strength to hold on while the flames engulfed him.

And so they set him on fire. But to their surprise they

didn't smell burning flesh. He was not dying, that the

flames could not engulf him. And instead they went to him and

they stabbed him, and the blood put out the flames of the fire.

And the Romans witnessed what it looked like to see a man of God

be martyred who was a friend. And so like Moses, who knew the

ways of God, I desire to be his friend, to know his heart.

You begin to ask different questions whenever you are a

friend of God. It's not just what does the word

say, but it's why did God write this?

When you're in a relationship with someone in friendship, you

begin to ask their preferences. What do you desire?

What do you delight in? What do you love?

And as we begin to behold him and his sufferings, it gives us

an understanding for how we can then live out a Christian walk

that truly glorifies the Lord. And we do it in relationship

with God, not as mere employees or workers for the Lord, but as

true friends. And so the Bible says that as

this, there's no greater love than this than for one man to

lay down his life or another. And in that way, Jesus Christ

came as a man, fully God, fully man, and died a death on the

cross. He hung there for you and I and

gave his life. And so there is no greater love

than that of the cross. The cross is a representation of

where heaven meets earth, where our will and God's will, they

collide. And then we get to choose and

say not my will be done, but yours be done.

And this is how we store the old heaven.

We begin to deny self and live and walk in the Spirit.

And as we do that, he begins to lead us into the places of God,

the deep places of God, where we begin to discover his heart.

We begin to see his face where we wake up in the morning and we

ask questions like have you seen his face today?

Have you looked into his eyes? They're a little bit brighter

than yesterday. They're a little bit more

beautiful. There's no one like the Lord,

and if you choose to seek after Him with all your heart, with

all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength,

you will discover that He is the greatest reward and nothing else

can ever satisfy. He will sustain every need that

you have. He's better than anything you

could ask, seek, or imagine. And so Jesus is everything.

Jesus is everything. He's all you need.

And so thank you for letting me share for a second and bless you

all. Wow you guys are amazing.

I love the Philippines and Amen so many of you guys will be

praying for when we go back. I'm from Indiana, I went to

Brownsville with Keith and Eric many years ago, which makes me

anyways not 21 anymore. My kids, I have two boys, 23 and

20. They love Jesus worshippers.

They serve in the ministry back in Indiana.

But I wanted to. Share more so than tell about

myself. We're here about we're here to

talk about Jesus. Amen.

I want to share really a few scriptures that are on my heart

that have been on my heart the last week and I had three quick

points and I'm going to be quick.

I promise my church would be laughing if they heard heard me

say this. But my three points that I

wanted to make this morning is I want to talk about the power and

the simplicity of following God and changing the world.

I wanted to give just a few points of wisdom along the way

that I've learned, and three scriptures or maybe a few more

that talk about the simplicity of changing the world God has.

Called you to. Carry the anointing and the

presence of God. Everywhere you go, God goes.

God doesn't give junior Holy Spirit.

So when you speak, God speaks through you.

You carry the same anointing, the raised Jesus Christ from the

dead. Literally.

When you speak, people feel in deep down in their heart.

Their DNA is shaken by the very fabric of their being.

Because the same God that created them is now speaking

through you as an ambassador or representative that has the same

spirit that created them. So when you witness and when you

share the gospel and when you love on others, I want you to, I

want you to remind yourself it's not about.

You you carry something that's greater than yourself.

Whenever I travel, TSA asks 3 questions.

The first thing is this where you.

They want to know where are you going, what are you caring and

how much is it worth? They want to know these three

things because they're very important.

And I believe that God would ask you the same question this

morning. Where are you going, what are

you caring and how much is it worth?

And I want to give you 3 scriptures or three passages

that talk about the simplicity of.

Where you're going? What you're caring and how much

it's worth. How many is carrying Jesus this

morning? How many is going to heaven?

Amen. But on the way we're going to

experience heaven on earth. Amen.

And people deserve to experience a move of God.

Wherever you go, you owe them. After you encounter God, you owe

them an encounter with God. Saved people save people.

Healed people heal people. Delivered people deliver people.

Amen. And when you carry the Kingdom,

I'm telling you you're not carrying your calling, your

gifting. It's not about any of that.

It's all about the Kingdom. IGF is about connecting you to

the Kingdom of heaven so that you have resources to do what

God has called you to do, what God desires to do all across the

world. It is not about Keith, it's not

about me. It's not about Eric.

It's not about any of these generals and powerful men of

God. I love Jason's word man.

I'm going to be chewing on that for a long time, but I want to

give you a few scriptures and then I'm going to let Pastor

Keith, brother Keith, preach the word of God this morning.

First one is Proverbs chapter 16 verse one.

Proverbs 16 · chapter mention

It is not the first point of wisdom.

I would say this. It is not my responsibility to

always have a word from the Lord.

A lot of people want me to prophecy over them or give them

a word and they will actually asked me to do these things, but

I refuse. If I don't have anything, I

don't have anything. I'm not going to muster

something up. I'm not going to make it up.

But the Bible says this in Proverbs 16 and one.

It's very important for us to understand this.

The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of

the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure

in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs out the spirit meaning

this. We think we're pure until the

coal comes, until the fire comes, and then God, really, He

will deal with whatever needs to be dealt with #1 it is your

responsibility. And it's my responsibility every

day of my life to prepare my heart for God.

It is God's responsibility to speak.

Amen. How many know that this morning

worship was awesome? Y'all agree?

Somebody prepared their hearts before they got up here.

Somebody was already connected to heaven.

So that when they caught up here and they began to call the name

of Jesus, God began to speak. He began to move in the Spirit

first took preparation. So number one, it is not my job

to get a word from the Lord. It's only my job to prepare my

heart #2 The second thing is this, I can't find my notes now

OK, is Jeremiah chapter 10. Jeremiah says this.

Jeremiah 10 · chapter mention

He says, Oh Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself.

It is not in man who speaks to direct his own steps.

O Lord, correct me, but with justice, and do not and and not,

and let not your anger bring me to nothing.

What Jeremiah is saying this I have found that I am not the

leader that I thought I was. I don't know where I'm going

unless God gives me direction. It takes great humility to

follow the Lord in this hour without humility of saying I do

not know where I'm going unless the Lord shows me.

I stand up in front of my church and they look at me as their

leader and I tell them all the time we need to have fellowship

conferences because everybody wants to boast about being a

pastor's pastor or a leader or all these being significant.

But the reality is the least significant I become, the more

that God can use me. We must embrace fellowship in

our lives. That is how we're going to be

led by the Spirit of God. Every day I get up, every time I

get up to preach, I study myself full and then I pray myself

empty. I said, Lord, I have no idea

what you're going to speak. I have no idea what what you're

going to do. Over the last.

Two years we have seen God provide miracles.

We had a lost guy walk up to me and give me $1 million to fund

the project that we were funding.

Brother Keith stood on the property.

It was nothing but mud and just it was a mess.

Now stands a couple years later, a $5,000,000 property filled

with souls that have just gotten saved over the last 12 months.

Can somebody say Amen? But it was because I did not

know where I was going, but I knew who had the answer.

I knew that if God had spoke to us to build something and do

something, it was His responsibility that this vision

be funded and completed the same as your believing God for this

building. God is going to answer Amen,

that we must be led by the Spirit of God.

He always does it in unusual ways and He's always funded our

ministry with lost people. It's unbelievable.

Every large check we've ever received is people that don't

even believe in the Lord. The gentleman that gave me the

$1 million is an actual atheist, but he's going to come to the

knowledge of Jesus. Can somebody say Amen?

And the third. Thing I would say this and

Matthew, it tells us this. Don't worry about what you're

going to say when they send you, for the Holy Spirit will give

you the words. Listen, if your heart is

prepared and you understand and you understand that God has not

called you to be a leader, but a follower, and true followers are

leaders. I know that sounds confusing,

but really embracing being the follower of Jesus opens you up

to the Holy Spirit moving in your life.

You can have confidence that wherever you go, as long as your

heart is prepared and as long as you understand you are blind

without Him and you do not have access to anything without Him,

then you can expect and have confidence that God is going to

come through in your life. Somebody say faith.

You don't need to fear anybody. You don't need to fear Americans

or Italians or people that you might think come from money or

resources. If you have God, you have all

that you need. If God be for you, who be

against you. And I believe that I'm standing

in the midst of some world changers here in the

Philippines. So I considered an honor to be

able to love on you and charge you.

Man, I I've been touched by God's presence.

The worship is amazing. The preaching has been amazing,

but I'm excited about what God is going to do through His

Kingdom in your life. Amen.

Amen. I love you guys, God bless you.

Wow, so much has already been said that's been so good.

And let me just before I share it, thank you so much for your

hospitality. All of you have been amazing.

You know, again, those that have cooked for us, those that have

hosted us, welcomed us, loved on us.

We are just so, so blessed. And I tell, give yourselves a

big hand clap. Amen.

As I said last night, we know there's a lot that goes into a

conference like this and you guys really made it happen.

And I know the Lord will bless you.

And listen, I, I really feel like that we are standing in the

midst of supernatural destiny that that God has birthed

something, is birthing something.

And I mean, who knows what's going to happen.

My, my expectations are very high as I continue to pray about

direction and what the Lord is saying concerning Asia and the

Philippines. I mean, my heart is just alive

with the purposes of God and with the potential that's before

us. And I, I would just encourage

all of us, I'm speaking to myself as well, that let us

steward what God has birthed. Well, let us be faithful to what

God has placed in our hands. You know, a lot of people I

believe have had great opportunities to do great things

for God, but they, they squandered those opportunities

because they were not faithful to what God had called them to

do. So I feel like it's good to feel

our responsibility and what God has birthed.

And I just know that even the dream centers are part of that

there. There's so many things connected

to this vision, but but I know that God is able when people are

willing. And you know, there's that, that

that that time where Isaiah said here am I, Lord send me the

Hebrew word is Hanani. And I don't know about you, but

I'm just at the place where I know I can't do everything.

I don't have the, the the energy, the effort, the time,

the money. But I know that anytime I've

said God, here I am send me that.

He makes a way even where there does not seem to be a way.

So let me just encourage all of us to be faithful to what God

has birthed here. This is an amazing church I've

spoken here with three or four Times Now.

And thank you for your heart to worship the Lord.

Thank you for your willingness to host IGF Asia.

And I believe, I believe that the local church here is going

to be blessed supernaturally because of your willingness to

host what God is doing in the Philippines and into other Asian

nations. And you are, you're, you're a

major part of this puzzle, I believe.

And I just believe there's going to be a blessing that's going to

be bestowed upon you in many ways.

So can I just? Can I before?

I share for a couple hours here. Just kidding, but can I just

pray over you just in the matter of a blessing?

Just lift your hands to the Lord right now.

Father, I thank you for this amazing church family.

I thank you for the leadership here for Pastor Armand.

Pastor Buddy, they're wives. I thank you God for.

All those that are serving, those that are ministering to

the children today while we're in here, Father, those that are

working with teenagers, those that are counseling, those that

are praying, God, those that are feeding the poor children of

this area, Lord, Father, those that are going to the college

campus and sharing and the truth and the love of Jesus, I thank

you for them, God, and I just bless them right now.

I pray that your favor would rest upon them.

I pray God that they would know you in a deep and intimate way.

I pray God, even the things that Calvary shared, those deeper

places of intimacy with you, that that would become the air

that they breathe, that would become the native air that they

live in. Lord Jesus.

Take them deeper, Lord. Make your ways more real to

them, Lord, may the beauty of your face captivate them.

May nothing in this world ever be able to distract them.

Lord God, overwhelm them with your goodness, with your beauty,

with your holiness, with your power, and with your presence.

May they taste of you and see that you are good as your word

declares. And Father, may there be a fresh

move of your spirit. We thank you for what you're

doing. God, we feel the moving of your

glory in this place. But God, we cry out for the

more, more of your power, more of your presence.

May your glory even from this place go into the streets of

Agdao, into all the places of Davao, Lord.

And may we see real Holy Ghost revival that transforms a

community and a city. Lord, Godfather, we say, Lord

Jesus, may we be honored, so honored to host your presence in

this hour, in this season, in this place.

And Father, we just commit our hearts to faithfulness, Lord.

We commit our hearts to obedience, Lord, But we know

that one day we will stand at the judgment seat of Christ.

And we will. Give an account for every word

and deed. And Father Paul spoke those

words for a purpose. He he wrote those words for a

purpose that we might feel that we are a part of your eternal

plan. And Lord, we don't want to

fumble this. We don't want to squander this.

We don't want to miss this opportunity that you've given

us. So, Lord, this morning, this

day, we say, here we are. Lord, use us for your glory,

Jesus. Use us for your glory, the

Father. May your blessing, your favor,

and your great grace, Your empowering grace, overwhelm this

people, right? Now in Jesus name, in Jesus

name, Amen. Amen.

Thank you Lord. Hallelujah.

Well, listen, I'm seriously going to take just just a small

amount of time this morning. Share a few things on my heart

and then we'll we'll pray and we'll release you.

I want you to turn to Acts chapter 20 if you would.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

There was a passage of Scripture that I referred to on Friday

night and I just felt to kind of come back and read this and then

share a few thoughts of what it means to really have an eternal

understanding or what it means to live in the light of

eternity. What does it mean to be a people

who who understand that we are in this world, but the Bible

says we are not of this world. You know, there is, there is a

trap that many people in the church fall into, and that is

that they, they have an experience with the Lord, they

are born again. It's genuine.

They're saved, they're washed by the blood of Jesus.

But as they walk out their their their existence in Christ, as

they live their Christian life, often times people get very

distracted. Now I'm, I'm one that believes

the primary reason for this is because they take their eyes off

the face of Jesus. In other words, they, they begin

to look at other things and they, they begin to allow things

to pull them away from what God and who God has really called

them to be. We can even look at church

throughout history. I mean, great moves of God.

There's, there was a move of God that was birthed in England in

the 1700s called the Methodist Church.

And I'm sure there's Methodist churches here, but at one time

they were a fiery, evangelistic, passionate group of people who

literally touched the world. I've been to Africa and I've

seen Methodist churches. I've been, I've been to 39

nations and most of them, not all of them, but many of them,

I've seen Methodist churches, some of them that dated back to

the 1800s or, or even the early 1900s.

And it shows me that there was something so powerful that God

was doing through that mope, through that movement at one

time. But somewhere along the way,

many of the leaders of the Methodist Church got distracted.

They, they lost their passion, they lost their vision, they

lost their heart to know Jesus. They, they lost their desire for

the fire of God to be burning among them.

I actually have a book that a friend gave me from Washington,

DC, and it's actually an old journal from the Methodist

Church, and it predates the Civil War in America.

It's from 1834. There was a church in the state

that I live in now in North Carolina, and it's talking about

the meetings that they were having.

I mean actual, literal meetings that were taking place in this

little church in the mountains of North Carolina.

And it was talking about how the fire of God sometime would fall

so powerfully that that men and women would be in the floor

weeping unto the Lord sometimes 6-7 hours at a time.

I mean, there was such a powerful move of God among the

Methodist, but now, unfortunately, because that

movement did not steward intimacy with the Lord, they did

not steward what God had deposited into them.

Now in the United States of America, the Methodist Church is

ordaining homosexual ministers, the United Methodist Church.

There's been a split. But my point is this, we've got

to be faithful to what God has called us to.

Stuart And it's not just about feeling, thank God we can feel

him, but but we have to by faith embrace the call of God upon our

lives. Listen to to me.

I'll be honest with you, when it comes to the birthing of an IGF

Asia or even an Impact Global Fellowship, I have a, a strong

fear that I'll miss it somewhere.

And I, I'm not talking about a fleshly type of fear, but I'm

talking about a fear of God that, that I don't want to just

do something because it's the, the thing to do.

But God, I want to hear your voice.

I want to know God. Listen, I knew this was in my

heart to, to start Impact Global Fellowship in my 40s, but I knew

that I could not do it until I was 50.

It was a strategic time in our walk with God.

Often times we're just kind of hit and miss.

We are in and out and up and down, and we're not really

stewarding what God has called us to do as His people.

As we look at this nation, as we look at this city, I believe

it's important for the church, for Maranatha Church or any

church in the city that really knows Jesus, to embrace their

role for this hour and for this season.

And how do we do that? Number one, we steward our walk

with God #2 #2 we've got to keep eternity in view.

If we ever lose sight of eternity, then we immediately

get distracted and we lose our passion and we lose our

heartbeat. Let me just read this and then

I've just seriously got a few points and we're going to close.

But Acts chapter 20, verse 17, just read a few verses here.

Acts 20:17

It says now from my elitist he sent to Ephesus, Speaking of the

apostle Paul, and called the elders of the church to come to

him. And when they came to him, he

said to them, You yourselves know how I lived among you the

whole time, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving

the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that

happened to me through the plots of the Jews.

How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that

was profitable and teaching you in public.

And from house to house. Testifying both to Jews and to

Greeks of repentance towards God and a faith in our Lord Jesus

Christ. And now, behold, I am going to

Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will

happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies me to

me, that in every city imprisonment and afflictions

await me. One translation says

tribulations, but Paul says this.

But I do not count my life of any value, nor is precious to

myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I

received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the

grace of God. And now, behold, I know that

none of you among who am I, I've gone about proclaiming the

Kingdom will see my face again. He knew that death quickly

awaited him. Therefore I testify to you this

day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did shrink

from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

Now I want you just to look at this story, what's taking place

here, just for a minute. Paul is at the twilight, or he's

at the end of his life. He, he, he's an old man at this

time, and he stands before these elders from the Church of Asia

Minor, or what we call Ephesus. And as he stands before them, he

begins to declare to them that the Holy Spirit is warning him

that because he has set his face towards Jerusalem, that as he

makes his way back to where it all started for him, the

tribulation and imprisonment, all these things await him.

But what does he say? I don't.

Account my life as anything to myself.

The only thing that's important to me is that I finish the

course or the race that God has placed me in.

He was not a man that was concerned about his natural

provision. He wasn't concerned about how

much persecution or suffering that he endured.

Now listen to me when when I look at a man that's able to say

this, there, there's something that he didn't just understand,

but there was something that possessed his.

Heart. He was not a man of this world.

He was not a normal Christian that just tries to get through

life and make it from one Sunday to the next Sunday.

No, there was a deeper understanding of who he was in

Christ and more importantly, who Jesus was.

In him his passions were owned. His heartbeat was owned by

eternity. He was a man that looked at

afflictions. I mentioned this Friday he was

beat by the Jews five times with 39 lashes.

The way our Lord was beat he was.

Hungry at times, he He knew what it was to be naked and cold in

dungeons, in prison, under house arrest.

He knew what it was to be shipwrecked and spend a day and

a night in the ocean. He knew what it was to have

everyone turn their backs on him and betray him.

All throughout Asia. He was a man that understood

what it meant to suffer with Christ, to know him in the

fellowship of his sufferings. And he comes to this place and

the Holy Spirit warns him there's more persecution,

there's more suffering, there's more trial, there's more

tribulation. But Paul says, listen, I don't

account my life of any value nor it's precious to myself, if

only, if only I may finish my course in the ministry that I

have received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel

of the grace of God. I want you to hear me.

Many people live in this present world with a primary focus and

that is how can I do better for myself?

Now listen, I'm not against education.

Some people need education because of what they do.

I'm not against it. I I have a doctorate divinity, I

have a business degree, a four year business degree.

I'm not against those type of things and and it's helped me in

certain areas. But listen to me, you can have

the greatest education, you can have the best job, you can have

all the money. But if Jesus is not the thing

that that motivates your life, listen, God will take your

education and use it for his glory.

But many people. Advance themselves in this world

and they lose their passion for eternity, that they lose their

heart. For what they're really here

for, at the end of the day, we're here.

If you're a child of God, if you are born again of Jesus Christ,

your primary mission is to make disciples of the nation's.

The primary purpose that we're here is to make Jesus known in

the earth. Whether you're an engineer and

let's say thank God for the engineers, we need them.

Whether you're a doctor, whether you're a plumber, whether you're

a housewife, every role is important.

But in every setting, whether it's you and your children, you

are making disciples for Jesus Christ and.

Eternity is always in view. I remember the evangelist that

Eric speaks of often, Steve Hill in the Browns of Revival.

I remember he would say something like this.

He never let roots go too deep in this.

World. Even the way that God would move

in from different places and different nations.

In other words, he was always attentive to the voice of God.

God, what do you want me to do? Not what do I want to do?

Listen, what we do in our modern culture often times is we decide

to do something and then we ask. God to bless it.

I believe when eternity comes into view, we say, Lord, my life

for your glory. If it's in, if it's in Davao

City, if it's in Charlotte, NC, if it's in Cambodia, if it's in

Switzerland, wherever it is. Got my life for your glory.

Period. And we live in such a way that

we never lose. Sight of why we listen.

We've got this very short amount of time and it's gone, James.

James talks about it very well. When he said in James 414, the

apostle James says, for what is your life?

That's the question, what is your life?

He's talking about your, your, your, your earthly life.

He said, what is it? It's just a vapor.

One translation says a mist that appears for a little.

Time and then it just vanishes away.

There was a lady that lived in my neighborhood in Charlotte,

NC. And she was 106 years old and

still was very aware of the world and could talk and, you

know, was. Very she actually lived by

herself. She drove a car till she was a

until she was 104 and then her children, who were in their late

80s, finally took her driver's license from her because she

couldn't see very well on peripheral vision.

But as I would see her and talk to her and she'd be out in the

yard sometimes with a little hoe gardening and she cooked her own

food and a lady that lives next door to us would go over and

help her sometimes. But but as I would.

Talk. I'm like, wow, 100.

And six years old. Think of everything that she's

seen and everything that she's known.

But then what is 106 years compared to eternity?

It's just a a vapor. It's just a myth.

It's nothing, friend, you've got one opportunity to bring glory

to Jesus. There's a a man his some of his

quotes are in this room up. There's a Ravenhill.

Leonard Ravenhill said you. Can't make up your prayer life?

When you get to the judgment seat, you got one opportunity to

be a prayer warrior. Why are we prayer warriors?

Because in God's heart and in God's pattern, he connects his

eternal will to the prayers and to the obedience of prayer

warriors. So we pray.

Why? Because it changes history, it

changes eternity. It's not something that we just

read about and say, man, what an awesome woman or man, I've got

no friend. We embrace his passion for a

dying world and we pray with his heart.

Paul said in Romans 8 with 26 or 28, he says, listen, there are

times when I pray. I don't even know what to pray.

And he said the Holy Spirit comes over me sometimes with

groanings and things that I can't even put human language

to. But the Holy Spirit knows the

heart of the. Father and he prays through me.

Why do we do? This not so that we can say

we're on the intercession no, friend, so that lives can be

changed, so that revival can be birthed.

So that cities can be transformed.

So that movements of God that can make a difference throughout

eternity can be birthed in places like Davao and America

and Japan and everywhere else, even places where there hardly

is no church. In those places, God raises up

people with a burden for the lost, and when eternity comes

into view, it doesn't matter how strong Buddhism is or Hinduism

is. For even in India, in the Silcot

revival at the turn of the 20th century, Great Revival broke.

Out. Why?

Because somebody named John Hyde was burdened with God's

heartbeat to pray. Why?

Eternity became real to him. He left everything behind and he

went to a land that he knew nothing about.

He said that that land needed Jesus, and he gave himself for

the. Purposes of the Lord what are we

living for guys listen may IGF Asia never be about wearing AT

shirt I love the T-shirts may it never just be about a website or

and those things are. Important There's practical

things that we have to do, but may the heartbeat, may the

passion. Not just I may.

May the heartbeat of Maranatha Family Church always be what

Jason said. One more soul.

Why? So that eternity is affected?

Forever may it always be about a people who understand that yes,

we can live bless lives. Listen, I love my life.

I love fellowship. I, I love talking and and being

with people like you. But at the end of the day,

friend, I know I'm running a race.

I'm 57 almost. I'm running a race.

I've got a limited amount of time.

I don't want to. I don't want to get to 65 and 75

and 85 and look back and see where I've wasted time.

I'm not talking about some legalist.

No, I'm talking about embracing intimacy with Jesus and seeing

what God can do with the people that have an eternal mindset

that God calls us to these deeper places that God is so

faithful to his own glory, even when we're not.

That in every generation we can see whether it's the Ignatius or

the Polycarps or even some that some movements like the Catholic

Church have claimed. But like Francis and and

Patrick, these some of these individuals that really were not

Catholic like they say they are, but some of these individuals

who maintain the flame of God in their.

Hearts. Throughout history, even

throughout the Dark Ages, there's always been someone or

some group that was faithful to the call of.

God. That there's always been

individuals that were willing to go deep when others stayed

shallow. There's always been some that

were willing to be awake when others wanted to just sleep

spiritually. There's always been some that

said Jesus. You're worthy of it all when

others just said that's just too radical for me.

Even when eternity becomes real, your life completely changes.

Listen, I, I think often times we look at these heroes of the

faith, especially the martyrs, and we we we lift them up and

and to a point understand that. But here's what I believe.

I believe eternity becomes became surreal to these.

People that they only had one option, that was obedience unto

the Lord. And I also believe there was a

grace even in their death. There was a a grace fueled with

intimacy with Jesus. That's why men like John Huss,

when he's being burned at the stake, he lifted up his, his

hands that were melting literally the flesh, it says

history. His flesh was melting.

And he begins to slap his burning hands together and he

begins to sing a song of the church.

And they said that his voice was so loud that it drowned out the

the noise of the fire burning. And he's rejoicing as he enters

into the presence of the. Why He's a man that kept his

face on Jesus even in the midst of the flames.

You see, there is a deeper place that comes into view when

eternity becomes real. When it's more than just singing

and preaching. It's more than just a conference

and AT shirt. It's real when you leave this

place, if it's really going to be real, listen, listen.

And I love this setting. I'm in these settings all the

time. But listen to me, friend, may we

never be a people that just have it in this place, Fire School of

ministry, Marin at the family church, IGF gathering.

But may we be a people that it's more real tomorrow when we're in

the midst of our city and our our schools and our families and

our job. That's where eternity's changed.

That's where men and women throughout history have made a

commitment and even paid a price that Jesus would be known.

That he would be. Glorified and that he would be

seen. Is eternity real to us?

This morning I want to just give you 3 closing things.

Number one, we must deliberately live for eternity.

Listen to what Paul told Timothy in First Timothy 612.

Fight the good fight of faith. Listen, take hold of eternal

life to which you were called and about which you have made

the good confession in the presence of ministry.

What is Paul telling Timothy? Listen, you got to aggressively

live for eternity. What does that mean?

You must acquire and maintain a hatred for sin and compromise.

Why? Because it keeps you from

burning for Jesus. Why is sin so bad?

Why is compromise so bad? Because it it it, it puts the

flame of God. In your heart.

Out. And it causes you to get

distracted and you lose sight of eternity.

You got to be radical with certain things in your life.

Listen as young people listen to me tonight.

You can't. Play around with sin.

You can't come in here and worship and jump and dance and

then live for yourself or for the devil the rest of the week.

You got to get radical with sin, not because it's legalism, but

because you're protecting intimacy with.

Jesus and you never want to lose an eternal mindset, Paul said.

Lay hold of eternal life, never let go of it.

This and this is an active thing.

This is not a passive Christianity, friend.

Oh, I understand the blessings and the peace and that's all

part of it. But at the same time, I also

realize that, friend, we're in warfare this morning or this

afternoon now. That we wrestle not against

flesh and blood, but against principalities and power listen,

there are demonic spirits warring against this city,

against the young people of this city, against families in this

city, against ministries in this city and who's going to make a

difference? Those that have an.

Eternal view, Those that stand in the place of intimacy with

Lord, with the Lord, and as a result they bring the Kingdom of

heaven to bear in every aspect of culture and society.

Normal Christianity, the Bible said.

These early men and women of God, these early apostles, they

turned the world. Upside down.

Why? Because they carried eternity in

their hearts. They were not swayed by sin.

Know they were tempted where we can all be tempted.

I understand that, but Paul said there's no temptation taken you

but such as common to man, but God is.

Faithful who will not allow you to be tempted about that you're

able, but will also with the temptation make a way to escape

that you may be able to bear it. Listen friend, there is freedom

from sin when eternity is real to you.

When Jesus is the passion of your heart, He empowers you.

Even when the enemy comes in like a flood, that Spirit of God

raises up a standard on the inside of you.

And resist the enemy, resist the lust of the flesh and all those

things that keep us from having an eternal mindset.

There's a deeper place this morning, guys.

There's a deeper place #2 we have to walk and live in the

Spirit in order to have proper vision.

A lot of people want the world through the week and then they

want to come into a place like this and see what God's doing

and be involved in this at the same time.

I know you, you've got to steward this.

Let let me read this for we know that this is Second Corinthians

5 verses one through 10. For we know that if the tent

that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building

from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.

For in this tent or in this body we groan, longing to put on our

earthly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be

found naked. For while we are, it's still in

this body or in this tent, we groan, being burdened, not that

we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so

that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given

us a spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good

courage. We know that while we are at

home in the body, we are away from the Lord.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the

body and at the home, at home with the Lord.

So whether we are at home, home or away, we make it our aim to

what to please Him. For we must all appear but for

the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what

is due for what He has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Listen, I understand that we are seated with Christ in heavenly

places. I also understand that we are

still in these mortal bodies, even though we are people of the

Spirit. In an eschatological.

Way and in other words, in when we look at eschatology, where

we're at in history in an eschatological way, we are the

already but the not yet people. What do I mean by?

That we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.

We are a fulfillment of the Old Testament Jewish prophets.

At the same time, Israel still will come into their own and a

great salvation according to Romans 11.

I don't have time to talk about all that, but listen to me as

the. Church.

As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are sealed by the

power and with the Holy Spirit. It goes back even to the day of

Pentecost, that great outpouring that the prophecy of Joel was

fulfilled. There was something that took

place. So we are already in this

Kingdom. We are already purchased with

the blood of Jesus. However, there is something on

the inside of us. If we have eternity in view, we

are groaning for that deeper experience, that final

consummation when we put off mortality and we put on

immortality, according to Thessalonians, has spirit bodies

that we are in the presence of the Lord forever.

But while we are in this body, we aim to please Him by his

power, by His love, and through his.

Grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, our perception,

our view. Our understanding is eternal.

We are in this world, we are in this tent, but we are not of

this world. Our citizenship is heavenly.

Our home is beyond this natural world.

So while we're here, friend. God gives us grace.

He gives us family, the family of God.

He gives us leaders that can help us.

He gives us brothers and sisters that can stand with us.

He gives us the amazing opportunity to know Him in

prayer. He gives us worship settings

like this morning. What do we do?

We take advantage then why? So that we can please him, so

that when we stand at the judgement seat of Christ as Paul

says, and and we look into the eyes of the.

Lord, we can say Jesus, we were faithful, not not we had a big

who cares how big our ministry? His friend, if God calls you to

minister to five people or 50 people, that's success.

If God's called you to do. That what matters is that

eternity beats in your hearts. One more thing and you can stand

with me. I told you I wouldn't be that

long. You can stand if we could have

maybe our sister come back to the keyboard number.

Lastly, this morning, for us to maintain an eternal mindset or

an eternal mindset or paradigm or perception, we must become

misfits in a world of misfortune, misery, and

misunderstanding. What I mean by misfits, friend,

we don't fit into this world. If we do, there's something

wrong. Again, we are in the world, but

we are not of. They'll come out from among them

and be separate. It's not that we are pious and

elite and we put our no, for we're supposed to be the most

loving, the most compassionate, the most welcoming.

Listen, except for the love of Jesus, this former drug addict,

sex addict, I mean, I, I can go into a lot of stuff.

Friend, I would not be standing before you in Davao City this

morning. It's love and mercy.

And that family welcomed me in, in Florida on January the 24th

of 1985. But at the same time, I can't

become like the world to reach the World.

If we're not different, then what are we winning them to?

If I'm not getting drunk and partying and and and watching

pornography, what's the difference between what I have

and what they have? None.

If we're not different, If we've not been branded by the fire of

God. And.

If our hearts are not burning for intimacy fueled holiness,

then we're not even born again, Paul said.

Listen, when you're truly born again, you become a new

creature, a new creation. All things are passed away.

Behold, all things become new. That's salvation friend.

I don't have time to talk about so that's a multi hour teaching.

But listen, salvation is not just one time coming to the

altar and crying. Because you feel something for

salvation is an initial experience, but then you fall in

love with this young, passionate Jewish man named Jesus Christ of

Nazareth, and he becomes more and more beautiful and more and

more powerful and more and more lovely, and you fall head over

heels for him. You're saved.

You're being saved. And there's a final consummation

where you will ultimately be saved.

Right now, friend, we are in that process where our spirit

man is landlocked to these bodies or we we have a tent, a

body. But we cry out for that greater

experience. And what does it do?

It motivates us to. Pray to win the lost.

It motivates us that you know what?

They can call me foolish. They can make fun of me.

Matter of fact, Jesus said it this way.

John 1518 and 19. Some of the most challenging

verses in the Bible. If the world hates, you, know

that it hated. Me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own.

But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of

the world, therefore. The world hates you, friend, if

the life that you live before Jesus does not bring an offense

to that. And again, I'm not talking about

being belligerent or legalistic, but our lives should.

Touch. The world they should see

there's something radically different about who we are.

Listen, Eric can testify to this.

Jason Joey Casey how many nights and I got to Browns were early

in 1996 how many nights did the gospel confront the.

Heart of the. Sinner, it didn't soothe them in

their rebellion, though they were separated from God.

If our gospel and our walk with Jesus does not confront a world

of sin, it is another gospel. That's why Paul said if you're

going to live godly in Christ Jesus, you will suffer

persecution. Why not?

Because you feel and look like the world?

No, because you're different. Because eternity is your native

error. Because the breath of eternity

comes out of you when you pray, when you speak, when you love

people there, there's something different about the love that

comes out of you. It's an eternal love.

It's not just wanting to feel good.

No, it's wanting their souls to be radically transformed by the

blood of Jesus. Normal Christianity.

We're misfits. We don't fit in this world, but

we're in this world. We're pilgrims.

Passing through and we got a job, we got a role, we've got a

mandate. There's a cost, there's a

mission and there's a mandate. The cost is you got to pick up

your cross and die to you so that God can really use you.

The mission is make disciples of all the nations.

The mandate is Stewart, your walk with Jesus.

It's worth everything. It is everything.

Without it, my friend, nothing really matters eternally in the

light of eternity, It's the only thing that matters.

I want to close with two quotes. There's a missionary that I'm

sure if you've been a Fire School of minister, you've heard

of this man. His name was Jim Elliott.

He was martyred by the Alka Indians in Ecuador in the 1950s.

Came here exactly what year? There's a famous quote.

This went around the Browns of Revival, the Browns of Revival

School of Ministry. I've never forgot it.

I quoted it often. Jim Elliott said he is no fool

who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Let me ask you a question. What are you holding on to this

morning? Maybe you're offended at

somebody, Friend, Is that worth you losing your eternal mindset

and your intimacy with Jesus? I don't have time to talk about

Revelation chapter 2 and our first love.

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

But friend, what's more important than your first love?

Nothing. Listen, I let nothing come

between me and my wife. I'll be honest with you.

When I was young and dumb, especially pastor, I sort of

pastor in a church when I was 19 years old, was I ready?

Probably not, but God put me in there.

But you know, there were times when I would allow people to

kind of sway me. You know, they, they didn't like

my wife or they didn't like me or whatever.

And I was just so young. And now I'm like, in the name of

Jesus, I'm not going to listen to that.

You're not going to separate me from my wife.

We're one. And if you don't like her, then

I don't need your pulpit or your or your or your honorarium or

your offer. I could care less.

You understand other words. There's and there comes a time

on your walk with Jesus where nothing is going to separate you

from Jesus. Nothing.

Not family, not friends, not fortune or fame or opportunity.

Can I tell you something and I won't go into I've turned down

multiple ministry opportunities where I could have been making a

lot of money and had a big old church if I would have just calm

things down like talking about. The blood because that makes

people feel uncomfortable, and the cross and I just said thank

you but no thank you friend. What can separate you from the

love of Jesus? Listen, Paul said this.

And why did he say it? Because he had the opportunity

to do it. He said I am not ashamed of the

gospel. Why did he say that?

Because he had opportunities to be ashamed of the gospel.

You got an opportunity every day to be ashamed of the gospel.

Let me tell you something. When you see Jesus, when you see

Jesus, when he becomes real to you, friend, the gospel becomes

your. Heartbeat.

And it doesn't matter if they hit you, throw rocks at you.

I was, I was witnessing Atlanta, GA one night to a transvestite.

And he went and just spit right in my face.

And it was nasty. But I knew that it was just a

badge that I would wear for the honor of the Lord.

Not ashamed of the Gospel, not ashamed to.

Tell the world that Jesus saves. That one day you'll stand before

your Creator. You got a choice.

You can stand at the great right throne judgment as a Sinner, or

you can stand at the judgment seat of Christ as a believer and

see the reward and the blessing of the Lord upon your.

Faithfulness, the Gospel. One more quote and I'm closing

Justin Martyr, he said. Now it is evident that no one

can terrify this is. Back at the birth are they right

into the beginning of the 2nd century, So the Church was still

very early. Now it is evident that no one

can terrify us or subdue us who have believed in Jesus.

For though we are beheaded and crucified and exposed to wild

beasts and chains and fire and all other forms of torture, it

is plain that we do not forsake the confession of our faith.

But the more things of this kind which happened to us, the more

are there others who become believers and truly committed

into the name and through the name of Jesus Christ.

The more persecution, the deeper the intimacy.

We see this in the Chinese church.

We see this in the Church of Iran right now.

I watched a video that somebody sent me yesterday.

Where? In the streets of Tehran 2 days

ago. A young man began to speak.

He was speaking in Farsi, but there were other people that did

not understand Farsi and he was preaching the gospel.

And about 3 or 400 or more people gathered and they said

the thing that was supernatural and they were kind of reported

on this is that people there understood four or five

different languages and he was preaching in Farsi.

But they they heard it in Arabic and they heard it in other

languages while he was preaching in Farsi.

The power of the gospel. Our God's a God of signs and

wonders and miracles. We listen, we limit His glory

because of our compromise and because of our distractions and

because of our lack of eternity being the thing that possesses.

Our heart we we limit his power. He's present, we fit.

No, I'm talking about signs and wonders and miracles.

I'm talking about. Look of Acts and that's who

we're called to be. How do we live that way?

We embrace eternity. I'm going to close with the

words of the greatest man that ever walked the face of the

earth who will return on the Mount of Olives one day.

Jesus said, Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with

me to render to every man according to what?

He has done Keith. It's not about works.

Tell that to Jesus. I understand we don't get saved

by words, but let me tell you something.

If eternity is real to you, and if you're a child of God, you

got to do something for Jesus. You got to go when he says to

go, Jesus said. I will render to every man

according to what he's done.