As You Go

Josh: Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Breakthrough Church podcast. I'm sorry, it's been a couple weeks. Sometimes the weeks just kind of zoom by and I'm like, man, I haven't recorded anything. But I have some I have some cool testimonies. I want to share what's on my heart, some testimonies of what God's been doing. and and then I wanna kind of give a a a Bible passage or just a text to kind of support what I'm talking about, but also as a way of casting vision for what's to come, specifically at Breakthrough. if if you were at breakthrough on Saturday night, you know this, but the Lord was really clear with me a few weeks ago that we are to believe him for and to seek intentionally after 120 salvations and baptisms in the next year. We just celebrated year one as a as a church, and it was sweet to look at testimonies and remember God's faithfulness in the past year. But I wanted to spend a lot of the time focusing on what's what is to come. And the Lord has been so clear. And like I said, he said, 120. I want 120 new disciples of Christ to be formed through breakthroughs and intentional efforts in the city of Richardson and beyond. And so there's there's a few things I want to share about that. so let me let me give you. Let me give you what I what I said on Saturday night, just really briefly. In Matthew 28, 16 to 20 is the great commission. It's the mission Jesus gave us when He left the earth. He didn't just give it to the 12 and say, Hey, you 12 make disciples, and everybody else can just be whatever they want to be. Discipleship is very s is the very central function of the people of God. It's to make by make disciples by baptizing and teaching. So there's initiation, there's salvation, but after salvation, there's teaching. There's here's how to navigate life as a disciple of Jesus in the kingdom of heaven on earth. And so this is the mission that he gave. There's three there's three components to this mission of making disciples. And the beginning of the the great commission, he says, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Without going into all of the details, just Just know Jesus, through his death and his resurrection, has now received all authority from the Father over death itself. So Jesus demonstrated authority over sickness, over d demons, all sorts of creation and chaos. And remember, he calms the storm, he multiplies the bread, he and then eventually he went, he died on a cross, showing that he has authority over even death. The greatest enemy, the greatest weapon Satan has against humankind is death, and and Jesus now has authority over that. So when he's about to say, go make disciples, what he wants them to know is, hey, you cannot lose. This is a winning effort. If you put forth the effort to make disciples, you're going to win. Like there's no way you're going to lose because he already has all authority, because he's already won. And so, from this place of saying he has all authority, He goes and says, Okay, now here's my authority. Now here's the action I want you to take. To sorry, I'm stuttering. Here's the action I want you to take. So based on my authority, here's the action you're to take, which is make disciples go, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. So it's go, make, baptize, teach. Those four words are very action oriented words. There's movement, it's a go as you go. Go as you're moving and navigating life. Be intentional about making disciples, tea like initiating people into the kingdom of heaven and teaching them how to navigate it. We're all called to do this. And then he follows it up with a promise. That promises, I am with you until the very end of the age. So we have authority, action, and then anointing. This is this is the promise. So we have a reality that Jesus has all authority. We have the command to go make disciples, then we have a promise. That says, I'm with you. That as you're doing this, I'm there with you. Obviously, Jesus in the flesh is not with us. He's with us through his spirit. So the promise is the anointing of the Holy Spirit as we commit to being a people making disciples. But what does the Holy Spirit anoint? He anoints our action as we are actively participating in the kingdom of heaven and making disciples. He's going to anoint our efforts so that we're going to see fruit that goes beyond anything that you and I could ever produce. He's gonna do stuff in such a way that we're gonna look back and say, Yeah, I know I laid hands on that person, but I could not heal that. Or I know I was been meeting weekly with this person, but the amount of fruit that we're seeing does not match the level of effort that I've put into this person. The Lord anoints discipleship action. Action that is directed towards making new and forming existing disciples. He anoints that. So Okay, so so that's kind of like a a really quick summary of what I taught on and what I what I shared on Saturday, because if we're gonna see a hundred and twenty people formed as disciples of Jesus in the next year, we're gonna need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And we're gonna need to be on the move, active in our efforts at making disciples and sharing the gospel, witnessing to to people. And then following up and actually forming them into the disciple into a disciple who can then go and do the same for someone else. We make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. This is the the journey that Jesus has put us on. So let me share, let me share a few testimonies as to like what this has looked like for me. A couple weeks ago, it was a Wednesday, I started reading this book, You Are Born for This, which I've I started before but never finished it. but it's a book by this guy, Brook Bruce Wilkerson, whose main argument is that you and I were were designed to be miracle delivery agents. and I like that language, although it may sound a little cheesy and tacky at first, I like that language because what he doesn't say is that we're all called to be evangelists. because as soon as you start talking about, hey, you're called to be an evangelist, then Or we're all called to evangelism. And there's gonna be some people who raise their hand and say, Well, I'm not an evangelist, so not me. I'll let the evangelists do that, and I'll focus on spiritual growth or this thing or that thing. but he's talking about we are all we have we we're all carrying something every day. And we're to give that thing to somebody in need of it that day. It could be an encouragement, it could be a prayer, it could be like a tangible financial gift. We're all carrying something that we we were giving. So I was reading this book and it was talking about every morning. Committing, pre-committing to act when the Holy Spirit prompts you to do something and just to tell the Lord, I'm available. I'm available today. Do whatever you want through me. So I did that. And as soon as I kind of in my heart committed to do whatever God wanted me to do, I felt the flow of the Holy Spirit begin to stir within me. And the way that I it felt like a spiritual adrenaline. if you've had adrenaline, it was like you're just amped. I felt that spiritually. Like I was just like I was ready to impart something to someone. So I went to a Starbucks in Richardson off Campbell and Coy. And I sat there for a little while. I saw a woman on the porch that I've seen there before. So I went up to her and I I I introduced myself. I prayed for her invited invited her to church. That was cool. I went inside, there was there was a a couple of girls at one of the tables with their Bibles open. I just wanted hey I just want to encourage you. I'm so grateful to see you guys reading your Bible. We talked for a little bit. I prayed for him and then I sat down. There was an older gentleman who came in to order. I felt prompted to pay for his coffee, so I went up to offer to pay for his coffee. And he rejected me. That sounds harsh. He said no, no, thank you. But then he came back after and said, Hey, why did you offer to do that? Is it because I'm old? And I th I said, No, I'm actually, I just believe that I'm blessed to be a blessing, and I'm I'm just trying to honestly activate or no, I said obey what God promised me to do and it's based on this book You were born for this and so I asked if he needed prayer, prayed for him and his brother in law who's sick. And then the coolest interaction was I was about to leave and I I thought, man, I guess I'm I I feel like I I had some more to give, but I don't know. Well, this girl sits down to my left and I have this sticker on my desk or on the table at Starbucks that was a bookmark. And the sticker is it's the two kingdoms gospel And it's on the back of my phone. It's just a simple way of sharing the gospel of the kingdom with people. And I had it sitting right there on the table and I I heard the Holy Spirit say, Give that to her. And I said, Okay. and I I leaned over and said, Hey, random question for you. Have you seen this sticker before? And I showed her the sticker and she was like, Well, it maybe looks a little familiar, but no, I don't think so. I was like, Okay, well do you mind if I share what it is? It's the gospel. Can I share the gospel with you? And she was like, Yeah, sure. so I shared the gospel with her and asked if she knew it or if she's heard it before. She's like, Yeah, I'm Catholic. And so I go to church regularly and all of that. And I was like, okay, cool, cool. And we talked for a little bit longer. I I said, So yeah, I feel like God told me to give you the sticker. So here you go. I gave her the sticker. And she was like, thank you. As I'm packing up, I was like, all right, I'll leave you be and whatever. So I'm packing my stuff. And then I I I just randomly asked, So what you doing here? You you just doing some work or what? She's like, I'm actually drawing. I draw graphics on on my iPad. Cool, what do you draw? She's like, Well, actually, I'm starting a business where I draw graphics and print them out on small stickers. And I was like, You mean like the one I just gave you? She's like, Yeah. I was like, No way. That that can't be a coincidence, right? That I just gave you that sticker. And she's like, I guess not. And I I was like, I was like amped, and I don't know if she even understood what was happening, but I was like, Hey, I feel like God is speaking to you about your business right now. That you're supposed to use it to shine a light in the darkness. That this is a gospel business, that God's in this and he thinks it's beautiful. And you should you should just use it for his kingdom. And she's like, Well, it's it's amazing. And it's called mini lumi, which means small light. And I'm hoping that it does bring light to people. I'm like, This is the Lord. I I I I just feel like God's speaking to you about this. So take this sticker as a reminder of this conversation, and so cool. So I prayed for her again, and I left feeling so jazzed up and like, wow, what? What an amazing story. What an amazing testimony and opportunity that I just had to just bless and just deliver that encouragement and affirmation to her. and then that next, that was a Wednesday, the next day I went to UTD and prayed for a few people. And one of the people I prayed for, she was there with her son. And they go to church and all, but she had really bad pain in her in her hand, achiness all in her hands, and she She told me later, before I started praying, that she had a bad headache and she's got a hernia coming on that it hurts to press on. And I was like, All right, let's just pray. And so I prayed for her very simply and her pain went away completely. She was shocked. And you know it's genuine when someone's like freaking out, right? Like, not like, yeah, I feel better. All right, see you later. But she's like, No way. my gosh, like, no joke, my hands were just achy. And she touched her stomach and she says, There's that tenderness is gone and my head doesn't hurt anymore. And I just re bab got re baptized and rededicated my life to Jesus and I just immediately started feeling all this achiness and And was like, that's spiritual warfare. The enemy is trying to steal your joy and steal what God's just gifted you with and and and make the commitment to Jesus seem like it was a bad idea, but it's the best idea and God's meeting you here right now. And she was like, Wow, my gosh, amazing. So that was so cool. Then later that night, I my son had a let me think, make sure. Yeah. My son had a soccer game. And I'm excited about telling these ter the sharing these testimonies. We are in Target. guys, if you just knew that every moment, every moment of your day was a moment for for encounter, a moment to bless, a moment to where where the kingdom of heaven can come upon you and someone you're around like anytime. I was in Target and my whole family was there. It was amazing. And they were just looking at all these toys. It was so fun. But we had to leave. So me and Bo were leaving and to go to a soccer game. On our way out, we saw three high schoolers and one of it was a it was a girl guy and a girl. And and one of the girls had a knee brace on and she was limping pretty hard. And immediately thought you know, the Holy Spirit prompted me to go pray for her. So I walked over to her and I said, Hey, what happened to your your knee? And she told me she just randomly woke up one morning and it was hurting. She's a waitress, so she walks around a lot. I was like, Okay, well do you mind if I pray for you? And all three of them were like, my gosh, yes, please, please pray. And I was like, Wow, I've never had that happen before. So I I got on my knee and I put my hand this is in the middle of Target, guys. I'm not saying this because I'm I'm boasting. I I'm saying at any moment wherever you are, God might prompt you. And it's our job to say yes and to go do it. And I felt prompted to do this. So I got on my knee and maybe people thought I was like proposing to her, but I got on my knee and I put my hand on her knee and I commanded that pain to go. And I said, Okay, walk around, test it out. And she walked around and she was better and she was freaking out. She like looked around at her friends and at me with these big old eyes and was like, No way, it's actually better. And her friends were like, Stop messing with us. Like, are you serious? And she's like, I'm serious. It's better. And she walked around and I was like, Praise God. And does there any any pain still? And she was like, A little in the back. I said, Okay, let it be even more weird. Can I pray again? And she was like, Okay. So I I prayed again, and that pain in the back of the knee went away. And and she may have ha had a little bit of discomfort, but I was able to just pray for them and to bless them and tell them Jesus loves them and and go on with my day. and then went to the soccer game. And then fast forward to the next week, which was last week. if that makes sense. I on Tuesday went back to that same Starbucks and I'm sharing a lot of testimonies because I'm I'm trying to stir your faith, but also give you a bunch of examples as to what this could look like. I was at that same Starbucks, had prayed for a few people, but nothing really seemed to like, you know. And and that's fine. It wasn't like this magical moment, but on my way out, I was going home to get Bo for his soccer practice. And I Pull out of the Starbucks turn right and I see a Barnes and Noble and immediately in my heart in my heart I heard the Lord say, You should go there. And I thought, Okay, well, I've seen enough now at this point. I'm there maybe there's some an encounter someone needs in there. So I went into Barnes and Noble and was like, All right, what am I doing here, God? And I th I thought of maybe buying a book for someone I had met at Starbucks and I thought that'd be that'd be cool to give them this one book. it's the You Are Born for This Book that I told you I was reading. I went into this Barnes and Noble and there there wasn't That book wasn't there. But I walk around the store and I see this girl there that that I recognize from Civil Poor. she works at Civil Poor. And I said, Lord, if she comes back over here to the Christian bookstore, then I'll I'll engage, I'll talk with her. Enough she walks back and and I was like, hey, you work at Silver Poor, right? She's like, Yeah, she told me her name. I told her, I am Josh, and what are you in here for? And she actually was holding she was actually holding a book on tarot cards. And she's like, Yeah, my friend does this, tarot cards. I thought maybe it'd be cool or fun to read, good hobby or something. And I was like, Okay. well, are you looking for something supernatural? And she was like, Not necessarily. And was like, Okay, well, have you had any supernatural experiences before? And she goes, No, I haven't. Have you? And I was like, gosh, have I? I mean, it happens to me regularly. And I shared her shared a few stories of healings and some other things. And she's like, Wow, I'm intrigued. And so I I just said, Well, it's because of Jesus. It's he has authority and has given me authority. Do you know who Jesus is? She was like, I mean, no, a little bit, I guess. And so I shared the gospel with her. And long story short, she's very intrigued, very interested. And I said, Well, hey, the answers you're looking for are not gonna be found in that book right there. But I do know of another book that will have every answer you ever need. It's called The Bible. Would would you how about you put that book back and I buy you a Bible? She's like, Okay. And so we went around the the the wall to the to the Bibles. I bought her an NIV Bible and I showed her how to use it and everything and then we ended up leaving and I prayed for her and and so I it was just such a cool moment where she goes in for a tarot card book and she leaves with the Bible have after having hearing the gospel. So I actually followed up with her and it there was a it was a different action. She seemed to have gone a little cold towards the Lord and and me and it was kind of like a little discouraging 'cause really thought it was close to to the Lord and I think the enemy is is amped up. about that. And so anyways, regardless, it was a really cool encounter and the gospel seed was planted. And that one was a little bit more of like a I had to take a little bit more risk on that one. and that one was a little bit more uncomfortable even for me. And and so there's just all these different ways of of doing this. But th there even just this last week on Saturday had a healing, someone's knee was healed and this stuff just happened all is happening all the time. And this is what the kingdom of heaven is. When the kingdom of heaven invades, that means the authority of God is on display over disease, demons, and death. And this is what discipleship is. It's leaning into these things. It's being it's being weird. It's being crazy. It's doing things that no normal person would ever do. There was even a person that I talked to at on campus last week who who it was a Muslim who Long story short, admitted to me that if if if we were to pray for someone and on the spot their bone, their broken bone shifted and healed, that he would he would become a Christian. He's like, I would become a Christian if I saw that happen. You know what this crazy person did right here? You know what I did? I started looking around the campus for someone with a cast on. I was looking for someone to pray because I know that number one, I have authority because Jesus has authority. I also know number two, he's with me in that moment of looking for a cast. He's with me. I also know that Jesus would do anything for this man to know that he loves him and to give his life to him. I know those things are true. So w w why would I get in the way of someone's bone being mended and healed in a moment of time? Imagine the testimony, the glory God would get. And so I didn't end up finding anybody to pray for, but it was a very interesting conversation. And I just feel like if we I the Muslim community is a hard community to get into, but I believe if we lean into the signs of the kingdom like healing and signs and wonders, we would get their attention. We would get their attention. We would get the world's attention if we were a supernaturally powerful people that walked around with just electricity coursing through our bodies into the broken and lost world around us. I mean, people would look and they would turn heads would turn and they'd be like, What's going on over there? And we'd be able to say it's by Jesus' name. Alone, these things are happening. Repent and believe the gospel. That's the model of the book of Acts. That's how they did it. And I feel like we're supposed to recover that. And so I just want to encourage you: you have been filled with the power and presence of the very spirit that rose Jesus from the grave. The same spirit that breathed fresh life into the lifeless body of Jesus in that grave 2,000 years ago lives within you. The same spirit. Who knit the bones and tendons and flesh together in Ezekiel 37 in the valley of dry bones. That same Holy Spirit lives in you, has connected himself with your spirit. And for many of us, that that power is purely potential because it's not being activated. And I believe today, if you were to go up to someone and just ask if they needed prayer, something in you would shift. You would feel the eagerness of the Holy Spirit coursing through your veins to go and bless this world. To go and heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the gospel. I truly believe it's your one action away from the life of the Spirit taking over. Go do it. Do something today. Just try something. It doesn't even have to be anything I just said. Text somebody and say you're praying for them. Text somebody and say, hey, I feel like God put this on my heart for you. Does this make any sense? Or I'm just, I'm praying this for you. Or the next time you go to the grocery store, the person checking you out, look in them in the eye and say, Hey, can I pray for you right now? Anything you need prayer for? I'm telling you that one action will usher in a new age of the spirit in your life. Because if you're a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit. But for many Christians, he lies dormant, not doing anything, because we're not doing anything. And as soon as we start doing something, he begins to take over and say, now we're talking. Let me show you what I can do. I I wanna close with one story. It's for w illustration. John Wimber, he was the founder kind of not r technically not, Ken Golixon was, but John Wimber was the one that really made the the vineyard movement a big deal. And he tells his story and one of the things that he was really gifted in is just church planting. He just knew kind of okay, ch plant this church and meet these needs in the community and then you big church and you'll grow and you'll make a big difference. And So he was doing the ministry for a long time, but was getting really dried out. And he he was he he would say he was selling the gifts of the spirit. He was like, Hey, pay me and I'll come and use my gifts of the spirit to help you plant your church. And it was wearing him out and he was horrible like horribly overweight. It was smoking p packs of cigarettes a day, all of these things. And he had this moment where he came back to the Lord and said, God, this can't be your will. Like I'm just miserable. And my ministry sure may have some fruit, but it's not worth it if I'm I'm I'm falling apart, my marriage is falling apart, my kids are falling apart. I just can't do it. And and he just repented and he turned back, he's like, I'm sorry, Lord, I'm just coming back to you. And one of the things he sir he heard the Lord say was, Hey, John, I've seen your ministry. Now I want to show you mine. And from that moment on, he began to see signs, wonders, and the Holy Spirit accelerate some things in his life that he never thought possible. And I'm here to say this that the Lord looks at the Western Church and says, I've seen your ministry. Now I want to show you mine. And he is going to show those that are eager, humble, and available. And he's going to pour out his Holy Spirit in such a way that we're going to see people like no nobodies. That nobody would see on a stage, but revival is going to break out through them because they're eager, hungry, available. And whatever God says they do. I just want to encourage you with that. I believe this in my heart, and I'm speaking this to myself too. That today I'm making myself available. That who knows what God will do with one thing I might say to somebody or one moment of prayer for somebody. You never know what God is going to do through that. He's seen our ministry. He looks at the Western church and says, Okay, I see you. Now let me show you mine. So let's get after it. All right. Amen. Cool. We'd love to see you guys on a Saturday night. We're running after this 120 number, trying to figure out strategies and ways to do that. But would love to see you guys on a Saturday at 5 p.m. And praying for you guys. Love y'all. See ya.