Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Update Your Heart | Kingdom Builders
In this deeply moving and often humorous episode, the Pangelinan family takes us on an unforgettable journey through their eleven years as missionaries in Thailand. Johnny and Andrea, alongside their children, share raw, unfiltered stories that capture both the challenges and triumphs of bringing hope to places where the gospel has never been heard.
The family recounts extraordinary testimonies that showcase God's supernatural work in remote Thai villages. From a woman who experienced a divine vision while clinically brain dead to communities transformed through simple acts of faith, these stories reveal how God consistently shows up in "no-name places" that most have forgotten. One particularly powerful account details how a healing miracle potentially saved a young mother and her baby from human trafficking—a stark reminder of the tangible impact spiritual transformation has on vulnerable lives.
What makes the Pangelinan's ministry unique is their relationship-centered approach to church planting. Rather than imposing complicated methodologies, they focus on building genuine connections with local Thai people. This has led to remarkable growth, including the construction of several church buildings in previously unreached areas and the discipleship of indigenous leaders who continue spreading the gospel.
Johnny shares the cultural realities of missionary life with disarming honesty and humor—from eating field rats at church celebrations to encounters with elephants and leeches during ministry trips. Yet beneath these entertaining anecdotes lies a profound theological message about identity in Christ. The Pangilinans teach new Thai believers the critical distinction between receiving a new heart through salvation and the ongoing need to renew the mind through discipleship.
Ready to be challenged, inspired, and perhaps even called to action? Listen as the Pangelinan family demonstrates what happens when ordinary people say an extraordinary "yes" to God's mission—and discover how you might be part of extending Christ's kingdom to places where His name isn't yet known.
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Well, hey, we're excited, it's Kingdom Builders season and we're getting a chance to make faith promises to give to missions, and so we talked about it last week and want to make it to your attention this week that this next Sunday, we'll be taking up our faith promises. And faith promises are just that. It's saying, as the Lord enables me to do so, I'm going to give this amount of money to missions, above and beyond my tithes, and it's another thing that someone's gonna come looking for from you. But what it does is allows us to be able to make commitments to our missionary partners and saying, hey, we're with you, that we believe in you and we can support you as you go forward and to do the work of God. And so that's something that Celeste and I, as we were missionaries that's how we were supported is by people making faith promises and then giving above and beyond their tithes to missions, and that's what enabled us to go and do the work of God. Similarly, here at the church, we give to over 40 different ministries and missionaries every single month so that they can go and take the gospel message to other people. That starts right here at Mercy House, where we are a part of what God is doing and we're so thankful for Mika, we're so thankful for the team that's there and we're appreciative of all those that serve in loving our community those that serve with the kids on Thursdays and the Bible study on Tuesdays, and those who go and help on Saturdays with the food and clothing and passing those things out with those who are unhoused and to the people that are there. We believe in reaching the university campus through Chi Alpha and we partner with all the different Chi Alpha ministries throughout Arizona. We believe in the native reservation, that they need to know the love of Jesus and we have friends that are there in the native reservations across our state, amazing people and communities to be reached through the love of God, places like Convoy of Hope, where we can invest with them to help people in the middle of a storm, or even internationally, to go into partner with these different projects that we've been doing as a church.
Speaker 1:We built churches in Africa and Asia and other places and been able to do great things, because collectively we can do more than any one of us can do by ourselves. So, friends, let me challenge you. Celeste and I are already talking about how we can stretch in giving more to Kingdom Builders this year. So I wanna challenge you to do the same, to take this to prayerfully, talk about what this would be like if you're there in a family or as a single. Both Celeste and I gave to Kingdom Builders. Before we were married, we believed in it that much. Before we were missionaries, we gave to kingdom builders, and while we were missionaries, we still gave to missions, because that's how much we believed in the mission of God.
Speaker 1:Today, we have such an amazing blessing to be with us. They're long-time, long-time friends. I have known Johnny and Dre for over 20 years and they've been in ministry for more than that international ministry for more than a decade and what's amazing about them is that they're the real deal. The same people they were here as pastors serving in their community in Arizona is the same ones. They are in Thailand and we've got a chance to go and to be with them and see some of the things they're working on and God is moving and God is doing a great thing, and so we're excited to have them come and to share with us today. Their family is a blessing. We've known their kiddos as they've been born and growing up. Celeste and Dre knew each other from high school and even served together on staff in Cottonwood Arizona. So they go way back, in fact.
Speaker 1:Johnny told me one time we were looking at an old picture of the girls together in high school. They had the big baggy pants and the flannels and Doc Martin's on and he's like you know, jay, god just saved those girls for us. Bro, nobody wanted these girls. Look at this. I was like, bro, that was you that said that that was not me. It's cool. It's great to have Maya was with us in the first service. It's great to have her back. It's great to have their boys with us, young men. You know, when Jariah was first here, he was here as the ring bearer in my wedding when he was in a little wagon. Now he's a grown man and he's out here back with us. Can we have a hand for the Pangilinan families they come to share with us today? Praise the Lord Didn't know I was going to do the deep cut.
Speaker 2:Huh, I'm sorry. What an introduction. Thank you, that is just a sample of what is to come today, I'm for sure. Sawatdee ka Chanche, andrea ka Wanee, chanyeok Atibayi, krapkuru Kong Rao ka, I want to introduce my family to you. Can you introduce yourself? Sentai Sawadee kap Pom chur.
Speaker 3:Silas Sawadee kap Pom chur Jirai kap.
Speaker 4:Sawadee kap Chon chur Maya kap.
Speaker 2:You don't want to introduce yourself.
Speaker 4:All right.
Speaker 2:Well, that's who's that guy. Anyways, we're just, we're really happy to be here. When we first landed in Thailand, my boys were six and seven years old. Maya was born in Thailand and she really misses Thailand. Right now they're going through a devastation. They've been hit by an earthquake that hit Myanmar 7.7, and the aftershocks of Thailand has just brought like building down and so many your friends reached out to you, huh, maya, and said how scared they were when they were in class and the building was shaking and the teacher's desk slid like across the floor. And Maya said it's the first time she's been crying for Thailand. She said I'm glad we're not in Thailand, mom, I go. Yeah, I know it's scary time, so pray for Thailand and Myanmar and we're going to be returning Johnny, me and Maya to Thailand this July. We're raising our support to go for another term and we're going to be leaving our boys behind. They've been with us from the very beginning, so this is going to be a hard transition. To say goodbye to our boys and to split up the pangolin in five, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Anyways, I do want to just give a shout out to your pastors because I love them. I've known Celeste for over 30 years. She led me to the Lord in your bedroom. Do you remember that? Because she had been on a mission trip. I was sure she was the only person who could lead me to the Lord, so I asked her. But also, it was just been a pleasure seeing these two fall in love and get married, and your pastors are some of the most giving and supportive pastors. I think you know this, but I just want to tell you they are All right. Thank you, yeah.
Speaker 5:And I didn't say this first service. We just got back from Thailand and you know people give to us in the service. When you guys give it goes to our work fund and we don't see the money. You know I can't go to Walmart and just like getting stuff that goes to work and missions and we're appreciative of that and these pastors understand. And so when we got home he says come with me. And we went to the mall and he was crazy. He went, it's like he went to the shoe store, not just any shoe store, he went to Nike and he says tell your boys, get whatever they want. And it just blew me away. My sons are like what? Because the Nikes we had on were fake. You know they're from Thailand. You feel me?
Speaker 5:It was copyright. You know the right to copy, amen, it's totally legal. So we got real shoes and it hits different. You know when a pastor is like I want to bless your sons, you know, I know that we bless the work, but I want to bless. So thanks for thinking on that level, bro. It's very rare. Not a lot do that for us. And so, anyways, I didn't mean to share that and cut in, but before we, as we go to our seats. We got a commercial break. I want to show you just a few-minute video. Amen, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Amen Sawasdee krap.
Speaker 5:Sawasdee krap.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone. I am Andrea, this is Johnny, and we have three children and we're the Pangelingan family.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir we're missionaries here in Thailand for the last 11 years, and before we came to Thailand, we were on staff in Cottonwood, arizona, and we needed a change. We wanted to come and help missionaries and so we found ourselves in Thailand. When we got here, we really noticed how many people did not have an opportunity to hear about the Lord. There is so much work to be done here and we felt like we could live here, we could raise our children here and we really loved the Thai people. So we decided to come and our heart's desire is to plant the church where the church is not, and that is everywhere in Thailand.
Speaker 3:While all may be equally lost, not all have equal access to the gospel.
Speaker 2:We have been able to help build four, five church buildings. We're able to build a team of men and travel to different parts of Thailand and physically and financially help build churches.
Speaker 3:We have gone far east, we have gone far north, bordering Burma, the Burmese border to the Hill Tribe people.
Speaker 5:We've built churches a church out there and we're currently building another one. Believe it or not, we're discipling, we're training leaders, we're sending children Hill Tribe children to school that have no way to get there, paying their tuition.
Speaker 3:It's just amazing to see what God is doing in these forgotten Hill Tribe people and also going far down south, what's known as the Muslim South, where we're just canvassing areas that have never heard the name of Jesus before, where a church is only three weeks old and people are coming in and getting saved.
Speaker 5:People are getting saved right there on the street, able to hand out simple tracts and share the hope of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3:We have church members out here working. Hey guys, greeting Johnny here. This is the last and final truck pouring the driveway of the church. We've got some church members out here really excited about this big, big, monumentous day. Last truck Look it, look it, look it, look it. Come on, all the way, you've allowed us to further extend your reach and we're so grateful for it.
Speaker 2:Simply put, the church here in Thailand would not be built without be honest, the finances of the American church, and we're so grateful their support, their prayers, everything in sending and supporting us to be here Teams out here the whole church and we're so grateful their prayers, Everything In sending and supporting us to be here.
Speaker 3:Teams out here the whole nine Everything. Yeah, and we're excited, we're rejuvenated, we're just we're grateful we're grateful. We're grateful for you.
Speaker 5:Amen, all the way to Udon Tanina Chai. Praise God, anybody remember me from? I was here a little while ago. I think I came by myself, I don't know if my whole family was here, but it's great to be back with you guys. Man, I had a great time last service. It got a little out of hand, so I'm going to reel it in this service. You know, they even had to change the title of my message because I didn't even get to the meat and potatoes, because it was out of hand. So, anyways. So if you guys shout me down, if you don't shout me down, I'll stay on point. Amen. But yeah, it's been a journey, guys. It has been a wonderful journey and we're excited to return back in July yeah, just a few months and share more stories, like I'm going to share today.
Speaker 5:Today I'm going to share a lot of just testimonies. You're going to see a lot of slides up there, all of the pictures I've taken, except one. And I want you to just get that Thai culture. Get some missions. Some of you guys, this is some foreign stuff. What missions? What are you talking about? You know, just get that culture on you, get missions on you. And I love this house. You know it's not about a seating capacity, though you're adding more seating up and you know the what is that called? The balcony there and but it's not seating capacity. This church is about ascending capacity and I and I talked to a lady I just got back from the philippines and in here and and so you guys are sending out into the community, into the colleges you're sending us, and I appreciate you so much for being such a ascending church and a giving church. Amen.
Speaker 5:And priority number one has been for me my mantra is family first. I really wanted my kids not to say they're first but to feel first, amen. We can say, oh, you're first, but you put the work of the Lord before your kids and they feel resentful for things like man, I never see dad, he's never at the things you know. And I really wanted them to include us as a family in missions and I really believe that's why we've been able to thrive is because we put family first and we do things as a family and, um, I really believe the Lord has honored that. Amen, amen.
Speaker 5:So I'm born and raised in Carson, california. Anybody know where that is Okay, okay, it's the most when my mom, the reason I'm Filipino and Guamanian. Okay, my dad's Chamoru, my mom's born and raised in Manila, and when my mom came to the States, they had to relocate to a place that the Filipinos and Asians and Polynesians and Micronesians were at, and it was Carson, the most internationally raised city in the nation. So that's why I love missions, that's why I love culture, that's why I love being around people that are different, and I think that's why Thailand worked for us. And so today I'm going to go through some testimony, and I do.
Speaker 5:I want to share testimony, a few testimonies right here at the, at the beginning, with you folks. One in particular it was a um oh man, this P Sally is her name. She guys, I was finished. Um, I go out to these villages, okay, and I get exhausted. You know, I'm like I'm done, I'm tired, I'm eight hours from home and I'm I just, you know it's been uncomfortable, I'm eating weird stuff. You know the, the smells there's. It's a place where a missionary has never gone before and I could tell you, feel me, it's just not, you know. And so I'm like done, I'm getting, I'm like rushing out of this church. So, like I prayed for everybody at the altar, I'm like not praying for one more person, that's it. You know, I'm going home, I'm tired. You, I'm human, right, I'm like, that's it.
Speaker 5:And so, as I'm going to the car and getting ready to get in, the two guys end up carrying this lady out in a blanket. And I'm like what you know, you guys understand that's how I felt for like the last 12 years, just like you know. And um, but he was telling me, don't leave yet, don't leave yet, please pray for this lady. And I'm like, I'm like, oh, and I'm like, oh, I'm really, really, really another one. And that's, I'm just being real, I'm just being real, another one. That's why being led by compassion, guys, doesn't mean you have all the feelings. You know it's not. This halo's gonna come over me, and I was led in compassion to pray and to to take more energy. No, I was like oh, but it's something in my spirit.
Speaker 5:The holy spirit said it's imperative, go ahead, you got it, you can do it. You, anyway, is that gonna do anything? Just go, just be available. You just be available. It's not, I'm not trying to access some super mighty power. You know some mighty morphin power ranger unction. You know, I'm just like, okay, lord, let's see what'll happen. And then I, oh, they opened the blanket.
Speaker 5:This lady had open sores, blood everywhere, she was skinny as a rail, her stomach was, was bloated, and I'm like, and you know the, the community, the villagers, planning her funeral already and I, and I am like man, she's maybe got. How do you, you know, supposed to be this man of God. And I'm thinking, oh, she's got maybe two weeks, but I'm going to pray. That's how I know it's not us, right. How much faith does it take? How much? How big is the mustard seed? So it's not about how big your faith is, it's just be, just be available, just be there and see why, what God can do when people agree and other people agree with you. You know, because he knows we're human. And you know what, in 10 days I get a phone call and said God, she's walking around, her sores dried up, her stomach went down. She's, you know, she's like risen from the dead. It's crazy.
Speaker 5:And I'm thinking, wow, why, jesus, you come to this no-name village. Literally no one's ever been there before the water. I mean, I call Andrea in the middle of the night and I'm like Andrea. She's like, why are the lights on? I said I can't. It's scary in this hotel, in this room, you know, and I'm supposed to shower and look at the water. And I show her the water there's Wi-Fi in the villages of anything and I'm like, look at the water. Water it's like murky and dark and tadpoles. I feel like I'm gonna be dirtier after the shower, you know, and these are. I don't know why I'm sharing that, but these are those places.
Speaker 5:Why, lord, here, do you show up in these no-name, in seemingly insignificant places? You know, it's not about us, it's about him, that all may know him, that all may see him and bring. He shows up and shows off to bring hope and and, and I didn't realize this, but that lady, that lady has a daughter that was that had, that was pregnant at 11, 12 years old, violently attacked and raped as a child and and guys, if that mama wasn't healed, I can't guarantee, but I can almost guarantee, that daughter and that baby would have been sold. You know, thailand's sex trade capital of the world. I think, man, jesus, I see the bigger picture now, you know, and if I could have just said no, I'm tired and hurry up and just go in my car. Yeah, there's no condemnation, it's not to make someone feel guilty, but never think you know that what you're doing doesn't have significance. You don't know what's happening behind the scenes. You have no idea what the Holy Spirit is doing. You know it's powerful. And I want to show you a slide of that little girl. See that there's the little girl. Look at the joy as she's sitting on the table there. Look at the joy that has filled her. And then there's the baby. The baby can guarantee that they would have probably been sold.
Speaker 5:And I go as I'm with the path to Thai leaders. I always work. Wherever I go, I bring a Thai pastor or a Thai leader with me. It's indigenous principles. I bring them with me and this Thai pastor.
Speaker 5:As we're looking at homes, you'll see a shack you know just regular stick-built shacks and then all of a sudden, a big, nice home. Oh, is he the mayor of the town? Who is this? No-transcript? If you bring them hope, they will not. And that's the power of the gospel, that's the power of the name of Jesus. They believe there's purpose in life, they believe there's forgiveness, that I'm not just here an accident, but the creator of heaven and earth. He knows my name, yes, and he knows the number of hairs on your head and when you say that they're like what, they don't even know that they were created. They've never heard the name of Jesus. You know this. I'm not trying to get an emotional rise, but this is the reality of where we're at. I'm not trying to get an emotional rise, but this is the reality of where we're at, and I remember what is I don't know. I don't actually remember her name, andrea the lady, but these are all documented.
Speaker 5:We sat with the pastor, the leaders and the people, the Thai people, and talked with them, made sure, hey, this is what's happening, this is what happened. And so I want to share another testimony A friend of ours, she had a stricken with cancer and we all probably know someone with have had it. My mom had cancer is just devastating and and and this lady actually was on the hospital bed and she had died and she had no brain activity, and she made sure to tell me this for a long time no brain activity and during this time she had a vision. Is that not wild? There are, god is drawing people. You know I'm talking. You may think your loved one is lost, you are far gone, your friends or whoever I'm talking, a person that has never heard the name of Jesus and with no brain activity. The father is drawing.
Speaker 5:It was hopeless, and so she had a vision of a man as she's dead, without brain activity, of a man coming down and saying it. She said a man in white came down to her and said yun kun, get up. And he told her to go to this specific place at a you you know, at you know specific place. I don't know what else he said. And then she, she miraculously recovers the power of Jesus and she walks, she as she recovers in her body, she walks to that place that this man in white told her to go. And, um, guess where that place was? You know the member, the video of the us pouring the concrete. Yeah, she just shows up right in front there and explains to the pastor a man in white told me to come here, and and, and she is mightily transformed. Power of god, you know I mean. And then the pastor begins to explain to her. Let me tell you about who he is. This is what happened.
Speaker 5:God is drawing people. God is drawing people. It's a beautiful thing to know. You know, yeah, people are seeing visions and dreams, amen. So that's why we build a church, that's why we get.
Speaker 5:The church is a lighthouse, it's hope, it's where people feel safe. You know, that's where. That's where I want to feel when I come to the house of the lord is safe and that's why I love your guys's kind of mantra I I know it's on your, not mantra, but on your website it says it's exciting, it's relaxed and it's casual, and I love the second word. Relaxed, you know, and I feel like that's what we should feel in the house of God is relaxed, amen. Not a pseudo self trying to be something you're not. You know when you know no one's comparing you to someone else, no one's judging you. You know we all have different traumas, different background, different stories, we all come from different places. Right, and we could all be in the family of God and grow together, reminding ourself of what is true, because the world, all seven days a week, is telling us something we're not. So we come here and we remind ourselves of what's true Amen, we're the family of God. I'm so grateful to be able to have that opportunity to build the church in Thailand and you guys are sending us amen, sending us to Thailand. Praise God, amen.
Speaker 5:So I'm going to go into some pictures. Is that cool? Go ahead and show that. Next one, bro. Yeah, javon, check that out. Look at that. What do you guys think that is right there? Any guesses? You know what it is right? Nope, anybody. Chicken coop. That's right, brother. Chicken coop.
Speaker 5:And so thai people are very innovative, you know, um, partner with these, uh, these people in church planning and building, and look at what they did to that chicken coop. Yes, they sold the chicken coops. They turned yeah, they turned it into a church. They used them, yeah, and we did our first outreach there. Look at that. Yeah, I was able to preach and do an illustrated sermon with chains. These are people never hearing the name of Jesus. Dry and Silas were there, were working and grinding, you know, serving tea and everything. It was a. It was a very, very cool experience, you know. And so we built several churches in Thailand where we helped them from the ground up. You know, put walls up. Churches in Thailand where we help them from the ground up, you know, put walls up.
Speaker 5:And it's a big feat, you know, because you're dealing with finances and getting approvals from AGWM so much red tape. You don't just get money and start building. Oh, the approvals that I have to get from the field, from the. I'm on the leadership team. I have to get approval from the leadership team, then it gets sent off to, to, to Springfield, and then all man. But finally, when it's all done and we finally resurrect the building, they want me to cut the ribbon. You know it's a big ceremony. I get a scissors and everything you know, posing open the door.
Speaker 5:So on these type of occasions they're like hey, you know, I tell them we need to celebrate. You know we need to eat good, and I don't. I'm done eating Pad Thai. You know what I mean. I want to eat something. I want to eat some Australia, some beef, some proper beef, cause you know their beef is tough. In Thailand you got cows that are 150 pounds. You know what I mean. It's just like I got soft teeth. You know I'm done. You know let's get some proper Texas roadhouse beef in here. And so I'm like listen, pastor Jay gave me some extra money. We're going to buy some food, we're going to get some proper beef. Use my money, you know. And so they go out and I'm thinking, yes, we're going to eat good, you know.
Speaker 5:And so I get there and guess what they prepared for me Pad Thai, oh man, I wish it was Pad Thai. I wish, wish, you know, I'd have been glory to God. Anybody else any guesses? In the back, chicken, chicken feet, cow tongue, anybody else hit it? Yeah, that's Mickey Mouse, right there suffering for Christ. Yeah, that's Walt Disney in a whole new world, a new fantastic boiling. Yeah, and so that's the PG version.
Speaker 5:You feel me that there's other rats and they don't doctor it up? You know, at least doctor it up, cut off the tail, get rid of the head, fillet it. No, they just put the whole thing in there and his teeth are coming out. I'm like, oh man, you know, the prayer for food has never been the same. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, hold on, Let me bless the food. Father, creator of heaven and earth, the one who parted the sea, I ask you to bless, like, like you're trying to light a fire, like the offering on fire, lord, set fire, lord into this food. Like, literally set it on fire. You know, in Jesus, and I pray a real blessing to this on this food. Oh god, hey, because I got to eat it.
Speaker 5:They're all looking at me. You know, I'm not just a friend showing up, they made it for me. I said, I said I, I said I gave you sixty dollars and you get you will feed me rat. Surely you could have found something else, you know. And they're like, oh, I done my side, my type. And you know, they're telling me this is not rat from Bangkok, this is field rat. And so I try to trick myself and say, oh, okay, okay, you should have shown me that in the front, let's go, let's eat it. You know, try to make myself feel better about the whole situation, but I still like, oh man, you know, I try to tell myself tastes like chicken, tastes like chicken, tastes like chicken. You know hearing many mouths scream out to me don't do it, don't do it, oh man. And so this is what I got to deal with, you know, and um, we church plant.
Speaker 5:Church planning, guys, is not difficult, you know, you go, it may be difficult if you try and like over think tank the thing and methodologize this thing, but really it's all about relationship, everything's relationship on the field. And you know, when we go to a food cart or someone selling tea, we constantly hello how we win their heart, they win our hearts. We are family and they know who we are, we don't hide it. Win our hearts. We are family and they know who we are, we don't hide it. And they said, oh, you want. And then it would tell us use my house to teach the children, use my house, and so that's what we do. Oh, really okay. And boom, the church, right. And so there's a next picture there. That's it, right there. And yeah, there there's buddhist.
Speaker 5:I'm a self-proclaimed airplane missionary. Everywhere I go, I bring a gang of airplanes. Everything has like 25 cents from China, and so I just buy a gang of airplanes and give them out to the community. Right, guys, I mean tons of airplanes in our house. It's ridiculous. And so, um, there's Buddhist amulets and pictures and stuff on the wall. But does that fend the Holy spirit off any? Are you going to be too religious and say, no, we cannot use this for the holy place of God? Come on Everywhere we tread, everywhere our shoes go, right, we have authority and we share the gospel. We love people, we bring them in, and that's the New Testament church, right, that's right there, you know. And so we light fires all over the place, like that, yeah and so, yeah, these places are difficult, you know, not very comfortable, like that sermon that I was.
Speaker 5:That sunday morning with the when I was preaching dirt floors and stuff like that, the the day before I try to get good rest because I know it's going to be a long day on sunday, but this particular sunday I'm saturday was a bit rough. I called my wife and she asked Johnny, why are the lights on? You know why, why are you? It's, it's it's two in the morning. I said, babe, there's noise in the air conditioning. You wouldn't believe what was going on. What's in there? You know, I have my EPA in my environmental protection agency. I have my EPA certification, okay. So I thought, oh, I'll fix the air conditioning. Guess what was in there. Anybody rat, the same one I ate. Huh, the rat, the same one I ate. I think I heard the right answer Hit it. Right answer, hit it. Yeah, yeah, real funny guys. Yeah, laugh and giggle.
Speaker 5:I couldn't sleep and I, I, I guys. I went to the front desk. I went to the front desk and I was so upset and I all said listen, listen, linda, listen, linda. You know this is not right. I said, listen, I know it's only six dollars a night. But you can't, I can't. I'm not Indiana Jones, I can't be sleeping in snakes. Actually, this is the only picture that I didn't take because I didn't. I could fumble with the phone, I didn't have the composure, so that's not the actual, but the snake I promise was bigger than that. It's probably anaconda coming out of that man. It's funny. But this is life, this is what we deal with. This is where I'm at, you know.
Speaker 5:And uh, after church service, andrea, remember, we like to spend time with the people, with the, with the leaders and the pastor at the church build, even get closer to hear their vision. So we went for a little hike, went for a little you know, and little hike. Remind you, guys, this next picture. It's not a zoo. I was not at a zoo. We are not at a zoo. Hit it yeah. At a zoo, hit it yeah.
Speaker 5:I took that with my cell phone. I didn't have a hyperbaric lens that brought it in. Guys, we were walking and the guy was like what are you telling me to be quiet for? He's like shh. I was like what he's all? And I'm like Look at it, it's missing a tusk. Remember that, guys. I think the tusk is sticking in. The last missionary that was there. I put that on everything. Guys, this, this, this animal was chasing my family, not, I don't think he was, I think it was more curious, right, and it was in.
Speaker 5:We finally reached the parking lot area and I was very upset at my family. You know, when Jesus says my sheep, know my voice, they hear me and know my voice, I was like listen, family, you know me and know my voice, follow me. But they followed the Thai guy and so they're following this Thai guy. You know he got no sand, he got no shoes on, he just run around barefoot. He's running around the Toyota and the elephants just kind of like following them. You know he could squash the Toyota and I was just like so upset.
Speaker 5:I grew up in the hood Okay, lost, scandalous, and I know how to survive. Okay, I've got jumped, I have been robbed, bullets where my dad's like get on the floor and I'm laying on my kitchen floor. I know how to stay alive. And I was yelling at him. I was like hey, over here, and I was like I didn't want to run out to them, you know, and we all get squashed. What would you know? Who's going to tell the story. You know what would that do? So I was. So I said get over here. I said what are you? And I was scolding Andrea all the way home. I said why are you following this guy? He doesn't pay your bills, he don't care about you. I said it's me. You got to look for me. I'm going to stay alive. You know, I know how to not get squashed. I'm a small guy.
Speaker 5:I was mad, and so that was that day. You know, I finally I was able to get that picture. And on the way home, that wasn't even it. On the way home, I noticed an itching. Ok, who wants to go on a missions trip? You ready?
Speaker 5:Let's roll, bro, what I did to Griffin when he came because we went to the same area anyways I noticed itching in my leg and I pulled up my pants and and I went like this. And I saw I went and I had blood all over my hands. Guess what was in my my pants? Leeches, yeah, now you guys are not going to drink after me. Huh, after I give you a sip, you're like nah, nah, nah, it's cool, cool now, yeah, leeches.
Speaker 5:Oh, I don't know why I'm sharing all of this, but then I, I had drifted duct tape. I thought it was always leeches, but this was dry season and so there was no leeches falling. And I had him duct tape, his pants, his clothes, so they were walking around like spacemen and there was no leeches and it was hot, he's like. I thought there was going to be leeches and mist in the air and so I totally misjudged that one Duct tape. I said, bro, you don't, bro, listen to me. I had leeches and elephants. Bro, here's our leader, our district, our district youth director, and I had him duct taped from head to toe and he did not. And I was like, my bad, it's dry season, you don't need it so bad. Okay, I, I, I have to be done, I have to be done. I love you, done, I love you guys.
Speaker 5:And you know the read the way that I, I share my love for, uh, the thai, the thai people is. In thai they use the word zai means heart. You know, zairon means hot heart. They, they explain who you are by zairon he has a hot heart, it's not good. Zai Yin, he's a cool guy, he's got a cool heart. Zai Mighty Not a good heart.
Speaker 5:So they explain so a heart is a big deal in Thailand, you know, and so I have to help the Thai people understand who they are, what happened at the cross and what happened at resurrection, that they were dead and buried with Jesus Christ. You followed him all the way to the cross. Your old man is gone, but you didn't even know. You're forgiven by one offering We've been made perfect for all time. We're cleansed. He separated our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. Blessed is he whose sins are not taken into account. This is what has happened to you. You're forgiven, but you don't stay on Friday. You walk in victory. You stay. You go from Friday to Sunday. And what happened on Sunday? The resurrection, where I can walk in victory. I can have confidence. I don't let shame and guilt hold me down. I don't let the past hold me down. I can actually walk this out in confidence, knowing that I'm a friend of God, really A friend of God, yes. And so they need to know what happened to them, and a lot of times I have to explain the heart matter.
Speaker 5:You know we're talking about shoes. Anybody like shoes Is a shoe head here. Yeah, a few. What do you? What's the first thing you do when you open the box of the shoe. Anybody, if you're a real shoe head, what do you do with the shoe? Who's that? Smell it? You smell it. I do too. Oh, that's real. That's real. That's good stuff. Same thing, right, you can tell it's authentic.
Speaker 5:Guys, listen, you get a cell phone. I do the same thing with the cell phone. Isn't it crazy. I take it out the box. Do you do it too? Oh, you don't. I'm just weird.
Speaker 5:Okay, my guy. Okay, he threw me. My guy threw me a lifeline. He's like yeah, I think I do it too, dog, okay, okay, thanks bro, but I'd you know. And I take off the wrap. It's weird, that is weird.
Speaker 5:Okay, why am I talking about a cell phone? It's brand new. But after a week, five days, what happens? You get a message on your brand new cell phone. What does it say? Update required. It's brand new. It's new hardware. We have new hardware. We're brand new. Our heart is new. We've been given new desires. You know what I mean. We have the mind of Christ. All things have passed. Behold, the whole thing is brand new. We're in Christ, we're unified with him, we're bonded to him within, we're bonded to him Update required. It's not about your heart, it's not the heart issue. It's brand new heart. But just here, update required.
Speaker 5:The renewing of the mind is what I have to tell the Thai people. This is what has to take place, and I end sharing this. What has to take place, and I end sharing this the breastplate of righteousness, what does that protect the heart? So I have to tell them, you have to know the difference between your head, the mind and the heart. Your heart is clean. You're a son, you're a daughter of the king. Don't ever doubt that.
Speaker 5:Paul would often write. He said I write you that you would know that you have eternal life. I write you that you would know that you're saved. Because you would think oh, my performance, my behavior dictates my righteousness. But it's not a behavior-based economy, it's a blood-based currency. It's a blood-based currency.
Speaker 5:And I have to remind the Thai people yeah, your behavior is going to go like this You're going to be up high, then you're going to go down. You're going to go up high and you're going to oh, think I'm good, now I'm, you know, and they kind of settle that. But you got to know your righteousness. And when they know their righteousness, it changes the game. They can walk this thing out, amen. So I want to encourage you walk in your righteousness, but update required Difference between the head and the heart. Amen, thank you so much for having us. Church. We wanted to please grab one of these. As you guys leave, keep us in prayer. Big thing is to pray for my two young men here as we leave them back home in the States. Thank you so much, pastor, for having us and welcoming us and being such such a blessing. Amen, let's give the Lord a hand. Amen.
Speaker 1:We have a hand for the Pangilina family. We're so very thankful for them and the ministry they brought today yeah, what a great word. And being those that are challenged to make sure that we know whose we are and that we continually have that mind of Christ wash over us, friends, that's what we're talking about when we're talking about being those that respond in generosity is to partner with people like this that are good soil. You can see it from the core of who they are, that they just like us. We talk about how none of us is perfect. All of us are in need of a savior. We talk about how we walk after Christ and how he's leading us where we're leading to go. We talk about how each of us wants to be more like Jesus, and that's exactly what they're doing. It's exactly the mission they're on, and so I want to give you the opportunity to respond and that you can partner with them in ministry and you can give to them. If you want to give a special offering today towards their ministry, you can do so by putting it in the black boxes in the back, you can do it on an envelope if you have some cash, or you can even just put it on the QR code and give right to them. You can put it to missions put Thailand, if you like or the missions. Special gifts that go above and beyond today will be going to them and to their ministry. We are so very thankful for what God is doing through you guys, and we are blessed to be a part of it. Amen, amen. Hey, I want to give you this challenge. Maybe you're here.
Speaker 1:Are you hearing what Pastor Johnny's saying about this opportunity? About how he and his family, they left everything they had here, their family and all that. They had to go be obedient to God, to say yes to him, to tell other people about the love of Jesus. And so it's your opportunity today to respond. You have to answer that question yourself have you embraced Jesus? Every single one of us has to answer that question for ourselves.
Speaker 1:That's why, for us, the symbol of the cross is one of transformation. It's one of freedom, because Christ, he took all of the sin of the world your sin, mine. He took it upon himself and he took that sin and he died with that sin upon him. He became the ultimate sacrifice for us. He's the way that we would be able to reconnect to God in relationship, because he's the holy sacrifice that we could never be. We can't buy our way in, we can't earn our way in, and so many people are on this hedonic treadmill of trying. But friends, that's not what it's about. It's about embracing the gift of God which is free to us, the abundant grace of God, the amazing grace that he gave, and we can embrace that, what he's done for us, and say, yes, lord, I believe you are who you say you are. I want to invite you into my heart and life. I want to make a commitment to live after you. It says it like this Apostle Paul writing to the church at Rome. He says because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes and is justified. With the mouth one confesses and is saved. Friends, today is your day. It's your opportunity to say yes to Jesus.
Speaker 1:I'm going to ask everyone that's here, under the sound of my voice in the room, if you'd stand right to your feet, bow your head right where you're at, if you're online, wherever you are. Take a moment, take a pause, concentrate on what God wants to do in and through your life right now. We've already had people make a commitment to follow Jesus. Today, friends, that you would make the same commitment, that you would say yes to Jesus as heads are bowed here in the room. If that's you and you say, pastor, please include me in that prayer. I want to invite Jesus Christ into my heart and life, maybe for the very first time. Or maybe you've made that decision in the past but really haven't been committed to it and you want to recommit your heart and life to him. If you want to raise your hand, right where you're at, say, include me in that prayer. We see the hand that's there, hands that are there. Thank you, god. People making decisions, people reinforcing decisions see the hands that's there.
Speaker 1:Praise God, friends, online as well. Wherever you are, make a decision to follow Christ. I'm going to ask if everyone would just pray this prayer out loud after me. Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you. In Christ's name, I pray Amen, amen. Friends, you would enjoy seeing me make a decision to follow Jesus today. Several people raising their hand today hey, connect with us. We want to put some materials in your hand back at the back of the cafe. Let us know the decision you made for Jesus today.
Speaker 1:Friends, I'm excited because God is not done with you. He wants you to use your sphere of influence where you are to go and to share the gospel message of the love of God. He also wants to use us collectively to partner with others, like the Pangolinians, that other people around the world would have the opportunity to say yes to Jesus. Lord, we thank you so much for today. We thank you for this word, lord. We thank you for their obedience to say yes to you. Lord, they said yes to you from the very time they were first young and they said yes and went into ministry, lord, and they said yes and they kept saying yes as you called them internationally, lord, to abandon everything they had here. They said yes and you continue to guide and direct them, lord.
Speaker 1:We're thankful for all of these that experienced life change because of their obedience and, lord, we are honored to partner with them. Lord, to invest in good soil. Lord, to see amazing things happen, lord, as you are the one at work in their lives and Lord, thank you for their obedience to say yes and to stop and to pray. And Lord, to eat the rat so that other people can know Jesus. We're so very thankful, lord. I pray that you would bless them, lord, over every single one of us. Lord, give us your spirit, your direction, your guidance, the words to speak, so that other people may know the hope of Christ as well. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. During this time we're going to respond to this altered song, let me encourage you this that you would step out and engage what God wants to do in your life.
Speaker 4:How many of you just feel really blessed being in God's house today. Amen, you never know what will happen when you say yes just to this journey with Jesus. You don't know what he has in store for you. I want to encourage you. In about three weeks we have Easter and it is already here, and so I want you to begin to pray about somebody you can invite. Maybe it's a colleague, a family member, a neighbor. It's a fantastic Sunday to be in church and just to really hear the presentation of the gift of Jesus, and so if you have people that you would invite, let them know you're saving a seat for them. They're going to have an amazing time in kids' church if they have children, but just begin to invite them and let them know that we have something great in store for them that day.
Speaker 1:Amen, we're gonna have some more friends that were just with us, the pangelinas back at the table. Make sure you go say hi to them. If it was a blessing their ministry today, we're so very thankful for that. Before we go, my greatest tonight, the Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Lord, lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people, lord, that you empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. We pray this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen. Know this. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and have a great week.