Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
The Two Greats | On Fire
What does it mean to truly love God with everything you have? Dr. Scott Martin tackles this fundamental question as he shares his remarkable life journey from an orphaned boy in inner-city Phoenix to a missionary spanning four decades across the world.
Scott's story begins in adversity – losing his mother at age eight, never knowing his biological father, and living with his grandmother in challenging circumstances. Yet through the love of a church family who eventually adopted him, Scott discovered his purpose in Christ. This transformation set him on a path that would lead him to minister on university campuses, plant churches in Central Asia, lead national campus ministries, and now embark on a new mission to Iceland in what he calls the "fourth quarter" of his ministry life.
At the heart of Scott's message are what he terms "the two greats" – the Great Commandment to love God completely and love others sacrificially, and the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. He emphasizes that the primary verb in the Great Commission isn't "go" but "make disciples" – a crucial distinction that shapes how we understand our mission as believers. Through powerful stories from his work in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, Scott demonstrates how God orchestrates divine appointments when we follow His leading.
Perhaps most compelling is Scott's account of his calling to Iceland – a nation that has never experienced a Christian awakening in its 1100+ year history, where 99.8% of college-age citizens don't believe in God. Through multiple prophetic confirmations, including discovering that a key Icelandic couple they're meant to disciple were former students in their ministry, Scott and his wife Crystal have witnessed God's supernatural preparation for this new chapter.
Are you living as a person of purpose, destiny, and vision? Scott challenges us to evaluate how completely we love God and how willing we are to follow wherever He leads – because our obedience today could be the divine appointment someone else needs to find their eternal destiny.
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You say amen to that church. Amen, exactly. What we believe is that we are people of God and that we have a mission that he set us upon. Today we have a great opportunity in that we get to hear from a guest speaker in Scott Martin.
Speaker 1:Scott and Crystal are apostolic leaders. They've gone and church planted, both on the university campus as well in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and done missions, endeavors across the world, leading Chi Alpha as national and international leaders, and that is a ministry on the university campus focused at university students, because we know, as goes university goes the country, and so we're after the hearts and minds of the people that are the future leaders of the world, and that's what they've been about is being those who are shining and minds of the people that are the future leaders of the world, and that's what they've been about is being those who are shining the light of the gospel in those places. We are very privileged to have them with us. We've been partnered with them for all these many years. Please give a warm Cornerstone welcome to Dr Scott Markin as he comes today.
Speaker 2:Well, good morning, mighty men and women of God. Okay, all 50 of you, let's try it again. Good morning, mighty men and women of God. Oh, there we go.
Speaker 2:Hey, it's so good to be with you this morning and I would be remiss if I didn't start by saying thank you to this church who has partnered with us in mission for 35 years, and I mean thanks to you. I want to salute you today and I especially just want to say thank you so much to Pastor Rich and Cindy who, when I was just man I get choked up I mean when I I was a young man starting a ministry and this man really took me under his wings and he took time for me, he took time with me, he invested into my life, spoke life, envisioned kingdom, purpose. And then, not just to me but to my wife and to my sons, I can tell you right now, we would not be who we are today, we would not be where we are today, had it not been for Rich and Cindy, and we have spent Lord knows how many hours together. I just want to say, I just want a little caveat when we were living in Kazakhstan, planting campus ministry there, I asked Rich and Cindy, if they would come out and do our retreat for our leaders, our missionaries in Kazakhstan, and ended up a whole field retreat. It ended up all the Assambega World missionaries in Kazakhstan came by asking to focus just on Holy Spirit and really baptism of Holy Spirit over our people. And it was awesome. I mean, when we got down that final time of prayer, it was 100%. I mean, there was 100%. So I can never say thanks enough to you two for your investment into our lives and, like I said, we wouldn't be who we are today, we wouldn't be where we're going today, if it weren't for you and I honor you today. We love you very, very much. I mean the Martins love you and honor you, would do anything for you and for your kids too now. So we're really grateful. We're so, so grateful.
Speaker 2:And I just want to start by saying too this morning that you know, every single one of you here are people of purpose and destiny and vision. From the moment you were conceived in your womb, god began to set some things on purpose for your life. You know what I'm saying. I mean, god began to set a destiny in your life the minute that you were conceived, and so every one of us are people of purpose. We're people of destiny, should be people of vision, that God has a vision for your life. You were created with a vision from God for your life, for who you would be and what you would become, and so these are powerful kingdom principles to understand Now. I'm talking about purpose. I'm talking about that now. Reason. So you are here this morning on purpose. It's not like some random thing I don't believe in, like randomness. Okay, I believe everything is on purpose. Okay, sometimes we make mistakes, and even those are on purpose of the enemy. You hear what I'm saying, but there are things. Everything is purpose. So we are people of purpose. Purpose is now. It's what we do now with our life. It's our now reason. It's why we're at high school today, why we're on university today, why we're at work today. It's what we do every single day when you get out of bed, it's Lord, help me understand and fulfill my purpose today, which is always in alignment with you.
Speaker 2:The second thing is destiny. Destiny is that long-term, that long-term part of our life that's from birth to death. That is destiny and that God sets things in motion for your destiny to be fulfilled. And every day when you fulfill your purpose, your destiny becomes more and more solidly confirmed as you move forward. We're people of destiny and also we should be people of vision, because God has a vision for your life. God created you with a vision and I just say this vision is imagining what God can do. That's what vision is. It's imagining what God can do. I say imagine what God could do with 500 people irrevocably committed to him out here in the West Valley. Imagine what God could do. Imagine what God could do which is one life in here who says I am all in God, anytime, anywhere, any place, I am all in. That is vision, and vision is imagining what God can do.
Speaker 2:Now, I want to suggest to say that there's no circumstance that can circumvent God's purposes, his destiny and vision. Now, I didn't say this in the first one, but when I think about it, there is one thing, there's one thing that can circumvent your purpose being fulfilled in God, your destiny. There's one thing that can circumvent that and that's you. It's not the devil, it's you. And see, by not saying I'm all in Lord, there's one thing but man, when we're wholly committed, god can do great things to your life. Matter of fact, every one of you were ordained for greatness in the kingdom of God. Every single one of you in here were ordained for that. You got to get that. You got to understand that. Well, scott, you don't know my circumstances, dude, but you don't know my relationships. You don't know what I've done. You don't know where I've been. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I may not, but God does. I can tell you this God's not dictated by circumstances. God's not dictated by any circumstance at all whatsoever.
Speaker 2:I was born a single parent. Really, if it was, I shouldn't be standing before you today because I was born a single parent. I've never seen my natural father. The only male figure in my family was my grandfather. He committed suicide in the house. When I was five. I was left to live with my grandmother in inner city Phoenix. I can tell you, at the age of eight, things were not looking really good for me. My mom died when I was eight years old. I was left with my grandmother and things were not looking good. Matter of fact, if you would have looked at circumstances, no one would have ever said I will be standing before you today. Most people would have said he's been doing good to stay out of jail. But God's got a purpose. God has a destiny for every life. God has a vision for our lives.
Speaker 2:At the age of eight I began to intersect with the Martin family. Now I'm not Scott Martin by birth, I'm Scott Mercer by birth. But the Martin family took notice of me. They started inviting me to hang out with them. So I hung out with them. When I was nine years old they invited me to church. I'd never been in an evangelical church up to this point in my life. I'd only been in very liberal church, liberal Judaism, a little bit of Mormonism, kind of mixed in with all that stuff.
Speaker 2:When I was eight years old I crossed the threshold of Central Assembly of God on 9th and Oak Street down in downtown Phoenix, arizona and for the first time in life I experienced the love of the church. Now, how many guys know there's a difference between experiencing the love of the church and the love of God? You know there's a difference. You guys know there's a difference. Yeah, do you know what it is? God loves everybody. I still laugh every time I say that. But I walked in and I experienced the love of the church. Those people loved a little eight year old boy and took me A matter of fact, my Sunday school teacher that morning. Her name was Kathy Jew, she's from Casa Grande, arizona, and she was in her first year of teaching high school that year and yes, celeste knows her and I was in her Sunday school class and from that day on she took this little kid with no mom or dad, really no hope, took me under her wing and I stayed with her last night before I came down. After all those years, that's called the love of the church. Okay, people who love and commit by experiencing the love of the church.
Speaker 2:So I got involved. I did Royal Rangers, I did Sunday school, but when I was nine years old, the Martin family invited me to move in with them, and so the neat thing was that I got a new mom and dad. The challenging thing is that I also got three sisters with that package, and so they moved from Phoenix to Florence. Okay, everybody say Florence. Okay, that wasn't everybody, we'll say it again. Everybody say Florence, florence. There's a reason why we're saying that. Okay, I want everyone to kind of get that in your head.
Speaker 2:So they moved from Phoenix to Florence out of Farmer Ranch. Out there, my new dad became the junior high principal. My mom became a school teacher eventually and administrator there as well, and there was no Spirit-filled church in the community. Now we all know what Florence is renowned for okay, the state prison there Tough place growing up. So there was no Spirit-filled church in the community.
Speaker 2:So the Martin family kind of took it upon themselves as lay people said you know what, we want to see a Spirit-filled church here. So they only knew about the Assemblies of God and we don't get the Assemblies of God in the kingdom of God confused. But they got a hold of them and said, hey, we want to see a church. So I watched this family as lay people really give and give sacrificially to make sure that the church there would exist today Florence First Assembly of God. And so I was raised in the church from the time I was eight and I did everything he did as a good church kid. I mean, when the doors were open I was there. I mean I went to Sunday school. I was a Royal Ranger. Some of you may know what that is, but I was a Royal Ranger. I went to youth camp, I went to kids camp. I did all the things he did as a good church kid.
Speaker 2:But being raised in Florence was a challenge. 264 students in my high school, 62 students in my graduating class, and there were only this many believers in that entire high school. Now I'm only holding up four and a half fingers here, okay. So I was like half a finger at that point. Man, I was barely hanging on. I was basically when I hit high school, I was just kind of nominal. There's no real fire of God in my life. I was just kind of nominal, just barely hanging on. I said I was more like a Christian narcissist. I wanted just enough Jesus to keep me out of hell but make all my dreams come true. It was all about me. And so I'm there at Florence, two people in my youth group, just kind of give you a thought, two people in my youth group and I didn't even like the other person, and that was my sister, by the way, it's my sister, debbie. So it was just kind of small. I was in a real small on a good Sunday morning there were 40 people in the church. So it was a tough existence. And so when I graduated, my whole goal was to get my medical doctor degree and to just live happily ever after make a bunch of money. And God was there to help make all my dreams come true. Make sure that my dreams were fulfilled. It was all about that.
Speaker 2:So I get on campus Thursday, august 25th 1980-something. My undergraduate is in biology, my master's from the U of A is in soil and water science and my doctorate is from Selma Gaudi Theological Seminary. And it was my first day. It was so bio 103, and I had a God encounter in that class that would forever form me. In my very first class the professor kind of put out a challenge and it shook me and all of a sudden, for the first time I realized I didn't have what it took to be the man of God that God had called me to be on the university. I just didn't have what it took.
Speaker 2:And that night I ended up in an inter-varsity Christian fellowship meeting. I saw some posters up that said Christian fellowship. I went to that night. I brought my unsaved Romanian, but I walked through the threshold of the door there were 80 students with one acoustic guitar. They were going for God with that sense of passion and authenticity that I never experienced in my own age group, without some form of manipulation. And I mean they were going for God and I sensed the tangible presence of the Lord when I walked into that room and I said, whatever it is they have, I need that and I want that. Can I suggest to you today that there's something powerful about the authentic presence and anointing of the Lord over people, something powerful about that.
Speaker 2:Well, that night we're in the meeting, just completely student run. I'm walking out the back door and one of the upper class students catches me before I get out the door. He goes. You first day on campus. Yeah, he goes. I'm Paul. I said I'm Scott. He said well, scott, how'd you like to do breakfast with me in the morning? He was a senior and I said, really. He said yeah, so that next morning I'm sitting down with Paul in one of the cafeterias in the student union at the University of Arizona and Paul just begins to query me.
Speaker 2:Now, scott, tell me a little about your family. Oh, okay, that's interesting. Why'd you pick the U of A? All right, what are you studying here? Okay, how long have you been a Christian? Yeah, all right. Now how's your quiet time? I said my what. He said your quiet time. I said well, I'm pretty good. I'm getting about six hours sleep a night. You know I'm doing all right. I had no idea. When he said quiet time, he was talking about my daily time and the word and prayer.
Speaker 2:Now I was 18 years old. I'd been raised in the church but I had never read the Bible for myself. Now I heard every message that could ever be preached. I knew all the stories. I'd been to Sunday school. I could quote a few scriptures. I'd been a Royal Ranger, but I had never read the Bible for myself. And so Paul didn't just say well, scott, you need to start reading your Bible. Paul taught me how to read my Bible. I mean, he set me on a course, that first semester to, where I read the entire Bible, my first semester on the U of A, and it transformed my life.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you something. There's something powerful when you assume personal responsibility for the words of Jesus. It's no longer just well, that's Pastor Jay and Pastor Celeste, that's their job, that's somebody else's job. No, when we all assume personal responsibility, it's a powerful thing, and it was there, on the secular university, that I bowed my knee and said okay, jesus, I'm giving you every minute of the day, every breath I breathe, every dollar I make. I surrender it to you and I really have not ever wavered from that mandate that I made there at the U of A as an 18-year-old student. Sometimes we get afraid that the big, bad university is going to destroy our kids. It was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life. The secular university was the greatest thing that ever happened because it was there I'd meet the fullness of Jesus Christ and see the power of Christ manifested on the campus.
Speaker 2:Well, I need to go quick, but we started Chi Alpha at the University of Arizona. Chi Alpha is a college ministries of the Assemblies of God on the secular university. So basically, I am now Crystal and I are going into what we call our fourth quarter of ministry. So quarter number one. When you guys first partnered with us ministry, so quarter number one. When you guys first partnered with us. Okay, I have been. I'm now in my 39th year as an Assemblies of God missionary. Okay, in my 39th year. But as I started at the university, this church, under Pastor Rich and Cindy, picked us up as missionaries. They've been with us all that time. First quarter was 15 years at the University of Arizona.
Speaker 2:Second quarter Chris Law pioneered the student missions arm of Chi Alpha. That would send us to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan where he began to challenge hundreds of thousands of university students that they had a responsibility to go, to give, to pray and to welcome. And we began to challenge them to give a year of missions and pray about a lifetime. We said this the Mormons have been giving two years and we've been giving excuses. Yeah, I'll let that sit with you for a minute. That was quarter two, third quarter. I was asked to serve as national director of Chi Alpha. I did that for nine and a half years and at the conclusion of that, the Lord began to speak to Chris and I about we had another prophetic apostolic plant in us overseas, chris and I about we had another prophetic apostolic plant in us overseas.
Speaker 2:And so I'm not going to go into a whole lot of details right now, but I will in a little while about our new calling and mission to the nation of Iceland and just your partnership with all this is so, so grateful. So this is our fourth quarter. We're going into our fourth quarter and games are won and lost. In what quarter? The fourth quarter. So we're all in. It's in the hand of God, it's in the miraculous and the prophetic begin to set up. As a matter of fact, we feel like we're literally living oracles of the prophetic going into Iceland, and I'll share a couple of those things with you.
Speaker 2:But I want to just share just a couple thoughts with you this morning. I call it the two greats God's priority, our possessions and God's priorities. Okay, the two greats, our possessions, in other words, the stuff that you have, control of, our possessions and God's priorities, and how our possessions and God's priorities line up. So I want to share a passage of scripture, but before I do, I want to give you the background of this passage.
Speaker 2:Okay, so the religious leaders of the day when Jesus was in ministry, they were all trying to trap him, they were jealous of him, they were trying to trap him, and they wanted to trap him literally so they could destroy him, so they could literally take him out of the picture, they could kill him. So they're trying to catch him in something that he was going to say that would try to put allege some kind of crime and destroy him. That's what they were doing. So the first time this happened, one of the time, they came up the Pharisees, and they began to ask him a question on whether they should pay taxes to Caesar. All right, so now they're trying to get him in trouble with the Romans. Hey, you know, should we pay taxes? And Jesus said, well, let me see some money. So they brought him a coin and he looked at it and he goes whose picture's on this coin and whose name? Caesar? Well, if it's Caesar's, give it to him. I mean, so he just fries him right there, just publicly humiliates him. That question was all done publicly. Well then, the next time, that was the Pharisees, the next one was the Sadducees, another sect of the Jewish leaders, and this time they query him publicly. They said hey, we had a person who, a woman, who was married to seven brothers. They all had her At the end. Whose wife will she be? Well, again, he just publicly excoriates them, just humiliates them all publicly.
Speaker 2:This passage we're about to read is the final time Jesus is questioned publicly. He's never questioned again publicly after this question. That's about ready to come to him. So after the Pharisees and the Sadducees just got torched by Jesus, they came together and they got this doctor of the law, this person who is the expert on the law of Moses, basically what we know as the Old Testament. He was the expert and so he knew it all they come, and now this man has Jesus in public and he asks him this question here it is Teacher, which is the great commandment of the law.
Speaker 2:Now, let me just stop right there. Do you understand what this guy asked Jesus? Do you understand what he asked him? He said Jesus, what is the greatest thing in all of this, what is the most important thing in all the scripture? So I want to suggest something to every single one of us. We're people of purpose, people of destiny, people of vision. Let me suggest something to you. You cannot get this wrong, you cannot miss this answer, because Jesus is going to answer him on what is the most important thing in all of scripture. If there's one thing, this is the thing you cannot get wrong Teacher, which is a great commandment in the law. And Jesus said to him get wrong Teacher, which is a great commandment in the law. And Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the great commandment. In other words, this is the most important commandment of all that you are to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, which is all of your emotions, with all of your soul, with all your volition, with all your mind, all your cognition, all of your intellect. You're to love him basically with every single bit of your being. That's how you're to love him.
Speaker 2:Now, when we look in scripture, there are basically four words that we find for the word love. So when you read scripture you may not always get them, but there's four words for love. One of them is the word storge, and that's kind of familial love. That's like how mom and dad love their child, how grandma and grandpa love grandchildren. That's just that natural love that you have for people who are your DNA and family. The other one is eros, and eros is that physical attraction type love. Okay, that you know boyfriend and girlfriend, you know husband and wife and it better stay in those realms. Okay, that's eros, all right. The next is phileo, and phileo is brotherly type love. That's normally the type of love that the church kind of camps at. We like to think that we get to this other one I'm going to share, but most of the time the church is camped in phileo.
Speaker 2:Okay, but Jesus, the word that he used is the word agape. Now, how many of you guys have heard the word agape? Okay, we heard it. You know we drive down. You see agape, christian fellows, agape church. Well, agape is basically the same type of love. When said God, so loved the world, that's agape. And agape is the all-in love. Agape is the love that says I, I will do absolutely anything for you, I am totally committed to you, even to the laying down of my life.
Speaker 2:All right, when Jesus said a new commandment, and that was I don't have time for three, but that is the new commandment. We have the great commandment, the great commission and then the new commandment. But the new commandment. Jesus said I give you a new commandment you love one another. That is agape, that is all in. It says I will even die for you, okay.
Speaker 2:And so Jesus says this you are to love the Lord, your God, you are to agape him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. In other words, you're to be all in Everything he has, every single bit of you, single bit of you. So I want to ask you a question this morning what does it look like to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind here in the West Valley. What does it look like to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, here at Cornerstone? What does that look like? And what should that look like?
Speaker 2:I'm going to ask you one other question how much do you really love God? Do we really love God in the way that Jesus said? This is the greatest commandment of all. This is the first and great commandment and the second is like it. You shall love or you shall agape your neighbor as yourself On these two commandments, and it's all along. The prophets he said on those two things, every all the law and the prophets he said on those two things. Every other thing in scripture is predicated on those two things. Everything else is predicated on loving God with our heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving your neighbor.
Speaker 2:Well, who is your neighbor? I want to suggest to you. When Jesus said who's your neighbor, he told the whole story, the parable of the Good Samaritan. I want to suggest to you the neighbor isn't just somebody who's in proximity to you. Our neighbor are those who are the Buddhists in Thailand, the Hindus in India, the Muslims in Iran. That's who our neighbors are. Our neighbor is the world, as he was saying, and our neighbor is in the people who we always like. If you're a Republican, your neighbor's a Democrat, if you're a Democrat, your neighbor's a Republican, and if you're neither one of those, your neighbor's an independent, a libertarian or whoever else. But Jesus was saying you love them like you love yourself. So what compels us? Can I tell you really honest I didn't want to go to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Speaker 2:I mean, why would I want to go there, man, especially Kyrgyzstan man? That was tough. I mean, those people didn't want us there. I spent 24 hours with KGB. I mean there was extortion there. I spent 24 hours with KGB. I mean there was extortion, it was dirty. I mean it was tough. Why would I want to go there? Because I love God and I love the world. I love my neighbor. That's why we did that. We were compelled. Why do we give? Why do you do kingdom builders here? Because you love God and you love your neighbor. This is the why. This is what compels us in mission. This is what compels us in ministry.
Speaker 2:I've been in university student ministry for 42 years. For 42 years. I see people in this for the love of students. No, I don't do this for the love of students, I haven't done it. Some of those students, they're punks, man, they're mean, you've been on them. Some of those students are terrible. They're absolutely horrible people. I don't do it for the love of students, I do it for the love of God. Number one I do it for the love of God. Then I do it for the love of my neighbor, which are those really mean students at times. But it's the love of God that compels us, that's what compels us to give, that's what compels us to go, that's what compels us in all these things.
Speaker 2:Let me share the last little point here on scripture. That was a great commandment. Now let me give you the background of this next one. So Jesus pulls his disciples together. He's about ready to ascend up to heaven, where he would stay until the resurrection, the final resurrection, the redemption, our hope, our rapture. He's going to be up there until then. And so he pulls his disciples together. Now there could have been as many as hundreds of people around at this point. When he shares this. Most theologians don't believe it was just the 12 who were at that point, just the 11 who were there, but he shares this with them. Now you got to think about this. If you're about ready to leave and you're going to speak into those people who you're leaving, everything with, the last things you say are going to be pretty real important, don't you think so? Here's what Jesus says.
Speaker 2:This is called the great commission, and Jesus came and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth. All authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth. Let me just say this I brought my favorite book from my new favorite author and it's on the table out back Now. The first session just about cleared them out, but there's a few of them back there. It's called Kingdom Authority. It's an exegesis of this passage and I want to tell you something. I really believe it is something that will bless every person in here. You will learn from that. It's practical stories in it. Pragmatics, good biblical exegesis, I think will be a blessing to you. Also, in the back is our prayer card. If you grab that.
Speaker 2:Jesus said all through, heaven has been given me. Therefore, go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I've commanded you and lo. In other words, and check this out, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, amen. Now I'm going to read this one more time. I want you guys to think about this. You guys are in the first service. You can't answer this, okay. Jesus says all authority has been given me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I've commanded you, lord, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age.
Speaker 2:I want some of our English teachers, english majors, people who know English, what is the primary verb in that sentence that says go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptized in the name of the Father, son and Holy Spirit. Teach it. What's the primary verb? Say it loud I set you up. I set you up. It's not go, it's make disciples. We always think it's go, but the primary verb is make disciples. It is not go, it is make disciples. And how do we make disciples? We make disciples by going to make disciples by baptizing, to make disciples by teaching. That's a process, but the primary verb is make disciples. All those other verbs are subsidiary to the primary verb.
Speaker 2:Okay, and you know, I didn't know this until I got in here this morning and actually when I was speaking I looked and I said I'm looking at your core values on the back of your wall, back here. Number one love God. What was the first thing we talked about? Love the Lord, your God. Number two make disciples. Okay, so I'm just sharing your core values. And who? But to the whole world, to the whole world, man, that's your neighbor, the whole world we go. It's called the Great Commission.
Speaker 2:Now, the Great Commission is to make disciples and really, when you read it the way it was, it kind of says as you're going, you make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them, and I will be with you always, even to the end of the age, right, but we have a responsibility to make disciples, to be a disciple. You have to be a disciple to make a disciple. Hear what I said You've got to be a disciple to make a disciple. A disciple is a person who loves the Lord, their God, with all heart, mind, soul and spirit. A disciple is somebody who is all in. They've sold out everything, not just quote a Christian. You go around the world. A lot of people put the phrase Christian on them, but they're far from a disciple of Christ. We're called to be disciples and to make disciples.
Speaker 2:Four things Assuming personal responsibility. Like I said, man, I was 18. We go. We have a responsibility to go to the nations, to go to the people, to make disciples. We give. That's why we do kingdom builders. We do kingdom builders so we can send people to go, so we can go ourselves. We do kingdom builders to support the church, to make things, that things can happen, the vision, that big picture vision. And then we pray. We strategically pray and we welcome. When I say welcome, we welcome the nations to us. You know the nations are coming to us from all over and they're coming in Arizona as well. The opportunity is for us to welcome them and to be able to bring them and begin to show them Christ. Those are four things that we do when we assume personal responsibility.
Speaker 2:Crystal and I, when we were in our kids we were in the nation of Kyrgyzstan. We'll go to the photo of the two girls. Now we're in the nation of Kyrgyzstan. We're walking through. On day one we're planting university student ministry in Kyrgyzstan. Day one we're walking through the little student union cafeteria in the university and we heard some people speaking English, looked over and saw these two girls.
Speaker 2:I've shared this story multiple times at this church before, but I think it's worth sharing again. We saw these two girls sitting at the table, heard them speak in English, said girls, your English is incredible. Where did you learn? They said well, we learned in America. We studied in America for one year as internationalists. I said oh, phenomenal.
Speaker 2:I said what country are you guys from? They said we're from the nation of Turkmenistan. Now how do you know where Turkmenistan is? Again, it's only about 1% of any congregation knows where Turkmenistan is. Turkmenistan is one of the Central Asian nations, that is literally. It was part of the former Soviet Union. It is a closed Islamic radical dictator who runs a nation, so it's a strong Muslim nation. Turkmenistan is.
Speaker 2:So the first time in my life I'm meeting somebody from Turkmenistan. I'd never met anybody from Turkmenistan until we're sitting there with these two girls. I said oh, wow, well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Well, thank you. I said so what's your names? So the girl to our left, her name is Lita. The girl to the right, her name is Iyadah, and so they told us their names. Well, where'd you study? So the girl to the left, nita, said well, I studied in Wisconsin. So she told us her story a little bit.
Speaker 2:Then the girl to the right, her name was Yedda. She shares her story and she says well, I studied in one of those far western states. I said which one she goes? Well, I don't know if you've ever been there. I said I love that.
Speaker 2:So what town were you in? Well, she called it a village. She said well, I was in the village of Catalina. I said oh yeah, why Catalina? I said. And I had a U of A t-shirt underneath my shirt and I flashed the red and blue man. I pulled it up, I'm flashing red and U of A.
Speaker 2:And so she's talking to me. And back in this part of the world, there's no ice, there's no fountain drinks, there's none of those kind of luxuries, there's no convenience stores like QT there. It doesn't exist. And she started talking about the Circle K and the 32-ounce thirst buster and her eyes misted with tears as she was talking about that. And then she said well, while I was there, I moved to even a smaller, smaller village. You may not know where it is. I said I know every village in Arizona. She said, well, it was a village of Florence. I said, yeah, I'm from Florence, arizona. No, no way, no way.
Speaker 2:And let me tell you something Everybody there had goosebumps. I mean these two Muslim girls had goosebumps because Holy Spirit showed up right there and they began to realize this isn't just some coincidental meeting. They started understanding that there was a destiny set in motion and I mean, they got spooked. I'm from Florence. I mean, I said I graduated from Florence High School. I graduated from Florence High School. I'm a Florence gopher, so am I? I mean, they couldn't believe it. Well, let me just go quickly.
Speaker 2:Our very first one more friend, kai Alpha, meaning the history of Central Asia. The first one to come to Christ was Lita, to the left, first one that very first week, 18 months later, ieta, to the right, the girl from Florence. She came to Christ, baptized them both in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit. But let me tell you something that's your fruit as well, because we would have never gotten there had you not helped us get there. You guys invested extravagantly to make sure that we got on that field.
Speaker 2:And I could tell you another hundred stories like this. But let me just say this In the tapestry of heaven, every human being that was ever born is supposed to be in that tapestry. Not every human being born will be in that tapestry, but that is what they were supposed to be. Those two people will be in that tapestry. But what would have happened if I would have said, ah, I don't want to go to Kyrgyzstan, I don't feel like it? What would have happened if I would have said you know what? I would have missed my now purpose. You see, that day that we met them in that cafeteria, that was purpose, that was big purpose, that was now purpose. But guess what? It played into destiny. That purpose played into those two girls' long-term, eternal destiny. And can I tell you, every day, if we're not on purpose for God, somebody can miss their destiny. We can miss our destiny when we're not on purpose for God. We're people of purpose, we're people of destiny and we're people of vision. Man, big things God is doing and saying.
Speaker 2:So let me wrap things up here. So we're in the fourth quarter, first quarter U of A Second quarter. Student missions movement Third quarter. National director of Chi Alpha, fourth quarter. So when Chris and I, before we, stepped away from national director of Chi Alpha, the Lord began to stir on us and said you have another prophetic apostolic plant in you. You've got another prophetic apostolic plant, overseas man.
Speaker 2:As we began to seek the Lord God, I mean, where would you want us to go? We'll go anywhere. Where would you want us to go? We all thought we'd go back to the Middle East, north Africa, central Asia. I think everybody else thought we'd probably go back there.
Speaker 2:But I was speaking six years ago at a conference for Ravi Zacharias, before he had, before the fall, ravi Zacharias. And so I'm speaking for Ravi Zacharias and one of the other speakers' name is Rice Brooks, and Rice Brooks is the guy who wrote the book God's Not Dead, produced the movie God's Not Dead. That's Rice Brooks. So we're sitting at the table eating lunch. Rice said man, scott, I'm kind of jet lagged. He said I just flew here from Iceland. And he said I just flew here from Iceland. And he said yeah, man, I was doing apologetics on a university. And he said 99.8% of Icelanders, 18 to 25, do not believe in God, believe Jesus is just a historical figure and the Bible's a myth. But they all believe in fairies, elves and demons. Now, when he said that, some on my mind I just kind of chuckled and said, oh, I could work with those guys. You know, never, ever thinking I would. So Chris and I are processing God. Where would you have us go? And I'm telling you, at night I would keep hearing Rice Brooks' sentence 99.8% collegiate demographic don't believe in God. 9.8% Collegiate demographic Don't believe in God. And it would just keep playing over and over. Then one day I said Crystal, do you think maybe the Lord would have us go to Iceland? She goes Iceland.
Speaker 2:But the more we began to dig, the more we began to discover Iceland is totally Viking. The Vikings founded in 874 AD. Every single Icelander is a Viking descent, 100% of them, all their livestock are of Viking descent. It's all the remnants of the Viking. It's all the remnants of the Viking. But in the history since 874, there has never been a Christian awakening in the history of the nation. They've never had an awakening. Now there's been other awakenings, there's been pagan awakenings, but it has never seen a Holy Spirit, spiritual kingdom, awakening in all of the history of this nation.
Speaker 2:Now there are 10 Pentecostal churches in Iceland, in nation. Now there are 10 Pentecostal churches in Iceland, in the whole nation there are 10 Pentecostal churches. They have seven pastors and only three of those are full-time. Are you getting the picture? There is no Assembly of God missionaries on there. There's no quote Assemblies of God period in the nation. These churches are all loosely affiliated, these 10. There's no Baptist missionaries in the nation. There are no Methodists. I mean, basically there's nothing. There's no Campus Crusade for Christ, there's no Navigators, there's no InterVarsity, there's no Chi Alpha, there's no Students for Christ. There's nothing. And in the history there's never been a campus ministry other than the state-run Lutheran. That isn't even really a campus ministry.
Speaker 2:It is considered the most liberal, tolerant, lgbtq nation on earth. There's strongholds, pagan strongholds and sexual strongholds there that are just sick and profound Things where the enemy has just fought, fought an entire nation on. They've never had any form of awakening. There's no. Basically there's hardly anything going on there.
Speaker 2:So God begins to show us. We say yes, yes, we need to say yes to Iceland, and so we make the commitment to go. Well, assemblies of God World Missions sends a letter to. I call him the bishop. He jokes and calls himself the CEO, but he's kind of the facilitator of these 10 churches. He tries to keep them connected relationally. Okay, that's what he does. And they sent him a letter and they said if we could send you a missionary couple to Iceland to do anything, what's your priority, what's the one thing you'd want them to do? He sends back and says we've been praying for movement on our universities for eight years. If you could send us anybody to work with university students, that would be our number one preference. Not even knowing that God had already spoken to us, you guys never knowing this, we believe our universities are ripe right now for a mighty move of God.
Speaker 2:When they heard that they were getting national directors of Chi Alpha, they couldn't believe it. The nation I'm going to tell this a little bit more here, jay, than I did in this first one. It's interesting they could not believe it. We said yes.
Speaker 2:So in March we'd been there four times since then and so in March we were in nation and this was kind of their council, to where all the churches and the church leaders get together and they get together in one place and they begin to just pray and show what's going on and begin to strategize and have some teaching. So all these 10 churches come together and anybody who's a leader is in this church and a leader is. If you fold the bulletin, you're a leader. Okay, it doesn't matter what you do. Oh, you picked. Okay, you're a bulletin. Yeah, you're in. So that's a leader. So there were 80 people. So you got to understand. In the entire Pentecostal church, anybody did anything. There were 80 people at this council.
Speaker 2:Well, they had crystalline come up and let me just say this missionaries, especially in Europe, aren't always welcome, you got to understand're not always welcome. At times they're seen as culture destroyers, you know. So they're not always welcome. And so they have us come up and they interviewed us for an hour and 15 minutes, publicly, and God just began to open up doors to begin to talk about awakening on the campus, been talking about what God was speaking, doing the prophetic words, and I'm telling you, crystal and I feel like we are living oracles of prophecy because the Lord had spoken to them that he was going to send two people to the nation who are experts in university and student ministry and to help make this and to help this things be fulfilled. They're sharing all this here.
Speaker 2:So we're all going like god, you're doing something. It's purpose now, this is our purpose now. There's big term destiny as we, in a way, faces in the tapestry of the kingdom, and there's vision to believe god for great things. Man, man, I said at the end. I said look, we're Americans, we're two Americans, we're always going to be American, I said. But we want to be as Icelandic as two Americans have ever been. I said so what I'm asking? From now on, when you use the word we, that Crystal and I are part of your we and anytime you say us, the word part of your us. Man, they had us come down right. Then All 80 of them got around us, got down on their hands and knees, began to pray over us, began to pray blessing and at the end the elder said you are us and from that moment they took us in and they only treat us as them. It's not like all the Americans. It's Scott and Crystal who were us. I'm telling you, god is doing the supernatural.
Speaker 2:Let me share the last little picture Now. I'm not here, by the way. I'm not here to try to get monthly pledge. You guys have supported us for 35 years. I'm here to tell you how we have partnered in ministry and how God is beginning to do some things to our neighbors, to our neighbors who felt like God had forgotten them.
Speaker 2:So in December, the first week of December, holy Spirit speaks to me and says Scott, when you and Crystal get to Iceland, there's a young couple in Iceland who are looking forward to connecting with you and you're going to disciple them and they are influential in politics, influential in education, influential in economics, in the military that hasn't started yet. All the way up to the president and the prime minister. I shared that with Crystal. I said man, I feel like the Lord's telling us that we're going to be discipling a couple who's influential all the way up. So we talked about this word.
Speaker 2:One week later we're speaking at our little assembly got church in Mayer I shouldn't say little assembly got church. Our healthy assembly got church in Mayer Mission Church. And at the end the pastor said Scott and Crystal, can I chat with you guys for a minute? Sure, hey, when you walked in the foyer the Lord gave me a prophetic word. And the Lord said that when you and Crystal get to Iceland, you're going to meet a young couple who are very influential. They're influential in economics, in education, in politics, in the military. That has been formed all the way up to the president and prime minister. We're going. Gosh man. The Lord just spoke this to us one week ago, exactly, word for word.
Speaker 2:One month later we're in another meeting. A woman comes up to Crystal and said Crystal, when I came in here I felt like the Lord had a word for you. And here's what the Lord says when you and Scott get to Iceland, you are going to meet a young couple who are very influential in politics, in education, economics, even up to the president and prime minister. We're sitting there going. God, we can't wait. You get us there quick. You know we're ready to go.
Speaker 2:So in March we just came back last month, it was a few weeks ago, but in March, after this big meeting I'm sitting with the CEO facilitator of the Pentecostal Church and his wife. We're in their home Shared a meal with the kids. It's just talking about what God is saying, what God is doing, and I'm telling you the faith level, the expectation level Rich, cindy, jay, celeste I've never seen this in my life anywhere, anywhere have I ever seen an expectation level. These people are expecting God, jesus, to show up on that island here real soon. I mean it's powerful, the expectation level. We're sitting there talking and they said, oh, by the way, scott and Crystal, there's a young couple here in Iceland who they can't wait to meet you. They want you to disciple them, said they're the most influential Christians on this whole nation. They're influential in economics, in education, in politics and the military.
Speaker 2:I just started, and all the way up to the president and prime minister, well, I mean, we're hearing this right here in Iceland. We're just totally when. We said, well, who are they? I mean, who are these people? Oh, they know you. I said they know us. Yes, they know who you guys are. Well, how could they know us? They were a part of Chi Alpha and this couple listen, this couple had been a part of one of our Chi Alpha groups. And when I was national, I said what year were they? 2014 to 2016. So when I first became national director, they became a part of Chi Alpha.
Speaker 2:Two Icelandic international students I'm going to go. Oh, yeah, they know who you are and they are so excited about you coming. They can't wait to connect with you. I said, well, what, what campus are they from? I said I know every campus, I know all 300 of them in the States. He goes well, let me find out. He texts him within one minute. The guy takes back Embry-Riddle University, prescott, Arizona. You can't script this stuff out. You cannot script this stuff out. And here's what they said we would never be serving Jesus today and doing what we're doing had it not been for Chi Alpha and Embry-Rill and had it not been for what the Lord had done and how they poured into us and how all the different stuff in Chi Alpha. And they said we just cannot wait to connect with them. I'm telling you, god's about ready to do something great on that island and I want to say thank you so much for your partnership, for your giving. We're in this together and you know, celeste, I know you guys are committed to coming out in April for the Inspire Conference. That's going to be a powerful, powerful time, chris, I mean, and Jay, I just give the invitation that someday we get some guys out there too, or guys and gals. God's about ready to do something great on ice and some things that have never been done before. We thank you for your partnership.
Speaker 2:Why am I going to Iceland. I'm in the fourth quarter. I'd be more comfortable staying here. I would be Be much more comfortable. I could sell everything we have, buy a place up in Springerville and just fish every day and hunt during the hunting season. Buy a place up in Springerville and just fish every day and hunt during the hunting season. My sons are both accomplished. One of them's an attorney for Lions Defending Freedom in North Scottsdale. The other one's wrapping up a PhD.
Speaker 2:I don't need to go to Iceland. I don't need to go. I've had all the adventure I need for my life. I don't need any more. All the adventure I need for my life. I don't need anymore. But I go because I love God. I go because of the love of God and the love of my neighbors. I go because Jesus asked me to make disciples of all nations. I go because I love God make disciples, reach the world. That's why we do what we do.
Speaker 2:So as we wrap up here, I apologize. I'm over and I apologize. How much of God do you have? How much of God do you really have? How much do you love the Lord, your God? How much do we love others? Would you stand up with me if you would please, jesus. I thank you, lord, for my dear friends here at Cornerstone and, lord, I apologize publicly to Jay and Celeste for going over, to Jay and Celeste for going over.
Speaker 2:But, lord, I pray that today we would all evaluate just how much we really love you, lord, god. I pray we would evaluate, lord, what it means to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength here in the West Valley, here at Cornerstone. Lord, I pray that we would take serious evaluation today and I pray, lord, god, god, that you would speak to us personally, not just corporately. You'd speak to us about our responsibilities to you and to your kingdom and to your will. Lord, god, I pray that today, when people leave, they are reminded they are people of purpose right now. There's a reason why they're here today. There's a reason why they'll be doing what they're doing tomorrow. May they fulfill their purpose, god. May they be people of destiny, remembering God. They're weaving some things in the tapestry of the kingdom, god, may they be full of vision, vision for the personalized vision for their church or vision for you.
Speaker 2:Father, ask in Jesus' name. I'm going to ask every one of us who would just come forward. I'm going to ask if you just come forward up to the altar and just take a minute and just begin to ask the Lord Jesus, how do you say I love you? I don't want you to say this, lord, I love you, but allow Jesus to speak to us. Jesus, how do you say I love you? And I want to ask you one other question how far are you willing to go for Christ, how far are each of us willing to go? And Jesus, how do you say we love you?
Speaker 1:Amen. I'm asking everybody, come on on up, come on up to the front and as an active response. Today you've heard this challenge from Scott about what God wants to do in and through you see, sometimes it's not just about you, it's about what he wants to do through you to other people. And you've heard that story about taking a little kid out of Florence and taking him across the world and then intersecting that story with another girl from across the world. From that was spent time in Florence, or these couples that are here, influential in the future. What God is going to do, and that's the same story he has for your life that he wants to do in and through you. And so, as we go into this moment of this worship moment, we we have a song here to respond. I want to encourage you to do this that you just open up your hands, like this, to the Lord and say, lord, what my agenda? I give it over to you. And, lord, I ask for an impartation of your spirit, of your guidance, of your wisdom, of who you are for me.
Speaker 1:And as we go into the song that you would just pour yourself out upon me, lord, we just pray that right now, in this moment. Holy Spirit, have your way in us, lord, pour yourself out upon us. Lord, that you would have, lord, you would guide and direct us. Lord, we ask you for more of who you are. Lord, we do ask you for that touch in our body. We ask you for that healing touch, lord, we ask you for in our spirit and in who we are. Lord, in every part of us. Lord, that you would have your way in us. But, lord, it's because we want to be used by you for the destiny that you have for us, lord, that we would say yes, with the vision that you've given to us, for our family and for our friends and for our neighbors and for our sphere of influence, lord, that we could say yes to you, that you would use us, lord, for your glory.
Speaker 1:Lord, that we wouldn't just stay comfortable but, lord, we would have that mission that we want to live for you, lord, as we do. It's always our challenge, lord, we would have that mission that we want to live for you, lord, as we do. It's always our challenge, lord, that we want to be more like Jesus. So, lord, as we sing those words today, we do with intentionality. In the name of Jesus Christ. Let's worship the Lord together. I want to say thanks for your grace and going a little bit longer this today, but I think it was worth it. How many people are appreciative of Scott's ministry to us today? So very thankful for that. Hey, come back next week. I know the guy. He has a long nose, but the sermon will be shorter.
Speaker 3:I want to let you know too. If any of you have anybody graduating in your family, please let us know. We want to honor them in a couple of weeks. You can go on the app. If they're graduating high school, college or trade anything, we want to celebrate with them, and so make sure that the church is aware of that. Also, we're having baby dedications next week, and so we want to pray over as a church and bless your children. So if you would like to have your kids dedicated, you can also call the office if you have any questions, but you can sign up through the app.
Speaker 1:Before we go, I want to pray this blessing over us. Before we go, I want to pray this blessing over us 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 all 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.