With a Story to Tell - Made for More

You were made with a story to tell.

On this episode, our guest speaker, Pastor Alex Bridger, jumps into our Made for More series. He reminds us that our stories matter because we are made for more. Let Jesus make you whole while you join the Kingdom mission.

We pray this message encourages your faith, deepens your prayer life, and helps you gain a greater vision for life in Christ. Share this episode with someone who wants to grow deeper in God’s Word.

To learn more about Vision Church or discover how you can partner with our ministry, visit www.ourvisionchurch.com.

Pastor Alex and his wife, Grace, are planting Eremos Church! To learn more about them and Eremos Church and partner with them, visit eremos.church.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Well, good morning, church. He kind of stole my thunder. I was going to introduce myself as Pastor John, but that didn't work out well. How are y'all doing today? All right. Well, my name's Alex. You can call me Pastor Alex. You can call me anything you want. Just don't call me late for dinner. Amen. This is nostalgic for me. I already told some of the team where I'm from, so it brings back a lot of memories. I am from the great city, marvelous city of Hopewell, Virginia. I heard some of y'all chuckling. We'll talk after service about Hopewell, but, anyways, man, I'm so grateful and honored to be with you. I am now residing in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Been in ministry for 15 years. Me and my wife have just stepped off of staff at our current church because we're getting ready to go do what Pastor John just did and plan a church. So we're getting ready to plan a church next year. Cool thing, we're planting in Dinwoody too, right? I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. We're not playing here. But uh man, we're so excited, and it's so cool because I am big fans of your pastors. Are you big fans of your pastors too? I've known Pastor John and Kia for quite some time, and it is so cool to see a dream in their heart and a call from the Lord. Now we're sitting in the fulfillment of that, right? Seven months in, and man, it's so cool to have the opportunity to be here today. Uh my wife and my babies aren't here with me. Uh I have a beautiful wife named Grace, which works in my favor because I'm a preacher. So there's no better wife name than Grace when you're a preacher, right? Because I say grace changed everything. Amen. It works in my favor. And uh I got a son named Xander, he's four years old. We call him Awesome X. Uh, he's on the autism spectrum, and man, he is the joy of my life. And on top of that, I got a baby girl named Sayla Grace. Now, Sailor Grace, I don't have a picture for you, but Sailor Grace is our Sour Patch Kid. It's that second born energy. I don't know what it is. They warned me, but I just didn't believe them. But man, she's got me wrapped around her little finger, and she gets as many aerial dolls as she wants. Y'all pray for me. But man, I'm so glad to be with you this morning. Um, I only have 35 pages of notes. So I see some of y'all sit up. It's okay. I'm not, I'm just kidding. We don't have that many pages of notes. Um, but you know, when Pastor John asked me to come preach, I couldn't help but get a little bit nostalgic coming from this area. And, you know, I'm originally from Hopewell, uh, but there was a time before I was Pastor Alex. Anybody know what I'm talking about? And I used to run up and down the roads of Denwoody and Prince George and Petersburg and doing God knows what, well, who, you know, y'all know the area, y'all know what's going on. So I had I had a 2004-4 Mustang convertible GT Cobra brims, had two tins in the back, it was blacked out, and it had a convertible top. I don't miss it at all. I love my Ford Fusion now, just so you know. Mustang wouldn't fit two car seats in. But anyway, you know, I was I grew up in this area, and I I just I I grew up in a Christian home. My mother was a saint, and uh I'll be honest, I I knew everything about Jesus, but I didn't know Jesus. Y'all know the difference that I'm talking about. Everybody say amen. I am a talk back preacher, so I expect some participation today. Oh, I got some people talking back. That's all right, here we go. So I got saved my senior year of high school, and I remember I was at church in Hopewell, and I came in late from the night before. I was out partying Saturday night. I won't tell you what I was doing because you won't listen to what I'm saying. But my mom had this quote, and she would say this if you can stay out late for the devil, you can get up early for Jesus. And uh, oh, y'all cut from the same cloth. I see. She was one of those moments that used to anoint my head when I would be sleeping, and you know what I'm talking about. So she drugged me to church like every other Sunday, and that Sunday something was different, and we had a guest preacher in, and I was sitting in the back, kind of where the camera is, and he looked in the back and he said, Man of God, you got to call God on your life, and you're running from the Lord. It's time to give your life to Jesus. And uh at that moment, I was 18 years old, I finally quit running from Jesus, gave my life to Jesus, and I've never looked back since. Amen. But I remember in that moment, um 15, 16 years ago, I remember in that moment when you first get saved, and you know what I'm talking about, when you first get saved, like I'm talking about fresh saved. You'll do anything for Jesus. I mean, you'll scrub toilets for Jesus. You know what I'm talking about? When you fresh saved, you'll tell people about Jesus at the group, you'll tell people about your church, you'll do anything. And I remember I was fresh saved, and I I just wanted to tell everybody about Jesus. I gave up my plans to go to college. I decided to go to Bible college, and my mom decided I was gonna stay home for a year and save up money before I went to Bible college. Well, I decided to go work as a mechanic. So I worked for, well, I like to say a mechanic. They called me a gopher. It's a little bit different. Gopher this, go for that, that type of thing. And I remember working in the mechanic shop, which is so funny because Jennifer's here working in kids. I actually worked for their husband, Daryl. So what a plot twist this all was today. Seeing her, it was such a joy. But I remember going to the mechanic shop and I was so excited, on fire for Jesus. Alex was gonna change the world. And I went into the mechanic shop, and can I tell you that passion I had for Jesus, that fire I had for Jesus, I was gonna win the world for Jesus, it got real quiet. Because I was around people that didn't live for Jesus. Y'all know what I'm talking about. You can be loud in here. We all love Jesus. When you get outside the doors, ah, it's a little harder to live for Jesus. So I went from an environment where on Sundays I was praising worshiping, I was praying, doing all the things, and then on Monday through Friday, the only time I heard God is when someone was cussing me out. So I went to work at this shop and I made an arrangement with my boss at the time that I was gonna work for a year and then go to college, but he never asked what for. And I remember what happened is I I was living for Jesus on the weekends, but not living for Jesus during the week. And I remember I just wrestled with my faith so much during that time, and it got to the very end of my tenure there, and I had to tell my boss, I said, Hey, my time is coming to an end, and I'm gonna go to school. Now, my hope was that he wouldn't ask what for, he would just release me. But as you know, anytime somebody says, Hey, I'm gonna go to school, the next question is typically what? What are you doing? What are you doing with your life? And I remember I had this instant shame kind of sit on me. Not because I was ashamed to be a pastor, it was ashamed to tell him that I wanted to be a pastor. And I kind of did one of these numbers. I don't want to be a pastor. He said, No, speak up. What are you gonna do? I said, uh, I'm going to Bible college. He said, for what? I said, to be a preacher. And I church, I'll never forget. In that moment, he he stopped what he was doing. And we went back out into the big bay, and there was mechanics everywhere. And he said, guys, you're never gonna believe this. Come here. Everybody, put down your tools, come here. And he wrapped his arm around me. He said, Can you believe that young Alex here is going to be a preacher? And I remember 20, 30 guys erupted in laughter in my face. I was so on fire for Jesus. And all these guys that were older than me just made fun of me for being going to Bible college. Can I tell you I felt about this tall? I was contemplating even going at that point because I I was so hurt by it. But can I tell you the story continues, and and I thought where I was crushed in one moment really I didn't compare to what happened next. And they were laughing and joking, kind of like mechanics do, kind of in the trades. My dad was 40 years construction, my father-in-law's 40 years construction. I know how it goes. I've been in demo construction, and I just I remember that feeling. They were kind of cutting up, poking fun, and then they all walked out except for one guy. His name was Quincy. Quincy came up from the back and he says, Hey, can I tell you something? He said, Alex, I'm proud of you. And I I remember just that feeling of, man, I got one in the crowd that's proud of me. But then he asked something, and the next question that he asked changed my life for the last 15, 16 years. And he looked at me dead in my face and he said, Alex, I'm proud of you for following a call of God on your life. But if you passionately love Jesus like you say you do, why have you never told me about it? In church I was crushed. Because someone who I'm so proud of on the weekend, I was not proud of Monday through Friday. And here's what I didn't know is that Quincy, he told me, he says, I got saved right before you joined our staff. He said, I went through a divorce, I lost my kids, and I gave my life to Jesus when I was at my lowest point. And I faced so many hurdles this year. But if I would have known that your story of what God has done in your life, I could have made it a little bit further, a little bit faster. He said, So I'm gonna challenge you with this. Wherever you go, take your story with you. And here we are in week three of the Made for More series. And I don't tell you that just because I want to tell you about my old job or where I'm from. But here's the reality in this made for more series is that everyone under the sound of my voice in this room is connected. Doesn't matter where you're from, how you grew up, your age, it doesn't matter. Here's the thing that connects us all is that we all have a story. Everyone in here has a story. You may not be proud of your story, right? I know I wasn't. But everybody's got a story. But here's the reality. I think sometimes in the church setting, we get scared of our story, don't we? We feel a little bit of shame with our story. And often we keep that to ourselves. But no matter what season of life you're in, maybe you're a single parent trying to make it work, maybe you're married with kids like I am, and the calendar seems to run you more than you run it. Maybe you're a college student trying to get some grounding in life, you're a stay-at-home parent, or you got a full-time career, you're a business owner. Maybe today you're battling a diagnosis. Maybe you're trying to find your place in life to leave your mark. Or maybe you're a seasoned saint thinking through the impact that you made around you for the kingdom. All of us in here in various seasons of our lives, but we have come to one common thread is this is that you were made for more and you have a story to tell. You were made for more and you got a story to tell. Turn to your neighbor and say, I got a story. Now turn to your second option and say, I got a story. Now let me ask. Can I ask you, Vision Church? Can we be honest today? Because Pastor John told me to preach like I'm at home. So we're gonna have a family talk today, okay? When's the last time you took your story outside of this church? When's the last time you took what Jesus has done in your life outside of the four walls of the church? When's the last time we shared about Jesus' iniquity? When's the last time you took Jesus to your job? Okay, maybe that's the easier one. When's the last time you took Jesus to family Thanksgiving? Y'all got the same family I got. And here's the thing. You may have or you may not have, but here's the reality for all of us as Christ followers. The call of the believer, the disciple of Jesus, from the first century disciples until today, is that we preach or resurrected Jesus and we share how our life has been changed ever since we encountered him. Somebody say, I've got a story to tell. So I want to go to a familiar passage in Mark chapter 5. If you got your Bibles. How many brought your physical Bible with you today? This is my Bible. If you got your Bible, how many charge your Bible today? Y'all got a charge Bible today? We're going to Mark chapter 5. It goes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Mark, I think. Y'all catch that later if you didn't catch it. Mark chapter 5. So here we find Jesus in Mark chapter 5, following Mark chapter 4, where we find this famous story of him calming the storm. Anybody know that story? Here we find Jesus in Mark chapter 4. He's talking to his disciples about faith. Everybody say faith? He's talking about faith. He calms the wind and the sea, he talks about faith. And then immediately this story happens in Mark chapter 5. It's one of my favorite stories in all the Bible. So here we go. Mark chapter 5. If you're there, say amen. If you're not, say hold up. Give me a time to take a sip of water. Here we go. Mark chapter 5. I think we got on the sky Bible. They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Garrisons. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat immediately, everybody say immediately, there met him a man out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For it had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wretched the chains or broke the chains, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Next verse. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains. He was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran down. He ran, fell down before him. We'll stop there. So here, Jesus is coming up on the Garrisones. It's part of the Decapolis. Decca is 10, meaning 10 cities in this region. Now, this was important for a few reasons. Why? Think about the prodigal son. Anybody know the story of the prodigal son? Okay. They would have believed that he would have gone to the decapitus or the garrisons to squander his inheritance. So think about Sin City, think about Las Vegas. That's what you're having in these decapitals. Okay? It was known for their polytheistic culture, meaning many gods. They had pagan influence culture. They were focused on commerce and money. They were trading for profit, and they focused on a strong military influence. Does that sound familiar to anybody? So then you have this new character that comes on the scene, the demoniac. Now notice he's not living in a townhouse anywhere. It says that he is living in the tombs. So think about this picture. The disciples are in the boat with Jesus, almost lost their life at a hurricane. He calms the storms, he steps out, and this is how I know they weren't real committed to Jesus yet, because when he stepped out, all of them stayed in the boat. And then guess what happens? This man comes running from the hillside. Imagine what he looked like. I mean, he's not got a porta potty out there. He's not got a shower out there. He's got ripped clothes. He's living in the tombs. And they said at night he would shriek in pain. He's tormented with these spirits to the point where he would cut himself with stones. Now imagine you're in the boat and you're watching Jesus step out, and you see the town freak running head on towards Jesus. Nobody stepped out. But this man sees Jesus from afar and he runs with everything he has to Jesus. And then we find him in verse 7. Crying with a loud voice, he said, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me. Now, here, if we're not careful, if we don't understand the context of pagan culture, we would think he's giving praise to Jesus, which he's not. In pagan culture, what you would do is if you're facing an opposition or a deity that's opposite of you, you would call to the deity higher than that to try to handle that deity in front of you. So here he's practicing pagan culture in front of Jesus. He's calling to Jehovah to try to come down and handle Jesus. Let's go to the next verse. For he was saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit. And Jesus asked him, What is your name? And he replied, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs were feeding on the hillside. Uh-oh, pigs. And they begged him, saying, Send us into the pigs, let us enter them. Let's go to the next verse. So Jesus gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd numbering about 2,000. Circle that in your Bible, that's important. Rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And the people came, I like to read it like this, came to see what had happened. Now notice, nothing's different about the man yet. But the people that were surrounding went to go tell what had happened to the pigs. And here's why. So you have 2,000 pigs. Here's why it's significant. So Mark's readers were Roman Christians, they would have understood that name Legion to be the Roman army at that time. So it would have piqued their interest because it has the same name. On top of that, the legion would have been made of 4,200 infantry and 300 cavalry. Now here's why the pigs were significant. There were 2,000 pigs that were used to feed the Legion army, which was for the military and government. And then on top of that, in pagan culture, what they would do is whatever was left over, they would take that and offer a sacrifice to their pagan God. And then whatever was left from that, they would take into the marketplace and sell it for commerce. But notice what Jesus does. Jesus interrupts their whole system with 2,000 pigs. Why? Because this town was focused on other religions. They were focused on military and they were focused on government. And anytime Jesus steps on the scene and there's an opposing system that tries to raise its head above the kingdom of God, Jesus will demolish. Amen? So here Jesus is setting the scene. The herdsman fled and told it in the city and the country. Let's go to verse 15. It's my favorite verse in all this story. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man. The one in verse 14 who had the legion was sitting there clothed in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to him what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from the region. Next verse. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. He wanted to go with Jesus. And Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he's had mercy on you. And he went away and began to proclaim in the decapitus how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone had marveled. What a powerful story! Here you are, you find this man that is demon possessed, that he has no other option in life, and Jesus comes to the scene, had no purpose being there except for that man. And the man gets set free. And the command that once He set free what Jesus says, He says, I want you to go home and tell everybody about what God has done in your life. And here's the reality, church. I think that relates to our story today. Not because we're demon-possessed, not at all. But I don't know about you, but I can relate to the man that was demon-possessed. Not because I had a demon, but just because I was in a pit in a grave of my own life. And it wasn't until Jesus came and saved my life that I found freedom. And here's the reality: there's some of you across this room that have been baptized, has been saved. You've had the same experience and you had the same command. So now that Jesus has changed your life, how many people have you told about it? And here I want to pull a few quick reflections from the story about how we can take our story with us today. Everybody say amen. So point number one, if you're taking notes, hopefully you are. We believe leaders are note takers. Point number one, made for more means your story matters no matter your story. Made for more means your story matters no matter your story. The demoniac, he's an outcast, he's suffering, he has no community, and he's isolated. Yet Jesus has a life-changing encounter with him. Jesus could have passed him by. Jesus didn't have to go there. But you know what he did? He stopped anyway. Why? Because that demoniac, even though he was suffering and addicted and suffering and screeching, he was made in the image of God. Which means this: that if he was made in the image of God, that means his story matters. And if his story matters, that means your story matters too. Your story is so important to God. No matter what you've been through, no matter how life has been, your story has meaning and purpose. And if you're in here today, can I tell you, friend, you are not too far from the redemption nature of Jesus. There's nothing you've done that Jesus can't heal and can't fix in your life. There was a time before I was Pastor Alex. If I told you everything I'd done, I'd be escorted out the back. But I know if Jesus has changed my life and saved my life, and now I get to do this, there's nothing that you have done that's too far from the grace of Jesus. But maybe you've already been redeemed by Jesus. Can I tell you your story of God's faithfulness of last year matters? Your story of miraculous healing five years ago matters. Your story as an overcomer from addiction matters. Your story of faithful giving and seeing breakthrough matters. Your story of grief and having God with you in the storm matters. Why? Because just like the demoniac, we were once too far from Jesus and he found us in the pit, lost in our sins. Yet he found us and cleaned us up. You know, when I think about stories, I can't help but think about good stories, bad stories. I like documentaries. Anybody else like documentaries? Well, there's another way I like to watch stories, and I don't like to admit this, my wife would be laughing on the front row if she was here. And it's this that we put our kids to bed around 7 o'clock, which means that we have TV time, which means that I sit there and watch what my wife wants to watch. And I've grown accustomed to letting her have the remote. And she turns on her favorite show, which is the Great British Baking Show. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Y'all pray for me, okay? I don't like to watch it, I like to eat it, but I don't I don't do all the watching. But somehow I got sucked into watching this show. And here's what happens my wife turns it on for background noise. She cleans, she picks up, I'm working on my laptop doing the thing. And then I get pulled in. Somebody named John is a chef that he got inspired by his great-grandmother, who was a famous chef, and now he wants to fulfill their life journey, and he wants to take after her footsteps, and then they're recording this in their house. Right? You know what I'm talking about with documentaries. They're recording it in their house, and then there's a pivot in the story. And I'm like, what happened to John? What happened to his grandma? And they say, John's grandma's in the hospital. There's nothing more that she wants to see see him win this great British baking show. So, church, you know what I do? Now I'm invested into John's story. And I'm watching John's story to the point where I will call my wife the next day, I'll omit, and I ask if John actually won a great British baking show or not. Right? But reality TV, you know what I'm talking about. We get connected to people's story, right? How many else can relate? You got some TV shows that you watch, are you connected to their stories? But if a story about a chef and a baking show can inspire me and hook me in, imagine what it would be like sharing the redemption nature of Jesus and your own story. How much greater of a story is that? That Jesus picked you up from the grave, changed your life, cleaned you up, and now you're living on purpose, made for purpose? That's such a greater story than, no offense to John, but just a chef in a bakery? But how many times would we rather share John's story than our own story? And I thank church what we suffer from. Can I be honest with you, since we're family? Is that we suffer because we don't share our story because we're we're ashamed of our story. What we've done. But here's what the scripture says. Can I give you a Bible today? Revelation 12 says this they overcame by the word of their testimony and the blood of the Lamb. Which means this is that your story possesses the power to overcome when connected to God's redemption in our life. The power to overcome sin and addictions, the power to overcome painful past situations, power to overcome an unknown future. And let me speak to culture today in a social media world riddled with highlight reels and AI ads all over my TikTok and Facebook and Instagram. Our world needs more authentic story of real life change. And we as the church in 2026 have to get set free from feeling shame of our own story. Because here's what happens we receive salvation freely, but we run with the shame attached to it, don't we? And we say, Ah, I love the benefits of salvation, but I don't want to put my mess out in front of anybody. Because what we've done is we've created a church posture where you can come in cleaned up, or you can come in completely dirty, but if you're cleaned up, you can't say what you've already done. Anyone know what I'm talking about? And here's the reality. I believe one of the biggest problems that we have in the kingdom of heaven today, and advancing today, is we have Christians that sit in church every week, changed by the power of God, but we never take that story outside the walls of the church. Meaning, this is that we have Christians who have been changed by Jesus, but we won't share it to a broken world in need of Jesus. They need a cure, we have the cure, and because of shame, we won't share it. To the place where I believe our Sunday mornings across the nation are in danger of becoming more of a country club than a hospital for the broken. Or to the place where we have become so inward focused on what God can do for me and my needs until I die and go to heaven and get a get out of hell free card, then live on kingdom mission and spread the gospel while I'm here on earth. Which makes me believe, in my opinion, why would anybody who doesn't follow Jesus want to follow Jesus if the people who follow Jesus don't share about Jesus? We try to convince people to follow Jesus without sharing our dirt. But here's the reality: there are people in Dinwoody and Hopewell, Prince George, Peterburg, wherever you're from, there are people waiting on your messy story. Why? Because they're in mess themselves. And here's the reality: if we don't share our mess, they won't share their mess. And we can't expect them to come in here every Sunday if we ain't willing to go out there and meet them where they're at. I'll be honest with you, church. Let me encourage you. We can't let our church buildings look more like Jesus than we actually do. For me, ever since my moment of life changed, I remember where I was from, partying, drinking, doing anything with everybody. I was so broken and lost and hopeless, suicidal in my thoughts, that the moment I got saved, I never forget it that I found hope and purpose in a man named Jesus. To the point where now I have a mantra that I'm gonna make heaven crowded. Which means this, as I'm walking through this thing called life, I'm gonna bring as many people as I can, many broken people like I was, with me because I'm not gonna show up empty-handed on judgment day. I don't want Jesus to look at me and say, I changed your story. Who did you take that to? Well, I thought my story was for me. Jesus, I kept my imagine if I responded that way. Hey Jesus, I kept my story to me. Just me and you think. When the whole gospel in the kingdom has never been that. And here's the beauty of the demoniac story is that Jesus stopped just for him because he was made for more and his story matters. And church, I wonder what Denwoody would look like if we took that same approach when we encountered people in our city. That they were made in the image of God too. That they were made in God's image, someone who is desperately loved by him, even though they don't know him. So point number one is this made for more means your story matters no matter your story. Point number two is this made for more means Jesus makes you completely whole. That's a great place to say amen. I got three amens. Come on now. Y'all ain't helping me preach today. I'm gonna tell Pastor John on y'all. I'm just kidding. Made for more means Jesus makes you completely whole. Okay, here we go. We got some redeemed people. Okay. Notice the demoniac is searching for relief and torment. He's screaming, he's looking for other gods, he's cutting himself with stones, he's searching for deliverance. He's lurking in the tombs, he's shrieking in pain. Nothing he has tried has brought him freedom. Anybody ever been there? That nothing you tried, didn't matter where you were or who you're with, brought you the freedom that you found in Christ. And here's the reality: maybe today you're sitting under the sound of my voice and you've not encountered Jesus. Maybe you're trying to live for the world or your own substances or dealing with relationships. Maybe you're looking for other religions or crystals, maybe you're trying to stay isolated from community. Can I tell you that you are not too far gone from the redemption nature of Jesus? You're not too far gone. If you're under the sound of my voice today, if he can change my life and he changed a demoniac's life, I'll tell you, when he when I encountered Jesus for the first time, like the real time, I'm not talking about getting a sticker at Sunday school time. I'm talking about when I showed up broken. I didn't have hope. When I was down on everything. If you're in here under the sound of my voice, today is your day to get free. You do not have to live in the same thing that you've been living in. You are made for more than where you're living. And we're gonna have a time of prayer here at the end. Or our prayer partners will come up and you're able to confess and repent of anything you need to. It's a no-judgment zone. But let's look at the text. It says Mark 5, 14. It says this those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town in the countryside. And the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by a legion of demons sitting there dressed in his right mind, and they were afraid. Can I tell you today, church, when you encounter Jesus, you can get clothed in your right mind. You can have peace again, you can have hope again, you can have a future again. Come on, how many have been redeemed by Jesus? When you got touched, you're sitting there, you were broken, you needed healing, but when Jesus stepped on the scene, you can have freedom today. Now, let me say this. Maybe you've been saved for a while. Can I tell you, if you're struggling with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, anything like that, still saved by the blood of Jesus, you can still have freedom today. In your right mind. In your right mind. Today's the day of freedom, amen. And here's what I want to encourage you with church is that Jesus didn't die for you not to be in your right mind or be bound in sin. He came to bring life and life more abundantly. And we believe freedom is going to be here today. Now you may be questioning, you say, Well, Pastor Alex, you don't know what I've done, what I've been through, what I'm doing, or who I'm doing it with. Can I tell you, all you need to do is encounter Jesus. It wasn't Jesus plus anything to the demoniac, it was just Jesus. When I came in broken, it was just Jesus. When you met him, it was just Jesus. Today all you've got to do is encounter Jesus. So point number one, made for more means your story matters no matter your story. Point number two, made for more means Jesus makes you completely whole. Point number three is this made for more means your faith must go with you. And not stay private at Vision Church. I got one amen. Made for more means your faith must go with you to your work, to Dinwiddie, to your family, and not stay private here at the church. Notice what happens. That Jesus, as Jesus began to get back in the boat to depart, the man who had been set free from demons asked him, Can I go with you? And notice what Jesus says. He doesn't say, Hey, I need you to attend 101, 201, and 301. I need you to get certified in this. I need you to go to Bible college in this. He says, No, no, no, no, no. Take what I've done for you and go home. And to your friends. Ah. That's different, isn't it? Because sometimes what I think, like what we'd like to do in the church world, is we say, Jesus, here I am, send me. Send me anywhere you want to send me. And you expect him to send you to Asia. And he's saying, Alex, I want you to go back to Hope Well. Where they know what you've been through, where they know your dirt, where they know you before you were Pastor Alex. And here's the reality: if we don't do that, we won't be able to set people free that knew us before they were before we were so so-called saved. I had to deal with it as a pastor. Gotta be honest, to my family, I'm not Pastor Alex, I'm still Alex. And the reality is I like it better that way. Because it takes off this religious hat and says, hey, y'all remember when I was broken and when I was out drinking late and doing all the things. And now you've seen my life turnaround. I'm the first family in my first one in my family that's had a marriage last. I'm the first one that's graduated college. I'm the first one that's moved out of our town. And it's not because of what I've done, it's just because the power of Jesus in my life. And when they see that, the ones that ridiculed me when I went to Bible college are now calling me for prayer 15 years later. And he says to the man, Go back to your home and to your family and tell them what the Lord has done. Tell them how he's had mercy on you. So get this. The man left and actually did what Jesus told him to do. He did what Jesus said. He went back home. And listen to what says, and and he he told everyone that he met about what Jesus had done, and the people marveled. Can I tell you today, Vision Church? Your story of redemption through Jesus has always been enough. You don't need a degree, you don't need to be a scholar. All you need is your story to go take it to where you go, where you're from. And that's enough. You don't need to add anything else. If you want to study, go study. But all you need is your story. We'll become by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony. And you say, Pastor Alex, I can't preach. I can't preach like you or Pastor John, Pastor John. Good. We don't need you to. Because the world's already got one Pastor Alex. We need the first version of you. And here's the other reality. My job on Sundays as a pastor and a preacher is not to evangelize from this pulpit. My job from this pulpit is to equip the saints to go do the work of ministry. Which means you don't need another Pastor Alex or John or King. They need you in your story at your work and your family. Can I tell you a fun, crazy fact? It says this that 100% of the world is somehow attached to the marketplace. 100%. Which means this, you will reach twice as many people than I will ever reach in this Sunday pulpit. Being in your job, being in your grocery stores, being around table with friends and family. You'll reach more people. And here's my challenge. How do we do that? Well, one, you join the team here at Vision Church. Every week, people are showing up and setting an environment for people to encounter Jesus. The first way to take your story with you is join the team. That's it. Join the team. Imagine if all of us joined the team, how much more lives and dignity could be saved for the gospel. Right? Now here's the other challenge. I want you to join the team first. Figure out where you fit in, where you belong. Find community there. Here's the second step. Take your story with you. You say where? Everywhere. Which means this when I step on the court for my kids' practice, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm in the pickup line talking to teachers, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm at the mechanic, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm at the grocery store, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm posting online, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm in my neighborhood, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm starting that business, I'm making it a kingdom business and I'm taking my story with me. When I'm at church, I'm taking my story with me. When I'm at my job, I'm taking my story. When I'm dealing with trials, when I have a diagnosis, I'm taking my story with me. My question, church, is why are we waiting? Time is running out. Why are we waiting? He's changed your life. Why wouldn't you want to tell everybody about it? And here's my proposition. Stop waiting on Pastor John and Kia and the church to get an outreach started before you tell your story to somebody. You have everything you need to share Jesus with someone who needs it. Now here's what I'm not asking you to do. I'm not asking you to be a Facebook keyboard warrior and up in Facebook jail. Not doing that. I'm not asking you to buy a megaphone and go preach on the streets. I'm not asking you to turn into me overnight, but here's what I am asking. As you feel led by the Holy Spirit, that you will look for the moments and the people of peace and begin to share the redemption nature of Jesus with them. Now, we really don't know how the man's story ends in Mark chapter 5, do we? But we can we kind of explore the gospel for a minute? Can I take a minute just to kind of explore the gospel with you? Mark chapter 5, the demoniac encounters Jesus, he gets set free, Jesus commands him to go to the Decapolis. We don't find Jesus until three chapters later coming back to the Decapolis in the same region, where he's feeding 4,000 men, women, and children. And you say, Well, how did they find out about Jesus? Could it be that in Mark chapter 5, the man who'd been changed by Jesus actually did what was commanded and he left and went back to the decapitulus and told everybody about him so that in Mark chapter 5, 4,000 plus people encountered Jesus? And see, here's where we get hang hung up on. The man in Mark chapter 5 says, Hey, can I go with you? And Jesus says, No, your job's bigger. And how many of us get really mad at Jesus? Jesus, don't we? Because the thing we ask for, we don't get. But here's the promise of the Lord is that one thing that He's asking you to do, to put down in one season, he has to go with Him. That in Mark chapter 8, I can just see Him sitting on the front row in front of Jesus. But he finished His assignment. And all those people are benefiting from the life change of this demoniac. Church, let me ask you, what could the Lord do in the chapters of your story? If you're in Mark chapter 5 now in my command, Jesus says, Hey, we're gonna go share our story. When we come back in Mark chapter 8, will you be found sitting? Or will you be found sharing? And here's the call for us today to be people who have been changed by Jesus, people who are still in our own journey of healing and restoration. But we tell our life change stories to others who need to hear and allow God to minister them to find community. You were made for more than sitting Sunday to Sunday, you were made to join the team. You were made for more than keeping faith private. You were made to be kingdom people in this region for such a time as this. You were made for more than comfort, you were made to live a mission. Why? Because Jesus is our message and people need. That's the big revelation today. Is that you found Jesus? The world needs Jesus. So go share Jesus. Point number four is I close this. How can I have somebody make the room more holy? Can we have some peas and keys? Come on, can we clap it off for the team? Hey, if you want to stay with me all over the room. I'm gonna close it just one thing. And then I'm done. Stay locked in for me. Made for more. Made for more. It means your life is now on mission. Now notice the demoniac, the only thing he could preach was Jesus. And I think sometimes in church we get it a little mixed up, don't we? Is we like to add Jesus plus something, or Jesus plus this, Jesus plus that. Can I just tell you the only thing you need to preach is Jesus? I want to shift the verse to Colossians chapter 1. We find Paul writing to a new church plan, which I think is hysterical because I'm with you guys today. And he's trying to stir them up to keep the faith to remain in Jesus. But he never met them in person, so he's kind of giving his credentials of an apostle. And he starts this letter of Colossians by this. I'm gonna read it to you. That even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as a sin payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. Isn't that the gospel message today? And now there is nothing between you and the Father. For he sees you as holy and flawless and restored, Vision Church. If indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon, to never be shaken from the hope of the gospel that you've believed, Vision Church. And this is the glorious news that I preach all over the world, Paul says. I can celebrate the sorrows I have experienced on your behalf. For as I join with you in your difficulties, it helps you to discover what lacks in your understandings of the suffering Jesus experienced for his body, the church. This is the very reason Paul says, I've been made a minister by the authority of God and to a servant of his body, so that in his detailed plan, I would fully equip you with the word of God. There's a divine mystery, a secret surprise that has been concealed from the world from generations, but now it's being revealed, unfolded, and manifested for every holy believer to experience. This is what he closes with. You ready? Living within you, it is Christ, the hope of glory, who floods you with the expectation of glory. This mystery of Christ embedded within us becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know about it. This is how he finishes. You ready? Christ is our message. That's it. Christ is our message. We preach to awaken hearts and bring every person into the full understanding of truth. It has become my inspiration and passion and ministry to labor with a tireless intensity with his power flowing through me to present every believer the revelation of being perfect and his perfect one in Christ Jesus. Clyde, come here real quick. Come here, real quick, Tyler. Come here. Real quick. I encounter these guys along the way. I now share my story, Paul says, that I would awaken hearts to the truth of who Jesus is. Because I've been redeemed. I now have the responsibility to live on mission where I'm at. So I preach to awaken these hearts to the good news of Jesus. Right? And here's what happens at the end that when I get to heaven and I meet him for the first time, face to face, he's going to just say, Well done. But what did you do with your story? And I have the option, church, to say, I made it. But I didn't bring anybody with me. Or I have the option to say, Hey, look who I brought. Because Jesus, what you've done in my life, I now have the opportunity to bring these guys with me. And then how it flows is they bring other people and other people. That's the way we live on mission, church. Is that we preach Jesus to awaken hearts in our area. And here's the thing: if he really changed your life, why wouldn't you share it? If he really changed your life like you said he did, why wouldn't we share it? And here's the reality: I know some of you in here have encountered the life-changing knowledge of Jesus. My prayer for you today is that you would have a holy fire inside of you, that you would leave this place and go tell people about Jesus. That you would call your family, you would call your friends, your social media page will change. Why? Because that's the only thing that matters. We're worrying about 401ks and mortgages and everything else when that stuff will fade away. I'm not saying don't care about it, I'm just saying it's not the first thing I worry about. Because I'm not showing up empty-handed when I get there. Now there's a few group of people. Thank you guys. Can you clap it up for them? There's a few group of people I'm gonna pray for. We're gonna have a moment of response in a minute. But in a moment of intimacy, I'm gonna ask, under the sound of my voice, if you've never given your life to Jesus, today's the day. You don't have to run. We're not making it spooky. But if that's you, we're gonna have prayer partners out here in the front. And as we have prayer partners, I want you to respond. Okay? As the song's playing, I want you to come down. If you need salvation for the first time, or you're in a situation like the demoniac where you are broken in need of hope today, do not leave this gym without coming for prayer. Amen. Can we do that as family? I want you to respond. And here's the reality: I don't know you all that well. If you've got a spouse or family member in here that you know their life and you know they need to get prayer, nudge them. Don't force them, but nudge them. Now, here's the other thing I want to pray for before I leave. Thank you for allowing me to be here with you today. Here's the thing. Here's the thing I want to pray for today. With heads bowed and eyes closed, if you say, Pastor Alex, that story of waking hearts for Jesus, that's what I need. I need the power of the Holy Spirit in my life that I may be a bold witness to Jesus and my job and to my family. That I would I wouldn't go empty-handed to heaven. I would share the good news everywhere. If that's you, and you say, Pastor Alex, would you just pray for me in this moment? Would you just slide your hand up? Ready? One, two, three. If that's you, I see hands. Yeah, yeah, I see you. Absolutely. Who else? Who else? Come on, keep them high, keep them high. Amen. We're gonna go back into the time of worship, but before I do, I'm gonna pray. Father, in Jesus' name, I thank you for every hand lifted, every heart lifted to you. Father, I pray through the power of the Holy Spirit, you would make us bold disciples of Jesus. God, that all we could do is share our story. That when we're talking to family and friends and siblings, God on our at our workplace, God, that you would give us the moments of peace. We would find people of peace. That all we can do is share your story. Father, would you give them the boldness that you would put a fire inside of them that they have to share this message? Because it's the only thing that matters. Father, I pray for opportunities for your people today. Holy Spirit, open doors. Where they've been trying to talk to family members, make it easy again, Lord. God, I pray that people would start seeking them out on their job, at their schools, wherever they're at, and asking them about Vision Church, asking them about the life change they've experienced. And when it happens, God, I pray that you would give them the boldness to say something about you. In Jesus' mighty name. Everyone said.