Remember Whose You Are

Welcome to Mission: ReMission.

Truth In. Lies Out.

What if the greatest obstacle to the life God has called you to live isn’t your past… but the lies you’ve believed about it?

Mission: ReMission is a Christ-centered podcast that helps you replace lies with God’s truth, rediscover your identity in Christ, and live with renewed purpose and confidence.

In this inaugural episode, David Leister shares the vision behind Mission: ReMission and invites you on a journey of transformation. Together, we’ll confront fear, shame, failure, and discouragement with the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

No matter where you’ve been or what you’ve believed about yourself, your story isn’t over.

Welcome home.

What is your mission? And who does God say you are? In this introductory episode, David Leister introduces the vision behind Mission: ReMission, unpacking the biblical meaning of mission, the Great Commission, and our identity in Christ. Join us as we begin a journey of spiritual growth, discipleship, and replacing the lies of the world with the life-changing truth of God's Word. 

This isn't just a podcast—it's an invitation to walk together as we become more like Christ and discover the mission He uniquely created each of us to live. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Mission Remission Podcast. Welcome to the Mission Remission Podcast. First of all, thank you. Thank you for giving me a few minutes of your day. Whether you're driving to work, you're sitting on your back porch with a cup of coffee, you're taking a walk, whatever you're doing, maybe you found yourself in a season where you're simply out of answers. You're desperately searching for hope. Things have got to change. You want to get unstuck. Well, welcome to the club, my friend, and I'm genuinely honored that you're here. Now, this podcast was it's been on my heart for a long time. I've prayed over it, I've thought about it, but today we finally get to begin. And before we go any further, I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the wonderful team here at Pillar Ministries, Pillar Media, and Star 99.1 for allowing me to work out of this incredible studio here. It truly is a gift, and I'm thankful for each and every person affiliated with this wonderful organization. I get it privilege to serve with. And so now maybe you're wondering who in the world is this guy? Well, I'm a native Texan, born and raised. And although life is taking me on quite an adventure, I have had the privilege of living in Brazil for nearly 10 years. Well, then about a year and a half ago, God completely redirected my life. My wife, Madalena and I, well, we packed up everything we owned, uh, left family, friends, and the familiarity of Texas and delicious Tex-Mex food, and we moved nearly 1,700 miles away to central New Jersey because we believed with all of our hearts that this is where God was calling us. Now, I do have to admit, there were a few minor adjustments. Apparently, not everybody says y'all. That's okay. And sweet tea isn't considered one of the major food groups, but that's all right. That's okay. We're all good there. But honestly, we've really fallen in love with New Jersey. More importantly, we've just fallen in love with what God is doing here. And today I have the incredible privilege of serving as the Executive Director of Missions at Pillar Ministries. And every single day I get a front row seat to watch God transform lives for Christ. And that's really what this podcast is all about. It's about transformation. It's about hope. It's about discovering who God says we are. It's about replacing lies with truth. And it's about living on mission. And one of the ministries closest to my heart is the work in Liberia, West Africa that began all the way back in 1962. There were those heartbreaking seasons. For example, Civil War. Liberia is a country that was devastated by civil war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. But through every season, God remained faithful. And today, there's churches, there's schools, there's leadership development going on, there's Christ-centered community outreach, and there's a medical clinic that was started by two wonderful missionaries named Steve and Jen Butwell, sent from actually my home church and part of Pillar Ministry, Zarephet Christian Church, here in Somerset, New Jersey. And one of the greatest joys of my work has been seeing what happens when ordinary people faithfully invest in others over the decades. And one of those young boys who came through this ministry years ago from the Poe River area, remote area of Liberia, national director of our sister ministry in Liberia, his name is Leverend Dr. Luther Tarpe. He's also become one of the most respected Christian leaders and influential public figures in all of Liberia and really throughout West Africa. And he's a testament to what happens when we sow into the lives of the least of these. Matthew 25, 40, when Jesus said, Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. And that's what Pillar Missions is about in Liberia or anywhere in the world we've served, is finding the least of these and sowing into them, introducing them to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and coming alongside them as disciple makers to really do life together and to help raise them in the gospel. Luther isn't the only person. There's been so many people who've been touched by this missions work in Liberia, and it's just been a great encouragement. It's an honor of a lifetime serving here. And that brings us to the title of this podcast, Mission Remission. Now, why that name? Let's begin with the first word, mission. Now, when you hear the word mission, what comes to mind? Some of you are already hearing the Mission Impossible theme song. I don't know, the fifth or the tenth or the thirtieth episode. You're picturing Tom Cruise sprinting across rooftops, hanging off airplanes, somehow surviving explosions that would probably eliminate the rest of us in three seconds, but it's just Hollywood trickery. We know that. While others picture a missionary boarding an airplane with a passport in one hand and a Bible in the other. While that's certainly one expression of mission, I think the word is much bigger and deeper than that, at least for this podcast. And let me ask you a question. What's your mission? And that's what we're getting at here. Not your job, not your career, not your title, your mission. Why did God create you? What gifts has he placed inside of you, my friend? Who has he entrusted to your influence? And we're all leaders. Servant leaders, we should be. In fact, leadership development expert John Maxwell says that leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. And if you look in the mirror, you're looking at somebody and you're leading that person, so you are a leader, my friend. Whether it's just you, maybe a your family, or maybe it's a many thousands strong organization. But what gifts has he placed inside of you? What burden has he placed on your heart that simply won't let go of you? You see, I believe every human heart eventually asks the same questions. Why am I here? Does my life really matter? Am I simply supposed to just survive until retirement? Accept to Jesus, check the box, joined a church, enjoy life with short-term tunnel vision, and then die and go to heaven, and then eternal life starts. No. The Lord has a bigger vision than that, and for your life too, to thin the space between heaven and earth, so that heaven is now. You're living your eternal purpose now. This is not a dress rehearsal. Your life matters. It means something. Like Queen Esther, you also were created for such a time as this. But with all the noise around us and the distractions of the enemy, it's so easy just to see time flying by and we just get lost, right? We drift. Like that old Pink Floyd song, Time. You know, ten years have got behind you. I'm not going to sing the song, I'm sorry. That's maybe I'll muster up some courage after the hundredth episode or so, but was I created for something greater? Were you created for something greater? I'm sure you were. And I believe that God created you and me, each of us, with purpose in mind. And deep down, every one of us longs for meaning. We long to know that our lives count for something much bigger than ourselves. And one of the greatest, one of the questions we're gonna really explore together throughout this podcast is exactly that. How do you discover God's mission for your life? How do you discern his calling? How do you know the difference between your own ambitions and his purpose? And those are conversations worth having. And here's where everything comes together. Jesus answered those questions before he ascended into heaven. I'm talking about Matthew chapter 28. He gathered his followers, his disciples, and gave what we know as the great commission. He said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. I've always loved reflecting on that word commission. Some ministers have described it as a kind of co-mission, co-hyphen mission. Not because that's literally where the word comes from, but because it's a beautiful picture. Jesus wasn't saying, go figure this out by yourselves. He was saying, I'm inviting you to join me in my mission. Think about that. The creator of the universe invites ordinary people like you and me into his extraordinary work. Man, is that not grace? So the Great Commission, it wasn't only for those original eleven disciples standing on a hillside 2,000 years ago. It's for us today as well. And Jesus' followers tomorrow until he returns. It's for you, it's for me. Whether you're a teacher, a business owner, a student, you're unemployed, you're a child, stay-at-home mom, mechanic, nurse, retiree, whatever it may be, it's not for the clergy class, the vocational ministers, for all of us. We are all called into this great, fabulous adventure of a lifetime. Even if you're still trying to figure out your purpose, even if you feel so beaten down by shooting yourself on the foot over and over and over again, you don't know your purpose. The Great Commission applies to you. And by the way, we serve a God of infinite second chances. Take that to heart, my friend. So mission isn't so much initially about where you're going specifically, like a geography. I think it's about who you're becoming while you go. It's a transformational process living on mission. And for some people, God does call them across oceans. But for others, he calls them across the street. And for some, the the mission begins in a boardroom. For others, it begins around a dinner table. The locations, they'll change, but the mission never does. You want to find your purpose in life? Start right here. Because our greatest mission is to know Christ, to become more like Christ, and help others know him too. And that leads us to the second word in the title, remission. Okay, here we go. Remission. Mission, remission. Most of us have heard that word in a medical context. At least that's what I think of. When someone's been battling cancer and the doctor says, you're in remission, hope just overwhelms everybody and floods the room. And it doesn't necessarily mean the battle never existed. Of course it did. But it means the disease no longer has the same vice grip it once had. So I began wondering, what if that's exactly what Jesus desires to do to us spiritually? What if he wants to lead us into remission from shame, from fear, from bitterness, from anxiety, from addiction, from unforgiveness, from believing the lies that we've carried for years, from all the trauma that's just stacked up and been unhealed since childhood? Now I want to be careful. I'm not I'm not saying that life suddenly becomes easy. That's not what this is about. I'm not saying Christians never struggle. Of course they do. Jesus promised that, in fact, we would have tribulation, but to take heart that he has overcome the world. No, far from it. But what I am saying is this Jesus has the power to break the chains that once defined us. And that's the key thing here, guys. Because ultimately the greatest battle you'll ever fight isn't for success. It isn't about money. It isn't for happiness, really. I believe it's the battle for our identity. Who are we? Who are you, my friend? That's the question underneath almost every other question. And here's what I've discovered. If the enemy can confuse your identity, he can confuse your purpose. If he can convince you that you're disqualified, he'll never step into your calling. If he can convince you that you're worthless, you'll never believe you're deeply loved. And if he can convince you that your past defines your future, you'll stop expecting God to do something new. And that's why I believe one of Satan's greatest weapons is the lie. Jesus called Satan the father of lies, and a lie is simply anything that contradicts the truth of God. So if God says you're forgiven, my friend, and you keep telling yourself you'll never be forgiven, that's a lie. A blatant contradiction has no business taking residence in your mind. Thoughts hit us, let it go. That's what this podcast is going to really, really heal and dig into and uproot the lies that we tell ourselves or that bombard us, and a lot of times we don't even know that they've taken resident in the darkest dwellings of our soul. But if God says you're his workmanship and you keep saying you have no value, that's another lie. And if God says he'll never leave you nor forsake you, and you believe you're completely alone, that's a lie. So the loudest voice in your life should never be your fear, your past, your critics, or even your own emotions. The loudest voice in your life, in my life, it must be the voice of God through his word. And listen to what Scripture says. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5.17. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, Ephesians 2.10. And the last one here that comes to mind is that is see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. 1 John 3, 1. Friends, think about that. You're not merely tolerated, you're loved. You're not an accident. You're intentional. You're not forgotten. You're known by the Maker of heaven and earth, who can count the endless billions upon billions of supernovas throughout every galaxy in this seemingly infinite universe. He knows all those details. Just as he knows the number of hairs on your head, my friend. You're not beyond redemption. None of us are. You're exactly the kind of person Jesus came to rescue. And throughout the Bible, God repeatedly saw people differently than they saw themselves. Moses saw a stutter. Well, God saw a great deliverer. Gideon saw weakness. God called him a mighty warrior nonetheless. And that was true. Because if God says that's who you are, if he called you a mighty warrior, that's who you are. Peter saw failure. Jesus saw a leader. Paul saw his past. God saw a missionary. And maybe, just maybe, my friend, God sees something in you today that you've just been unable to see in yourself. That's why we started this podcast. There's Pillar Missions, Mission Liberia, and there's Mission Remission. I want to make you a promise, my friend. I'm going to be brutally honest. There's going to be episodes where I'll share victories. I'll share stories from the mission field that will encourage you. Hope to equip you and share resources for wonderful personal growth as a John Maxwell leadership team member. Whatever I can share, I'm here to share. We're here to give, to pour into you. But there's also going to be episodes where I'm just very vulnerable and open about failures, personal failures. I'm going to tell you about my struggles and about seasons when I've questioned myself, including about an hour ago. Truthfully, like as a parent, or about leadership, about grief. But God is good to me and He carries me through it. And so does community. And those of you grieving losses like that, or failures, or unemployment, whatever could be happened, injustices, I want you to know you're not alone. Of course you have God, and his arms are always extended toward you, and you have a Christian community. That's what this is about. Family, community, safe places. You know, it's about helping each other be better parents, students, leaders, dealing with grief and disappointment, not from a clinical perspective, from a God's word biblical perspective. And just being imperfect pursuers of God's glory and loving him and encouraging one another and being the true church that Jesus called into existence during his three-year earthly ministry. It's about dealing with disappointments, learning to trust God when we couldn't see what he was doing. Because I don't think that people need another polished personality pretending everything's perfect. You can search those on YouTube all day long. And honestly, I do do that sometimes. And I do want to inspire you, I do want to encourage you. But boy, do I struggle with self-doubt. Yeah, sin comes knocking at my door all the time. And I've got to renew my mind every day. I've got to be journaling and asking God daily, what are you speaking to me, Lord? And what do you want me to do about it? And I think we need fellow travelers together on this journey. People willing to say I've been there too. And you know what, Dave? I found Jesus faithful. And I'm going to thank you for your encouragement. Yeah, we're going to we're going to scratch the surface and a little deeper into mental and emotional health, healthy habits, healthy thinking. We're going to see what the scriptures say about these things and commit to believing the scriptures first. And we'll explore what it really means to renew our minds according to Romans 12. We'll talk with missionaries, with pastors, Christian counselors, leaders, everyday followers of Jesus whose stories remind us that God is still changing lives for Christ. Because that's what the church is, which is the family of God, from sea to shining sea among all the nations, all colors. Man, that is the church. Imperfect people following a perfect Savior, encouraging one another, bearing one another's burdens, and together participating in God's mission. And that's the kind of community I hope that this becomes. Not just listeners, but family. Now, I'd like to invite you into something that's very, very close to my heart before we close, okay? Visit pillarmissions.org. Pillarmissions.org. Now, there you're going to learn more about the work that God has been doing. Children are receiving a Christ-centered education. We've got 600 students now, a lot of orphans. And we're serving the least of these. We're serving those in Liberia who are among the most really in need of a hand up. Never hand out a hand up in Christ. Like Jesus said in Matthew 25, 40. And if any Bible verse, any single Bible verse really, really defines the heart of this ministry, in my opinion, is this is whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. And you calling me, 210-797-6655, anytime, because I want to answer questions, I want to get to know you, hear your heart, and I'd love to partner with you. And just we want to pray together. Let's never underestimate what God can do through faithful prayer, also. The last thing I want to say, friends, if today's episode encouraged you, would you please subscribe? And would you please share it with someone who needs hope? Again, today was sort of an overview introductory, but we're going to really start hitting some of these powerful themes that get us unstuck, to develop deep, authentic self-confidence, to see ourselves as God sees us, which ultimately is all that matters first and foremost. That's where it starts. Please leave a review. That'd be very kind. And, you know, it helps more people discover these conversations. And my prayer is that every single episode points people back to Jesus. That's what this is ultimately about. That's what all churches and ministries should all be about. Getting people to come to Christ for the first time, to return to Jesus, to repent, to stay with Jesus. It's the safest place. Man, this is only the beginning. I'm so excited. We're going to laugh together. And I'm sure we're going to cry together from time to time. We're going to wrestle with some difficult questions. We're not going to promise all the answers, but we're going to wrestle with Him and we're going to seek answers in the Lord. We'll celebrate victories, and most of all, we're going to keep opening God's word together because God's truth has a remarkable way of replacing the lies we've been believing. And it replaced it with the freedom Christ purchased for us on the cross. And so my prayer is that one day you and I will look back and say, man, mission, remission. It didn't just become another podcast I listened to. It became part of how God reshaped the way I think, the way I live, and the way I follow Jesus with deep, authentic, true self-confidence, boldness, joy, resilience, love. So thank you for spending this time with me. And until next time, remember this: your past may explain you, but it does not define you. Your failures, they may shape you, but they do not have to imprison you. And your identity is not determined by the loudest lie that you've believed. Your identity is determined by the God who created you, redeemed you, calls you by name, and walks with you every single day. It's never too late to begin again. Let's do so right now. So keep walking, my friend. Keep growing, keep trusting, and together, let's live on mission and experience the freedom of remission. God bless you.