WEBVTT 00:00:00.161 --> 00:00:01.669 Man, it's so good to get to be here. 00:00:01.669 --> 00:00:02.392 I got two of these. 00:00:02.392 --> 00:00:02.714 What do I do? 00:00:02.714 --> 00:00:03.262 Put one here. 00:00:03.262 --> 00:00:05.062 Hey, y'all like my shirt. 00:00:05.062 --> 00:00:07.625 Yes, you like my shirt. 00:00:07.625 --> 00:00:09.108 It is not from Walmart. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:10.948 I tend to get one or two from there. 00:00:10.948 --> 00:00:14.505 It's not from China, it is straight from Africa. 00:00:14.505 --> 00:00:20.083 Yes, I know, you know, pastor Paul loves his shoes, loves his dress. 00:00:20.083 --> 00:00:32.384 I got a tailor in Africa, got this tailor made while there a couple of weeks ago, and so, yes, today I have the privilege to get to share the message that God, I pray, wants us to hear today. 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:51.511 I don't preach very often, so I'm packing a whole lot in today, so you've got a couple of hours with me, right, all right, just kidding, just kidding, don't do that to you, but today I'm excited to get to share with you and to see and celebrate God's working in the world. 00:00:51.511 --> 00:01:06.688 I want to give you a glimpse of that from how God is also using our church and through our church, which is very exciting, how he's working in and through us, and then what God wants us to do in the days ahead. 00:01:06.688 --> 00:01:09.847 That I see so clearly and I pray you can too. 00:01:09.847 --> 00:01:15.069 So today's message, one word title perspective. 00:01:15.069 --> 00:01:17.602 If you think about it. 00:01:17.602 --> 00:01:24.828 Life is all about perspective, and a healthy perspective changes everything. 00:01:24.828 --> 00:01:28.507 Right, it's all about perspective. 00:01:28.507 --> 00:01:43.347 Before we get into talking about that because my perspective and I've been blessed to go to Africa multiple times now and take teams there's a perspective that you get when you do something like that. 00:01:43.347 --> 00:01:47.587 Many of you have experienced trips like that or going overseas in missions. 00:01:47.587 --> 00:01:52.968 But before we get into that, I want to back up and remind us of the Great Commission. 00:01:52.968 --> 00:01:58.647 This is Pastor Paul preached a couple of months, I mean a couple of weeks ago, early June. 00:01:58.647 --> 00:02:00.525 He used this, the Great Commission. 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:08.727 And this is the final statement of Jesus to his followers, which extends to us, the church, today. 00:02:08.727 --> 00:02:10.687 So these are his final words. 00:02:10.687 --> 00:02:14.811 You imagine, all of history led up to Jesus being our savior. 00:02:14.811 --> 00:02:17.347 Right, everybody say yes, right, that's true. 00:02:17.347 --> 00:02:21.629 And then Jesus finished the task and conquered death. 00:02:21.629 --> 00:02:27.663 And here's his final words to his people Matthew 28,. 00:02:27.663 --> 00:02:29.268 I think it would be on the screen for you. 00:02:29.268 --> 00:02:39.128 It says this it said Jesus came to them and said all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:02:39.128 --> 00:02:42.186 Here's his final statement to them. 00:02:42.186 --> 00:03:04.590 Therefore, go, and what Make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:06.625 So there's one more part to this. 00:03:06.625 --> 00:03:09.825 That was what he said to them and then he left them. 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:15.550 And then there's one last moment with Jesus before he ascends to heaven, in Acts, chapter 1. 00:03:15.550 --> 00:03:25.070 It's the beginning of the book of Acts, the history of the start of the New Testament Church, acts, chapter 1, I want you to go see this also. 00:03:25.070 --> 00:03:26.622 That connects to the Great Commission. 00:03:26.622 --> 00:03:30.685 It's final words for us to go and make disciples of all nations. 00:03:30.685 --> 00:03:34.629 Now here's his final statements in Acts, chapter 1, verse 6. 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:37.841 This is his final moment with his people, he says. 00:03:37.841 --> 00:03:46.444 Then they gathered around him and asked him Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel or the kingdom to Israel? 00:03:46.444 --> 00:03:52.801 He said to them it is not for you to know the time or the dates the Father has set by his own authority. 00:03:52.801 --> 00:03:54.704 But what does it say next? 00:03:54.704 --> 00:04:00.348 That you will receive what Power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. 00:04:00.348 --> 00:04:01.050 And what does it say? 00:04:01.050 --> 00:04:09.805 And you will be what my witnesses to Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 00:04:09.805 --> 00:04:16.869 After this he was taken up before their very eyes in a cloud, hid him from their sight. 00:04:16.869 --> 00:04:20.550 That was the last time humanity saw Jesus physically directly. 00:04:20.550 --> 00:04:24.089 Until he comes back, that we're anticipating together. 00:04:24.089 --> 00:04:40.512 So there was a charge that Jesus gave his followers to go and make disciples, to go into all the nations and this is where you've heard Pastor Paul and us reference this here, near and far, locally, and near and then far. 00:04:40.512 --> 00:04:41.704 That's where that comes from. 00:04:41.704 --> 00:04:55.725 So I want to take you on a journey a little bit to see where God has allowed us to go far into the mission world and the area and that I got the privilege to help lead a team to a couple of weeks ago. 00:04:58.324 --> 00:04:59.509 So I want to show some pictures. 00:04:59.509 --> 00:05:00.725 This is funny. 00:05:00.725 --> 00:05:02.165 How many of you grew up in church? 00:05:02.165 --> 00:05:08.427 You remember the old missionary that had come and had little slides back then, that little overhead or a little projector. 00:05:08.427 --> 00:05:09.964 I got a huge screen for you. 00:05:09.964 --> 00:05:19.103 So I'm going to show you a few pictures and I want to just walk you through this journey of hopefully. 00:05:19.103 --> 00:05:21.220 In a way it's really really tough. 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:33.040 There's like hundreds of pictures and I could only choose a handful to try to tell you a story, and it's tough to tell you the story of what we experienced in a short time, but I want to do my best just to try to let you see the first picture. 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:37.773 If you go and show, it is our team, this is our team. 00:05:37.773 --> 00:05:39.064 Give it up for the team of 12. 00:05:39.064 --> 00:05:44.588 Yep, if you're here, raise your hand, raise your hand, you're here with us. 00:05:44.588 --> 00:05:56.886 Yep, yep, some of them over here, the Chamblises and Darren and my wife, but we were a ragtag team God put together to go on this trip and had a great experience and a great time. 00:05:56.886 --> 00:06:04.572 As a God, given the team and the bond that you form going on a trip like this, it's quite amazing. 00:06:04.572 --> 00:06:08.202 But let me show you another picture of just the people of Africa. 00:06:08.202 --> 00:06:15.427 You can see, these are all pictures that I took, or our team took, just when we were there a couple of weeks ago. 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:25.524 But these people that God has blessed us to go to, god connected us to this area of Kenya, africa, outside of Kasuma. 00:06:25.524 --> 00:06:31.005 It's a rural area called a harrow in Oasi, and that area is where we go. 00:06:31.005 --> 00:06:39.968 And in 2016, our son created a nonprofit called House for a Home, where we wanted to start building homes for the homeless somewhere around the world. 00:06:39.968 --> 00:06:51.189 God connected us to this place and since then we've been building homes and we've been taking teams to be a part of that, and we're partnered with a feeding program called Nourishing the Nations that feeds these children. 00:06:51.189 --> 00:06:59.122 And so these people are $1 to $2 a day people that God has blessed us to go and minister to One to $2 a day. 00:06:59.444 --> 00:07:03.726 I asked some of these questions just to make sure I understood correctly too. 00:07:03.726 --> 00:07:14.387 A teacher there makes $5 a day, so middle class educated $5 a day. 00:07:14.387 --> 00:07:20.331 Many of these people don't have access to clean water, easy access. 00:07:20.331 --> 00:07:21.625 Many don't have electricity. 00:07:21.625 --> 00:07:29.026 Many don't eat more than one meal a day and whatever meal it is, it's usually rice and beans or chapati or ungale. 00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:31.225 Do I have any African family here? 00:07:31.225 --> 00:07:31.726 Friends? 00:07:31.726 --> 00:07:33.665 Yes, some of you from. 00:07:33.665 --> 00:07:37.567 Yes, yeah, I love the ungale and chapati. 00:07:37.567 --> 00:07:37.848 It's great. 00:07:37.848 --> 00:07:40.083 Chapati's like a thick tortilla, it's awesome in it. 00:07:40.083 --> 00:07:44.146 But that's what hear this. 00:07:44.146 --> 00:07:48.884 $150 can sustain a family in this rural area a month. 00:07:48.884 --> 00:07:55.252 $300 can sustain somebody in the town or the city, a family. 00:07:55.252 --> 00:08:00.531 That's the kind of people God has allowed us to rub shoulders with. 00:08:00.531 --> 00:08:07.389 It's very humbling that we get to go and be God's hands and feet and light and love to these people. 00:08:07.389 --> 00:08:08.646 So let me show you the next slide. 00:08:08.646 --> 00:08:10.064 I'll try to move through them a little quicker. 00:08:10.064 --> 00:08:12.985 But this is building a home here. 00:08:12.985 --> 00:08:15.562 This is the process. 00:08:15.562 --> 00:08:16.908 We build homes to date. 00:08:16.908 --> 00:08:22.250 We have built 260 homes since 2016 in this area. 00:08:24.641 --> 00:08:38.562 And the family this is Nigel and Doreen, the building on the right Husband, wife, two children lived in that little spot and we got the privilege to build them a new shelter. 00:08:38.562 --> 00:08:52.914 It's a shelter it's not a home, like you and I know, but to them that is a miracle of God that would never happen outside of what God has allowed us to be a part of through his church, because we do all of this through the churches there and the pastors there. 00:08:52.914 --> 00:08:57.908 But this is a young couple without any education, never were able to go to school. 00:08:57.908 --> 00:09:19.049 The mother went to the church and the pastor was able to say to her that we'll help your children with a home for them and their kids, and so we were able to build this home for them, and then I think they, both, noreen and Doreen or, excuse me, nigel and Doreen accepted Jesus while we were there and got at the dedication. 00:09:19.049 --> 00:09:22.500 So go to the next picture. 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:27.529 This next picture is one we built four homes while we were there. 00:09:27.754 --> 00:09:29.933 This is one other home I just wanted to show you. 00:09:29.933 --> 00:09:35.038 This is Catherine and Victor. 00:09:35.038 --> 00:09:42.817 This is them on the left here and you can see in the middle my friend, jeff, who went with us on the trip, is speaking to Victor. 00:09:42.817 --> 00:09:46.029 Victor had left the home because he couldn't provide for the home. 00:09:46.029 --> 00:09:52.818 He lost his job during COVID, couldn't provide and, in custom, whatever the shame, he just left the home. 00:09:52.818 --> 00:09:57.755 So when they found out, god threw the pastor that they're going to build us a home. 00:09:57.755 --> 00:10:03.109 The pastor told her to call her husband and tell him to come home because God is providing a home for them. 00:10:03.109 --> 00:10:18.120 So he came home and this was the first time they'd seen each other, and I don't know how long, but at this moment my wife and the other pastor were praying about this, for this and for him to come to Jesus. 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:38.796 And you're watching the moments after he came to Jesus, when Jeff, my friend, told him hey, he had his head down the whole time and Jeff said look up at me, look up at me, I contact and it's talking life into him, talking Jesus into him, and he accepted Jesus as his savior, and they were at church last Sunday. 00:10:38.796 --> 00:10:41.028 So y'all celebrate that one more time. 00:10:41.028 --> 00:10:46.570 So this is another home on the right. 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:48.509 You can see the stuff we were able to give. 00:10:48.509 --> 00:11:07.673 We gave a month's supply of food for these families with the hope this was a pilot for us to try to see if we want them not to worry about their food for the next day, so that they can try to think about how they can create a way to gain, a way to have to provide for themselves instead of worrying about the meal of that day. 00:11:07.673 --> 00:11:11.674 So we were able to do that with each of the four homes we were able to build. 00:11:11.674 --> 00:11:13.188 So go to the next slide. 00:11:13.188 --> 00:11:13.952 I'll move on. 00:11:13.952 --> 00:11:16.192 Are y'all OK? 00:11:16.192 --> 00:11:17.898 All right? 00:11:18.269 --> 00:11:24.169 So feeding children this is the picture In all five of the churches that we work through. 00:11:24.169 --> 00:11:25.690 They feed them in the church. 00:11:25.690 --> 00:11:32.220 So that's the church building you're seeing on the side, and rice and beans is the order every day. 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:36.321 They do these near schools because the schools do not have food. 00:11:36.321 --> 00:11:41.450 They let them out for lunch and the kids some, many of them don't have a meal at all. 00:11:41.450 --> 00:11:49.613 So the church is right there providing food through our partner organization called Nourishing the Nations, and so they. 00:11:49.613 --> 00:11:53.755 We get to go, when we're there, to help feed the children and get to play with the children. 00:11:53.755 --> 00:11:57.361 It's really, again, a beautiful thing to get to do. 00:11:57.361 --> 00:11:59.533 Go to the next slide I'm going to show you on. 00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:03.197 And then, in the midst of this, this is out of school. 00:12:03.197 --> 00:12:07.190 We got to share Jesus with them and share the gospel with them. 00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:09.470 Many times we were able to do this kind of thing. 00:12:09.470 --> 00:12:18.883 We went to the school one day, but this is Caleb and Jenna sharing the gospel through the emojis that Pastor Paul and we've talked about here. 00:12:18.883 --> 00:12:20.110 We were able to share them. 00:12:20.110 --> 00:12:22.918 We gave them these zip bags for them, for their school. 00:12:22.918 --> 00:12:33.719 So it's just again humbling to see us getting able to love these kids like this and share the gospel. 00:12:34.091 --> 00:12:35.403 I'm sitting in the middle picture. 00:12:35.403 --> 00:12:36.070 I'm just sitting right there. 00:12:36.070 --> 00:12:37.475 These kids are too cute, aren't they? 00:12:37.475 --> 00:12:39.710 So go to the next slide. 00:12:39.710 --> 00:12:40.456 We'll keep going. 00:12:40.456 --> 00:12:41.789 Love and children. 00:12:41.789 --> 00:12:47.289 There's just another picture of the kids and are getting a moment to play with them. 00:12:47.289 --> 00:12:55.884 Darrell Ryan's on the right side over here holding the speaker up and we're dancing around and they're playing, having a great time, and it's just a beautiful moment to get to do that with them. 00:12:55.884 --> 00:12:56.990 Go to the next slide. 00:12:57.029 --> 00:13:00.299 I'm going to show you some other pictures now about churches. 00:13:00.299 --> 00:13:05.837 Let me just show you this real quick because if you've been around us for a while, we've talked about building churches in Africa. 00:13:05.837 --> 00:13:08.158 Well, here's some results for you. 00:13:08.158 --> 00:13:11.599 We sent funds over early this year to build a couple of churches. 00:13:11.599 --> 00:13:22.750 I was able to go in October and November October, end of October and this is me taking this picture on the left, standing in this mud hut of a church. 00:13:22.750 --> 00:13:24.830 That's the picture of the church on the right side. 00:13:24.830 --> 00:13:41.870 And I was able to stand at that place back in October and say to the people after hearing them, I was able to be God's messenger from us and say God has sent us here to see where he's working and to be able to join him where he's working. 00:13:41.870 --> 00:13:50.470 And I said someday, soon, you're going to have a home, a new church place for you to worship in and see God do some new and great things in. 00:13:51.253 --> 00:13:52.277 Take a look at the next slide. 00:13:52.277 --> 00:13:57.163 That's the church building that we were able to help provide. 00:13:57.163 --> 00:14:06.222 So we gave the funds for this church like $4,000 to build that. 00:14:06.222 --> 00:14:08.269 We got millions of dollars here. 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:17.024 So again, perspective people $4,000 built that building and church and they got a kitchen in the back for the feeding program. 00:14:17.024 --> 00:14:18.874 That's right next to the school, that's to the left. 00:14:18.874 --> 00:14:27.370 They just got this new water well in that the people or other partnering group somebody gave donation for the water well and electricity. 00:14:27.370 --> 00:14:29.615 This church is about to thrive. 00:14:29.615 --> 00:14:30.277 As it. 00:14:30.297 --> 00:14:40.577 Go to the next picture, if you would, as they get ready to minister to the school and the parents in a way that they've never been able to do before, by having a feeding program and a new building. 00:14:40.577 --> 00:14:49.941 So this is inside the building here, and so this is Matando that you helped give funds for us to build a church for them. 00:14:49.941 --> 00:14:51.062 So go to the next one. 00:14:51.062 --> 00:14:51.844 I'll show you one more. 00:14:51.844 --> 00:15:06.004 This was also back in October, the picture that I took when I was there, and the left side is me with a group of people there who had we had built a home for a lady. 00:15:06.004 --> 00:15:17.365 She accepted Jesus, the pastor began to do a Bible study with her, and others came and accepted Jesus, enough that you see the crowd right there without a place to meet. 00:15:17.365 --> 00:15:23.049 So then, we have the privilege to help provide and make a difference here. 00:15:23.049 --> 00:15:39.722 So go to the next slide and you can see the church that you and I and we were able to build, and this beautiful woman in the middle was the lady, the mama, that received Jesus, received a home, received Jesus and from that all of this came to be. 00:15:39.722 --> 00:15:44.884 So go ahead and go to the next slide. 00:15:45.953 --> 00:15:48.307 This is one other one the church in Kugwetty. 00:15:48.307 --> 00:15:58.559 This, you see, we were walking and this is our team this is just two weeks ago our team walking up, our team walking up to this group of people. 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:00.277 Look, notice their tattered tent. 00:16:00.277 --> 00:16:01.975 That's their meeting place. 00:16:01.975 --> 00:16:09.724 We got to walk up there and meet these people and then talk with them and pray with them and give them Bibles. 00:16:09.724 --> 00:16:16.783 You see, the picture on the right is them all having a Bible in their language, which is I don't know how many. 00:16:16.783 --> 00:16:22.393 You have how many Bibles, and we don't crack it very often, some of us. 00:16:22.393 --> 00:16:32.244 It is a cherished jewel for them and so we got to give them Bibles, and this is a place that needs a church. 00:16:32.244 --> 00:16:43.643 And there's a story of the lady who heard the message from the church across the river and from hearing that message, she walked across 45 minutes the next Sunday to meet the church pastor. 00:16:43.643 --> 00:16:50.083 The pastor went over and started doing Bible study with her, and that's the result of those group of people. 00:16:50.083 --> 00:16:51.880 So we got go ahead, yeah. 00:16:51.880 --> 00:17:05.943 So we got to meet with them and talk with them and anticipate the day that we can provide them a facility as well, if that's what God wants us to do, which I think he does actually. 00:17:05.943 --> 00:17:14.902 So, all right, one more, one more to walk, one more, let's see, keep going, okay, yes, two, I think. 00:17:14.902 --> 00:17:16.538 Two other slides the squirrel. 00:17:16.538 --> 00:17:21.365 Well, you see that this is give it up for Flying Squirrel, amy and Darryl. 00:17:21.365 --> 00:17:22.474 They may be in the next service. 00:17:22.474 --> 00:17:27.775 They're not here, but the Rhyans have the Flying Squirrel Coffee Shop downtown Mansfield. 00:17:27.954 --> 00:17:31.444 Every Christmas they do a whole day where funds go to something. 00:17:31.444 --> 00:17:36.044 Two Christmases ago they said we wanted to go to a water well after they saw what God was doing there. 00:17:36.044 --> 00:17:37.660 Well, this was the water well. 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:38.915 It went to that. 00:17:38.915 --> 00:17:49.795 They got to go on the trip with their son and her brother and they got to stay in there and experience the difference life-giving water makes to people. 00:17:49.795 --> 00:17:59.204 This water well now helps 400 families get clean water that weren't able to get clean water easily before. 00:17:59.204 --> 00:18:17.255 Every family that comes that's new they share the gospel with because this is right at the church in Rappogy Baptist Church where JB is the pastor, and so, yeah, it was just as you can imagine the experience for the Rhyans getting to go and see that and be a part of that. 00:18:17.375 --> 00:18:20.144 Then just two more and I'm done with this part. 00:18:20.144 --> 00:18:25.220 The next one yeah, this is intermission, no, just kidding. 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:26.799 Second Peter and Anne. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:28.920 Second Peter and Anne. 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:32.064 Second Peter, on the left, he is one of the five pastors. 00:18:32.064 --> 00:18:34.540 He's like the logistics guy that helps coordinate things. 00:18:34.540 --> 00:18:35.503 That's his wife, anne. 00:18:35.503 --> 00:18:44.285 I just show you this because one of our visions is how do we help them with supports so they could create something that's reproducible? 00:18:44.285 --> 00:18:48.221 It's that entrepreneurship right, the micro loan kind of thing, or something. 00:18:48.221 --> 00:18:57.406 Well, miss Anne has had a dream of having some sewing machines to create a place to teach women how to sew dresses and shirts like this. 00:18:57.406 --> 00:19:29.159 She's the one that made the dresses for our ladies that went, and so, through my wife and prayers and funds that we had, we were able to gift her I think it was $600 to buy two sewing machines and material, and she sent Darla a text yesterday, or Peter did, and said they already have like 10 women ready to go, they have a place ready, they have the sewing machines, they have the fabric and they're ready to go, and so that is just a powerful thing of empowering them to help make a living and make a difference. 00:19:29.674 --> 00:19:48.242 And then the last picture is just a last one of the worship time on Sunday, and I got the preach two weeks ago there and it's quite interesting to preach with a interpreter, but it's good and God blessed that time. 00:19:48.242 --> 00:19:55.325 Their services are like two and a half hours, so you and our 70, 80, 90 minutes is just no big deal. 00:19:55.325 --> 00:19:57.740 Just say that to yourself. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:19:59.582 It's no big deal, right? 00:19:59.582 --> 00:20:04.901 But this is Darryl and my wife and some of them were singing, and just a beautiful picture. 00:20:05.535 --> 00:20:13.041 I will tell you that one of the other things that God let us to do is sit in that building. 00:20:13.041 --> 00:20:14.519 Those are metal buildings. 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:16.520 Let me back up. 00:20:16.520 --> 00:20:19.301 It's not near as hot in Africa as it is in Texas. 00:20:19.301 --> 00:20:23.336 Especially next week it was. 00:20:23.336 --> 00:20:29.942 It was 60s at night, mid 80s in the day, hot for a little bit, but not bad, but still it's hot. 00:20:29.942 --> 00:20:37.582 You get in a metal box with lots of people no, ac, it's hot. 00:20:39.477 --> 00:20:47.880 I'm sitting on my phone right over there adjusting our air before I get up here to preach because it was a little humid in here and I wanted it a little cooler for me. 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:52.096 Here we are, all of you want blankets, we want a cool. 00:20:52.096 --> 00:21:03.483 But here we are in this and we're in there and I was just looking up at the A-frame and just going imagine, man, they could put some fans up here. 00:21:03.483 --> 00:21:05.903 How much could it be to put some fans up here? 00:21:05.903 --> 00:21:16.646 So I asked Peter, who's a construction guy, and he told me midway through the week he said it'd be about $1,000 to do all five churches with fans. 00:21:16.646 --> 00:21:18.559 This sounds little to you. 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:27.826 I said absolutely done, because of who God I'm a messenger from our church to, and what God is loudest. 00:21:27.826 --> 00:21:30.061 I said done, done. 00:21:31.454 --> 00:21:38.513 This Sunday it's probably four o'clock at their time right now, or something like that. 00:21:38.513 --> 00:21:50.442 But this Sunday morning all five churches got to worship with ceiling fans blowing air on them and I mean that sounds so. 00:21:50.442 --> 00:21:55.138 I say it sounds silly, but it's not how significant. 00:21:55.138 --> 00:21:59.375 The pastors text me this morning, I'm getting ready and it's their afternoon. 00:21:59.375 --> 00:22:01.848 They finished the church and they're texting me and going. 00:22:01.848 --> 00:22:03.661 Brian, it was so nice this morning. 00:22:03.661 --> 00:22:07.022 The fans and our people were so surprised. 00:22:07.022 --> 00:22:08.076 I want to second. 00:22:08.076 --> 00:22:10.622 Peter said this is a miracle of God we never thought could happen. 00:22:13.295 --> 00:22:19.039 Ceiling fans, perspective you want to talk about perspective? 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:23.587 I'll tell you the exponential power of investing deep in the same place. 00:22:23.587 --> 00:22:26.595 I know some of you from Africa, different places that I connected with. 00:22:26.595 --> 00:22:33.119 Hey, you need to come to our country, you need to get yes, we do and I want to. 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:47.960 Who knows what the Lord will do in the days ahead but the power of continuing invest in the same place, where building homes, we're feeding children, we're providing shelter, food, water and Jesus and opportunity, it's a powerful thing. 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:58.307 So my plug for you Africa 2024, if you're interested, all of you who said I want to go next time, right out by the map, the world map will all there, right by Africa. 00:22:58.307 --> 00:23:01.265 There's a QR code for you to sign up that you're interested. 00:23:01.265 --> 00:23:03.481 That's my one plug, because some of you are going to come up and go. 00:23:03.481 --> 00:23:03.923 I want to go. 00:23:03.923 --> 00:23:06.682 So I would say come on and go with this next time. 00:23:07.454 --> 00:23:13.862 So I just want to say thank you to everyone who gives faithfully to God through your church. 00:23:13.862 --> 00:23:21.481 We are getting to be a part of God's work in the kingdom Because you are faithful in that giving and know this. 00:23:21.481 --> 00:23:22.464 You've heard this phrase. 00:23:22.464 --> 00:23:25.182 If it ain't true now I don't know. 00:23:25.182 --> 00:23:27.903 But on the other side of your giving are changed lives. 00:23:27.903 --> 00:23:29.961 It is a true statement. 00:23:29.961 --> 00:23:35.007 You need to catch that and hear that and know that that's true. 00:23:35.174 --> 00:23:37.403 So I'll tell you to celebrate. 00:23:37.403 --> 00:23:51.057 One of the things God wanted me to do with you is celebrate the stirrings of God in our church, and this was one of those things that's well done church we are reaching. 00:23:51.057 --> 00:23:56.028 And we can't change every part of the world, but we can change the part of the world God calls us to Right. 00:23:56.028 --> 00:23:59.664 We can make a dent and do what God's called us to do. 00:23:59.664 --> 00:24:06.048 So just I want you to see some of the ways God's working in and through us, not just in Africa, but all over. 00:24:06.048 --> 00:24:16.468 And I just did these slides to help me get through this quicker, and so you're not just hearing me speak about it, but just the our annual mission offering was a miracle this past Christmas. 00:24:16.468 --> 00:24:21.465 You can see up there how much it was, which was the increase from the previous year. 00:24:21.465 --> 00:24:29.028 Miraculous that God has infused in us a want and a willing to be a part of his mission, in our mission giving. 00:24:29.674 --> 00:24:34.688 And then Africa we have connections to Ecuador in July 17 to 21. 00:24:34.688 --> 00:24:48.787 There's a soccer camp coming here from our team that we support in our equity or, excuse me, ecuador, and they're coming here to do ministry to our community as they disciple the kids and people in Ecuador. 00:24:48.787 --> 00:25:04.549 The DR with the Harkies there now and our connection giving some to them and the potential there, pioneer Bible translators with Thai and sharing, creating, helping the Bible come to life in languages that didn't exist and then sharing that around. 00:25:04.549 --> 00:25:11.666 And then we got our New Orleans mission trip that we did, the builders trip every summer. 00:25:11.666 --> 00:25:12.888 That is happening next week. 00:25:12.888 --> 00:25:16.023 Like 25 to 30 people from our church are going up. 00:25:16.023 --> 00:25:18.361 They're going to rough it up in Colorado. 00:25:18.361 --> 00:25:24.724 You know that'd be rough, right, but they're going to go serve and help another church, our Excel network. 00:25:24.724 --> 00:25:26.336 On Thursday I was able to go. 00:25:26.336 --> 00:25:42.208 Our team went to another church where we hosted an Excel church planting network meeting and there was almost 100 there, I guess, but our team was able to help church planters with how to do what God's called them to do in the world. 00:25:42.515 --> 00:25:50.498 Our pastor, paul, has a passion for church planting and multiplying God's church and so we got to be a part of that. 00:25:50.498 --> 00:25:58.130 Do get to be our pastors, the lead of our regional hub in this area and gives direction in the whole church planting network nationally. 00:25:58.130 --> 00:26:02.865 But then then our vision and heart to plan another campus. 00:26:02.865 --> 00:26:08.884 It's here, it's time and we have a passion and we're working and praying towards that. 00:26:08.884 --> 00:26:13.596 All the way to that was far and near and now it's the here. 00:26:13.596 --> 00:26:26.079 You see, all the things that we're connected to, that we are, we are a part of and we're trying to be about to be about the kingdom, and I'll even I see Miss Hannah down here, camp Skylark, camp Skylark is happening. 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:26.721 How many weeks now? 00:26:26.721 --> 00:26:41.250 Three, four weeks of having children come here every day, and every day they get to hear a story about the gospel and a story about Jesus, and so we have a mission that's happening right here at our campus during the summer. 00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:44.433 So I want you just to celebrate with me. 00:26:44.433 --> 00:26:46.311 Come on, let's celebrate what God has to do. 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:53.868 And the one other piece I want you to see go to the next slide. 00:26:53.868 --> 00:26:56.894 The one other slide here is just the recognition here. 00:26:56.894 --> 00:27:20.824 I asked Ms Brandy like 16 children accepted Jesus so far since the first of this year and they're getting baptized and you're watching that and great things are happening through our children's ministry, our student ministry with Pastor Sly stepping on as our full-time pastor of students and giving a vision for our student ministry in a direction for that. 00:27:20.824 --> 00:27:23.744 And we've already had a number of kids get, students get saved. 00:27:23.744 --> 00:27:28.532 He got to baptize on Father's Day weekend a couple of students and so on. 00:27:28.532 --> 00:27:38.251 And on college and young adults you're having like 30 plus of college age young adult age gathering every Tuesday night pouring in and loving on each other. 00:27:38.251 --> 00:27:42.211 If you're a young adult in here and you're not connected to that, let's get you connected to that. 00:27:42.766 --> 00:27:47.334 But there's so many ways we're seeing in our women's ministry just different connections. 00:27:47.334 --> 00:27:57.944 Our men's ministry, the discipleship that's happening In our men's ministry to help men that have never learned how to be a father or be a husband or be a man, how to become that. 00:27:57.944 --> 00:28:06.152 That's another passion Pastor Paul has and it is one of the best at any church on how to help a man be a man through MOI. 00:28:06.152 --> 00:28:21.704 And then I just applied for Celebrate Recovery and we have the choices that lead that every Friday out across the hall, 25 plus people gather, walking through Hertz, habit and Hangups. 00:28:21.704 --> 00:28:30.650 It's not just about drinking, it's not just about drugs, it's about any hurt habit or hangup and if you have any of those kind of things you can't get past, it's a great place for you. 00:28:30.650 --> 00:28:36.271 Re-engage we've watched people who are married today and wouldn't have been if they hadn't gone through re-engage. 00:28:37.085 --> 00:28:42.626 So I want you to see and celebrate that God is working in our family One more time. 00:28:42.626 --> 00:28:44.133 Can you do that One more time? 00:28:44.133 --> 00:28:54.038 Okay, it's all about perspective. 00:28:54.038 --> 00:28:56.711 What bit do you go with? 00:28:56.711 --> 00:29:01.530 Do you go with the negative bit or do you go with God's working bit, and what bit do you go with? 00:29:01.530 --> 00:29:03.509 It's all about perspective. 00:29:03.509 --> 00:29:05.590 Here's what I want you to hear. 00:29:05.704 --> 00:29:11.232 The other side of all this is this is just a stirring from God. 00:29:11.232 --> 00:29:15.853 This is something God wants us to hear today. 00:29:15.853 --> 00:29:19.371 It's just a stirring, it's just a taste. 00:29:19.371 --> 00:29:28.633 This is the whole pivot of my message for you to hear today what we're seeing, all that I shared with you about Africa or all the other great stuff that's happening. 00:29:28.633 --> 00:29:31.691 It is just a stirring. 00:29:31.691 --> 00:29:41.657 The definition of a stir stirring is an initial sign of activity or movement or emotion. 00:29:41.657 --> 00:29:47.313 The synonyms for that are arousing, awakening, provoking, stimulating, motivating, inspiring. 00:29:49.005 --> 00:29:51.371 There is more that God wants to do. 00:29:51.371 --> 00:29:56.255 God has more for His people in this church. 00:29:56.255 --> 00:29:57.148 Would you agree with me? 00:29:57.148 --> 00:29:58.729 You think about that. 00:29:58.729 --> 00:30:01.133 It's great, as all that was I shared with you. 00:30:01.133 --> 00:30:04.147 God wanted me to share that with you, but he also wanted me to go. 00:30:04.147 --> 00:30:04.829 Wait a minute. 00:30:04.829 --> 00:30:10.009 Perspective, because if we're not careful, we sit here and go, oh, everything's great. 00:30:10.009 --> 00:30:12.567 We know we're not a perfect church by any, by any. 00:30:12.567 --> 00:30:15.432 There are challenges, but we could just sit around and go, oh, everything's great. 00:30:15.432 --> 00:30:19.795 But there is so much more that God wants from us. 00:30:20.285 --> 00:30:22.070 What kind of church do you want to be? 00:30:22.070 --> 00:30:26.294 Because I think about that in my passion. 00:30:26.294 --> 00:30:38.531 I want to be a great church, not just a good church, a great church, not just a good church, and we'll talk about the difference in a second. 00:30:38.531 --> 00:30:55.136 But how many of us want to be able to say I remember when we were part of an amazing work of God, where we saw God do amazing things we've never seen before, and it was a moment of the chapter of my life that was an amazing experience. 00:30:55.136 --> 00:31:05.614 How many of you want to be a part of a church like that I do, where our children are able to grow up in a church where God is doing miraculous things? 00:31:05.614 --> 00:31:07.550 I want to be a part of a church like that. 00:31:07.550 --> 00:31:17.473 I want to be a part of a church where we see the hope and rescue and love and salvation to the here near and far happen in so many ways. 00:31:17.473 --> 00:31:20.971 That's the church that fulfills the Great Commission. 00:31:22.484 --> 00:31:27.050 God is working, but it is a stirring or the tip of what he wants to do. 00:31:27.050 --> 00:31:36.650 We are a good church, but we are not yet a great church, and that's not a negative statement. 00:31:36.650 --> 00:31:41.693 We are a good church but we're not yet a great church. 00:31:41.693 --> 00:31:44.912 This is again perspective. 00:31:44.912 --> 00:31:56.227 Perspective gives us focus about the right thing in the right way, with the right attitude, and so if we're not careful, again we can act like everything's fine, we can go about our way, you can go. 00:31:56.227 --> 00:32:02.271 Great message, great Africa, that's awesome, this is so good, and we all walk away feeling great. 00:32:02.271 --> 00:32:11.813 But we could be playing a game of playing church and thinking we're doing what God wants us to do. 00:32:11.813 --> 00:32:16.694 So here's what I want to do Finish this time, finish this time. 00:32:16.744 --> 00:32:19.692 The last little bit is a quick, little faith check for you. 00:32:19.692 --> 00:32:24.490 This is where it comes in all the way from me to learn about Africa to about you. 00:32:24.490 --> 00:32:33.073 Little faith check here's the question for you, and I'll give you three simple ways to answer the question. 00:32:33.073 --> 00:32:40.957 The question for you is this Are you a kingdom Christian or a convenient Christian? 00:32:40.957 --> 00:32:47.088 This is for you. 00:32:47.088 --> 00:32:52.713 Are you a kingdom Christian or a convenient Christian? 00:32:52.713 --> 00:33:02.573 There are three simple tests and I'm going to give you the three simple tests real quick, with God's word with it, and then we'll be done. 00:33:02.573 --> 00:33:08.136 Test number one who is first test? 00:33:08.136 --> 00:33:12.769 This is about your priority. 00:33:12.769 --> 00:33:14.704 Who is first the? 00:33:14.704 --> 00:33:15.689 Who is first test? 00:33:15.689 --> 00:33:18.951 Here's a couple of questions for you to help you with that. 00:33:18.951 --> 00:33:24.065 Are you about God's business or about your own business? 00:33:24.065 --> 00:33:32.244 What is your first priority God and his kingdom or your life and world? 00:33:32.244 --> 00:33:37.643 And God needs to fit into your world. 00:33:38.167 --> 00:33:39.721 Matthew 22. 00:33:39.721 --> 00:33:42.723 We talked about the Great Commission, but here's the Great Commandment. 00:33:42.723 --> 00:33:46.555 The greatest commandment is this In Matthew 22, teacher, which is the greatest commandment in law. 00:33:46.555 --> 00:33:48.893 And Jesus replied what did he say? 00:33:48.893 --> 00:33:51.644 What did he say? 00:33:51.644 --> 00:33:53.952 What did he say? 00:33:53.952 --> 00:33:55.228 What did he say? 00:33:55.228 --> 00:33:57.675 Keep going, keep going. 00:33:57.675 --> 00:34:03.673 Yep, with everything you are. 00:34:03.673 --> 00:34:13.027 So here's an interesting, challenging question as you think about it is your life about God's business or your business? 00:34:13.027 --> 00:34:20.108 Do you love him and live for him, or do you like him and live for you? 00:34:20.108 --> 00:34:33.237 Casual faith makes Jesus convenient when it's convenient. 00:34:33.237 --> 00:34:41.918 We pull him in when it's needed versus the other that we're all in. 00:34:42.005 --> 00:34:48.893 What would it look like for you to go all in and truly loving God and being about his business and his mission? 00:34:48.893 --> 00:34:55.831 When you do that, worship is not just something you attend, it is a passion. 00:34:55.831 --> 00:35:03.452 There is an exuberance that your heart is enraptured by being a part of worship. 00:35:03.452 --> 00:35:08.949 And it's not just something you do on a Sunday, it's something you do every day and you think like that. 00:35:08.949 --> 00:35:11.371 That's a kingdom person. 00:35:11.371 --> 00:35:13.251 You embrace your part in the mission. 00:35:13.251 --> 00:35:18.451 Personally, can I tell you, pastor Paul has challenged us for years about this 8 to 15. 00:35:18.451 --> 00:35:19.951 That's what he preached about a couple of weeks ago. 00:35:19.951 --> 00:35:21.309 The 8 to 15. 00:35:21.309 --> 00:35:30.469 God has supernaturally and strategically placed 8 to 15 people in your world for you to be the primary one to lead them to him. 00:35:33.005 --> 00:35:37.268 Kingdom Christians, nervous, scared, don't know what to do. 00:35:37.268 --> 00:35:38.532 But take that seriously. 00:35:38.532 --> 00:35:53.791 What would it look like with the hundreds of us walking out of here with prayers every day for those 8 to 15 people in our world, looking for the moments and then getting those moments? 00:35:53.791 --> 00:35:57.429 You think if we prayed about it and prayed about them, we wouldn't have those moments. 00:35:57.429 --> 00:35:59.391 Hundreds of times that happened. 00:35:59.391 --> 00:36:04.434 That's when you go back to this great side versus good side. 00:36:06.447 --> 00:36:08.452 So that's test number one, test number two. 00:36:08.452 --> 00:36:16.588 Test number two is the what we have test, the what we have test. 00:36:16.588 --> 00:36:20.432 This has to do with your possessions. 00:36:20.432 --> 00:36:27.197 Do we use what we have for kingdom or for us? 00:36:27.197 --> 00:36:35.545 Do we try to build and amass our kingdom or God's? 00:36:35.545 --> 00:36:42.503 This can easily be seen. 00:36:42.503 --> 00:36:51.148 This is gonna step on your toes, but this is seen through your finances and through your stewardship of what you have. 00:36:51.148 --> 00:36:58.628 We are to be good stewards of what God has given us and not about using it all on us. 00:36:58.628 --> 00:37:07.271 This is where giving, this is where tithing, this is where God calls us to be generous, cheerful givers. 00:37:08.240 --> 00:37:32.945 Kingdom Christians, see that Scripture for you here Matthew 6, 19 and 21, says do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where maws and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where maws and vermin do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is. 00:37:32.945 --> 00:37:33.527 What does it say? 00:37:33.527 --> 00:37:36.385 So where's your treasure? 00:37:36.385 --> 00:37:37.704 Is your treasure in heaven? 00:37:37.704 --> 00:37:47.628 That's a good steward or is your treasure here, sitting in the driveway that you recreate on or you go on vacation on? 00:37:47.628 --> 00:37:59.568 I know that's tough, but we need to hear this because if we're not careful, our perspective is oh, everything's fine, but we're missing because we're too convenient as Christians. 00:37:59.568 --> 00:38:07.103 As long as God fits in my box, I'm great for him, as long as church is cool and I get the TED Talk every week I heard that the other day. 00:38:07.103 --> 00:38:09.786 Too often we look for the TED Talk. 00:38:09.786 --> 00:38:15.804 We want to be moved by God, to be his people, am I right? 00:38:15.804 --> 00:38:23.148 That's the difference of a good church and a great church, a kingdom Christian and a convenient Christian. 00:38:28.010 --> 00:38:34.030 So a quick little sign for you, just about this whole giving thing, let me just give you this. 00:38:34.030 --> 00:38:34.913 I'm gonna shoot straight with you. 00:38:34.913 --> 00:38:35.585 Can I shoot straight? 00:38:35.585 --> 00:38:36.661 Please? 00:38:36.661 --> 00:38:37.786