Embracing New Opportunities Through Faith and Unity

1. "I have said this to you over the years. I am going to restate it to us now, especially for those that may be new to canvas. I want you to know who we are. We are big dreaming, faith-filled risk takers. We will never insult God with small thinking or safe living. We're not always going to just play it safe. When God leads us or guides us. When God asks us to follow. Him into uncharted water. We are always going to be the ones that are going to follow him where he leads us." [07:19] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "Now listen to this. We understand that with great blessing comes great responsibility. With great blessing comes great responsibility. See, you need to know this. That God will never bless you just so that you can be more blessed. You missed a great opportunity to say amen right there. God will never bless you. Just so that you can be more blessed and have more and be more full. Now don't misunderstand me. He is a good, good father. And because of that he loves his children. And of course, like any good father, he wants to see his children blessed. But we are actually blessed according to the word of God. To be a blessing to others." [08:33] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "Listen man. I am humbled by the fact that I see people growing in God. And those people that have experienced the love of Jesus. They have experienced the power of his church. And they are not just eating that seed. They are giving back. So that even more people can come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. That is what it is all about. And I am so grateful for the generosity and the people in our church that give so willingly to the work of God." [15:18] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "I know that transition and change is hard. And they just received some news that after all of these years, this could be it. But I also believe that every closed door is an open door. And that God uses closed doors to open new chapters. Of greater and bigger things. It's certainly true of Canvas Church. And I believe it's also true of Victory Church as well. And we love them so much and are so thankful that God has brought us together." [19:40] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "I never came to Alachua. I mean this. I never came here to build a big church. I came here to build a meaningful church. And to win souls for Jesus. A place where people could find refuge and hope and healing. That was all that was on my radar. And that's all that's ever been in my heart. What we've just determined is if you do one the other just happens. If you really reach people. If you really make much of Jesus. If you really preach the word of God. If you really love people where they are. And don't make them jump the religious hoops. But just allow the Holy Spirit and the word of God to do what he said he would do in their lives. Life change will happen. People will be saved. God will do what he said he will do." [28:34] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "When I'm asking you to pray, I am asking you to partner in prayer. This is not a spiritual cliche. I'm telling you prayer is the most powerful thing we could do first and foremost. Let me give you a scripture in the book of James. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. And I love that he goes on to give us an example. Because when you hear the name Elijah, it's easy for you to think that he was just some superhuman prophet. But he wasn't. The writer wants us to know he was just like you and me. Elijah was just as human as we are. And yet when he prayed earnestly. He's talking about the Old Testament. That no rain would fall. None fell for three and a half years in Israel. Then when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops again. He wants us to understand that prayer is incredibly powerful." [30:26] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "God never blesses us. Just so that we can be more blessed. He blesses us. So that we can be a greater blessing. To other people. And to the work of God. And we get to see what we're investing in every single week. Every week. Listen. This is Vision Sunday. And I know this isn't like some compelling. You know. Cross centered message evangelistically. Where I'm preaching and trying to help people come to Christ. We're just talking about the future of the church. We're talking about logistics here. And yet I preached in first service. Gave the altar call. And four people came to the saving knowledge of Jesus in first service. How is that possible? It's possible because everything that we're talking about points back to Jesus. Everything that we're talking about. Everything that we're praying for. Everything that we're looking at. Everything. All the reasons that we are doing this goes back to Jesus. It is to make much of Jesus. And we get to see it every week. Lives changed. Families changed. Stories changed." [33:04] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "When we all just do our part and participate. That unity releases unusual power. I'll prove it to you. I shared this a while back with you. I was on a plane. I read this. I read about the most powerful horse in the world. It's a Belgian draft horse. He's the strongest horse in the entire world. One Belgian draft horse can pull 8,000 pounds. But then the article went on to say. They discovered something unique about this Belgian draft horse. When they yoked him together with another Belgian draft horse. And they were pulling in the same direction. You would think that if one can pull eight. Two would be able to pull 16. But they discovered something unique. Two of them yoked together. Pulling in the same direction. Actually can pull 32,000 pounds. Their unity does not bring addition. It creates multiplication. So it's a spiritual principle. Bible says in one place. One will send a thousand. But if two come together. They can send 10,000 to flight. That math don't add up. If you don't have the spirit of God involved. It's different. When we come together. And everybody who calls Canvas home. Makes up their mind. I'm not just going to come. Hear a good sermon and leave. I'm going to actually get involved. In the life of the church. Through giving and serving. And we all just do our part. That unity. God multiplies it. And we are able to win even more souls. And do even greater things. In the world. On the cause and for the cause of Christ. Get involved. Come on man. God's going to bless you." [36:16] (98 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "I really believe that the door that God has opened to us and what he's entrusted to us through the university campus has come because he said I see you. I see that even when times were tough and rough. You didn't run. You didn't give up. You didn't roll over. And now I can trust you with different levels of favor. We just stayed with it and kept praying and preaching and working and serving. And we are convinced that this is an open door from God. May we continue to be found faithful to him. And all that he's called us to do knowing that the best is yet to come. And whatever happens and whatever materializes and however large it grows and however many souls are saved and however many lives are changed. It will always and forever be to God be." [40:30] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)