As a matter of fact, the more that the darkness tries to extinguish the light, the brighter it shines and the faster it spreads. We've seen that very clearly in the past few weeks, right? Yeah, you cannot slow down the church. Listen, this is why I walked away from last week. The church of Jesus Christ is alive and well and awake and the gates of hell are shaking and amazing things are about to happen, amen?
[00:31:49]
What was the vision of those that came before us? Like because of their vision, that calling, that commitment, what were they willing to, and eager, they wanted to do it, sacrifice that makes it possible for us to sit in here today and we know, we know that God loves us and we know that through Jesus we can be set free and we can live free, and I'm not talking about free as Americans, I mean freedom in Christ from the chains of sin and condemnation that used to own you.
[00:32:26]
What will it take to not only take back territory that God says is his alone, but has been stolen by some enemy, and also, what will it take to bring the awesome life of Jesus to new places in the world, this broken world? What will it take, this is the phrase I've kinda landed on, what will it take to build the thing that builds the thing? Does that make sense? Like, I can't build everything, but I can build the thing that builds the thing, that builds the thing, so that the next generation's coming up after us, our children, our grandchildren, and if you're 14 in here, and you're going like, I don't have children or grandchildren, you will, in a, like that, right, old people, it just comes fast, right, it's just like, boom, I was in high school, and now I'm a grandpa, it's just, I mean, life is fast, all right?
[00:33:32]
Go to the whole world and make disciples, that's the mission. And what's the first word there? Go, that means leave where you are and go to places where people don't know me yet, all right? I cannot find a verse in the Bible that tells sinners to go to church. It's not in there, I've looked. Hey, if you're a sinner, you should go to church and get saved, no, it's not in there. I find verse after verse after verse that says, hey, Christians, leave your church and go. Go where? Go to where people don't know me yet and make disciples, make followers.
[00:36:13]
Christians, please listen, because I'm gonna clear some stuff up for you. Stop trying to teach stuff you don't know anything about. You're making it worse, right? I don't know if Jesus said it or not, but I think he should have, so I'm gonna preach it. Don't. Like, stop it. No, just teach what you know. Teach what you have learned from Jesus. Tell how his truth has set you free. Tell what you have seen and heard and experienced. Just tell your story. I once was blind, and now I'm not. That's all I got, right?
[00:37:06]
When the Holy Spirit fills a person, and Jesus, promises this will happen. Something happens in that person that not only changes who they are internally, and over time, but allows them to do things they could never do on their own. This is what Jesus promised would happen. In this case, this day, they were filled with a new level of courage, like boldness, and they were able to speak in other tongues, in other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to do it that day.
[00:39:38]
Past defeats become leverage for future victories. Don't you hope that's true, all right? Peter delivers the first public message about who Jesus is and what he has done in his own life and what he can do in another person's life. And he gives that message to the same crowd that a few weeks ago, same people were shouting, crucify him, crucify him, right? And remember what Peter was doing while everybody, while that was going on, the crucify him, crucify him? Remember what he was doing? Hiding. He was a coward. He denied Jesus three times that night. He was terrified when a little girl says, do you know Jesus? No, I never knew him. But something changed.
[00:41:55]
When a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ, and maybe you're gonna do that today, say, you're my Lord and Savior, you are forgiven, past, present, and future mistakes, but it doesn't stop there. The Holy Spirit comes into your life, no matter what you've done or what Ben's done to you in the past, God can use anyone if you're willing to combine your messy story with what Jesus has done in your life, and then combine that with Jesus' offer of love and grace and forgiveness, and if you'll do that, take your jacked up story, I once was blind, but now I see, and Jesus' grace and his power, and he's gonna use you to do impossible things. He's gonna use you.
[00:44:07]
The only thing that qualified them was they put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit came into their life and changed who they were on the inside, and they said, yes, I'm willing to follow wherever and whatever the Spirit tells me to do. There's an old saying I grew up with, hey, you might wanna take this picture, it's really good, God doesn't call the qualified, God qualifies the called. All right, that's what qualifies you.
[00:45:05]
For the record, the church has always, for 2,000 years, and will always be made up of not the most qualified people. Right? But ordinary people who were lost and broken, who met Jesus, put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, were filled with his Holy Spirit and said yes to the calling to go and do the things the Spirit leads them to go do. No one is too far gone. This may be why God brought you here today. No story is too dark. Nothing you've done is too shameful. Anyone who is willing to put their faith in Jesus and follow the Spirit can be used by God to do great things in his kingdom. Whatever Flatirons does in the future will be done by men and women just like that. There is no plan B. It's us. It's us.
[00:45:28]
Past cowards become future courageous leaders. Amen? See, here's what, when the Holy Spirit comes into a person's life, a person's entire perspective changes as to what is, and is not important or valuable anymore. To the point that the things that we used to be afraid of that might happen to us, or what it might cost us, no longer scares us. Because when something scares us, it owns us. That's chains, that's slavery, right? As a matter of fact, the things we used to be afraid of, we now welcome them and consider it as an honor. Bring it on.
[00:50:16]
If the only one you're looking to for approval is Jesus, and who cares what anybody else thinks? If everything that you possess, you don't really consider that you own it, but you're actually a steward of it and entrusted to leverage it for Jesus, so if someone tries to take something from you, it wasn't yours anyway, and if you already look at your life as, I've been crucified with Christ, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, then what can the world do to us? Like, kill us? Bring it on, I'll be in heaven, all right? What would they threaten us with? And the answer is nothing.
[00:53:50]
I believe that we're moving into a time in history that closely mirrors what those first Christians face as they engage in the Great Commission, and the only way, church, that we're gonna, not just make it or survive, we're gonna prevail is through the fearless boldness that comes from the Holy Spirit to speak and stand for and fight for the things that Jesus tells us to speak, stand, and fight for. Again, not in our own might, not against flesh and blood, but by the Spirit, because it's a spiritual battle, but we have to rescue people physically, too.
[00:54:19]
The church has to speak both truth and grace, but it has to do both of those things with courage and boldness. The number one command in the Bible, right? 366 times in the Bible, we have some form of the same command, do not be afraid, for I am with you. I sense, I sense a boldness in this church like never before right the enemy thinks they're bold this way the church is on its way all right it is going to take the kind of courage and boldness that the world can only look at and respond those people are ordinary common people but it is obvious they have been with Jesus look at them right.
[00:54:49]
Lost and broken people are attracted to faith courage truth and freedom when it is delivered by a yeah me too person that has gone first and can testify it works it's true right we already saw that we've already read it right in acts chapter two when peter stands up to preach the chapter begins with people mocking them and insulting them and ends with and when they heard the message they were cut to the heart and asked what must we do repent and be baptized and 3 000 families got baptized.
[00:55:30]
But when they see a unified body of believers courageously following Christ, holding on to what Jesus says is true, and holding on to one another, even when we disagree with one another. Jesus said that picture, that testimony of faith, people will lean into it and they'll meet Jesus, the Jesus we claim to follow.
[00:59:58]
First one, past defeats become leverage for future victories. This may be why God brought you here. No matter who you are or what you've done or what's been done to you, if a person is willing to put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and receive his Holy Spirit, Jesus can use you to do great things in the kingdom of God. There's no one too far gone. I'm talking about you.
[01:00:19]
Second thing, past cowards become future courageous leaders. When the Holy Spirit comes into a person's life, a person's entire perspective changes as to what's important and valuable to the point that the things that we once feared that might happen to us or might cost us no longer do. We can literally now say, I give everything to Jesus because Jesus is everything. What can you do to me?
[01:00:37]
The third thing is this. Lost and broken people are attracted to faith and courage and truth and freedom when it is delivered by ordinary people like us who have gone first and we can testify, Jesus works. It's true. The one truth that was common in the book of Acts that is still true today, when a lost and broken person sees a person just like them changing and being healed and set free, something, I won't say this to your face, but they're watching you, right? The guy at work, the guy at the garage, the lady at the grocery store, right? They're watching you.
[01:00:59]
It is time to get off the fence. It's time to begin to live your life as a disciple with courage instead of one foot in and one foot out. Half in, half out. That would explain why your walk with Jesus has no power. Makes no difference in your life or in your marriage or in your children and is not attractive to anyone around you because you're half in, half out.
[01:02:13]
Whenever a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ as a statement, listen, when you get baptized, it's not like Jesus going, like, prove it, get dunked. It's like, he knows, he knows our hearts, right? Being baptized is not some statement of Christ, he knows. But when we get baptized, it's a commandment, it's a public, courageous statement to yourself and to those around you, and please hear this, to the dark, spiritual realm that's watching everything that happens in this room.
[01:03:24]
I have a sense of urgency. I don't know if we get another breath. I don't know if we get tomorrow. I don't know when Jesus comes back. I don't want him to come back right now, because I have a friend, and you have a daughter, and you have a dad, and you know. I don't know if they believe yet. But last week, or even today, if you did that last weekend, or if you want to do that right now, I've read this. All you have to do is believe in your heart Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved. That's what it says. So then come and be baptized. Take that step. Make a statement to yourself, to the world, and to the demonic realm. Jesus is my savior, and I'm with him, and his spirit lives in me. You want to do that? Do you want to do that?
[01:04:31]
