Living with Purpose: Lessons from a Mentor's Legacy

I remember when we went to India and he I started meeting Believers in different regions in India and I was shocked by their commitment level and I remember asking one of the Bishops one of the leaders there I go hey is there an area out here I mean that's a lot of people over a billion people is there like are there certain segments in India where the Casual Christians go you know like like the you know I believe in Jesus but I'm not really going to follow him are there you know are there pox cuz everyone I'm meeting seems super intense like super in tune with God re sacrifice everything seems like they have nothing and I asked him I go isn't there like a casual Christianity in India and he looked at me puzzled and he goes why he goes why would anyone do this casually he goes in India the moment you get baptized you lose everything your family disowns you you lose your job you have nothing except Jesus and the church why would you do that casually why would just kind of flippantly say oh I'll get baptized and lose every single person that I love I'm ready to lose my parents their love that they've loved me for so many years I'm ready to did he goes and and then he explained he goes when I gave my life to the Lord when my told when I told my dad I was getting baptized I forget if he said he was eight or if he was 10 he took everything that I owned all my clothes my books he goes I still remember the day it was raining everything it was just mud outside he threw everything I owned in the mud and he said get out of my house you're no longer my son so picture this 10-year-old walking around in India with nothing and just looking for any place to find something to eat and he talked about how God would supernaturally provide for him as that little kid and he goes why would I do that casually there's no such thing as that out here and that's why he would get so sad for the church in America I remember time and one time him just he was literally on the phone crying sobbing cuz another Pastor fell into immorality and and he's just like I don't understand you people out there he goes I meet some of these famous Christian leaders and I walk away going oh Jesus I wish he knew you I wish he really knew you remember there's one passage that when he taught on it it had a huge impact on my life he was sharing out of Exodus chapter 19 that scene where Moses goes up to meet with God and uh in Exodus 19:18 it says now Mount Si was wrapped in Smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln and the whole Mountain trembled greatly and as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder Moses spoke and God answered him in Thunder the Lord came down on Mount Si to the top of the mountain and the Lord Called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up here's just describing that scene and and he's going gosh Moses went to the Mountaintop and God came down on the Mountaintop and fire and smoke trumpets everything everyone is terrified but Moses goes up into the presence of God and and remember him saying he actually was in his presence there was a sense in which he was touching him he goes it seems like in America people would be satisfied at the base of the mountain waiting for Moses to come down and asking if they can take a selfie with Moses like that that's that's what your culture that's what your country feels like you're more about can I get a selfie with Moses and he goes don't you realize you can go up the mountain you can actually encounter him and yet you're satisfied just knowing or saying you know someone who's close to God I that's one of the things that he taught me is don't get satisfied with with anything less than the actual presence of God and touching him not through anyone else but you and him to go up the mountain I remember one time when I was in Dallas and I was going to an event to speak and he says can I drive you I'm like sure of course so he drives me there and it was one of those big events where uh I don't know was it was pretty crazy like they had animals like donkeys camels everything like all sorts of attractions that were going to March through the sanctuary you know there was a band a known band that was playing and I was speaking and he just looked at me goes wow you Americans are so funny he goes if there's not a great speaker there's not a great crowd is there or a great band he goes in India when we hear that communion is going to take place we get excited we're like What time when is the church going to gather together and take of the bread and drink of the cup when do we get to commune with Jesus he goes It's So Different Here your people people only get excited if there's a good band or a good speaker or a good program he goes we love communion and I just remember hearing that I go wow that's so weird and thinking wow that actually draws people to partake of the body and blood of Christ it was so convicting cuz I thought if I am God and I'm looking down on the earth and I'm seeing two groups of people those who can't wait to to take of the bread and take of the cup and that's why they come versus others that are like who else is going to be there what else is going to be taking place I just thought oh God I don't want to be a part of that I want you to be my desire and finally KP was the one that really got me humbling myself about my own understanding of scripture and he asked me he goes hey how well do you know your church history I go it's not great um he goes I'm willing to bet that the only church history you ever studied was the last 500 years of church history since the Reformation he goes but what did people do do before there was this book what did people do for the first 300 years of the church you ever study that you ever think about that you ever see did you know how much they valued communion the bread and the cup do you know that they they didn't have a 40-minute expositional sermon you know they got together together with the body of Christ to remember the body and blood of Christ he goes I really challenge you study because the church didn't start with you don't have this mindset of oh the church the church has been so off and then I went to Seminary and then I figured out how to build the perfect church he goes there are 2,000 years of church history we need to attach ourselves to that and recognize that there were Godly men and women who have gone before us who died for the truth of the gospel and they cherished taking the bread and the cup he go study and it was through all that that suddenly I realized wow there can be such an arrogance nowadays in the church where all these different leaders go I got to figure it out everyone else is wrong and we forget there were a lot of Godly men and women that have been following Jesus from day one and we need to look and study and go what did they believe how do they live what were their relationships like and so that's what we're trying to that's why so much of what we do has been changed these last few few years so I share all these things and you go oh that's where he got all that you know because this is the stuff that's been on my heart but isn't it crazy how someone who lived on the earth for 74 years that you didn't know a thing about actually had an impact on your life because he impacted me and those thoughts have impacted the church and here we are today and I'm just so grateful you know I almost feel like this is like a memorial service for a guy you didn't even know and I just but I just didn't want him to pass away and for me to just move on with life and jump to the next thing without recognizing wow he taught me some very very important lessons and so much of it is around this table [00:43:36]