WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Fools for the Kingdom Publishing Date: 2015-02-22T05:00:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/fools-for-the-kingdom-2/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000 Fools for the Kingdom and hopefully this is part one and then we'll talk about part two next. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.000 Fools for the Kingdom. Wayne, am I good to go? 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.000 Yeah. Okay. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:16.000 So here's the thing guys, I know you've heard this story before but for the sake of the CDL, 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:23.000 I'll say it again, there's a man who walks up and down the streets of London and he wears an A board on himself. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:28.000 And in the front of the A board, it says, whose fool are you? 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.000 So when people are walking towards him, they see this big sign saying, whose fool are you? 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.000 And then they laugh at him and as they, oh no, I gave it away. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:43.000 The front says, the front says, I'm a fool for Jesus. And so they laugh at him. 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:47.000 And then they see the back and it says, whose fool are you? 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:52.000 And the point being, you are somebody's fool. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.000 You're either Obama's fool or you're the Republican Party's fool. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:59.000 You're either Fox News's fool or you're CNN's fool. 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.000 You're either the world's fool or someone's fool. 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:07.000 You're always at the bidding of someone. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:11.000 You're always influenced by someone. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:15.000 I think it's such a brilliant statement. I'm a fool for Jesus. Whose fool are you? 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:19.000 Whose fool are you? Because you're always somebody's fool. 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:26.000 So, feel free to come back anytime, guys. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:33.000 So guys, to begin with, we've been talking about the kingdom for the last many weeks. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:38.000 And I didn't want you to feel you can't go by when I'm preaching. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:48.000 Man, with these three guys, you can go into any dark alley any day of the year and people will not touch you. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:55.000 All we need is Darrow with them and that's it. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:01.000 So, your king... 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:06.000 You look tiny in there, Prashant. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.000 Sorry, getting back to this. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:14.000 So guys, your king... We're talking about fools for the kingdom. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:25.000 Your king is the all-powerful, ridiculously kind, glorious creator and heir to the universe. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:30.000 That's who your king is. Your king is all-powerful. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:37.000 I mean, the word power begins with Jesus. Nobody has power except him. Really. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:43.000 When I see these guys rising up in different nations and exerting power, I think to myself, 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:52.000 Gosh, Father, I don't know how you can be so patient and kind when you can snap power like this, like I snap a twig. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:03:00.000 I mean, when one of those big flies flies around in your room thinking he's all-powerful, what do you think? 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:05.000 That, listen, stop bothering me or I'll zap you in a second. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.000 And the fly doesn't understand and so you zap the fly. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:17.000 That's how power in human terms is with God. He's all-powerful, man. All-powerful. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:22.000 And he's really kind. Super kind. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:28.000 And he is the glorious creator of everything. This is who the king is. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:35.000 The glorious creator of everything. And he's the heir of the universe. 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:45.000 Colossians 1.16 says that it is by him, through him and for him that all things were created. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:50.000 By him, through him, for him, all things were created. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:54.000 There's nothing that has been created that is not by him, for him, through him. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:04:00.000 So he's got all power. He's the heir to the universe. This is who he is. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:08.000 And yet, even though Jesus is all this, he was subjected to a public hanging. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:13.000 This king that I just spoke to you about was subjected to a public hanging. 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:19.000 He was shamed, he was accursed, he was butchered and he was humiliated. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:28.000 Just compute, man. We are just talking about this all-powerful, super kind, glorious creator who is the heir of the universe. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:36.000 And then we say that this very king that we are talking about had to be subjected to a public hanging on a tree 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:43.000 where he was shamed, he was considered accursed, he was butchered and he was humiliated. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:48.000 Like a common thief. Like a common thief. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:57.000 I know you know that this was done so that your sins may be paid for and that the hostility between you and God would end. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:01.000 I know you know that. But just to think that this was what was done to the king. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:08.000 Hebrews chapter 2 verse 5 says it so succinctly and it's so sobering. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:19.000 It says, How can we neglect so great a salvation? 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:37.000 It says, How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:43.000 That's what it says. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:48.000 How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:50.000 That's what it says in Hebrews 2, 5. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:55.000 And at the end of the day guys, as we begin to talk about fools for the kingdom, 00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:04.000 one of the things we have to know without a shadow of a doubt is that Christianity is a religion of salvation or rescue. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.000 Christianity is a religion. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:12.000 Christianity is a religion. People like to say no it's not a religion, it's a personal relationship. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.000 All that is true but it's still a religion. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:25.000 Christianity is a religion of salvation or rescue. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.000 If you don't want to use the word salvation when you talk about people, talk about the word rescue. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:32.000 Christianity is a religion of salvation and rescue. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:39.000 It's not enlightenment. Christianity is not about some mysterious esoteric spirituality. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:46.000 It's not about self-improvement. It's not. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:49.000 It is about salvation and rescue. 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:51.000 And we've got to get, sorry go ahead. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:57.000 It is too. But sometimes we avoid the word religion but the world sees it as a religion. 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:03.000 So let's talk about it in terms of the world because we understand the personal relationship but they see it as a religion. 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:07.000 So approach it from that angle. Yes it is a religion but it's a religion of salvation. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:11.000 It's not about mysterious spiritualism. It's not about self-improvement. 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.000 It's not about getting prosperous here on earth. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:21.000 At the end of the day, not at the end of the day, first and foremost it is about rescue. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:25.000 It's about rescue. 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:29.000 And so who are you? Rescuers. 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:31.000 Sent out on his behalf but we'll go there later. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:35.000 Secondly, it is a great salvation. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:39.000 It's not a small rescue. It is a great salvation. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.000 It is a great salvation. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:47.000 As in, this is a salvation or rescue that meets every need. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.000 Guilt, it rescues from. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.000 Shame, it rescues from. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:08:00.000 Loss of identity that, and all this goes back to the Garden of Eden actually, loss of identity it rescues from. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.000 Sin, it rescues from. 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:06.000 Sin's penalty, it rescues from. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:09.000 Death, it rescues from. 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:12.000 Loneliness, it rescues from. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:15.000 Sickness, it rescues from. 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:17.000 Keep calling it out guys. 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.000 Hopelessness, it rescues from. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.000 Despair, it rescues from. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:28.000 I mean, it is a great salvation. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:32.000 Fear, it rescues from. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:35.000 The fear of death, it rescues from. 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:40.000 An eternity cut off from God, it rescues from. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:48.000 Danger, it rescues from. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.000 We just sang a little while ago. 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:55.000 Lord, my shield. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.000 What's the word? 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:00.000 What's the song? 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:07.000 Yeah, well it is shield. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:11.000 But guys, at the end of the day, it's a great salvation. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.000 So, why am I telling you this? 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:18.000 Because sometimes we forget the enormity of what we are being rescued from. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:21.000 We quickly bring it down to heaven and hell. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:26.000 While that's absolutely true, it is a great salvation. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.000 It is rescue from all these things, man. 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:42.000 From guilt, from shame, from the loss of identity, from sin, from the penalty of sin, from death, from loneliness, from sickness, from hopelessness, from despair, from fear, from an eternity cut off from God, from danger. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:47.000 And this list is not over yet. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:48.000 A great salvation. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.000 This is why Hebrews chapter 2 verse 5 puts it that way. 00:09:51.000 --> 00:10:01.000 That how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:03.000 It must not be neglected, guys. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:05.000 On one hand, it must not be neglected. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:08.000 Because Jesus paid a super high price. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:10.000 His life for mine. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:11.000 Why? 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:13.000 Because He cares affectionately for me. 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.000 That's the crazy thing. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.000 Why did He do it? 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:19.000 Because He cares affectionately for me. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:22.000 That question that I asked during worship is really important. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.000 If God is for you, and the question you have to ask is, why did He do it? 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:28.000 Because He cares affectionately for me. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.000 Why did He do it? 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.000 Because He cares affectionately for me. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.000 That's the crazy thing. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:37.000 That question that I asked during worship is really important. 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:49.000 If God is for you, and the question you have to ask is, is He for you? 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:52.000 Because sometimes we doubt that, eh? 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:53.000 And we shouldn't. 00:10:53.000 --> 00:11:00.000 God is for me. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.000 Must not be neglected, guys. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.000 Here's the thing. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:08.000 Why does He want to exchange His life for mine? 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.000 One, because He cares for me affectionately. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:19.000 Two, because now I get to know God as Father, as friend, as God. 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:26.000 And here's another thing that I was thinking of that, this is so true and yet I often don't call Him that, as comforter. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:29.000 My God, I wouldn't know what to do if God wasn't around. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:30.000 Who would? 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.000 I'm not talking about comfort as in, come Jacob, cry on my shoulder. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:36.000 No, as in, Father I'm scared, comfort. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:38.000 Father I don't know what to do, comfort. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.000 Father I'm not feeling all that good, comfort. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:42.000 Father I'm kind of feeling alone, comfort. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:43.000 Father I messed up, comfort. 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:45.000 Father I really screwed up, comfort. 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.000 Father I sinned, comfort. 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:48.000 Man, He is such a comfort. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.000 I wouldn't know what to do. 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.000 How did we manage without Him, man? 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:54.000 How did we manage without Him? 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:58.000 I'd suggest a very simple Greek word, badly. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:05.000 We must not neglect. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:14.000 Because we get to know God as God, as Father, as friend and as comforter. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.000 We get to know Him that way, guys. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:21.000 Just think, eh, we know the God of the universe as a Father. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:23.000 How many know Him like that? 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:24.000 What a privilege. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:25.000 As a friend. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:29.000 Jesus said, you're not my servants anymore, you are my friends. 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:31.000 Because servants don't know their master's business, 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.000 but friends know what their friends are up to. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:37.000 Friends lay down their lives for their friends. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:39.000 And so He goes on and lays down His life. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:43.000 And then He says, okay, if you're my friend, you will obey my commandments. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:46.000 Father, friend, God and comforter. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.000 That's who we know Him. 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:50.000 And we must not neglect the salvation. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.000 And the other thing is, this salvation can be neglected. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:54.000 How? 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:57.000 Why does the world neglect the salvation? 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:58.000 Two reasons, guys. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.000 One, they are too blind to their own bankruptcy. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:03.000 I've said this before. 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:07.000 Guys, when you go and tell people, when you become a fool for the kingdom 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:10.000 and go tell people about what we are just talking about, 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:13.000 there'll be two reasons why they usually reject you. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:15.000 And reject what you're telling them. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:20.000 One, because of the blindness that comes over them where they can't see their bankruptcy. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.000 Till you are bankrupt, you will not apply for chapter 11. 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:30.000 You don't need a savior till you are, till you realize you're drowning. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:32.000 That's the problem. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:35.000 People are too blind to recognize their bankruptcy. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.000 And how does the church get around it? 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:40.000 By telling them, Jesus is a friend. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:41.000 No, no, no, no. 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:45.000 Jesus is first one who rescues. 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:47.000 You cannot avoid that. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:50.000 Jesus being presented as a friend is, 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:55.000 may I suggest to you a counterfeit kingdom and a counterfeit gospel. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:59.000 He has to be presented as rescuer. 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:02.000 He never presented himself as friend first. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:05.000 He presented himself as a son of God who came down to save. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:10.000 John 3.16, God so sent his son so that people would be saved. 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.000 The friend part comes and he is friendly, but that's not his. 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:20.000 He didn't come up to the earth and say, I was sent by my father so I could be your friend. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:23.000 Yes, but after this, this cannot be avoided. 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:26.000 And I've avoided it many times in my life. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:29.000 I've been called on it too. 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:33.000 This is where we need to be foolish because people don't recognize their bankruptcy. 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.000 So the first thing you may have to confront people with, 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:43.000 hey, till you recognize that you need to be saved from all this, including this, 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:48.000 you don't need a savior. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:15:04.000 I think I've read this out to you before, but I'll read it out again. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:07.000 Okay, here's what it says. 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.000 They received Jesus as a sin-forgiver because they like being guilt-free. 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:15.000 As a rescuer from hell because they love being pain-free. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.000 As a healer because they love being disease-free. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:21.000 As a protector because they love being safe. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:24.000 As a prosperity-giver because they love being wealthy. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.000 As creator because they like a personal universe. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:30.000 As the Lord of history because they want purpose. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:35.000 But very few receive him as supremely and personally valuable for who he is. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:40.000 They don't receive him the way Paul did when he spoke of the surpassing worth 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.000 of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:46.000 They don't receive him as Jesus really is. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:52.000 More glorious, more beautiful, more wonderful, more satisfying than everything else in the universe. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:57.000 They don't prize him or treasure him or cherish him or delight in him like that. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:07.000 And why? Because we sell a Jesus who meets your needs but does not rescue you from these things. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:10.000 And that we have to change. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:15.000 That's where you become fools. 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.000 So one of the reasons people will reject what you're saying is because of the blindness to their own bankruptcy. 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.000 And the second reason is a hardness that comes because of pride. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:29.000 Because most people want to earn salvation and every religion will give you room for that except Christianity. 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:33.000 Every religion in the world will give you room to earn salvation. 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.000 Go to the Ganges and take a bath and your sins will be cleansed. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:42.000 Go visit temples and attain nirvana through a nine-fold path. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:50.000 Go visit Mecca and indulge in hajj and four other practices and God may forgive you. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:58.000 Go wail at the wailing wall and hope that the Messiah will come back one day and Israel's sins will be forgiven. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:04.000 Go practice spirituality and hopefully one day your Atma will become one with the Parmatma. 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:08.000 Every religion will give you some way to earn salvation. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:13.000 The only religion that does not give you a choice in terms of earning your salvation is Christianity. 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:16.000 You cannot earn salvation. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:25.000 It is given through the death, the butchery, the humiliation and the cursedness of one called Jesus Christ who is the heir of the entire universe. 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.000 Crazy man! 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:39.000 I know I've said this before but I remember taking a very educated UBC student who had come to the country new and I was his host for the first five days. 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:44.000 I shared with him about Jesus and on the last day as he's getting out of the car he says, 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:48.000 you know I really understood what you said but I cannot accept this. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.000 I said why? He says because this is too easy I don't have to do anything. 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.000 I was stunned man. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:58.000 He's a bright young man. He came here for a doctorate. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.000 Understood everything. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:03.000 Said I can't accept this because this is too easy. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:05.000 I don't have to do anything. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.000 That is nuts man. 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.000 That is sad nuts yeah. 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:18.000 Terribly. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:20.000 It's pride guys. 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:24.000 Those are the two reasons why you'll be rejected guys. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.000 So get used to it. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:31.000 And yet there will be many who will respond. 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:38.000 Guys the world will keep demanding signs and wisdom and sophistication. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:41.000 The world demands signs to authenticate you. 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:45.000 The world demands wisdom and sophistication to validate you. 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:48.000 I mean what is the world's favorite question? 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.000 What have you done for me lately? 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:52.000 Show me some sign that your God is true. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:19:01.000 Give me some amazing wisdom of some philosophical reasoning to convince me that Jesus is who he says he is. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:07.000 The world will look for signs and wisdom to validate you and really God has both. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:11.000 But rather than give the world signs and wisdom that they demanded, 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:13.000 what did God come up with? 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:16.000 A crucified Messiah. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:20.000 I mean you think God can't do signs. 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:26.000 He takes seven colors and puts them together and throws them up in the shape of a bow and becomes a rainbow 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:30.000 and he tells Noah, well now you have a sign. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:39.000 He starts writing on the wall with an invisible hand and scares the hippie-jibbies out of that king. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.000 He can do signs anytime he wants. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:48.000 Wisdom? Man, look at how he's created stuff, man. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:53.000 And yet when the world loves signs and demands wisdom and sophistication, 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:54.000 what does God come up with? 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:58.000 A crucified Messiah, an executed king, a humiliated God. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.000 That's his best option. 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:05.000 Guys, get used to this because it's the only way he's going to save people. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:12.000 And if I am reluctant about presenting this Christ as in Christ crucified, 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:16.000 if I am unconvinced about it as in there must be a better way to talk about it. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:20.000 How about starting with a joke to just lighten the atmosphere and then tell them about Jesus? 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:28.000 Or how about, sometimes you're not unconvinced, you're uncomfortable telling people that your Savior died on a cross 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:32.000 and if you receive his death on a cross and the shed blood you will be saved. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.000 Sounds so unreasonable and unsophisticated. 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.000 But know this, that if I am unconvinced about it, if I'm uncomfortable with it, 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:46.000 and if I'm reluctant about it, about proclaiming a crucified Christ when I'm faced with Jewish scholars and Greek philosophers, 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:53.000 which is a way of saying the world, then know this, that you are inadvertently propping up a counterfeit kingdom 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:56.000 and you're molding a golden calf for people. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:05.000 Every time I present Christ without the cross, I'm molding a golden calf, an idol for people that will suit their particular fancy. 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:08.000 I cannot afford to do that and I'm presenting a counterfeit kingdom. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:14.000 It is not the true kingdom because the true kingdom had a king who was executed for his citizens 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:22.000 and you cannot talk about the kingdom of God without talking about the king, the Messiah, the anointed prince who was executed. 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:24.000 Can't talk about it without that. 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:33.000 So which, inadvertently perhaps, because I'm reluctant, hesitant, uncomfortable, unconvinced about presenting Jesus crucified, 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:38.000 I'll go about it some other way, and in the process I'm propping up a counterfeit kingdom 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:48.000 and I'm molding a golden calf to represent my king, neither of which I can afford to do. 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:50.000 Any questions before we go on? 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:55.000 Or any disagreements or you want to add anything to what I'm saying? 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.000 Don't worry about DOC. If you have a question, ask Diana. I won't bring it up every time. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.000 Yeah, so when you have the opportunity to, don't avoid it. 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:25.000 There will be times when I only have a minute and all I can tell them is Jesus loves you. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:29.000 And that's great, that's because I had less than 10 seconds to do it. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.000 But when I have 20 minutes and I still keep dancing around Jesus loves you and he wants to be your friend, 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:38.000 I know it's because I'm unconvinced, uncomfortable, scared of being rejected, 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.000 and because I'm a little reluctant about presenting that part of it. 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:44.000 I'm only talking about myself now, maybe you have other reasons. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.000 No, but you do bring up Christ crucified without which there is no salvation. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:05.000 It's just that we have been silenced by the world around us to dilute or to avoid this one thing that is crucial. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:12.000 The only place we speak about it is, no, I'm being too extreme. 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.000 One of the places we speak about it is in church. 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:21.000 But outside we try to avoid it, we want to present it more sophisticated. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.000 And the cross is not sophisticated at all. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.000 An electric chair is not sophisticated. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.000 The guy called Rob Hoskins, I won't frighten him, I usually do that to kids. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:45.000 A guy called Rob Hoskins made this statement, he asks a question, 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.000 to which kingdom do you belong? 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:53.000 Answer that and you will have audacious faith. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:56.000 To which kingdom do you belong? 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:00.000 Answer that and you will have audacious faith. 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:02.000 To which kingdom do you belong? 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:06.000 Answer that and you will have audacious faith. 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:22.060 When you are passionate about a hockey team or a nation or a sport, there's audacious 00:24:22.060 --> 00:24:35.920 faith in the face of other Boston fans around you to wear a Canuck jersey and stand there. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:46.400 I remember Tino. Remember Tino? Tino, I took him for a hockey game. The Canucks playing 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:57.240 the Boston Bruins. And Tino came in a Boston Bruin jersey. I mean, I wanted to kill him 00:24:57.240 --> 00:25:01.760 and then I realized I'm a pastor, I can't do that. So I was hoping someone else in the 00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:06.600 arena would do it. Because surrounded by Canuck fans, but he's wearing a Boston jersey and 00:25:06.600 --> 00:25:10.200 every time they hit somebody he starts screaming and I'm thinking to myself, why did I bring 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:17.240 him? It was the first time that I really didn't like someone in the church. But thank God 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:23.840 the saving grace was the Canucks won. But then the question they throw back at you is, 00:25:23.840 --> 00:25:27.240 how many rings do you have? How many rings do you have? Meaning we've never won a Stanley 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:33.880 Cup, right? But the point is this guys, that know the kingdom you belong to and you will 00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:40.720 have audacious faith. Which kingdom do you belong to? I've been thinking about this for 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:44.600 the last one week saying, Aba, I've got to have audacious faith about everything that 00:25:44.600 --> 00:25:49.640 your son, the king is. I've got to have audacious faith with regard to him. There can't be two 00:25:49.840 --> 00:25:56.840 ways about it. Our mandate is clear guys, Luke 24 verses 46 to 48. Luke 24 verses 46 00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:08.040 to 48. I'm reading from the message version and it says, you can see how it is written 00:26:08.120 --> 00:26:13.240 that the Messiah suffers, he rises from the dead on the third day and then a total life 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:18.560 change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations starting 00:26:18.560 --> 00:26:25.080 from here, from Jerusalem. Luke 24, 46 to 48. You can see how it is written that the 00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:30.960 Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day and then a total life change through 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:37.560 the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all the nations. Crucifixion and then 00:26:37.560 --> 00:26:44.560 we got to talk about his rising from the dead too, not a dead God. I don't want to ask this 00:26:45.560 --> 00:26:49.920 question but if I went around asking, when was the last time we went through this with 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:56.920 a person, you'll be surprised at how it's been a while. It's been a while. I want to 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:08.200 return to that. A church that does not engage in the proclamation of the good news will 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:15.640 have limited traction against spiritual forces because that church's feet are not shod in 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:22.640 the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6 says that the armor of God includes the shoes of the 00:27:23.840 --> 00:27:29.920 gospel of peace, meaning your feet should be clad or on your feet you should wear the 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:36.000 gospel that brings wholeness or shalom or peace to people. So a church that does not 00:27:36.040 --> 00:27:43.040 engage in the proclamation of the good news of the gospel will not have much traction 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:50.160 against spiritual forces because their feet are not shod with the gospel of peace. Time 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:57.160 to get back to the road like Jesus in Matthew 9.35. Sorry, is it Matthew or Mark? It is 00:28:10.800 --> 00:28:17.800 Matthew, Matthew 9.35. Matthew 9.35. It says in Jesus' wedlock, Jesus' wedding, Jesus' 00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:27.160 wedding, and the wedding of the bride and groom. And it says, I want to go back to 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:35.480 the way Jesus did things, proclaiming the gospel. You may be doing it on an individual 00:28:42.800 --> 00:28:49.800 level but we rarely have talked about it or attempted it as a people. So it's a good 00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:57.160 thing. Here's the thing guys, God has decided, just think of this, God has decided that he 00:28:57.880 --> 00:29:04.880 will bring people into relationship with him only through the foolish message of Christ 00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:10.760 crucified. God has decided, and nothing is going to change this, God has decided that 00:29:10.760 --> 00:29:16.000 he is only going to bring people into relationship with him through the foolish message of Christ 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:23.000 crucified. He has decided that. Nothing is going to change that. He has decided that 00:29:23.760 --> 00:29:28.480 if anyone wants to come into relationship with me, it is only through the message of 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:34.400 Jesus Christ crucified. So if you want to bring anyone into relationship with God, you 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:41.400 cannot avoid the cross. Cannot avoid it. At some point it must be brought up. 1 Corinthians 00:29:41.400 --> 00:29:48.400 1, 18-25. Listen to it from the message. 1 Corinthians 1, 18-25. If you can just listen 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:56.800 and then you can read from your version. The message that points to Christ on the cross 00:29:56.800 --> 00:30:02.880 seems like sheer silliness to those hell bent on destruction. But for those on the way of 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:08.580 salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works. And most powerfully as 00:30:08.580 --> 00:30:14.540 it turns out. It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head. I'll expose so called 00:30:14.540 --> 00:30:21.540 experts as crackpots. So might as well abandon these sophisticated methods man. Go with the 00:30:22.100 --> 00:30:26.700 simple truth of Christ crucified. Look at what it says next. So where can you find someone 00:30:26.700 --> 00:30:32.540 truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed all 00:30:32.580 --> 00:30:39.580 of it as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when 00:30:39.580 --> 00:30:45.620 it came to knowing God. God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered 00:30:45.620 --> 00:30:52.140 dumb. Preaching of all things to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. While 00:30:52.140 --> 00:30:57.740 Jews clamor for a miraculous demonstration of God and Greeks go in for philosophical 00:30:57.740 --> 00:31:04.740 wisdom. We go right on proclaiming Christ the crucified. Jews treat it as an anti-miracle. 00:31:05.860 --> 00:31:11.100 Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself, both 00:31:11.100 --> 00:31:16.740 Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped into one. Human 00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:23.740 wisdom is so tiny, so important next to the seeming absurdity of God, human strength can't 00:31:24.260 --> 00:31:30.340 begin to compete with God's weakness. God has chosen that if you want to come into relationship 00:31:30.340 --> 00:31:35.220 with me, you got to come through the foolish message of my son Jesus Christ being crucified. 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:42.220 You accept that and you enter into relationship with me. Any other way? That's Greek for? 00:31:42.220 --> 00:31:49.220 This is exactly what unfolded in Numbers 21 verse 8 too. Remember there were snakes that 00:31:55.860 --> 00:32:02.100 were biting people in the desert. And what does God ask Moses to do? He tells Moses make 00:32:02.100 --> 00:32:08.260 a bronze snake and set it up on a pole and as these snakes go around biting people, anyone 00:32:08.260 --> 00:32:15.260 who is bitten can look upon that snake on the pole and he can be healed and he will 00:32:15.260 --> 00:32:22.260 live. Looking at a bronze snake to get healed and to live? Guys, God used the thing of revulsion 00:32:24.340 --> 00:32:29.360 to bring them into life. It's the same with Jesus. You want to live, you have to look 00:32:29.360 --> 00:32:35.620 at the revolting butchered body of Jesus Christ on the cross and you will live. Any other 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:42.660 way? Ain't going to happen. A thing of revulsion becomes a pathway to life. Revulsion means 00:32:45.220 --> 00:32:52.220 when you look at it, you are inside revolt, disgust. Anyone who was there that day that 00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:57.380 actually saw Jesus on the cross, all they would see was a butchered piece of meat. Mel 00:32:57.380 --> 00:33:03.660 Gibson could not do justice to it even though he tried. A thing of revulsion now becomes 00:33:03.660 --> 00:33:10.660 a pathway to life. Why? Because the anger of God towards sin had to be met. Jesus becomes 00:33:18.180 --> 00:33:25.180 the atonement, the one who covers me as he takes the brunt of my sin. No other way guys. 00:33:26.840 --> 00:33:30.540 Why am I going down this route so that we from this day on never forget that this is 00:33:30.580 --> 00:33:35.060 the only way and as foolish as it may sound to the world, it is the only way we will talk. 00:33:35.060 --> 00:33:40.500 Yes, we will open up dialogue in different ways. I'll be a sign sometimes to point people 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:47.500 to God but I will not avoid this foolish path. This is a foolish message of Christ crucified 00:33:47.900 --> 00:33:54.900 that will get people into a relationship with God. Only fools can take the risk of proclaiming 00:33:55.900 --> 00:34:02.900 a message like this. Whose fool are you? Because we have a tendency to either serve up salvation 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:11.900 by adding to the cross or emptying it of its power. And so we sometimes silence. The world 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:16.900 silences us, the world causes us to dilute the message, it causes us to avoid it or sometimes 00:34:16.900 --> 00:34:23.900 we accessorize the simple truth. Sometimes our feet are calloused guys. Isaiah says, 00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:32.340 how lovely are the feet of them that bring? Good news. Because the good news includes 00:34:32.340 --> 00:34:39.340 the cross, we cannot bring good news without the cross. And sometimes our feet are calloused 00:34:41.860 --> 00:34:45.900 because there's been a problem in that area of bringing the good news. The good news without 00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:51.540 the cross is impossible. The good news is enmity has ended and it has ended because 00:34:51.540 --> 00:34:58.540 someone was punished. You cannot avoid that. First Corinthians 2, and so you're thinking, 00:35:07.180 --> 00:35:11.260 oh shucks, this is going to be difficult now because I'm not very skilled at telling people 00:35:11.260 --> 00:35:16.780 about all this. I stumble all over the place, don't know how to teach and preach and all 00:35:16.780 --> 00:35:21.780 this stuff. How am I going to manage? Well, you're in great company. First Corinthians 00:35:21.780 --> 00:35:26.540 2 verses 2 to 5, reading from the message again. And this is Paul. When I first came 00:35:26.540 --> 00:35:30.180 to you, and then he says something more, and then he says, when I first came to you, I 00:35:30.180 --> 00:35:37.180 was unsure of how to go about this. Next. And I felt totally inadequate. Okay? So he 00:35:39.020 --> 00:35:45.020 was unsure, he felt totally inadequate. Next. I was scared to death. At least you're better 00:35:45.020 --> 00:35:51.100 off. And here's how he puts it. I was scared to death if you want to know the truth. And 00:35:51.100 --> 00:35:56.100 here's the next statement he makes. And so nothing I said could have impressed you. You're 00:35:56.100 --> 00:36:03.100 talking about Paul. So he says in 1 Corinthians 2, 2 to 5, when I first came to you, I was 00:36:04.140 --> 00:36:09.500 unsure, I was totally inadequate, I was scared to death, and nothing I said could have impressed 00:36:09.580 --> 00:36:15.660 you. Surely you feel better now. And then he goes on to say, but the message came through 00:36:15.660 --> 00:36:22.660 anyway. But the message came through anyway. God's spirit and God's power did it. And then 00:36:26.060 --> 00:36:31.860 he says, your life of faith is a response to God's power, not some fancy mental or 00:36:31.860 --> 00:36:38.860 emotional footwork by me or anyone else. This is what I liked about Billy Graham's way of 00:36:38.860 --> 00:36:45.220 preaching the gospel. It was very straightforward. There was no, and as Christ suffered on the 00:36:45.220 --> 00:36:52.220 cross, doesn't it touch your heart? No emotional footwork, no mental, nothing like that. It 00:36:52.540 --> 00:36:58.820 was just a straight gospel. And he expected the spirit of God to work. And boy did the 00:36:58.820 --> 00:37:05.820 spirit of God work. Brilliant how simplicity works, man. Guys, 00:37:09.300 --> 00:37:13.820 here are some statements that I want to end with. When the power lies not in your person 00:37:13.820 --> 00:37:20.820 or presentation, the spirit's power will be active. When the power lies not in your person 00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:28.420 or presentation, then you know that the power of the spirit will be demonstrated. When 00:37:29.420 --> 00:37:36.420 the power lies not in your presentation, neither in your person, then you know that the power 00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:46.340 of the spirit will be demonstrated. When the message is Jesus crucified, when the message, 00:37:49.300 --> 00:37:55.020 when the heart of the message is Jesus crucified, then you know that the power of the spirit 00:37:55.020 --> 00:38:02.020 of God will be present. Brilliant man. God in his brilliant foolishness, which is greater 00:38:02.900 --> 00:38:08.780 than any man's wisdom, decided that hey, you want to get saved? Here's the way to do it. 00:38:08.780 --> 00:38:14.500 You can come into a relationship with me through recognizing the crucified, butchered, humiliated 00:38:14.500 --> 00:38:21.500 Messiah. Foolishness, that's the way. When the heart of the message is Jesus crucified, 00:38:22.140 --> 00:38:29.140 the spirit of God will manifest. Third statement. When you forsake sophistication and acceptance, 00:38:32.300 --> 00:38:39.300 when you forsake sophistication and acceptance, God uses you to bring people into salvation. 00:38:41.660 --> 00:38:48.660 When you forsake sophistication and acceptance, God uses you to bring people to a place of 00:38:48.660 --> 00:38:55.660 rescue. When you forsake sophistication and acceptance, God uses you to bring people into 00:38:55.660 --> 00:39:02.660 a place of rescue or salvation. You know, I've always struggled with this verse, I am 00:39:03.660 --> 00:39:09.660 not ashamed of the gospel because it's always that oh, maybe I am, maybe I'm not, maybe 00:39:09.660 --> 00:39:16.660 I am. It's a whole jungle book thingy. And so I read the message of Jesus, and I was 00:39:16.660 --> 00:39:23.660 like, I read the message, Romans 1.17 in the message, and it puts, it keeps the whole 00:39:23.740 --> 00:39:27.980 idea intact, but it puts a different spin on it. Here's how the message says, I am 00:39:27.980 --> 00:39:34.980 not ashamed of the gospel. It says it this way, I am most proud to proclaim the extraordinary 00:39:35.780 --> 00:39:42.780 message of God's powerful plan, Christ crucified, to rescue everyone who trusts him. I think 00:39:42.780 --> 00:39:48.700 Paul didn't know about this negative thingy at times, so instead of saying I am not ashamed 00:39:48.700 --> 00:39:55.700 of the gospel, which raises the question, are you really? Here's the other side of 00:39:55.900 --> 00:40:02.900 it, I am proud to proclaim this extraordinary message of God, and in brackets I have put, 00:40:02.900 --> 00:40:09.900 Jesus crucified, to rescue everyone who trusts him. Embrace that. I am proud to proclaim 00:40:10.900 --> 00:40:17.900 this extraordinary message of God's powerful plan, Jesus crucified, to rescue everyone 00:40:18.900 --> 00:40:24.900 who trusts. You know, it just so happened guys, and I didn't plan this, but it just 00:40:24.900 --> 00:40:31.900 so happened that I found two pictures, I was given two pictures, both painted by people 00:40:31.900 --> 00:40:38.900 in this church, and one of them was this. I thought, wow, I'm so proud of this. I'm 00:40:40.460 --> 00:40:47.460 so proud of this. Christ crucified. Can you see it? I mean, it seems like a Van Gogh painting, 00:40:50.900 --> 00:40:57.900 but it's actually done by Aerie, an 80 year old. Christ crucified, you can't avoid this. 00:41:00.380 --> 00:41:07.380 Christ crucified. And so there's this painting, and then if you notice the last bit I said, 00:41:07.940 --> 00:41:14.220 it says there that I'm most proud to proclaim the extraordinary message of God's powerful 00:41:14.220 --> 00:41:20.980 plan, Jesus crucified, to rescue everyone who trusts him. And I was cleaning my drawer 00:41:20.980 --> 00:41:26.820 and I came across this picture. And I don't know if you can see it clearly, but I'll leave 00:41:26.820 --> 00:41:33.620 it here. It's a table that's set, and there's a plate for Isaac and Joseph and Jacob and 00:41:33.660 --> 00:41:40.660 Abraham, and then there's a place for a son by faith, where you get rescued and you get 00:41:41.540 --> 00:41:47.060 to sit at the banqueting table of God. One was done by an 80 year old, the other one 00:41:47.060 --> 00:41:51.580 was done by a 28 year old, both at Acts 29. So this was done by Mariana, this was done 00:41:51.580 --> 00:41:58.580 by Aerie. That kind of sums up what we're talking about. This is the only way to come 00:41:59.460 --> 00:42:06.460 into this place, man. Christ crucified rescues you and seats you at the table. It's the only 00:42:09.660 --> 00:42:16.660 way guys. Embrace it. This is being fools for the king, but again it comes back to Rob 00:42:16.660 --> 00:42:21.940 Hoskins' question. Which kingdom do you belong to? Answer that and you will have audacious 00:42:22.100 --> 00:42:29.100 faith. Beautifully. So here's how I want us to conclude. Guys, as you feel free, rise 00:42:35.300 --> 00:42:41.500 up and tell us in three or four lines how you got saved. How did it happen? I'll tell 00:42:41.500 --> 00:42:48.500 you how it happened with me so you know what format to follow. First time I heard it was 00:42:49.500 --> 00:42:55.180 when a group from the US came in the days of flower power and Jesus power and all this 00:42:55.180 --> 00:43:00.380 stuff and they sang songs and one of them came up to me at this crusade that they were 00:43:00.380 --> 00:43:05.940 having and I went up. He came up to me and he asked me, have you received Jesus? I didn't 00:43:05.940 --> 00:43:11.340 know what it meant, but I burst into tears because I knew I didn't know what it meant. 00:43:11.340 --> 00:43:16.680 The next time it was a man who in Bihar, which is a province in India, called the graveyard 00:43:16.680 --> 00:43:22.040 of missions because most missions don't survive there. A man came and told us as a family 00:43:22.040 --> 00:43:27.400 about Jesus. Didn't know how to go about it. And then finally in 1988 it was three people 00:43:27.400 --> 00:43:33.400 who came and kept telling me about Jesus and then one day it happened. That's how I came 00:43:33.400 --> 00:43:39.580 because someone came and kept sowing, kept sowing, three, four different occasions people 00:43:39.580 --> 00:43:43.240 kept in, kept sowing the same thing. Do you know Jesus? Do you know that Jesus died for 00:43:43.800 --> 00:43:48.720 you? They didn't avoid the cross. They all talked about the cross. That's how I became 00:43:48.720 --> 00:43:53.920 a Christian in 1988 or thereabouts where I finally said, okay, now I understand. Let's 00:43:53.920 --> 00:44:00.180 take that step. What about you? If I can keep it to four or five sentences, surely you can. 00:44:00.180 --> 00:44:07.180 What about you? Share your story. How did it happen? Go ahead. 00:44:13.240 --> 00:44:20.240 I was five or six. I remember reading these stories and wanting what the characters and 00:44:20.240 --> 00:44:23.240 the stories had of knowing God and being able to walk in God. I asked my parents about having 00:44:23.240 --> 00:44:28.240 that same thing, about having Jesus. That was it at that young age. 00:44:28.240 --> 00:44:31.240 Awesome. Anyone else? Wayne, you can switch the thing off.