for those who don't know Estonia is in Eastern Europe it's kind of the
northeastern part right below Finland off of the Baltic Sea we do have our
eastern border that borders Russia and so it's kind of a hot zone right now so
to speak politically and some different things and and America is sending in
lots of military help to be training all of our guys and all of the cyber warfare
and all that stuff that has to happen on the front lines and so it's very
interesting as far as that goes but I'm telling you I believe God is gonna do
something very special there spiritually and that's why I'm there I believe
that's why God sent me there so many years ago and I've got some pictures
here are you guys ready for that boom all right this right here this is my
church and I know no I'm just kidding if some day maybe some day but with you but
this this is this is a place where Estonia got together and they began to
sing and and back in 1989 1990 1991 they began to sing and just just sing about
the their freedom and sing about who they are and in Estonia we call it
really the singing revolution they kind of just we came out of that without a
shot being fired we came out of that without anybody having to lose their
life and God supernaturally gave us stony of their freedom as the iron
curtain fell and and they rose up and they said we are Estonians and we want
to be free and go ahead on to some of those others and this is just some
pictures about where I live and in the beautiful city of tal and but God sent
me there God spoke to my heart in 1991 and he told me to go to Estonia and at
that time I didn't even know where Estonia was you know and they had just
gotten their freedom in 1991 until that time they were just part of the Soviet
Union and so I just I found it on a map and I put my hand on the map and my
heart just broke for the nation and so I just prepared to go so in 1992 when I
graduated Bible School in June of that year I took off and I went to Tallinn
Estonia and and I given my my heart and my life there
just went not not as a seasoned minister I didn't go there as somebody that you
know I'm here to save Estonia I went just it's like y'all you know I was just
a simple just me and I just said I'm just gonna go and just give my best to
God and God if you can use me I'm ready and so through the years we began to see
God do some great things and I had the honor and the privilege for nine years
to be hooked up with a Bible School that was there and through those nine years
we had over 350 graduates we were able to to have a ministers training school
where today pastors from all over the nation are still out there who have been
trained through that that D'Amato Bible School that was there the same school
that Pastor Mario and Stacey were a part of all those years ago in Greece and and
and so this was this is something that is a nation impact and and for us it was
beyond borders and beyond walls of churches like pastor Mario was talking
about you know there's walls that we put up sometimes we put up church walls
don't wait and we say okay you Methodist you stay over there and you Baptist stay
over here because we're gonna stay right here and we're free and you all can do
what you want to do and and we have this mentality sometimes of this is better
than not but it wasn't like that in Estonia because they were just
Christians they were just people seeking God and nobody knew the word and nobody
really had the training under who the Soviet Union you couldn't get Bible
training and so there were some books that were smuggled in and maybe some
tapes that were smuggled in and this is how pastors got their Bible training
well at through the the Bible School we were able to reach Methodists and
Lutheran's and and and Baptists and full Gospels and Pentecostals I mean the
every Church was able to send their people to us because there was nothing
else and so I believe we were the right thing at the right time and God really
blessed our school there but then in the year 2001 God began to deal with me to
start a church and so actually dear mm he dealt with me and so in the year 2001
in January we started our church and so 17 years ago we started our church there
in the city and we're just so thankful to all that God has done through our
church to be able to help to impact that nation but I believe there's still so
much more for us to do and maybe when you uh are you flipping
are you going through okay you've been flipping good you know we one of the one
of the things that that we're really focused on right now is is trying to get
more and more into this generation how many know this generation needs Jesus oh
my goodness and it's so it's it's a different animal to reach them through
social media and some of the different things that we have to do and and I'm
just telling you this is this is a time I believe that that God is gonna do some
great things in this generation and we're ready with technology we're ready
we need to be ready through social media and all these different things so so I
thank God that I'm not in social media but I have guys that are in social media
I'm not even on Facebook yet I'm still taking steps to do that but my wife is
and she's awesome so if you guys want to follow us hook up with Brenda on
Facebook Brenda Mitchell and and you can help follow us she's she's active on
that but I think this is this is a real key to reach this generation is we got
to do things different than we've ever done it before and so we're gonna do our
best and I just need your prayers we need your prayers our churches I think
in a very strategic place right now and I think I said this last time I was here
just in May and so thank you for having me back so quick I love it but I told
you in May that that we that only 1% of our nation goes to church on a Sunday
morning only 1% of our nation says that they are believers in Christ Jesus and
and some people might look at that and think me and I wouldn't want to go there
that's hard ground who would want to me I see that as harvest amen
and that means 99 percent of every people I see on the street that they
could be touched by God they could be touched by his word and they could have
their hearts be transformed by Jesus Christ and so that's why I'm there and I
went over there for six months and 26 years later I can tell you God is
faithful amen I thought I would be living here long
when I was gonna come back and help my dad with his business but I just fell in
love there and I knew that's where God had called me and so I'm just so
thankful to be able to stand here today and say after 26 years in that nation we
are just beginning and we just got some things that we're gonna do
amen and so thank you and and when you came in did everybody get a little
magnet from us that's just our little gift to you we just want to do that so
that you remember to pray and that you remember just to lift us up and it's
it's it's just I want to do everything I can to change that nation and so if your
prayers can hook together with our prayers I believe in prayer I believe in
the power prayer and God can do something for us amen amen
well I've got a message today and so I want to pray and I want to get into the
Word of God and I believe the Lord is gonna do something good for us this
morning hallelujah well father I love you and I thank you so much for this
opportunity that you've given me again to teach here in new creation and lord I
just thank you for your Holy Spirit that's in this place and then that you
speak to each and every one by your your power and through your word this morning
and let everyone have a have a impact and a touch from from you and I just
thank you that you would anoint me to speak I thank you that your word is
alive and that it would speak through me and that we would be leave this place
today knowing that we've had time with you and we thank you for it in Jesus
name Amen hallelujah amen amen well God is so good open up my thing
here all right glory to God well go ahead and open your
Bible if you would to Acts chapter 20 and we're gonna begin here today Acts
chapter 20 you know I when I took off to go to
Estonia before I left the Lord gave me some verses and that's the verses I'm
about to read to you but the Lord gave me these verses and it spoke to me in a
deep way and I believe to prepare me for what it is that the Lord had for me to
do in my ministry and to do with my life because I had to give up some things to
be where I am but I'm telling you it was the greatest decision that I've ever
made and you know Mariana Stacey can tell you anything you do to follow God
it's the greatest decision that you could ever make amen amen and so you
know it's maybe not always gonna be easy maybe it's not always gonna be exactly
the way that you wanted things to go but if you will follow him he's gonna bless
your life and he's gonna make you bad than you ever thought that you could be
he'll make you a bigger impact than you ever thought that you could be on the
people that are around you but but the Lord gave me these scriptures and this
was was kind of fueled me as I left and it has kind of fueled me as I stay in
the next chapter 20 I'm gonna start reading here in verse 22 and I'm gonna
read a couple of verses here for you and it says and now compelled by the spirit
I'm going to Jerusalem not knowing what will happen to me there and that was
kind of how I thought I'm going to Estonia I don't know anybody there but I
feel compelled by the Spirit of God to go and and Lord whatever it is that you
want let it be and now Paul said something that didn't really apply to me
but I was ready for it he said I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit
warns me of prisons and hardships that are facing me and so I wasn't warned of
that but when I read that I was like Lord whatever you know I I'm 22 years
old I could do whatever right I sold everything I had to go to Estonia which
was not much and and and I said I'm going and I believe you can be with me
there and whatever it takes I'm gonna do that and then it goes on to say in verse
24 Paul I love Paul's heart he said however I consider my life worth nothing
to me if only I might finish the race and
complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying of the
good news of God's grace this is what I believe God wants me to do where I am
but listen this is what I believe God wants you to do where you are this isn't
just a verse for ministers I believe this is a verse for everybody that this
should be our heart this is the heart of God for the world not the heart of God
for the church it's the heart of God for the world and he wants us to go out and
make an impact he wants us to go out and testify of God's grace in our lives and
so this was my heart when I left and and and I was thinking you know guy if God
if you can use Paul can you use me too
if you can use a guy that was killing Christians I've never killed a Christian
God could could you could you use me to and I believe if we would just put
ourself in a place to be used that God will use you God will use me because
it's not up to us to make things happen it's up to us to be available to be used
by God and this is what Paul's heart was and so Paul he had power in his life and
Paul had power in his ministry if you don't believe me just read his story
follow Paul listen to what he faced and listen to how he conquered time and time
again and one of the things I like to do when I read the Bible is I like to put
myself in that situation put myself in that man's shoes put myself in that
woman's shoes and what would I do how would I react if I didn't know the end
of the story you know a lot of times we think well it would be easy to do you
know Jesus was in the boat why did Peter get upset he should have just just
rested and slept with with Jesus he was there you know everything was gonna be
okay we say that because we know the end of the story right but then we panic
when our boss looks at us wrong and we're thinking oh no I'm gonna get fired
a minute you're fired right and so we're freaking out all day
long about nothing and here Paul was freaking out about something or Peter
I'm sorry Peter was freaking out about something on that boat you know the
waves are coming over and he's saying Jesus you're sleeping don't you care but
we know the end of the story when you know the end of the story how many know
it's easy to follow God I mean whoa yeah hallelujah that's I
won't get there I could do that I could I could be that I could touch that lady
in hair she could stand up and walk and glory to God the man can walk and
jumping praise God into the temple I could do
that and so we read these things and we think yeah I could meet to God I could
do that but then we're put in that situation and how many know when you're
in the situation you're like God get somebody else okay
like Lord send some thank you for sending Barrie to Estonia and not me
right I mean that that's that's Allah it's like God do do it through them yes
hallelujah a lot of times we think we've done our job and we just pray we pray
for the lost we don't reach the loss but we pray for the loss
that we say and now use pastor and I thank you father for using pastor and
then when somebody gets saved we think who God answered my prayer and and I did
my part no you did it he did his part you didn't do nothing
now prayer helps how many know prayer helps right we need to pray but then you
need to act on your prayer when you pray for the lost go get the lost when you
pray for healing stand on the word and believe God for your healing when you
pray for the finances in this provision don't back away believe God is all that
you need him to be amen and so when we get to this place in our life that we we
just are lackadaisical about stuff and we're letting everybody else do the
thing and we're coming to church with our little smile and our holy hands race
we can get into this place that we are not being who we are supposed to be and
Paul said my life is worth nothing to me if only that I could preach the gospel
if only I could tell somebody how much God loves them how much God loves you if
I could just do that today I've done my job and what else was going on around me
and all the other things that I'm facing it doesn't really matter to me anymore
and so everyone around Paul could see that he had power in his life and power
in his ministry and you watch Paul you could see that he was a man of Prayer he
even said and in talking to the Corinthians he said I pray in the spirit
more than you all and I pray more than you all right I mean Paul was saying I'm
a man of prayer but he didn't need to tell us that because you could tell by
his ministry that he was because there's no man who can stand up week after week
after week and year after year after year and speak for the power of God and
speak with the anointing of God without having a relationship with the Most High
you can't do it if you're trying to do it in the natural you're not going to
last very long and you need to believe God for His anointing and his power to
come and help to do what you do if you if you're not a
man of prayer if you don't have that relationship if you're not a woman of
prayer who is who knows that Jesus is with you every day it's gonna be real
hard to stay faithful and to give your life to the Lord but Paul gave his life
to the Lord Paul said I want to be who you called me
to be and I want to do what you called me to do and through prayer and through
the the power that of the Holy Spirit we see Paul was used time and time again
and the one thing I love about Paul is you watch his ministry he got hungrier
and hungrier the more and more he went he got bolder and bolder to talk about
Jesus Christ he got to a place that he would stand up to the other apostles say
listen guys I know that I'm doing what the Lord Jesus has called all of you all
to do - right he see stirred them up and got them thinking well yeah we do need
to reach the world we're not just for for the Hebrew people we this is what
Jesus was talking him right and so Paul he was bold in that towards the end of
his ministry he's standing up and he's speaking to Caesar into the prison
guards an area he just got bold about what he had because he was like it
doesn't matter anymore Who I am or what you think of me let me
tell you about somebody who loves you guys he made it real he didn't make it
religious it wasn't spiritual weird it was real it was powerful and people's
lives were changed I believe it was the same thing that was on Jesus was on Paul
Jesus went from place of prayer to place a prayer with miracles in between right
that's all he did he'd wake up early and disappear and pray he'd go pray before
before the end of the day and then miracles and miracles and miracles
Paul was a man of Prayer and he had miracles and miracles and miracles
if you become someone who has a relationship of God through that prayer
that's not just the power prayer you know that that seven seconds
our fathers art in heaven hallowed be the name of Kim come we'll be done on
earth as in heaven give us this day our daily bread right and then poop you're
out of the house and you think that you prayed and spent
some time with God because you've quoted something by heart like a robot that's
not what prayer is it's not about mother Mary help it's what is what is prayer
prayer is when you're saying God Here I am today can you use me whatever I face
today I believe that you're gonna give me wisdom whatever I need to do today I
believe you're gonna give me the the strength and the power to do it and God
I believe that I will have opportunities to speak to people about you and about
your son and about what you desire to do in this time that we live and then if
you can you can make prayer a powerful prayer in five minutes I start my day
with with with not long hours and hours of prayer I start my day with a couple
words from the heart to my God about what I'm gonna be doing in that day and
it's a relationship with him that's what he's wanting from you that's what he
wants from me he just wants relationship and I love Paul's heart and his then the
presence of God that was on his life it just kept growing because his
expectation kept growing he knew what God would do he knew that
God was gonna show up and he changed the world now here in Romans chapter 8 if he
if you could just read one chapter in the whole Bible I'd read Romans chapter
eight it's my favorite chapter in the whole Bible Romans chapter eight but I'm
not gonna read the whole chapter because I don't Mario said I don't have all day
so I'm just gonna read a couple verses here Romans chapter 8 and verse they're
gonna start here with verse 37 it says no and all these things we are more than
conquerors through him or loved how many know God loves you amen and we are more
than a conquerer because he loved us he loved us and he said for I'm convinced
that neither death nor life neither Angels nor demons nor nor neither the
present nor the future nor any powers neither height nor depth nor anything
else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is
in Christ Jesus our Lord man that is awesome that should make you all say
Amen and you missed it all right Jesus loves you and Jesus loves the world we
are more than conquerors because He loves us we can do all things because He
loves us don't you love the heart of Paul what don't you don't you just want
this to be something that fuels you as you live your life man there's nothing
that can stop me there's nothing that can separate me I'm with him and he's
with me and I live to make a difference this is this is the way that Christians
are to live their lives we're to have the advantage in life over everyone else
that we would meet we're to have advantage over everybody that we would
cross on the street work with go to school with whatever it is that we do we
have the advantage because he's with us walk with your head up don't walk with
your head down don't be quiet about what you have and what you believe so many
times it's easy to go to work and just just keep your faith to yourself how
many know the devil tell you to keep your faith to yourself go to school and
never knew your friends never know you go to church on Sundays but you're here
every Sunday right it's easy to hide who we are and keep our head down but I
believe if you if you'll get a hold of some of these things that we're looking
at here today you could walk with your head up saying I've got a I've got a
purpose in my life God's called me and he loves me and he's with me and I'm
more than a conqueror and so it doesn't matter what y'all think my life's in his
hands and I'm gonna be bold for my Jesus and so Paul here he had a great
relationship with God and it came through and what he said it came through
and what he did and what I love about this is that this power that he accessed
gave him success everywhere he went the world is a much different place because
of Paul because he went to where the others we're not wanting to go or
willing to go at that time and I believe if Paul wouldn't have gone God would
have sent somebody else how many know that's probably true but I thank God for
Paul I thank God he was one that said okay God I'll go I'll risk it all for
you I'll lay it all down for you I'll go I'll risk it all for you I'll go I'll go
he changed the world that we live in today everything around him was
different he had victory everywhere he went
because of the power of God on his life now listen parts of parts of God's plan
for Paul Paul didn't know how many know that he didn't know everything was gonna
happen every time he went into a city right it's just like us he serves God
just like it's a walk faith and I one of the the great experiences I had and I
don't think you need to go to a place like this but it's cool when you do is
uh Mario took me I got to go visit him in his school and he took me to a place
called Corinth and how many know Paul loved Corinth he wrote some letters to
those people they were special to him but I remember we're walking into the
city kind of from where the port would have been and we're walking in there and
I just had this thing as what if I had to walk into this city for the first
time nobody there ever hearing about Jesus and I'm walking in there to tell
them Jesus Christ has died for all you pagans that are worshipping the dhyana
and all the other things that they were doing there
and I've got something better for you I've got the real thing for you and let
me show you and then with power the Holy Spirit he went in there and he preached
and he taught and he argued and he delivered a message that that none of
them could resist and then by the power of the Holy Spirit people's lives were
changed and he said I came to you my knees were knocking he said but I
preached with the power and the demonstration of the Holy Spirit
and you all know that it's true man it was an amazing experience I just love
that it's still today something I I remember it's walking into the city of
corn thinking man could I have done that would I have been willing to do that I
don't know maybe but he did and we're so thankful that he took the message to the
world so thankful he took the message to the
world and so Paul you know he would pray on God I'm going to Ephesus I know
you're gonna be there and I know you're gonna come with me Paul or God I'm going
to Corinth the Lord I know you're gonna be with me I know you're gonna help me
there God now I'm going to Rome and I know you're gonna be with me and I know
you're gonna help me there Paul lived his whole life he lived his whole
ministry with that connection knowing God was with him and so it didn't matter
what happened that something good was gonna come out of that something good
was gonna be changed in the atmosphere when Paul showed up and history tells us
he was maybe a little shorter guy and maybe maybe not the the best-looking guy
but he had power he had power he walked into a room and I believe the atmosphere
would change amen and you could be the same way you could
walk into a room and have everything change just because you showed up
welcome to your school room walk into your office room and people just you
know when they cuss they apologize I'm sorry I know that you right I mean
that's that's when you carry something it's when you haven't even said anything
and people are apologizing to you for their actions Matt why don't we carry
more that why aren't we proud or about who we are and what we do because the
world sure is proud about who they are what they do and we're to sit back and
just be quiet and humble little Christians now we're to be bold as a
lion amen we're to go out and we're to do something in this city and this
nation and and and in our lives to give our lives to God and and so so I want to
say something I'm gonna put some pressure on but then don't where I'm
gonna take the pressure off let me do it the other way let me do it this or I'm
going to put the I'm gonna take the pressure off with
them and put it back on you do not need to live your life and fulfill God's plan
of God for your life to go to heaven you don't need to do it you don't need to do
what God called you to do to go to heaven you don't need to you could live
your life and never do what God called you to do and you'll still go to heaven
if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior no pressure
alright now let me put it back on don't let that be you be somebody who will go
out into the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ
be somebody who will take the Great Commission and say God me too I want to
be used I want to fulfill what it is that you called me to do now for most of
you it's not going to be go to Estonia but man your heart should be willing to
go if God called you to go most of you you might just stay right here in
Longmont Colorado and never leave your job but man God could use you to do
things outside of nine-to-five that can impact this city you can serve you can
give you can love you can reach because of your life and because of the power
and the anointing of God that he'll put upon you and and and so you know we just
lost a great general in the church this last week Billy Graham how many are
thankful for Billy Graham amen he is such a such an example to us of somebody
who would go and give his life to preach the gospel just simple gospel one thing
I loved about Billy Graham's is you never left there saying what did the guy
say what was he talking about no it was plain and clear and simple jesus loves
you will you love him will you ask him into your heart life because salvation
is waiting for you just do it right that was pretty much his message in a
one-sentence he just loved people and he loved God and he knew that God had a
plan and he is not dead he is alive amen he is living with the
Lord I love it I think somebody showed me a quote where he said if they ever
tell you Billy Graham's dead he's not dead he's more alive than he ever was
right and so I love that I love that and so he is he was our example of somebody
who went out and said I will give my life to him and for me my life is
nothing if only I might preach the gospel of God's grace you can fulfill
God's plan for your life you can do what it is that God called you to do here in
this church out there with with the people that you know you can serve you
can love you can you can be all it is that God wants you to be and and and so
you know there we have I think more help available to us than any of us really
know in life but I want to I'm gonna just look at a story here Paul he's on
his way to Rome and most of you know this story if you've read the Bible he's
on his way to Rome they come into a storm the the boats
gonna gonna crash it's gonna wreck the Lord shows up and says it's you know
Paul's praying right he's a man of prayer he's praying the Lord speaks to
him says listen nobody's gonna lose their life I'm just gonna gonna get you
all through this island here and so they show up on the island of Malta and so I
want to pick this story up in Acts chapter 28 and so here Paul he lands on
Malta and it says and now near the shore where we landed was in a state that
belong to biblia the chief official of of the island and he welcomed us and he
treated us kindly for three days now how many know that Publius is probably not
gonna be the name of your next child but this guy he was he was very important he
was he was somebody who had great influence and it just happened to be
that they washed up near his house it just happened to be that as they floated
on those pieces of wood and swam towards the land that they ended up and they
landed near the chief officials house and the on verse 8 and it says and and
boo Bleus his father was ill with a fever and dysentery and Paul
and he prayed for him and laid his hands on him and He healed him and verse 9
says and then all the other sick people the island came and they were healed and
we think yeah I could have done that too I I could be I could be shipwrecked
because I don't go to that Island and I'll get everybody healed right but how
many you know when you're on a boat and then and you know things are going a
little hairy you're not so happy about that anymore right when you know the end
of the story how easy it is to think how I could done that but when you don't
know the end of the story put yourself in that situation the boat's breaking up
around you slamming into the coral rocks and there you know there's only pieces
that are left to float to shore in you're thinking oh god it's my life
right with you lord is everything good if I die right now well I go to see you
right you're not thinking I can't wait to get to shore because who knows what's
gonna happen next and so here Paul he was he was he was not not everything
always happened the way that Paul thought it was going to happen and in
your life not everything is gonna go as great as you planned how many of you
realize that it's there's gonna be things that show up that you didn't know
we're gonna show up there's gonna be things happen that you didn't know we're
gonna happen and then what are you gonna do how are you gonna deal with that are
you gonna stop and blame God and say well god I thought that you were gonna
help and I thought that you were gonna be there but I guess not
God I thought that you you said that you would always be with me but it seems
like you know I feel like Jesus whom God my God why have you forsaken me you know
we get to a place sometimes I think that that it gets a little bit self-centered
instead of Paul saying my life is no longer worth anything to me if only I
can do what God has called me to do and so when he's floating to shore on a
piece of wood he's saying God my life is yours use me he
we goes onto the shore next to the chief officials house and he says your dad's
sick well let me see and I'm gonna pray for him and God's gonna heal him and
then people start bringing sick people and all of them are healed and he
changes the island he changes the history of a place because he was with
God life was not his God I'm yours God I'm yours and so Paul he didn't want
to be shipwrecked nobody does but Paul knew wherever I go he goes with me
that's the big difference in your life in somebody else's life that doesn't
know Jesus Christ is if you live your life knowing he's with me you could come
through two thousand six seven and eight where it was a disaster in the economy
and say I know God is with me we're gonna come out of this when everybody
else is crying and panicking and now the economy's booming again and just like we
all knew that it would but but we didn't have to worry like some worried we
didn't have to you know we didn't all commit suicide like some did because of
the pressures of life and how many no those are real and you've gotta let
those go like that one song we sang today I think you got to let that go and
let him come in and heal that broken heart let him come in and give you that
assurance that he's with you and it's not what goes on around you but it's who
you are that really matters and so here Paul he he didn't like some of the
things that happen he had to go through hardships like you and I will never have
to face and I'm thankful for that Paul lived a life that most people will never
have to live but he was a success everywhere he went he would he did great
things everywhere that he went he just had a real faith in God
and he was there for three months and during those three months changed this
island amazing amazing the power of God that was available to those people
because one man said my life is worth nothing to me
one man one man that's all God needs to change your company to change your your
school to change your family it's just one person to stand up and say God use
me to use me to use me to you know on Paul he was real bold about his
weaknesses in his struggles wasn't he and I think that's awesome
I think for somebody to stand up and say man life's tough and I've been beat
I've been shipwrecked and I've been whipped and I've been imprisoned and
life is tough but in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ
Jesus our Lord amen because He loves us because He loves us I can do what he
called me to do and so if that's what it takes then I say God need to I want I
want to be used by you too I want you to touch me like you've touched them and
the more I think that we we learn what we have in Christ Jesus the more power
is going to show up in our lives the more that you learn what God can do for
you the more you're gonna walk trusting him but listen you're gonna have to come
through some dark times and things that you think are out of control to get to
the other side with greater faith and greater confidence and greater boldness
and a greater love it's the difficulties that take us to where God wants us to be
many many times and there might be a difficulty that you're facing that God
might have put you in because he has a purpose how many know but that that
shipwreck God had a purpose in that because that island needed to hear about
Jesus relate a cell by that would have never happened there but God used that
situation for something great and for three months the Word of God was taught
and preached and demonstrated to those people I've come through some situations
before where I didn't see the end yet and all I saw was where I was
and how many you know you get whiny and complaining to God and here God is
saying boy keep going I've got a plan it's gonna be okay
just keep going there's this is why you're here get to the other side and
then you'll see how easy it should have been that's what the whole Bible is the
Bible is stories of people that get there and they whine and then they see
God show up and they say oh now I see
right that's your life really isn't it as you
look back the things that you stood up nights seven years ago and and worried
about seven years ago lost sleep seven years ago you look back and they seem
like nothing now right you know why because your problems today are so much
greater oh that was nothing compared to what I got to face today because you
know my boss looked at me weird this morning and man my whole world's falling
apart God has a plan for your struggle God has a plan for your shipwreck God
has a plan for what you did not know was going to happen you didn't plan on this
how many have got some things in your life that you didn't plan on right now
how many got some things in your life that you weren't expecting to happen yet
and man that can be a struggle sometimes in our faith I'm talking about being a
man or woman of faith and saying god I believe you're here with me right now
right now and I'm walking this out with you right now because I know the end of
the story is I'm gonna be more than a conqueror through him who loves me and
so my life means nothing to me if only I could preach this gospel of
Jesus Christ God wants you to become somebody in your life in his eyes and
maybe not in the world's eyes but in his eyes you will be somebody in the world's
eyes who would want to be Paul I said you were gonna be beating every
city that you went to you're gonna be thrown in prison about everywhere you go
people are gonna strip your clothes off and and and make you look like a fool
and in mock you because of your faith and and and you're gonna you're gonna go
through all these struggles day after day and time after time nobody would say
sign me up I want that that's that sounds awesome
but listen what was what Paul's life all about
it wasn't about you know the big house on the hill with three dogs and the
white picket fence the kids running around in the yard he was success in the
eyes of his father God loved that man because God could use that man to do
mighty things and when Paul got to heaven there was a shout man I want you
to get to heaven and there to be a shout amen I want you to be able to walk into
church and say look at what I've been able to help God do and look at an usher
and say he's here because of me and then look at one of the singers and say
they're there because of me and then look over in that family and say that
family's there because of me and and that woman over there she's there
because of me and will not be awesome to get to heaven and how people come up and
say thank you for what you did thank you for what you said thank you for being an
example to me
our our little nation of Estonia 1.5 million people it's not very big at all
and so that means there's not many Christians there at all if less than 1%
go to church on a Sunday morning but my goal is when I get to heaven there's
gonna be some Estonians that are clapping for me that are thankful for me
and they're thankful for you for sending me that we could do something together
that we could have never done on our own I can't do it on my own you can't do it
on your own but together we could do something great to affect a nation 1.5
million people just think if there's a great move of God and things explode man
we could we could we could do great things in a little place like that in a
short period of time before Jesus Christ comes it wouldn't take much at all and
so I'm there and I say God I believe you sent me here with a purpose you sent me
here with a reason you can pray as you look at that little magnet that that we
gave you as you can just say God I I want you to use this couple to do
something for you open up doors for them open up doors into this generation that
doesn't know you and they could do something please pray for us we're
thanking God and we're praying for you but please pray for us too I know God
has a plan and I thought you know I've been in many many places where I've
heard somebody's testimony and how many know that you could get a lot from here
in somebody's testimony what God does for them and a lot of times when I
listen to somebody's testimony I think God me too
me too have you ever had a me-too moment where God where God's does something in
somebody's life and blesses them on their job and you think Lord me too and
God heals their body if you think Lord me too and they get three people saved
this week can you say Lord me too and and then they they go out and
that they make a difference of their life and they they they have a
relationship with the Lord and you're thinking Lord me too I think we should
sorrow me to movement I'm serious not a political but a Bible one where we look
at Christians and we look at the word and we say God me too me too
I want to be like Paul too if God could use me I go to a nation I've never been
I go to tell people about Jesus that have not heard and God shows up and he
says okay I'll use you two people actually show up on a Sunday to my
church can you believe that and I say God me too I want you to use me to speak
through me to Lord and when you're living in a place outside of America
it's so easy to be reminded of what you're there to do because you're
surrounded with people that are not like you
now after 26 years I'm probably more like them than I am like you but when
you're living here in America a lot of times it's easy to just kind of forget
why you're here because you have everything that you ever would need and
you could sit and watch the television 24 hours a day for the rest of your life
and never see it all and it's so easy to lose yourself in the mess but III think
that we should put ourself in a place where we remind ourself day by day
through prayer through relationship God me too me too I want to be that man - I
want to be that woman of God - I want to be an impact - and you know it's so III
have this this I believe that God wants all of us to be a success how many you
desire to be a success I think Paul desired to be a success I desire to be a
success I want to be somebody that God I put in Estonia and and he said man I'm
so glad I sent that one I want I want you to be be somebody in this church
that God could look and say man I'm so glad I sent that family here because
look what they're doing now look how they're growing in their faith look how
they're serving look how they're they're giving because you said me too me too me
too God you used me - can you use me - I don't have much but can you use what I
have and trust me God will bless that type of a heart God will bless that type
of action God will bless that attitude where it doesn't matter what's going on
around me me - God me - God and so we all walk this out just just a step of
faith don't we we all live day by day we don't know the end of the story Paul
never knew the end of the story but he believed I can do it because he's with
me I can do it because he's with me I could
conquer because he's with me and then he began to over a track record be able to
say he's always with me it wasn't no longer a statement of faith it was a
statement of fact man wouldn't that be awesome in your life if you could say
God is with me and not it be a statement of faith but a statement of fact for you
you know how I know because he was there and he was there and he was there and he
was there and he's here statement of fact 26 years later I could say without
a doubt God is with me you know who do you think you are
no it's a humble thing to say because it's not me it wasn't me that that has
gone and to do the works that we have done
it's him through me and so I know he's here cuz I'm not I grew up in this
church many of you know me and you would have never picked me to be the one for
God to you I know that that's okay it's all right me too it's powerful
me too can change your life me too
can change the life of somebody else
that's when things really begin to change nah you know I think it's great
to be a me-too person I'm a meaty person I've had my meet two moments I look at
people and I say God meet you but you know what God really wants from you
today he wants you to become the person that causes somebody else to say God
meet you that you would be somebody that people
would look at and say God can I know you like he knows you God can I pray like he
prays God can I walk in the power that he walks in got me to that's when your
life begins to make a difference my life made a difference when I went to Estonia
not saying God me too but when I decided that say okay God use me now I'm here
use me now me too you're gonna use me too and then
there's a boldness that begins to rise up as you make the walk of faith and
there's things that begin to change in your life as you walk the walk of faith
and then God begins to use you - God is calling us all to a higher level and you
might think man last year I was awesome I was in church 50 Sunday's out of the
year I gave my tithe I served and got a saying I want more from you this year I
want more from you this year you might think well I don't know how I could give
more no you can do more I can do more pastor Mario can do more and God is
saying I want you all to step up and do more that you would become a church that
others can look at and say caught us - we want that - we want oh man
we want to be like them - and they will look at you as a Christian as an
individual and they'll say I want to be like you doc I want to be like you be
the man and woman that God has called you to be and the only way you're gonna
do that is when you have the heart of Paul that's why I started where I
started today when he said in Acts chapter 20 and verse 24 Oh Lord I
consider my life worth nothing to me that's a powerful prayer he said
if only if only I may preach this gospel of God's grace success is what we all
want but success is multifaceted it doesn't always look the same nobody
would pick to be Paul because you wouldn't look at Paul and say he's a
success in the eyes of God Paul was a success so my question for you today is
what does success what does success look like to you and what does your success
look like to God success to you might be well if I get in my retirement all
settled and I get my kids off to school and I get there now then I'll be able to
all right but what is success what does success look like to God that she would
lay your life down and say God need to God me too
he wants to use you - amen would you stand with are we good what
what time I'm sorry what time do I quit
okay we're good all right would you stand I'm so sorry hallelujah thank you
Jesus let me pray over you father god I love you I thank you for your word this
morning I thank you for for your church Lord Jesus as you move in this place
today and as as you speak to hearts and as you draw them to to a place of maybe
a me to Lord I pray that as your spirit moves upon us today that there are some
that are ready to take that step of faith and say I want to be somebody that
causes others to say me too and so Lord move in this place and touch
the hearts of the people who are here change the lives of those that you have
called into this place to be part of this congregation to be placed in this
city at this time to be used by you to do great things
I thank you Father for a church who loves you thank you for a church that
loves your word thank you for a church that would lay it
all down and know that even in the struggle my God is there
but even in the difficulty I will come through and I will be better and I will
be stronger
my faithful grow
or use us use this place use this place to continue but you began so long ago
this place would be the place to reach the world this place would be a place to
touch families change lives and send people to go preach this gospel the good
news the good news thank you thank you for this church
we love you we love you we love you
we stand together today we say me too me to God to God
thank you
For more infomation >> RAP DE ELIZABETH (NANATSU NO TAIZAI) | 2018 | En Español | AdloMusic - Duration: 4:33. 
For more infomation >> Desaparecen decenas de personas en un naufragio | Al Rojo Vivo | Telemundo - Duration: 0:36. 
For more infomation >> Married at First Sight: Jaclyn and Ryan's Final Decision (Season 6, Episode 16) | Lifetime - Duration: 4:33. 
For more infomation >> Aumentan muertos por explosión de polvorín en Tultepec | Al Rojo Vivo | Telemundo - Duration: 3:03. 
For more infomation >> Святой Дух говорит «Ожил ли Вы?» - Duration: 14:31. 
For more infomation >> Блатной Удар - Блатной Волк Сказка Про Волков - ЭТО ВОРОВСКАЯ ДОЛЯ ТВОЯ - Duration: 4:58. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét