Digging The Family Well | Jentezen Franklin

0:00 Hello, this is Jensen Franklin, and thank you so much for joining us for this week's podcast. Our goal is to provide you with biblically-based teachings that will challenge, inspire, and equip you to live for Jesus. If you haven't already, I'd love for you to go ahead and subscribe today to this podcast so you can get the latest updates from us and you don't ever have to miss a new message. let's go right into the service recorded at Free Chapel I believe it's going to bless you today Genesis chapter 26. I want to tell you what we're doing while we're baptizing people real quick. Genesis chapter 26, and I'll begin reading with verse 18. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. For the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had named them.

0:57 I want you to notice that. And then I want you to notice verse 24. And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, the same night that he re-dug a well that his father had dug. The Lord appeared unto him and said, I am the Lord God of your father of Abraham. Do not fear. I am with you. I will bless you. Multiply your descendants. Why? He re-dug a well. Notice that. For my servant Abraham's sake. And I'll stop there and then I want to go quickly over. So you have Abraham, whom God recognizes as the whale digger. And then his son, Isaac, comes along and re-digs the whale. If you read the verses before, it said he went off and tried to dig his own whales. And all he hit was ultimately dirt. So he came back to his father's whale.

1:51 What a sermon in that. And then John chapter 4, verse 6. So it started with Abraham. Isaac tried to dig new wells and find water that gives life. He couldn't find it out there anywhere. So he returned and re-dug his father Abraham's well. So that's two generations. Abraham has died and Isaac tried new stuff, but he came back to that well. And then now we have the third generation, Abraham, Isaac. And the same whale is described 1900 years later when Jesus Christ showed up, God in skin, and went to the whale in Samaria. Watch this. Now Jacob's whale was there. So there's a third generation. I'm preaching on generational whales. I'm preaching on re-digging a whale or digging a whale for your family. A family whale.

2:47 It was a family whale. Now Jacob's whale was there. Jesus, therefore, being weary from his journey, sat by the well, and a woman from Samaria came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, give me drink. And I'll cut right down to this 11th verse. The woman said to him, sir, you have nothing to draw with. I love this. And the well is deep.

3:12 Hallelujah. I get happy every time I say that. It is a deep well that we have in Jesus. the well is deep. And Jesus goes on to say in verse 10, and he answered and said, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that's talking to you, you'd say, give me drink. You would have asked him and he would have given you living water. The well is deep. So Bible, the Bible's full of It's wells, and wells were essential. Wells were necessary for survival. The livestock depended. The crops depended. If a person could not find a well in the holy land that we call it today, they would not last long. It was not just something to have. It was an absolute necessity.

4:07 And when Isaac split off from his father, after his father died, he left a good well and let it get polluted. The Philistines came and poured pollution into that well, and he didn't guard it. He didn't maintain it. He didn't keep it clean and open. He varies off, and he started digging new wells. and they did not satisfy. And he was forced, listen carefully, by circumstances to go back to his father's well and re-dig them. Sometimes God will force you to go where you need to go and do what you need to do if you don't go voluntarily.

4:57 He'll let you go out and dig your little new wells and try a new religion and try something that those old-timey, silly old parents and grandpa and all them. They're crazy. They went to church and all. We don't need that. Dig your new wells. Dig them. And you know what? You're going to come up dry sooner or later. They'll satisfy for a moment, but you're going to come up dry. And when you want to get your life back together, come back to the original well. And he came back and he started re-digging the well that was already there. We don't have a new gospel. We don't have a new message. we don't have, we package it a little different. This is kind of different, but we preach the same from the same well of the book of Acts. We believe that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He doesn't just say, he fills with the Holy Ghost. He doesn't just fill with the Holy Ghost, but it's a deep well. It's a well so deep that you don't have to stop by just getting walking down and getting saved. And I'm not putting that, that's not a minor thing, but when you really get saved, it's an unending, unending whale, a boundless whale. It never stops. And it's up to you. If you hunger and thirst, you can go deeper and deeper. Some of you need to get your floaties off. You've been in the shallow pool playing around with your big old grown adult and you still hadn't grown three inches in Jesus. Come on somebody.

6:25 At some point, Jesus says, launch out into the deep. You've been stuck over there in that religious rut, and I want you to re-dig the wells of revival and prayer and joy and the Holy Spirit and the baptism in the Holy Ghost. Re-dig those wells of revival for your family, because it's not just about you. If you go dry, the family goes dry. And so wells have a spiritual significance in Scripture. Jacob's well was very revered because of its heritage. They kept it clean. They kept it open. And now we see 1,900 years later, Jesus shows up at a family well that had been kept from generation to generation to generation.

7:21 and it was still flowing and it still had fresh enough water that people came from everywhere to get their water out of that old, old family well. And the well is deep. I tell you, the salvation and the Holy Spirit baptism is just the beginning. It's not the end. And in a minute, these people are going to get up here and some of them are first generation Christians and others have wells that grandma dug and aunt Susie dug and somebody dug, but they're going to get up and they're going to get in the well and it's starting a family well that will bring living water should the Lord tarry for generations to come. And it's a deep well. The Holy Spirit's well is limitless and deep. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a deep well that's not ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep. It's water to swim in. It'll satisfy you. I tell you, Jesus said, if you drink of this well, you'll never thirst again. What does that mean? That means nothing the world has that I gave up when I came out of the world. It does not have a hold on me anymore.

8:41 I can truthfully say, I'm not up here thinking, man, I can't wait to get out of this church so I can go get drunk and get high and so I can cheat on my wife. There is nothing in me that wants any of that because I am drinking from something that does not leave me thirsty. That's the problem some of you have. You got that thirsty look, but when you drink of the living water, it satisfies your soul. Hallelujah. I'm saved and I'm satisfied. I don't need anything else but Jesus. I appreciate his blessings, but just the fact that I have eternal life and I'm drinking from the well, I'll be all right. I might go through some things, but I'll be all right.

9:33 Hallelujah. Shout if you've got a river of living water. Hallelujah. You got to keep it clean. You got to keep it open. You have to keep re-digging it. You can't let it become stale and stagnant. There's a river down there, but if you let the well get clogged up, the river can't flow into that well. So they had to take care of the generational well. And when Jesus showed up, it had been maintained and it had been preserved. It was purposeful. It was a generational well from generation to generation, 1900 years, and it was still flowing. Today, that well is almost 4,000 years old, and it's still in the Holy Land, and they take you to it when you go on a tour if you want to go. And it is absolutely historically no question.

10:34 It is the well of Abraham from Isaac to Jacob. But now they build a Greek Orthodox synagogue church over it. And I can't help but see the symbolism in that. We've replaced living water with ritual worship. And I'm not putting down somebody's religion. There's a return to orthodoxy. People are wanting to return. That's why I started doing communion a long time ago. The Lord said, why do you just do that once a month? And I said, well, that's kind of the tradition. He said, forget the tradition and get the meal that heals out. And let me do a work. And that's why we pray the Lord's Prayer. That's why we still, we go all the way back to the book of Acts. We still pray in tongues and sing and worship and shout and glorify. We have old-fashioned prayer meetings.

11:27 and as long as I'm alive, we're never going to stop them because that's what the church did. The Bible said they broke bread daily. That wasn't eating chicken fingers and biscuits. They didn't go out and just sit around and eat meals with other Christians. They would do communion and then they would eat and they would hang out and they had all things common, meaning that it was just a lifestyle. They did life with other Christians. If you don't have any life with other Christians, It's probably because you're more like the world than you are the Christian. And the word Christian didn't show up in the book until the... I don't have time to preach this. This well's deep.

12:07 Hallelujah. I'm trying to tell you, when we take communion, that thing, that well goes all the way back to the upper room. When he said, this is my body and my blood and it's powerful. It'll run every devil out of your house. You ought to get that meal out and take it as often as you do this. You do it in remembrance of me until I come. That's the next thing. This well is so deep. It's going to lift us up out of the grave. It's going to lift us up who are alive and remain and be caught up in the clouds together.

12:45 It's deep. Turn to somebody and say, this river is deep and getting deeper. For some of you, you'll be left behind. Wow. And there'll be a mark of the beast waiting on you, and you can't buy and sell without it. It's deep, but God's in control. Hallelujah. David got so weary from battling the Philistines, and they had taken over his hometown called Bethlehem, where another great person would be born besides King David, and that would be King Jesus. But he cried out one day, Oh, in 2 Samuel 23 and verse 15, he said, Oh, that somebody would give me a drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. He knew exactly where it was.

13:38 And he sent three of his mightiest men, and they rushed through the troops of the Philistines for a cup of water and got a cup of water and brought it back. And this is what I want you to see, and then I'm going to move on, but I want you to hear this. David held that cup up, and he was so moved and emotional about it that he said, I can't drink this because when I think of what this well has caused to preserve it from generation to generation so that I could drink from it, he said these words, is it not this the blood of men that gave up their lives. He said the only reason there's a well there is there were men who fought and defended that well and they gave up their lives. They gave up their resources. They gave up everything they had.

14:31 And when I thought about that, I couldn't help but think about the fact that Free Chapel is a well that wasn't just dug a day ago. If Jacob had to re-dig those wells for the next generation, if he didn't, the next generation would pay the price, and he understood that. And when I think about the fact that every church has spiritual wells that go back to its original source and foundation, some pastor, somebody, some evangelist, some prayer warrior in their kitchen or somewhere, started digging a well in the city, and that's exactly the story of Free Chapel. We're not a fly-by-night ministry. It's not popular. We never started out to be a mega church.

15:25 We don't see ourselves as a mega church. We see ourselves as a well, and it's deep. And it's deep enough that the more people come, the more we can serve. Hallelujah. We don't run out. We got plenty of communion and plenty of wine and plenty of bread and plenty of Jesus. And Jesus is the answer. Hallelujah. Every church has generational wells. As the result of prayers and prophecies and revivals and fasting and tears and sacrifices and sacrificial giving. I jotted down some names of people who were whale diggers. H.R. Pierce put up his house many generations ago and decades ago. He put up his house when the church, Free Chapel, couldn't afford to get a bank loan to build.

16:28 You know, it started in a skating rink. We are the original holy rollers. That's where we started. Hallelujah. Then Brother Pierce put up his house mortgage that he had paid off for the debt that the church would take on. He was digging a well. He was just a businessman. He had just a love for God, and he was digging a well for his family and digging a well for a church. He's been in heaven for decades. He was on the board when I came to Free Chapel, and he was a crippled man. and he would take me out to lunch. He had a big, long Lincoln. And he would take me out to lunch and he would encourage me and he would get tears in his eyes in every building program. He said, you're building it too small. You're building it too small. Hallelujah.

17:23 Oh, we're here because somebody said, I'll dig a well for you, Jesus. And I may can't preach and I may can't sing and I may can't do what the pastor can do, but I'll be a well digger in my generation and I'll lift Jesus high and give people living water. Give him a hand clap of praise if you believe it.

17:45 I thought about J.W. Thomas. I thought about only Millwood. She's still alive. That's about the only one on this list. I thought about Mother Young. I thought about Sister Smoke and we had a Sister Cook at one time. I told him that reminds me of Charisse's cooking. Sister Smoke and Sister Cook. I thought about the old whale Katie Franklin. There she sits, Ancient of Days. Amen. Raise your hand, Mom. That's the whale right there. That's my whale. Hallelujah. Oh, thank you, Jesus. She's still praying. She's still handing out water. Glory to God. I thought about so many more, and I can't even go there. I'm done. Hallelujah. But when you get up, and you're getting up now, and when you come and you get in this water, come on guys, I'm ready. And when you get in this water, I want you to know that you are saying, I am starting a well.

18:50 Jesus said, this will be a well of living water. And what this water represents is when they go down, Romans 6 said they're buried with Christ. And when they come up, they're resurrected, quote, to newness of life. How many of you appreciate the truth of water baptism?

19:15 Praise the Lord. God bless you. You may be seated. What's your name? Brittany D. Brittany? All right. Who are the people making the noise? Those are my sisters at Made for More, and that's my babies. That's so great. So Made for More Ministries, which you support, and thank you for that. And we're working on some dynamic things that's coming for that ministry. I was moving there. Yeah. And how did you end up here today? I spent four years in prison, and I got out and went to another program that closed, and I had nowhere to go.

19:51 And it was referred to me to try this program. And I did. And I had no expectations, none. It was a place to live. But God said no man. So you had no place to live. No. And when I got out of prison, I was praying for more prison time because I was comfortable there. And I had, I was, my plan for my life was to live under a bridge. And God said no, absolutely not. Praise God. So you have hope. You have faith. I have beyond that. There's no words for what Jesus has done in my life. And he's done it through Brent and Marina Rutherford. There are not two more godly people on this planet that I know of. The light of God shines through them. And they have led me to the light. And by me, my children just signed up today for next steps to get water baptism.

20:49 You're digging a whale. And are things going good? Are you still in the program? I am. Okay, when will you graduate? September of this year. In Jesus' name, we're going to see the Lord provide everything you need in life, opportunities. He's a good God. He is the best God. This well is deep, girl. It is deep. It is so deep. It is bottomless. There's not even a bottom to it. There's not a bottom to it. She's preaching the truth. Welcome to the deep end. And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. What a miracle. What a miracle. What a miracle. What a miracle. That's it, ladies. God bless you. Oh, hallelujah.

21:39 Good morning. Good morning. What's your name? Jennifer. And Jennifer, how long have you been coming to the church? It's been a few months now, but I started watching back June of 2024. Were you watching on YouTube or something? I was in the hospital. I had gotten sick. And so I started watching you because what else can you do in the hospital but watch me? And so something, what happened while you were watching? God saved my life. He brought me through a very, I had been a Christian. I'd been baptized when I was 15. But I had strayed so far from him. And I was trying to fix all of my problems myself. And so he sat me down basically and said, put your trust in me and I will get you through it. And he has worked so many miracles.

22:34 Like he is just still performing miracles every day of my life. And I just owe him all the glory. And upon your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. What's your name? Caleb. Caleb, how old are you? I'm 19. 19. Why would a 19-year-old young man want to get baptized? You just got to proclaim your faith in public so that no one else is ashamed. Everyone's here to celebrate with you, and that's what I was scared of for so long. Yeah, that's it. And what you're doing, this well is so deep that Peter, James, and John, and all the disciples, they were baptized, and Jesus, the model, was baptized. And all the Christians, their blood was poured out so that this could be this moment for another Christian who's going public with their faith.

23:46 so I'm just so proud of you anything else? that's really all I'm just excited to be doing it with my family it's powerful you're part of a family well I baptize you in the name of the Father the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit church rejoice rejoice that he doesn't have a testimony except Jesus come on and praise the Lord hallelujah what's your name? Chandler And Chandler, why are you doing this today? I grew up in church, but I started drifting away, smoking weed and drinking and vaping. And I came back and I wanted to publicly announce my faith to the Lord. What made you want to come back? Family praying for me and I just changed my life around. So great.

24:38 And how are you doing now? Good. I haven't vaped, smoked, or drank in like three years. That's pretty good proof. Hallelujah. What are you doing now? Just following what God has brought to me. Yeah, you're a disciple. You're a disciple of Jesus Christ. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Good morning. What's your name? Bailey. You know, I love these baptism services. I love that this is the day the Lord has made and we should rejoice. He knew you would be getting in this water in your darkest day. He knew before you were even thinking about him that this moment would come. What's your name?

25:35 What's your name? Bailey. Bailey, and why are you doing this? So I got saved at a younger age, and I also got diagnosed with anxiety at that age. So I knew baptism was the next steps, but I was just so controlled by anxiety that I just never got to it. And last year, after years of praying, Jesus delivered me from my anxiety after 10 years of it.

25:59 So this is a big day. You're doing great, too. Yes, and the first steps I wanted to take was getting baptized, being free from all my anxiety. Praise the Lord. Amen. That's a great freedom. I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Bless and keep in Jesus' name. Praise the Lord. You getting in the well, son. Come over here.

26:28 I mean, you can lay down if you want to. I'm not here in a minute. Why are you crying? I'm just so thankful for the blood. Just thankful for the blood, Pastor Franklin. Just thankful. That was my girlfriend right there. So proud of her. She's been battling anxiety her whole life, and she's here. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That's awesome. That's awesome. So how did you end up here? Oh, Lord. I'll tell you what. Her family brought me here two and a half years ago, Pastor, and it changed my life. Lord, the Lord has blessed me coming here. Her family brought me from floating on top of the well to diving deep under to the abyss. And I'm just so thankful, so thankful for God and so thankful for them and my family who's here. I was a Christian growing up and I was baptized as a baby and I just wanna re-proclaim my faith to Jesus publicly now that I'm old enough to make that decision.

27:30 and I'm just so thankful for the blood, so thankful. So you're not ashamed at all? You're not trying to keep it secret in the closet? No, sir. Maybe in the past I did, but now I want to proclaim Jesus to the whole world. Boy, the devil's in trouble. This is not normal Christianity. This is a new generation arising saying, we'll charge the gates of hell. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Glory to God. You know, I think about all the prayers. I think about all the fast. I think about all the study and everything to reach these souls. This ought to be the noisiest service of our year. Hallelujah. To God be the glory. I said to God be the glory. Hallelujah.

28:24 What is your name? Maria. Maria. Maria and what has Jesus done for you? and what has Jesus done for you? in my life there are many things I also have a long time 20 years ago I have baptized and I got away from God completely I went to Mexico 10 years ago I felt that I didn't fill the Holy Spirit in other churches I asked him to give him the life to return I was baptized 20 years ago. And, but I, you know, things in life happened and I ran away from the Lord. But lately I've been feeling that the Lord has been calling me back through the Holy Spirit. And I felt that my children needed to be close to me because they were here. And God gave me life to return again to here again. But God has shown me that He is really great and merciful.

29:20 By the grace of God, I had the opportunity to come back here and get reunited with my family and my children. Praise the Lord. Well, we want you to know, we want to say first of all, welcome home. We want you to know that we love you. And God loves you. And you have a family well.

29:47 Have you ever been baptized in water like this before? You were baptized before in water, like today? Before 20 years. I mean, 20 years ago. 20 years ago. Well, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I baptize you in Jesus' name. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. I bless you. What is your name? My name is Gloria. Gloria Reed. Gloria. From Florida. From Florida. How long have you been here? Two and a half years. I started online. Yes. I was invited from my nephew who I hope he's here. He's here.

30:39 Jamie is my nephew. So he invite us. Where's he at? Is he here? Where he at, Jamie? He's back. See his hand. Where's that camera? There he is. He's standing up now. It's hard to see up here. But we see you. God sees you. Oh, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I'm here because I'm so proud of God bringing me to this church. not only for myself, but I want to say thank you, Lord, that I'm here. I'm in this country for 50 years. I, yes, and I came to this country by myself with no friend, with no family, and look at what I am. I'm blessed. I say thank you, Lord. My husband is here too. Beautiful. Can you praise the Lord for that family story? That's a miracle, isn't it?

31:32 That's a miracle. God's blessed you, hasn't he? Yes, thank you for this country. I got three kids. I got three, ten grandkids. What did I say? Thank you, Lord. That's a deep well. Those grandkids are deep wells right there. Yes, they are. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless this family, Lord. Bless this family. Hallelujah. And you're the husband? All right. What is your name? Garrett Reed. Garrett, God bless you. So this is a big day for your family. Yeah, very.

32:13 I need it. My whole family needs it. I was baptized when I was young as a child, and I strayed over the years. I met my wife 30 years ago, 31 years ago, excuse me. And I was an aircraft mechanic. I had a brain injury at work nine years ago. I was in a chair for four years. It disabled me. And we started watching this church two and a half years ago. And you're just amazing pastors. Jesus is my Savior, I want to publicly declare him. And the fact you were able to navigate these steps, it could have been a watery grave.

33:06 I thought I was going to float because of you. I thought I was going to float. As long as you don't play saxophone, I won't be crying. That is so great. And we rejoice with you. This is beautiful, this whole story. And these are jubilant people, happy people. Look at her. She's glowing in the dark. Praise God. I love that. She's good advertisement for Jesus. And you are too. And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless him, Lord, exceedingly, abundantly. Above all, you could ask or think in Jesus' name. Good morning. What's your name? My name is Landon. How old are you, Landon? I'm 18 years old. Come on, 18 and not ashamed. Why would an 18-year-old want to get baptized in water? So about four months ago, I was living a terrible life of addiction, battling alcohol, drugs, you name it.

34:05 And I was kicked out of my house the whole month of November. And come around Thanksgiving time, I prayed a prayer. I was like, Lord, I'm tired of this life. Please save me. Deliver me. Remove all this evil from my life, Lord. And the next day, I get a call from my mom. She says, we want you there for Thanksgiving. And then the next day, I got sent to Goodland and Recovery. And now I'm over 100 days sober.

34:37 And I'm walking with the Lord. Is your mother here today? I live in South Carolina. They're about a three-hour drive, but I know they're at home listening and watching. I know they're proud of you in this moment. And it hurt them. You heard this when you were a kid, but it hurt them more than it hurt you. Did they put you out? Kind of put you out? Yeah. They were dying. They wouldn't show it to you, but they were dying. I've been there. I've done that. and boy you feel like but sometimes love has to be tough yes it does and I want to give a big thanks to my good friend Mr. Witt he's here somewhere and I also want to give another big thanks to all my guys in Goodland and Recovery where's Goodland and stand up Goodland and we love you guys y'all do great work over there we appreciate you I baptize you you want to say anything else?

35:32 praise God anything's possible with God You can't do it alone. You got to give all the glory to God. And I want y'all to know that if y'all are in here struggling today, you know, just give it to God. Prayer, there's so much power in prayer. There really, really is. And if you just give it to him, your life will be so much better. So great. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Let the church rejoice. Hallelujah.

36:02 Good morning. What's your name? Jesse. Jesse, how long have you been coming to Free Chapel? Who are you with? My family and friends. That's no way that's your family. That's a big family. Where's that family at? And they're noisy. You didn't shout like that while I preached. What is the problem? I was really needing you this morning. But that is awesome. So that's your family. Yes, that's my family. And so tell us why you're doing this. Six months ago, I went through one of the worst seasons of my life, and I thought that my life was completely ruined. But my dad came and he talked to me, and he told me that if I just give everything to God, that he can turn my impossible situation around. And so I started to build a relationship with God for the first time, something I never did before.

36:56 And also during that time, I was talking to my friend about things I was dealing with each week, and then I would come to Sunday service and you would preach exactly what I was going through. And then about a month or two later, I got a call unexpectedly that the situation I was going through had been dismissed. And I knew that wasn't luck, but I knew that was God answering my prayers. It wasn't luck, that was God. Amen, I love that. That's a great takeaway line. Just turn to somebody next time something great happens and say, that's not luck, that's God. Well, God's got his hand on you, young man. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amazing.

37:48 Good morning. How are you doing? Good. How are you? What's your name? Matthew. That's your family too? My friends, yeah. That's my friend that just got baptized. Doing this together. What in the world is going on with all these young... You know, it's the same way in the nine o'clock. There's so many young men that are getting saved. I'm not talking about they're kind of playing with it. They want to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus. Are you one of those? Yes, sir, I am. What's the Lord done for you? So he's done a lot. I've been going to the church ever since I was two for my whole life. I've been to all the events and the Ford Conference, the camps. Every time I went, I had a fire for the Lord, but every time the fire would burn down slowly. So I want to dedicate my life today to keep the fire lit. That's it.

38:41 I love it. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless him, Lord. Use him, Lord. Keep him, Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That is powerful. First of all, I admire you for your determination to be baptized this morning. God bless you. What is your name? Barryman Duffy. And why are you doing this? Have you ever been baptized? I guess for about 20 years ago. But I'm doing this because for a long time I was doing droves. And I lost a lot of my friends doing droves. and my baby brother, he committed suicide about three years ago and I lost my best friend. I've been through a lot.

39:33 I just want to praise the Lord and wash all the sins away. And what a beautiful testimony. And everything you've been through has led you to this moment. There's a verse that says that morning by morning, And his mercy is renewed. It waits on you every morning. God has new mercy for us. He does it daily. He gives us daily mercy and grace. And that's the only reason you're still alive. It's his mercy kept you alive. And anything you want to say to people that are listening right now. I just want to give a special thanks to my family who wants to help me. My best friend. And I love them. And upon your profession of faith, hold your nose.

40:27 Upon your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. That is precious. And Lord, continue to help and heal that body. No, no, no. Just walk around. There you go. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus.

40:54 Amazing. How are you? I'm good. How are you? What's your name? Christy. Christy, how long have you been coming to Free Chapel? For two years. Good. Did somebody invite you? Actually, it's an interesting story. Me and my husband, we haven't been in church the whole time we've been married. I have a nine-year-old little girl. and her sister actually invited her to the Brazelton campus for the parents not out, which was a win for us. So once we dropped her. So your first deal was to get away from your kid to get a break and every parent totally understands. But that is wonderful news. I mean, that is amazing. Isn't that something? God uses things we can't even imagine. And after we did that, a couple days later, we got a phone call from you, which was left on our voicemail. And my husband was like, did you get the same message?

41:51 And I said, I did. And we were like. It's a recording. It is. I knew we wasn't that special. I'm going to find you and your husband's number and call you this week. Amen. In Jesus' name. We may need that phone call. but actually after we heard that my husband's like we need to go to church so we started at the Brazelton campus and we went for about a year and then wait a minute so you get a recorded call and you hadn't been in church for years and years and the Lord uses that recorded call to make you want to come to church And we come here actually Easter Sunday because we wanted to see everything live. And ever since then, it just, it felt different to us. And of course, I was saved when I was 14 at a small Pentecostal church in Lula.

42:50 And somebody that's here today is, she's the well digger. And that's my grandmother. Where's your grandmother? Where's she at? Raise your hand, grandmother. She's 83 years old. 83 years old and look, look in the well. There's your granddaughter. Anything else? We're just blessed in this church. And, you know, our relationship with God has gotten closer. And I felt like since I was saved when I was 14, I'm almost 40. And this is something that I need to do. It's truly a beautiful testimony. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Lord. for that wonderful testimony. Good morning. Good morning, sir. What's your name? Sebastian. Sebastian, how'd you come to Free Chapel? I've been off and on for about three years now, me and my fiance.

43:45 I'm in a program called We Are Living Proof. So I was there over three years ago and I kind of strayed away and I had a situation in life with a child and I led and relapsed. So anyway, I found my way back here and really just dug in, you know what I mean? And it's been great since I started coming here this last time. And what way did you dig in? Because that's a great, that goes with my sermon. So dig in. Yeah, so I feel like I've been called my whole life by God. I didn't grow up in the church. I grew up in addiction, 10, 15 years of just heart addiction, crime, and just trouble, you know. But I've always felt a fire burning in me for God I couldn't explain.

44:38 You know, he's led me. He raised me up. He brought me through some hard times in my life, and I know it was him and only him. You know. I was fighting surrender for so long. I was fighting it. And I came here a broken man a few months ago, over three months. I got four months clean and sober this time. And thank you. I came here a broken man, and I just completely surrendered it all to him. Every sin, everything I was holding on to, I just let it all go. And since then, he's done an amazing work in my life. I've joined School of Discipleship. I'm going to Free Chapel College in fall.

45:26 Man, he's just working wonders. I got a son on the way here in about a month. Man, I'm just so grateful for him, man. And you're digging a whale. And you got Ephesians 3.20 on your tattoo. What is Ephesians 3.20? I think I know, but... I'll tell you what it says. It says, Now all glory to God, who is able through his mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Come on, somebody. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless him, Lord. Hallelujah. You know, everything the devil tried to destroy you with, it didn't work. Hallelujah. That grace, that grace of God. You can sit down. There you go. What's your name? Alyssa.

46:18 You're doing good. Now, who are those screamers? That is my family. It's your family? Have they been praying for you? Yes, sir. How long have you been in the church? I've been going to Free Chapel since I was like two. Great. And why are you doing this today? I just want to help show the younger people that you shouldn't be ashamed to show your love for God. You're doing that. How old are you? 18. 18. And anything else you want to say? Just follow God because He's the only answer. You're doing amazing. You're doing amazing. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless our Lord. Jesus, mighty name. Amen. Praise the Lord.

47:03 What is your name? Tony. And Tony? Yep. And how old are you? 17. 17. Why are you doing this? You didn't have to get up here and do this, did you? I want to proclaim my commitment to Jesus in public. That's so great. And how long have you been in the church a long time? I've been for about eight or nine years since I was in third grade in Kid Peck. And then I volunteered and then went to youth. And now I'm here. We're so proud of you. What's the future hold? Do you know yet? I have a lot of things in mind, but, you know, I'm still thinking about that. Your future is bright when you keep Jesus Lord of your life. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless him, Lord. Thank you. Good morning. How are you? Good. What's your name? Tori. And is that your family? Yes. And my husband's family. God bless you. Wonderful. And so what's the Lord done for you? So much more than I could ever sit up here and tell in a short amount of time. But most recently we are expecting our first little boy.

48:14 So we are doing this today to dig the well for him and make sure that we are saturated and not ankle deep. It's kind of special that while I'm baptizing you, although he'll get baptized himself, but we're just, it's a family well today. And that's pretty amazing. To God be the glory. He's gonna bless you. And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Congratulations. Thank you. And what's the Lord done for you? Like she said, she's blessed us our whole lives, whether it was a house, a baby, whatever. He's just blessed us, and we can't thank him enough. So great.

49:08 And so have you ever been baptized before? I have not. Just never did it. and she motivated me to do it. After Charlie Kirk passed away, you brought all the young adults up here to the altar, and that was the day we decided to get baptized. That is amazing. I know that would thrill him to know that. Something is going on with this generation, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, is special. For all of us who wondered, would we ever see what we saw spiritually, the well is deep. It's still flowing to a brand new generation and the next generation. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. What a joy. A whole family. A whole family. God bless you. How are you? What's your name? Bridget. Bridget, why are you getting baptized?

50:12 Well, first of all, I want to say I'm so happy to be here. I drove about six hours to be here. But where did you come from? South Carolina, around Conway, Myrtle Beach area. But thank you. I struggled my whole life. Well, I grew up in the church, but then I strayed and I was on drugs for a very long time. Me and my significant other, we were together for 10 and a half years. And he went to the hospital around February or March last year. And that month or two while he was there, I still just kept wanting to do drugs all day, every day, while I slowly lost the feeling in my legs. I had to go to the hospital. I broke my back from an infection from drugs, and he died two days before my surgery. And while I was in the hospital, when they had sent me, they had sent me back from Charleston and Conway two hours away, but I was too malnourished for surgery. So while they sent me back to get healthy, I was watching a local channel, And after that program went off, a church came on.

51:22 And it was like, because I had prayed for a long time, God, please just take away the desire. Like, I felt trapped. I wasn't happy. I was depressed. I hated myself. And I prayed every night. I said, please just take away the desire, Lord. I don't want to live like this anymore. And I thought I would never, ever get clean. So you just couldn't break the addiction of drugs? I would never get clean. and that message was meant for me. He talked about how when everybody and everything else will give up on you, God will not and it just reconfirmed that I, because I would pray, I said, God, I know you have a plan for me and this is not it and that just reconfirmed, I knew that he wasn't done with me and usually grief, the way I would deal with it, it would send me deeper into drugs But when Jonathan died, I didn't go back to drugs.

52:19 I didn't want it. And that just showed me. There's no other. It was a miracle. There's no other explanation other than that God finally delivered me and answered that prayer. And so you traveled six hours? I did because my grandmother told me about you while I was in the hospital. I was in the hospital for two months. And so I started watching you in the hospital. So me and my grandmother, we watch you now on TV and every day at 1130. But you were a great comfort to me while I was in there. And I love how you preach about the Bible. And I hadn't found another church yet. So I watch you online. This is where I get my ties and everything. So when they sent me the email. You probably don't need another church. You're good. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I am kidding. If you find one, go there and support them. They had said, though, without that surgery, I would never walk again, too.

53:16 So I prayed before the surgery. I already claimed it, that God healed me. And here I am almost a year later. I'm walking. I'm clean. That is miracle after miracle. Truly remarkable. God has been good to you. And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in obedience to the scriptures. Amen and amen. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. This is the last one. So you are the benediction, almost. I'm gonna really speak one. But what is your name? Alicia McKinnon. Alicia, is that your family? Wonderful. And how long have you been coming to the church? since before I was born because you prayed for my mom because she had so many miscarriages.

54:13 And then doctors said I was impossible. And then through prayer, I'm here. And why are you doing this this morning? You know, there's been so many times where he, you know, he had to save me. He had to save me so many times. Like I was a lost cause at some couple of points in my life, you know.

54:41 But he is so good. He is so good. And I just, you know, I'm about to move. I'm at Georgia Tech right now getting my master's. And what are you getting your master's in? Oh, gosh, business analytics. It's a lot. It's a lot. But I believe so. I believe so. And so today is meaningful to you. I can tell with the tears in your eyes, today matters. There's a story of God's grace and even where you are.

55:15 You've got to be very smart at Georgia Tech. So there's something great that you're being trained for that God will open every door and you'll be a blessing. You'll be blessed and you'll be a blessing. You'll be a blessing. That's a little bit I feel that. I will bless you, the Lord would say, and you shall be a blessing. So it won't just be about you, but he's going to put in your hands the power to be a blessing. And you will be a great blessing to many. So let that purpose sink in while you're in this water. Thank you. Yeah, it is. He is so good. And as long as your heart is still beating, he is not done with you. he's not done with you it may feel like it may feel like you're all alone but he will never he will never leave you okay he will never leave you it may feel like you're by yourself the whole time but he is watching out for you he has his hands on you and i don't know who needs to hear that but he has his hand on you and he is watching for you i want you to do something with every head bowed and every eye closed.

56:37 I didn't know who, I didn't look, I don't, I don't, I glance at a thing and move on, but God had you last for a reason. And I want you to tell some young lady, some young man, some person sitting out there who the enemy has really done a number on and lied to, how they can receive Jesus as their Savior. You gotta be patient with yourself. You know, that's one of the things that, you know, God will tell you. You gotta be patient for yourself. It's his timing only. It will only be his timing. You may wanna rush something. You may think something's not where it needs to be. You may say, why me? Why this? What's going on? But he has a plan for you. Before he even knew who you were, before you even your parents even knew who you were he knew where you would be this morning and he has his hand on you don't forget it it's hard not to forget it it's so hard not to forget it but he will never leave you no matter what nobody tells you he will never leave you never the doctors may say one thing the People may say one thing, but he will never leave you.

58:01 And I'm telling you this right now. Jesus will never leave you. He will never leave you. And he'll never forsake you. Somebody needs to hear those words today. He'll never leave you. Every head bowed, every eye closed. Pastor Jensen, I need to get right with God today. I'm lost. I'm running.

58:27 I'm bound. I need a change. I need a Savior. I need a well of living water. I'm so thirsty for something that the world can't give me. I tried, and there are empty cisterns that hold no water. I want living water today. Pray for me right where you're sitting at any and all of our campuses. If the Lord is speaking to you, slip your hand up right where you're sitting, right where you are. Bless you, bless you, bless your hands all over this building. I'm looking through the congregation. Raise it high and unashamed. I see that hand there, there. I see those hands. Yes, yes, yes. Up in the balcony, I'm looking in the balcony. Just raise that hand. He said, acknowledge me and I'll direct your path. Every one of you that prayed, every one of you that raised your hand and everybody in this room, say this prayer.

59:24 Lord Jesus, I receive you as my Savior. I humbly acknowledge my sin. And I'm sorry. Wash me and cleanse me by your blood that you shed on Calvary for me. You will never leave me from this day forward. You will never forsake me. You will be there through it all. And I will give you the praise. And I will give you the glory in Jesus' name. If you prayed that prayer, clap your hands. You are now a part of the family of God. And upon your profession of faith, you just want a bunch of souls with your testimony. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

1:00:26 Praise the Lord. To God be the glory. I really want to say thank you for joining us this week. If you haven't already, make sure you click on the subscription button and leave us a review. It helps this podcast reach even more people when you comment, when you give us your feedback. For more messages and inspirational materials, download the Jensen Franklin app. Or you can head over to JensenFranklin.org. I want to thank all of you who give generously to help us produce weekly content like this to reach the world with the message of Jesus. God bless you and we'll see you next time.