Rethink Church, Rethink Mission

0:21 We will let you guys thank you wander in from the lobby. I get to speak when everyone's tired and just kind of walking in and out of the room. That's great. After those guys have already said everything, I love this slot.

0:45 Wait a second for people to come in. Because I've got a good intro. I don't want them to miss it. All right. Well, have you guys enjoyed this so far? Good. I have too. Let me ask you a second question. Has God enjoyed this so far? Sometimes we don't ask that question. We just assume, well, of course God enjoys it. He loves David Platt. You know, we just assume, but that's not a thought in our minds. Like, no, seriously, seriously.

1:42 I mean, isn't that the goal of tonight? Is not that, oh, good, everyone had a good time. Everyone enjoyed what was spoken. I liked it, you liked it. But honestly, as you think about God in heaven, as he looked down at this gathering, we assume he liked it. But you look in scripture, there were a lot of times when the believers gathered together and God's like, oh, I couldn't stand the noise of your songs. You prayed to me, but I wasn't listening to you, and I'm not going to listen to you. He says, there's times when, he says, oh, I wish someone would just shut the doors to that place, Malachi, because I'm not accepting that offering. So these people were thinking, wait, we're bringing an offering, we're doing this.

2:38 Of course God loves it. Paul tells the Corinthians, he goes, when you gather, it's not even for the better. You're not even making things better by gathering together. Jesus, in the book of Revelation, he's writing to these churches, and he goes, man, if you don't repent, he tells these churches, I'm just going to remove this church altogether. To another church, he says, I'm going to wage war against you with the sword of my tongue. And to another church, he says, I'm gonna spit you out of my mouth. To another church, he says, you better repent or I'm gonna come like a thief in the night. You're not even gonna know what hit you.

3:20 Man, all of these gatherings, I'm willing to bet the people sat there thinking, God loves this. so it's not just a statement that I'm making oh is God pleased with this I mean did that thought enter your mind as you walked in today was your thought today oh I want him to be pleased as we gather together and so you walk in and you think to yourself what would please him I mean when God looked down and saw you walking into this room. Was he going, look at her, look at her. She came in with the heart to love and serve other people. I love that. Look at her. She just came in wanting to encourage whoever she sat by. He was looking to serve whoever he found. He's just like Jesus. He comes in to give, give, give, give, give. I love that gathering because everyone comes in the room looking to give, is that what he saw when he came?

4:23 when we prayed, you know, was it an honor to you when we prayed that God looked down and go, oh, I love it. Look at them. They are blown away that they get to come into my presence and speak to me. I love their hearts the way they love to pray to me. I love their worship where they're blessing me, not just with their lips, but with their souls. Was God pleased? Is God pleased right now? Because it's very easy, even as a pastor, to come up here and preach a message and think, oh, I hope they like it. rather than really going, God, I'm speaking for you right now. Oh God, I hope that you like the way I portrayed who you are and how your glory just goes way beyond everything. I hope when I'm done with this, you're really pleased. I hope that when you're listening, you're thinking, God, I want to listen to your word and I want to tremble. Like if he reads from that book, I'm going to take it as your very word and I'm going to tremble at it because I know that honors you.

5:39 as David and Andrew spoke and talked about the power that's available to us, what we're capable of, what pleases him. What pleases him is for you to listen to that and to truly have faith, right? God wants you to go, that's in his word. I have that much power. So I could actually make a disciple, like that's in me. I could actually start a gathering. I could actually multiply churches. I could actually move overseas in the power of almighty God and impact lives. I could reach and unreached people. He wants you in your very core to believe these words to the point of action. You see, as some of you know, I started a church like 25 years ago.

6:41 Yeah, you're laughing because you're thinking, he only looks 25. It was 25 years ago. Just kidding. 25 years ago, I started a church. I was newly married. I was 26 years old. I'm married for like three weeks and I looked at my wife I go I got an idea you know I think is of the Lord what do you think if we just start a church out of our living room you know I go just I'm tired of the fighting at the church we're at I just don't get it like I just want to teach the word and so we just went for it I said you know I'll wait tables I'll do whatever I'll make money somewhere, but I just want a pure church. I just want to be able to preach everything that's in this book. As I was told in some places not to avoid certain topics, I'm like, that's not right. I got to teach it all, you know? And so we started this church, and it started to grow out of the house and go, okay, this isn't going to fit in a house. Let's rent a school and grew out of that, you know, and then let's rent a building and grew out of that. Let's buy a bigger building, grew out of that. Let's expand that building, doing all sorts of services, planting churches, everything else. And then we decided, let's just do this monster of a building project and just everything was going great.

8:19 And then one of the elders just started to question some things. He goes, hey, is this really what pleases him? Is this what he wants? He goes, because I'm seeing a lot of commands in the Bible that I don't feel like we're obeying. And they're not like little obscure ones. it just seems like very very obvious and it was a weird question and I remember another you know staff guy questions you know as he was leaving and going away um he was going to get his doctorate or whatever and I'm like oh man yeah get your doctorate come back and he's like ah I don't think I'm going to come back I I just don't know that this is the way God wants I don't know if it's the best model of the church. I'm like, what are you talking about?

9:13 Look at all these people. I'm famous. Like, how could this not be good? You know, like, look at all the people that come everything out. You know, I mean, seriously, in my head, I'm just saying this is the greatest thing. And he just started to, you know, and elders, we just started talking, going, wow, there are some serious commands that I didn't really think about. and it put me on this path of going, gosh,

9:49 if God had it his way, if I was just thinking, God, what pleases you the most, based upon what I read in this book, what would the church look like? And I just started looking at the scripture. It's just, I've been on this path the last few years of just going, God, I want you to be pleased.

10:16 Because I can create a church that pleases me and pleases others, but is that really the goal? I mean, what did he want? And, you know, so the more I say the scriptures, there were just very obvious things. It's like the greatest command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength. Obviously, God wants us to be lovers of him, right? He wants us to be a bunch of people that are just devoted to worshiping him.

10:51 But as I looked around, I began to question. because like Matthew 10 verse 37 says whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me whoever finds his life will lose it whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. But this idea of whoever loves father or mother, wife or kids more than me, that word for love there is not agape. The word there is phileo. It's this affection. It's this passion. You know what I'm talking about. You'll see guys, you know, maybe it's your kids. Maybe it's just a friend of yours when they fall in love with someone.

11:48 and you just go, oh my gosh, he is crazy about her. And there's other times you can hang out with someone and go, he's not that into her, right? You can just tell. And we've all met the parent and maybe some of you are in this room who is, you're just obsessed with your child and you think everyone else should be also. Like, oh my gosh, he said, God, was that the cutest thing? You know, and I'm like, yeah, it's fine. You know, it's just, but we know, right? You can tell when someone is just insanely in love with their kid, their wife, their girlfriend, you can tell when they're not so into it.

12:33 And I guess my concern was... I just wasn't hearing a lot of people who were in love with Jesus in that way. I didn't hear people talking about, oh, I was with Jesus this morning, and I just can't get, I mean, I keep thinking about what he did on the cross for me, and I just keep telling him, like, God, I can't get enough of you. I can't believe you would love me like that. I just keep coming before the Father every day, just going, how could you do that? How could you love me this much? This is insane. and honestly, I hear people in the church gatherings that would talk about golf with such passion, college football with such passion.

13:28 They're pets, and honestly, I mean, there have been people that I've just gone, gosh, I need to have a talk with them. I need to have a talk with them, because they really do speak about these other people. I know they love their kids. But when they talk about Jesus, I'm not hearing that love. And I was thinking about how when David was reading out of Ezekiel 36 and how the people had profaned the name of God.

14:03 And I remember one lady recently, she's like, I don't get your gatherings. Like, you guys can just sit in there for like an hour, two hours and just pray. I just, I'm not into that.

14:23 And so the typical response is, okay, we'll shorten our prayer meeting. And we'll bring in a band. And we'll bring in a speaker. And at what point is it offensive to God? and we go well no one would come to the prayer meeting if it's just a bunch of us in a room trying to seek your face and tell you that you're wonderful so let's spice it up so people will actually show up but at what point are we profaning his name i mean think about if you were of some other religion looking in on this and in your faith man people are praying all day long get on their knees and everything else, then you see the Christians over there. Oh, they'll show up if there's a famous speaker or a good band, but just to pray to their God.

15:20 That's not interesting to them. At some point, isn't that offensive? It's like I told my daughter one time, I go, what if I, you know, if I said, hey, come over, we're going to have a party for you, you know, and invite your middle school, and we're just going to sing, and they can bring presents for you, and no entertainment, nothing. How many people would show up? She goes, maybe a couple. I go, what if I rented out like Dave and Buster's and free tokens, you can play all the games you want, unlimited. She goes, well, the whole school would show up. And I go, what if I put my arm around you on that day and go, look at all these people that are here to celebrate you.

16:05 I go, I wouldn't fool you. because you'd know they wouldn't come just for you. They're coming for all the other stuff. And I go, honey, if it's your birthday, I'll find you in a desert and bring you your gift, because I love you. And man, I'm tired of the big, crazy thing.

16:30 God's enough. Isn't there any part of you that just longs for that? You know what I mean? where you go, that sounds really refreshing just to get like 10 people who actually really want to come in the presence of God and really believe, oh my gosh, I can't believe we're talking to him and really believe that as we speak to him, this is what changes the world. I actually want that and I can get rid of the other stuff. See, that's what Andrew and David were talking about. This isn't rocket science. if you love him, if you're a devoted worshiper of him. But I realized, gosh, you know, there were just too many people showing up if everything was right, if, you know, it was the right time and everything else.

17:24 And I'm just saying at some point, are we really devoted worshipers of God? And is God really pleased by that? Or does he want people that just love him? that can't get enough of him. And the more we can strip away all the other noise and experience more of him, then please, God, please, that's what I want. We sing songs like you are more than enough. Do we mean that? Would we sing it if we didn't have a band? when I look in scripture, I believe God, number one, wants us to be people that our affections are for him. And he says, if you know what, if you love your kid more, if you're gonna kiss, you know that word is translated kiss in some place.

18:18 If you kiss your kid more than you kiss me, you're not worthy of me. If that's what you wanna tell, he goes, you're not worthy of me. You don't get who I am, really? And he doesn't lower the bar. He doesn't say the rich young ruler, hey, just sell everything. He's like, no. Okay, half.

18:42 He doesn't do that. He doesn't, he just goes, no, do you understand my worth? When you get the treasure that I am, you'll leave everything. Are we developing lovers of Jesus, devoted worshipers? or are we creating a consumer generation that will show up if it meets their liking because it's about us. Am I enjoying it? Will I like it rather than, God, will you be pleased with this? I want to come and just please you. I just want to bless you. in John 15 verse 9 I love this you don't even love this verse as the father has loved me so have I loved you abide in my love that's what he wants but if you read on he says if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I've kept my father's commandments and abide in his love these things I've spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

19:57 so God says, okay, here's what I want from you. I want you to abide in me. And he says, and you will abide in me if you obey my commands. And then he says, and here's my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.

20:21 So if God had it his way, he says here's my commandment you want to abide in me here's my commandment i want you to love one another just as i've loved you so if we're serious let's let's just say this was a church here i mean i know it's a building of a church but like we because i don't believe a building is a church um read my book Okay, so if we were a church seriously wanting to please him, God says, here's my command. I want you to love one another just as I've loved you. So like, what's your name? Matt. if I was in a church with Matt and I go okay God I'm all about pleasing you what do you want?

21:21 Then he wants me to love Matt just like Christ loved me. I'm cool with loving Matt. I hardly know you, but I'm, you know, it's fine. Yeah, thank you. But to love him to the extent that Christ loved me. How many of us even have even conceived of doing that? loving the church. See, these are the things where I'm going, that's a pretty big command.

22:06 He's saying, this is how you abide in me when you love in that way. In fact, earlier in John 13, verse 34, he says, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you're my disciples if you have love for one another. Once again, he goes, this is the new commandment. This is Jesus speaking right before his death. He goes, I want you to love one another just as I've loved you. And this is when he institutes communion. And he goes, look, and I want you to take this piece of bread. I want you to break it. I want you to take this cup. I want you to drink it. This is my body broken for you. This is the cup of the new covenant. This is my blood shed for you. And so I want you to communion, Francis, you and Matt and whoever else, you're going to break this bread and you're going to look at Matt and you're going to look at that bread of my body broken. And you're going, Oh man, that's the love you want me to have for Matt to where I would sacrifice and break my body and shed my blood like that level of love the Holy Spirit was a gift to me to pour out to you?

23:30 that's what if we were concerned about pleasing him. I know that's not what I, I'm just being honest. In the flesh, I don't really want to do that with you, Matt. I don't. I've got plenty of other people in my life, you know. I just hang out with my kids and my family on the island. I'm cool with that. In the flesh, that's not what I want.

23:56 But that's not what I'm about. I'm going, God, what would please you to love Matt to that extent? Okay, God. Because I'm not, this church isn't for me. It's not about what I want. It's about what would please you. And in fact, Jesus, later on when he's praying, he says, he says, And... keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one.

24:35 Jesus prays and he says, God, I want them to be one just as you and I are one. the glory that you've given me, I've given to them that they may be one even as we are one. I in them, you in me, that they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. See, this was Jesus' prayer. He goes, God, I want them to be perfectly one, just like you and I are one.

25:15 The Father and the Son, that's, I mean, some of these verses are very hard to believe. Do you believe you could be perfectly one? Is that your goal when you gather with the other believers? Because God wants it to be your goal. This is Jesus' dying prayer. God, I'm not asking you to take them out of the world. Just protect them from the evil one. And I'm asking that you would make them one as you and I are one. And he says, when they become perfectly one, he says, then the world will believe that you sent me. he goes, when they become perfectly one, that's when the world's gonna believe that you sent me. Now, I look at that, I go, really? That doesn't seem like that would do it. And we live in a world that's saying, oh, you know what, oh, if you have a good, you have faith in Jesus, that's good for you.

26:12 I'm glad it works for you. As long as you don't judge anyone. I mean, I think all roads lead to heaven. And Jesus says, you know what's gonna make the world believe? Is if you become perfectly one. That's what he says. It's not the way I think. I think, well, what if we get like Christian scientists, not like Christian science, you know, like scientists that are Christians to, what if we get like scientists who are Christians getting up here and proving it molecularly, whatever. You know, maybe if we get some, you know, pro athlete that everyone loves. And, you know, maybe if I can perform some miracles right now. I mean, don't you think, I mean, If I could heal some people right now of crazy, crazy, you know, you just start thinking, this is what would work. This is what would work. This is what would work. And God tells us in his word, if you guys would actually love one another, as much as I loved you and you became perfectly one, he says, then the world will believe.

27:14 In fact, Philippians 1 says that if you would strive side by side together, you know, with one mind and you weren't afraid of anything, you know, you just lock arms like we're one, we're not afraid. He goes, then the world would actually believe in their destruction and your salvation. You're like, what? So somehow our unity and fearlessness as a church would cause an unbelieving world to believe in their destruction? No one believes in the destruction anymore. No one believes in a day of judgment. And God says, well, if you guys were unified, they would. and again a lot of us are going gosh is that even possible first of all can we really be perfectly one well jesus prayed and he commanded it And is it really going to work?

28:11 He says it's going to work. and sometimes I read and I go gosh I have a better plan but I would have had a better plan at Jericho you know like I don't think this is going to work you guys I've walked around other you know it's just at some point we've got to we've got to stop with all of our own strategies and go you know what I really believe if I just got a group together that called themselves followers of Jesus, and their affection was for Jesus, number one, and then we became perfectly one, I really believe there's going to be a power in that. You know? And so I'm looking at the church, and so we know these truths, we see it in scripture, but I'm just asking you, can you think of one church in America that is known for their love for each other? To where unbelievers walk in and go, I've never seen people sacrifice like that. That's like Jesus on the cross.

29:18 Does that bother you? I can tell you churches that theologically, man, they are brilliant. I can tell you churches where, man, they give so much to the poor. These are all good things. I can tell you churches where, man, it seems like miracles are happening in there. You know, some unexplained, you know, I can tell you churches where, oh man, the music, you get singing and you just feel like you're right there in heaven. I can name all these types of churches. It's so crazy that with as many places I've been to, I can't think of one. And Jesus says, this is how they're going to know you're my disciples. It's by the way you love one another. Crazy to me. I started looking at Ephesians 4 where it says he gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

30:35 God says he gives these different gifted people to the church for the reason to equip the saints for the work of ministry. why are there leaders in the church? Why are there these gifted leaders in the church? It's not so that they can perform for you. Their job is to equip you for the work. Back to David's question. It was really wordy, so I don't remember it all. But basically, do you believe that you could make disciples and plant churches without the performance or the program or the professional. Thank you, thank you.

31:26 But no, but did you take that to heart? Because we're very good at, you know, in our gatherings to go, oh, that was very convicting. Oh yeah, touched my heart. Well, what's actually gonna change? Are you gonna walk out of here and go, no. I can actually make disciples. I can literally gather people together without any professionals. I've got the Holy Spirit. I've got the Word of God. Like, do you have that confidence? Like, that's what God wants in you. Like, we're supposed to equip you for that. I mean, we all know churches in America are way too consumer-driven. We know that, right? Everyone complains about that, but who's going to change that? Who's going to say, well, then I'll start changing that. I'll start gathering people together just to pray because I can do that. I don't need a performance. I don't need a program. I don't need a professional. What a thrill to get together with everyday people and come before a holy God and expect him to work through us and expect him to make us one, to become perfectly one. You know, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians, you guys know these passages.

32:49 I'm not telling, again, I'm not pointing out like obscure thoughts that no one ever thought about. Love God, love one another. Whoa, profound. You know, like 1 Corinthians 12, it says, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To each is given. You were given the manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the common good.

33:24 Because, you know, when I ask my church, you know, I go, hey, do you want these spiritual gifts because you want the spiritual gifts? Or do you want these spiritual gifts because you love the church? And all week long, you've loved us. So you're going, God, give me a gift so that I can bless them. Manifest through me because you said that you would manifest through me for their good. I love them so much and I want them to be so close to you. So you've got to start working through me so that I can be a blessing to them and I can draw them deeper into your glory. Like, is that your prayer during the week? And so that when you show up to a gathering, you're like, okay, I'm prayed up. I've got something to give. In fact, the Spirit says, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Scriptures say that I've been given a man. I mean, think about that. The manifest, the Holy Spirit of God. For example, what if right now...

34:22 I got possessed by a demon. Okay, it's not gonna happen, but let's just say, let's just say I get possessed by a demon right now. And I just, he just controls me. And I just say and do the most insane things. you saved me, thank you.

34:51 Would you walk away and go, wow, that was memorable, right? You're not gonna forget that like you will, David's questions. You'll walk away and go, oh my gosh, you know, I just witnessed something. A demon-possessed Francis Chan. Okay, right? Let me ask you something then. what if the Holy Spirit possessed me and manifested through me?

35:26 Shouldn't it be equally, if not more, shocking that the Spirit of God would manifest through me for the common good? And shouldn't there be just a change that happens at the core of your being? Because it wasn't me who was speaking. And so it wasn't eloquent speech or superior wisdom, but it was the power of the spirit, a demonstration of the spirit, a manifestation of the spirit for the common good. Shouldn't that be at least be equal to what a demon could do, right?

36:03 So do you believe that about yourself? Like, God, this is possible. This is promised. God, I have something in me for the common good. I'm not supposed to just go and sit and listen week after week after week and complain about how the message wasn't deep enough, the music wasn't my style, the kids program teach. You know, it's like, really? You guys, when we don't equip you and release you, you miss out on the manifestation of the spirit. Is there anything more amazing than that. I mean, that's why I still enjoy speaking, teaching anything in ministry just for the chance. I go, okay, God, this time, could it really be you? Could it really be your spirit manifesting through me to where there's a real change inside of your heart to where it's like the deep calling out to deep and you're just like, no, I believe that. Like, I want that. I'm seeking that. I'm believing for that. That's what God, that's what would please him, is if all of you believed.

37:13 You want to please him tonight? Then believe. Believe that the Holy Spirit wants to manifest through you for the common good, for the church. You are a blessing. You're a gift. And this is not just some gift that any unbeliever could do. This is something supernatural. This is from the Spirit of God. We've got to take these words literally. I was reading, I don't have time for that. Okay. I was reading though. The other, you know, the other thing. So here, these are, again, these are things that I'm just going, this seems like the most obvious stuff. We're just to equip the saints for the work of service. People should be mature and going out there and manifesting the Holy Spirit and blessing one another. And I'm not seeing that. I'm seeing people show up week after week wanting to just take, take, take and complain when they don't get enough rather than realizing I've got a crazy gift and I'm going to use it and bless other people. I'm not seeing people gathering and seeking to be perfectly one so that the world would believe. I'm not even hearing people talk about an affection for Jesus like they really mean it. And so if that's not happening, why do we think every time we gather, oh, God's so pleased? These are the things he says that are dear to his heart. Everything that Andrew and David were talking about, about how we're called to be these missionaries. Man, that's what we're training up as people that just love the glory of God and want to get his glory to the nations. Man, is that what we're doing? Instead, it just feels like we're trying to collect people rather than send them out. And I remember, I remember as a new pastor, I went to like a church growth thing and the pastor up front was talking about their Christmas musical and how they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and four to six months of rehearsal. And he was just saying, man, people from the church would come and rehearse

39:20 about six, six hours a week for like four months straight. I mean, they were committed. And then when we had this musical, man, we had all these visitors come and, and man, that's great stuff. But I went up to him after, and I was a new pastor at the time. So I'm like, hey, just a question, like those guys that came to the church building for like four or six hours a week and for four to six months, like if they just stayed in their neighborhood and talked to their neighbors and invite them to dinner and told them about Jesus, wouldn't that have accomplished a lot more and wouldn't it have been free? And I seriously asked that, you know? And the pastor looked at me, he goes, well, of course, but people aren't willing to do that. And I go, oh yeah, that's true.

40:14 I mean, that's what I said. I said, yeah, that's true. That's true. People aren't going to go and tell people about Jesus. But they will dress up like reindeer and sing, you know, way in the manger. So let's do that instead. You know, and that was my mindset, and I think that's where the church went wrong.

40:39 No, instead, we should look at those people and go, no, you've got the Spirit of God. He promises that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit falls upon you, and you will be his witnesses, that you're called, it's everything we're talking about, you're called to make these disciples. Man, and for that reason, it's like, man, ever since youth group, it's like, hey, bring your friends, bring your friends, bring your friends. Let the youth pastor speak to them. You know, bring your friends to this event on our college campus, and we're going to bring in a speaker. Bring your friends to the Sunday service. And pretty soon, we have a generation of people who don't know how to share the gospel. Man, we have a generation where the thought of, like, looking at your neighbor and having a conversation, looking another human being in the eyes and telling them the way to escape the horrors of what David was talking about and the way to know Jesus, to be able to share the most important thing in your life.

41:40 I mean, how many people who gather on a Sunday, what percentage do you think actually share the gospel that week or that year? And isn't it just a little bit embarrassing that we can't look another human being in the eye and tell them the best news in the world and the most important thing in our lives? Because these are the things that have to change. They have to. You know, when I was in China a few years back, I was talking to a pastor who was a leader in the underground church. But then when there was a little bit more religious freedom, he decided to, you know, actually do church services, just like the Americans do.

42:34 and he started gathering like 2,000 believers in Shanghai, which I don't know had ever been done. But then, of course, the government came in, shut it down, and he got arrested, and then they had to go back underground again. But he told me, he goes, Francis, that was the greatest thing for our church. He says, when we got up and started doing services pretty soon I couldn't get anyone to do anything. They just want to show up and listen to a sermon. I go, well, duh. You know, why'd you copy us? We're screwed up. You know, and he said, we lost our whole DNA. And then when we were forced back underground, it was so refreshing. He goes, because the Chinese church, the underground church, which grew to, you know, some say a hundred million or more.

43:29 Okay, people go, well, that's only because they were persecuted or this or that. I'm like, no. It's because they actually believe that they could make disciples and they could start these gatherings and that Jesus was enough. And he says, man, when we got back, we got our DNA back, because he says the underground church was built upon these five pillars. He says, number one. we were devoted to the word of God. Everyone was devoted to the word of God. Number two, we're deeply devoted to prayer, committed to prayer. Number three, we expected every single believer to be out sharing the gospel. Number four, he says, there was a regular expectation of miracles. We believe when we pray, things were gonna happen. And then he said, number five, He says, we embraced suffering for the glory of Christ.

44:30 Like the first three, I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. The word, yeah, prayer, you know? Yeah, everyone should preach the gospel. Then he's like, an expectation of miracles. Okay, yeah, yeah, I got that. But then when he named that fifth one, I thought, what? You embraced suffering for the glory of Christ. and I started thinking through scripture, and you know, like I said, I'm trying to find the things that are most obvious, and I'm like, wow, that really is, like in every book of the New Testament, that we're called to sacrifice, to suffer, that we rejoice in our sufferings, we embrace suffering, we actually believe that what we rewarded for suffering is something we actually want, and I started to think, gosh, if you, this is what made the underground church in China unstoppable.

45:22 I mean, if you have a group of people that actually embrace suffering, how are you ever going to stop them? Our churches are so stoppable because the moment it gets too difficult, you change the service time? Oh, man. I'm going down the street. You know, it's just, oh, my kid has soccer. You know, it's just like, it's just every little thing. Stop. But what if you actually go, I actually want to suffer for Christ. I'll be honest with you, when David was preaching and he got to that point where he was describing, was it Jonathan Edwards or who was he calling? Edwards, you know, about the oven thing. I mean, that was hard to listen to, right?

46:17 And I just kept thinking, God, if I believe that, what would my life look like? can I listen to that message? See, I think that most of us, when we hear sermons, let's just be honest, we listen and we think, okay, can I still save my life and be obedient to that passage?

46:42 Can I still keep things the way they are, or would this interrupt things? And with everything that was spoken tonight, the answer is no. You can't save your life and do what we're talking about and to live this way. See, there are so many people, man, that there's a new generation, and some of the older generation that goes, something has to change. Something has to change. Some of you will hear this message, and you'll go, absolutely. How can you fight against that? That's just scripture, scripture, scripture. Yes, that's what we need to become.

47:28 There's people that agree with it. The question is, is will you suffer to obey these things? Will you actually sacrifice? Because it's a lot easier to come somewhere and be fed than to love Matt. as much as Christ loved you, as much as the Father loves the Son, and to break bread with Matt thinking, gosh, Christ was tortured for me. Would I do that for Matt? God, give me that type of... It is much easier for me to preach a sermon and go home. than to sit with a group of people and go, I'm gonna love them to that extent.

48:22 See, we're talking about losing your life. The question is, are you willing to do that? The prayer that Andrew and David and I prayed back there before we came up here was, God, would tonight be a demonstration of your spirit's power so that people don't walk away and go, oh, that was good. But no, something internal happened. Because we were talking right before I walked up here. I go, you guys, when God called you,

48:56 wasn't there this sense which inside you didn't care what anyone else was going to do, no one was going to stop you. Like when you were going to head into ministry, like nothing was going to stop you because something inside, they're like, yeah. I go, no one had to talk you into it. and so if the spirit moves tonight with you and with everyone that's watching on the screens if it's really the holy spirit something's going to happen inside of you where you go i'm not putting up with this anymore i want all of this i want to be one who just loves god passionately loves others passionately i use my gift and manifest the spirit i'm going to be that missionary and I'm actually going to embrace suffering for the glory of Christ in all the nations and I'll surrender everything my prayer is that we could have a prayer time and the Holy Spirit actually moves in you you're not coerced into anything something internal happens in the inner man where the word of God resonates in you and you personally decide I can't live like this anymore I'm going to lose my life I'm going to give it to this because the church is that beautiful that important and the glory of Christ among the nations is what I live for so if you would just bow your heads right now Just come before God Almighty by the blood of Jesus.

50:44 Be honored that you get to come into the presence of God and be his servant. and will you just come before God and say, God, what do you want me to do?