Being Biblically Courageous | Francis Chan

I uh I I I've never heard I that was the first time I'd ever heard Matt Carter speak. I've known Matt for years and that's the first time I ever heard him speak and and uh and it just wasn't that good. No, I'm kidding. No, it uh totally kidding.

No, the whole time the whole time he was talking I'm just going amen. No, I'm I was joking about the first. I mean, seriously, what I the whole everything he said, everything that came out of his mouth, I just wanted to Amen. I just wanted to go, man, I I can't believe he just said that.

That was so right on. That was It It was everything the Holy Spirit's been stirring on my heart. It It was It was It was eerie, honestly. It was one of those times where I sat there, I go, "This is too weird. Everything he is saying, I feel like I want to say or I have said or I'm going to say or now I'll say it.

You know, it it's just everything. And that's what I loved about it. I I go, "Wow, I I I agree so much. I I just want I I have a hard time moving on from that, I guess, is what I'm trying to say is after he was done, I just wanted to sit there and process that.

And I I can we just try to forget that we're at a conference? You know how sometimes we can get into conference mode? It's like, okay, here comes Francis, you know, and and we we just it's just like like just kind of slow down and go, okay, here's just a bunch of people people human beings in a room whose every breath is from God.

There's a being up there and and that's all this is about, you know? It's just about him and it's just about him being pleased with what we're doing. And this whole idea of of what what what Matt was saying about look if we've lost that first love then then then this is all just a joke who I don't want to be remembered as the missional community generation.

Um and and ah that was just so good. And I just sat there and I I really know that the Lord was speaking to me. Um these are the things that God's been talking to me about. everything that he spoke about. Even even yesterday, just yesterday, I teach this sermon prep class at our college and uh you know, so I listened to these college students speak and and you know, sometimes they're really bad, but but it you but but this one one kid, he um he preached uh yesterday out of Exodus 33.

And again, it just stopped me again. I just sat there and I thought, I got to repent. I I totally got to repent. Exodus 33:15 when it said uh he said to him, this is Moses talking to God. He goes, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

How shall it be known that I found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us so that we are distinct I and your people from every other people on the face of the earth? And he just challenged us and he he said he goes look look is that what you want more than anything just the presence of God like you just want to know that he's with you right now? you you just want to know that that you're walking where he wants you to walk because my motives in ministry have have not been pure.

I mean so much of my life I started off you know in in in high school and and and you know that's when I came to know the Lord and I remember I would see these youth speakers and oh they were just the greatest speakers. So I thought I want to be like him man he's funny he's this he's that he's convicting I want to do that.

Look at the way the crowd respond. Those were the desires, the thoughts, a lot of things that went through my mind when I started ministry. And then then you, you know, become a pastor and you see these these churches and you go, I want to do that. I want to I I want I want a big church and I want to I want to speak in front of crowds.

It's just all these thoughts and all these different things go through your mind and and uh and you just lose sight of just that original intention way back when when you just you just want to know you're being pleasing to God. And then the more responsibility you're given the the the more God entrusts you with, the harder it gets sometimes to just go all at one is the presence of God.

I just want to know and if he if he's not in this thing, I don't want to be a part of it. And that's that's what I loved about the whole idea behind this conference was I didn't think about the the the title of the conference until Sunday like Verge.

I thought, okay, that's cool. That's new. Usually, you can't come up with any more new words for conferences, you know, because everyone was taking them. And I and at first I, you know, I was thinking I was thinking, what does that even mean? You know, verge? I don't know.

But I was thinking merge, you know. I thought, "Oh, we're blend." No, it's merge, you know. And I did a merge I did a merge conference once and I I did a I did a surge conference once. I did an emerge conference once and a research and you know, I was thinking about all the different urge, you know, I did a um purge for bulimics.

It it was just, you know, but I I was thinking what what is what's the idea of verge? And I actually looked up what does what does verge mean? And uh and it means like the outer like uh limit like you're you're just about you're like right at I'm like oh yeah on the verge like it's it's right there.

And uh and I like that. I like that thought because I really do feel like we're we're right there at something and it's not this I don't I don't see this as one of these conferences where we go come on you guys let's start a movement you know how you get it you know I've done those I I've been the guy that goes yeah come on let's change the world you know and everyone stands up and we sing shout to the Lord and and and run out and and everyone walks I go that was the greatest we're going to start a movement you know I I haven't sensed that with this that what I've sensed is really that God is doing something and and we're we really are on the verge of seeing something happen like it it's it's just been really weird that I'm listening to you was eerie because I gosh that's so crazy.

We're in these different places and those are all the thoughts that God has put on my mind. The timing of things of of uh I I I just just different guys that I met. You know, I remember when I was really struggling with some of this and and I get this email from a guy named Neil Cole, you know, asking me to, you know, write a forward in his book and I said, "No, sorry.

I don't have any time." You know, and uh but then later the Holy Spirit like, you know, go back read that one. I go, "Which one? Neil Kohl's one? I know the guy, you know." So I I went and I and I read this his book, the the church 3.0.

And I'm going, "No way. Shut up. This is everything." You know, it happened when we read Total Church as a staff. We go, "This is everything we've been talking about. It's everything we've been talking about." That's why when he said, it's like, "Wow, that's everything." I met Dave Gibbons.

I just met Dave Gibbons. Everyone assumed I knew Dave Gibbons because we're like the two Asian pastors in Seriously, in Southern California, we were the two Asian pastors that, you know, pastor multicultural churches. So, everywhere I went, they go, "You know, your buddy Dave?" And I'm like, I never met him, you know.

And but we ran into each other this summer. It was so funny. We had a conference together and we both we just like ran up to each other and hugged each other. We did cuz he was like, "Man, I've been hearing about you for years." Like, "Oh, YEAH, YOU TOO."

WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND UH AND it was it was so crazy. I was like, "Oh, you know." So, we went out, got some sushi, you know, and uh and we're just laughing. would you I mean it was just like wow I can't believe I haven't known this guy but everything he was talking about it was just like this you got to be kidding me you got to be kidding me everything you're telling me is everything the Lord's been put on my heart and you know Jeff Vander other guys it's just it's it's it's just it's a really strange thing um I don't believe it's it this is not something I would have ever come up with I liked American church I did I liked being able to hide in the back and come in and do my thing, my relationship with I don't really like hanging out with a lot of people, you know, and uh just being honest with you, I'm more of an I'm more of an introvert.

And um even my wife uh I remember years ago she asked, she goes, "Honey, what do you love most about me?" And my answer to her without even really flinching, I go, "Of all the people on the earth, you bug me the least." Okay. So, that gives you an insight into, you know, me and uh it we got other people like me out there.

Um it's just that that that thought that so but but what happened was as I started studying the scriptures and and looking at scripture and I I think that's what Matt was talking about it it always bugged me because you'd read scripture, you'd see one thing, you go to church, you see something else.

And now everyone's just going, I'm just I'm done with that. There was a a unity, a love in the in the scriptures that we just don't see in church as we've been doing it. Um this whole uh what do you call it? Missional community thing. You know, people have asked me, "Hey, you know what you're doing because it's the emergent thing."

He goes, "And aren't you emergent?" I go, "Not emergent. I don't even know what you know." You know, people say, "Are you this movement? Are you this movement? Are you this movement?" And I go, "I don't know, man. I just read this and I just I just kind of whatever it says, blah, it comes right back.

Maybe we're regurgent. We we just, you know, whatever, you know, this is what they did. There it is again." You know, it's just I'm not trying to come up with anything new. It's just when I read the scriptures, this is what I was and what I'm convicted about of the way the church ought to look.

And um you can go ahead and tweet that. Francis is a regurgent pastor. Um but uh like I I remember remember like seven or eight years ago some around there I came back from Africa and the Lord just tore me up. He just showed me you you don't care about the poor you know you you you you just avoid them.

And uh when I got over there it just caused me to fall in love with the people over there. and and and suddenly my my heart for those who are in need and then I start I started seeing it on every page of scripture. I'm how do I miss this?

And and it was so crazy because then I'd start talking to my friends in other places around the nation and guess what God was teaching them. The spirit was saying the same thing to them and suddenly you saw this generation of people going, "Man, we got to start caring for the poor."

And that just became this huge thing. But it wasn't like we all got together and said, "Hey, let's start a movement on caring for the poor. It was just something the Holy Spirit was doing in each of our hearts in all these different places." And and then uh a few years ago, 3, four years ago, the Lord really was convicting me on my theology on the Holy Spirit.

I I I I started reading the scriptures going, "Wait a second. I I've been completely ignoring the Holy Spirit. Not not completely. I would never deny he exists, but the reality of him in my life." And so then I start talking to my friends and guess what the Holy Spirit's leading them to think about.

And in the last couple years, like I said, we we've been getting together as elders and looking at scripture and going, "Man, I want this. I want what the scriptures are saying." And then we start, you know, as we go out and talk to other people, we realize, wait, other people are even further down the road than we are.

It's something the Holy Spirit is doing. And that's what I love about this is it it takes a lot of pressure off. There's I don't stand up here going, "Okay, come on, Francis. Start a movement." I just go, "Man, a movement started." And it's cool. I get to be a a part of it.

We get to be a part of it. And and you're here because the Holy Spirit has guided you here through your teaching, through your study, through your theology, whatever it is. I I we we have to make sure this is um driven theologically though, you know, that it's not just this, oh, here's a cool thing to do.

Let's break down the mega church, you know, but it's more just, you know, I read this in God's word, and so it has to be done. See, I I've had other ideas in my head that weren't necessarily biblically driven. I go, "Ah, man. Why don't we why don't we try this at the church or why don't we try this?

Why don't we try that?" And sometimes it goes well, sometimes it fails. Sometimes I just quit going, "You know what? It's just too hard." But this is different because this is something I I I still remember the day when uh I was with a couple of my elders and we were sitting at uh just at at Panera and we were just talking about church and and uh we're talking about biblically what it's supposed to be.

And then the reality hit us. I still remember when the reality hit us where where one of the guys said, "You know what scares me is when I read the scriptures, God doesn't get mad at the people, he gets mad at the leaders." He goes, he goes, "Man, our our church is the way it is because we led them here."

And there was this sense of uh I mean seriously it was like this sickening man I don't want to stand before God on this one and and just go well well this is way everyone else was doing it. No I I knew better. I know better now and I know what ought to take place in these gatherings because I'm looking at scripture and as we looked at that it's it's one of those things where we go we've got to change.

I don't know how we're still in the middle of the process, but it's not something we can just quit because it's biblically driven. It's theologically driven. It's not an idea. It's not a trendy thing. It's just something we see in scripture and we said, "We've got to do this."

And uh and it's cool because as we look around and talk to other people and many of you, you go, "Yeah, that's the same thing I feel." Last last week I was in Edmonton. Um I don't recommend that. And uh and this guy uh one of the guys at this conference uh younger guy was just he he just said, "Hey, what would you say to a younger guy that's thinking about starting a church?"

And I said, "Be courageous biblically. Be biblically courageous. uh think think through be as biblical as you can. Just just erase what you've seen everywhere else and just open up the Bible and go, "Okay, if if I only had this and I'd never been to this church or this church, I just never been to church and I just open up this book."

I I go just just try to figure out, okay, what would you do? cuz I told my goal I wasn't I wasn't mature enough and I wasn't courageous enough to to do that. I just I just looked around at other patterns. I just looked at what what other people were doing and I would tweak it.

I go, I like this about his. I like this about his. I like this about that church over there. And so I'm going to combine those and make this thing. I go I didn't have the wisdom to just sit down with the word of God and go, "Okay, what is it just clearly saying?

What's the obvious truth just based upon scripture? And I just really encourage them. I go just just try that because because I criticize the cults all the time. I criticize cults because yeah, sure you can you can take this verse from here, this verse from here, this verse from here.

You can take all of these verses and justify your theology, but there's never you never would have come up with that from a simple natural reading of scripture. anyone can create a new religion and take verses from all these different places and make it work. I go, but you would never get that if you just sat down and read through the scriptures and just came to a conclusion on your own.

You were fed all of this theology. And in the same way, I got to look at myself and the way that I've done church and go, okay, would I ever have come up with this just from scripture? And the answer is no. I I wouldn't have. What would I have come up with if I just read the scriptures?

I I wouldn't even think so much about the gathering, you know, like like my first thought wouldn't be, "Let's have a gathering." out of the scriptures, I would think, I'm on a mission. Like, I I love this God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and now I've got to go out and make disciples.

That's what I would think. I I I need I need to go out there and just reach as many people as I can. I I'm supposed to teach them to obey everything that God's command. That's what I would get out of scripture. And then what would happen as I did that?

What I believe would naturally happen is suddenly I would find those other people who were on that same mission because we'd be the weirdest people on earth, right? We we would stick out. We'd be so different and and that pressure to always stay on that mission. Everyone else would be beating me down.

So, I would actually need these brothers and sisters in my life and tell them, "Hey, don't let me slow down and I won't let you slow down. we got to stay on this mission together. You see, this is why I wasn't into fellowship before because I didn't need any more friends, okay?

It wasn't like, oh yeah, you know, let's just get another gathering so I have someone to talk to like like I I didn't need accountability group so that I wouldn't sleep around or whatever it was. I can do that. I can do that on my own. Like not not sleep, you know what I mean?

I I can like, you know, I don't need that to to do American church. I don't need fellowship, but to stay on mission every day, I I need people because I'm going to get distracted. There's so many things I would rather do than make disciples. And so, I need people in my life to tell me this that that's what I would get out of scripture is I got to go out and start making disciples.

And as I did that, I really believe that I would start gathering with other people doing the same thing. Um, I I would look at that great commission that we all memorized and I would take it literally. You know, I love what Alan Hirs was saying on there of just just how we I forget how he said it, but you you know, he said something like that.

I I just I liked it when he said it and I don't remember it now, but basically we we we we tame everything down, you know, we toned everything down. We we we we you know whatever we do. We we uh >> amass Oh, I thought you said emasculate.

Domesticate. Did he say emasculate? >> Oh, okay. Domesticate. What am I thinking about? Okay. Domesticate. We domesticate. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's what we do. But but it's it's so weird. It is because I I'm a very simple person. Have you noticed that yet? I'm a very simple person and I just go black and white.

Here's what he says to do. go make disciples. It's so weird how we change things in church and we make everything like about the the heart but the heart becomes not what we see in the scriptures where it was kind of the mission control center the decisionmaking center of a core of a person's being but but it becomes like this weird vague you know I I receive Jesus into my heart what does that mean you know it it just we we and we'll take the great commission and and different things about it and and we don't we we just don't take his words literally.

It's so weird because when I uh when I was a kid, we used to play this game called Simon says, right? Most of us have played that unless you're really young cuz there's no app for it. Simon says is uh you know, you just Simon says pat your head, you know?

So, okay, you know, Simon said it. Um, it's just it was a very simple game. But it's so weird how in the church Jesus says is a totally different game. If Jesus says something, you don't have to do it. You just have to memorize it. You study it.

You memorize. You guys, it doesn't make any sense. A lot of the things we do when he tells us go out and make disciples. And how many people in our churches are actually making disciples? They memorized it. You know, when I tell my daughter, "Hey, hey, Ra, go clean your room."

She doesn't come back to me two hours later and go, "I memorized what you said." You said, "Ra, go clean your room." I can say it in Greek. My friends are going to come over and we're going to have a study on what it would look like if I clean my room.

She knows better than that. And so why do we think we're going to come before the judge one day and quote everything that he said and talk about how much we know? It's just it's just this black and white stuff. If I just started with scripture, I'd go, here's what I would do.

I would start making disciples. I think about the love that I see in scripture. That that's if I came out, I thought, wow. What I do see about the interactions between believers or followers is such an intense love. I mean, wouldn't you get that if you just came out of scripture?

Won't you think, okay, what whatever I do when I meet a brother, like I got to treat that guy like family because when I would read the book of Acts, you know, um you know, Acts, Acts chapter 2, you guys know these passages, Acts, Acts chapter 2, I mean, I would read that and and think, wow, they devoted themselves verse 42 to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. s and awe came upon every soul.

And many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. And day by day attending the temple together, and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God, and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who are being saved. I love chapter 4:32 when he says, "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common."

And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And a great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them. For as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid at the apostles feet and it was distributed to each as any had need.

See, we read those and we go, man, could you imagine being a part of something like that where no one cared? You see, but it wasn't that they got together and said, hey, let's practice community. They say, "Let's get together and let's practice fellowship." No, they were on this mission because they saw someone rise from the grave and and and they just go, "YOU KNOW WHAT?

I I SAW HIM. HE WAS ON A CROSS. I SAW HIM DIE." AND THEN NOW I I I SAW HIM WALKING AROUND AND HE SAID, "GO TELL EVERYONE TO OBEY ME." AND SO AT THAT POINT, THESE PEOPLE WERE JUST LIKE, "OKAY, FINE. I COULD CARE LESS about any of my stuff.

I just saw a person rise from the grave. There really is life after death. I got to start telling everyone. And if you're going to tell people, look what I DON'T CARE ABOUT my stuff anymore. And there was this group of people who just didn't care about their stuff anymore.

They just cared more about being part of this family. This group of people that were all going to get this message out. They realize our lives have eternal purpose. Now, we just saw someone rise from the grave. It makes sense. It's radical, but it makes sense. That's the thing is when you read the book of Acts, you look at what their commitment and the crazy things they did.

And while it's insane, it it makes sense. It's radical, but it makes sense. It what wouldn't have made sense was if you read all of that and they saw a man rise from the grave. He said, "Go and make disciples." So, they got together in a room every Sunday and sang some songs and a guy teached.

See, that really wouldn't make sense. Then a guy taught and uh and they came back the next week and did the same thing. And then the next Sunday and they did the same thing. And some of them gave 10% even. You would read that and you go, "Shut up.

You guys didn't see someone rise from the grave. >> Shut up." If you saw someone rise from the grave, you'd be doing a lot more than that. You'd be telling everyone you know. See, that's it makes sense. If I just started from scripture, I I would think about the love that I'd have for these other people.

I I would think about uh 1 Peter 2 where it talks about how we're this holy nation. We're these living stones and where we're building a we make up a temple. Like I'm just a piece of it, you you know, I'm like a Lego, you know, like a little Lego piece.

There's nothing great about it. But then once we It's It's this idea of working together and we stack up and we create this this this this organism where we love each other so much and people in the world start looking going, "Man, look at the way they interact and they actually see Jesus."

That's why in in 1 John 4:12, it says, "No one's ever seen God." 1 John 4:20 told us, "No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, he somehow his loves manifest in us." So, so no one out there has ever seen God, but if we as the body would love one another, they'd walk in and and it they'd get a glimpse of him.

They'd get a glimpse of his love. This is the way scripture says that this is how we reach the world. It's it's very similar to what Jesus said when he was praying in John 17. He goes, "Lord, I pray that they'd be one. I in them, you and me.

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you've loved me." That's weird. He says, "Wait, once they're unified, when they really love one another, not only will I be in their midst, but when they love each other like that, the world's going to believe that Jesus was sent from God.

Our unity is going to show that." That that's crazy to me. I I remember when I grew up in church, you know, the way we proved that Jesus really came from God was through apologetics, through prophecy. I'm not saying that's bad. I still use it. But scripture says, "No, it's going to be through your unity.

It's going to be by the way that you love one another." And the truth is is when people came into uh our gatherings on Sunday, they they didn't experience that. They still don't. They're working on it. Something's just got to change. Something's got to break because when I read the scriptures, there's supposed to be such a unity where God wants us like a body. 1 Corinthians 12, like hand, foot, eye, ear, like we're all just part of this one thing.

Do you guys do you think that way? Do you think about God in heaven right now? And for those of us right here in this room, okay, forget about everyone out there, even back at our our our churches or gatherings, like right here, God wants us to live like a body.

Like if God if g if we care about what Jesus wants, which we're saying Jesus is Lord, what does he desire? He he he wants to see us even in these next couple of days living like family, living like an extension of one another. And uh I I I thank God.

But I will say this, you know, with the different frustrations I've had with our gatherings, man, some of my elders are here at this conference with me and um I look at our relationships with one another and I go, "Okay, this is it. This is this this is this is biblical.

These are guys that I know would give their lives for Jesus." Um, these are guys who are giving their lives for Jesus and their wives who are giving their lives for the like we're on this mission together. There's a unity. It's a body. You know, I've thought about leaving.

I always do. You know whatever we all do, right? Okay, let's be honest. Okay, we all think about quitting, whatever. But the one thing I go, man, but I can't leave this group of guys where I I I have just never seen uh a body work like this.

I mean, we disagree. We're so different, but there's this unity. Man, I I'll never forget uh you know us studying this Acts passage together one night after having dinner together and breaking bread together and and just going, "Man, haven't you guys always just thought, why can't this happen in Southern California?

Why why do people always say this is cultural? I mean, that the believers began to sell their possessions. That wasn't the norm." You know, why why do we say that's cultural? Why why would they write it if everyone was doing that anyways and everyone always had everything together?

No, there was something unique happening. It was this weird group where they had everything in common and no one was like, "No, it's about me. It's about me. It's about me." No, it's about this mission. It's about this God. And and so everything I thought, why can't we do that?

And to where where we depend on each other, man. And I looked at, you know, one of the guys, I go, "Man, I I I promise you, man, that if anything happened to you, I really look at you like like a brother, like, you know, like the Bible says, and if anything happened to you, I could promise you, man, that whatever is mine, man, is is your families.

Like, I would take care of them just as much as I take care of my own family, your kids. I mean, you don't have to worry about them." and and and and for guys to look at me and say the same thing. Look me in the eyes and go, "No, Francis, I promise you if anything ever happened to you, everything whatever is mine, it's your families, man.

I got your kids. I'll take care of them. Everything's cool." And and and pretty soon we're like, "So, you're my life insurance. We we can just ditch life insurance." Yes, let's ditch it and let's be interdependent on one another. And and so if you guys don't come through, then then my family's going to be messed up, but I know you guys will come through because I've seen the way you've sacrificed for this thing.

You believe in this thing. It was just an awesome time where we just, you know, said, you know, hey, my car, my house, anyone need money? I my bank account, whatever. It's it's it's not out. It's and and and I tell you, it was one of those times where we walked out of that house, all of us, with this sense of awe like that felt like Christianity.

That was weird. I I don't know when I felt that. It just felt You ever had those times where you just felt this feels like the Bible? And you and it's so rare. That's what stinks is it's like, man, this this shouldn't be like that. These are the things that are obviously biblical.

I think about the power um that I would believe in if I just read the scriptures. Power of Jesus to do something. The Holy Spirit, the promised one. Are you sure you've experienced the Holy Spirit this last year? You know, are a lot of the things that you've seen and experienced or a lot of them explainable just by natural means.

See, when I read the scriptures, that's why it's so important that this has to be a Jesus thing. that I I the reason why I'm a part of this is I believe it's something Jesus is doing and I'm not trying to make him do something. I'm not trying to start a movement.

I'm not we're not in here strategizing and planning a movement and how do we start one? It it can't be that because that that doesn't that doesn't flow with scripture. I mean, the disciples, they didn't get together and plan out the day of Pentecost. Okay, John, you learn Chinese.

And Peter, you do Spanish. Okay. We already changed your name once. Now you're Pedro, you know, and uh it wasn't a plan. What was it? It was the Holy Spirit, you know, working in all these different It wasn't it the Holy Spirit working in a bunch of different individuals, but it was creating one unified result.

And that's what I'm saying about what I think is going on in here. You know what I mean? Like like when I look back in my life and I look at when this stuff started bugging me, really bugging me. It it started bugging other people, too. And that's why I get excited about it.

It's like, okay, I'm I'm just along for the ride now. I'm not trying to create anything here. I really believe this is something the Holy Spirit is doing. Um the the other day I went with my buddy out to the beach to go surfing and it was totally flat. you know, there's nothing there.

So, we bought a burrito, breakfast burrito, and drove home. I didn't go out in the ocean with him and say, "Hey, you go out further and splash. Maybe you can make a wave." No, you just go, there's nothing here. We just go home, guys. And that's the same thing I'm talking about with this is is we just come in this room and go, "Jesus, is this what I think this is what you're doing?

I think you're starting a a wave here. But if you're not, then let's just go home." Because I I've tried to start movements. Haven't you? when you try to create something and make something work and it just it doesn't work. There's no power to it. I remember one time uh in a in an elder meeting, we we were just we were trying to figure out this whole community thing and and we were just frustrated and we were, you know, getting on each other's nerves a little bit.

And then um one of one of our our elders, Matt, just stopped us and says, "You guys, I just feel like we're trying too hard." He goes, "I've noticed in my neighborhood, I I just I don't even say things to certain people anymore. I just get on my knees.

I started praying for them and I I I can't even tell you about I just the results things are just happening and I thought wow that was so good and we just can the rest of the business and let's just pray the rest of the time and let's just ask God to move and that's my hope.

Um I want to show a cartoon. Is that all right? I I made a cartoon. Um, it's a really weird thing to do, but it it kind of um expresses a lot of what I think and I I don't know. I felt like the Lord just put this thought in my head and I go, "That's a weird thought.

I wonder if it can be a cartoon." And uh cuz it's it's to me it's a picture of what I'm talking about. And um so you watch the screens. I think they've got it queued up. the big red tractor. So, if you didn't figure it out, the tractor is the church.

And I just feel like we're pushing it along. You get the most gifted people you can to inch it along and make it look like something's happening. And it's enough to make us happy. But when I read the scriptures, I go, gosh, it really seemed like there was just a movement.

It really was Jesus building his church and nothing was going to stop it. And when that happens, it just it's it's just it's not manipulated. It's not forced. It's not pushed. And that's why I say I hope you're with me on this, that we're not here to try to start a movement.

We're here because we believe God is starting a wave. And it seems like just like on that day of Pentecost where he talked to a bunch of different individuals and uniquely gifted them and there was this one unified result. It it it seems like that's what's going on right now.

And it's what I want to pray for because I go, "No, this is biblical. When Jesus says to pray in his name, it means more than obviously in Jesus' name we pray." It's like, what are the things that Jesus wants? And these are the things we ought to be confident about.

That's the thing is is is as we pray even now, I'm going to say, 'Lord, would you start getting the believers in our nation to really love you and be serious about making disciples? And can we can can you God just put a love in us for one another where we really start looking like family because you guys know I mean our churches don't look anything like families anymore.

You know they ditch the moment you know one bad thing is said up front or one you know service changes or oh no they have got a better kids pro. It's no there's no sense of unity or oneness or about and and it's like Lord that's got to change.

There's no interdependence and a sharing of our belongings. We're just as individualistic as the rest of the world. And those are the things what what I love about it is those are things God wants to change. I mean when I see in scripture that's his desire. I know I'm praying in Jesus' name when I ask for those things.

And so it helps me because you know how sometimes when you pray you don't know what to pray for and you're not even sure if you're praying for the right thing. This is one of those things where I know I am. I know I'm praying for the right thing.

I'm asking for people to go on mission to to live missional lives. I'm asking people to to love one another so much so that people can see Christ in the way that we care for one another. These are the things I'm asking for. These are things I know I see in scripture.

I'm asking that we really make Jesus Lord and not just play this weird Jesus says game in church where we just memorize and study and talk, but we really live this way. And uh I I tell you, I'm I'm just when we were praying beforehand with the band and with Matt, I just felt led to pray, God, I last thing I want to do is another conference.

Um and try to start something, get something going. Aren't you just all bored of that? I mean, especially Texas, you guys have conferences every year. You you know, it's just don't you just go gh and and you just go, God, I want something that's just that's clearly you.

A movement of your spirit where this should have a life of its own, an unstoppable force. Cuz that's what I see in the book of Acts. Nothing was going to stop it. Nothing was going to stop that church. Let's um I want to spend some time praying, but I don't want to just say let's pray and close our eyes.

I want you to think about the book of Acts and how unstoppable they were. Can you imagine back then these guys come out speaking in different languages? Amazing. You know, even even when uh sin tried to creep in there with Ananas and fire, God struck him dead. Okay, fine.

Problem solved. You move on. Then then uh then you know Steven, remember when he was he's about to get st nothing was going to stop him. Oh, but Saul might stop him. Saul could stop him. No, you see how it's all Jesus. Like the whole thing with Saul and everything else.

I mean, every time there was something that was going to maybe block the church, God said, "No, no, no. I'm going to build my church. Gates of hell won't stand against this thing. I just want to be a part of that. I've done the mega church thing, the speaking thing.

The end of my life, I'm going to stand before God, and he's going to say, "I didn't ask you to do all those things. Here's what I asked you to do. Here's the way I asked you to love others. Did you do that?" And that's why I go, "This is something that has to happen.

And so by the power of the Holy Spirit, I'm going to ask that we could continue in the book of Acts and that our lives and our gatherings would be congruent with what we see in scripture. And I want you to believe with me that God in heaven actually hears us.

Let's make this a biblical gathering where it's a bunch of people with one heart and one mind, like one person, and God from heaven looks down and goes, "Wow, look at that room in Austin right there." They they're serious about this.