Don’t Settle for the Status Quo | Francis Chan

It it really is an honor for me to be here today. Uh it meant a lot to know that you would have me here and and kind of join your party and uh kind of jump in. And the the few of you that I've met have made me feel like family um not as an outsider coming in.

And and I just think that's so honoring in God's eyes that he he wants us to look at each other that way. I I mean, if if God could have it his way, he really would have you look at me like like like more than flesh and blood.

I'm truly your brother. And for me to look at you and say, "No, you are my brother. You are my sister." And and and just understand that we're all under this mighty God. And and and and you know, honestly, I got to just say something. And please take this the right way.

I I I feel a little uncomfortable with the attention. I I do I feel a little bit uncomfortable with with the I I I don't know. I I just I read the scriptures and I and I see like in in you look at the book of Corinthians, first Corinthians, I I mean that that church was a mess, right?

I mean that was a mess in that church. People are getting drunk in at communion, you know? They're they're fighting. They're having lawsuits with each other. There's sexual immorality, you know, where where a a man and his stepmother and there's prostitution going on, you know, drunk at communion.

I I mean, h how do you do these things? They don't a lot of them don't believe in a resurrection. You all of these things are going on. And yet the first thing Paul addresses is, "Hey, I hear some of you are bragging about Paul or Apollos. I hear there's some divisions among you."

I I read that book, I go, "Are you kidding me? That's the first thing you're going to talk about. You know how immoral this church? You know, all these things that's wrong." I mean, people are standing up saying, "Hey, the spirit just told me Jesus is cursed." That's going on in the church.

And yet the first thing he chooses to address is this boasting in man and these divisions that were taking taking place. And and there's just such a big part in my soul. And and I don't know some of you know my story that for a while there I just I just left America because I saw this lifting up of of a person.

I I even walked away from my church at one point telling them, you know, part of my concern is I hear the words Francis Chan more than I hear the words Holy Spirit. And that scares me. We're going to go nowhere if we do that and we lift up these people.

You know, so I'm all for, you know, let's let's give honor to people. Let's care for people. Lift one another up. Let's just be so careful we don't cross these lines um where where hopefully you've come to to to not hear from a person but to experience God.

You know I I I love one of my favorite Bible stories is that story of Elijah on Mount Carmel when when he prays and the fire comes down from heaven. What I love about that story is how it says all the people just said the Lord he is God.

The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God. They just kept saying, "The Lord, he is God." They didn't talk about Elijah. They didn't talk about anyone. They They just walked away going, "We just experience God. We We know, okay, Baal is false now. Everything else is false.

We experience the real thing." And they walked away just talking about him. And I want that so badly. I want so badly to be about his word and about him. I mean, I'm very aware right now that every breath I take is totally up to him. Like right now, I mean, think about this.

There's a being up there in heaven and and he's just determining like it's he's determining right now like God in heaven on his throne. He's gone. I'm going to give Francis one more. I'm going to give him the capacity to speak. You know, you see what he did with King Nebuchadnezzar where he just took his mind and and turned it into this this this mind of a beast.

I mean, he's controlling my brain right now and allowing it to function so that I can think and and give thoughts to you. He's the one that determines how much power these words have. I mean, everything's in his hands. I'm well aware that I don't take for granted that I'm going to walk off this stage today.

If the Lord wills, we will do this and that. Everything above that is boasting. And so, let's just all recognize right now that this is about him, that he really is looking down here. So will you just join me in a word of prayer right now? Oh God, I think of you in heaven in all of your glory.

Lord, your word says that you dwell in unapproachable light. God, your word talks about a hundred million angels worshiping you right now. about those four living creatures screaming, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." God, you always were. You always will be.

God, we live on this earth just for a few days, however long you determine. So God, we don't ever want this to be about anyone except for you. And you so loved us, God. No one has ever loved us like you. Greater love has no one than this, than a man laid down his life for his friends.

You so loved the world that you gave your one and only son, Father, to pay for our sins. You made him who knew no sin become sin on our behalf, God. So we remember you right now. We honor you. You are the only one we honor in this room.

This is all about Jesus. The name of Jesus. The precious name of Jesus. It's at the name of Jesus that every knee will bow in heaven and earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And so God, I pray right now even for myself that you would give me words to say to encourage my brothers and sisters in this room, Lord, to draw them closer to you, God.

That we'd be effective during our time here on this planet, God, making much of you, God. May you be the only one lifted up. You are the Lord. that is your name and you do not share your glory with another. So, Father, we are here tonight to lift up the matchless name of Jesus all to the glory of God the Father.

And so, God, somehow may we experience you tonight is the spirit who gives life. The flesh is of no help at all. It's what Jesus told us, Lord. And so I'm asking for your Holy Spirit, please, God Almighty, to give us life tonight. May we experience you in Jesus name we pray.

Amen. I have so many things I want to say. I uh I I kept like, you know, thinking about this conference coming up. I I kept jotting down what I I wanted to speak on and then I changed it the next week and then I change it again and and I just changed it so many times I said, you know, I'm just going to go up and wing it and whatever the spirit, there's just so many messages I want to give and so many thoughts that the Lord put on my mind.

But while we were praying or while we were singing and and I was looking around the crowd, a word came to my mind. It's the word strength. I I thought about how much stronger I feel because I'm in this room with you. You know, where you just don't feel alone.

I I I come from San Francisco and as most of you know, San Francisco is not exactly known for Christianity and uh and there are time the days when you just feel alone. You just feel like, "No, I'm going to stand. I'm going to stand. I don't care what anyone else says.

I'm going to stand on the word of God. I'm going to teach the word of God. They're not going to drag." But it gets lonely. It gets difficult. And and how God in heaven that wasn't his intention, but there was this strength that came with the the body that the verse that that came to my mind as we were singing was uh Philippians chapter 1 starting verse 27.

It says only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or I am absent I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God. God says he wants us striving side by side. He He says, you know, Paul's telling telling the church, look, whether I come and see you or if I'm absent, this is all we want.

I I want to see that you're striving side by side together for the gospel. But but but but in that he says in that as you're striving side by side as you're so united he goes I don't want you frightened by anything by your opponents to walk around and go you know what this is what we believe.

You can call us idiots. You can call us fools. whatever you want, but we're not going to back down because we believe that God Almighty sent his son to die for us, and he rose from the grave, ascended to heaven, and he is going to come back one day to judge the world.

Right? You you agree with me? Are we all in agreement in that? And God says, "Look, I want you like an army down there striving side by side with this confidence, this faith. No, my Christ Jesus is going to return and he is going to judge the world and I want to be found fearless.

And that's what Paul's saying goes, I I I want you guys to be striving side by side, not afraid of anything. And he says, and that will be the sign to them, those who don't believe. He says, that will be the sign of their destruction and of your salvation and that from God.

He says, 'The world's going to start believing that you are really saved when you are united and fearless. And yet, when you look around in most churches, they're divided and terrified. The church is not known for being courageous. The church is not known for being united. And and that's exactly what what God says is actually going to change the world.

It's when we can stand here and agree and say, you know what, no, we believe this and we're going to strive side by side. We're going to we're going to put up with each other, our personality clashes, the things we don't like because there's something much bigger at stake here.

And we're not going to walk around like cowards anymore. Because you know what? God didn't give us that spirit of fear. >> He gave us a spirit of power, of love, of self-control. So if there's fear, that spirit did not come from God. That came from someone else.

And we say, you know what? No. We're going to walk in unity. And I'm with brothers and sisters tonight. And we know our Christ is going to return and rule the world. And so we walk fearlessly and united. And uh I pray I pray the church become more and more that way.

I I I love the thought that as as I was praying because, you know, let's let's face it, when we go to different denominations, different churches, the worship is different. I'm used to worship a certain way. You're used to worship a certain way. You know, when I'm in, you know, sitting over there watching as you worship and worshiping alongside of you, it feels a little different to me.

You know, I'm used to little uh instruments. Um I'm just saying. and and uh that's just what I'm used to. But I go, man, this is really cool. I like just voices. You know, something raw about coming before God and you know, and the differences. And I'm going, okay, God, here's my brothers and sisters in this room.

What what what are you saying to me right now? When he just, you know, he it was just this sense that, you know, this is different. But, you know, some of you have stood for the faith for years. I I I see some of you in this room.

Um no offense. I can tell a lot of you are older. Um that's a great thing. That's a great thing. You know, a lot of things I speak at are are the youth and you know, so there's a lot of like just this crazy energy in the room and yet in this room, I just saw a bunch of strength.

That was a word that came to my mind of you know what? You have some saints in that room that have walked that have stood against a lot of what the world has thrown at them and they've stood firm and we so need you in the body of Christ.

Man, some of my my my favorite people, my wife was just with them. In fact, she's going to see them again tomorrow. A a couple from my church, Irene and Domingo, they're in their 60s. Um she's a hairdresser, he's an auto mechanic. Um but they just recently adopted 11 foster children, adopted them, you know, and you should see this place.

You should see these kids, the background they came out of and everything else. And I I'm just looking at their lives and and she's, you know, Irene was even telling, she goes, she looks at these kids whom they've adopted. They're their children now. Because she goes, "No one wants them.

How can how can we say we believe James 1:27 if we're not caring for the widows and orphans that are right in front of us?" And so I just keep taking in as many as I can. And and and she goes, "Man, I'm just taking the Bible literally." and and she sits her girls down and she looks at them and says, "Look, I doubt I'll be alive or or sane when you graduate."

You know, she just says that, you know, she goes, "What are the odds?" She goes, "I would be really defying odds if I made it to that point." She goes, "So, girls, please listen to what I'm saying to you now out of love. Take these words because I don't know how much longer I have."

And I and I I would look at, you know, I I tell Ireina and Domingo, I go, "You know what? You are some of the few elderly people I know whose lives make sense." And please understand, let me let me just say something with total respect. Look, scripture tells me that I'm to respect my elders. my culture growing up Asian, look, you respect your elders, you know, and at the same time, uh, the Bible tells me as a pastor, as a shepherd, that I'm supposed to teach everyone and even set an example at times.

And so for for those who are in the room that are are are are further along in life, man, I I just go I've met very few elderly people who li whose lives make sense in light of eternity. We have this trend in our country, in Christianity, where we do radical things like those kids holding the flag.

We're going to go, we're going to do it. And then the older we get, the safer we play it. It's like, well, I'm married now. I can't just go running off to another country. Well, I've got kids now, you know, I can't just go and do anything crazy now.

And we go and we start down this pattern of safety, safety, safety, rather than going and living by faith. And so, when I meet an older couple that's just going, you know what? We're just going to go for it because we're going to see God pretty soon. See, I look at Irene and Domingo.

I go, "Man, your lives make so much sense." And they go, "Thank you for saying that because everyone else is telling us we're crazy." You know, I go, "You know what? If there's no resurrections from the dead, you are crazy." Right. But according to Paul, he goes, "Yeah, just just live, eat, drink.

Tomorrow you die. Just just do it all for yourself, you guys." And I and I say it doesn't make sense to me because okay for me I'm 45 years old and every year for me I think about death more than I did last year. I think I am getting closer to seeing God and and and I I think we grossly underestimate how stunned we are going to be when we actually see his face.

And so I think about that I think about that constantly because my parents died. They didn't get to this age. So, I don't take every day for granted. I I don't think they made it to 45. And so, I go, "Okay, I I'm not going to take every day for granted.

I'm I'm going to live the way God wants me to." And each year, I get more serious. Each year, I see more of my friends come up with some sickness and and and see people younger than me passing away. And I go, "Man, I'm going to see God."

So, every year I'm thinking, man, what do I want to let go of? What how am I not living by faith? I want to see him. I want to be close to him. I want to live and give this stuff away. And it and and so it I don't get it honestly when others get older and they're still buying stuff for themselves and they're still living for themselves.

I'm like, gosh, don't you want to just end with a bang, you know, and just give it away? just do something crazy for the sake of the gospel before you come into the presence of God because that's that's the way I'm thinking because every year to me I I've got a kid graduating this year graduating high school which blows my mind.

I feel like I remember when she was born you know and everyone would tell me oh it goes fast. I'm like, "Nah, you're old. You don't know." And you know, and and now I'm looking, I'm like, "Really? Like, in two months, my baby is going to graduate?" And and thank God I've got four others I can play with.

But I just think, man, it's happening. And you know how every year you go, man, is it the Tulsa workshop already? It it it's happening. Every year goes faster and faster, right? Someone explained to me this way. They go, "You know what? It's like when you're when you're eight years old, it feels like you're moving the time is moving at 8 miles an hour.

It's like I'll never be nine, you know? And you get in your 20s and it feels like 20 m an hour is pretty fun. And you get in your 40s and it's like, wow, it's moving faster and faster, right? And every year goes by faster, faster, and faster.

Some of you here, you're breaking every speed limit, you know? I mean, it's just life, right? And so, in my mind, respectfully, I'm going, man, let's think. Let's live in light of eternity and coming into the presence of God and go, you know what, Lord, I want to leave it.

I I want to I want to I want to live for you, do crazy things for you, serve you. Think about that moment. We are about to see Almighty God. And we want to spend our lives well. There's nothing I want more than to hear those words, well done, out of my master's life.

Right? Is there anything on earth you'd rather have than to come in the presence of God and hear him say, well done, good and faithful servant. I entrusted you with a few things on at earth and and you multiply. You know, come in here, enjoy the riches of my father.

I'm going to put you in charge of so many things of true true riches. I wasn't even going to talk about any of that, but it just came to me. Um, you know, let me let me let me start over. Um, okay, wind the clock back. Um, no, I you know, I first was exposed to the Church of Christ.

Um it was about 25 years ago. 20 to 25 years ago. Um I was in seminary in Southern California and someone invited me to a Church of Christ gathering in uh I believe it was the Wilturn Theater in Southern California. And I went and I loved it. I walked in, people immediately just welcomed me, loved on me.

I saw the energy in that room. People were just worshiping when the when the guy was teaching, it was responsive like you guys are doing here. You know, I I loved it. You know, it was like, "Wow, this is this is great." Immediately afterwards, some people invited me to uh one of the uh gatherings afterwards and um to his house.

Actually, I I still remember he invited me to his apartment. It was in Rita, California. Said, "Man, you you play raetball? I got raetball courts at my place." And I'm like, "Sure, I'll come play raetball." They start talking to me and and and asked me if I wanted to be discipled and I'm like, "Sure, why not?"

You know, and and I started hanging out with this group. And the more I hung out with them, I remember being in seminary and I even looked at a couple of my friends and I had to be very careful what I said. But I go, you know, I've been going to the Church of Christ lately and uh sh don't tell anyone.

But I go, honestly, when I read the scriptures, I feel like they're doing it better than we are. I go, there's a congruency from what I see in scripture to what they're doing with disciplehip and how serious they are about going out and reaching the lost. I mean, sure, we're sitting in this room learning Greek and Hebrew, but man, they're on the streets and they're talking to people about Jesus.

I got invited by one of them to the gathering and on and on and on and and I just remember getting so pumped up because everything I was reading in scripture, I was seeing it in the church and then uh and then uh I guess I have to bring it up now.

Um but but then I I I was talking to the guy one time while he was discipling me and uh and he started asking me about when I was baptized and I told him and he goes, "Oh, then you're not a Christian." And I was like, "Oh, really?

Are you sure?" Cuz man, I really love God and I'm really trying to serve him. I'm really trying to follow him. And I know other people that at the moment of their baptism, they weren't thinking they were getting saved at that moment, but it it sure seems like they believe in it.

What I see in script and no, you're going to have to do it again. And and I remember at that time like I love you guys. I love everything, but I I don't know. I I I'm not I'm not there. And uh and I'm assuming you've changed a little bit on that.

Otherwise, you wouldn't have an unbeliever come speak to you. But I I I but all that to say, all that to say, and I do hold baptism highly. I I I tell people all the time, look, I don't know. People say, well, can you be a Christian and not baptize?

I go, uh I don't know. That is really hard for me to fathom that happening. You know, for you to say that Jesus is Lord of your life and the first thing he tells you to do is to get baptized and you say no. I go, that seems like a contradiction right there, you know.

And so understand I I I hold that and we may have a couple differences with some of you in this room but man I'm so gr all that I I didn't even mean to get into that but uh all that what I did want to say though was I admired the passion the ferveny the disciplehip the the willingness to go out and share the gospel and I've always admired that and that's why it is an honor for me to be here with you and to know that you accept me as a brother and I and I hope you sense that I see you as brothers and sisters in Christ.

In fact, when I pray for you, I go, God, is there anything I could say tonight in light of the fact that I will see some of you a hundred years from now? Okay. And is there anything I could say in light of that to to go, man, this I I don't want to just say words.

I want to I want you to, you know, 100 years from now go, "Man, Francis, thank you for what you said that day, you know, maybe because I was nearing the end of my time, you know, there on earth and in the world as we knew it and and you got me thinking about seeing God and I changed and I did this and I did that."

And for us to celebrate a hundred years from now and to think, "Okay, I said it." Or or or maybe it was that yeah, you know, I was thinking too much of people and then that night you brought us into the presence of God and you made us think about his holiness again and it got me thinking.

I've been thinking way too much about people and not enough about Thank you for getting me focused and for us to go, yeah, man, that was crazy in that world, wasn't it? Remember all the things we went against? Like that's what I want. That's what I believe. And so when I pray for you, I go, God, help me.

Give me any words to say that we'll remember a hundred years from now. I don't want this to be a just a sermon. I want the Holy Spirit to inhabit his word because I believe we want the same thing from everything I know of you and especially of late.

And I I I just see like this new fire excitement coming into this deni. Do you even call it a denomination or no? What do you call it? Uh this thing, you know, like I I just I there is there's a new life. There's a new joy. What do you call it? >> Church. >> Church.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Good. That that's a good word. Um into this church. Like there's a new excitement. And I I go, God, this is this is this is good. Um there's a new unity where you're welcoming people like me. and go, "No, that is our brother. He has the Holy Spirit in him."

And that excites me. And I think we want the same thing. I mean, here's here's what I want. If you just cut me open and say, "Francis, what do you want to what do you want?" I go, "Here's what I want to see. I want to see the dead come to life." >> No.

Like I see in scripture where people are walking around dead in their trespasses and sins by nature, objects of wrath. Like people, they're they're just lifeless. They're dead. They're zombies. They're just doing whatever their flesh wants to do. I feel like doing this today. Okay, I'm going to do it.

I feel like doing this. I'm going to do that. They're just walking around following the desires, the passions of their heart, whatever their mind can conceive. What I want to see is I want to see the Holy Spirit, the spirit of God actually enter their body, actually change them to where they're a new creation and they were dead and now they're alive and now they're a slave to righteousness.

They used to be a slave to sin, right? But now it's like they can't even do the wrong thing. Every time they do the wrong thing, they feel sick to their stomach because now the Holy Spirit is in them. Where where they didn't have strength before to put that to death, now they could put their sins to death by the Holy Spirit.

I want to see true life change. People where where they walk around and people know it. They go back to work and suddenly their whole life change. I want to see like like what we see in um I I love the way Paul puts it in in 1 Timothy 1 where he says verse 4.

For we know brothers loved by God that he has chosen you. We know he's chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. And it goes on in verse 6 talking about how you became imitators of us.

You received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit. So you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Aaya. For not only has a word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia, your faith in God has gone forth everywhere so that we need not say anything.

They themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead. Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

That's what I want to see. I want to see people who were dead and like Paul says to the Thessalonians, man, I know he chose you. I could see it in your life because when I spoke to you, the the word, it came to you and it wasn't just words that went in your head and you didn't just raise your hand and go, "Yeah, sure.

I'll accept him." No, I saw the word. It came in full conviction. It changed you. You turned from your idols and you started to serve the living God. I didn't even have to tell people that you came to follow God. Your message just came out of your mouth.

I don't have to beg you, hey, please tell someone you believe in Jesus. No, it just rang forth. And Paul looks at all that, he goes, "Man, I know God's chosen you. Why? I can see it in your life." See, that's what I want to see. I I'm tired of making excuses.

I'm tired of people going, "Well, you know, a person could become a Christian and maybe you don't see any change for years." And even when you see the change, it might be so small and don't judge the fruit. And I'm just going, really? Is that what you read in the scriptures?

Or is that just something we're trying to come up with? Because out of a good heart, we just want our friends saved. We want our neighbors saved. We want to think that we're going to heaven with them and we're going to be with them for all eternity. But you guys, we got to look at the scriptures.

Paul knew these people were chosen because he saw the life change. He says, "Man, you were dead. You were dead. And everyone's talking about how you repented. You know, you you you you turned from all those things you were following and you saw the one and only true living God.

You started following him. You started telling everyone about him. Your message started springing forth everywhere. You started imitating us and the Lord. Paul's going, "This is how I know you were chosen." That's all I want to see in our country. That would attract so many people if they could see the dead come to life in that way and the Holy Spirit filling them and changing them and convicting them to where they were put to death the deeds of the flesh.

Everyone at work would go, "Man, what got into you?" That's what I want to see. And yeah, the other thing I think we have in common is what we want to see of the church. I want to see what Christ describes as his bride. You know, when when Jesus says they'll know you're my disciples by by your love for each other, where it's supernatural, where where the Bible says it'll become like a body, like a literal body where where when one member suffers, the whole body suffers with that little member like like one body that that's something the Holy Spirit really can do. you know, where where you walk into a gathering, wherever it is, in a house, in a big church, in a field, wherever, but when those believers gather, there's so much like a supernatural love where people go, "There's no way.

There's no way." I mean, have you ever been a part of church where if someone who didn't believe in Jesus walked in and they would say, "This is impossible. This is impossible. There's no way you could love each other that much. I I've never seen anything like this before.

Has it ever been to that point where it's supernatural? That's what I want to be a part of. I want to be a part of, you know, that early church where no one had any needs. It's like, well, I don't care about my stuff. What's mine is yours, you know?

Let's just let's just be about the kingdom. like that type of unity where he's saying you're striving side by side where it's true brothers, sisters. Now, one of my one of my wrestles back when I was a a pastor in in Southern California was I I remember one time this kid got baptized.

He was he was out of a gang, you know, it was a Hispanic kid all tatted up and he gets baptized and real fired up about the church and then after a while he stopped coming. And I didn't notice because we had thousands of people in the church.

I I sadly I I didn't know when people came and went. Um but then someone point out, hey, you remember that kid? And I go, oh yeah, what happened to him? He goes, I actually talked to him. And this is what he said. He said, "You know, after I got baptized," he goes, "I I realized I had the wrong impression of the church."

He goes, he goes, "When I got baptized," he goes, "I thought," he goes, "I thought it was going to be like when I got jumped into the gang." He goes, "When I got jumped into the gang, you know, there in LA," he goes, "They suddenly became my family.

They had my back 24/7. If anyone tried to do anything with me, they had my, you know, they had my back. We were together. He goes, "When I got baptized, I thought I thought the church was going to be like a gang almost. I didn't know I was just going to come on Sunday mornings and maybe Wednesday nights."

And I just remember going, "Oh man, he's right. We're the ones that are off." off and it and it killed me to think that the gangs are a better picture of family than the church. And and and ever since then, I've just been longing to say, "No, God."

People keep telling me, "No, that can't happen. That doesn't happen today. That was New Testament. That was a book of Acts. The Holy Spirit was just stronger than I don't know. He just did more. It was a unique time." And you know, now in our culture, we're more individualistic. back then, you know, people naturally shared like really and we'll come up with every reason why it can't happen.

Just like with believers, well, you know, back then, you know, yeah, there was true life change. Nowadays, it's just kind of hidden and you don't see it. And I'm going, I don't get that from the Bible. I really believe like I want to be a part of a body, you know?

I mean, wouldn't it be awesome? I would love, man, this would be a dream if I walked in this room and I was convinced that everyone in this room truly loved me and that they would not talk behind my back, that if anything happened to me, if I was ever in a problem, that you would have my back.

Like, I would love that. I mean, wouldn't you just love to walk into any size gathering and just walk in the room and go, "Oh, everyone loves me. No one's going to talk about me when I leave." And and I just remember, you know, as as elders when we sat down at our church and and uh you know, el at an elder meeting and and we were talking about how Christ wanted the church and we're going, "No, we all believe this could happen today."

And it was just a great time. and and and I said, "Well, then it's got to start with us. We're supposed to be the leaders in the church." And so, man, are we family? You know, we we started looking at each other and then, you know, and I remember uh you know, one guy looked at me says, "Franc, look, if anything ever happened to you, I promise you, look me in the eyes.

I promise you I would take care of your family. I would do everything in my power to take care of your wife and kids." And I I could look back and I go, "Look, I promise you, same is true with me. Look, you're my brother. We're going to take care of this.

We're going to work this." We start saying this to one another. And then they, you know, one guy's like, "Well, then why do we need life insurance?" And we're like, I I'm I'm going, "You don't. You don't. I'm your life insurance. I got you." He goes, "I'm I'm going to I'm going to cancel my policy."

Cancel your policy. I got you. This is the way you we start saying, "You know what? Anyone need my car? I got my checkbook tonight. Is anyone having a hard time? I I just tell me. Tell me the amount. I I I'll help you. See, it it just became like this.

I got you. I And I walked away from that elder meeting, you know, that gathering that house. And I back to my car. Man, I just wanted to weep. It's like, man, that felt like that felt like Christianity. That that that's weird. That felt like what I read about in the Bible.

You know, the the coolest thing. Okay. Just recently, man, I'm telling you, this stuff can happen. It can happen today. uh one of my one of my closest friends. I just heard this story, guy baptized about 20 years ago, you know, in our church, he said there was this guy, there was this guy who was blind and and a diabetes and you know, and his health just got worse and worse.

And so, you know, somehow there was a rotation of people that would take him to dialysis, you know, and so he says, "You know what? I don't know the guy, but he goes, so I signed up." And so, you know, 500 am once a week, I would take him to his dialysis treatment.

Didn't even know the guy, but he just said, you know, I'll I'll take him once a week, you know, and someone else would sign up the different days of the week. And you sit there. Those who don't know, when your kidneys fail, basically all of your blood goes through a machine that cleans it all out and then puts it right back into your body.

Very lengthy, long process. And he drove him back and forth, this this man who was blind. And he says, "You know, the first day I went, I I drove him. I went to the wrong building. I I I found out that he went to the wrong building, got there late, and for some reason, he had a conversation with this guy and and he and there was another patient at the waiting room, and they started talking about kidney transplants and how they were on a waiting list and it would probably be seven years, which I don't even know if this guy has seven years in him.

And my buddy looks at him and once he finds out that his blood type, he goes, "That's my blood type. You know what? I'll give you one of my kidneys." And so next month, he's having the operation and giving one of his kidneys to this guy he hardly knows.

Look, that's the body of Christ. That's a stuff where the world looks on and goes, "No way. No way. You're you're a father. You've got a couple of kids and here's an older man you hardly even know. You can do you understand all the complications, all the things that Well, no.

Jesus says if a man has two coats, ((applause)) I got a couple kidneys. He didn't have any. I go, man. See, that's the stuff where you get the chills, don't you? Don't you just go, okay, that that that makes sense in light of eternity. That's the stuff that an unbeliever walks in and goes, "That's impossible.

That that doesn't happen." See, these are the things that were supposed to attract the world. where the dead come to life. Where the church starts living like a body and people look on and go, I that's impossible. I knew him. How could he change like that and then love like that?

And this group of people, they're just fearless because they're so united. Maybe there's something to that to the point where, see, that was the idea of that I I believe Philippians 1 where where they they realize their destruction and our salvation that we can be so united that it actually scares the world where they go, I I think they're on to something.

They they they wouldn't do this unless they're sure of something. And I'm just going, are we seeing that today? Or have we settled? Have we settled and just go, nah, that can't happen today. So, let's let's attract people some other way. Look, and and I get this. Look, I sometimes um I I understand that God's given me a gift to speak.

And so, you know, then I think, well, I'll just use that and I'll get that to get people there. and we have some good singers in our church and we'll use that. And and you know, I remember when I was pastoring a large church. I I hate failure.

I just do. I hate to fail. I don't like to be in a position where I could fail. I just don't like to fail. And so, I knew how to run a church service and make sure it didn't fail. I knew how to craft, you know, a flow of service where I thought, "Okay, if she sings at the end, it's going to be good.

If she does, I don't know. But, you know, so let's put her right there. You in fact, let's show this video right here, man. See, if we do these things this way, and I've got a killer message and oh, wait till I give this illustration that's going to get them boom, boom, boom, boom.

Okay, fine. This thing cannot fail. And we attract people by these other ways. Why? because we want control. We know we can get people in the doors doing certain things and we can't control the dead coming to life. We can't control people loving one another and so we just kind of give up on that and because we want to take control.

We don't want this thing to fail. We take it into our own hands. But when I read Paul, when I read what what Paul does is um Paul in uh 1 Corinthians chapter 1, he says in verse 17, "Christ didn't send me to baptize but to preach the gospel and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

And later on he says, I in chapter two he I didn't come proclaiming you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. I decide to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling and and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of God but in the power of God.

See, I I I so want to craft this perfect message because I I don't want it to fail because I don't want to be down here and people go, "Well, that was stupid." But you know what? Unless we go down here and risk it all on the gospel, we're never going to get up here.

We'll just stay in this little cone of safety where it's not even the Holy Spirit moving. It's just our own ingenuity and our human wisdom and cleverness because we don't want to look like failures. Paul did something so strange. He says,"I resolve to know nothing except Christ crucified."

Paul says, "You know what? I could have come. Paul was brilliant. He could have been in this cone of safety, the zone of safety. I could have come with wise and persuasive speech. So, you would have said, man, Paul is awesome. Forget Apollos. I think Paul's up on it."

And he's going, "I I could have done that. I'm not here to do that." He goes, "Because that would empty the cross of its power. If I came depending on myself in the flesh, that would empty the cross and the but I resolved to know nothing except for Christ and him crucified.

I'm just I'm just going to give the simple gospel. I'm just saying, look, you look, Jesus Christ is the son of God. He died on that cross to pay for your sins. He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven. He's coming back to judge." And he goes, "I'm I'm just going to do that and just see what the Holy Spirit does.

I just resolved to know nothing. I go, man, who does that anymore? He chose to act like he knew less than he actually did. When's the last time you did that? Specifically chose to sound dumber than you are. I mean, aren't we all the time? I I mean, I I'll just confess.

Look, there's so many times where I try to sound sound more intelligent than I am. When I get into a conversation, what's my I don't want to sound dumb. I want to sound more intelligent than I am. That was seminary for me. The whole time I go, "Oh, yeah.

Yeah. I had no clue what he was saying." Uhhuh. Uh-huh. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's good. That's good. You know what you What do we do? We try to make ourselves sound better than we are. And Paul says, "No, I I resolve to know nothing because you you want to see power.

You want to see power, then rely on the simple gospel. You want to experience the power of God in your church, then start believing again and just the power of the Holy Spirit, a demonstration of the power. Go, you know what? This isn't about this lofty speech or whatever else or programming this or that.

It's about me trusting in the word of God. It's about me really walking and abiding in Christ. It's about my prayer life and just really coming before God going, "God, you've got to do something." It's me coming in this room and going, "God, I don't know any of these people.

I don't I don't know what they need to hear. Whatever. Lord, let me just let me just open the word to them. Let me just show them what Paul did that that maybe we would experience the spirit's power as we humbled ourselves and came in weakness, in fear.

Look, I I'm sure we have differences in how we do our services or whatever. And to me, I I just go that we can argue all day about those things. The stuff I'm talking about here is about scripture, about commands. It's it's just about you know what it is wrong when we lift people up and not just Christ and Christ alone.

He says he chose the foolish so that no one would boast. God is very he he hates boasting. He goes I'm going to pick the foolish, the weak, you know, the the poor, the ones that no one would choose. Why? So that no one would boast. I don't want anyone boasting.

I don't want anyone bragging. And Paul says, "That's why I come in weakness and fear and just tell you that simple truth that you were created by God. You have sinned against this God. You've rebelled against this God. But this God, God almighty, so loved you. He has his son, his son, paid for your sin.

That if you're ready, if you're ready to just repent, to turn from your old life and be baptized, and you're dying to yourself, he's will be filled with the spirit. You will receive the spirit. This this promises for you, your children, and for those who are far off.

He will fill you with his spirit. He's going to return again. He's going to take home those who are his and he's going to judge the world. It's just trust those words again to believe that it can happen that the dead can come to life and it's not by our wisdom.

Look, you know that vision of Isa uh Ezekiel Ezekiel 37 the valley of dry bones. When you have a valley of dry and brittle bones, how do you plan to bring them to life? You going to bring together some strategists, a good soloist, you know, a good speaker?

Yes. That's what we're trying to do right now. We're trying to bring the dead to life. The flesh is of no help at all. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed it to us by his spirit.

It's all about his spirit. And we got to get back to that spirit of dependence, saying, "God, I am trying to raise the dead." And so, it is ridiculous for me to try to do that in the flesh. And I'm praying that some of you would just join me in just getting back to believing again and say, "No, I believe the Holy Spirit could bring people to life.

I believe the Holy Spirit could just cause these churches, these bodies to truly live like bodies to the way the world is amazed." And that will be the light to the world. Not our neat programs or services, but the fact that we are so in love with each other that we'll get the shirt off our back, the kidney out of our body because we are so in love with one another and so sure that we're going to see his face one day and so sure that there is a resurrection from the dead which we celebrate next week.

And so I in the Bible it talks about in Acts chapter 4 how the believers prayed for courage and then afterwards the earth started shaking and it says they were all filled with courage. I I I don't know where you're at theologically. I used to say none of that happens today.

And now I go you know what? God could do anything. I just think we have a lack of faith. And so, can we make a commitment to just not settle for just well, this is just the way church is nowadays. This is just the way Christian No, it doesn't have to be this way.

We see it overseas. It's happening there. And I'm going, no, it's going to happen in this country. It's got to happen in this country. Please, Lord, I'm not going to settle to just go to a service. I want to be a part of a body. I don't want people just praying a prayer.

I want to see repentance and life change. I want to see them die to themselves and take on Christ. And I want to pray like crazy right now that that would happen. Would you pray in faith with me right now? Can we not just This isn't just close your eyes because I'm ending my sermon.

I'm saying, can we just as a bunch of human beings, I would just love for God to look down in this room and see a unity in people saying, we believe it can happen today in our country and we want this and we don't want anything else and we're not going to just play a game anymore.

Like, I want the real thing or nothing at all. So, can can you can you believe as we pray that he's literally in heaven going to hear this to pray without doubting? And I would just love to do that with you and to pray for our courage, young and old, young, for you to do crazy things in your youth.

Cuz if you can't do it now, good luck once you get married and have kids and everything else, man. Now's the time to go nuts all the way to those who are elderly to realize, man, I'm about to see the face of God and how do I want to leave this earth and let me take the biggest step of faith in my life now.

Not play it safe like the world does. We're not of this world. We live differently. So, would you join me in a word of prayer right now as a worship team comes up? God, God, can we please God, can we please see the real thing, Father? God, I'm just tired of people raising their hands and saying they accepted you and seeing no life change, not seeing that them come to life and us making all sorts of excuses.

God, when when the Holy Spirit entered someone's life, their life changed. That's what I see in scripture, God. There was new power, God. That's what I want to see in people's lives, God. I mean, we see true conversions, true life change. Even if there's people in this room today, God, who said, "You know what?

I've just been playing the game. I've just been going." And I I've never experienced the spirit. God, I pray that that would change that we'd see the real thing, Father. And God, we're calling these buildings, churches. God, it's not about these buildings. It's not about going to a service. without being a part of a body.

God, I here in this country, Lord, would you begin to build your church in such a way that it honors you? Would you put a supernatural love in your church where I just look around the room and see brothers and sisters that I know would suffer for my sake and that I would do the same for them.

God, may we be so eternally minded that our stuff just doesn't matter anymore. God, I just want to see the real thing. Lord, I want to see the real thing. God, please, I pray that you would convict those who are just trying to play it safe and create services that won't fail.

God, help us to rely on your word again, the simple gospel, the simple truth, the pure word of the of God. And God, I pray that as we go back to our churches that we would speak with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, even tonight, God, please make this not just a sermon.

Please empower these words, God, so we just join together side by side, refusing to settle for anything less than your true church, united by the power of your Holy Spirit, bringing glory to the name of Jesus and Jesus alone. In his name we pray. Amen.