WEBVTT 00:00:07.029 --> 00:00:23.469 Now is the time to worship. Now is the time to 00:00:23.469 --> 00:03:39.560 give. Thank you. Amen. Brother Wayne Bryant, 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:43.539 open the word to us today. Amen. Good morning. 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:46.180 Good morning. Let's try that again. Good morning. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.479 Good morning. That's better. It's good to be 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:52.099 with you today. I'm Wayne Bryant. I am in southwest 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:56.080 Florida. regional catalyst for the Florida Baptist 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:00.180 Convention. About five years ago, the Florida 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:02.419 Baptist Convention, the Ohio Baptist Convention, 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:06.439 formed what we call a partnership. That partnership 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:11.379 is designed to actually work two ways. Jeremy, 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:15.020 your executive director treasurer, was a Florida 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.600 pastor, and he moved back to Ohio where he had 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.759 been church by three years ago to lead your state. 00:04:22.649 --> 00:04:26.069 We chose to partner together. Our state has six 00:04:26.069 --> 00:04:30.930 regions. Your state has six regions. We created 00:04:30.930 --> 00:04:35.050 a peer -to -peer relationship between those regions 00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:40.009 to see how we can help you and to see how we 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:43.610 can help you to be on mission in Florida. I'm 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:46.449 here today to share with you, to share a little 00:04:46.449 --> 00:04:48.970 bit about what we do. Most of all, I'm here to 00:04:48.970 --> 00:04:51.529 share with you about Jesus. So if you have your 00:04:51.529 --> 00:04:53.649 Bible, I want you to turn to Mark chapter 1. 00:04:55.810 --> 00:05:00.730 Good deal. You will not scare me, I promise. 00:05:02.170 --> 00:05:05.990 Mark chapter 1, I want to read to you verses 00:05:05.990 --> 00:05:09.490 16 through 18 from my text. And just keep your 00:05:09.490 --> 00:05:11.610 Bible open and follow along as I preach today. 00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:15.149 Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw 00:05:15.149 --> 00:05:17.509 Simon and Andrew and his brother casting a net 00:05:17.509 --> 00:05:21.149 into the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus 00:05:21.149 --> 00:05:24.230 said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will 00:05:24.230 --> 00:05:29.449 make you to become fishers of men. And straightway 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:35.490 they forsook their nets and followed him. Here 00:05:35.490 --> 00:05:37.430 in this first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, 00:05:37.670 --> 00:05:41.889 Jesus is beginning to call out the people that 00:05:41.889 --> 00:05:44.709 would work with him. He will choose twelve men 00:05:44.709 --> 00:05:48.050 that will serve as disciples, ultimately called 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:52.089 apostles by some. and their work is going to 00:05:52.089 --> 00:05:56.170 be to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ around 00:05:56.170 --> 00:05:59.310 the world. I want to say to you today that God 00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:02.709 is still calling people out of his congregations. 00:06:02.790 --> 00:06:05.889 God is still dealing in people's hearts and people's 00:06:05.889 --> 00:06:09.290 lives and calling them to take the gospel to 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:13.029 lost, dying, hurting people. What a culture, 00:06:13.430 --> 00:06:16.750 folks, that is made up of people who are struggling. 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:19.839 Some of those people struggling have nothing. 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:22.120 Some of those people who are struggling have 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:25.879 everything. The reality is the struggle is not 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:29.060 defined by your possessions or your wealth. The 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:33.220 struggle is defined by whether or not you know 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:36.459 Jesus as your Savior. If you know Jesus as your 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:39.120 Savior, you've got the whole world. If you don't 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:42.500 know Jesus, you have nothing. And here Jesus 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:46.069 is beginning to call out those men. that he will 00:06:46.069 --> 00:06:49.769 invest in to take the gospel in the next generation 00:06:49.769 --> 00:06:54.149 around the world. And God still wants to call 00:06:54.149 --> 00:06:58.110 people out today. I fear today we are not as 00:06:58.110 --> 00:07:02.370 committed to the idea of going as Jesus intended 00:07:02.370 --> 00:07:06.550 for us to be committed to taking the gospel to 00:07:06.550 --> 00:07:09.490 every man, woman, and child in our community 00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:13.899 and sending that gospel around the world. Now 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:15.639 before I get to dealing with the text, I want 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:21.180 to share with you just a moment about the message. 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:24.100 Today I'm going to ask you to make a commitment. 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:27.540 I'm going to do exactly what Jesus does with 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:32.620 Simon Peter and with Andrew. As he calls them 00:07:32.620 --> 00:07:35.199 out, he asks for a commitment. And I'm going 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:37.360 to ask you for a commitment when I get done today. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.660 A commitment to try to win someone to personal 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:44.720 faith in Jesus Christ. a commitment to go outside 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:47.660 the four walls of this church, to go to people 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:50.759 that you know that need Jesus as their Savior. 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:53.639 I want you to be thinking this morning as I preach 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:57.279 about somebody that you know personally that 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:00.540 needs Jesus as their Savior. It may be a brother 00:08:00.540 --> 00:08:05.240 or sister. It may be a husband, a spouse. It 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:08.740 may be a mother or father, a grandparent, grandchild. 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:12.319 It may be somebody you work with. Maybe somebody 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:15.420 you go to school with. All of us know someone 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:19.079 who needs Jesus as their Savior. And I want you 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.399 to be thinking about that person that you know, 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:24.620 one person, that you know that if they were to 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:27.620 die today, they would not go to heaven, they 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:30.819 would spend eternity in hell. They would face 00:08:30.819 --> 00:08:33.899 punishment and judgment and condemnation forever 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:37.940 and ever and ever. Think about that one person 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:41.860 as we walk through this text here. this morning. 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:44.259 First thing I want you to notice in our text 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:48.159 is one word, career. Verse 16, it says, Now as 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.500 he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:55.340 and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the 00:08:55.340 --> 00:08:59.639 sea, for they were fishers. Everybody needs a 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:04.519 job. Everybody needs income. Jesus begins to 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:08.919 deal with men who were fundamentally laborers 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:12.620 in his culture. These were not the unique people. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:16.139 These were not well -educated people. These were 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:20.460 people that were just common people. And he looks 00:09:20.460 --> 00:09:23.899 at these men and their careers, and he sees that 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:27.600 they are fishermen. Now, Simon was a big man. 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:31.559 Simon Peter was a man who stood above other men. 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:36.299 He had strength and ability. Andrew, his brother, 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:39.980 was a little more quiet. He was not the kind 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:43.059 of personality Simon Peter was who always spoke 00:09:43.059 --> 00:09:46.620 up, but rather he was just that quiet person 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:49.519 there that was helping to get something done. 00:09:50.419 --> 00:09:54.000 But they were fishermen. They went out every 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:59.679 night in what we would call today a canoe. And 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:04.059 in that canoe, they would catch fish. Simon Peter 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:08.200 had an experience once where he caught 153 fish. 00:10:08.980 --> 00:10:12.480 That interesting thing was catching 153 fish 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:16.500 was after he had said, Lord, there aren't any 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:19.600 fish here to catch. And Jesus just sitting right 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.779 back out said, you go back and see if you can 00:10:21.779 --> 00:10:26.200 find some. And he caught 153 fish, so many fish 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:30.240 that it began to cause his boat to sink. I mean, 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:34.320 that was the unexpected experience for Simon 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:37.460 Peter. But that's what the man did for a living. 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:42.220 Don't miss that God always, when he calls people, 00:10:42.580 --> 00:10:46.639 calls them out of something to go do something. 00:10:47.220 --> 00:10:50.019 I still remember when God called me to be a preacher. 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:53.820 I had no desire to be a preacher. I had only 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:56.580 been saved about eight months, and God began 00:10:56.580 --> 00:10:59.320 to stir in my heart. that he wanted me to be 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:02.299 a preacher. And I did exactly what most people 00:11:02.299 --> 00:11:06.000 do, Brother Daniel, and that is I began to negotiate 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.460 with God. I began to tell God, well, God, I'll 00:11:09.460 --> 00:11:12.200 serve you, but I can't stand in front of people 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.879 and talk. God, I will be glad to serve you. Maybe 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:18.580 I could be a youth director. The interesting 00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:22.139 part about that is God said, fine, make your 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:25.440 commitment. I did, and I never did get to serve 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:28.929 as a youth director. That never happened. But 00:11:28.929 --> 00:11:33.590 God called me out of where I was to put me where 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:37.330 he wanted me to be. If you're here today, you 00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:40.889 may well be having a stirring in your heart for 00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:43.710 God to call you to do something more than you 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:45.889 were doing. You know, there's a lot of work for 00:11:45.889 --> 00:11:48.330 God that is not about standing in front of people 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:50.750 and preaching. There's a lot of labor that goes 00:11:50.750 --> 00:11:54.529 on that must be done for the church to be effective. 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:57.929 God may be calling you to do something you never 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:01.230 thought he would call you to do. He may take 00:12:01.230 --> 00:12:05.549 you from one place and put you in another. Notice 00:12:05.549 --> 00:12:07.610 secondly here, I want you to see the command. 00:12:07.789 --> 00:12:11.409 Read on verse 17. He says, If Jesus said unto 00:12:11.409 --> 00:12:17.529 them, Come ye after me. The thing that Jesus 00:12:17.529 --> 00:12:20.730 wants from you today, wants from me today, wants 00:12:20.730 --> 00:12:23.549 from your pastor today. What he wants to have 00:12:23.549 --> 00:12:26.759 happen, is he wants you to lay down what you 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:31.320 have and follow him. You hear the words over 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:34.240 and over again in the gospel accounts, come after 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.059 me, follow me, and I will make you to become 00:12:37.059 --> 00:12:41.919 fishers of men. Here he says, come, follow me. 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:45.539 The most important step of the Christian experience 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:48.620 is the step that you take that once you're saved, 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:54.179 you become a follower of Jesus. It's significant, 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:58.700 folks, that what God desires of us is for us 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:03.220 to follow his example, to follow his plan, to 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:06.879 do his work. There's nobody left to do it except 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:10.200 us. You know, we live in a world that has about 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:14.120 8 billion people in it. Of those 8 billion, there 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:18.120 may be a billion followers of Christ worldwide. 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:21.639 Who do you think is going to take the gospel 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:25.679 to the world if we don't do it? There's nobody 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:28.440 else to do the job. There's nobody else that 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:31.679 can carry that banner. There's no one else that 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.620 can get under that burden and make it happen. 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:40.120 When he says, come after me, he is speaking to 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.840 every one of us today and saying, just follow 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:48.500 me. We make being a follower of Christ too difficult. 00:13:49.389 --> 00:13:52.529 We really do. We think you've got to get an education. 00:13:52.649 --> 00:13:56.629 You've got to have a lot of training. That's 00:13:56.629 --> 00:14:00.809 not necessary. Some years ago, I was given the 00:14:00.809 --> 00:14:06.370 opportunity to get an education. I had a man 00:14:06.370 --> 00:14:08.389 come to me in my church and say, I'll pay the 00:14:08.389 --> 00:14:12.009 bill if you'll go to school. And I thought, that's 00:14:12.009 --> 00:14:14.929 wonderful. Well, I got an education. I got a 00:14:14.929 --> 00:14:18.909 doctor's theology degree. And pretty soon people 00:14:18.909 --> 00:14:23.629 began to call me Dr. Bryant. And then about 10 00:14:23.629 --> 00:14:27.450 years later, I got another doctor's degree. And 00:14:27.450 --> 00:14:30.049 a lady in the church who came up to me after 00:14:30.049 --> 00:14:32.230 church, right after I got the second doctor's 00:14:32.230 --> 00:14:35.389 degree, and said, now you've got two doctorates. 00:14:35.389 --> 00:14:38.230 What do we call you, doctor, doctor? I said, 00:14:38.289 --> 00:14:40.529 no, I don't think that's good. She said, well, 00:14:40.549 --> 00:14:43.350 I think you're a paradox. And if you're a paradox, 00:14:43.570 --> 00:14:48.100 I can deal with that. God help us. To realize 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:53.539 education isn't what God's looking for. Wisdom 00:14:53.539 --> 00:14:57.299 isn't what God's looking for. What God's looking 00:14:57.299 --> 00:15:00.580 for is a submissive heart. That's right. Somebody 00:15:00.580 --> 00:15:03.100 who's willing to say, Jesus, I'll do whatever 00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:06.440 you want me to do. That's right. I'll go wherever 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:10.299 you want me to go. I'll be whatever you want 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:14.320 me to be. But let me go quickly from the command 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:17.940 to the creation. He says, and I will make you 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:25.059 to become. He wants to change you. The fear of 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:28.320 becoming a follower of Christ is the ultimate 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:32.080 victory of becoming a follower of Christ. We 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:37.120 get afraid of Jesus making us different than 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:42.440 we are. I was on a flight up here while the plane 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:46.840 bounced around in the sky. I was thinking about 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:51.200 what I used to do before I met Jesus. And I, 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:55.340 for one, am ever grateful that God has made me 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:58.259 something different than I used to be. That God 00:15:58.259 --> 00:16:01.419 took this mess that I call the life and turned 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:04.299 it into something that he could use to accomplish 00:16:04.299 --> 00:16:07.960 his work in the world that we live in. Now, there's 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:11.179 no greater joy than being changed to be more 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:14.419 like Jesus. Being changed to be more like the 00:16:14.419 --> 00:16:21.299 one we want to follow after. He said, I will 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:25.080 make you. You know, there's nothing in your life 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:28.200 that Jesus can't change. There's no sin that 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:31.000 is so great that he keeps you back. There's no 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:34.000 inability that is so horrendous that he can't 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:37.159 fix that and move you forward. God is in the 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.820 business of changing lives. And one of the great 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:44.360 testimonies of the evidence of God at work in 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:47.480 the midst of a church is that God is taking people 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.600 whose lives are a mess and turning them into 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:54.559 people who are followers of him, who faithfully 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:58.139 daily follow him, who faithfully daily read their 00:16:58.139 --> 00:17:01.259 scripture, who faithfully daily share the gospel 00:17:01.259 --> 00:17:03.820 of Christ with the people they come in contact 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:08.910 with. That happens because he changes us. And 00:17:08.910 --> 00:17:13.069 makes us something brand new. Paul wrote to the 00:17:13.069 --> 00:17:15.710 Corinthian church. And said all things are passed 00:17:15.710 --> 00:17:21.470 away. Behold all things are become new. As a 00:17:21.470 --> 00:17:25.710 follower of Jesus our past is set away. The psalmist 00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:28.529 said that our sin is as far as the east. It's 00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:31.609 from the west. And God remembers it no more. 00:17:32.009 --> 00:17:35.529 Whatever your past look like it's the past. God 00:17:35.529 --> 00:17:38.890 is interested in taking you. Into a preferred 00:17:38.890 --> 00:17:42.369 future. Where he is your king. He is your lord. 00:17:42.589 --> 00:17:46.490 He is your savior. And you look like him. He 00:17:46.490 --> 00:17:50.369 says I will make you. And thirdly. He says to 00:17:50.369 --> 00:17:55.269 become fishers of men. A coachman. You know for 00:17:55.269 --> 00:17:58.630 you to become. What God wants you to become. 00:17:59.589 --> 00:18:03.250 You have to learn. To go fishing for men. Now 00:18:03.250 --> 00:18:06.289 I am not a fisherman. I have a bunch of fishing 00:18:06.289 --> 00:18:09.700 partners. They go catch them, they go clean them, 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:12.720 my wife cooks them, and I eat them. That's my 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:16.779 fishing experience. When I go fishing, I think 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:19.660 they must put out on the fish mail in the sea 00:18:19.660 --> 00:18:22.799 that I'm coming and they need to go hide. I've 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:25.880 never caught a fish in my entire life. I've lived 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:31.279 in Florida for 64 of my 70 years, and I've never 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:34.420 caught a fish. That's hard to imagine. They're 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:40.160 everywhere around Florida. But God wants me to 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:44.220 become a fisherman. I've got to go catch people. 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:47.920 I've got to go looking for them and find them. 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:53.599 I've got to be able to lure them, literally, 00:18:53.660 --> 00:19:00.240 to Christ if I'm going to be a fisherman. Now, 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:04.819 being a fisherman requires at least an astute 00:19:06.930 --> 00:19:10.730 in trying to catch men. You've got to decide 00:19:10.730 --> 00:19:14.849 who you want to catch. I come in contact with 00:19:14.849 --> 00:19:19.650 people every day. I made up my mind almost 50 00:19:19.650 --> 00:19:24.150 years ago. I made my mind up for this. I'll share 00:19:24.150 --> 00:19:26.829 Jesus with everybody that will let me share Jesus 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:31.630 with them. That means what I'm looking for is 00:19:31.630 --> 00:19:34.470 not a particular person, a particular category 00:19:34.470 --> 00:19:37.150 of individual. I'm not looking for people that 00:19:37.150 --> 00:19:39.650 have more money or less money. I'm not looking 00:19:39.650 --> 00:19:42.849 for people that look like me. Praise Jesus. I'm 00:19:42.849 --> 00:19:44.930 not looking for people who don't look like me. 00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:48.289 Don't care about what color they are. I just 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:52.130 want to talk to people about Jesus. So that I 00:19:52.130 --> 00:19:55.150 can present to them the gospel of the death, 00:19:55.150 --> 00:19:59.390 burial, and resurrection of Christ. And so that 00:19:59.390 --> 00:20:03.549 God can change their life like he's changed mine. 00:20:04.190 --> 00:20:07.180 That's right. That's what being a fisher of men 00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:10.019 is all about. It's not about having the right 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:14.420 fishing pole or the right bait. It's simply about 00:20:14.420 --> 00:20:18.779 catching people for Christ. Helping them to become 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:23.660 what Christ wants them to become. A fisher of 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:28.640 men. And finally I want you to see the commitment 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:32.339 in verse 18. He simply says in a straight way. 00:20:33.750 --> 00:20:38.769 They forsook their nets and followed him. Now, 00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:40.450 the truth is I could have preached the entire 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:43.849 message on this one verse. He begins by saying, 00:20:43.950 --> 00:20:46.809 and straight away, they made an immediate commitment. 00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:49.410 They didn't have to pray about it. They didn't 00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:50.450 have to think about it. They didn't have to go 00:20:50.450 --> 00:20:53.410 talk to someone about it. They together said, 00:20:53.650 --> 00:21:01.069 we want to follow you, Jesus. I fear today, When 00:21:01.069 --> 00:21:03.170 you ask people to do something for God, Pastor, 00:21:03.309 --> 00:21:07.490 when they say they've got to pray about it, that's 00:21:07.490 --> 00:21:10.670 just simply their excuse for not doing it. That's 00:21:10.670 --> 00:21:13.789 the way they put off having to make the decision. 00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:18.789 The word straightway speaks directly to a decision 00:21:18.789 --> 00:21:22.190 that was immediately made when they had the opportunity 00:21:22.190 --> 00:21:25.089 to make it. They didn't put it off. They didn't 00:21:25.089 --> 00:21:28.589 delay. They simply said, we're here, Lord. Send 00:21:28.589 --> 00:21:33.230 me. So it's a straight way. They forsook their 00:21:33.230 --> 00:21:39.029 nets. Now, we pass over that, not realize what 00:21:39.029 --> 00:21:42.950 they did was they got rid of all their old fishing 00:21:42.950 --> 00:21:48.549 gear. And it wasn't theirs anymore. Can you imagine 00:21:48.549 --> 00:21:51.349 what it must have been like for Simon and Andrew 00:21:51.349 --> 00:21:55.690 to when Jesus called them to come follow him? 00:21:57.170 --> 00:22:01.269 The first thing they had to do, was give up everything 00:22:01.269 --> 00:22:06.589 that identified who they were. Everything. They 00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:10.890 forsook their fishing gear. They no longer had 00:22:10.890 --> 00:22:14.950 the ability to make a living. They no longer 00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:17.170 had the ability to provide for their families. 00:22:18.910 --> 00:22:21.150 That didn't stop them from making the commitment. 00:22:22.329 --> 00:22:25.589 That was just what the commitment was. You see, 00:22:25.650 --> 00:22:28.960 following Jesus is pretty simple. You give up 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:32.819 everything you have and allow him to bring everything 00:22:32.819 --> 00:22:37.619 he has into your life. I want you to know, folks, 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:41.079 God is not broke. God owns the cattle on a thousand 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:43.619 hills. He has the wealth of the world right in 00:22:43.619 --> 00:22:46.740 the midst of his hands. God has the ability to 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:49.400 do exceedingly and abundantly above anything 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:53.960 we might ever ask or hope from him. God can take 00:22:53.960 --> 00:23:00.049 anything and turn it into Everything. My work 00:23:00.049 --> 00:23:04.710 in Florida is with about 300 churches. I've got 00:23:04.710 --> 00:23:07.470 a region with about 300 churches in it. Those 00:23:07.470 --> 00:23:10.529 churches range from a church that runs about 00:23:10.529 --> 00:23:16.750 8 ,000 people a week in Naples to churches that 00:23:16.750 --> 00:23:26.049 run 6, 7, 8 people a week. And I work with all 00:23:26.049 --> 00:23:30.200 of that. What I have to do is I have to learn 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:34.400 that the people in the church with six or seven 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:39.759 people are just as important to God as the church 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:45.180 with 9 ,000 people. Just as important. Just as 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:51.279 valuable to Christ as his shed blood. Here they 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:55.579 make a commitment that says we're willing to 00:23:55.579 --> 00:24:02.019 invest. Our lives in reaching all the people 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:06.640 you put in our lives. I was talking with your 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:09.299 pastor. You've got a very good pastor, by the 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:13.180 way. Say amen. Amen. Oh, come on. Say amen. Amen. 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:17.880 Okay. He was telling me that there are about 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:22.940 400 ,000 people in metropolitan Toledo. Now, 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:24.440 I want you to think about this for a second. 00:24:26.250 --> 00:24:29.509 How many of those 400 ,000 people could be touched 00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:35.069 by your church? What was the pastor who said 00:24:35.069 --> 00:24:40.589 your email list is 7 ,800 people that you can 00:24:40.589 --> 00:24:42.630 sit down at the computer and send a message to? 00:24:46.009 --> 00:24:48.509 Sometimes what we've got to do is lift up our 00:24:48.509 --> 00:24:54.170 sights and see beyond where we are to where we 00:24:54.170 --> 00:24:57.640 need to be going. Now, I know nothing about what 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:01.119 I'm about to say. I admit that completely. Everybody's 00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:04.539 listening now. I want you to not miss this. In 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:07.059 a Sunday or so, I presume, you're going to have 00:25:07.059 --> 00:25:09.619 a vision day where you sit down and, I guess, 00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:13.559 develop a vision. That vision will drive you 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:16.880 wherever you go next as a church. Hear that. 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:20.160 That will be what drives you to do the things 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.799 to reach new people to be a part of your church. 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:27.930 Is that, for example? That vision may determine 00:25:27.930 --> 00:25:30.829 what your church looks like 20 years from now, 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:36.650 10 years from now, rather. It may set the tone 00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:41.210 for what you can become. There's 400 ,000 people 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:45.230 in your community. There is absolutely no limit 00:25:45.230 --> 00:25:49.130 to what you can become. The limit isn't put on 00:25:49.130 --> 00:25:53.579 us by the lack of opportunity. The limit is put 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:56.119 on us by what we're willing to make a commitment 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:59.319 to do. If we're willing to make a commitment 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:02.000 to try to reach those people with the gospel 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:04.900 and develop a plan that starts where you are 00:26:04.900 --> 00:26:08.660 and takes you where you need to go, then you 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:12.660 can reach a good portion of those folks. It's 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:15.799 an interesting time to be in America. We are 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:18.859 living in a day when generations are beginning 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:22.559 to come back together. Statistically, Did you 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:26.279 know that back 10 years ago, the people that 00:26:26.279 --> 00:26:30.180 were in the 20s and the 30s quit coming to church? 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:33.819 They really did. I mean, they almost quit coming 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:37.599 to any church anywhere. But statistically now, 00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:41.960 churches are beginning to grow again. And guess 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:44.700 what age group they're reaching? The 20 -somethings 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:47.400 and the 30 -somethings. That's who they're reaching 00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:50.279 with the gospel. They're doing that not because 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:53.720 of... who they are, they're doing that because 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:56.819 God said, I'm going to help you reach those fish 00:26:56.819 --> 00:27:01.079 that need to be caught with the gospel of Christ. 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:08.599 And here they make a commitment. They say in 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:12.160 verse 18, they forsook their nets. What did they 00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:18.200 do? They followed him. Christianity is about 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:22.200 being where Jesus wants you to be. doing what 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:27.460 Jesus wants you to do. If I, as a Southern Baptist, 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:30.740 I've been a Southern Baptist for 50 years. I 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:33.559 mean, if I know anything, I know Southern Baptist. 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:39.640 Here, our biggest challenge as the largest non 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:43.779 -Catholic entity in the world, our biggest challenge 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:50.119 is pretty simple. We quit following Jesus. We 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:55.099 no longer go catch fish. We get together and 00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:58.799 enjoy one another. We're thrilled with who we 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:02.940 are rather than looking at what we need at the 00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:09.980 time to follow. I've had a busy two weeks. I 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:14.880 will fly back to Florida on Tuesday and get back. 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:17.539 I've got meetings to go to Tuesday night, Wednesday 00:28:17.539 --> 00:28:21.519 morning, Wednesday night. and on. The last ten 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.599 days I have been away from my house all but one 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:30.160 of them. That's not an uncommon experience because 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:33.279 Jesus has me pretty busy. But I want to share 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:35.220 with you an experience I had in Jacksonville 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:40.539 last Wednesday morning at about 6 .15 a .m. Our 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:44.140 headquarters in Florida is in Jacksonville and 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:48.109 my work takes me to be at the headquarters. About 00:28:48.109 --> 00:28:52.069 five, six times a year, I will travel from Sarasota 00:28:52.069 --> 00:28:55.309 by the four and a half hour drive to get to Jacksonville 00:28:55.309 --> 00:28:58.309 and attend meetings that are part of my work. 00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:02.910 I'm thrilled with the opportunity to do so. I 00:29:02.910 --> 00:29:05.250 was there for a meeting. In fact, it was two 00:29:05.250 --> 00:29:08.710 meetings. Well, three meetings. I preached on 00:29:08.710 --> 00:29:11.410 Sunday in Jacksonville as well. Had a great time 00:29:11.410 --> 00:29:15.089 Sunday night, Saturday morning. I preached at 00:29:15.089 --> 00:29:17.970 a church that runs about 250 attendants. I had 00:29:17.970 --> 00:29:23.049 13 people trust Jesus as their Savior. I went 00:29:23.049 --> 00:29:28.069 to my first meeting on Monday, then another meeting 00:29:28.069 --> 00:29:30.549 on Tuesday, and then Wednesday morning I had 00:29:30.549 --> 00:29:33.789 my last meeting. Every morning, Monday, Tuesday, 00:29:33.829 --> 00:29:36.950 and Wednesday, I went to a Panera Bread. Panera 00:29:36.950 --> 00:29:40.049 Bread is sort of like going to the Holy of Holies. 00:29:40.380 --> 00:29:43.740 I don't have an office, so my office is Panera 00:29:43.740 --> 00:29:46.500 Bread. I've been to a lot of meetings at Panera 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:48.480 Bread. In Jacksonville, I go to the same Panera 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:51.039 Bread. Every morning they open at 6. I'm there 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:53.859 at 6 when they open. I met a little girl by the 00:29:53.859 --> 00:29:57.200 name of Ashley. Ashley's about 23 years old, 00:29:57.259 --> 00:30:00.880 has two little kids, no husband, and she's working 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:05.619 at Panera Bread. And just very kind, very helpful. 00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:08.819 Every morning she spoke and asked me how I was 00:30:08.819 --> 00:30:12.450 doing. And we got to talking on Wednesday morning. 00:30:13.009 --> 00:30:14.710 But I asked her, I said, Ashley, where do you 00:30:14.710 --> 00:30:18.289 go to church at? She said, well, I really haven't 00:30:18.289 --> 00:30:21.190 found a church here in Jacksonville. I said, 00:30:21.210 --> 00:30:24.150 let me ask you another question, Ashley. If you 00:30:24.150 --> 00:30:28.509 were to die today, do you know for certain that 00:30:28.509 --> 00:30:31.890 you're going to heaven? Now, that may be the 00:30:31.890 --> 00:30:34.589 most important question you ever ask anyone. 00:30:35.630 --> 00:30:38.440 Do you know that you're going to heaven? She 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:40.119 looked at me and she said, well, I'd like to 00:30:40.119 --> 00:30:43.460 know. And that's sort of like saying sickle to 00:30:43.460 --> 00:30:46.799 a dog. When she said that, I said, well, actually, 00:30:46.920 --> 00:30:49.460 if you'll give me three minutes, I'll tell you 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:52.220 how you can know you're going to end it. She 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:53.700 said, if you can do that in three minutes, I 00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:56.599 said, yes, ma 'am. And usually when I say that 00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:58.720 to a server anywhere, whether they're serving 00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:01.500 tables where I'm eating dinner or at a place 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:04.119 like Panera in the morning at the counter, they'll 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:06.420 turn around and walk away and maybe come back, 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:09.849 maybe not come back. Ashley just stood there. 00:31:10.309 --> 00:31:12.109 I said, do you want to give me three minutes 00:31:12.109 --> 00:31:16.269 right now? She said, I do. And in the next three 00:31:16.269 --> 00:31:18.109 minutes, I went through the gospel with Ashley. 00:31:18.970 --> 00:31:21.250 I thought, Ashley, going to heaven begins with 00:31:21.250 --> 00:31:24.109 the fact that you and I have a common problem, 00:31:24.250 --> 00:31:27.769 and that problem is sin. The Bible says all have 00:31:27.769 --> 00:31:30.329 sinned and come short of the glory of God. So 00:31:30.329 --> 00:31:33.069 we're all guilty. I said, the Bible goes on and 00:31:33.069 --> 00:31:37.529 says that the wages of sin is death. But the 00:31:37.529 --> 00:31:40.269 gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ 00:31:40.269 --> 00:31:43.710 our Lord. So that word wage there is an interesting 00:31:43.710 --> 00:31:47.390 word to me, mainly because we still use it today. 00:31:48.049 --> 00:31:51.849 The word wage was used 2 ,000 years ago. Today, 00:31:52.009 --> 00:31:55.230 a wage is a paycheck. It's something you earn, 00:31:55.369 --> 00:31:57.369 something you work for, something that you deserve, 00:31:57.630 --> 00:32:01.109 something that belongs to you. And I said, Miss 00:32:01.109 --> 00:32:04.289 Ashley? If you get what you deserve to get, you're 00:32:04.289 --> 00:32:07.730 going to die and be separated from God for all 00:32:07.730 --> 00:32:09.650 of eternity. You're going to go to a place called 00:32:09.650 --> 00:32:13.710 hell. And I said, the verse goes on and tells 00:32:13.710 --> 00:32:17.910 us that the gift of God is eternal life through 00:32:17.910 --> 00:32:20.750 Jesus Christ our Lord. Then going to heaven is 00:32:20.750 --> 00:32:23.230 a free gift. We don't earn it, we don't deserve 00:32:23.230 --> 00:32:25.809 it, we don't get good enough for it. God gives 00:32:25.809 --> 00:32:28.650 it to us just because he loves us and wants us 00:32:28.650 --> 00:32:31.740 to have it. In fact, the Bible goes so far as 00:32:31.740 --> 00:32:34.539 to say that God has commended his love toward 00:32:34.539 --> 00:32:37.660 you and me, Ashley, in that while we're yet sinners, 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:41.420 Christ died for us. I said, Ashley, I want to 00:32:41.420 --> 00:32:44.359 ask you two questions. I said, do you believe 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:47.940 that when Jesus died on the cross, that he died, 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:51.319 that he shed his blood to pay the price for your 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:54.559 sin? She called for a second. She looked at me. 00:32:54.599 --> 00:32:57.119 She looked around the room. It was not busy. 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:59.500 It was me and her standing there talking. And 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:00.980 she looked to make sure nobody else was there. 00:33:01.400 --> 00:33:04.819 And she said, I do believe that. I said, do you 00:33:04.819 --> 00:33:06.920 believe that three days later he rose from the 00:33:06.920 --> 00:33:09.940 grave, that he conquered death like we celebrate 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:13.160 every Easter? She hesitated. I said, I do believe 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:15.900 that. I do. I said that actually you believe 00:33:15.900 --> 00:33:19.519 everything you have to believe to know for certain 00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:22.220 that you're going to heaven when you die. But 00:33:22.220 --> 00:33:24.859 there's something you have to do. That is, you 00:33:24.859 --> 00:33:26.819 have to pray and ask Jesus to come into your 00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:29.150 heart and ask him to be your Savior. It says 00:33:29.150 --> 00:33:31.410 in Romans chapter 10, verse 5, that if you'll 00:33:31.410 --> 00:33:35.250 confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe 00:33:35.250 --> 00:33:38.390 in your heart that God raised him up from the 00:33:38.390 --> 00:33:43.549 dead, thou shalt be saved. I said, what you need 00:33:43.549 --> 00:33:45.269 to do, actually, is you need to pray and ask 00:33:45.269 --> 00:33:47.930 Jesus into your heart by praying a prayer that 00:33:47.930 --> 00:33:50.930 goes something like this prayer. Dear God, I 00:33:50.930 --> 00:33:52.650 know that I have sinned and done things wrong. 00:33:53.170 --> 00:33:56.700 I know that I need your forgiveness. I ask Jesus 00:33:56.700 --> 00:34:00.019 Christ to come into my heart. I ask him to be 00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:04.940 Lord of my life. I ask him to save me. I said, 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:07.160 Ms. Ashley, the only condition on that prayer 00:34:07.160 --> 00:34:10.260 is whether or not you need business or not in 00:34:10.260 --> 00:34:13.199 prayer. If you're willing to be serious with 00:34:13.199 --> 00:34:16.900 God and ask him to save you, he will save you 00:34:16.900 --> 00:34:20.260 and one day take you to heaven. I said, Ashley, 00:34:20.380 --> 00:34:24.019 I can help you pray that prayer. She said what 00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:26.039 I've heard somebody say to me probably thousands 00:34:26.039 --> 00:34:29.400 of times. You mean you can help me? Would you 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:32.159 do that for me? I said, I'd be thrilled actually 00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:35.460 to help you pray that prayer. She bowed her head 00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:37.579 and she prayed and she asked Jesus to come into 00:34:37.579 --> 00:34:42.539 her heart and be her Savior. That's what it means 00:34:42.539 --> 00:34:49.840 to become a Fisherman. Over and over again, every 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:53.380 year, about 100 people, come to know Christ because 00:34:53.380 --> 00:34:57.360 I stop and talk to them without asking Jesus 00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:00.699 in their heart. I'm not talking about people 00:35:00.699 --> 00:35:02.579 that come at invitation time in church service. 00:35:02.980 --> 00:35:05.159 I'm talking about people I meet out in the street 00:35:05.159 --> 00:35:07.440 that I didn't know before the conversation started. 00:35:09.059 --> 00:35:14.960 That happens because I made a commitment to become 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:20.760 a fisherman. I go looking. For the men and women 00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:24.380 and children that need to be taught for Jesus. 00:35:26.059 --> 00:35:30.840 That's what Simon Peter and Andrew made a commitment 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:36.880 to do in our days. They wanted to become a fisher 00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:42.199 in the end. And interestingly enough, 2 ,000 00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:46.559 years later, Simon and Andrew are two of about 00:35:47.440 --> 00:35:51.699 20, 25 names worldwide for 2 ,000 years that 00:35:51.699 --> 00:35:57.900 everybody knows. Why is that? Because they did 00:35:57.900 --> 00:36:04.059 what Jesus told them to do. I want to ask you 00:36:04.059 --> 00:36:06.559 to bow your head and close your eyes. Every head 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:08.659 bowed, every eye closed, nobody looking around. 00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:13.750 I want you to search your heart. How many of 00:36:13.750 --> 00:36:15.789 you here today would be honest with me? I'll 00:36:15.789 --> 00:36:18.750 try to be honest with you. How many of you will 00:36:18.750 --> 00:36:20.650 be honest with me and say to me, Brother Wayne, 00:36:20.849 --> 00:36:24.670 I may not be the best person in this room today, 00:36:24.829 --> 00:36:29.909 but I do know this. I know for certain, I know 00:36:29.909 --> 00:36:32.630 beyond any shadow of a doubt, that if I were 00:36:32.630 --> 00:36:36.530 to die today, I know that my soul is going to 00:36:36.530 --> 00:36:39.150 heaven. You don't think so? You don't hope so? 00:36:39.670 --> 00:36:41.590 You know that you're saved. Would you hold your 00:36:41.590 --> 00:36:43.989 hand up high for just a moment? Just lift your 00:36:43.989 --> 00:36:46.670 hand up. God bless you. God bless you. Now put 00:36:46.670 --> 00:36:49.329 it down. I want you to pray. I want you to pray 00:36:49.329 --> 00:36:51.489 for somebody else in the room that did not lift 00:36:51.489 --> 00:36:54.570 their hand. Now how many of you will be honest 00:36:54.570 --> 00:36:56.550 with me? Again, I'm trying to be honest with 00:36:56.550 --> 00:36:59.309 you. How many of you will be honest with me and 00:36:59.309 --> 00:37:02.309 say to me, Brother Wayne, I could not lift my 00:37:02.309 --> 00:37:06.010 hand just now. I do not know for certain that 00:37:06.010 --> 00:37:09.090 I'm going to go to heaven when I die. But I'd 00:37:09.090 --> 00:37:13.469 like to know that. I want to know that. And I'd 00:37:13.469 --> 00:37:16.670 like for you to pray for me today. Would you 00:37:16.670 --> 00:37:19.349 slip your hand up just a moment? Just slip it 00:37:19.349 --> 00:37:21.210 up and put it right in that hand. God bless you, 00:37:21.230 --> 00:37:24.550 son. Thank you. Anyone else? You don't know that 00:37:24.550 --> 00:37:26.230 you're going to heaven, but you'd like to know 00:37:26.230 --> 00:37:28.909 that. And you'd like for me to pray for you today. 00:37:29.889 --> 00:37:33.210 Anyone? Dear friend, I've got great news for 00:37:33.210 --> 00:37:36.010 you. The best news in all the world. You can 00:37:36.010 --> 00:37:39.170 know before you leave this room today that you're 00:37:39.170 --> 00:37:41.849 going to heaven when we die. And you can know 00:37:41.849 --> 00:37:44.130 that because the Bible, the Word of God, says 00:37:44.130 --> 00:37:47.489 so. The Bible tells us that being saved is as 00:37:47.489 --> 00:37:51.989 simple as the ABCs. For the A, we have to admit 00:37:51.989 --> 00:37:54.130 to God that we are sinners, that we've done things 00:37:54.130 --> 00:37:56.409 that are wrong. And the Bible calls that sin. 00:37:57.090 --> 00:37:59.949 For the B, we must believe. We must believe that 00:37:59.949 --> 00:38:03.260 God loves us. We must believe that Jesus died, 00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:06.699 shed his blood to take the price for our sin. 00:38:07.579 --> 00:38:10.179 We must believe that he'll save us today if we 00:38:10.179 --> 00:38:14.119 ask him to. And for the seed, we must call upon 00:38:14.119 --> 00:38:17.280 Jesus, commit our heart to him, and ask him to 00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:20.099 be our savior. It says in Romans chapter 10, 00:38:20.099 --> 00:38:22.760 verse 9, that if you'll confess with your mouth 00:38:22.760 --> 00:38:25.599 the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that 00:38:25.599 --> 00:38:28.599 God raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be 00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:31.199 saved. What that means is if you're willing to 00:38:31.199 --> 00:38:33.699 pray and ask him to save you, if you believe 00:38:33.699 --> 00:38:35.940 he died for you, he was buried, and he rose again, 00:38:36.239 --> 00:38:38.739 if you'll ask him to save you, he'll save you 00:38:38.739 --> 00:38:42.179 today. The way that you get saved is you pray 00:38:42.179 --> 00:38:45.539 a prayer committing your life to Jesus. The Bible 00:38:45.539 --> 00:38:47.920 teaches us that that prayer goes something like 00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:50.980 this. Dear God, I know that I have sinned and 00:38:50.980 --> 00:38:54.500 done things wrong. I know that I need your forgiveness. 00:38:55.599 --> 00:38:59.889 I ask Jesus Christ into my heart. I ask him to 00:38:59.889 --> 00:39:04.710 be Lord of my life. I ask him to save me. The 00:39:04.710 --> 00:39:07.690 only condition on that prayer, friend, is this. 00:39:08.469 --> 00:39:11.889 Do you really want to be saved? Are you really 00:39:11.889 --> 00:39:15.110 willing to commit your life to him and ask him 00:39:15.110 --> 00:39:18.230 to save you? I want to help you pray that prayer 00:39:18.230 --> 00:39:20.809 right now. Those of you that raised your hand, 00:39:20.869 --> 00:39:23.389 I'm over to go. And others of you who possibly 00:39:23.389 --> 00:39:25.510 should have raised your hand saying, I don't 00:39:25.510 --> 00:39:27.289 know that I'm saved, but I'd like to know that. 00:39:28.780 --> 00:39:30.980 I encourage you just to repeat it in your heart 00:39:30.980 --> 00:39:33.820 with me as I pray it out loud. God will hear 00:39:33.820 --> 00:39:36.320 the prayer in your heart. And he'll save you 00:39:36.320 --> 00:39:38.139 right where you're sitting today. You ready now? 00:39:38.519 --> 00:39:42.559 You pray with me, dear God. I know that I have 00:39:42.559 --> 00:39:46.340 sinned and done things that are wrong. I know 00:39:46.340 --> 00:39:50.480 that I need your forgiveness. I ask Jesus Christ 00:39:50.480 --> 00:39:54.519 to come into my heart. I ask him to be Lord of 00:39:54.519 --> 00:40:00.730 my life. I ask him to save me. Thank you for 00:40:00.730 --> 00:40:07.309 saving me. Help me to know that I am saved. Help 00:40:07.309 --> 00:40:11.150 me to live a life that will please you. Amen. 00:40:11.250 --> 00:40:13.269 Now keep your heads down and your eyes closed. 00:40:14.030 --> 00:40:16.309 If you prayed that prayer with me, I want you 00:40:16.309 --> 00:40:19.090 to look right up here at me. If you prayed that 00:40:19.090 --> 00:40:20.710 prayer with me, just look right up here at me 00:40:20.710 --> 00:40:22.929 for just a moment. Don't be embarrassed. I'm 00:40:22.929 --> 00:40:25.219 glad you've done that. The day you've done the 00:40:25.219 --> 00:40:26.920 most important thing you'll ever do, you ask 00:40:26.920 --> 00:40:30.320 Jesus into your heart. I'm going to ask you to 00:40:30.320 --> 00:40:33.900 do something now. If you meant business about 00:40:33.900 --> 00:40:35.539 it when you prayed that prayer. Pastor, I want 00:40:35.539 --> 00:40:38.659 you to stand right here in front. If you prayed 00:40:38.659 --> 00:40:41.139 that prayer and meant business about it, I want 00:40:41.139 --> 00:40:42.719 you to get up out of your seat and come down 00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:45.199 here and stand with me, Pastor. God bless you, 00:40:45.260 --> 00:40:47.780 son. Thank you. Thank you for having the courage 00:40:47.780 --> 00:40:50.539 to take a stand. Did someone else? You prayed 00:40:50.539 --> 00:40:52.340 that prayer with me? You meant business about 00:40:52.340 --> 00:40:54.860 it? Jesus is going to change your life forever. 00:40:55.679 --> 00:41:00.139 God bless you, sir. Anybody else? Follow the 00:41:00.139 --> 00:41:02.699 way, just a moment. You've got business. When 00:41:02.699 --> 00:41:05.599 you prayed that prayer, he forgave your sin and 00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:08.480 he's going to take you to heaven. Did you pray 00:41:08.480 --> 00:41:12.179 with me? Just get up and come. It's that simple. 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:16.500 It's that simple. I want everybody to look up 00:41:16.500 --> 00:41:18.219 here for just a moment. I've got one more thing 00:41:18.219 --> 00:41:22.539 I want to do. Say amen. No, you can do better. 00:41:22.659 --> 00:41:27.300 Say amen. Amen. These two men have given their 00:41:27.300 --> 00:41:29.699 life to Christ. We're thrilled about that. Now 00:41:29.699 --> 00:41:31.920 I want you to listen. Remember when I started 00:41:31.920 --> 00:41:33.960 the message, I told you to think about somebody 00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:36.820 that you know that doesn't know Jesus as their 00:41:36.820 --> 00:41:40.320 Savior? Just one person. And that could be a 00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:43.039 family member, a friend, a co -worker, somebody 00:41:43.039 --> 00:41:45.679 you go to school with. Everybody knows somebody 00:41:45.679 --> 00:41:48.340 that needs to get saved. I want to ask you to 00:41:48.340 --> 00:41:50.519 make a commitment now. Remember, I told you I 00:41:50.519 --> 00:41:52.519 was going to ask for that. I'm going to ask you 00:41:52.519 --> 00:41:55.000 to make a commitment. If you're willing to do 00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:58.480 your best, whatever your best is, I can't define 00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:00.960 that for you, but you know what your best is. 00:42:01.380 --> 00:42:04.280 To do your best to try to pray for that person 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:07.579 every day and try to win them to Jesus in the 00:42:07.579 --> 00:42:12.539 next 30 days. I want you to stand up. If you're 00:42:12.539 --> 00:42:14.119 willing to make that commitment, just stand up. 00:42:14.179 --> 00:42:19.659 God bless you. God bless you. All of us know 00:42:19.659 --> 00:42:22.679 somebody. Do you care about them enough to try 00:42:22.679 --> 00:42:25.239 to win them with Jesus? If you do, just stand 00:42:25.239 --> 00:42:29.179 up for just a moment. God bless you. God bless 00:42:29.179 --> 00:42:33.340 you, man. Thank you. God bless you. God needs 00:42:33.340 --> 00:42:36.360 a commitment, doesn't he? But it's a commitment 00:42:36.360 --> 00:42:40.539 that can change the world if we are serious about 00:42:40.539 --> 00:42:45.019 it. Anybody else? I'm going to pray with you 00:42:45.019 --> 00:42:47.380 and then I'm going to pass it. Father God, I 00:42:47.380 --> 00:42:50.159 thank you for your love. I thank you for these 00:42:50.159 --> 00:42:52.239 two men who've come to make decisions for you. 00:42:52.820 --> 00:42:55.139 I pray, God, that you would bless them as they 00:42:55.139 --> 00:42:58.079 begin their walk with Jesus. And I pray for these 00:42:58.079 --> 00:42:59.920 who've made a commitment to try to win someone 00:42:59.920 --> 00:43:03.480 to Christ. God, it seems so simple to make the 00:43:03.480 --> 00:43:06.380 commitment, but it's a commitment that can be 00:43:06.380 --> 00:43:11.159 used to change Toledo for eternity. A commitment 00:43:11.159 --> 00:43:13.159 that can be used to change this neighborhood 00:43:13.159 --> 00:43:16.489 for eternity. if they're serious about keeping 00:43:16.489 --> 00:43:19.809 the commitment. One person turns into two, two 00:43:19.809 --> 00:43:21.670 turns into four, pretty soon it's a lifestyle 00:43:21.670 --> 00:43:24.449 that you're sharing the gospel everywhere you 00:43:24.449 --> 00:43:29.329 go. God, use them in their efforts to honor and 00:43:29.329 --> 00:43:32.070 glorify you and to be followers of Christ each 00:43:32.070 --> 00:43:36.269 day. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.