WEBVTT 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:05.780 Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.560 Seminar Podcast. This is a special series from 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:10.900 our Prescott Conference that just recently occurred. 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.599 The theme of the conference was Into the Unknown 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:17.100 and the scripture for the theme was Romans 15, 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:21.120 20 -21. I have made it my aim to preach the gospel 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:26.320 to whom he was not announced. So this is a powerful 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.809 series of... sermons from leaders in our fellowship 00:00:29.809 --> 00:00:32.429 to include Greg Mitchell, Joe Campbell, Richard 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:36.369 Ruby, Sergey Golubev, and others along with that. 00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:39.710 So please enjoy and listen along to these powerful 00:00:39.710 --> 00:00:44.270 sermons from leaders in our fellowship. Wonderful 00:00:44.270 --> 00:00:50.130 to be here in a Bible conference. Listen, if 00:00:50.130 --> 00:00:55.390 you venture for God, life's a wild ride. I just 00:00:55.390 --> 00:00:57.750 throw that out there. You're bored. It's because, 00:00:57.969 --> 00:01:05.090 well, you finished the story. Genesis chapter 00:01:05.090 --> 00:01:12.269 12 this evening. The world has been changed by 00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:18.129 those who would dare to adventure into the unknown. 00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:25.549 Christopher Columbus. He sailed west from Spain 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:35.829 into the vast unknown, into a world that was 00:01:35.829 --> 00:01:42.650 massive, larger than anyone imagined or believed. 00:01:44.329 --> 00:01:50.469 He's searching for a shortcut to Asia and ran 00:01:50.469 --> 00:01:55.400 into south. and North America, two massive continents. 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:06.439 He adventured. It opened a new world. When you 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:11.639 will dare to travel into the unknown, you not 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:16.740 only discover what you never knew existed, but 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:21.280 you open new worlds for others to follow you. 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:32.759 Experience and joy. Pastor Mitchell, many, many 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:40.000 decades ago, he forged into discipleship church 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.120 planting and world evangelism out of the local 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:49.360 church. That was totally unheard of and foreign 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:54.360 to the church world. Then, and even by and large 00:02:54.360 --> 00:03:02.879 today, Bible school was their answer. But because 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:09.960 he made that decision and forged into that revelation, 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:17.000 look where we are today. Look at the impact upon 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:22.740 nations. This is just a small... demonstration, 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:27.199 this Bible conference, of the impact that decision 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:33.039 made. The nations that have been blessed, the 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:38.479 cities, the multitudes of people that have been 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:44.960 saved and transformed, delivered. People around 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:56.960 the world. of that some 4 ,000 churches because 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:03.340 he dared to adventure into the unknown. Ask you 00:04:03.340 --> 00:04:09.340 a question tonight. Can you be called to the 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:16.759 unknown? Again tonight, Hebrews 12 verse 1. Now 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:21.240 the Lord had said to Abraham, Get out of your 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:27.040 country, from your family, from your father's 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:33.600 house, to a land that I will show you. God, we 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:38.199 come tonight by the Holy Ghost, power of your 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:40.920 Spirit, your Word. God, only you know all that's 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:45.920 sitting here. The potential, the possibilities. 00:04:47.900 --> 00:04:50.579 The chapters that have not yet been written. 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:54.399 God, I'm asking you tonight. I'm asking you to 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:58.120 dig deep into the heart of this people. Shake 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:05.120 us, God, outside of ourself. Stir us, God, to 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:10.759 the unknown of kingdom living. I'm asking tonight, 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.579 Lord, you bind up those whose hearts have been 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:17.899 broken and they've come to this place. Open prison 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:21.120 doors to those who find themselves bound and 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:25.500 incarcerated. Set at liberty those that life 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:30.100 has bruised. God, move tonight in these people 00:05:30.100 --> 00:05:35.259 for the glory of your name. We thank you. Amen. 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:37.699 I want you to think with me about Into the Unknown. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:48.469 What are we talking about? What's involved? You 00:05:48.469 --> 00:05:54.430 have no past personal experience here. It's the 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:59.750 unfamiliar. It's a place filled with unanswered 00:05:59.750 --> 00:06:04.410 questions and uncertainty. The unknown can be 00:06:04.410 --> 00:06:10.629 very intimidating. It's highly demanding. The 00:06:10.629 --> 00:06:14.949 unknown is challenging. It can push your anxiety 00:06:14.949 --> 00:06:21.970 buttons. The unknown exposes fears and insecurities. 00:06:24.470 --> 00:06:28.410 Many times there's no map, there's no personal 00:06:28.410 --> 00:06:36.209 map into this arena of life. There's these emotions 00:06:36.209 --> 00:06:40.290 that are attached to it. There's a mental and 00:06:40.290 --> 00:06:44.769 a spiritual intensity once you choose to walk 00:06:44.769 --> 00:06:52.279 into this arena. What's out there? What's waiting 00:06:52.279 --> 00:06:57.259 for me? What am I going to have to overcome? 00:06:58.860 --> 00:07:02.279 What am I going to have to deal with that I've 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:07.180 never dealt with before? The unknown can be threatening. 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:12.199 It can look impossible. It can be filled with 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:15.639 shadows and darkness and sometimes look endless. 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:20.000 But the truth is no one escapes the unknown. 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:28.060 A child taking their first steps. A kid learning 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:34.779 to ride a bicycle. I learned to swim. My older 00:07:34.779 --> 00:07:39.420 brothers, my cousins picked me up. Sugar Creek 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:47.879 bodily threw me in. And I have to admit, It was 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:51.740 terrifying, but it was thrilling. I learned to 00:07:51.740 --> 00:08:00.199 swim. The unknown. Later, I was baptized in almost 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:04.319 that same spot. You heard me tell the story. 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:07.199 In the eighth grade, my family, we moved from 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:10.920 a hillbilly country town, Creel Springs, a few 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:15.500 hundred people to East Chicago, Indiana. I'm 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:20.399 now in a high school of some 2 ,000 people. The 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:25.240 culture is different. The accent, the language 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:30.220 is different. How they dress is different. Mannerisms. 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:34.960 I stepped in. I might as well stepped into the 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:42.960 moon. It was the unknown. The unknown is unexcapable. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:48.360 No one escapes a mother with her first child. 00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:54.179 You decide to get married even as a new convert. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:09:01.299 We heard last night the Apostle Paul. Damascus 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:07.919 Road, this experience thrust him blinded into 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:12.700 a world really that he had no comprehension about. 00:09:13.710 --> 00:09:16.769 The Bible is filled with accounts of the unknown. 00:09:18.309 --> 00:09:23.230 Matthew 14, Peter, he has a history with the 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:27.129 Sea of Galilee. They're out in the very middle 00:09:27.129 --> 00:09:31.409 in a boat. Jesus had made them get in the boat 00:09:31.409 --> 00:09:33.850 and said, I want you to go to the other side. 00:09:33.950 --> 00:09:38.649 They're in the perfect will of God. A storm has 00:09:38.649 --> 00:09:42.879 caught them. The Bible said they're extremely, 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:45.840 they're putting everything into rowing. It's 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:50.480 dark. No doubt Peter's been in storms before 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:55.379 at sea. And he understands completely the boat 00:09:55.379 --> 00:09:59.820 is the only place of safety. If I'm going to 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:03.639 survive this, it depends on my ability to navigate 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:09.460 and stay in the boat. If I'm going to make it 00:10:09.460 --> 00:10:15.820 to the other side, my future depends on staying 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:20.279 in the boat. Jesus comes walking on the water. 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:25.960 The disciples are terrified, cry out in fear. 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:33.669 Jesus said, be not afraid. It's I. And Peter 00:10:33.669 --> 00:10:36.330 makes this statement, Lord, if that's you, bid 00:10:36.330 --> 00:10:46.009 me come. And Jesus said, come. Can he say come 00:10:46.009 --> 00:10:51.409 to you tonight? Peter's never walked on water. 00:10:53.110 --> 00:10:58.730 He's never seen anyone walk on water. Probably 00:10:58.730 --> 00:11:04.080 never heard of anyone walking on water. Totally 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:11.279 unknown. And he hears that simple one word, come. 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:19.279 Can he say that to you tonight? Pastor, couple, 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:24.000 young man, young lady, grandparent. Can he say 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:35.480 that to you this evening? Come. Come. Place you've 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:38.840 never been before. You've never even thought 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:44.600 about perhaps before. My mind, Peter, had never 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:48.700 prayed about walking on water. It's unnatural. 00:11:50.779 --> 00:11:54.360 It's never probably entered his mind to walk 00:11:54.360 --> 00:12:01.220 on water. And yet at that one word, he gets out 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:09.230 of the boat. But the question is, will you? Tonight, 00:12:09.370 --> 00:12:17.809 this week, can he call you and say, come to a 00:12:17.809 --> 00:12:22.070 place you've never lived in? A nation perhaps 00:12:22.070 --> 00:12:30.330 you've never seen. An unknown people. A city. 00:12:31.049 --> 00:12:40.500 A ministry. In the church, you never planned 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:48.600 for it. You never expected it. You've heard me 00:12:48.600 --> 00:13:02.700 tell the story. 1960, 1986 rather, God spoke 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:10.299 to me. About Malaysia. I got a great church. 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:15.279 I'm living a dream. Church at that time. Some 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:20.299 300 people. Mostly all young people. Military. 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:25.259 Hispanic by and large. Disciples everywhere. 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:33.460 And God. One morning. You've heard me tell the 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:39.159 story. It's still so. So potent. There on Washington 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:41.539 Street, a little tiny office, and I felt like 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:45.059 someone was out in the church. So I went out, 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:50.779 and I'll never forget, I felt God. And I went 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:52.919 over to the altar, and I fell down at the altar 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:57.799 and began to pray. And the presence of God, He 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:06.049 said, I'm going to put you in Malaysia. Can he 00:14:06.049 --> 00:14:12.690 say that to you this week? Talk to Pastor Mitchell. 00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:20.590 He launched Connie and I into Malaysia in 1987. 00:14:22.830 --> 00:14:27.870 Peter got out of the boat and he walked on water. 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:38.639 You'll never know what's there until you get 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:46.360 out of the boat. But the question rests in your 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:57.779 heart tonight. Come. Get out of the boat. When 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:00.559 you step into the unknown, let me ask you, does 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:07.679 it qualify you for the future? Peter got out 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:09.720 of the boat, but I wonder later when you fast 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:13.840 forward in his life, and God wants to pour out 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:18.759 his spirit on the Gentiles. He's already dealing 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:24.419 with Cornelius. And I wonder, God says, listen, 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:28.940 this man got out of the boat. He stepped into 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:34.659 the unknown in the natural. I can trust him to 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:39.539 step into the unknown in the spiritual. Peter's 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:44.460 probably, perhaps he's never eaten with a Gentile. 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.759 Maybe never had a conversation with a Gentile. 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:54.980 He doesn't say that he's even praying about going 00:15:54.980 --> 00:16:01.620 to the, he's not burdened for the Gentiles. And 00:16:01.620 --> 00:16:06.059 yet God, the whole praying on the housetop, the 00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:12.360 sheet. My point is, when you step into the unknown 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:16.620 today, it's not just about today. It's about 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:24.080 can God trust you with tomorrow? This great revival 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:27.909 that... Peter later testifies about. He's speaking. 00:16:28.009 --> 00:16:31.769 The Holy Ghost falls. They're all saved, filled 00:16:31.769 --> 00:16:34.809 with the Holy Ghost, and revival broke out in 00:16:34.809 --> 00:16:42.789 the Gentiles. When he stepped out of the boat 00:16:42.789 --> 00:16:51.470 into the unknown, did it qualify him for future 00:16:51.470 --> 00:16:55.139 revival? Pastor Warner. He and Mona went to Tucson 00:16:55.139 --> 00:17:02.919 in a wheelchair. I don't know anyone that's done 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:14.640 that. Talk about unknown. But again, was that 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:19.319 part of the process that made him the man of 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:25.549 God he is today? Did that position him and develop 00:17:25.549 --> 00:17:29.329 him and qualify him for that great church today? 00:17:31.250 --> 00:17:33.789 Pastor Richard Ruby told me one time, he said, 00:17:33.890 --> 00:17:37.230 how could we complain? Pastor Warner's out there 00:17:37.230 --> 00:17:41.970 in his chair on the streets praying, never misses 00:17:41.970 --> 00:17:49.569 church. Can he speak to you tonight, this week? 00:17:51.129 --> 00:17:55.809 Abraham's hallmark chapters of his life were 00:17:55.809 --> 00:17:59.849 marked by the unknown. Think of this, the father 00:17:59.849 --> 00:18:04.069 of our faith, the one whose faith we must follow. 00:18:05.210 --> 00:18:09.089 He has these memorable moments that are recorded. 00:18:10.529 --> 00:18:13.670 But much and many of them happened in the unknown. 00:18:14.309 --> 00:18:17.069 It's where his story begins. We heard Pastor 00:18:17.069 --> 00:18:21.069 Greg last night. Doesn't say he was praying about 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:26.869 it. Doesn't record that Abraham was this great 00:18:26.869 --> 00:18:30.390 spiritual individual. It's like the Lord slammed 00:18:30.390 --> 00:18:35.369 unknown right into his face. No real warning. 00:18:36.390 --> 00:18:42.049 No real discussion. No conversations. Get out 00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:45.109 of your country and from your family and from 00:18:45.109 --> 00:18:49.259 your father's house. To land I will show you. 00:18:50.599 --> 00:19:00.619 Going where? To do what? Can God do that to you 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:08.599 this evening? I'll show you. God has revelation. 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:15.819 He has insight and ministry that's reserved only. 00:19:17.829 --> 00:19:21.910 For those who will venture into the unknown. 00:19:22.130 --> 00:19:27.470 Listen, destiny lives in the unknown. Think about 00:19:27.470 --> 00:19:30.809 Abraham, all of his future conversations with 00:19:30.809 --> 00:19:35.990 God. The experiences he's going to personally 00:19:35.990 --> 00:19:43.690 have with God. The miracle son Isaac. The land 00:19:43.690 --> 00:19:49.059 geographic that Israel claims today. A nation, 00:19:49.299 --> 00:19:56.440 the Jewish nation, the Jewish people, Jesus Christ, 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.880 the Son of God. Your Bible was written totally 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:07.559 by Jewish people. The church, all of that was 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:13.960 waiting behind the door of the unknown. What's 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:22.369 waiting for you? What's waiting for you, but 00:20:22.369 --> 00:20:28.670 it's hidden and reserved behind this door called 00:20:28.670 --> 00:20:35.730 the unknown. The only way you're going to experience 00:20:35.730 --> 00:20:39.009 it, the only way you're going to discover it, 00:20:39.049 --> 00:20:42.809 the only way you're going to live it is you have 00:20:42.809 --> 00:20:47.170 to walk through that door. As Pastor Greg mentioned, 00:20:47.190 --> 00:20:57.170 by faith. Get out. Go. Discover new places. If 00:20:57.170 --> 00:20:59.369 it's ever beat in your heart, there has to be 00:20:59.369 --> 00:21:06.069 more. Are you desperate for a place you've never 00:21:06.069 --> 00:21:16.630 been before? Is that still burning you? An experience 00:21:16.630 --> 00:21:24.990 I've never had before. Connie and I, it's like, 00:21:25.009 --> 00:21:27.849 and I've talked to other guys going to the mission. 00:21:27.910 --> 00:21:31.950 It's like our life, these last 50 years, it's 00:21:31.950 --> 00:21:36.210 like before Malaysia and after Malaysia. It's 00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:45.170 like BC and AD. It was a moment, and I, so many. 00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:49.950 Have you become content to live in the valley 00:21:49.950 --> 00:21:55.890 of the common? The comfortable, the familiar, 00:21:55.950 --> 00:22:01.210 like the children of Israel. They came up to 00:22:01.210 --> 00:22:09.809 Jericho, Jordan, a land, an inheritance. But 00:22:09.809 --> 00:22:16.910 here's this unknown factor. You know the story. 00:22:17.089 --> 00:22:21.140 They turned away. And wandered in the wilderness 00:22:21.140 --> 00:22:35.920 for 40 years complaining. Fear. Giants, walled 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:38.579 cities. We'd be like grasshoppers. All of those 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:44.559 words. And they refused to cross over Jordan 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:48.009 into the unknown. What's your Jericho tonight, 00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:56.730 sir, ma 'am? What's your Jordan? And so for 40 00:22:56.730 --> 00:23:04.970 years, Joshua later, when he took the reins from 00:23:04.970 --> 00:23:08.230 Moses, he said, we have not passed this way before. 00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:18.220 What's your Jericho? Are you bored with your 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:20.400 walk with God? Listen, listen, if you'll jump 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.619 into the unknown, I guarantee you, you won't 00:23:22.619 --> 00:23:29.339 be bored. You don't have time to complain. But 00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:33.779 too many lose that hunger, I fear, that passion, 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:41.819 that heart for what's waiting out there. Does 00:23:41.819 --> 00:23:47.549 your heart still burn? For what you've not yet 00:23:47.549 --> 00:23:53.829 seen. Pastor Mitchell that statement. Willing 00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:58.950 to go but planning to stay. If you're not careful 00:23:58.950 --> 00:24:05.289 age. Time will rob you of that hunger for the 00:24:05.289 --> 00:24:13.390 unknown. It's like the rich young ruler. He comes 00:24:13.390 --> 00:24:18.410 running to Jesus. He's excited. He has all the 00:24:18.410 --> 00:24:24.089 right words. What must I do to inherit eternal 00:24:24.089 --> 00:24:27.009 life? And he rolls out the commandments. And 00:24:27.009 --> 00:24:29.529 this man said, these I've kept from my youth 00:24:29.529 --> 00:24:32.970 up. Think of what he's saying. And Jesus doesn't 00:24:32.970 --> 00:24:35.009 rebuke him there and say, quit lying. What's 00:24:35.009 --> 00:24:40.769 wrong with you? But Jesus challenged him into 00:24:40.769 --> 00:24:46.910 the unknown. The Bible said he loved him. Go 00:24:46.910 --> 00:24:51.029 your way. Sell what you have. Give to the poor. 00:24:51.390 --> 00:24:57.750 Take up your cross and follow me. And he went 00:24:57.750 --> 00:25:06.430 away sorrowful. Went away no doubt with regret. 00:25:10.410 --> 00:25:12.809 I remember one time I was flying and it seemed 00:25:12.809 --> 00:25:17.180 like it was over. It was in Asia. And they had 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:20.799 upgraded me. And so I'm in business class, and 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:23.400 I'm sitting by this man, and he's asking me, 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:24.880 what are you doing? I think I was on my way. 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:27.380 Seemed like it might have been even to Malaysia. 00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:31.579 And I said, well, I'm pastoring. I'm a missionary 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:34.960 in Malaysia. I'm going to go there, the church, 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:37.140 and I'm preaching and this and that. And it was 00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:40.599 so interesting, this man. He's probably maybe 00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:44.759 in his 50s. And he looked at me, he said, you 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:48.440 know, when I was in the university, he said, 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:51.940 there was a time I had a real, I felt like God 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:56.079 really dealt with me, that I would like to do 00:25:56.079 --> 00:26:00.900 what you're doing. And it was one of those intense 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:05.140 moments with a stranger. And he said, but my 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:13.589 father, he has this business. And he had this 00:26:13.589 --> 00:26:16.410 conversation with me, son, I built this business 00:26:16.410 --> 00:26:19.890 for you. And I remember saying, dad, you know, 00:26:19.910 --> 00:26:23.430 I kind of feel like maybe I'd like to be a pastor 00:26:23.430 --> 00:26:28.650 or preach or something. And he said, my dad pressed 00:26:28.650 --> 00:26:34.029 me. And I said, I didn't want to disappoint him. 00:26:36.109 --> 00:26:40.390 I said, okay, okay, dad. And my dad groomed me 00:26:40.390 --> 00:26:44.009 and now I... I, by and large, have control of 00:26:44.009 --> 00:26:48.150 the business. But he said there's times, like 00:26:48.150 --> 00:26:51.250 he said, I'm feeling it right now. There's times 00:26:51.250 --> 00:26:55.349 when I'm in a country, and it's evidently this 00:26:55.349 --> 00:26:58.150 business. He went numerous times. He said, and 00:26:58.150 --> 00:27:01.390 I'll be in a hotel room in the middle of the 00:27:01.390 --> 00:27:05.630 night. And I'll think, I wonder what my life 00:27:05.630 --> 00:27:11.690 would have been like. He's married. if my memory 00:27:11.690 --> 00:27:13.549 is correct, had a couple of children, seemed 00:27:13.549 --> 00:27:18.150 like they were girls. He said, I wonder what 00:27:18.150 --> 00:27:21.349 my family would be like. And we didn't get into 00:27:21.349 --> 00:27:27.589 detail if I'd have went for God. And you could 00:27:27.589 --> 00:27:34.369 feel it, the intensity. Can I say, don't let 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:38.029 that be you. Don't one day look back on your 00:27:38.029 --> 00:27:43.400 life. I wonder about this man. I wonder, it doesn't 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:48.720 give any record, but I wonder later what he thought 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:53.859 when he saw his life. And he remembers this conversation. 00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:00.099 Take up your cross and follow me. I'll take you 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:03.140 to places you never knew existed. Who knows, 00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:05.660 some scholars feel he might have been one of 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:17.480 the top disciples. Vision is a window into the 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:25.220 unknown. That's what vision is. Vision sees through 00:28:25.220 --> 00:28:29.960 a window into the unknown. Pastor Mitchell had 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:33.119 a vision. We've all preached it for years. Discipleship, 00:28:33.259 --> 00:28:36.619 conversions, discipleship, church planting, world 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:46.119 evangelism. He saw what others did not see. That 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:50.920 vision literally put a spotlight into the unknown. 00:28:54.519 --> 00:29:01.339 Do you really have a vision? Or is it just rhetoric? 00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:11.720 Is it just words? The unknown. And the Bible 00:29:11.720 --> 00:29:14.849 again is filled. Think about Joseph. He's his 00:29:14.849 --> 00:29:18.890 father's favorite. He's known nothing but favor 00:29:18.890 --> 00:29:23.269 and blessing and love and acceptance and the 00:29:23.269 --> 00:29:30.750 coat of many colors. And in a flash, he's a slave. 00:29:31.970 --> 00:29:40.819 In chains, Psalm says, into Egypt. A place he's 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:43.200 never been. He never expected to go. Probably 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:45.799 never wanted to go. Never thought about going. 00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:50.140 And you know the story, Potiphar's wife, prison, 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:55.420 all of this. Later he interprets the dreams. 00:29:56.839 --> 00:30:01.980 Has this, he's prime minister. Saves a race of 00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:07.960 people in a famine. But he makes these incredible 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:12.000 statement. Later, his brothers come before him. 00:30:12.019 --> 00:30:15.099 Some say around 20 years has passed. They don't 00:30:15.099 --> 00:30:18.319 recognize him. He's in authority now. They're 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:20.500 in a famine. They came. They're asking. There's 00:30:20.500 --> 00:30:24.099 grain in Egypt. And when he reveals himself, 00:30:24.339 --> 00:30:26.359 they're terrified. But he makes these incredible 00:30:26.359 --> 00:30:32.200 statement. You meant evil against me, but God 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:36.839 meant it for good that I might save many people 00:30:36.839 --> 00:30:42.849 alive. In other words, you thrust me into the 00:30:42.849 --> 00:30:47.990 unknown. You had evil intention, but God used 00:30:47.990 --> 00:30:53.309 that unknown to develop me. Can you imagine? 00:30:55.170 --> 00:30:59.190 He's this teenager. Can you imagine if he had 00:30:59.190 --> 00:31:03.029 went from there to prime minister? I mean, he's 00:31:03.029 --> 00:31:05.970 full of ego and pride. All your sheaves are going 00:31:05.970 --> 00:31:09.880 to bow down to me. Can you imagine some? Young 00:31:09.880 --> 00:31:11.660 disciple getting up here. Yeah, all you folks, 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:14.039 you're going to bow down to me. I mean, he was, 00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:21.640 but my point is the unknown was painful, but 00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:31.440 so needed, so prepared, positioned you. See, 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:36.700 the test of the unknown. Somewhere God will test 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:42.279 you to prove you in the unknown. Bible says about 00:31:42.279 --> 00:31:47.960 Abraham in Genesis 22, God tested him. Then God 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.880 said, take now your son, your only son Isaac, 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:55.299 whom you love, to the land of Moriah. Offer him 00:31:55.299 --> 00:32:01.680 there as a burnt sacrifice. It seems so outrageous. 00:32:04.490 --> 00:32:10.150 I mean, so unreasonable, shocking, irrational. 00:32:11.670 --> 00:32:19.769 It makes no sense, God. This is Isaac. This is 00:32:19.769 --> 00:32:24.049 the miracle boy. This is the key and the seed 00:32:24.049 --> 00:32:28.410 to the promise. You're going to multiply me as 00:32:28.410 --> 00:32:32.390 the sand to the seashore. God, this is insane. 00:32:36.540 --> 00:32:41.839 Sometimes that's the nature of the unknown. Your 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:46.140 family won't understand you. Your friends think 00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:52.380 you're crazy. I remember we went to Malaysia. 00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:55.960 My dad, he'd gotten saved, got saved when Gail 00:32:55.960 --> 00:33:01.180 died. And it was hilarious. He didn't have a 00:33:01.180 --> 00:33:03.359 clue. I mean, you know, he's saved, but he... 00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:09.140 And he gets spiritual on me. Son, aren't there 00:33:09.140 --> 00:33:13.039 any sinners in America? I mean, they're everywhere, 00:33:13.180 --> 00:33:19.359 you know. Taking my granddaughter, J -Rel, Malaysia. 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:25.920 And that's over there by Vietnam, isn't it? Different 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:32.099 times your family, they want to understand. I'll 00:33:32.099 --> 00:33:35.700 never forget when God. dealt with me and I went 00:33:35.700 --> 00:33:40.799 full time in the ministry on faith and $25 a 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:45.259 week. My dad, he was, I mean, he was glad I was 00:33:45.259 --> 00:33:47.319 saved, but he was livid. Son, you got a good 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:52.180 job with the telephone industry. What are you 00:33:52.180 --> 00:33:57.779 thinking? Can I just inject this? Listen, we're 00:33:57.779 --> 00:34:02.690 so blessed. I was in the assemblies of God. They 00:34:02.690 --> 00:34:05.130 didn't help you go anywhere or do anything financially. 00:34:06.509 --> 00:34:08.909 I remember when Pastor Mitchell launched Connie 00:34:08.909 --> 00:34:12.409 and I and my family to Phoenix. We're selling 00:34:12.409 --> 00:34:17.769 everything. We had a yard sale going 24 -7. We're 00:34:17.769 --> 00:34:20.050 trying to get enough money together to get to 00:34:20.050 --> 00:34:23.050 Phoenix. And I got this check from Prescott. 00:34:23.309 --> 00:34:26.809 I said, honey, look at this. Wow, baby. You get 00:34:26.809 --> 00:34:30.610 to keep the silverware. Glory to God. We died 00:34:30.610 --> 00:34:35.550 and went to heaven. That's unheard of in the 00:34:35.550 --> 00:34:47.789 religious world. The unknown. The unknown. God 00:34:47.789 --> 00:34:52.150 will test you with it. But that's where revelation 00:34:52.150 --> 00:34:56.690 lives. Oh, it exposes who you really are. You 00:34:56.690 --> 00:35:01.159 can talk a good game. You can parade your personality, 00:35:01.179 --> 00:35:07.860 your talent, your gifting, your intellect, but 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:14.039 the unknown strips you down to reality. Now it's 00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:21.000 you and God and a call. What do you do right 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:25.159 there? Do you excuse yourself? Build your case? 00:35:28.590 --> 00:35:30.909 You can do that. You'll always believe the story 00:35:30.909 --> 00:35:37.090 you tell yourself. Listen what God says to Abraham 00:35:37.090 --> 00:35:43.090 though. After he offers Isaac, you know the revelation 00:35:43.090 --> 00:35:47.510 Jehovah Jireh, the Lord himself will provide 00:35:47.510 --> 00:35:50.769 a sacrifice. But God says these incredible words. 00:35:51.530 --> 00:35:57.239 I know that you fear God. Since you've not withheld 00:35:57.239 --> 00:36:01.820 your son, your only son from me. I know you now, 00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:06.219 Abraham. What does God know about you? What does 00:36:06.219 --> 00:36:19.159 he say about you? The unknown. Think about Job. 00:36:19.239 --> 00:36:21.840 I mean, the scriptures feel with it. God is Satan 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:24.920 has come before God. He's making these. And God 00:36:24.920 --> 00:36:30.199 said, have you observed my servant Job? There's 00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:37.760 none like him in all the earth. He's an upright 00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:43.659 man. He fears God and shuns evil. What's God 00:36:43.659 --> 00:36:47.710 recording about us? About the life you're living. 00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:55.070 I close with a thought. Revelation hides in the 00:36:55.070 --> 00:37:00.050 unknown. See, the unknown is where it becomes 00:37:00.050 --> 00:37:05.489 your story. And this is a game changer. Now, 00:37:05.590 --> 00:37:11.769 Abraham may have known that God was a provider. 00:37:13.389 --> 00:37:16.670 But once he stepped into the unknown with this 00:37:16.670 --> 00:37:24.289 sacrifice, now it's his story. Jehovah Jireh, 00:37:24.309 --> 00:37:28.550 the Lord himself will provide. When you step 00:37:28.550 --> 00:37:30.889 into the unknown, now it's not just scripture. 00:37:32.369 --> 00:37:38.010 It's not just a text that is true. It's not just 00:37:38.010 --> 00:37:45.650 a Bible story, but now it's your story. I came 00:37:45.650 --> 00:37:50.889 back from Malaysia, 1990. Pastor Mitchell had 00:37:50.889 --> 00:37:53.250 me preach here in conference, and people came 00:37:53.250 --> 00:37:57.489 to me. I didn't recognize it. They said, Pastor, 00:37:57.590 --> 00:38:01.789 you're different. When you speak, it's different. 00:38:05.050 --> 00:38:07.929 There's a difference, and they'd use these words, 00:38:08.010 --> 00:38:13.730 dimension, and I didn't feel anything was different. 00:38:16.909 --> 00:38:18.730 But they said there's something different in 00:38:18.730 --> 00:38:27.530 your words when you speak. That happens in the 00:38:27.530 --> 00:38:35.389 unknown. You've heard me tell these stories. 00:38:35.449 --> 00:38:43.210 I feel embarrassed sometimes. When I take offerings 00:38:43.210 --> 00:38:47.739 and preach on money, it's not just... It's my 00:38:47.739 --> 00:38:58.519 story. God took care of me by faith. $25 a week 00:38:58.519 --> 00:39:06.539 in faith. Went off support and pioneering the 00:39:06.539 --> 00:39:09.119 church in seven months and another time in four 00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:17.150 months. Why? How did that happen? I love this 00:39:17.150 --> 00:39:20.269 one. I'm sitting in a restaurant one morning, 00:39:20.349 --> 00:39:24.110 Marion, Illinois, pioneering, and I feel this 00:39:24.110 --> 00:39:26.769 family looking at me, a couple teenagers and 00:39:26.769 --> 00:39:28.750 mom and dad, and you know, and I'm saying, God, 00:39:28.789 --> 00:39:32.550 I want no problems. I've been preaching at the 00:39:32.550 --> 00:39:35.329 high school. Things are stirred up. I said, I 00:39:35.329 --> 00:39:37.530 just want to drink this coffee, go home. Connie 00:39:37.530 --> 00:39:42.550 loves me. Sure enough, he gets up and comes toward 00:39:42.550 --> 00:39:45.840 me. And he's walking toward me and I can feel, 00:39:45.900 --> 00:39:48.900 I said, God, no, no, no. He said, sir. I said, 00:39:48.940 --> 00:39:52.239 yes. He said, my wife and my two sons, we're 00:39:52.239 --> 00:39:55.219 on our way to New Orleans. We're on vacation. 00:39:55.460 --> 00:39:57.340 We're Christians. And God spoke to me to give 00:39:57.340 --> 00:39:58.940 you this. He reached in his pocket, pulled out 00:39:58.940 --> 00:40:03.699 a watermelon, put it on the table. God whispered 00:40:03.699 --> 00:40:08.440 to me, I can do that anytime I want to. I said, 00:40:08.460 --> 00:40:15.340 you can. Me and you, God. Me and you. But you 00:40:15.340 --> 00:40:18.719 see, now it's not just Jesus saying give and 00:40:18.719 --> 00:40:20.679 it shall be given back to you. Good measure. 00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:23.699 Press down. Shake together. I'll cause men to 00:40:23.699 --> 00:40:26.239 give to you. It's not just quoting a scripture. 00:40:28.280 --> 00:40:35.099 It's living an experience. Now it's your story. 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:44.400 And that happens. That happens. When you traffic 00:40:44.400 --> 00:40:49.579 in the unknown, when you step into these arenas 00:40:49.579 --> 00:40:59.400 where it's you and God and faith, hope, vision, 00:40:59.460 --> 00:41:09.739 burden, agony. Listen to me, pastor. Listen to 00:41:09.739 --> 00:41:11.920 me, preacher. Listen to me, man and woman of 00:41:11.920 --> 00:41:19.059 God. This is where you go to another level. This 00:41:19.059 --> 00:41:23.619 is where now it's not just theology. It's a life 00:41:23.619 --> 00:41:34.480 lived. Can he say to you tonight, come. Come. 00:41:36.039 --> 00:41:40.940 Come. Ask you to bow your head with me this evening. 00:41:47.659 --> 00:41:54.039 You're here tonight. You're unsaved. You know, 00:41:54.079 --> 00:41:58.199 sin. I was 29 years old when I got saved. Sin 00:41:58.199 --> 00:42:05.159 was eating me alive. I was angry. I was violent. 00:42:05.199 --> 00:42:15.880 I was addicted. PHSAA Potter's House Salmon Arm 00:42:15.880 --> 00:42:18.280 podcast. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at 00:42:18.280 --> 00:42:20.840 pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up 00:42:20.840 --> 00:42:23.019 to date on what we are doing. Join the conversation 00:42:23.019 --> 00:42:26.079 and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize 00:42:26.079 --> 00:42:26.679 your life.