1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,400 I can't remember. Second grade, third grade. If you don't want your kids in here, go ahead 2 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:20,240 and send them out. This morning we have a special guest with us and if you ever met 3 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:28,400 somebody and you're like, okay, we click. We click. Like I get you. And so yesterday 4 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,920 I got to meet David and have dinner with him. David is the founder of TTI. Now TTI is one 5 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:40,160 of those, is one of the missionary organizations that we support here at this church. Several 6 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:48,720 of y'all are supporters of them as well. And it's just so great, good for my heart to visit 7 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:53,480 with him and I know he will be blessed by David. So I'm going to invite him up here. 8 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:59,720 David was a pastor for several years, pastor churches in Des Moines, of all places, Des 9 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:07,200 Moines. Florida, where, there's one more. Maryland, that's right, Maryland. Founded 10 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,280 TTI, which he's going to talk to us about and what God is doing all over the world. 11 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:19,680 And so please welcome David Nelis. Thank you, Pastor. So good to be back with 12 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:26,040 you guys. It's been good night several years and a lot of changes since I was here. Last 13 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:33,040 I have turned 70. Okay. I think I may be the oldest person in this room except for Pastor 14 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:38,520 Scott. Okay. Scott, are you still in here? Okay. I thought you'd gone outside to smoke 15 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:45,360 again, but it is so good to see you, my friend. You look great. Okay. You look better than 16 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:51,600 I remember, which wasn't that good, but still better than I remember. So good to see you. 17 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:58,520 And since I've been here last, you guys have found a new pastor from Texas. That's not 18 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:05,760 bad. Very few Iowa churches can claim they have a real life Texan. Okay. And so man, 19 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:13,040 so it's just, I'm just glad to get, yeah, amen. Let's clap. Should. I'm so excited to 20 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:18,400 be back. I just love that there's something special about this place. If you're a guest, 21 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:23,040 you never need to visit another church. You have found your church home right here. Okay. 22 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:28,560 This place is special. And I've been looking forward to I'm leaving you guys driving over 23 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:35,600 to Washington and then a tumwa and albia in the next day. Would you pray for me? I'm 24 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:42,880 hoping I get to see Caitlyn Clark while I'm out here. Does anybody here know Caitlyn? 25 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,560 Oh, my goodness. I'd love to meet that gal. I don't think ladies don't get offended at this. 26 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:57,360 I don't think I'd ever watched a girls college basketball game until the last year. And I've 27 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:04,720 watched more now than I think all the NBA and everything else put together from North Carolina, 28 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:10,080 or I live in North Carolina, I live about 15 minutes from Duke. Duke, by the way, is a four 29 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:17,520 letter word. All right. But I am a big Hawkeye fan. I mean, every football basketball and now 30 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:25,040 the ladies basketball too. And so just thrilled to be here. This place is special. And again, 31 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:31,280 if you're a guest, let me take let me brag on this church a little bit. These guys either directly 32 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:38,320 from the church or indirectly from members of the church by the end of this year would have given 33 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:51,120 enough funds to plant 1000 churches ends of the earth. Now that's got to be that's 34 00:03:53,920 --> 00:04:01,120 that's got to be close to a world's record for the Quad Cities. Okay. Think about it. 1000 35 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:11,200 congregations meeting today, lifting their hands, offering a hallelujah to Almighty God. And I just 36 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:18,960 if you don't hear anything else I say today, please hear this. I know. I know heaven knows about you 37 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:25,680 guys. Heaven's got to know about this place. And I want you to know how how grateful I am on behalf 38 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:32,000 of tens of thousands of people that have been reached for Christ because of you. Thank you. 39 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:38,560 Thank you for what you've done. It just it's so wonderful. God is doing great things in our 40 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:45,200 ministry TTI. And when I talk about TTI TTI, I can't do anything without you. You guys are part of 41 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:52,160 this thing. We in fact, we are simply an extension of this church. From my perspective, I'm under 42 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:58,000 the umbrella of this place. And we're I'm kind of like an assistant pastor that doesn't get paid 43 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:06,160 anything. Okay. My job is to make disciple makers ends of the earth. But we can't do that without you. 44 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:12,000 It's through your giving and your praying that makes it possible. We continue to see great things. 45 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:18,960 Last year, a new church was started from January 1st to December 31st. And you church was started 46 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:27,120 every 15 minutes, every 15 minutes. So during this service, there's going to be another four or five 47 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:33,440 churches started. Okay, just just someone will be under a tree or some of them will be on a rooftop 48 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:40,480 or out in the jungle somewhere. But a church started every every 15 minutes. And with those, 49 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:47,040 all those churches, tens of thousands of them, there are hundreds of thousands of stories. 50 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,720 And I want to share just one of them. If you guys want to put up that first slide for me, 51 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:58,400 you're looking at a guy a before and after picture, his name is man Yica. The on the left there, 52 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,760 this is what he looked like this time last year. He came from a family of witch doctors lived in 53 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:10,320 Tanzania. He worshiped snakes. He worshiped idols. He worshiped spirits. He was full of demons. 54 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:15,440 And I don't know what you guys believe about demons, but some of you may not even believe in 55 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:21,040 believing demons at all. But Jesus sure did believe in them. You can't read the Gospels without 56 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:26,560 being aware of the fact that they exist. In fact, Jesus was constantly given the devil the devil, 57 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:31,440 if you know what I mean. He just he was always after those demons and driving them out and 58 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:37,840 giving them a hard time. Well, this man was full of demons. He lived a brutal and a bloody lifestyle. 59 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:43,360 And just everybody feared him and nobody would know if they saw him coming, they'd go the other 60 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:52,080 way if for no other reason, because of his odor. You see, he had not taken a bath for 53 years. 61 00:06:53,440 --> 00:07:05,040 Now just think about that. You talk about armpits spots, 53 years. He was covered in grime, 62 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:13,680 just filthy. And so just the odor of the stench, no one would talk to him. No one would sit with 63 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:21,600 him. Nobody would have anything to do with him. But last year, about this time, a TTI 64 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:31,360 Timothy, a church planter named John, was told about Tanika and began to approach him and began 65 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:36,480 to talk to him. And he would sit with Tanika and he would he would he would eat with him. He would 66 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:43,520 share his food with nobody had done that for decades to this man. And his heart began to soften. 67 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:53,120 And on July 8, 2023, John shared with Manika the the verse that we all know by heart, John 3 16, 68 00:07:53,120 --> 00:08:00,080 for God's soul of the world. And Manika gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Immediately there was a 69 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:05,360 change not just on the inside but the outside. The left is what he did look like. The right is 70 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:10,640 what he looks like now. That's the same guy. Okay. And now he walks around every day with a Bible 71 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:16,480 in one hand and a walking cane in the other hand, going from village to village, telling people 72 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:22,720 about Jesus Christ. Let me tell you something. That's what God's been using you to accomplish 73 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:32,480 all over the world. Can we give God a big thank you. You guys are part of this thing. We are so 74 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:40,080 much better because of you because you're involved. Today, I want to ask you a very important question. 75 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:47,920 And that question is how can they how can they and the words are taken from 76 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:55,280 a letter that Paul wrote to the church at Rome. We know it is the book of Romans chapter 10 77 00:08:55,280 --> 00:09:00,800 verses 13 through 15. And it's a little small on the screen, but hopefully you can see it. 78 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,280 Let me just read through this. Paul is writing to the church at Rome and he says, 79 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:11,040 most of you probably know this first verse by heart. He said, for everyone who calls on the 80 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:18,240 name of the Lord will be saved. The Lord there is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. Word 81 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:24,720 Lord means master. Paul Paul, as you said, if you can believe in your heart that he died on the cross 82 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:32,000 and rose from the grave, if you just call on him, you will be saved. I was talking to a young man 83 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:37,440 at the hotel this morning. I told him it has nothing to do with the church you go to has nothing to 84 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:45,200 do with the kind of life you live. We're all lost. We all need a savior. Jesus claimed to be that 85 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:50,320 savior. And he proved it by not only dying on the cross for our sins and being buried, but he 86 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:57,680 rose again. Now I've pastored for decades. I can tell you people that I bury, they stay in the 87 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:02,800 grave. You know what I mean? They don't they don't stand up and get out of the casket. But Jesus 88 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:09,520 was different. He rose again from the grave. That resurrection verified it just it affirmed what he 89 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:16,080 claimed that he really was a son of God. And then Paul said, if you can believe that call on his name. 90 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,440 Don't try to earn your way to heaven. Don't try to work your way there. You can't do it. You'll 91 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:27,600 never be good enough. Heaven's perfect. You're not. You got to have a savior. Jesus is that savior. 92 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:33,280 Do you believe it? Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the savior of the world? Then call on his 93 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:40,800 name. The idea is by faith. Just take him at his word. Call on his name. And it says not you might 94 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:46,480 be saved or he didn't say, well, maybe he'll save you. Maybe you want, but you will be saved. The 95 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:51,360 word saved means delivered, delivered from a place called hell, delivered from your sins. 96 00:10:51,360 --> 00:11:00,640 And that's the gospel. But then Paul asked how then will they call on him in whom they have not 97 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:06,960 believed? How can you sincerely call on someone to save you if you don't even believe in that person? 98 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:14,320 It'd be kind of hard to do. And then he asked second question and how are they to believe in 99 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:19,840 him in whom they have never heard? How do you put your faith in somebody you've never even heard of? 100 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:31,520 And how third time are they to hear without someone preaching? And how fourth time are they to preach 101 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:39,520 unless they are sent? And then Paul sums it up by saying it is as it is written in quotes from the 102 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:50,720 Old Testament, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. Beautiful feet. When you 103 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:56,800 think of beauty is the first word that comes thought that comes to your mind, somebody's feet? 104 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:05,200 Not me. Now, when I think of feet, they're usually mangled and their toes on top of each other and 105 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:13,680 the toenails are, you know, there's like moldy looking stuff and wrinkled and I don't think a 106 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:20,000 feet is being beautiful. But you know what? When you were busy telling people about Jesus, 107 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:25,760 all of heaven says about you, man, that guy, she's got beautiful feet. That guy, he's got 108 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:32,960 beautiful feet. Daniel, Scott, seriously, I joke with you guys, but I think you got beautiful feet. 109 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:42,240 I think you do. Okay. And so Paul said, Paul asked a question here. He says, first he says, do you 110 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:50,400 want to be saved? Jesus will save you. Put your faith in him, call on him, ask him to save you. He 111 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:56,960 will do it. But then I think Paul stopped and he got to thinking about the world. And he said, but 112 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:02,880 how can they do that? How can you call on someone to save you you've not believed in? How can you 113 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:09,120 believe in someone you've never even heard of? And how can you hear unless somebody tells you and 114 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:13,920 how can they go and tell you unless somebody helps them to get there? Somebody sends them. 115 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:19,760 I pray these how questions will begin to burn into your in your heart just to drop from your head 116 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:25,760 to your heart in the next few minutes here. Let me back up for a moment. We work primarily 117 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:31,440 among what's called unreached people groups. And unreached people group is an ethnicity. We've 118 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:37,840 planted churches and over 1500, I think it's now 1500 nine different unreached ethnicities. These 119 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:44,400 would be people that once 2% of the population of that ethnicity becomes a follower of Christ, 120 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,360 they're taken off the UPG list, the unreached people group list, they're now considered reached. 121 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:55,120 So if you're 2% saved, you're considered reached, believe it or not. So we work with groups that 122 00:13:55,120 --> 00:14:02,640 are like one half of 1% or one tenth of 1% or one and a half percent would be followers of Jesus 123 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:08,560 Christ. Many of them have never seen a Bible. In fact, I would say most of them have never seen a 124 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:15,200 Bible. Many of them most of them have never attended a church. You drove by five or six 125 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,600 churches on your way to church this morning, but they've never driven by a church. They've never 126 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:25,920 walked by a church. There is no church body there. They've never met a Christ follower. 127 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:33,600 You, you may feel like you're a distinct minority in the Quad Cities here as a born again follower 128 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:39,200 of Jesus Christ, but at least there are other believers. But in an unreached people group, 129 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:44,720 you can be born, you can live your life, you can die, and you will never ever meet personally 130 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:52,240 someone who believes Jesus is the virgin born, sinless, died, buried, and rose again, Son of 131 00:14:52,240 --> 00:15:00,880 Almighty God. Most of them have never heard a clear gospel message. Some of them, many of them, 132 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:10,080 millions of them have never even heard His name. Paul asks, how can they call on somebody 133 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:17,920 they've never even heard of? How do you fall on your knees and cry out to a God you've never heard 134 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:23,440 of? How do you cry out to Jesus? How do you call on the name of Jesus to save you if you have never 135 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:31,920 even heard of the name Jesus? And yet when they do finally hear, when someone finally sends them, 136 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:38,800 when somebody sends them, somebody goes and proclaims the gospel, oh my goodness, I never 137 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:45,120 cease to be amazed how many of them respond. It is a sight to behold. Take a look at this next 138 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:51,840 picture if you would, if you want to put it up for me. Whoops, skip back one, did we, right there. 139 00:15:52,480 --> 00:16:00,240 Nope, that's not it, go back another one, and another one, and one more. That's the one I want 140 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:10,240 right there. All right, this is a beautiful picture. It's hard to see it, but there's a guy on the far 141 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:18,160 right with a little hat on, sitting on the couch. He's 91 years old. This picture was taken, by the 142 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:25,200 way, about a month ago. He's a retired captain in the army in the country he lives in. He's actually 143 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:32,880 what's called a Gurkha warrior, and that doesn't mean anything to us, but think Navy Seal. Okay, 144 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:41,280 he'd be the equivalent of their Navy Seals. 89 years old, today he's 91, but when he was 89, 145 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:47,440 two years ago, a Timothy told him about Jesus, lives up in the Himalayas out in the middle of 146 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:55,920 nowhere, told him about Jesus, he called on Jesus to save him, and two years that retired captain 147 00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:07,600 has led 24 Hindus and Buddhists to Jesus Christ, 24. Now I'm 70 years old, I haven't led 24 Hindus 148 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:16,480 and Buddhists to Christ in my entire life, okay? 17 of them have already been baptized and have become 149 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:22,480 the captain of King Matimothi, and those 17 have become that Timothy's Timothy. We call Timothy's 150 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:29,920 Timothy Titus, just the next generation. That's his Titus is in that room right there. He has led 24 151 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:36,800 people to Christ in two years, and he's training 17 of them to be disciple makers, and they've actually 152 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:45,840 started a little church there in his house. That's what happens when somebody finally goes 153 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:51,200 into an area where they haven't heard about Jesus, and they start telling people about Jesus, these 154 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:56,160 are the kind of things that begin to happen, and I could share so many stories with you. In fact, 155 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:01,200 those next three pictures I just skipped, I'm going to skip them because I don't have time to get into 156 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:06,560 it, but take a look at this map. Put the map back up if you would. See that map, that red area, that's 157 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:13,440 where we work. The red area is where your unreached people groups of the world live, your Muslims, 158 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:20,960 your Hindus, your Buddhists, your animus type people, that's where they live. It comes out to 41% 159 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:30,080 of the world's population, over 3 billion people. They're not rejecting Christ. They don't know who 160 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:40,160 He is, and the reason they don't know who He is is because nobody's ever told them. So how can they 161 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:47,600 call on His name? How can they put their faith in Christ? How can they become a follower of Jesus 162 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:55,600 Christ? How can they, if nobody has ever even told them? There's an estimated 5 million churches, 163 00:18:55,600 --> 00:19:01,920 bodies of believers, not buildings, but bodies of believers in the world today. The guesstimate is 164 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:11,680 we need another 5 million churches started strategically placed in the right places in order to have a 165 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:17,840 body of believers within walking distance of every man, woman, boy, and girl on the face of the earth. 166 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:25,920 The problem is the 5 million churches that are still needed are in the harder to reach areas. 167 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:33,920 The lower hanging fruit has all been taken. What's left are areas of the world where it's extremely 168 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:41,520 difficult, where persecution is really rough, and where it costs you pretty much everything 169 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:49,520 to preach the gospel, the harder to reach areas. But again, for these billions of people, 170 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:57,760 how can they, Paul said it's not rocket science. Jesus is the Son of God. He proved it when He 171 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:04,320 came out of the grave. He's willing to forgive your sins. Call on Him. Ask Him. Put your faith 172 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:09,680 in Him. He will forgive you. He will cleanse you. He will save you. That all you got to do is call 173 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:21,920 on His name. But then Paul asked, but how can they? How can they? They don't even know who He is. 174 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:29,680 Somebody has to tell them. Well, the answer is obvious, isn't it? Someone does have to tell 175 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:35,120 them. How can they call? They can't unless somebody tells them. And that leads me to the verse I want 176 00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:40,400 to close out with. Acts 1 verse 8. If you're not familiar with this verse, you need to be. This 177 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:46,000 is the very last thing Jesus said before He went back to heaven. His very last words. I mean, 178 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:51,120 the last thing He had to say was right here. And here's what He said. He said, 179 00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:57,760 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in 180 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:03,200 Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. I noticed something, 181 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:08,080 Daniel, a couple of months ago, I'd never seen in that verse. I memorized this verse decades ago, 182 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:13,920 preached on it a million times. But I never noticed. So just recently, Jesus said the word to you 183 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:20,640 three times. Let me ask you another question. Have y'all received the Holy Spirit? Does the Holy 184 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:26,800 Spirit live inside of you? Come on, talk to me. It's not a trick question. Have you received Jesus 185 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:32,400 as your Savior? You either have it or you haven't. When you asked Jesus to save you, the Holy Spirit 186 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:37,920 came to live in. You've received the Holy Spirit. You know, according to this verse, I know the Holy 187 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:44,240 Spirit is given to us for many reasons, not just this, but Jesus connected the dots here. He's, 188 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:48,480 literally as He's ascending into the heavens, He says, hey, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. I'm 189 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:52,560 going up. He's coming down. He's going to come to live inside of you. And when He does, He's going to 190 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:58,480 give you, He's going to give you, He's going to give you the power you need to be my witnesses here, 191 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:05,120 near and far. He didn't say, He didn't say it's going to be the mission board's responsibility. 192 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:09,760 He didn't say it's going to be TTI. He didn't say it's going to be the denomination. When Jesus said 193 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:15,440 these words, there was no missions agency. There was no denomination. In fact, there was no church. 194 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:20,640 This is Acts 1. The church wasn't even birthed until the next chapter, Acts chapter 2. He wasn't 195 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:26,080 talking to ordained pastors like me. There wasn't an ordained pastor on the face of the earth when 196 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:33,600 Jesus said these words. He was talking to His followers. That's you. And He said to His followers, 197 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:44,400 you, you, you will be my witnesses. He didn't say you can be my witnesses. He didn't say you could 198 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:50,800 be. He didn't say you should be. He didn't say you ought to be. He said you will be. There's not a 199 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:59,760 lot of wiggle room there. Question. Shouldn't someone tell these three billion people? Shouldn't 200 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:05,200 someone tell them that there's a Savior who can forgive their sins and give them a home in heaven? 201 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:13,520 Shouldn't they be told? Well, who's going to tell them? Jesus looked at His followers and said, 202 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:27,040 you. And that's what I'm here to tell you today. It is your responsibility to proclaim the gospel here, 203 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:35,920 Jerusalem's Judea, near Samaria, close by a different culture, far to the ends of the earth. 204 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:43,120 But it's more than a command and it's more than a responsibility. It was a great day in my life 205 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:48,800 when I came to see telling others about Jesus is more than a responsibility. It is an honor. 206 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:56,160 Nobody twisted my arm this morning to make me talk to that guy at the counter. I got up this morning, 207 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:03,280 my first prayer was God, give me somebody I can talk to about you. Somebody I can talk to about you. 208 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:16,400 You see, as I told Ashton this morning, nobody's ever died for me in my life, except one person. 209 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:23,760 You got to really die. You got to really love somebody to die for them. I've had one person die for me. 210 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:36,000 And he died for me before I was even born. And if I'd been him, I wouldn't have died for me. I may have died for a couple of you, maybe. 211 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:42,240 But I would not have died for me, but he did. Have you ever studied the cross? 212 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:48,160 Did you know before Jesus ever got to the cross, do you know what they did? They strung them up. 213 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:56,160 They used that cat of nine tails. You're familiar with it, aren't you? Nine pieces of leather embedded with rocks and glass and lead. 214 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:06,080 And he strung up there and they took that whip and they lashed them. And the leather would wrap around his back and around the front. 215 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:15,680 And the soldier would jerk it back. And as the lashes went around his front side, the glass and stone would embed into the flesh. 216 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:23,200 And then it would just rip it. Have you read about what happened when victims were scourged? 217 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:31,760 I saw an artist's conception the other day of what it would have looked like. Sometimes the entire backbone was exposed. 218 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:39,440 Sometimes all the ribs were exposed. Sometimes the insides of victims would literally fall out. There was nothing left to hold them in. 219 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:47,440 That's what they did to Jesus. He spent all night nothing to eat, nothing to drink. They spit in his face. 220 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:53,440 They slapped him. The thorns. They plucked out his beard. Then they lashed him with a cat. 221 00:25:53,440 --> 00:26:01,440 No wonder as he walked to the cross, he stumbled and fell. Can you imagine the bloodshed? Can you imagine how weak he was? 222 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,440 This is before he ever got to the cross. 223 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:13,440 I got to thinking about as he hung on the cross. You know what he did on that cross? He took care of his mother. 224 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:29,440 He prayed for his enemies. He talked to his father. And he bore my sins. And then he died. He did it all for me. 225 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:35,440 He dropped a blood with shed for even me. My Savior cried about his head and died. 226 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:39,440 He did it all for me. Praise God. 227 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:47,440 Nobody's got to twist my arm. I have fallen in love with him. 228 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:57,440 And I'm going to spend to my dying breath. I counted in honor to spread the good news to tell people. 229 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,440 You say, how do we do it? Through our giving? 230 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:07,440 You guys have funded a thousand churches almost. Through our living, the way we live our lives. 231 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:17,440 Through our going, witnessing. And through our praying. Each of us. No exceptions. 232 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:25,440 I want to close with a video that explains why what you guys are doing in this partnership is so important. 233 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:31,440 I want you to watch this video and then I'm going to close it with just a statement when it's over. 234 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:33,440 Could you play it please? 235 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:47,440 What if your life's desires were incredibly basic? 236 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:52,440 Not hoping for success at work or to create a happy family? 237 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:58,440 What if your biggest desire was just to feed yourself? 238 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:05,440 Each morning as the sun rises to scorch the already cracked ground in Northern Kenya, 239 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:13,440 Icarot wakes up with one thing on her mind. Find enough food to survive the day. 240 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:19,440 Icarot is living in the middle of the worst Kenyan drought of the last decade. 241 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:24,440 Our people reared livestock, but now the sun bleached skeletons of their cattle 242 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:31,440 are the only memory of their livelihood. 243 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:35,440 Icarot and four of her friends had not eaten for a week, 244 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,440 and word had spread about a church that was helping people with food. 245 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:46,440 Icarot and her friends set out on the half-days journey to find this church. 246 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:51,440 Joseph, a TTI trainer, welcomed them when they arrived. 247 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:57,440 He had seen these same-parched lips on countless others in his church. 248 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:03,440 As part of his TTI training, Joseph learned to love people and meet their basic needs. 249 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:08,440 Joseph brought the little food he had left to Icarot and her four friends, 250 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:16,440 and with bodies nourished, Joseph knew it was time to share the gospel. 251 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,440 Can I show you something? He asked. 252 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:24,440 Joseph went and fetched a small gadget with the entire Bible recorded on it in Turkana, 253 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:26,440 the woman's heart language. 254 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,440 Another tool Joseph had been equipped to use. 255 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:36,440 We pressed play. The woman stunned by what they were hearing. 256 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:40,440 They had never heard Jesus speaking their language before. 257 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:46,440 Maybe this Jesus understood them, their lives, their struggles. 258 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:55,440 With each passing sentence, Joseph used his TTI training to clarify the gospel for them. 259 00:29:55,440 --> 00:30:01,440 When the conversation was over, all five women surrendered their lives to Christ 260 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:07,440 before beginning the half-day walk home. 261 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:11,440 Three days later, Joseph received the news. 262 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,440 Icarot has passed away. 263 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:20,440 She died from a hunger-related illness. 264 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:25,440 The three-year drought in Kenya had claimed another life, 265 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:30,440 but the Kingdom of Darkness did not claim another soul. 266 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:37,440 Icarot had been welcomed into heaven, where she was now eating every meal at the King's table. 267 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:59,440 For Icarot, the gospel had come just in time through a TTI disciple maker. 268 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:06,440 The gospel is good news whether it gets there in time or not, 269 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:14,440 but as far as your soul is concerned, it's only good news if you get to hear it. 270 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:20,440 I think God, Icarot, was reached last year. She died last year. 271 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:30,440 But every second, 1.8 people perish. They die lost. 272 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:36,440 60% of them are from unreached people groups, 273 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:42,440 where most likely they never even heard His name. 274 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:44,440 I can't prove what I'm getting ready to tell you, 275 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:52,440 but I've got my mind when Paul wrote Romans 10, I've got my mind he had to brush the tears away. 276 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,440 I think what he was thinking was, Jesus died so we can be saved. 277 00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:00,440 Call on Him. Put your trust in Him. 278 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:05,440 But then Paul's missionary heart began to burst. 279 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:13,440 How can they? How can they? 280 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:18,440 I'm asking you that question this morning. How can they? 281 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:26,440 And the only answer is, you have got to tell them. 282 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:31,440 So what's the response to this? Do we just go to a class now and then go out? 283 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:35,440 I don't know, the hungry hobo, get something to eat. 284 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,440 What's the, how do we respond? 285 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:44,440 I'm going to give you a couple of responses. Number one, we desperately need you guys to pray for us. 286 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:48,440 I'm on your team and I'm telling you, I need your prayers. 287 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:53,440 I'm going to be sitting over in my chair just a moment when we close. I've got some cards. 288 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:57,440 If you'd be willing to join our prayer team, come see me. 289 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:01,440 I'll give you the card, you fill it out, you leave it. We'll send you an email once a month. 290 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:06,440 We just ask that you pray when you can. Don't ever post anything I send you on social media. 291 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,440 Just pray over at the email and then delete it. 292 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:16,440 Christmas morning, this past Christmas, four months ago, Christmas morning in North Nigeria, 293 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:25,440 a group of Falani Islamists went out and for sport slaughtered 140 Christians. 294 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:29,440 I've seen the video. It's the most awful thing I've ever seen in my life. 295 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:33,440 Just dead bodies scattered from here to your main road out there. 296 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,440 Little babies lying on top of their dead mothers. 297 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,440 We have three training centers in that area. 298 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:44,440 One of our training centers, everybody in it, their houses were destroyed. 299 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:47,440 Everyone of them had their houses burnt down on Christmas Day. 300 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:51,440 We need prayer. I'm asking you please to pray. 301 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:58,440 Number two, if you're not already funding, supporting your church with your ties and offerings, 302 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:05,440 my goodness, do so. This is a church that's getting the gospel out to the whole world. 303 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:10,440 Do so. Get behind what your church is doing here and support it. 304 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:17,440 This week, number three, tell somebody your story. Tell someone about Jesus. 305 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:25,440 It's been a while since I've been in the Quad Cities, but unless this place has had a tremendous revival since the last time I was here, 306 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,440 there's a lot of people around here that need Jesus. 307 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:36,440 And finally, number four, if you've never called on Him yourself in faith, call on Him today 308 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:41,440 and ask Jesus to be your Savior. And all God's people said, 309 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:46,440 Father, thank you for this time together. Thank you for the opportunity to be here. 310 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:54,440 Thank you for this great church. Lord, help us to leave here today with that question in our minds. 311 00:34:54,440 --> 00:35:03,440 How can they, and Lord, help us to leave understanding that the answer is they can't unless somebody tells them 312 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:10,440 and that we are that somebody. They're our giving, our praying, our going. 313 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:16,440 Lord, I pray there'll be people in heaven one day as a result of what we've just shared. 314 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:26,440 And ask us in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Thank you. 315 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:57,440 Thank you.