Beyond the Walls: Reclaiming the Mission to Seek the Lost

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:07:14] Good morning, Freedom House. Welcome. My name is Andrew, and this is...
[00:07:19] I'm Jason.
[00:07:20] We are so glad you guys are joining us, and yeah, if you're watching online, welcome.
[00:07:26] You're watching us one of three ways. Do you know the three ways?

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:07:29] I do know the three ways.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:07:30] All right, go for it.

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:07:31] Freedomhouse.cc, our YouTube channel, or Facebook.
[00:07:35] Or Facebook.

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:07:36] Yeah, all three.
[00:07:38] For all the...
[00:07:38] No excuse for you to not watch, right?
[00:07:40] For all Meemaw and Pawpaw, go ahead and send them to Facebook.
[00:07:44] um and to anybody under the age of probably 50 i don't do you use facebook yes you do facebook

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:07:51] really i do yeah okay yeah i like facebook a lot um but you know i have a theory and it's really it's really bad and i shouldn't but not really bad but i feel like after you get over a certain age
[00:08:05] all you use is facebook social media wise like you're like my grandmother all she has is facebook She had the other social media account.
[00:08:13] I mean, am I wrong in thinking that?

[00:08:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:08:16] I don't know.
[00:08:20] Personally, I'm more of an Instagram guy.

[00:08:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:08:22] Yeah.
[00:08:22] I like Instagram reels.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:08:24] Yeah.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:08:24] They make me laugh so hard, man.

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:08:26] They're so funny.
[00:08:27] Speaking of making things laugh, the message.
[00:08:31] There were some funny parts to it.
[00:08:33] There was.
[00:08:33] Yeah, some very funny parts.
[00:08:35] We both got the privilege to sit in the early service.
[00:08:38] And it is Pastor Troy kicking off our new message series.
[00:08:41] What's the message series called?
[00:08:43] Send me.
[00:08:46] Send you.

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:08:47] That's right, yeah.
[00:08:48] We'll give you a hint.
[00:08:49] It involves ping pong balls.
[00:08:51] It does, actually.
[00:08:53] Actually, yep.
[00:08:53] I took one.
[00:08:55] Oh.
[00:08:55] Yeah.
[00:08:55] Committing theft in the house of the Lord.
[00:08:57] Well, I'm still here.
[00:08:58] I'm going to put it back.
[00:08:58] Oh, yeah.
[00:08:59] That's a good point.
[00:09:00] You are still here.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:01] It involves ping pong balls and maybe an old childhood game.

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:09:06] Yeah.

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:06] College game.

[00:09:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:09:07] Yeah.

[00:09:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:07] Maybe more college than childhood.
[00:09:09] Yeah.
[00:09:10] Depends on your childhood.

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:09:11] Yeah, it does.
[00:09:12] Maybe a pre-Jesus college game potentially too.
[00:09:16] Maybe.
[00:09:18] Or post-Jesus.
[00:09:18] Post-Jesus, yeah.
[00:09:19] I guess post-Jesus too.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:20] I guess right now we're all – I mean, we're AD right now, so.
[00:09:25] Yeah.
[00:09:26] But also before he came back.
[00:09:28] We are AD.
[00:09:29] That's right.
[00:09:30] Anyway.
[00:09:30] That's right, yeah.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:09:31] We're having good on track today.
[00:09:33] That's right, yeah.
[00:09:33] Like starting now.
[00:09:35] Yeah, starting like ASAP.
[00:09:37] Yeah, ASAP.
[00:09:38] Another – we'll have another one.
[00:09:40] But, yeah, just an opportunity for you to kind of get an understanding of the foundation of Freedom House, how we started, our values, what we believe, that kind of thing.
[00:09:49] So pretty great.
[00:09:50] Pretty cool.
[00:09:51] And we got what coming up?

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:53] What coming up?
[00:09:53] Oh, are we talking about strong?
[00:09:55] Strong.
[00:09:56] That's right.
[00:09:57] Strong.
[00:09:58] For all of our men, it's an amazing opportunity to go up to the lodge that we have in Marion, North Carolina.
[00:10:04] So there's going to be guns.
[00:10:06] There's going to be men.
[00:10:08] There's going to be coffee.
[00:10:09] weights maybe a little four by four there you go and it's just a great weekend to get away hang out with some godly guys to lift each other up instead of tear each other down yep
[00:10:18] it's gonna be awesome i'm super i'm not going but i'm still excited you know i i've never been

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:10:23] you've never been oh it's awesome never been and because the weekends that we go i've always got stuff going on and i've literally never been able to go but it is what thursday through saturday
[00:10:36] Thursday through Saturday.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:10:38] And if you can't take off work on that Thursday because it's kind of late notice for some of y'all, go ahead.
[00:10:43] Go up on Friday.
[00:10:44] You can sleep under the stars.
[00:10:46] We got enough room.
[00:10:47] It's going to be awesome.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:10:47] And I heard from a little bird there are still some beds left.
[00:10:51] There are some.
[00:10:52] Yep.
[00:10:53] So hurry up and sign up because those of you that don't sign up, you end up under the stars.
[00:10:57] You do.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:10:58] Yep.

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:10:59] It's beautiful out there.
[00:11:00] It is.
[00:11:00] But it's going to be cold.

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:11:02] Yeah.

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:11:02] It's going to be 70 in the day.
[00:11:03] But at nighttime, we're kind of in that temperature change where it's nice during the day and cold at night.
[00:11:09] So, yeah, it'll be cold.
[00:11:10] It'll be cold.
[00:11:11] It's like, you know, you've got to dress for both seasons almost.
[00:11:14] All right.

[00:11:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:11:14] I've got a question for this week, okay?
[00:11:16] Let's hear it.
[00:11:17] A very controversial question.
[00:11:18] Let's hear it.
[00:11:19] Are you a pancake or waffle guy?

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:11:23] Oh, I don't know.
[00:11:24] I don't know.
[00:11:25] I like waffles if they're, like, thick.
[00:11:28] If they're thick waffles.
[00:11:29] Like Belgium?
[00:11:30] Yes.
[00:11:30] Like Belgium waffles, not the, like, little thin ones.
[00:11:33] Got you.
[00:11:33] But probably pancake guy, I would say.
[00:11:37] I like pancakes.
[00:11:38] I'm going to tell you, Cracker Barrel's pancakes are incredible.
[00:11:41] Oh, yeah.
[00:11:42] And they got the hot syrup that comes out.
[00:11:44] It's so good, man.
[00:11:45] So good.

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:11:47] I would say waffles, but just because pancakes are easy to mess up.
[00:11:51] Waffles are so hard to mess up a good waffle.

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:11:53] Yeah.
[00:11:54] Yeah, they are.
[00:11:55] And it's so satisfying to put the syrup in all the little compartments like that, too.
[00:11:59] I love it.
[00:12:01] Well, we are so excited to have you here with us today.
[00:12:05] Pastor Troy's got something incredible for each one of you.
[00:12:07] We're thrilled to have you witness it with us.
[00:12:10] Let us know in the chat where you're watching from.
[00:12:13] We always love hearing and seeing that.
[00:12:15] So, yeah, and we can't wait for you guys to experience service with us.

[00:12:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:12:19] And last service, we had somebody from Canada.
[00:12:22] Yeah, Canada.
[00:12:23] That's right.
[00:12:24] We'll see where it is now.

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:12:25] Yeah.
[00:12:26] Welcome in.
[00:12:26] See you guys later.
[00:12:27] See you soon.

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:12:27] Freedom House, let's stand on our feet, and we're going to celebrate the goodness of God this morning.
[00:12:34] We're going to praise Him for His mercy and for His grace. Come on.

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:12:38] I've got the joy of the Lord deep down inside of my soul, and I can't hide it no more. I'm going to praise Him.
[00:12:50] I've got the joy of the Lord deep down inside of my soul, and I can't hide it no more. I've got to praise the One who broke my chains and bought my freedom.
[00:13:03] What can I say but thank you, Jesus.
[00:13:10] You're just that good, just that faithful, and you're just that nice.
[00:13:15] I'm so grateful that you saved my life like you said you would.
[00:13:22] There's a lot going on.

[00:20:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:20:44] We as a church, we have a responsibility, and that is to pray.
[00:20:52] So that's what we're going to do.
[00:20:54] Heavenly Father, right now, we just come to you.
[00:20:56] We recognize you as the sovereign God.
[00:21:00] the one that's all-knowing, the one that's all-powerful.
[00:21:05] You are the King of kings.
[00:21:06] You are the Lord of lords.
[00:21:08] And we call upon you right now, Father.
[00:21:12] Lord, we pray for protection over our troops, over our military, over the families that are involved in everything that's going on, Father.
[00:21:22] Lord, I pray that this would be a breakthrough moment, Father, that your gospel would go forth and they would hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
[00:21:32] Lord, I pray that this would be an opportunity that we may look from the outside and say it's chaos, but this is an opportunity, God, that you use everything for your glory.
[00:21:43] And this would be an opportunity that people could lift their eyes to you and know that you sent your son, Jesus, to die for them on a cross.
[00:21:51] And Lord, I pray that salvation would come.
[00:21:55] Lord, I pray for wisdom for our president, for our leaders, for our military, for everyone involved.
[00:22:01] Lord, I pray that they would seek wisdom that comes from you.
[00:22:06] Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit would comfort those who have experienced loss.
[00:22:12] Lord, I know there's even things going on in our own country right here.
[00:22:15] There's shootings, there's chaos that's happening, Lord.
[00:22:19] Lord, I pray that you'd be the comforter.
[00:22:23] Lord, you'd wrap around your arms around people, God.
[00:22:27] You would let them know that you're close to them, that you understand their suffering, their brokenness.
[00:22:35] And God, I pray that they would open their hearts to you.
[00:22:37] Lord, we pray for peace. We pray for comfort. But most importantly, we pray for salvation, Father.

[00:22:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:22:48] And we ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, that is our response as a church, is prayer. So I want to go ahead and have our leaders come to the front and prepare for this
[00:22:59] moment where you can be prayed for. And I want to point to a verse in the Bible. It comes out of James 5, 16. And it says, the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. Can you
[00:23:14] say that with me, church? The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. So we pray.
[00:23:25] Some people would say, what are you going to do? Well, and they believe that prayer is a weak position, but I will say that prayer works because the Bible says it works. So when we get on our
[00:23:40] knees, when we intercede for our nation, when we intercede for our neighbor, prayer works.
[00:23:49] When we get on our knees, we are actually taking up armor, spiritual armor. We're picking up our weapons that are mighty in God to bring down strongholds. And so I don't know what's going on
[00:24:06] in your world right now. We see the things that are going on in our world, but there are things going on in your world too that you may need prayer for. And we want to pray for you as a
[00:24:19] church because it works. And so I want to encourage you to get out of your seat and come forward for prayer. There's already people down here praying and receive from God. You know, maybe you have a
[00:24:31] diagnosis and you need healing. Go ahead and make your way to the front right now. Maybe there's something going on in your family and you need healing and relationships. Make your way to the altar right now. And obviously we need prayer for our nation, for the world. So if you want to
[00:24:54] intercede right now. Just go ahead and make your way to the front because prayer works. We're about to sing a song about the blood of Jesus. And it is about him shedding his blood for the washing
[00:25:08] of our sins, for the cleansing of our sins, never to be remembered again. So in the name of Jesus, I want you to come to the front and I want you to receive what he did for you on the cross as we
[00:25:23] sing about the blood. So Freedom House, let's go ahead and get out of your seats right now and

[00:25:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:25:28] let's go into this song of worship. The overflowing of it, let it pour. Your blood wash us, cleansing

[00:37:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:37:12] us. Your blood wasn't made just for the past, it's made for now. It's made for the rest of our life.
[00:37:20] Your blood covers, heals, restores, it secures, it sanctifies, and it heals deepest. We are so thankful for your wonderful blood the enemy can't stop the power of it a situation can't stop the power of it because you said it is finished jesus thank you jesus we love you we rest in you

[00:38:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:38:26] we praise you in your mighty name just praise him give him your praise freedom house thank you

[00:38:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:38:59] for worshiping with us we're so thankful for the lord thank you jesus and turn your attention to

[00:39:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]
[00:39:09] the screen and enjoy the rest of the service. Hey everyone and welcome to Freedom House. My name is Troy Maxwell and my wife Penny and I are your senior pastors. We are one house with many different
[00:39:35] rooms and our heart is very simple to help equip you to experience Christ's freedom in your everyday

[00:39:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:39:40] life. We have a big vision here at Freedom House. You will notice every week at every campus we have live teachers and preachers.
[00:39:50] Why do we do that?
[00:39:52] Because we are a relational church, we love connecting, and we are not a video venue.
[00:39:58] You'll also notice over in our kids' area, they have the same thing.
[00:40:02] Live teaching, preaching, worship.
[00:40:06] We're not a babysitting service.
[00:40:07] They are getting a fresh, relevant Word of God, just like you are.

[00:40:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]
[00:40:12] And hey, maybe you're new or you haven't got connected yet.
[00:40:14] All you gotta do, it's very simple, just open your phone up, click that little circle on the seat back pocket in front of you and check out all the amazing things that are happening at your church.

[00:40:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:40:24] That's right, we can't wait to get connected with you.
[00:40:26] Take a look at what's coming up here at Freedom House.

[00:40:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:40:33] Spring cleaning is right around the corner, but not the kind with brooms and boxes.
[00:40:37] Our Spring Forward classes kick off this week and we believe life change is closer than you think.
[00:40:44] On March 3rd and March 10th, we'll be diving into the things that tend to take up space in our everyday lives and learning how to break free from the weight of our past.
[00:40:54] These classes will walk through identity, how to hear God's voice, and even how to recognize and step out of the unhealthy cycles we often find ourselves stuck in.
[00:41:04] And it doesn't end there.
[00:41:05] On March 14th, we will come together from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
[00:41:08] for our Forward Weekend Experience, a powerful opportunity to lay it all down at the altar and step into real, lasting transformation.
[00:41:18] So whether you're ready to clean up some things or simply need a refresh, head to freedomhouse.cc forward to save your spot and let us know you're coming.
[00:41:27] Today, we are kicking off our new series about evangelism.
[00:41:30] And this series is all about how we can start taking our faith outside of the church walls.
[00:41:35] But sometimes we hear these messages feeling fired up and ready until the moment actually comes.
[00:41:41] We're at work, we're walking through the grocery store, or even just headed to our car, and suddenly it feels so much easier to not say anything at all.
[00:41:50] Here at Freedom House, we understand this struggle, which is why we want to create simple and practical ways for you to evangelize while being able to be bold and confident while you're doing it.
[00:42:00] So on your way out today, make sure you stop by one of our greeters and grab a pack of our invite cards so that you can be bold inviting people to church this Easter.
[00:42:09] And with Easter coming up, we are so excited for all of our Serve CLT outreach opportunities.
[00:42:15] From March 29th to April 4th, we'll be stepping out into our communities and inviting people to church.
[00:42:21] Easter is an opportunity where people who don't have a church home can come and experience God in a fresh way.
[00:42:28] And this is possible because you took the time to personally invite them.
[00:42:32] From coffee shops to going out into neighborhoods to community events, there's an opportunity for you to step out with absolute confidence.
[00:42:40] So if you're ready to be sent and see all the different ways that you can serve this Easter, go to freedomhouse.cc slash serve CLT.
[00:42:48] Less than a month ago, we kicked off the year with our first Strong Men's Breakfast, and it set the tone in a big way.
[00:42:55] Now it's time to take things to the next level with our Strong Men's Lodge Trip.
[00:43:00] From March 5th through the 7th, we are headed into the mountains to step away from the noise, refocus, and recharge our mental and spiritual batteries.
[00:43:08] This trip is all about challenging brotherhood, friendly competition, outdoor grit, and some much needed target practice.
[00:43:19] But more than that, we are setting aside intentional time to strengthen our community and deepen our walk with God so that we can become the strong men that we are called to be.
[00:43:29] And this is happening this week.
[00:43:31] So now's the time to take off work, pack your gear and head to freedomhouse.cc slash strong to register and let us know you're coming.
[00:43:38] And remember, the first 40 men that sign up get a nice comfy bed and the rest of us, we get to sleep outside.
[00:43:45] So make sure you pack that tent and sleeping bag and we'll see you on Friday.
[00:43:49] For all this and more, download the Freedom House app or head to freedomhouse.cc slash connect.

[00:43:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:43:57] Hello, Freedom House Central Campus.
[00:44:00] Always great to worship with you guys here.
[00:44:02] My name's Olin Carter.
[00:44:03] I serve here on our teaching team.
[00:44:05] And today, today is a special day because once every year we take some time and we receive a special and intentional faith-filled offering that we call liberty.
[00:44:19] Now, we're not receiving it today, but I wanna tell you all about liberty.
[00:44:22] If you're new here, maybe you've never heard, what is liberty all about?
[00:44:25] Liberty is a one-time offering that we receive to expand, to accelerate the vision that God has given us as a church.
[00:44:33] It's not about maintaining, paying the bills, keeping the lights on.
[00:44:36] That's what our tithe is for.
[00:44:38] That's what that accomplishes.
[00:44:40] It's about expanding, doing more, reaching more people.
[00:44:43] Now, liberty is based on a passage of scripture.
[00:44:46] I want to read this verse to you.
[00:44:49] It's in Isaiah chapter 61, verse one.
[00:44:52] This is Jesus speaking.
[00:44:53] He says, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor.
[00:45:01] He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty.
[00:45:05] Everybody say liberty.
[00:45:07] To the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
[00:45:15] Yeah, I heard a pastor say many years ago that God has called us to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium.
[00:45:24] I'll say that again for those of you over here that didn't hear me.
[00:45:28] God has called us to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium.
[00:45:34] What that means is, is, you know, a lot of churches, they get really focused inward on what they're doing, but God has called us to take this great news of the gospel out to reach more people. And that's what Liberty is all about. It's about,
[00:45:47] it's about bridging that vision gap from where we are today to where we feel like God is taking us in the future. And right now that takes us to our new Ballantyne campus. Come on. Can we give
[00:45:59] God some praise for that? And we've been, we've been talking about it for years, dreaming about it, praying about it. And it is here. Ballantyne is an invitation to everyone in South Charlotte, to people who've never heard the gospel of Jesus,
[00:46:13] to families who maybe they haven't been in church in 10, 20 years.
[00:46:19] It's an invitation to come to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
[00:46:24] So that's what Valentine is all about.
[00:46:26] And you know, we believe that liberty, our generosity is like the postage on that invitation.
[00:46:30] It's how we send that invitation forward.
[00:46:34] Just like every year, we have some special goals, some objectives that we wanna hit.
[00:46:38] And so we've got a video for you.
[00:46:39] to check this out now and see if you can resonate with or just have an open heart around one of these four incredible objectives that we have for Liberty this year.

[00:46:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:46:49] The love of God begins with an invitation.
[00:46:59] Sometimes it's a whisper in a quiet room.
[00:47:02] Sometimes it's a deep pull in the heart of someone searching for more.
[00:47:08] In this season, the invitation is the new Ballantyne Campus, an open invite to the South Charlotte community

[00:47:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:47:15] to come and see. An empty chair is a space held for a specific person. Each chair represents someone who will sit down for the first time, maybe in years, or the first time ever and finally
[00:47:31] find rest. A husband and wife reconnecting, children hearing about Jesus for the very first time. With every chair, we are claiming territory because God is forming faith in every season of life. Every chair, no matter the size, is an opportunity for a life to be changed.

[00:47:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]
[00:47:52] In a world full of visual noise, we use technology to create focus. Jesus didn't just speak the truth, He illustrated it. He used seeds, fields, and lamps. He used everyday images to reveal eternal realities. And the LED wall today tells modern parables. We use technology to bring the
[00:48:15] gospel close, making the invisible visible and the distant personal. When we clear the path and tell the story clearly, people can respond to the truth fully. This isn't just a show. It's a window

[00:48:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:48:28] to the things of God. For some, the hardest step is through the front door. But seeing a coffee shop, that is familiar. It's a space where the first step towards Jesus doesn't have to feel like a
[00:48:44] leap into the unknown, just a walk into a conversation.
[00:48:49] We believe real change happens in community, often across a table and over a cup of coffee.
[00:48:55] The coffee shop allows people to belong before they believe, proving that at Freedom House, relationship is the context for every miracle.

[00:49:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]
[00:49:05] Some things are too big for one church to handle alone.
[00:49:09] ARC is an organization that exists to plant new churches.
[00:49:14] They help people across the country and around the world find a place to belong.
[00:49:20] We give so others can gather.
[00:49:23] And this year, 10% of our Liberty offering is going directly to ARC, investing in the Capital C Church.
[00:49:32] The call of Send Me was never meant to be local.
[00:49:37] It's a global impact for an eternal kingdom.

[00:49:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:49:40] The Ballantyne Campus is an invitation to encounter God, discover purpose, and finally come home.
[00:49:53] If Valentine is the invitation, then this year's Liberty Offering is the stamp.
[00:50:00] Each year, our Liberty Offering has a one-time, faith-filled cash investment that bridges the gap between where we are and where God is leading us.
[00:50:10] This year, it will help turn the vision of the Ballantyne campus into reality.
[00:50:15] we aren't just funding a campus we're delivering hope to people who are waiting to be found the invitation is ready let's make sure it arrives four objectives chairs so that everyone

[00:50:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:50:41] that comes to our new valentine campus can feel welcome from the nursery to the auditorium we want people to feel like we have prepared a place for them can i get an amen on that we want them
[00:50:52] to feel welcome. An LED wall so we can proclaim the gospel with creativity, with clarity, with power.
[00:50:59] A coffee shop so that that first step towards faith doesn't have to be a canyon. It can be a conversation. It can be simple. It can be inviting for people. And finally, a tithe. Every year,
[00:51:13] every year we take 10% of every dollar that comes in and we give it out. This year, that's going to be to ARC, an amazing church planning organization that plants churches both here locally, around the
[00:51:25] nation, and around the world. Now, here's what I want to ask you to do today. Would you just agree to pray? Take this week and pray. Just ask God humbly, sincerely, openly, God, what would you
[00:51:39] have me do? What's my part to play in liberty this year? Now, we're going to take just a moment, in just a moment, we're going to take some time to pray together. But before I do that,
[00:51:48] I want to share something with you that I didn't know about. I just found this out the other day.
[00:51:52] I found it very interesting. In Trump's new tax bill this year, the big, beautiful bill.
[00:51:59] Everybody like the big, beautiful bill? Whether you like him or hate him, the man can name some stuff, right? The big, beautiful bill. They made a change that, like I said, I was totally unaware
[00:52:10] of this, but for people who do not itemize on your taxes, if you take the standard deduction, you can't write off your charitable giving, right? You just take the standard deduction. Well, that changes in part this year. So starting in 2026, even if you take the standard deduction,
[00:52:28] you will still be able to above and beyond that deduct $1,000 for an individual of charitable giving in 2000, if you're a married couple. And now how many of you know, we don't give to get
[00:52:41] a tax deduction. Come on. I'll say it again. We don't give to get a tax deduction, right?
[00:52:49] But I'm sure not going to turn one down. So the government wants to give me one. I'm going to take it. So that's just something great for you to know. And of course, anything you would give
[00:52:59] to Freedom House, to the Liberty Offering qualifies for that. So that might be helpful for you. So, Hey, here's the plan, Freedom House, moving forward.
[00:53:07] We're gonna do a few things.
[00:53:08] Number one, we're gonna pray.
[00:53:09] We're gonna pray right now.
[00:53:10] We invite you to pray this week.
[00:53:12] God, what would you have me do?
[00:53:13] Number two, we ask you to believe.
[00:53:14] Just stand with us as a church family and believe God for big things, amen?
[00:53:20] For some big things, for miracles to happen.
[00:53:23] And then finally, on March the 22nd, we're gonna come together as one church family and we're gonna give.
[00:53:29] Whatever it is that God puts on your heart, we're gonna come and we're gonna give.
[00:53:32] If you have questions, hey, check it out.
[00:53:34] you can visit us online, freedomhouse.cc forward slash liberty. Let's pray. Father, we just thank you so much, God, that you've called us to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium, not just to celebrate and hunker down my four no more and enjoy the properties and the great
[00:53:53] blessings you've given us as a church, God, but we're to always be expanding out, growing the vision, reaching new people. You've called us to reach the lost, to share the hope of Jesus.
[00:54:04] And God, this year, that's all about South Charlotte.
[00:54:08] So God, give us a heart for those people, God.
[00:54:10] Let it be about people for us.
[00:54:12] Give us a generous heart, God, to send that invitation forward to the families down there that maybe don't attend church or have never heard the gospel, that they can experience what you've done in our lives, God.
[00:54:24] We're so thankful, we're so grateful.
[00:54:27] Thank you for your blessing, your provision in our lives.
[00:54:30] And God, we just pray you give us that generous heart.
[00:54:33] God, for Liberty 2026, we thank you for it in Jesus' name.
[00:54:37] And everyone said, amen, amen.
[00:54:40] Let's enjoy the rest of service together.

[00:54:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]
[00:54:43] What's happening, Central Campus?
[00:55:30] Good to see everybody.
[00:55:31] You look wonderful.
[00:55:32] Look at your neighbors say, you look extra cute today and you smell good.
[00:55:40] If I haven't met you, my name is Troy Maxwell.
[00:55:42] My wife and I pastor this wonderful church.
[00:55:44] Don't you love Freedom House?
[00:55:46] Aren't you thankful to be here?
[00:55:48] Awesome.
[00:55:48] I told somebody earlier, I'd come here even if I wasn't a pastor.
[00:55:51] I mean, it's a great church.
[00:55:53] Y'all look great today.
[00:55:54] You look wonderful.
[00:55:55] Pastor, it's good to have Pastor Olin here with us.
[00:55:57] He's usually preaching on the weekends.
[00:55:59] He's just the jack of all trades.
[00:56:01] And your campus pastors, the Blantons.
[00:56:03] Stand up, Blantons.
[00:56:04] Aren't they wonderful?
[00:56:06] We also got a bunch of people online.
[00:56:08] North Carolina, South Carolina, Flo Rida, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia.
[00:56:14] That's probably my mom.
[00:56:15] Hey, mom.
[00:56:15] West Virginia, Maryland, Montana, of Tennessee, Georgia. Let's give it up for our onliners. Make sure you come. Hey, be happy for them. They should be here, but hey, they, they skipped church and decided that, no, I'm just
[00:56:28] kidding. We love all of our online people. I'm, I'm so fired up about this series that we have going on this entire month called Send Me. Look at your neighbors say, I'm being sent this month.
[00:56:40] I'm being sent this month. We're just, we're getting ready for Easter. How many, can you believe that Easter is what, four weeks away? Where is 2026 going? I mean, it is just flying by.
[00:56:54] They said when you get, you know, when you turn 35, it just starts moving even faster.
[00:56:59] I'm 36 and it's just blowing by. Hey, listen, it was Tuesday a few years ago on a Tuesday morning.
[00:57:07] I take Mondays off. Monday is my wife and I Sabbath. And then on Tuesdays is our day that we come back to work. And it's a very, very busy day for us. This is where I have all my staff
[00:57:18] meetings and connect with everybody. And so I was on my way on the highway and forgive me for doing this, but my phone rang and I looked over at the phone and you know, when you see a number that
[00:57:30] you don't recognize, what do you do? You turn the phone back over and you don't answer it or you send it to voicemail. Thankful for AT&T that tells you when they're spam numbers. But I saw this
[00:57:39] number. I didn't recognize the number. And literally the Holy Spirit said, you need to answer the telephone. So I answered the telephone and, uh, there's a gentleman on the other side and he goes, Hey, um, is this pastor Troy? And I'm always a little nervous. Like who's,
[00:57:55] who's got my phone number? What's going on? I said, uh, yes, this is pastor Troy. He goes, well, I don't know if you know me, but my name is Jason and I work out with you at the gym. Now
[00:58:06] I knew exactly who Jason was.
[00:58:08] Jason is a six foot four, 240 pound monster of a man.
[00:58:12] I mean, he's a beast.
[00:58:14] And I know exactly who, I've worked out with him many, many times.
[00:58:19] He has destroyed me in many, many workouts.
[00:58:22] I am, you know, I am very, very, I adore his biceps in a very manly way.
[00:58:28] I said manly, you can say that when you say.
[00:58:36] And I can tell there's something wrong.
[00:58:39] and Jason goes, hey, listen, you know, I don't know, we don't know each other very well. I do know you're a pastor, and I got your number from the gym owner, and I just don't know what to do.
[00:58:51] My daughter tried to commit suicide last night, and he started crying. I mean, I can just remember it like it was yesterday, and I could hear him sobbing on the other side of the telephone, and
[00:59:05] immediately I go, Jason, where are you at? He said, I'm at such and such hospital. I said, I'll be there in 15 minutes. And I drove and I showed up. I walked in and I walked to the room
[00:59:19] that he told me. And I see Jason sitting outside and I walked into a very, very difficult situation.
[00:59:27] In Matthew chapter five, Jesus tells us, he says in verse 13, it says, you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? How shall the earth be seasoned
[00:59:39] if the salt loses its flavor? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. Everybody say, I am the light of the world.
[00:59:49] I am the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Verse 15, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand. You don't hide a
[00:59:59] light. You put it so everybody can see it. It gives light to all who are in the house.
[01:00:04] Let your light so shine before men. We just point at your neighbor, say, let your light shine. Let your light shine that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. Let me just
[01:00:16] sum this little passage up for you from Jesus. Love in a way that makes people ask why and live in a way that makes people wonder. Let me say that one more time. Love in a way that makes people
[01:00:29] ask why and live in a way that makes people wonder. You know, you saw Pastor Adam mentioned the word evangelism. Evangelism is a big word. You know, when we think, when I say evangelism or he says it, immediately I think of Billy Graham. I think of, you know, big auditoriums
[01:00:47] full of people, you know, it's, it's, but you know, evangelism isn't that. It isn't just that.
[01:00:53] It's not just big sermons or standing on the platform preaching or standing on the street corner yelling at everybody, telling them they're going to hell. Come on. That doesn't minister to many people or going door to door or, or being argumentative about the, about God. You know,
[01:01:07] evangelism isn't about having all the answers. No evangelism. It's, it's about being faithful to the heart of God and letting God do the rest. Let me break it down even more for you. Evangelism is more about the small everyday moments of connection
[01:01:25] and care in the circle of your influence.
[01:01:30] See, today I wanna commission you as disciples of God.
[01:01:33] How many disciples do I have?
[01:01:34] Wait a minute, if you're a disciple.
[01:01:35] I'm gonna commission you today to turn into an evangelist.
[01:01:40] How do I lead someone to Jesus?
[01:01:43] Well, hold on a second, pastor.
[01:01:44] I didn't know, you know, I gotta talk to somebody about Jesus.
[01:01:48] I mean, I just met him a few months ago.
[01:01:49] I don't know about this.
[01:01:51] Give me some time here.
[01:01:53] How do I become more involved in bringing people closer to God?
[01:02:01] Or let's put it like Jesus said, how do I become more salty?
[01:02:05] Or how do I turn the volume up on my light?
[01:02:07] I wanna read a passage of scripture out of Luke chapter 15 that's gonna kind of set the backdrop for this real practical message on your commissioning today.
[01:02:17] Not just for the next month, but for the rest of your life.
[01:02:21] Because Jesus told us three different times that we're to go.
[01:02:25] Matthew 28, go into all the world.
[01:02:27] I'm sorry, Mark chapter 16, go into all the world and preach the gospel.
[01:02:31] Matthew 28, go and make disciples of all men.
[01:02:33] Acts chapter one, he says, I'm gonna give you the power of God so that you could speak in tongues.
[01:02:37] No, so that you could be a witness of him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Bank of America.
[01:02:46] So I wanna read Luke chapter 15, just in case you didn't know you're supposed to preach the gospel of makeup America. All right. Luke chapter 15. I'm going to read a lot of scripture here. I'm going to read this whole story because I want you to get
[01:02:57] the whole context here. Beginning in verse one, you can follow on the screen behind me or cheat off a Christian beside you. All right. Luke chapter 15, verse one, it says, then all the tax
[01:03:06] collectors and sinners drew near to him to hear him. And the Pharisees talk, this is talking about Jesus and the Pharisees and the scribes complained saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. So he spoke this parable to them saying, so he's speaking the parable to the Pharisees and
[01:03:25] the scribes. What man of you having a hundred sheep, how many sheep? Okay. If he loses one, how many? One, 101. If he loses one of them, does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after
[01:03:42] the one which is lost until he finds it. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulder, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors saying to
[01:03:53] them, rejoice with me for I've found my sheep, which was lost. Verse seven, I say to you that likewise, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons
[01:04:05] who need no repentance. Verse eight, or what woman having 10 silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it. And when she has
[01:04:19] found it and calls her friends and neighbors together saying, rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I lost. Verse 10, likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels
[01:04:31] of God over one sinner who repents. Then he said, a certain man had two sons. How many sons? Two, just make sure you're paying attention. And the younger of them said to his father, his father,
[01:04:45] father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country and there
[01:04:56] wasted his possessions with prodigal living or wasteful living. When he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want. And then he went and joined himself
[01:05:05] to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed the swine.
[01:05:12] And he would have gladly had filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate and no one gave him anything.
[01:05:18] But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have bread enough to spare and I perish with hunger.
[01:05:25] I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
[01:05:32] I love that he's rehearsing what he's gonna say to his dad.
[01:05:34] and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
[01:05:37] Make me one of your hired servants.
[01:05:39] And he arose and came to his father.
[01:05:41] But when he was a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
[01:05:48] And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and am no longer worthy to be called your son.
[01:05:55] And then his father interrupts him.
[01:05:56] I love it.
[01:05:58] But the father said to the servants, bring out the best robe, put it on him.
[01:06:02] put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found and they
[01:06:14] began to be merry and his older son was in the field and as he came and drew near to the house he heard music and dancing that's what happened just make sure you're paying attention and he
[01:06:27] called one of the servants and asked what these things meant and he said to him your brother has come and because he has we have received has received him safe and sound your father has
[01:06:39] killed the fatted calf but he was angry and would not go in therefore his father came out and pleaded with him and he answered and said to his father lo these many years I have been serving you and I
[01:06:52] never transgressed your commandments at any time. And yet you have gave me no young goat and I might make Mary with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood
[01:07:07] with the harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him. And he said to him, son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make Mary and be glad for your brother
[01:07:20] was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found. You know, this, this is Jesus. He's being criticized for hanging around with sinners. He was being criticized by the religious, you know, in that time, the religious stayed away from sinners. Matter of fact, they would pray
[01:07:42] prayers to remove themselves out of the presence of someone who wasn't following God. I found this prayer by a first century Pharisee. Here's what he says. I thank you, Lord, my God, that you have
[01:07:54] set my portion with those who sit in the sanctuary and not with those who sit in street on street corners. I rise early and they rise early. I rise to ascend, uh, to attend to the word of Torah and
[01:08:07] they attend to futile things. I exert myself and they exert themselves, but I exert myself and receive a reward and they exert themselves and receive no reward. I run and they run. I run to
[01:08:19] life in the world to come to, I run to a life in the world to come and they run to a pit of destruction. Isn't it sad that Jesus has to, in essence, rebuke these religious people for
[01:08:34] something that we're called to do. You know, Jesus uses this moment to not only share with the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the religious people about where they're missing it, but also to teach us the heart of God. And he tells us about four lost things. I know some of us will
[01:08:49] think there's three, but it's actually four, a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost younger son, and a lost elder son. I love the progression he uses. He talks about one in 99 and then one in 10
[01:09:02] and then one in two. The sheep was lost because of negligence. The shepherd wasn't paying attention.
[01:09:08] The coin was lost on accident.
[01:09:11] The younger son was lost because of his rebellion.
[01:09:13] The elder son was lost because of his resentment.
[01:09:16] But the point is God cares about the lost church.
[01:09:23] So with this as our backdrop, I wanna give you some practical steps on this commission that we're calling you to, all of us to, not just pastor, not just somebody that's involved in our church.
[01:09:35] All of us are called to this.
[01:09:36] we're called to go and do something with this great gift that God has given us called the gospel of Jesus Christ and we'll make it really easy I don't want you to be nervous okay I don't want
[01:09:48] you to honestly be scared this is gonna be I'm gonna make it so easy that you're gonna be like I can do this I could do this every single day so here's step number one write this down if you're
[01:09:56] taking this step number one pray starts with prayer and here's what you pray God use me look if you're if you have guts enough today to pray that prayer just put your hand right on your chest
[01:10:08] I hope everybody would have the boldness to do this.
[01:10:11] And just say it with me.
[01:10:11] Say, God, use me.
[01:10:13] Say it one more time.
[01:10:14] Say, God, use me.
[01:10:16] This is where it all starts.
[01:10:18] See, the Bible tells us in Romans 12, verse one, it says, I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.
[01:10:27] If you study the life of Jesus, he would often go into helping the lost and those that are hurting and healing, and then he would come back to God and pray.
[01:10:37] And I believe that he didn't pray for himself.
[01:10:39] He prayed for everybody outside.
[01:10:42] He was praying that he could be effective wherever he went.
[01:10:45] Whatever it means, God, use me.
[01:10:47] Whatever it takes, God, use me.
[01:10:49] Wherever I need to go, God, use me.
[01:10:51] Whether it's at my work or at my school or even with my family.
[01:10:55] I know they're jacked up, but help me, God.
[01:10:58] Use me.
[01:10:59] 2 Peter 3, 9, the promise from God says that the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance.
[01:11:10] That's the heart of God.
[01:11:12] Pray this prayer.
[01:11:13] God, put someone in my life today that needs you.
[01:11:18] See, here's what I know.
[01:11:19] There is someone, someone's eternity that's waiting on the other side of your obedience.
[01:11:27] It's not just the pastor's job to share the gospel.
[01:11:30] No, it's your job.
[01:11:30] It's our job.
[01:11:31] Let's make it real simple today.
[01:11:33] The truth we all have a part to play.
[01:11:35] Now, here's where we can get kind of mixed up.
[01:11:38] And this is when I first became a Christian, this is where I got a little nervous.
[01:11:41] Am I supposed to take them through all the process?
[01:11:42] Like, you know, I need to tell them about the Lord.
[01:11:45] I need to tell them my testimony.
[01:11:46] I need to tell them about this and then lead them through the process.
[01:11:48] Matter of fact, that was the challenge for us.
[01:11:50] And I would go and minister to somebody and I wanted them to, you know, like fall on their knees in repentance and crying, you know, had tissues formed that were baptized and just like, and then they just get saved
[01:12:01] and all that stuff.
[01:12:02] Well, that doesn't necessarily, that's not how it happens. Sometimes it's your job just to sow the first seed, the first word.
[01:12:10] Sometimes it's your job just to water what somebody else has done. Sometimes it's your job to bring in the harvest, but it's always God's job to take care of the process. We're not the Holy Spirit. We're not God. There may be people that just a little glimpse of your life
[01:12:28] has an impact 10 years from now.
[01:12:32] Instead of praying, help me, give me, protect me, how about you pray, God, use me.
[01:12:39] God, work through me.
[01:12:42] So number one, pray, God, use me.
[01:12:45] Number two, love people.
[01:12:48] This is the heart of God, by the way, is love people.
[01:12:51] People are God's priority.
[01:12:54] Can I get an amen?
[01:12:56] The shepherd searched for the lost sheep.
[01:12:58] It was important to him.
[01:13:00] The woman searched for the lost coin.
[01:13:02] It was important to her. The father ran after the lost son. He was important to him. People are important to God and they should be important to us. What distinguishes us? It's our love one
[01:13:18] for another. How we love people. As Christians, we need to love. Now, we're not going to agree with everybody, but we still need to love them. We may think they're crazy, but we still need to
[01:13:33] love them. I'm a Christian before I'm anything. I love my country. How many of y'all love the United States of America? We live in a great country. Everybody wants to come here, but I'm a Christian before I'm an American. The values that I support, they're very important to me,
[01:13:55] but not everybody's going to have those same values. I don't get upset with them. I don't get frustrated with them if they don't know what they don't know. God only holds us accountable for what we know, not what we don't know.
[01:14:09] And so when it comes to ministering to people, I'm not gonna love them any different.
[01:14:13] You know, we're seeing a lot of stuff with the Islam, with the Muslim religion.
[01:14:18] So how are we supposed to treat that?
[01:14:20] How's that supposed to go?
[01:14:22] Well, Islam itself has a very anti-Christ ideology.
[01:14:27] But the people who are involved in it, God still loves.
[01:14:33] So no matter who I come into contact with, I'm called to love them.
[01:14:37] I'm a Christian, that's my job.
[01:14:40] See, we gotta understand, most people's lives are calibrated with the world, not the word.
[01:14:46] And so we love them.
[01:14:47] How do we love them?
[01:14:48] We don't acquiesce to their standard, no, no, no.
[01:14:52] We don't tolerate bad behavior, but we do it in love.
[01:14:57] We share the truth in love, but we don't hold back the truth because we think that's love.
[01:15:08] We don't lower our standard on our family.
[01:15:10] I know it's difficult because some of us have family members that are jacked up, that are going way in other directions.
[01:15:18] I prayed with a grandfather the other day who has a transgender grandson.
[01:15:24] He goes, I don't know what to do.
[01:15:24] I said, love him.
[01:15:27] Yeah, but he's just, his mind is warped.
[01:15:30] Yeah, every time you get around him, you just love him.
[01:15:34] You be a Christian.
[01:15:35] Well, what if he asked me a question?
[01:15:37] Tell him the truth.
[01:15:38] But that doesn't mean you don't love him because you're telling the truth.
[01:15:42] Matter of fact, we love him because we're telling them the truth.
[01:15:47] Love people.
[01:15:49] Love in such a way that people ask why.
[01:15:53] Pray, love people.
[01:15:56] All right, some of you in the first front rows, you should have got a ping pong ball.
[01:15:59] Grab that ping pong ball.
[01:16:02] Now, if you didn't sit up close enough, you didn't get a ping pong ball.
[01:16:06] Here's the deal.
[01:16:08] We're gonna have a little fun here at church.
[01:16:11] If you got a ping pong ball, I'm gonna challenge you to try to get your ping pong ball into this glass.
[01:16:19] If you get your ping pong ball into this glass, there is a, I just made it this morning, $100 bill right here for you.
[01:16:31] So you might wanna stand up, you know, because you might need to toss that ping pong ball.
[01:16:36] If you got a ping pong, stand up.
[01:16:38] Now, let me scoot.
[01:16:39] For those of y'all that are over there, I'll give y'all an opportunity to put your ping pong ball in here.
[01:16:46] Go ahead, y'all ready, go.
[01:16:47] one, two, three, go. Ready? One, two, three, go, go, go. That was pretty good. Any more?
[01:17:24] Don't wait until middle of the sermon. I'll say something you don't like and throw a ping pong ball at me. Anybody else? Now I know some of you, there's one more. I know some of you came up and
[01:17:33] put your ping pong ball in here, which was extremely smart, extremely smart. Now four of you did that. I do not have, I didn't make, but just one of these this morning. Um, and you're
[01:17:45] welcome. Whoever, whoever wants it can come get the a hundred dollar bill. Here's the point.
[01:17:50] The one who was able to put their ping pong ball in here had proximity, proximity in order to love the lost. You got to be where they are. You got to go where they are. Jesus had dinner with sinners.
[01:18:06] you know your neighbors do you know your neighbors see in our in our culture right now we don't even know our neighbors we whether hey how you doing and you and what's his name again honey I can't
[01:18:19] remember is it bill what's up buddy how you doing today hey sweetheart good to see you it's great to see you all right see you later then the garage comes down then we go into our life and we spend
[01:18:32] our time in our backyard because we don't want to get involved with other people because most of are crazy because we know they're kids. But see, in order to reach the lost, in order to find that
[01:18:45] sheep, in order to find that coin, in order to reach that son, you got to go to where the lost are. You got to get outside of your comfort zone. You got to live in proximity to those that we're
[01:18:58] ministering to. So God, if you're going to use me, then maybe you're going to put me in situations and places that I may feel a little uncomfortable. You know, when I became a Christian, when I first
[01:19:08] got saved, I was in a fraternity and I wanted to get my fraternity brothers saved. Now I wasn't ready for that because I just stopped drinking and doing drugs and all kinds of craziness.
[01:19:21] And so I had to take some, uh, some backup with me in order to go into those environments, but I did it. I shared the gospel with people and I went, I went into those environments.
[01:19:33] I wanted to get in proximity.
[01:19:35] See, proximity precedes impact.
[01:19:38] Do you know your neighbors?
[01:19:40] What about your coworkers, the people that you work with?
[01:19:42] I don't know that.
[01:19:44] You know, I don't have any Christians at my work.
[01:19:46] Exactly, that's why you're there.
[01:19:48] People come to me all the time.
[01:19:50] Pastor, would you pray that some Christians would come to my job?
[01:19:54] I said, no, no, you need to work on that.
[01:19:56] That's your job.
[01:19:57] I'm not gonna do your job for you.
[01:19:59] You get in there.
[01:20:00] You reach those people.
[01:20:01] You take some of those, all they do is talk about partying.
[01:20:04] Okay, change it to where they're talking about church on Monday instead about partying on Monday.
[01:20:09] You're the one, hello?
[01:20:11] Quiet in this Lutheran church today.
[01:20:17] How's your relationship with the families at your kid's sports team?
[01:20:20] I would be the one who brings the best orange slices.
[01:20:23] You bring the breast snack for that soccer game.
[01:20:26] You are the, my house, I'm gonna make my house, my block, the one that all the kids wanna come to.
[01:20:32] We're gonna have ping pong tables and whatever we need to have.
[01:20:35] I want all the kids coming over to my house because when the kids come, the parents come.
[01:20:40] How about you have a nice cookout and invite all your neighbors over?
[01:20:44] Well, what if they're crazy?
[01:20:45] What if they bring wine and I don't drink?
[01:20:48] Okay, who cares?
[01:20:50] This is the beginning of the relationship.
[01:20:53] This is the beginning of your opportunity to go into the wilderness to find that lost sheep, to go rummage through that house to find that lost coin.
[01:21:03] And trust God knows where he wants you to be, where he needs you to be.
[01:21:08] at this moment. So pray, love people, live in proximity. Here's number four, is be peculiar.
[01:21:17] Not weird and not a jerk, but be peculiar. In other words, live set apart. I love the King James version of 1 Peter 2, 9. It says, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
[01:21:32] a holy nation, a peculiar people. You know what that word peculiar there means? It means to be possessed by God. In other words, your life shows that your identity is not in what the world offers,
[01:21:48] but what God offers. So in essence, your life is very different than everybody else's. Meaning that people should see something distinctly different in you, your marriage, your kids, your family.
[01:22:00] Not perfect. We're not talking about perfection here. We're just talking about distinction.
[01:22:05] that there's something different.
[01:22:08] What do I mean by different?
[01:22:09] Hope when things seem uncertain.
[01:22:11] We live in an uncertain world right now, but with God, we have hope.
[01:22:16] We have peace under pressure, economic pressure, and you're in peace.
[01:22:20] They're going, how can you have so much peace when there's economic problems?
[01:22:23] Well, I know somebody who owns a cattle on a thousand hills, streets of gold where he lives in his neighborhood, and I'm connected to his kingdom.
[01:22:31] You wanna know him?
[01:22:33] That's distinct.
[01:22:35] Integrity when it costs something.
[01:22:36] Meaning that I'm not gonna make choices that are gonna devalue my integrity or my honesty.
[01:22:43] Joy when others are complaining.
[01:22:45] Grace when there's an opportunity for offense or forgiveness when others seek revenge.
[01:22:51] If you need an announcement to prove your faith, there's something wrong.
[01:22:57] People should look at your life and go, there's something different about you.
[01:23:00] There's something peculiar about you.
[01:23:03] Second Corinthians 3.2 says, you are an epistle written on our hearts.
[01:23:07] You know, there's five gospels in the New Testament.
[01:23:09] Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and you.
[01:23:13] You are a gospel.
[01:23:14] They may never read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but guess what?
[01:23:17] They're reading you every single day.
[01:23:20] What do you say?
[01:23:22] What does your life say?
[01:23:24] What is your letter to your coworkers?
[01:23:26] What is your letter to the people you play golf with?
[01:23:29] What is your letter to your family?
[01:23:33] I know families are hard because they know you.
[01:23:36] Then, oh, this is just a fad.
[01:23:39] Well, make it not a fad.
[01:23:41] make it a real change. What does your life say to people that you're around? And here's the last one. This is probably the most practical part of this whole message. Y'all good so far? Is be
[01:23:57] prepared. Know what to say, okay? Now, most people are afraid of going and sharing with people because they think, well, somebody's gonna ask me a question that I don't know. Look, people ask me that all the time. People ask me questions and I don't know. Well, yeah, but you're supposed to be
[01:24:15] like a, you've read the Bible a few times. You should know all the answers. No, I do not know the answers. So here's what I say. People come and ask me a question. I don't know. You know what I
[01:24:23] say? I don't know. Well, why did this happen to so-and-so? And why did this person die? And why did this person live? And why did these people get, I don't know. Now I know somebody that knows,
[01:24:34] but I don't know. And I just point him, I give him Olin's phone number. Anyway, You don't need seminary.
[01:24:44] You need clarity.
[01:24:47] Clarity.
[01:24:48] Clarity about what?
[01:24:49] Two things, right?
[01:24:50] These two things down and then we're done.
[01:24:53] The first thing you need to know is your testimony.
[01:24:57] The 60 second version, not the three and a half hour book version, okay?
[01:25:01] Just the elevator version.
[01:25:04] How do I know my testimony?
[01:25:07] I'm gonna give you three questions so that you can write your own testimony.
[01:25:11] I wanna challenge you.
[01:25:12] Look, I'm commissioning you today to go into all the world and preach the gospel to be a light and salt to those that you come into contact with.
[01:25:20] So how do I figure out what my testimony is?
[01:25:23] Three questions.
[01:25:24] The first question is very simple.
[01:25:26] What was my life like before Jesus?
[01:25:30] Write this down in your phone or dictate it into your phone.
[01:25:33] Get used to talking about it.
[01:25:35] What was your life like before Jesus?
[01:25:38] For me, I was an alcoholic.
[01:25:40] I'm an only child.
[01:25:41] I grew up in a drug-infested environment.
[01:25:43] And I was very far from God.
[01:25:45] I didn't know who God was.
[01:25:46] I went to church, but I thought, I never met God.
[01:25:51] So first question, what was my life like before Jesus?
[01:25:54] Second question, how did I meet Jesus?
[01:25:56] Well, I was at this fraternity party and this cute little blonde girl came in and I said, man, that girl is hot.
[01:26:02] And so I gave her my best line, will you hold my beer?
[01:26:07] And she held it and I went to the bathroom and I came back and I said, hey, I loved it.
[01:26:13] I don't even remember what I said because I was a little intoxicated at the time.
[01:26:16] But anyway, and I talked to this girl and her name was Penny and I kept bumping into her.
[01:26:24] And I said, I wanna date you.
[01:26:25] And she says, I don't date people who don't know God.
[01:26:27] And I'm like, well, I'd like to get to know him.
[01:26:35] Because I mean, I was interested in her.
[01:26:38] God was just an addition.
[01:26:40] So she took me to church and I bumped into God because I was chasing a girl.
[01:26:48] So question number one, it worked, right?
[01:26:51] What was my life like before Jesus?
[01:26:53] How did I meet Jesus?
[01:26:54] Question number three, how has Jesus changed my life?
[01:26:59] How's he changed my life?
[01:27:00] So he changed me because when I felt, when I bumped into him, he delivered me from alcohol.
[01:27:06] He delivered me from drugs and my life has never been the same again.
[01:27:10] There's my 60 second elevated version of my testimony.
[01:27:13] Look, Revelation 12 says that we defeat the enemy by the blood of the lamb, which we sang about and the word of our testimony.
[01:27:22] Listen, every time you share your gospel, the fifth gospel, you to somebody, you are breaking strongholds on people's lives.
[01:27:31] Every time you share about what you were like before, how you met him and what you're like now, you are breaking strongholds.
[01:27:39] You don't need to know the whole Bible.
[01:27:41] You just need to know what God did in your life.
[01:27:43] That's where it all starts.
[01:27:45] And you may not share it all in one sitting.
[01:27:48] It may be just a little leak.
[01:27:50] You know, I like to leak it out a little bit at a time.
[01:27:53] Just make them want more.
[01:27:54] Like, what did you mean by that?
[01:27:55] I'll tell you the next time.
[01:27:58] No, I wanna know now.
[01:27:59] Nah, you're not ready for that.
[01:28:01] I just kind of string them along for a couple weeks, you know, they go, well, can we talk about that?
[01:28:07] Nah, we don't need to talk about that right now.
[01:28:09] They're like, really?
[01:28:11] Yeah, yeah, we're not gonna talk about that.
[01:28:13] I'll see you later, call you tomorrow, see you, bye.
[01:28:15] And I just leave and they're just like, what in the world just happened?
[01:28:19] But then they come back again.
[01:28:20] Hey, can you tell me about that?
[01:28:21] Why do you act like that?
[01:28:23] Why are you different than that way?
[01:28:24] How come you don't cuss like everybody else does?
[01:28:26] How come you don't drink like that?
[01:28:27] How come you don't tell bad jokes?
[01:28:29] How come your life is, how come you can be married for 35 years to the same woman?
[01:28:32] How come, and then they start asking all these questions and I just share my testimony.
[01:28:37] I just share my testimony.
[01:28:39] Here's the second part, know the gospel.
[01:28:41] And I'm gonna break it down real easy for you, okay?
[01:28:44] You don't need to be able to quote scripture.
[01:28:45] I'm just gonna give you the gospel and four simple truths, okay?
[01:28:49] Write these down.
[01:28:50] The first is God's position.
[01:28:51] What is his position?
[01:28:52] He loves you and he wants a relationship with you.
[01:28:56] Not religion, a relationship.
[01:28:57] Not do's and don'ts, but a relationship.
[01:29:00] That's God's position.
[01:29:01] What's our problem or my problem is I'm a sinner.
[01:29:05] I've made mistakes.
[01:29:07] And those mistakes, I can't fix on my own.
[01:29:11] So what's God's provision?
[01:29:12] So God's position, my problem, God's provision is he gave us a perfect sacrifice.
[01:29:19] His perfect sacrifice was Jesus who died on the cross for our sins.
[01:29:23] He bridged the gap and he gives us forgiveness and a new life.
[01:29:28] So God's position, my problem, God's provision, and then what's my part to play in this?
[01:29:35] My part is repentance and faith in that sacrifice.
[01:29:40] That's the gospel.
[01:29:42] It's that simple.
[01:29:44] It's that easy.
[01:29:47] But it starts with your testimony.
[01:29:49] And listen, you may not be able to lead them all the way down that process.
[01:29:52] Invite them to church.
[01:29:53] That's the first step.
[01:29:54] Just invite them to church.
[01:29:56] 90% of the people you invite will come.
[01:29:59] Now, I know what they're gonna tell you.
[01:30:00] I already go to church.
[01:30:01] They don't.
[01:30:03] Here's how you know.
[01:30:03] Ask them who their pastor is.
[01:30:06] Because if they don't know who their pastor is, they don't go to church.
[01:30:10] No, they don't go to church.
[01:30:13] Push them a little bit.
[01:30:14] Invite them.
[01:30:15] Invite them to come to Freedom House.
[01:30:18] Because every single week, they're gonna have an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[01:30:24] Because every communicator at every campus is gonna share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[01:30:30] Without fail and at the end of every service, there's gonna be an opportunity for them to give their heart to Jesus Christ every single time.
[01:30:45] So I walked in that hospital and Jason was sitting there with tears in his eyes.
[01:30:54] And then I walked into the hospital room where his daughter, who had tried to take a bunch of pills the day before, had tubes all in her and she was in a coma.
[01:31:03] and I said, Jason, I will be here every day until we get a miracle.
[01:31:10] And so I showed up every single day for the next three weeks.
[01:31:16] Now his family didn't know God.
[01:31:19] They knew about God, but they didn't know God.
[01:31:22] I met his mom, his ex-wife.
[01:31:24] I met his grandma, her grandma.
[01:31:27] And I went every single day, every day, I went and prayed for this sweet young girl until one day, about three weeks in, and it was bad, y'all.
[01:31:36] I mean, it was really bad.
[01:31:37] They didn't know. It was like up in the air, but I knew God was going to do a miracle. I knew it.
[01:31:43] I just, you know, how you just know something in your heart. And I, I told my wife, I will go for the next six months. If that's what it takes, I'm going to show up every single day, three weeks.
[01:31:55] I went one day, I think it was like on a Thursday. She was in a coma. I went back Friday. The next day she was wide awake and God had completely healed this young girl, completely healed her.
[01:32:08] Now, what was interesting about the scenario is that she didn't know me. She didn't know who I was. And her dad didn't tell her who I was. So that last day I went in, she wouldn't even let
[01:32:22] me in the room because she didn't know who I was. I understand that, completely understand that.
[01:32:27] But she found out who I was, found out who we were. And her dad, Jason, her, her brother, her grandma all came to church on Easter Sunday and they sat on the front row and all of them
[01:32:44] raised their hand to give their life to Jesus. And then the next week they all got baptized.
[01:32:52] They all got baptized. Why don't you stand up on your feet? It all starts with God used me.
[01:33:01] Can you do it one more time? Just put your hand right on your chest. Here's the commission.
[01:33:04] just pray it out loud just say it so God can hear it hear you and you can hear yourself say God use me one more time God use me father I just pray for this commissioning today God I pray that you
[01:33:23] would supernaturally do something in our hearts today so that we see people like you see them that we hear people like you hear them God put us in proximity to those that need a savior that are
[01:33:36] lost, like a lost sheep or a lost coin or a lost son. Father, I pray that you would speak through us. God, help us with our testimony. Help us understand the gospel in Jesus name. Every head
[01:33:56] bowed, every eye closed. Even if you're watching online, if you're here in this room within the sound of my voice and you don't have a relationship with God, let me tell you something. He loves you.
[01:34:08] he cares about you and he sent his son to die for you we sing about that blood we sing about that love so much so that he died on a cross and listen he changed my life almost 40 years ago
[01:34:25] I was just a kid trying to figure things out on his own and I met this girl named Penny and she took me into a church similar to this. And I heard the truth that Jesus Christ loves me and he wants
[01:34:42] to be my friend and he wants to change me forever. And I fell in love, not with a bunch of do's and don'ts, but I fell in love with a man who spent his life on this earth and he gave his life for
[01:34:58] me. And I stand here before you, not perfect in any way, but I'm saved and I'm going to spend eternity with him. And one day I'm going to walk the streets of up in heaven and, and, and, and
[01:35:15] celebrate what God has done right here on this earth. If you're here today and you don't know him as your personal Lord and savior, don't, don't walk out of this room without making sure that you
[01:35:25] have a relationship with Jesus. Maybe you knew him at one time in the past. Don't, don't walk out of this place without knowing him. He loves you and cares for you. If that's you, just, would
[01:35:35] you just slip your hand up so I can see who I'm praying for. We're going to, we're going to pray a prayer today. Thank you, sir. Who else? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Let's pray this out
[01:35:44] loud. Church family, say this out loud. If you raised, if you raised your hand, pray this out loud so you can hear the faith come out of your own mouth. Say this with me. Say heavenly father,
[01:35:55] I believe that Jesus died for me. I believe that his blood washes me of all my sins and all my mistakes. Thank you, Jesus, for being raised from the dead so I could start brand new. Thank you, Lord. God, use me in Jesus
[01:36:18] name. And all God's people said, amen. Amen.

[01:36:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[01:36:26] Well, I don't know if you realize it, but Easter is five weeks from today, five weeks. And so we are going to resource you. The first thing I want to share with you is that we have a
[01:36:35] series resource called Real Evangelism. And right at the top, it says everybody ought to read this book, and that is from Billy Graham. So let's learn how to relationally reach people for Jesus. Secondly, we're going to make it super easy for you. We
[01:36:50] have these invite cards. The greeters are going to be handing these out as you exit. Make sure you grab a pack and start inviting people to church all month long. And the last thing, as
[01:37:00] you know, we have a Ballantyne campus that's coming. And so if you go out of the auditorium and you turn right, there's a table there.
[01:37:07] We are wanting you to handwrite a postcard that we are going to send to people in the Ballantyne campus.
[01:37:14] So if you could stop by there and just handwrite a card, that's gonna end up in somebody's home.
[01:37:19] And we pray and believe that they're gonna come to church as a result of your handwritten note.
[01:37:24] So there's lots of ways that we can reach people and we make it really simple.
[01:37:28] So these are the tools.

[01:37:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[01:37:29] And also if you raised your hand today or you're a first time guest with us, welcome home.
[01:37:34] We're so glad you guys are here.
[01:37:35] and if you would, stop by Guest Central located on the other side of the double doors.
[01:37:39] We have free gift resources we'd love to get in your hands.
[01:37:41] Love to get to know you a little bit more.
[01:37:43] So Freedom House, it was great worshiping with you today.
[01:37:45] I hope you learned something today.
[01:37:47] Go do it this week.
[01:37:49] Be a disciple.
[01:37:51] Share your story.
[01:37:52] Share your testimony.
[01:37:53] You can do it.
[01:37:54] I got faith in you.
[01:37:55] We'll talk to you next week.
[01:37:56] You are dismissed.