Transcript

Amen. Welcome to Great Commission Church. Like Bill said, my name is Jacob. I'm an associate pastor here, and I'll be preaching today. Trevor asked me to cover the pulpit and fill in on this series that we're doing called who Is yous One?

And he gave me the passage that we can find in Mark. And so we'll do that in one second. But I wanted to set it up like this. I like to try to imagine what the stories are like, especially narratives. Like, I'm going to be teaching today, kind of put myself, like, what would it be like?

What's it feel like? What's it smell like? All those things ask questions about these passages. And so I wanted you to imagine yourself standing before a door. There was a house and a door, and it was so crowded that not even a crack to slip through.

But on the other side of that door, you knew. It's incredibly important because you knew at the other side of that door there was hope and there was healing and there was forgiveness, but it just seemed impossible to get through that door because of the great crowd that was blocking the entrance. And this is the scene that is our passage today. A house filled to the brim, bursting with people eager to see Jesus. And now I want you to picture four friends who.

Who have carried a man who could not walk on a mat to this house, thinking, if we can just get him to Jesus, things are going to be different. And they had a determination to see Jesus. And they didn't let the obstacles stop them. Instead, they climbed the roof. They took some tiles off.

They started digging a hole in this roof so that their paralyzed friend would see Jesus. And not only that, they dug a hole big enough in this roof to start lowering their friend down at the feet of Jesus. And it wasn't easy and it wasn't convenient, it wasn't comfortable, but it was worth it. Because they believed that Jesus could change anything. They understood that in order for this man to have a normal life, Jesus would have to do something.

And so they walked along with this man. They carried this man to Jesus because they really did believe that, hey, if Jesus is here, anything is possible. And what if we carried that same boldness, that same passion, that same determination for the one person in our lives to meet Jesus, you know, that one person who doesn't know Jesus, they're far away from God, but close to you. What if we had that same determination that we see in these friends right here in this passage? And we said, no matter what it takes, awkward conversations, long hours busting through barriers.

Maybe it's walking across the street and finally introducing yourself to your neighbor that whatever it takes, I'm going to make sure that they meet Jesus and the friends in our passage today. They didn't give up trying to get their friends to the feet of Jesus. And it was messy and it was disruptive, and it probably cost somebody. It probably cost the homeowner to fix the roof. Could you imagine this scene after it's all cleared out?

Man, that was, you know, the homeowner's like, man, I'm so honored that Jesus used my house for all this ministry. And he's going around, he's like, man, someone ate all my food. And man, it's dirty everywhere. Oh, my God, there's a hole in my roof. Who's going to pay for this?

Maybe Jesus left something hidden to help pay for that. I don't know. It's not in the Bible. God decided that wasn't important for me to know. And my curiosity can go whichever direction it wants.

But the friends of the passage today, they didn't give up. And what I'm hoping for today is to unpack this story in such a way that this idea of that one person in your life, that you would get their image in your brain, that you'd have a name that's very specific and meaningful to you, and it has a burden attached to it, and you have this person that doesn't know Christ, and you would begin to not only just have this person's name in your mind, but you actually start fishing for them. You start being on purpose with them, that no matter how inconvenient, no matter how time consuming, no matter how awkward it might seem, that you would do whatever it takes to reach your one, that you would look up to heaven and say, you know what, Jesus? You're worth it. And now we live in SEC football country, so this is the best way I could phrase this, so you just fully can kind of jump into this story, right?

March madness is going on. Whatever you're a fan of, you'll understand this better when I tell you this. But some of you actually think you're playing the game that's happening, especially when it comes to football and sec, because I've sat on your couch and I have seen a bad call, and I have seen you jump up, throw the remote, and blast the ref in a godly, spiritual manner. Amen, in Jesus name. But there is passion, and I love it.

It's so fun, this fandom. You say things like, man, if we could Just tackle. Or you say things like, we played a great game, didn't we? Our offense is humming, isn't it? And we, like, encapsulate us as playing the game.

And I hate to break it to you, but you are not playing the game. You are not on that team. In fact, you aren't even on the sidelines on the bench of that game. That's how far removed we are from these sports worlds. But you are cheering, and you're a really good cheerleader for the team, and that's great, but it does not help with the outcome of said game.

And I really think. And the reason I. I love thinking about that is that I really think that we as believers are okay. Honestly, we're really good at cheering from the sidelines instead of getting on the field and contributing to the mission of God. And so that's kind of where I want to take this whole thing and this story of realizing that, hey, I can be a part of the crowd and, oh, look at what Jesus.

Oh, yeah, look at this. Or I can, like, go get my friend and bust through the roof and give them to Jesus, right? And let Jesus do what only Jesus can do. And honestly, I think this is so helpful. When you think about the mission of Jesus to seek and save the lost and you think of this huge world that needs saving, it's very overwhelming.

And that's why I love what Trevor's doing. He's boiling it down to just one person. He's like, take the masses out of your mind for a second. Who's that one person? Just one.

Starts with one, right? And so I'm really inspired by this whole thing. So Mark 2 is where we're going to be teaching from. We'll go from verse one to 12. It'll be on the screens.

I'll go ahead and start reading for you. It says, when Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room even outside the door while he was preaching God's word to them. Now, something important. We'll pause for a second.

Something really important is in that crowd and in a lot of crowds that Jesus was teaching in. There were typically spiritual leaders, Pharisees, scribes, these folks who would put this undue burden on God's people for salvation. They would say, well, you have to do this law, and you have to do this and this and this if you want salvation. And Jesus was constantly correcting them a Lot of times, the only ways that Jesus could do. And it's really captivating in this story.

So I wanted you to know that that's part of the crowd among other folks who are just onlookers, and they're just. They're just, hey, there's a big crowd. What's happening? Like, what is. I want to see what Jesus is doing.

So verse three, it says, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat, and they couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd. And so they dug a hole through the roof above his head, and then they lowered the man down on his mat right in front of Jesus. And I love that because, man, those are some awesome friends. Like, God, let me be that friend and let me have those types of friends, right? And so they tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus, but the crowd was too big, and so they couldn't find a way in.

I don't know if they asked politely or they demanded either, but no one was getting out of the way. Whatever Jesus was doing or saying, it doesn't say. Something awesome was happening. The crowd was not budging. And so what did they do?

They said, okay, well, we're not going to let this stop us. And so they climb on the roof, they bust a hole in. And I can just imagine what this was. Like, you're standing there, and all of a sudden you kind of get these little, like, dust things falling on your head and then bigger pieces. And all of a sudden you see some light shining through.

And then, like, a hand comes through and you're like, what is happening? And then, you know, you start ripping off these pieces, and you see a face poking through at that point. And then they end up making this hole big enough in this guy's roof that they can lower a mat down with this grown man on it. And then I love this. When they saw.

And then when Jesus saw their faith, he does something amazing. In verse five, he says, seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, my child, your sins are forgiven. And I wonder, were they disappointed because he didn't say, okay, yes, you can walk, or they didn't even. Jesus didn't even know exactly what they were going to ask, but they saw the faith in his heart and he just decides to forgive sins. And I'm telling you, the Pharisees did not like that one bit.

And we'll get into that in a second. But verse six and seven, it says, and some of the scribes, these are those religious leaders. I was Talking about were sitting there and they start reasoning in their hearts. So they start thinking about these things. I said, why does this man speak blasphemies like this, who can forgive sins but God alone?

And now that question comes up constantly in the Old Testament, who is this man? Who is Jesus? Even Jesus himself asked his disciples, hey, so who do people say that I am? And it's one of the most important questions that humanity will ever wrestle with. And if you don't have the answer to that question right now, I want to encourage you.

Who is Jesus to you?

Jesus. At one point, this is my favorite who is Jesus story in the Bible. At one point, he's in a boat and the waves are going. There's a storm raging. And what does he do?

He stands up on the boat and he rebukes the waves, right? And he tells them to be still. And it happens. And the men in the boat, they start looking at each other, more afraid of what just happened than the storm that was taking place. And they say, who is this man that when he speaks, creation listens, that creation obeys?

Spoiler alert. He's God. And in the crowd that day, Jesus knew what they were thinking. And he asked, and I love this because it's all like Jedi mind tricks that he was doing. He was like, hey, so I know what you guys are thinking, and I'm just going to go ahead and answer these questions.

So you don't even have to contemplate this anymore. Because they were questioning, but they were too afraid maybe to say it out loud, but because of the crowd. And so verse 8, it says, Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking. And he asked them, why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven, or pick up your mat and walk?

Because I do think that it's easier to say, your sins are forgiven personally, because that's the spiritual realm. And no one could see that Jesus did anything at that point, right? The crowd couldn't see a physical evidence of sins being forgiven. And now watch this. Verse 10.

Jesus says, so I'll prove to you that I'm the son of man who has authority on earth to forgive sins. And then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, stand up, pick in your mat and go home, because Jesus is here, so anything's possible. And verse 12, and the man jumped up and he grabbed his mat, I guess, because there wasn't any more room. And so he carried it with him and he walked out through the stunned onlookers the same onlookers that wouldn't let him come in. Now it's like split the Red Sea.

And they're letting him walk out because this is amazing what's happening right now. And they were all amazed and praised God. Exclaiming. We've never seen anything like this before. And I know we read this story because we've heard it a lot and we think, oh, that's cute.

No, that's crazy. Okay, A paralyzed man just stood up and walked. And that's what they were hoping for, right? But everyone was still amazed and they gave praise to God. And here's the beauty.

Don't miss this verse. They were all amazed and they praised God. Exclaiming. We've never seen anything like this before. Not like amazing like you go to the state fair and you pay a quarter to see the world's smallest woman.

Kind of amazing, right? It's not like this. This is like I am filled with awe and wonder. My heart is full because God just did what only God can do. Now, a few things that I want us to see as we're looking at this passage, as we begin to really set our hearts on the one that one person that Jesus says, that's your mission that we're going to pull out of this passage.

Number one is these men who brought the paralyzed man to the feet of Jesus. They had a mission. They were pretty determined, they were pretty clear on what they wanted to accomplish. You see, mission gives us direction. Mission gives direction in your family.

Mission gives direction in your life. Mission gives direction in your business, right? And I know some of you have like, you're like all conference families, you have like a vision statement for your family, right? And you got some pallet wood and you like nailed it together. And you painted something really pretty because you're real artsy.

And you, you hang it over your doorway on your way out. And you know, it says stuff like our family does hugs, we laugh, we cry, we give high fives, and your family's leaving every. And they're like tapping it and stuff. Yeah, we go, we hug each other and all that. And if my family had a mission statement and I was in charge of it, it'd be like a piece of cardboard I ripped and like spray painted some stuff because I'm not artsy at all, y'all.

It is bad. Now I have three boys and one little girl. And our mission statement would basically be, hey, we're loud, we break things and we eat all the food and be like, ps, a princess lives here. You Know, like. But I wanted you to think about your company maybe.

And your company probably has some sort of mission statement or they have a direction that they want to go. And if you're working your job and you start to go outside of that mission that was defined for you, what happens? Your boss says, hey, I need to talk to you. Come to my office. And he starts to try to reel you back in, and he starts to remind you of the vision of the company.

Hey, you're going the wrong direction. You're focusing on the wrong thing. Now, that's good and all, but if you want to keep doing that, maybe you should look for another job. Or maybe you can start your own company if you want to pursue those things.

Instagram has a mission statement that's pretty interesting. Some of you all thought it was just like an app on your phone, but it's actually a company, an organization. They like making money, but it's this. The mission statement is this, to capture and share the world's moments. And some of you all did this this past week.

You saw your kid probably at the tea party that we did, or maybe it was your food and. And you took a picture of it and you're like, man, everyone needs to see this. This is so God would probably eat this food. It's deep fried goodness, Are you kidding me? And you posted it for the world to see, right?

You captured and shared the world's moments. And so you're doing exactly what Instagram wants you to do. You are accomplishing their mission. And so a mission statement provides clarity, and clarity is kindness every time. And Jesus had a mission statement.

And it's really interesting when you look at the creator of the world, the Savior of the world. Well, what's his mission statement? And it's this. It's found in Luke 19, verse 10. For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.

That is Jesus mission statement, 1 verse. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. And in our passage today, those men had a defining mission. The friends that brought the paralyzed man before Jesus. What was their mission?

What was their vision? What was the thing they were hoping for? It was that their friend would walk if they got him to the feet of Jesus. And then I start thinking, well, what's driving us? Me, you?

And a better question is, what spiritual things drive you? What kingdom dreams do you find yourself daydreaming about? What things in your life are you thinking about in the spiritual realm and you're dreaming about that are moving you in such a way that you're not just living for this moment right now, but you're living for eternity. You know, there's a little bit of a forever attached to these dreams. What do you have a holy burden for?

And I think a better way to ask that is, who do you have a holy burden for? What are the things in your life that are welling up inside of you for eternity's sake, that are driving you and pushing you forward? Because in this passage, these men, the driving force for their motivation was that the lame would walk. And as disciples of Christ, I don't think we get to pick our mission, to be honest with you. I don't think we get to pick a mission statement and put it on our wall, because I'm pretty sure Jesus defined it for us.

And it's called the Great Commission. And it's the greatest mission on planet earth for a believer. And it's to go and make disciples and baptize and teach and. And I love this when you think about it, because step one is, okay, I've got to go. So as I'm going about our life, you know, you can kind of boil this down to your own little world.

Instead of thinking this massive, I gotta go everywhere, what if you just start going in your own little world? Well, then doing what? Making disciples? How do you make a disciple? You tell someone about Jesus.

Well, then what? Then you baptize them and teach them. You walk them alongside this path. No one walks alone. You come alongside of them.

And that's the Great Commission. And we have summarized this. It's on the side of this bucket here. It's win your world. And what we mean by that is you have a world that you interact with every day.

And your world is the places you live, work, eat and play. You know, your neighbor is part of your world, right? Your family is part of your world. That co worker is part of your world. These places that you eat all the time, these waitresses that you always interact with and see, that's part of your world.

The golf course or the gym or the ball field, the parents that you sit around watching your kid play, it's like either you can get in your own little world on your phone or you can actually realize this is the world I'm supposed to reach. Did you know your kids have their own little world too? And as we attempt to disciple our children, it's helping them recognize that. That they have their own responsibility for the Great Commission to win their world. Maybe it's their school or they do gymnastics, or they're at the ball field with their friends in the dugout and helping them realize that that's the world that they're responsible to win for Jesus.

And so we go into our worlds and we are to tell people about Jesus and the salvation that he offers. And we are to walk alongside of them and help them to get planted into a house of God, a church, and to help them see the benefits of baptism and help them walk through as disciples of Christ and get them acclimated to. Here's what believers think, here's what believers do, here's how we interact with each other and disciple them. And so our prayer must be as Jesus mission statement that the lost might be found and that God would use me as an ambassador for the gospel. And those that are far away from God but close to me would come to faith in Christ.

But listen, these men didn't just have a mission, right? They had an eager expectation. They had an expectation that, hey, you know what? Maybe, just maybe, we've heard rumors that Jesus does some pretty amazing things, but maybe if we can just get our friend to the feet of Jesus, maybe Jesus is going to do what only Jesus can do. And so they actually thought, hey, if.

If we actually do, he might actually do something. And when I think about that, it kind of makes my heart race. Because if that was me, if I was one of those friends carrying him, I would be thankful. There's three other guys that hopefully had more faith than I did. Because the closer I got to that house and the more obstacles I saw, I would start psyching myself out a little bit.

Well, what if the crowds booed me because I'm trying to cut in line, right? What if Jesus doesn't heal him? Like, do we. Like, what's the walk of shame look like after that? We're still gonna carry this guy.

Hey, guys, what if the homeowner starts attacking us cause we're wrecking his roof? You know, all these things would crop up in my mind, hey, God, what if we just wait? Let's just wait, and the crowd will go away and we'll catch Jesus on the way out. Well, what if you miss him? And they thought, you know what?

It's worth the risk. I don't care if we're ridiculed. I don't care if this is gonna be awkward. It's worth the risk to get my friend to the feet of Jesus. And I really think, and I say this as a we statement to make myself feel like I'm not the Only one.

But I really think I need more risk in my safe life. And I would imagine you're the same way. You probably need a little more spiritual risk in your safe life. And sometimes we need to be put in a position that just kind of motivates us, right, that pushes us a little harder out of our comfort zone than we thought were possible. There is a military strategy that I just think is kind of cool.

It's called death ground. Doesn't that sound kind of cool, like, death ground? Death ground refers to a situation where troops are placed in a position, usually on purpose, by the way, where they have no way to retreat and they must fight for survival. You see, their commanding officer typically would place them with maybe their backs to a mountain or an ocean or something where they can't retreat. And so he'd strategically place them in these positions so that they had to fight like they've never fought before.

It's also called desperate ground. Death ground, Desperate ground. Because the commanding officer knows that the only way for us to win this fight is if the soldiers become so motivated to fight like they've never fought before, that the only alternative to victory, it's going to be annihilation. Either we win or we're done. There's no retreat.

And when soldiers have no escape route, they're required to put forth extreme effort. And they fight like dogs, and they push forward with such passion and vigor that they didn't even know was possible because they can't give up. The stakes are too high. It's death ground. And for believers, I think God puts us in positions like that, but not so we can trust ourselves more, but that we can trust God to do what only God can do.

And I think of men in the Old Testament like Moses, who took the baton of leadership and handed it to Joshua. And so Joshua is now in charge of leading God's people to the promised land. And In Joshua, chapter 1, verse 8, the Lord looks at Joshua and he says this. You're going to have to be strong and courageous, Joshua. You're going to have to be strong and courageous.

Translating this. I'm going to put you in such a hard position that you're going to have to trust me like you never thought possible. I'm going to put you in a position, and it's going to feel really, really impossible. But you're going to have to trust me, Joshua. You're going to have to be courageous, and you're going to have to be strong.

And God gave him a task that is really unusual. And this is what it was. They were going to go to battle against a city called Jericho. And now Jericho was not some little wimpy city, right? And it didn't have little walls built around it.

It was a fortified, defensively minded, built up city. And God says that you're going to conquer this city. And he says, here's how you're going to do it. You're going to yell at the wall. Wait, what?

No hand grenades, no bazookas, no tanks? None of that, I promise. God probably said that. He said none of that. Nope.

You're just going to scream. And could you imagine what it was like to pitch that battle strategy to your troops? So, guys, we're going to take the city? God said we're going to take the city? Yeah, let's do it.

How are we going to do it? Well, we're going to scream at the wall. Wait, what did he just say? Just screaming. Yep, yep.

All we're going to do is we're going to go and we're going to yell at that wall. And I'll tell you what, though, they trusted God to do something that seemed silly and they yelled at the wall, and the wall came crashing down. It's almost as if God put these men in such a position that their backs were up against the mountain. And he says, you know what? You're only going to win if I do what I'm going to do.

There's no other human reason that you're going to win. You're going to have to trust me. Like you never trust me before Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, right? They would not bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar and the statue he created. So the king goes to these three men and says, you're going to bow down or you're going to be put in the furnace.

You know the story. They end up in the furnace, right? Because they wouldn't bow down. And they said, but even if God doesn't save us, he said, God's going to save us. And he said, but you know what?

Even if God doesn't save us, we're still not going to bow down because our hearts are attached to God and that's worth more than our Life. In Hebrews 10:39, it says, but we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved, that press forward and move forward in faith, that's the believer. That's what we walk in. And in Hebrews chapter 11, what do you See, you see this great hall of faith, right? It's people who saw God shut the mouths of lions and defeat giants, and they all stepped out in faith.

They all took a risk. And I think, when I think about these things and I read these stories, and I think, man, when was the last time I took a risk? You know, I'm not talking about put your life at stake kind of risk, but it's a stepping out in faith and thinking, okay, guys, if you're the only way that this can happen. And one of the exercises that I like to do in my mind when I think about the lost and my responsibility in the Great Commission is I'll close my eyes and I'll imagine this vast throne room of God and these masses of people just all over, mingling and worshiping Jesus. And I'll scan the room in my mind and I'll say, oh, yeah, there's, you know, there's such and such.

You know, there's my friend or my neighbor. Oh, there's my parents. Okay, good, good, good. And then I do the opposite of that, right? And I start scanning the room and I start thinking about who's not there, who's missing.

Oh, man, where's my co worker? Or God? Where's that neighbor, man, I hate? He didn't make it. Where's my buddy from work?

You kind of feel that. You kind of feel like your back's up against the mountain and there's no retreat because you got to take ground for the kingdom of God, for that one person. What if it's you that's supposed to carry that friend on the mat to Jesus? And I think, man, I would hate to not do that. And as you contribute to the kingdom of God going forward, you're going to encounter obstacles every time.

One of the obstacles I have is I live in a Christian world, a bubble. Like, my kids play homeschool Christian sports. Their coaches are pastors. I work at a church. I don't know lost people.

And so I thought, that's my obstacle. I got to fix that. So I start bringing food trucks to my neighborhood. Now, apparently, lost people like to eat. I was like, I like to eat.

So we go. And now I'm like, meeting lost people. I start using this Bless app where it's. It tells you your neighbors to pray for. I'm praying for my neighbors, and would you believe that they're actually contacting me now, unprompted?

They're just reaching out to me. Hey, I know we haven't talked, and so I'm like, all right, well, thank you, Jesus, for making this easy. And at some point in the story, the men that were trying to bring the paralyzed friend that they were carrying on the mat, they tried to bring him before Jesus, but the door is too crowded and they can't get in. And they're like, well, that's a closed door. You know, that's Christianese, right?

For it's too hard. Oh, God. I guess God doesn't want to save them. That's a closed door. You know, don't you say that or, oh, God opened all these doors.

All that means that was easy, right? And sometimes. Sometimes God says, you know, I'm not closing that door. I just. I just need you to kick it.

I just need to put your hole in the roof. Like, you just need to try harder, right? I want you to focus on really having a passion for this person and getting them to the feet of Jesus.

And sometimes closed doors are really good, and sometimes we just got to kind of kick them in, right. Instead of getting flustered about it. And I want you to imagine. This is another exercise I like to do. I want you to imagine that you're in heaven and everything's great, and this person walks up to you and they look at you and they say, you.

You know, one of the reasons I'm here is because you took a chance on Jesus. And I said, you know what? I know I was super stubborn, and I know you gave every reason to give up, but you didn't. Because Jesus is worth it. Yeah, Jesus is worth it, man.

You know, Blair, he started interacting with his neighbor. It's his one. We'll call him Ron. And Ron made it very clear from the get go, because Blair loves to just invite people to church and tell people about Jesus from the get go. And Ron said, hey, you know what?

I'm anti religion. Don't like the church, don't want anything to do with it. And I don't know about you, but I would have said, all right, well, he's not my one closed door. Who's next? Let's find the easy button.

But Blair says, nah. Okay, let's do this a little different. I got a project. Would you come help me with a project? Everyone loves helping, you know, Salvin.

So he comes help with a project, and Blair says, hey, I'll tell you what, thanks for helping. That means so much to me. I want to cook you the best steak you ever had in your life, because every man thinks they can cook the best steak that you've ever had. In your life, right? And he said, hey, come over with the family and we're going to eat and it's going to be great.

And he says, hey, you know what? My anxiety, I can't do that. Like, I suffer from anxiety and I can't. I don't want to be around people in a house and all that. And does Blair give up?

No, he goes in and there's this other neighbor that he has who he commissions. He's like, look, you're real friends with Ron. Would you help me get Ron to church? You know, this other neighbor, he's a believer and who doesn't go to church currently. And so he's like, now it's like a two for one thing where it's like, you know, getting all these folks.

And he's like, he's just not going to give up. He's like, there's all these obstacles and it would be so easy to give up. But Jesus is worth it. And I'm going to get my friend who I now love. I have a holy burden for him.

I'm going to do whatever it takes to get him to the feet of the Jesus until Jesus comes back. And those are our marching orders. And one of the things that I want you to know is I'm super out of time and I'm trying to hurry. I apologize. But Jesus told his disciples this.

He said that if you follow him, he's going to give you a new task and he's going to give you a new mission. And it's this. Jesus looked at his disciples and he says, follow me from your current state that you're in. He's like, you don't got to change anything about who you are right now, but I'm going to make you fishers of men because God will use the you that you are right now. And all these excuses come into our brain.

Well, I don't know very many Bible verses or, you know, I really don't live a great Christian life all the time or, you know, my reputation or this or that. It's like, hey, Jesus is going to take care of all that. He just says, go get your friend and introduce him to me, right? We'll take care of all that other stuff that you think is holding you up.

And I really want to ask you this one question. It's what we've been asking for the last couple weeks. Who is your one? And it's easy just to have like this figment person and this name, but who is that one person that you really have A holy burden for. And if you don't have someone ask God to give you that.

Is it a parent or a friend? Maybe it's the guy at the gym. Or maybe it's the childhood friend that popped up in your life all of a sudden randomly, right? Who is the one person that you want to see God do in their life what only God can do? And are you willing to cut a hole in the roof?

I know that you at one time where someone's won. Have you ever thought about that? You were the paralytic on the mat and you had some really great friends. Maybe it was a parent or a grandmother. Man, I love grandmas.

They ain't scared of nothing. So you come to church and you're going to meet Jesus and I know you had that person in your life and you could probably trace it back, right? And you probably were really obnoxious about it. I don't want to go to church. I don't want to go.

I don't like all these excuses. And you made it really hard for them, right? But I'll tell you what, they didn't give up. And they brought you to the feet of Jesus and here you are worshiping your Savior and you thought, man, I'm glad they didn't give up. I'm glad that I'm spending most of my life worshiping Jesus.

And here's what I want you to know, that the baton is now in your hands, right? They did what they were supposed. They accomplished that mission. You're here and now the baton is in your hands. And who's your one?

Who's the one person that you're willing to go to battle for who needs the hope and the healing and the forgiveness that only Jesus can provide? And we should stop just settling for being these bystander fans and, and saying, I'm getting on the field and I'm doing this thing because Jesus is worth it. You know, the fishermen that Jesus called didn't just stay on the shore admiring their nets. They actually cast them back in the deep water, trusting Jesus to bring the harvest. And what did he do?

He filled their boats up. And today it's your turn to cast your nets and to start fishing. Man. Trevor has been really becoming focused on this and it has been doing my spiritual life just. Man, it's so good to focus and be part of the Great Commission.

And he's given us those 30 day prayer journals and if you don't have one, please grab one in the lobby and really write a specific person's name on there every day as you're praying. I'm praying for the lost in ways that I never thought possible. And it is invigorating to my soul. And I encourage you to do that. He also has this visual aid that he started tracking for us and he wanted.

He was out of town today and he's like, but I really want the church to really just grasp this and get this. So he did a video and so he's going to tell you a little bit about that. So go ahead and play that video.

Hey, church family, it's me again. One more time. You may have noticed the display on the stage with the color ping pong balls. And I just want you to know it's. It's part of our who Is yous One?

Campaign. Each one of us is praying for at least one person who we call our One to come to know Jesus in this season. It could be a friend. It might be a relative, a co worker or a neighbor. It's someone you're personally connected to and who lives close enough to one day be a part of our church family.

Let me give you that definition one more time. Someone you're personally connected to who lives close enough to be. To one day be part of our church family. You'll see there's a clear container with different colored ping pong balls. And here's what each color means.

There's a white ball and the white ping pong ball stands for your 1. Whether you have 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 ones, just one white ping pong ball. And you've prayed for them officially by name. And here's our definition of official prayer. You've either prayed for them by name in your small group, so your small group leaders and your small group members know the name of your One, or you've come up to one of our prayer teams after a service and pray for your one to be said.

And they know the names of your One. So once you get a one and you get them officially prayed for, place a white ping pong ball in the box. The next color is blue. And blue stands for you've officially shared the gospel with them. You've told them the bad news, the good news, the proper response to the gospel.

And then you've asked them if they want to repent and believe you shared the Gospel. A blue ball, the orange ball is your one came to a Sunday service after you began to pray for them. They came to church. Orange ball. And then the last one, the green ball, is they got baptized.

My One came to know Christ and is baptized in Great Commission Church. Each time one of these steps happens, drop the matching color ball into the container. We think it's a simple but powerful way to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of the people that we care about. So who's your one? Let's keep praying.

Let's keep sharing. Let's keep inviting. Let's keep believing. Let's win our world one person at a time. Amen.

There is something powerful about sticking a ping pong ball in this piece of plastic, isn't there? I don't understand it, but it is motivating. And I'm thinking, all right, I got a ball in there. Step number two, gospel. Let's do it.

Let's go. Hey, we're finishing up the service, guys. One of the things I'd love for you to take this card, if you're new especially, and bring it to the lobby and they'll give you a gift. Exchange it for this card. And if everyone else, put them in the wooden boxes and hey, go ahead and stand with me.

Prayer ministry team, come on forward. Let me pray for you. Hey, if you'd be so bold and entertain me for a second. If you take that one finger and stick in the air, representing the one in your life, let's pray for that person. God, we thank you for that one person in our life that doesn't know you.

And God, I pray that I would be the person that you would use to bust open the roof, to not be intimidated by obstacles, but I would introduce them to you. Would you give me boldness and would you make me strong and courageous? In Jesus name, Amen. You're dismissed. Come on and receive prayer.

Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.

We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.

At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.

Great Commission Church is a non-denominational Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia.

See you Sunday at Great Commission Church!