Brian "Head" Welch Interview | It's Time for a Comeback | Pastors Eric & Kelly Dykstra

all right just I thought somebody real quick and say hey thanks for hanging out with me tonight and you can be seated [Applause] [Applause] so I know that you're here because you just think my preaching is really good I did not think I was gonna get any fear for that I know you're not here because you want to hear me preach a sermon I know that you're not here cuz I mean I'm sure some of you like me that's great I'm glad I know I know why you're here though I'm here I know you're here because there's somebody that's a friend of mine yeah Kelly is my friend that is true she is my closest friend friends with benefits yes she's beat honest married a long time 25 years in May yep so I know the reason why you're here is because you want to hear a story of somebody whose life has been transformed and changed and he's a good friend of mine I love him dearly so Brian Welch can you just take the stage with me give it up for Brian thank you for doing this a lot of do you drink a lot of coffee tons yes I'm kind of like a squirrel on crack okay so um yeah comfy so yeah he doesn't have much sleep cuz the show last night which I go to show last night yep sorry I'm wearing the same clothes [Laughter] that's the only warm thing you own yeah well I brought this jacket on on tour and everybody loved it and they're like you gotta wear it on stage so we're on stage so now he wears all the time he's the only jacket I got he even ate dinner and it last night at our house so we've been friends for eight ish years some like that right we've always stayed in contact even though I haven't seen you except a couple shows yep but yeah so last time I saw you was in Chicago before this like three years ago right was it more than that there's also a couple books people asked me to endorse their books and I just know I wasn't good at it and I'm not gonna say which books but someone may have helped me yes Kelly helps endorse his books so because you're my only rock star friend no pastor Ted's my rock star friend to where [Music] you have a son I know but he's not my friend he's my son okay yeah I have a rockstar son - yes but I'm talking to my Rockstar friend last night and we're talking about cars and we're like you brought up Lamborghinis tell it tell us the car you drive Rockstar yeah I love my Prius so I got a Beemer two years ago we're working on the latest corn record I got a Beemer put 22 inch rims on it and it was just awesome but I put my Prius in Indiana where my daughter lives I had a little place there and I miss my Prius so I sold the Beemer and brought back my Prius so and I had Corey Taylor ride in it from Slipknot hey Corey was like this is sick yeah right no we did we did a skit he's like I'm now writing a no Prius come on the windows are tinted so some people as much as everybody knows of corn doesn't know about your rise to stardom talk about the journey from just local band to to making it big just tell us tell us that story just for a second well we were just I knew the guys from elementary school I knew I knew who Jonathan was I didn't hang out with him we just never connect I think he was you know he's stay in your grade kind of thing and I think he was one he was one but beneath me and I got to the school I was in fourth grade he was in third grade and then so we stayed in that school together never really hung out met field II in seventh grade in monkey ninth grade and I got both both of those guys that got filthy playing his bass because he saw two guitar he couldn't play guitar so I got to play in the base and then monkey played acoustic because he he chopped off some of his finger on like a motorbike a minibike or something something happened I don't I don't remember what but I sold him my electric guitar and and so yeah we connected like that I've gotten some little I wouldn't call it hair metal cuz we didn't really I mean we did have you know it's Pony Fieldy the tough guy in our band or whatever the he had the biggest hair and he had the tightest bands and everything really so yeah but we just played little cheesy bands you know or whatnot and and around 18 years old they took off they got into faith in the mornin Tilly peppers and I was still like stuck in Yngwie Malmsteen and do and then Whitesnake and all these different bands and uh and so they bailed out there and I actually stayed back with a girlfriend she dumped me I got suicidal and I've moved up I said I want to I want to be with you guys and they let me live with them and I tact for them so I was the I started these guys in their instruments and I was their roadie can you believe that so that happened for a few years and then I got sick of partying and just doing nothing with my life and I was gonna go to college and they asked me to join the band cuz they got into like Alice in Chains was hitting it pretty hard and in the the grunge movement came and so they wanted to get back into that and I'm like cool I could work with that and I was so excited when they asked me to come back I felt like we were kids again you know and we're all together and and so then we played one show kicked out the singer found Jonathan Davis in Bakersfield where we all grew up all that happened in LA but like we met we went to school in Bakersfield but then when I went back to visit my parents we found Jonathan Davis me and the guitar player monkey found him at a bar playing with some band and we were like we need someone like him and then we're thinking won't we just steal him we stolen meant to be so then you guys from there that how quickly did it take before you guys were more playing giant shows the house I cook how long did it take before you kind of made it there was like that was like 93 so yep playing I mean I think we probably 97 so about four years didn't take long then so you kind of hit the the the high life man things are going awesome like if you haven't read his book you should read his book kind of the story of the the process of all the wheels kind of fallen off on that but like tell us tell us after you kind of made it then what happened next and how did the wheels start falling off and where did things start to to take a dive in the wrong direction tell us tell us a little bit of that story yeah well just uh you know at first it's a it's a big thing where we were talking to her bro earlier we're just like it you just you're high on life and you're just like it's taking life by the horns but um and you just go for it you know and you're in adrenaline like we were talking about you're just going for so we're riding this adrenaline wave and just going for the rock stardom we had managers there helping push us we were gaining ground and then all of a sudden in 98 it went through the roof and MTV was got us and radio who hated us at first this is noise that and they they started playing us and so it just went through the roof we got bigger than we ever thought and I was talking earlier that I just saw a documentary that and some health experts said that uh being like becoming famous it can be traumatic you can get actually get trauma from it because it's not like you're we're not built for that and so I think that happened to us a little bit and then the partying and the drugs didn't help out but you know once we got that big it was just kind of like that we made it and that adrenaline thing was kind of like okay we're here now what you know we made it so Oh next record we gotta stay on top you know and it was just kind of this chasing thing and it was hard to enjoy it because we're a mess you know it's like our dream was handed to us we're holding it we're living it but we were having a hard time really enjoying it the parties were fun right you it says the Bible says man you can have pleasure and sin for a season yep but later it will eat you alive doesn't say that that's the brand had welts version but it's true basically it says that and that basically that's what happened to us and and so it just we deteriorated all of us our souls our minds our emotions or our music or our families everything just eroded with negativity everything was negative so tell tell us the story of linden basically how you ended up hitting rock bottom because we have a lot of people that are here tonight that are either dealing with addiction and or coming out of addiction and they're battling through that whole process talk us through like how you ended up at rock bottom and then what happened next well it was and I want to say I'm gonna say again there was fun times I'm not like saying oh poor Rock store world it was there was fun times we need a lot of people we hung out but it was always we were high and drunk you know and it was like I didn't know we didn't know who we were because we were just messed up all the time and so rock bottom came when I got a phone call I was on tour with Metallica it was this tour of our life man James Hetfield got his he's back messed up somehow and he had instead of canceling the show they let us play with him so I played James guitar nothing else matters and some another song and wrote in their private jet and it was like the rock star dream come true like when with Metallica and then you got a Prius in what and then you got a Prius in a Prius in get a phone call from my friend Billy he works at a pawn shop where we live in Orange County he's like bro there's some skinheads in here and they're trying to sell your stuff I saw in your house Korn Awards and I'm like chased him out of the store you know so they left he got the stuff and I called home and I was like who's been in our house honey and she's like blew it off and then finally after a shouting match she's like my friends are here and and you're always gone and you leave me in Jenaya Jenaya is my daughter and we're scared whoo and we're we're scared and meanwhile we're in like a rich neighborhood and he has scared of what the frickin doctor next door and she admits she goes I got a boyfriend I'm leaving you I'm taking half your money and I'm just like shocked and I'm like I want to commit murder and I'm like who are these people they're skinheads or you can take my daughter and raise our kid with with a bunch of skinheads that's isn't that like Tarzan you know I ain't doing that and so I said okay but but but I was like let's keep the family together look I could forgive this maybe if we can talk let's just talk I'm flying home she goes I don't want to see you so I just I flew home anyway she was gone the baby was there grabbed the kid took her on the road had her for about a month on the road and just tried to deal with it and we got back home and it was it was it was done and life was life was done and with her and another bad thing happened where I when I got home I was like I didn't know how to deal with the pain I was having parties and you know letting the kids play but we're just drink and doing some coke and and one night we played pool with the guys till like 1:00 a.m. they left I passed out in the couch if I woke up at 4:00 just to check on Jenaya and she was gone and I and this was a rock-bottom moment for me because I walked out to the backyard and I found her sleeping on the lounge chair next to she was like this with her thumb in her mouth and she couldn't swim and she was two feet from the pool she was looking for me and I felt so shocked and like The Biggest Loser and I could have had my daughter could have died because of me not locking item I had a freaking pool safety gate and someone didn't shut it and we didn't unlock she was just looking for me that was it and so I got sober right then and then that was like four months and then Obama or bin Laden sorry Obama bin Laden sorry my bad thanks Obama don't the planes hit the towers and all that and that I started drinking again after that I'm like World War 3 - but during that during that time I moved back to Bakersfield so my parents could help me and see my daughter and I'm still in corn and that's when I could the bomb with addiction like fell into my life and it was crystal meth but what I what I did off and on and my wife did with the skinheads and took her I thought they were scum back so I wasn't gonna do it ever again cuz I saw how bad it could ruin a life but just this weekend and then I did it that weekend and then I was hooked I went on tour with Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour I was high on speed the whole tour for two years every single day that was the rock rock rock bottom so the thing about addiction is there's there's so much spiritual stuff going on with it in fact the Scriptures talk about it says in the book of Revelation that there's a connection between alcoholism and drug abuse and the demonic so talk about that for a second because there's a spiritual war going on over every person's life like how did how does how did darkness kind of feel like it was kind of like invading your soul and kind of moving and talk about that for a second I was blind as a bat so I thought it was just like you know I knew drugs bad do drugs feel like crap you know yep drink too much hangover I knew all that but I didn't I could not believe or no one had I had no understanding of like demonic or God or anything like that I was just in the world and sign I tried to fight the addiction over and over but drugs are it's a there I think there's a spiritual aspect to them because you're ingesting you know or inhaling and and one of the words for spirit is breath and so when we receive the holy spirit we're like breathing in Jesus he comes and lives inside of us and so there's definitely connection there I think it's counterfeit because they eat you alive and ruin your life counterfeit spirit yeah like the real or hi you know and so but it's scary man and and I felt dark and I felt depressed like we were real good friends with a lot of the porn pornography people in Hollywood and everything and just that's just the darkness I felt around them it's just crazy it was really and just knowing like hearing the stories and stuff where everybody gets so high or whatever and then start telling that gal was molesting all those girls were something tragic happened to them you're just going well and you know laugh it off at the party but we're living it out and trauma you know yeah so it's just yeah I felt the darkness but I don't know what it was if that makes any sense that's totally does so then talk then about how that turned and how did you how does a guy like you from corn in all of that become a Jesus follower where did where does where does that how does that even happen well I left a part out when I grew up you look like a tattooed Jesus you know that right hey since you already do that all of you who are trying to record on your phone just so you know this whole service will be on our website for grace TV this next week by about Wednesday or Thursday so you'll be able to see all of it and we're live streaming right now on free grace TV so you can text somebody if you want so I just want if you're like oh my gosh I'll never see this again you can that's good you can just be in the moment yeah and so what so you corne rockstar then jesus where does that happen oh yeah twelve years old everybody in corn got bullied and but in some way you know some of us turned around and then started being the bully after being bullied but we got bullied and I got bullied in seventh grade and you know everybody grew up before me if feels like and by the way I got my my head grew before my body that's what they called me hit my I had like a 17 year old head I'm 12 year old body so now that year a guy befriended me and he was like hey man hey I'm Kevin nice to meet you I live down the street from you don't know let's play so I went over at their house and that was the Jesus family to start tell me about Jesus and they told me you know you you know the mom was so sweet she was like you know honey he's the savior of the world he loves you so much you could just ask him right into your heart and I was like oh thank you and didn't didn't pray with her but I went home that night and I'm like Jesus come into my heart and so when I was all messed up on meth 20 years later I start thinking about that you know and I'm like what maybe that's what I'm missing maybe that's the Spirit of God just as a reminder guys if if you ever feel like Jesus is chasing you home like a stray cat just because he is he's just chasing after your life he's not gonna leave you alone because He loves you so much he's just gonna keep coming after you and after you not out of spite or anger but out of love he's just trying to get ahold of your life and saying hey I gotta help you that's his story man it's like like it took 20 years to get around that to that to that place but he just never left him alone but think about the seed planted to that family planted a seed in you and then you went off and did your own thing for so long but that family didn't know at that time that 20 years later and he forgives everything man I got into I was a sicko with sexual stuff I was a massive addict I was a ruined every relationship I had and he was with me all in that you know and there's nothing new all thousands of years he's not afraid of like that the the things that the the Grove things that we've done he just knows we're human you know and we're we're trying to find this pleasure we're trying to find heaven on earth through drugs through lust through all these things were trying to find this pleasure when he's like just turn around I'm right here and he will have to give us that pleasure you know a pleasure in the Soul rest in your soul so tell us how you how you eventually become become a Christ follower that all these guys you know I got me thinking because I was I was the most functioning level Tweaker that you I didn't say that word functioning Tweaker you ever met and I had this just do that was I was doing real estate with and he built monster trucks I thought Christians were Ned Flanders this guy wasn't he built monster trucks and hot rods and he would win car shows come on man come over to my house let's hang out so we bought what we were doing real estate cuz I had some money and everything I wanted to see it grow and that he just invited me could him to come to church I went to church and he was the pastor was kind of like you like really muscular and handsome and just gray beard no he was just a normal dude you know he did I thought I thought preachers had to be like holier than thou and he was just like I used to be a junkie I used to be alcoholic I beat my wife and you know and I never did that this is not like but God restored his life but he said he promised him I'd give you my life if you put if you put my life back together and and I was just listening and I'm like man I gotta try this and I tried it and I was like my mindset was if it don't work I'm gonna go somewhere else and try something else go to rehab and I tried it and things started to shift I started praying and I started getting the answer to prayers that was it that's what got me it prayers yes where is just talking to God because I was like Jesus imma effin junkie um I'm snorting meth every day and my daughter and neglect her she's a friend of Disney Channel I'll be back I'll go see her in two hours and she'll just be playing with toys alone I'm like dude father I'm gonna did it you know and I just let it out cuz I remember I just listened to what the pastor said he said poor your how to heart out to God don't try to say the perfect works just be honest so I just let it rip man and next thing you know I started having these signs and I remember Matthew 11:28 his first tattoo I got on my neck is come to Miche said come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest and that was that thing where I was like I need rest and uh and so I saw these scientists I kept on getting that scripture people give me that scripture on cards I'd be up on the screens at church and I'm just there it was obvious that Jesus was calling me you know and then but that didn't convinced me I was like that's a trip you know that's what coincidence what convinced me was I said God are you real show me and one day I was at home I was thumbing through this Bible they gave me and I felt I felt a presence come around me that was just it was like Jesus was behind me emanating peace and power at the same time and it was just like everything you've done is forgiven already and so just lay your life and surrender down with me walk with me I want to live life life with you and it was if people think like I just don't think I all I did so many drugs now I'm gonna be a good boy I tried to be a good dad I tried to get clean when I was a father I couldn't do it in that moment something changed and what changed was the corrupt the the life and Spirit of Christ came in me through me and took residence right there the power of the Holy Spirit was filled inside of me and I was given the power to live the life and so 15 years later it's been 15 years so that's exactly the verses we read during the worship part of this service Christ touched a leper I and he was immediately changed that yep and sometimes people get it like right away mine took a few weeks to where I was like I liked it I liked Church I like I like the thought I got had hope right but not went until I had that touch was I free cuz I was going back and forth to drugs and then I had that encounter and I'm like I gotta had everything I had like I felt the love of God the peace of God the power of God and the fear of God I was like oh God he knows all those porno sites Oh God oh Jesus lives in me anymore I can't do lines I don't want to get him high you know all these crazy thoughts were going on so everything I needed he gave me and then then I had this big destiny like man he's gonna use me too and he's gonna and and I'm just I'm a musician that's well-known and everything but he loves to take your thinking on nobody he's a he's a he's a rock star or whatever he loves to take people that think they're nobodies and do big things with them yeah right yeah it's all over the Bible all over the Bible good there's a verse in the scripture that said God works in us both to want to and to do his good pleasure like what he wants for us and I love that because sometimes I don't want to do the right thing like sometimes I mean think about it you got a bad habit sometimes you're like yeah I don't want to quit that but when you give your life to Jesus he can make you want to do the right thing he fixes our want to you that's one of my favorite things good I want to because sometimes I just don't want it either I think some private pastor sometimes I don't want to do and I like what you said yesterday you said that you walked with people in their journey wherever they're at even if they don't want to give up something that they should and Jesus does that he'll live in us and walk with you and maybe you're not ready to give something away for two years he's right there step by step you know yeah he's not quitting on us so like what we were talking about yesterday was just that the way in which Christians need to interact with those that are unbelievers is like man it's as people are taking steps just cheer them on the little steps they're taking in faith but don't like if they don't want to follow God don't give up on them you just keep walking with people and like loving on them exactly where they're at and that's because that's what Christ is doing with us he's never eat let him quit on us because all he'd listen today I he's done yeah and I hate that like I've seen in the media where these Christian artists or whatever like they're they're giving up on God and they say something on Instagram and everyone's like ah they're never part of us in the first place well it's not we're all human beings yeah they're not out of the club now God's not done with them if I just want to choke to me but I can't it's not biblical James Christians are the most annoying right you posted something on Instagram a while back and you were like you made a statement about something you're like and you weird Christians just shut up you're just like just stop before you even start cuz we don't have to be mean let's so many of them I can't delete them all coming back it's like a hornet's nest yeah and the opinion everybody's got their opinion yeah but we don't listen to it now what matters is what's God's opinion of us and every time you take a step of faith God is always proud of you every little step you take like one little step after another step another step just those little steps God celebrates every little moment of your progress so celebrate each other's progress well somebody when somebody gets a day sober man be like stoked they got 1224 hours yeah it's awesome we don't just celebrate the year and the five year and the 10 year man we celebrate the one day why because one day will turn into one month if we celebrate the one day it can go further and and you know what I love the prodigal sons story in the Bible it says this father that gives his kid inheritance and he goes off the kid goes off in parties and it says that he he parties with prostitutes basically right yep and he just blows it all he comes back to him with his head down he's like he's like I ruined my life basically I'm paraphrasing but I ruined my life I spent everything can you make me a servant of your of your household or your career or your business or whatever whatever he meant by that and we can translate it but and and thinking he's gonna be like you idiot I told you he just turns to him and says it gives him a big hug and says my sons finally home that's how God looks at us that's how he looked at me when I felt that behind me I was like I was like man I'm the worst of the worst you know and I and how do I know this is real and I just felt that like my sons finally home you know and that was that it wasn't nothing we didn't have to talk about the issues I mean later but not right then we had to deal with some stuff but God always wants to celebrate your return to Him more than he wants to bring up where you've been and maybe you haven't walked with God for a long time and you're coming in here tonight you're like meh it's been a long time so I walk with God God doesn't want to point out where you've been he just wants to celebrate the fact that you're like you might seek Him again you might follow him again so you end up look when I met you you had you were out of corn so your spiritual journey took you away from corn you quit the band talk about that for a little you quit the band and then you end up back in corn again like how does it talk about that that story a little bit I was corn again [Laughter] sorry watch your dad joke so yeah I was just doing my own thing and my whole story was you know people like your church they would invite me to come speak and it was like oh you you were in that world and everything and then Christ touch you and change your life and and you you left everything to follow Jesus there was a 23 million dollar deal they signed they were signing it as I was in the band but I left and didn't take any of the money so it was my story I left everything and Christian parents loved me you know and I was like he can do it he could follow Jesus and and about eight years into it I just I got a I got a call from P OD the vamp UT and they took me on the road and I ended up at a show a festival not I didn't play it but Korn played and I played I guessed it in a band there and I saw the guys and I just felt this feeling you know come over me like how much God loved the people you know all that whole industry everything in I was watching Five Finger Death Punch and I'm like like I just felt these emotions I'm like this must be God you know this is heavy music but uh so I felt it was just a thing where it was a loser calling and I resisted it because I'm like that's not my story my stories I left everything so they asked me to come back and even do a couple songs on a corne record and I said you know I'm just doing my other my own thing and I was just gonna say you know no to that to that stuff and and I I said let me just go away and I went home for a month I remember my daughter was with grandparents and I just kind of like got by myself and I and I felt in my heart that I need to I need to at least communicate about it and see what with what it would look like so I know and everything that I talked to them about they agreed they say that they said could just be me they said my band could come on tour of them love and death they said anything I asked up for and then I got some friends that I trusted and and I just it was just clear to me after a while and I think I was a little religious because it was like a thing where you know I did have a good story where I left everything to follow him but the story wasn't done and he wanted to send me back to to show like just you know who God is so many I know so many you guys have been hurt by religion you grew up in religion and somebody burned you or said you're going to hell for this and that and happened to Jonathan our singer you know he had a leave was listening to Motley Crue his dad became a Christian and took all his rat Motley Crue albums and burned him in the backyard and tried to cast demons out of him and he still got issues to that he'll tell you to you know he's open about it and so but God want to send me back because that's not him and he's restoring Jesus his name he's using people like us you know to go and show people love unconditional love and so that's thought that he revealed it to me I've been back six years and you know what goes on a lot of times because the experience did and his lovely wife last night they experienced a lot of the cool things that there's a little persecution you know people mock me a little bit like I guess one of the radio guys got up before we played last night and said I had was backstage tried to pray for me but uh I'm here to sin who's gonna sing with me tonight and and I wasn't back stays with them to like 8:30 or something I don't know where he got that from but you get some mocking or whatnot and he was eating waffles with me I was she made us waffles and eggs so yeah you get that but I'll give a rip because cool things happen you want to get into that I do so I think it's you want to talk about this a little bit too because we were talking about like God he gave up all that he had to follow Jesus which is the Scriptures are all about that like you just you're willingly give up everything to follow Christ and I mean that's rough you gave up awesome like you gave up a lot of awesome to follow Jesus that was a massively depressed it with awesome right right but I think everyone one of us when we're faced with like there's the line of faith do I cross it or not we think to ourselves if I cross that line I'm gonna have to walk away from what I perceive as awesome and it's hard to believe that God has something better when you think you've got something pretty good like let's talk to successful business owners in the room because some of you are in here you're successful you are making Bank you're doing great you've got goals and all that and there's a line of faith that you can cross but you're like why would I do that I'm good like this is good how can I imagine that Scott's got something better for me if I you know stop with my bad business practices or whatever it is you give up when you give up stuff for God he's always got something better for you but for how many years were you out of corn you thought that was done and then he has restored so much to you but you handle it differently now you view it differently your character is different yeah that's how does what was the question how does he well sorry it's when a girl kind of goes all over the place it was awesome Kelly wait think I preach for a living when you give stuff up to follow Jesus he gives you back more it's gonna look different for different people he literally gave you your band back but you don't view it the same way like different now than it was before isn't it it's so different it's like everyone's older everyone's why no no groupies and drugs backstage and it's it's just it's just our career and we're thankful for our fans and we're thankful for our family you know yeah we're grateful for life and and some of you guys do like if you have a good business sometimes God just wants to come in your life and he'll he'll just bless what you're doing you know and you know it's not all about you got to give up all the fun stuff right when you meet God that's not it that was my story you know he'll he'll lead you on your own journey so one of the things you said to me yesterday 'this is really cool you just mentioned you know I'm in this band and I love it but what I love more is the opportunities that it gives me to minister and to to help people and bless people talk about what you're doing as a member of corn now in order to help people consider Christ well the interviews and stuff everybody knows I'm the Jesus guy usually people just you know are really cool about it and they they know that I'm not judgmental and I'm just there's a lot of it's a lot of guys out there like me now it's like the Megadeth bass players really he's like a pastor and and I didn't know that yeah singer for Alice Cooper yeah I know his wife for big-time Christians and uh and a drummer for Iron Maiden is a man of faith a singer Papa Roach they it just goes on and on and so so yeah it's it's a it's a thing where I just want to display it and I don't want to like be a preachy but I don't want to be quiet either and so what we do is we we used to have the security guards and they'd have these backstage passes you know those only girls that could come backstage and it was just trying to hook up and if they had boyfriends hey leave your boyfriend or or you know go home with him or come with us you you choose and do we have boyfriends knocking on our bus sometimes 2:00 in the morning I'm gonna kill you and but now I get these guys that come and help me and we just said we just asked God like who needs who needs uplifting in life tonight light light people up like send people in our path and I send my friends out and they give them after so past as we come we did it last night was it last night we did it like that we gathered like I don't know 15 20 people in a room and I just told my story about you know just life before in life after in in that and some of the things that's been happening with fans and and we've prayed for people that had a death death in their family or of a child and had miscarriages after that and they got pregnant after you know it was just a really cool really cool things that happened and so I shared that last night and we just uplift people man and pray for him and that's what you did tell me about what happened last night well these people did not know why they were asked to come backstage afterwards they like they didn't know why so we walked into this room and they're all just sitting there like this like 30 people randomly picked out a 15,000 that could hold in a room and he just walked in he was like I don't want anything from you I just want to tell you a little bit of my story and he just said I needed Jesus you need Jesus let's pray and then you know they were able to line up to take their picture with him and while they were in line Eric and I and some of Bryan's other friends just went down the row and met people and found out their names and how we could pray for them and we prayed for them Eric got to lead a 16 year old girl that Jesus that was awesome think about that God's using God's using a band that like think about where you guys have been the God God can use anything it's so awesome and I think that's the key is that each of us has to look at our sphere of influence and who will hear us because those people like if Brian opens his mouth they're gonna listen and the door is already open and even if they're hardcore atheists and this young lady said she was an atheist but in that moment this is the Grace and the love and and Jesus in the moment their hope their hearts were open and each one of us has a sphere of influence and people who will listen to us but sometimes I think we forget to offer to pray just the mirror just offering to pray for people we have people just crying you know as we pray and all of us have the ability to do that it's just pretty amazing that you're using your platform in that way because we know you were wiped out it was the end of the night is 11 o'clock and then you just stayed there you were still there when we left just loving on people just trying to do what I want them to have what I have because my life is so meaningful now you know it's like I gained Jesus I lost things of the world lost my house I lost everything and then he started restoring me back but the scripture on my hand Philippians 4:13 is I've learned to be content in every situation whether whether having lack or or having a lot of things you know in paraphrase but um but it's a it's a thing where were it's just so good it's hard to explain you know someone said the only problem with the gospel and the only impossible thing about the gospel is that it's hard to explain because it's so good you know and and so yeah I just I just want people cuz a lot of those fans are just like I was you know just trapped and addicted and they're loved and accepted men and that's it so now I want you to talk to a couple different groups of people in the room first of all what would you say to the person right now that's in the middle of their addiction they're not sober yet they're they tried to get sober it's not it's not working what what would you say to that person tonight because there's somebody out here that you need to hear this well I just say I just tell my story what worked for me was i dothe in a hundred percent I went to I went to church I learned about the Bible I went on Wednesday night Bible studies I want to know what this says what can I have not what you can't do the Bible is not like Oh what you can't do it's like what you can you have what has God given you and how do you build that up in your life so you just go for it you dive all in you uh you read books or listen to books a lot of people aren't readers so listen to books like RIT Christian books good Christian books that uh that will uplift you sermons I remember going like Monday I'm like pastor where there's no church on Monday okay well I'm gonna go home I would listen to three songs like do worship by myself you know listen to a sermon also I'm in church or my house staying on my laptop yeah you know I'm just like constantly and people are like oh you just trade drugs for religions you know but that's not it because Jesus isn't religion he's the meaning of life he's he's relation not good I think oh I'm just getting filled if you have an addiction problem if you do what I'm telling you right now just go all-in every day just seek Him listening getting it all in you will change you won't say the thing that's good Jesus says if you seek me you will find me so some of your like oh I tried that God thing like no literally is like what if tonight was the night you were like I I will recommit to following Christ I'm gonna seek Him with my heart I'm gonna seek him with my life like I want you to know that he's not gonna like only answer some people's prayer about that he's gonna answer your prayer you matter to God like he cares about your life more than you care about it so if you go okay God hears my life here's what I got if you can help me please fix this please come and meet me in like spiritual spiritual power will flow through you God gives you courage to overcome the things you face when you trust him with your life that's the truth can I ask you a question yeah have you guys ever seen like I mean obviously there's demons in the Bible like have you seen that yes church yeah you know sometimes in a private setting can pray for healing and deliverance from that stuff you know I mean you every I did everything I could I want to go into some crazy Exorcist lady and she was like come and the demon to come out and I'm like you know and I and I go and she goes that's a demon leaving yep it's even better if you sneeze no but like it it was crazy and I was a weirdo for a little bit but but God was like look at this guy man he's he's a scripture it says God's eyes roamed throughout the earth and it's just a picture you know but as he his eyes roamed throughout the earth looking for her heart that's completely his and you watching me just go man this kid's gonna do anything to to find me and to get free ya know that's been my story forever man when I when I gave my life to Christ and was like man I'm all-in all of a sudden he just found me and empowered me and my life just started to change and as long as I stay connected to where he's at and what he's about and I just keep close to him but I I do okay scriptures all in the scripture says you know to give your life to Jesus and to be baptized because being baptized is something we can do that Jesus did that's something that's the way that we publicly identify with him you got baptized in Israel like you were like the white robe you looked like Jesus getting baptized the whole world saw that baptism yeah it's true so I know you were kind of in like the Disney of baptism area and I can say that because we've been baptized in the same spot and all that I'm not being disrespectful it cold just do it here it is wait it's colder here our waters warm we have a warm tank here but tell me about the act of getting baptized I mean was that symbolic was that important to you would you encourage people who choose to give their life to Christ to then follow that was by being baptized what yeah what did pastor Eric say like any step of faith God has please but he also he gives you power when you step in faith too because when you go and side of the water you're dying with Jesus when you come outside of the water you're raising up with Jesus to a new life and that's when it starts to take place my dad 75 years old or whatever he was I'm guessing but he saw my life and he struggled with lots of alcohol his whole life and got baptized they were gone that's his story now I'm good and I'm not saying it'll happen to every single person but like it's it's something shifts when you do that it's just the next step you know in the faith journey so we have to wrap it up we'll just do like one or two more questions and then we're gonna have to like call time so you're in corn now you're in an environment that's not necessarily Christian how do you keep your faith alive in the middle of that and the reason why I say this is because there's a lot of students in this room and nobody else in your core relationships are Christian and you're trying to walk with God and like how do I keep the faith and or maybe you like your you're in a workplace where nobody else is Christian but you how do you how do you keep walking with God in the middle of the environment that you're in I mean I asked him to keep walking with me because it's not always easy being around a guys I live with a bunch of guys and a bus and and you know I'm not gonna lie you know we we talk like guys you know and sometimes I'm just like Oh Lord you know it locker room talk and this and that farting on each other it's just I'm not holier than now I know and I love Jesus but you know some of the bigger things like you know doing drugs or sleeping with women like at the body's a temple the Holy Spirit so I stay away from that stuff you know and that's we were talking like the sexual sins or whatnot are the ones that harm you you don't you know that's true so so yeah I I kind of played stand on the edge with some things like with a language and just joking around the guys and all that but on the but I'm with the deeper things I'm pretty good and I don't know man I'm just trying to figure out like all of you guys you know but I know that Jesus is real know for a fact that he lives in me and I just turned to him and he's just like you know he forgives everything and and he's right there for for us and you know if I'm focused in my my actions don't always line up but but I'm focused on my purpose and what you know always talking about him you know and so it was cool to me yesterday you walk me around backstage and you're pointing out that guy that guy's a Christian and oh that guy over at that road he's a Christian and this this person in the bands of course like you know who the other believers are so there are other Christians around you in the middle of your environment and I thought that was stellar because that reminded me to just mention this to you guys men look for somebody else in your workplace or school school that's a believer and see them as somebody you can partner with to help keep your own faith together because you're probably not as alone as you think there's somebody else who's the believer that just that needs your support too and if like oh yeah high-five each other we're in this together and you're more likely to keep the faith because there's other believers around you I did sometimes I don't like there's not always an agenda like I'm thinking war rock you know I got to pray with this guy or whatever sometimes I just just like people you know I like hanging out in and before I know it like God's doing something their life and they bring something up or not sometimes not you know just freaking love people where they're at I'm not no different than anybody we're just we're in this you know painful it's it's good and evil world we're in you know and so so it's not always convert you know it's never about converting but it's it's like it's like you won the lottery and you want to share some of the cash with people you know that's what Jesus is like winning the lottery you know that's how I look at it good work and you know if you're clear on who you are and what you believe when they need you they'll come to you they know who to come to yeah you know you plant those seeds and give that grace and keep your arms open and your heart open to people they'll come to you when they need it yeah when they hit their you know when the crap hits the fan and sometimes we don't like it we don't have people backstage and we're just playing shows and we're just jamming I'm loving the shows you know and there's a lot of Christians non-christians on the road and we'll just talk about life and talk about kids and everything it's just a good time so our hope and prayer both you and I are Kelly to all three of us we were praying beforehand and our prayer is that somebody in this audience or somebody watching online tonight would finally say yes to Jesus he's been chasing you down for four years 20 years for him 17 years for me before I finally said yes to him like I want you to know that that God has got is chasing some of you down right now he's trying to like hello I can heal your addiction I can fix this depression issue I can give you power with your struggle you don't have face this alone like Brian's story is a story of radical transformation in the middle of pain guys he could do that for you God can do that for you if you can do it for Brian honestly if you can do it for me he can do it for you I'm just I can't help it I just feel like maybe some of you would want to pray tonight and say you know what I just I need to recommit my heart to Christ maybe some of you you've never done that before but tonight you're gonna you're gonna give Christ a shot I'm just gonna invite you to close your eyes and bow your head for just a minute I want you think about your life I wish just for a second think about your store your situation if you're not walking with God if you're not sure that God is real what if like Brian did years ago you're like okay God if you're really real I'll trust you I'll follow you what if right now you just ask Jesus to forgive your sins to lead your life to transform your soul he can do it he can do it just give him your life I Meletis in a simple prayer I might invite those of you that are like man I I need tonight to be different I need tonight I walked in here like a leper I walked in here with struggle I want to walk out of here knowing Christ as Savior I want him to touch my life and free me I'm gonna give you an opportunity to pray but I don't want you to just pray quietly in your head I want you to pray out loud and I want the people around you to hear you and the reason why I'm saying that is is because scripture says if yield exalt me before men I'll exalt you before my father in heaven he says you publicly declare I want to follow you Jesus I'm gonna give my life to you changed me yeah I'm Yours so imma leanness in prayer and if tonight you're like man I have to follow Christ with my life I want you out loud don't worry about the person around you is you and God just for a second you just tell God man I need you and I'm gonna trust you just together if you know that's you just say Jesus Christ tonight I give you my life I believe you're good and you have good plans for me forgive my past change me take me to my destiny tonight I trust you Jesus you're my Savior and my god thank you for loving me in Jesus name Amen [Applause] I know Brian's hard I know that he wants to do this because he wants to see people give their lives to you to Jesus maybe tonight you'd want to follow that up with baptism pastor Silas sitting right here actually specialist can you stand up so pastor Kevin where you at stand up you stand up - so these are just two of our pastors tonight that if maybe like you may not want to make a commitment for Christ tonight and I want to take it further than just a prayer maybe you want to get baptized we have shorts shirts towels warm water chlorinated water and pastors that love to dunk people so when Israel was sixty degrees 58 degrees do it yeah do it again no excuse so you come see one of those - when the services over when services over you comes to you that one of the two of them and let them talk to you about baptism and you get baptized tonight before you before you leave why because man God wants to empower you to a better life you just take steps and let him celebrate you yeah I want to pray for you guys before I leave okay that cool father your word is confirmed with power your word says Lord Jesus yes we're not praying to somebody that's not listening or not real yes you confirm your word with power so I asked you to confirm this word of testimony that we spoke about today with power yes peace and love and freedom I asked you to send bold angels just strong angels home with every single person yeah that needs them and I ask you even people that may hate you that are here that feel like they hate you that you would send the miracle angels that will change their heart and that they would feel the signs and wonders all around them wherever they go yes those signs and wonders follow Lord so give the signs and wonders let that help them be have their eyes open to see you're communicating through things in their life throughout their day maybe it's a word from a stranger maybe it's a sign on a truck maybe it's something said on a TV give them that that that spiritual word because your spirit your words are spirit and life Jesus that's what you say so use your words through our weak human ways to convey messages to everybody here it's the best high ever Jesus your love satisfies completely in your name amen [Music] thank you that's broke [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Free Grace United

Views: 5,095

Rating: 4.8967743 out of 5

Keywords: the crossing church, Eric Dykstra, Kelly Dykstra, free grace, freegrace.tv, Elk River, Minnesota, Grace on Tap, The Crossing, grace, hope, freedom, Jesus, minneapolis, milaca, st paul, st cloud, stma, st michael, albertville, zimmerman, becker, jason keech, tracy keech, kevin wilson, annie wilson, reuben deisch, susie deisch, silas austin, becky austin, ben saffrin, ana saffrin, free grace recovery

Id: BDrCo5YN1zk

Length: 57min 9sec (3429 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 11 2020