J. John - Liberty University Convocation

this morning we get the pleasure of hearing from a man who's actually one of the better known Christians in all of the world he's probably disproportionately known in Europe because that's where he lives J John and his wife Gilly are here they flew all the way from the UK to be here to speak to us this morning he spoken in over 50 countries he spoken at a hundred and two different universities but this is the first Christian University he's spoken at and that's because he's an evangelist he spends almost all of his time preaching the gospel all around the world and some of the best things happening in Europe for the glory of Christ can be traced back to his life and his work and so would you join with me and giving a warm welcome for the first time to Liberty University - J John thank you very much good morning it is absolutely wonderful to be here I think Liberty University is an incredible place and I'm delighted to be here now I'm a people say to me what do you do now if I say that I'm a reverend which I am that conjures up images in people's minds if I say to people that I'm an evangelist which I am that conjures up other images in people's minds so I often like to be a little bit creative in telling people what I do i sat next to this lady on an aeroplane at Heathrow Airport in London and I said hello and she said all hello and I said where are you going and she said Singapore then she said to me where are you going and I said I'm going to Australia so I then said what do you do so she told me and then she said what do you do and I said well I work for a global enterprise she said do you I suggest I do I said we've got outlets in nearly every country of the world I said we've got hospitals hospices homeless shelters we do education we feed the poor we run orphanages we do marriage work we do justice work I said basically we look after people from birth to death and we deal in the area of behavioural alteration she said what's it called I said it's called the church have you heard of it that's an amazing thought isn't it but as followers of Jesus we are part of a global enterprise and not only is it global but its intergalactic because it includes everyone that's gone before us what a thought that is st. Augustine wrote you cannot have God as your father without having the church as your mother and as followers of Jesus we belong to the world wide Church now I'm going to just share a few little random reflections that I kind of picked up over the over my life being a follower of Jesus and him being in ministry there was a workman and at the end of a working day he's leaving his factory and he's pushing out his will barrow inside the wheelbarrow is a small box he's stopped by security guard the guard says what have you got in your wheelbarrow he says well I've got a small box he says I know you've got a small box what is in the box he says well you know the sawdust that's on the floor at the end of a working day it swept up and it's thrown away well I needed some so I put it in a box and I'm gonna take it home the guard says open the box he opens the box sort us he said out you get next day same thing third day same thing fourth day same thing fifth day is pushing out his wheelbarrow inside there's a small box it's the same security guard the guard says it's you again what are you got in your wheelbarrow he says I've got a box of sawdust it says open it opens it it's sawdust the guard says I've got this feeling that you are up to something I've just got this feeling he says I think you're actually stealing something look why don't you tell me what you're stealing and I promise I won't report you and the man said all right then stealing wheelbarrows isn't life a little bit like that sometimes we can get so distracted by one little thing that we miss the big picture sometimes we get a little bit like a little stone in our shoe and we're kind of distracted we're preoccupied because we got a little something and then because of the distraction we miss the big picture make sure you don't get so distracted over the minor that you miss the major it perspective is so so important there was some a family they just acquired a kitten and they were in the garden they were playing with his little kitten and they put the kitten up on a tree and it ran up the tree but then it slipped off this really big branch but B and it was clinging on to the branch but it didn't have the body strength to flick itself back up onto the branch so they tried to get to the little kitten but they couldn't get to it because of the tree the branches now the father he was a pastor and he always came up with great ideas he says I know what I'm gonna do I'm going to get my car I'm going to get a rope I'm gonna tie the rope around the tree I'm going to tie onto the car I'll get in the car I'll Drive a bit that'll bring down the big branch we'll be able to maneuver around and we'll be able to get the little kitten down everyone said daddy to the rescue daddy gets his car gets the rope ties the rope around the tree ties it onto the car he gets in the car begins to drive slowly slowly the trees bending bending the cars moving the trees bending the rope snapped as the rope snapped the tree flung back and the little kitten went flying out in the opposite direction that's the end of the story well look look not every story has a happy ending two weeks later the pastor was visiting a member of his congregation she opened the door she said pastor come in he walked into the house they're in the house in the hallway was his little kitten he it was unmistakable now he didn't want to say that's my kitten so he said that's a lovely little kitten you've got have you had her long she said you're not gonna believe this pastor but it was two weeks ago and I was in my garden with my little daughter Annie and Annie said mummy mummy please can we have a kitten I said no we've had this conversation before we're not going to have a kitten don't ask me again but she pestered me and pestered me the only thing I could think of doing was to say Annie I tell you what let's kneel down here in the garden and we'll pray to the Lord Jesus and if the Lord Jesus wants you to have a kit and he'll send you a kitten pastor you are not gonna believe this when we pray coincidences happen and when we don't they don't repeat after me when we prefer me when we pray coincidences happen and when we don't they don't so my philosophy is push P you sh pray until something happens pray until something happens and so I want to encourage you wherever you're going on to after you graduate from Liberty and while you're still here at Liberty have that philosophy of gaining God's perspective of being someone that is constantly a person of Prayer who keeps on pushing and praying until something happens perspective is important prayer is important so important now each of us has huge potential huge potential the Japanese fish koi if you took that koi Japanese fish and put it into a small fish bowl it grows to 2 inches if you took it out of the fish bowl and you put it into a big fish tank it grows to 8 inches if you took it out of the fish tank and you put it into a large pond it grows to 18 inches if you took it out of the pond and you put it into a big lake it Rose the 42 inches the koi fish always has the potential to be 42 inches but sometimes it can be restricted because of its environment and sometimes we can restrict ourselves because there are some people who would rather be a big fish in a small pond rather than be a small fish in a big lake listen every one of us has huge potential we have huge capacity and what we want to be able to say and this is what Liberty University is about it's about saying we want to reach the capacity that God has for us there was a factory an ice factory that caught fire and the ice factory had to call the fire brigade to come and put the fire out even though the ice factory had all the h2o that it needed to put the fire out the problem was all its assets were frozen the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in us my word the same power that raised Jesus who lives in us if that same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us surely someone should notice if that power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us we have huge potential we have huge capacity get the big perspective be prayerful realize that God in you has huge huge potential be positive so many people today they've seen just to be so very negative you know you might ask somebody how are you and I don't mean you don't be honest but sometimes people's vocabulary sometimes their attitude sometimes their perspective is so kind of negative so how are you and someone might say well you know I'm so-and-so under the circumstances well what are you doing under the circumstances circumstances are like a mattress if you lie on top it's nice and comfortable if you lie underneath you suffocate so you say to somebody how are you and they say well I'm alright under the mattress I can't breathe but I'm alright but stop being negative be positive when David saw Goliath there were two possible reactions the first reaction was he's really big oh no I better run away the second reaction the second reaction he's really big how can I miss keep that perspective be very prayerful realize that there is huge potential in you be incredibly positive there was a man at an airport and he wanted to buy a bag of doughnuts the small doughnut and a coffee so he buys his doughnuts he buys his coffee and he's looking for somewhere to sit but all the tables they're all taken there's one table where there's one man sitting so he thinks to himself I know what I'll do I'll go and sit opposite him so he goes to the table he puts his coffee down he puts his bags down he takes his coat off puts it on the chair he sits in the chair he opens his coffee he has a sip he picks up the bag of doughnuts he takes out one of the doughnuts he starts eating it he puts the bag down the man opposite stretches over picks up the bag of doughnuts takes out a donor starts eating it puts the bag down and smiles the other man cannot believe what he has just seen what is the world coming to I mean this is unbelievable it gives him one of these looks it looks could kill looks he picks up the bag of donuts he takes out a doughnut he leaves the bag at the edge of the table he turns sideways body language resistance eats his donut the man opposite stretches over picks up the bag of donuts takes out a donut puts it down and he smiles again and the man thinks well he's obviously not quite there is he you know is not you know the elevator isn't really working it's not going to the top so he thinks I better not say anything you know just in case the man's a little bit violent you know you just don't know do you so he didn't say anything the man gets up to leave so the other man thought it's about time you left your donut thief off he goes that man looks at his watch oh it's time for me to go he gets up he puts his coat on he bends down to pick up his bag and sitting on top of his bag was his bag of donuts the man was complaining that the other man was stealing his Donuts when the truth was the other man was sharing his donuts now listen to me God owns all the donuts God owns all the donuts if we're earning listen this is how it works every week if we're earning every week we get a bag of donuts inside the bag of donuts are ten donuts the value of those donuts will vary from person to person now that bag of donuts their secular doughnuts secular doughnut God says I want you to take one of those secular doughnuts and I want you to give it to the Christian community that you belong to and one what do most people do most people go no no I cannot do that because I've got ten if I give one I'll only have nine but I need eleven so if I need eleven why would I give one but listen you got ten second owner God says take one of those doughnuts give it to the Christian community that you belong to the Christian Church community you belong to and when you give it that doughnut become sacred and the other nine doughnuts become sacred nine sacred doughnuts are worth more than ten secular ones you see all the time that we have all the talents that we have all the treasure that we have it's God's it's his we are only stewards were only guardians of the time he's given to us of the talents he's given to us and of the treasure that he's given to us wherever you go on to next always remember the big perspective always be prayerful always realize the potential that God has put into you and always realize that it's all his it's all his I'm only a steward I'm only a guardian Columbus set off and he didn't know where he was going when he got there he didn't know where he was and when he got back didn't know where he'd been and many many people have a sense of confusion about life and about direction the essence of Christianity is to know Christ and to make him known it doesn't matter what kind of work we'll be doing does it matter whether we're a minister whether we're a teacher whether we're an athlete whether we're a doctor whether we're a nurse whether whatever whatever we're doing we're doing it in the context of these two bookends knowing Christ making him known the word Christian has got the word Christ in it if you remove the word Christ from the word Christian you're left with I am Ian isn't going to help you do you know I meet so many people today who say to me that they're Christians but they got more to do with in and they do with Christ it's about being connected connected to Christ now just for a moment I want you think of your life like a car okay think of your life like a car to be a Christian to be a follower of Christ is to have Christ in your car and maybe some of you here today you still haven't connected with Christ then if you haven't connected with Christ I urge you I encourage you to connect with Christ to connect with him and if he's not in the car of your life I encourage you to invite him into the car of your life now for the majority of us here if I said to you is Christ in the car of your life you would say yes years great okay where is Christ in the car of your life do you drive your car to church unlock the trunk get Jesus out for religious happy hour at the end of the service get back in there you know there are a lot of people like that there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians who kind of have Jesus but he's hidden nobody would know they kind of led him out once once a week others of us going no Jay Johnny's not in the trunk he's in the car well where is he in the car is he on the back seat a bit of a passenger no he's in the front what do you mean the front passenger seat so still a passenger but a bit of a companion now you're thinking I know where you're going with this one Jay John you don't actually but you're thinking he's now going to say is he in the driving seat of the car of your life I am actually is he in the driving seat of the car of your life for everybody here that said yes I have another question for you are you a backseat driver you get to a crossroads Jesus turns left where are you going I'm going down the road of forgiveness but I don't want a forgiver did you ever see the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding yeah okay I'm I'm Greek I'm Greek when that movie came out my friend said to me John is it true is it true I said no it's not true it's worse my mother is a travel agent for guilt trips but the Lord says to me I need to forgive and I need to honor is it's very easy to say I've got Jesus in the driving seat of the car of my life but you get to another crossroads he turns right where are you going and I want to go down the road of generosity Jesus says and that's like I don't want to go down that road it's very easy to say he's in the driving seat five questions to ask is he first in my life is he first in my life ask these five questions the answers to these five questions will give you an indication of where he is in the car of your life f ir st is he first in my finances I is he first in my interest are is he first in my relationships s is he first in my schedule T is he first in my troubles if you can say he's first in my finances he's first in my interests he's first in my relationships he's first in my schedule he's first in my troubles then that's a pretty good sign he's first but if you can't say that then it might be that Christ is in your life but he's probably not positioned in the right place I want to urge you and I want to encourage you this morning step back get a bigger perspective be prayerful always prayerful realize the potential that God has put into you is huge be positive realize it's all God's provision I'm justa steward and make sure make sure that Jesus Christ is always in the driving seat of the car of your life before I conclude I'm going to ask you to do something in just a moment I'm going to ask everyone here to close your eyes and bow your heads in just a moment but as you listened this morning if you felt hey I don't I don't think Christ is even in my car but I really want him in my car the car of my life I'm going to ask you to do something I'm gonna ask you to stand up wherever you are I'm just gonna ask you to stand up I'm not asking you to stand up to embarrass you I wouldn't want to do that but I'm asking you to stand up to save the whole of your will yes I want this to be a reality for me and if you can't stand up in a Cathedral like this you'll never be able to stand up outside so this is your beginning now anothers of us here today it might be that we know Christ we've got Christ in our lives is in the car but you know you know is in the trunk is on the back seat is in the front passenger seat or you're a very good backseat driver and if you want to say this morning Jesus I want to reposition you and I want to say this morning I want you to be in the driving seat because I know you're not in the right place in my life I want you to stand up and when you've all stood up I'm going to pray a very simple prayer I'm going to ask you to pray the prayer and then I'm going to say a prayer for you and then we'll wrap up just close your eyes take a moment quiet reflection don't worry about other people just think about what you've heard this morning and if you would like to say either for the first time or as a way of realigning your life repositioning Jesus in your life if you want to say yes I want to do that this morning then wherever you are please stand up stand up now please stand great great anyone else wants to stand don't miss this opportunity okay if you're standing up I'm going to pray a prayer I will pray this prayer phrase by phrase okay I will pray at once so you know the words the second time I pray the prayer pray the prayer with me out loud and if you're sitting down and you just want to reaffirm your faith then just join in with us as we pray this prayer here's the prayer Jesus I bow down before you Jesus I bow down before you I come just as I am I come just as I am I know I have done many things wrong I know I have done many things wrong and I ask you to forgive me and I ask you to forgive me cleanse my life cleanse my life I invite you into the driving seat of my life I invite you into the driving seat of my life come in by your Holy Spirit come in by your Holy Spirit fill me with your presence and your power fill me with your presence and your power help me to put you first in my finances help me to put you first in my finances help me to put you first in my interests help me to put you first in my interests help me to put you first in my relationships help me to put you first in my relationships help me to put you first in my schedule help to put you first in my schedule help me to put you first in my troubles help me to put you first in my troubles dear Jesus help me to validate my faith dear Jesus help me to validate my faith in thought and word and deed in thought and word and deed thank you for hearing my prayer thank you for hearing my prayer amen as you're standing I'm going to pray a prayer for you in the name of Jesus Christ I announce and I pronounce the forgiveness of your sins may you know the truth and the reality of the prayer that you have prayed may you know his peace his presence may you know his protection and we pray for all of us that we will not be distracted that we would always look at the bigger picture that we would always be people that are leaning on you being humble and prayerful knowing because you live in us there is huge potential we pray Lord that you would help us to be positive people and help us to be good stewards and guardians of the time of the talents and of the treasure that you have entrusted to us and we pray that you will help us all to always keep you in the driving seat of the car of our lives and we pray your blessing upon us the blessing of the Father the blessing of God the Son and the blessing of God the Holy Spirit are mem please take your seats it's just wonderful to have seen so many of you this morning just affirming and reaffirming your faith and I I just hope this morning you've been just inspired you know with a little bit more faith a little bit more hope and a little bit more love with a great you know a bit more kind of excitement about the future and what God can do in you and through you if any of you do Twitter I do Twitter can engage on and I I write articles I try and respond to issues around the world and I write articles every two weeks and if you type in J John in Google that'll take you into our website and I've just written an article about the hundredth anniversary of Titanic I want to thank the faculty and for Johnny for inviting me to speak and thank you very much god bless just just a reminder and if you made a decision this morning or anytime you make a decision in convocation on one of our services you talk to your SLD and your SOT can get you connected across the whole university do you all appreciate them coming all the way from the UK to be here today yeah very cool hope you have a really wonderful day and be sure to say hi to some of our guests if you get a chance to you're dismissed

Channel: Liberty University

Views: 49,292

Rating: 4.9307694 out of 5

Keywords: Liberty University, Liberty, college, university, school, education, Christian, student, Convocation, Convo, community, J John, priority, God, Jesus, speaker, author, Jay John

Id: 6bdOEcEyyXE

Length: 36min 21sec (2181 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 13 2012