My Mom Told Me To Tell You - Jonathan Evans' Powerful Sermon at NRB

I've got a lot of emotions standing up here on this stage I was watching a video of my dad speaking at NRB in 1986 he was going on 37 years old and Here I am 38 years old at NRB and I I remember being just a little kid watching my sister's help my mom pass out the cards and the tapes and all of those different things in the Great Hall you know the hustle and bustle that's where the hustlers are in the Great Hall and just having the opportunity to come back and knowing that my mom was a part of the executive team and a part of the board at NRB over the the past year has been amazing to think about as they called me last Thursday and asked me if I would just come share for a moment I'm just thinking about last year last year was an interesting year matter of fact the last two years have been an interesting year for our family if you've been keeping up but last year was interesting because last year was very high and very low all at the same time four in a 10 RB for our family because as I stand on this age and I think about last year being here at NRB and many of you know the story that we're here this year without my mom that last year was the year that my dad was inducted into the NRB Hall of Fame that we were thinking throughout the week all the family was there me and my brother and my two sisters Krystle and Priscilla my brother Anthony and we were there and we were excited to come to NRB which we hadn't been to in a while since we were kids we were excited about the opportunity to be at NRB and this time Tony Evans was going into the NRB Hall of Fame this time we were excited we came and I came through and they gave me my badge so I felt solidified because this time we're here and we get to support my dad as he goes up on the stage and he gets inducted into the National Religious broadcasters Hall of Fame we are excited about this moment for him for the family for the life of the ministry as NRB has been there to help build Tony Evans ministry and the urban alternative and come alongside dr. Tony and Louis Evans as they come and do what God has called them to do for this generation I mean we couldn't be more excited and enthusiastic when we came into the doors and we saw all of our friends that had come to support but throughout the week it was very interesting because as me and Priscilla specifically would look at my dad we would say dad are you excited or are you ready to go are you excited about this award that you're about to get it's a Lifetime Achievement Award we were happy for you and he said I'm doing okay dad what's going on you're you're about to be inducted into the NRB Hall of Fame that this is this is one of the the top of the mountaintops this is this is this is not going through the valley you're at you've got a grimace on your face what's really going on are you okay he said I'll be all right the next day came around as we're getting closer to Friday for him to go into the Hall of Fame and be enshrined and immortalized with the National Religious broadcasters we're excited form and we say dad are you excited about today it's Thursday tomorrow's your day he said we'll get there when we get there I said dad what's wrong are you okay said we'll talk a little bit later me and Priscilla looked at each other we didn't quite understand why he was so somber when we were at this level when he had made it to this level him and my mom getting ready to be inducted into the Hall of Fame how could you be so somber Friday rolled around and I knocked on his door and Priscilla was standing there in her pajamas and Krystle came and Anthony came and we ran through the hall like kids and knocked on the door and he came to the door and he just opened it to let us in and walked back to the bed and laid back down and we said dad it's Friday today you're gonna be inducted into the NRB Hall of Fame he said I'm doing alright we'll talk about it later we went to the banquet where he was going to be inducted in the entire time when he's supposed to be on a mountaintop he was obviously evidently to us as his kids was just stuck in the valley and I rubbed his shoulder and I said dad are you gonna be okay he said I love you John John he just totally avoided the question I said I love you too dad then they called his name and they they gave him the honor and he went up and gave what Tony Evans would always do a powerful message and he took pictures halfway smiling just trying to get through it and me and Priscilla and Krystle and Anthony kept checking on him because he just wasn't quite quite right then we went to the greenroom and we checked on him again and said dad come on now tell us what's going on you're at the National Religious broadcasters you're always excited you're always enthusiastic astok you you just got inducted into the Hall of Fame you have a grimace on your face please let us know what's going on he said meet me in my room in ten minutes and I'll tell you what's going on and boy you talk about kids hearts beginning to beat fast and all of the geese on my arms took flight so we got changed and we went to his room and we knocked on the door and he opened the door and he told us to come on in and he sat on his stool and we all sat on the couch that was in his room that night just a year ago this time he said kids I know this was supposed to be an exciting time and it is and I'm honored that the National Religious broadcasters Association would seek to honor the work that has been done through the urban/alternative and everything that has happened with me and your mom but tonight we face the hardest time in our families history as he said that a chill went up my spine and I looked at him intently trying to discern what he was about to say and then he said we're facing the hardest time I said why dad he said because your mom has just been diagnosed with the terminal form of cancer that the doctors just have no answer she's in Stage four it has come all the way across her abdomen there is nothing that we are able to do I've talked to the best doctors I've went high and I've went low I've went everywhere in between and there's absolutely nothing that they can do about it so if I've been somber all week it's because we're facing the hardest time we've ever faced in our family about a minute of silence as we sat there in shock trying to digest being here just a year ago this time what we were facing as a family in that moment that it seemed like was taking away all of the achievements everything that it had that had happened up into that point that moment was terrifying and devastating and after that minute went by we heard wailing going on across the room as I looked back at my father he got up and he couldn't no longer contain it as he was crying on the other side of the room Priscilla and Anthony stood up ran over there and tried to comfort him and rubbed on him and i sat there stoic just trying to get gage all of the information and process what I heard my brother-in-law was in there he turned his back and started crow at the height of when it seemed like we should have been celebrating we were crying and in devastation because we had just heard the hardest news that we had ever heard in our family's life we didn't know how to take it we were all beaten bruised just a year ago this time and as all of the crying was going on in different sectors of the room I remembered oh yeah my mama's sitting here let me see how she's doing and she sat there comfortable and stoic and I tapped for Scylla on the shoulder and my brother and my dad and I said mom are you okay and she said all of you come here and sit down we all came and we sat down around the couch where my dad had given us the information as my mom took the time to just stare just for a moment to let us process the news that we just heard the devastation that we just are trying to process at that moment and then she said all of you come here and sit down I have something to say we sat down and then finally she beginning to speak she said you do know what this is don't you it's called spiritual warfare you do know that we've had six five to six deaths in the last two years and our family that the enemy has been attacking that something has been coming up against our family we must be doing something right because the enemy is taking notice God is allowing these things to happen he's allowing these things to be shaken up and when we face spiritual warfare or when we face things that come against our family the Evans family will not tuck our tails and run we prepare to attack I understand that you're sad I understand that this is a hard time I understand that you had a different expectation I understand that this wasn't what you were expecting to hear I understand that this hurts but you need to understand what this is so that you understand the posture that you need to have moving forward we will not tuck our tails and run you will get ready to attack if you're called to preach you will preach if you're called to write you will write if you're called to proclaim you will proclaim if you're called to lead a Bible study you will lead it now I have every expectation that you will love me and care for me and pray for me and be there for me I have every expectation that you will do that as my family but God has an expectation and that is that you always remember through thick and through thin that you are here to serve the purposes of God I said mom how can you be talking about ministry at a time like this and she said because that's why you're here son that's why you're here it's the reason why you exist what do you mean how can I be talking about ministry at a time like this son that's why you're here and everything from pain and anguish everything from things that seem counterintuitive everything from things that you didn't expect or opposition that comes up against you is all a distraction from the reason why you are here so you will stand up and hold your head up and be strong and you will continue the work of the ministry I'm just wanting to tell you what my mom told me because everybody in this room is facing something or going through something where you need to hear a word that says that you are here no matter what you're going through no matter what you face in your family in your ministry whether you have 1 million people on your program or whether you have one you're here to serve the purposes of God do not turn to the left or to the right like God told Joshua you're here to serve the purposes of God we are to close the promised land is right there my mom was letting us know the reason why this is happening is because God is allowing us to be shaken because of how he wants to move forward you cannot quit now cross the Jordan the promised land is right there some people in this room simply need to be encouraged because it was just it was just a year ago this season where I got a word from my mother and even though last year was her last in our be physically she's giving another address today [Applause] as I spoke at her funeral with many of you may have seen as it was put out on Facebook and other outlets I was reminded about my playing career I played in the NFL for five years you don't know me because I wasn't that good but who cares I was there and every player that plays on Sunday they play on Sunday thinking about Monday every college football player that plays on Saturday they play on Saturday thinking about Sunday every high school football player if you were to go to ask them what are you thinking about during the game on Friday they would tell you I'm thinking about Saturday why every time a player is playing the game they're thinking about the next day because the next day is where you have to watch the film and be accountable of your previous performance so I remember when I was playing I would make a good block and I would say oh that's gonna look good tomorrow or I'd miss something or I wasn't doing something right and I'd say I know I have to watch that my mom was letting us know that day you better stay focused because one day there is gonna come a day like when you were playing football Jonathan where you had to go and your coach would pull down the screen and he would turn on the overhead projector and pick up the red pointer and all he would wonder is were you out there bearing the image of the uniform that I gave you based on the PlayBook that I wrote for you to execute or were you out there doing your own thing serving your own purpose don't answer that because we're about to watch it right now second Corinthians 5:10 Paul says the exact same thing for we all will go before the judgment seat of Christ we cannot lose focus no matter what we face because worse host to play today thinking about tomorrow whether it's for millions or for one the focus is on Christ that one day he's gonna pull down his cosmic screen turn on his Holy Ghost overhead projector and pick up his blood of Jesus red pointer and he's gonna sit us all down and his only concern is not going to be about your donor base it's not going to be about your numbers it's not going to be about all of those things that worry us on a daily basis it's not going to be about the opposition it's gonna be did you serve the purposes of God don't answer that cuz we're just going to watch it right now and sometimes in ministry we can get to a place where we're serving the ministry instead of the god who's over it we're so concerned about the numbers and the feedback and how many listeners and these people over here and what can what dog-and-pony show can I do to make sure we get the support that I need and if God gave you the ministry certainly he'll support it serve his purposes [Applause] growing up I had a dog named Solomon it was a toy poodle not by my selection I have two older sisters it was me I would have gotten something a little tougher but that toy poodle at 11 years old I thought that he was a little bit flitted in my mind because when I would come home from school this dog would be running around in circles chasing his own tail and I'd be thinking to myself did this dog does this dog not know that his mouth is on his face and his tail is on his rear end he wasn't created to catch his own tail he's running around in circles doing a lot of movement but he has no progress at 12 years old I came home to some growling that was going on in the back room and all I heard was a so I said well maybe we my sister's pulled a fast one and got another toy poodle and went to the back room only to find out that the dog had caught his tail but after 30 seconds and me standing there watching him in shock the dog had to let go because he was too uncomfortable to stay in that position even though he had a moment of satisfaction because that's not what he was created for we have to be careful in the Christian world because sometimes we can get so involved in what we're doing that we're not actually progressing we're just running around in circles we're running around in circles trying to satisfy an intent that we were not created for and just having Jesus sign off on it I mean how can we have all of these radio programs and all my dad used to say radio programs and all these broadcasts and all these churches with all these preachers with all these youth programs and all of these conferences and all of these special people and still have all this mess there's got to be a dead monkey on the line somewhere it's that God's people are losing focus my mom told me to tell you go back to being focused it's the gospel of Jesus Christ serve the purposes of God be an impact to your generation Paul said in Philippians 3 I do not like regard myself as having taken hold of it but I leave what's behind and I reach for what's ahead pressing on to the standard which I have already attained we must press on I know there is opposition in the last two years my dad's brother passed away two years ago just opposition in our family six months later he lost his niece my cousin winter at 38 years old her heart just stopped she fell down in her home with four girls and a husband who now live in Nashville a few months later he lost his sister a few months later he lost his sister's husband a few months after that my little cousin Michael who is 28 years old lost his wife at 30 found out that she had a tumor suddenly and then at the moment that she found out the next day she passed away a few months after that to Daddy my granddad my dad's dad was falling ill and at 90 years old he passed away this past November and a month later Louis Evans it is painful sometimes it is hard sometimes you've heard from the previous speakers whether it's the culture coming against you whether it's wayward children whether it's your own family whether there's death deaths in the family whether there's people that you're losing whether there's listeners that you're losing whether you feel like you're not getting the support whether you it's hard sometimes that's why the Bible says in Galatians 6:9 do not grow weary of doing good because even though it's hard even though there's opposition's even though you may not be noticed in the Great Hall even though it seems like things may not be working out you have one goal serve the purposes of God she was just letting us know that even though 2019 would be her last physical NRV in 2020 she can give us good clarity of vision to put us on the street path with a final address to the NRB she loves so much people December 30th was the last time that I spent time with my mom and about a week before that she was living between heaven and earth and I knew it she said did you see my mom she was just sitting right here did you see mom do you see those colors they're unbelievable I said no mom we don't see him we don't see your mom but I know you do and one thing that got us she said the award the award they're about to give me my award enjoy that mom because you serve the purposes of God through the thick the thin no attention a lot of attention millions are one you didn't lose focus so you enjoy your reward my mom would want me to tell you there's an award don't lose focus serve the purposes of God thank you for having me [Applause]

Channel: Tony Evans

Views: 259,974

Rating: 4.9031649 out of 5

Keywords: sermon, sermons, Tony Evans, Jonathan Evans, National Religious Broadcasters, powerful sermon, powerful sermons, inspirational sermon, motivational sermon, inspirational sermons, motivational sermons

Id: eiS7LTpVpRY

Length: 25min 20sec (1520 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 23 2020