"Punchline" with Michael Jr. - Life.Church

today though you are going to be so glad that you came to church I've got an amazing guest speaker a very good friend of mine who is a comedian but this guy can bring a spiritual message that will impact your heart your laugh you're gonna love it Michael jr. is truly a great husband he's the father of five kids I have six kids he loves his wife almost as much as I love aiming five kids good yeah he has done comedy all over the world he's been on Comedy Central he's been on Oprah he's been on The Late Late Show he's been on Jimmy Kimmel he's been on The Tonight Show but he's never been more excited to be anywhere than he is today would you join me in welcoming a great man of God and a great comedian you're going to be blessed we're honored to have Michael jr. oh hi I was cool thanks man we have a blast is so cool um we're gonna laugh so listen well I'm gonna do some joke we're gonna laugh is gonna be cool some people think you're not supposed to laugh at church what good father doesn't want to hear his children's laughter in his house so the laughs is gonna be cool and then maybe the Pharisees to go home I don't know it's got you so I want to tell you about me and pastor Craig we went out to eat uh and you guys see him as a like you don't get to see him on a personal level when he's he's still a pastor no matter where he goes we're out to eat and um and this the waitress is clearly a little distraught I didn't notice that first I'm like whatever I'm hungry um she was a little distraught and he noticed it he points it out to me and then he says something to her that just blesses her in a way I can't explain so the waitress walks over and he looks at her and um wait you know there's two scriptures I needs to get out the way first let me do this um there's two scriptures there's Jeremiah 29:11 and then there's also another one that's on the screen right there yeah so those two scriptures which is Romans 12:2 both of those scriptures are extremely important so after you see what I'm gonna say today go home and read them on your own time and it's gonna pop even more it's gonna be great so let me tell you about me my experience in church when I was a kid was extremely different from this like this is mad cool but when I was a kid laughing our church was illegal I remember one time laughing at church one time this lady was jumping around and her wig fell off that stuff was hysterical I laugh my grandmother would pinch and twist I can understand a pinch you gonna twist that's the devil and church was miserable one time going to church and just like it's it is literally like a dead body in the front and nobody explains to a seven-year-old Michael jr. this is a funeral it's not Church I'm thinking yo that's how they roll like every three so they bring a dead body in as an illustration or something and the dude on stage with yellow that's like we did it I remember actually my grandma's like grandma happened to the man in the box what happened to the man in the box her whole explanation was he in a better place I'm like what kind of box did he live in before and I'm seven years old so I have no idea what's going on and his dude is on stage and every time we go to church it seems like he was mad at us and I figured out why he was mad it was cuz he had some phlegm caught in his throat cuz at the end of every sentence he would try to get it out he'll be like the Lord said act like your hair is a black church in case I wonder if MBI over here over Church was miserable it was it was like the worse it last like six hours and we go in a basement eat a sandwich and come back up what was that half time with something before going further there's this thing I've been doing lately I want to do with you guys I would like to explain you guys how Comedy Works a lot of comedians some communities aren't even aware of this some comedians would never share this with you but I thought I'd share with you how Comedy Works let me explain first there's a setup and then there's a punchline let me break it down a little further the setup is when a comedian will use his talents and resources to seize any opportunity to ensure that his audience is moving in the same direction the punchline occurs when he changes that direction in a way you weren't expecting when you catch on to this change you have received the punchline the results are revelation fulfillment and joy expressed through laughter I just thought I'd share that with you so you can enjoy these jokes on another level so seven years old I hope your track with me 14 years old we don't have a lot of money like we we don't got no money growing like we had no I was actually being sponsored by a family from Haiti that's a funny joke man some some Christians don't know what to do with that Joe you can't laugh and shake your head like I know mine we don't got no money you get creative I'm about with our action figure I was 10 years old I just want to action figure around 14 10 years old whatever I'm making us up right now my dad hands me a box I opened up it was empty he said it's invisible man I play with that thing for three weeks man - my brother hid it from me man me and Fran made a Pat right around 14 years old to do we wouldn't curse anymore I don't know anything about God my grandmother literally instead of forcing me to go to church she would ask me if I wanted to go so I was like let me think about this no church was miserable why would I go to church so me and her Fran made a pat outside of that do we wouldn't curse anymore he don't know anything about Jesus I don't know anything about Jesus but this was the deal if he heard me curse he hit me in the chest hard as he wanted to and vice-versa dukkha hit hard I stop cursing immediately we still did regular stuff we play games one of my friends actually had money he they afforded stuff that we could we just couldn't get like one of my friends had allergies I wonder allergies do I even know what they were man this is how I found out what allergies were I went over his house his dad made dinner and he and he looked at the food and he went like this he said dad I'm not gonna eat that that's what he said to his dad and my natural response was to duck do you say something I got to my dad some go happen but instead his dad goes like this oh that's right I forgot you have allergies I was like what are these allergies where can I get some a few days a few days later I get home I'll get to the green beans on my plate I'm like I'm gonna try this I was like dad I'm not gonna eat this let me just say there was a bad reaction there's some swelling and some watery eyes - Manson turns out I have allergies after all I also started noticing around at age I was having a hard time reading now I notice it before that but right around 14 years old I'm also noticing girls and I don't want the girls to know I'm struggling my reading so if I saw let me say by the way as an adult I read just fine like the signs over the door to say excite I can read this stuff when I was a kid I would struggle with my reading I couldn't sound a word out phonetically it just it just didn't work so I would have to look at the word differently I look at the font size the color the word positioning what's in front of it what's behind it how people are responding to it I came with all these ways and look at a word to determine what it was my time I got to high school I was so fast at this people didn't know I wasn't really reading I was just working it out now as an adult I read just fine but I still have this ability to look at words in people in situations seven different ways almost immediately in fact it's the primary place where I pull my comedy from so that very thing that looked like it was a handicap when I was a kid God didn't cause it but he was usually in preparation for it he asked me to do it wasn't a handicap it's almost as if I was practicing I just didn't always practice it let me say there's one more times you can really understand what I'm saying that thing from your past you never met your dad before you're divorced whatever that is God didn't cause it but he will use it in preparation for what he has you to do somebody may need to hear your story you've been practicing you just didn't know you're practicing so now um here's what's cool here's what's cool about practicing like looking at things differently the stuff will happen I had a little kid standing an autograph line for like 30 minutes it was cool a white kid I was like hey what's up what's your name he said I'm Tanner I'm like uh no you're not I'm Tanner well people ask me questions like weird little questions like and I just look at words it's fun looking at the words or imagine them they'll say Michael jr. where you from originally I'm like originally huh well I was conceived in Michigan um before that was with my dad and then there's a swim competition right and uh and I won which is crazy I mean no black people like to swim man's crazy Anna what do we do actually 26 years old I moved in New York City I hope your track with me we're going someplace the reason I moved to New York City because I'm from Michigan and in New York if you're not funny the way to let you know is how to say something like you're not funny so in New York City's there's this club called the comic strip live that is the best club in New York City it's so hard to get in this club they have an open mic on Tuesday nights that starts at 7:30 p.m. comedians actually start lining up to do three minutes in front of the manager at 6 o'clock in the morning and if for some reason the manager likes him next the next month they don't have to wait in line so it's finally my turn to perform at the comic strip live and right before I get on stage this comedian named George Wallace walks in have you don't know who George Wallace is well my favorite jokes he does he says he was in China bought a pair of shoes he looked at the bottom of him and he said made right around the corner now I love George rose but here's the problem whenever someone like that walks in whoever's next gets bumped I'm next and I know I'm about to get bumped but no this is where God shows up for the first time in my life well this is where I noticed them the managers walking over to me he says listen Michael George walls is here uh do you want gone before him or after him I was like let me think this over before him please so I'll gone before George Wallace and I got New Yorkers laughing not only are New Yorkers laughing but he's laughing as well after he comes into the room and then after the show there's a bunch of comedians are all around him accident questions he leaves them and he comes over to me and he says you're really funny I was like wow snap thanks maybe she let me ask you a question he's like why don't you curse I was like um oh no what my grandmother walking my grandmother one coming to New York but what else I was gonna say my friend might hit me to chest I'm a grown man the truth is I don't have any reason not to curse except for the fact that I made a deal with a friend a long time ago I had no idea sue so I decide you know he says to me you're funny and you're really really clean I'd love you to do a show with me and my best friend in a couple nights I don't even know his best friend is I don't matter I could do another show I'm excited I'm pumping like yeah we get to the show it's me George Wallace Jerry Seinfeld so we do two shows I get two standing ovations I rip I'm the man I'm like yeah after the show the club manager it's a different club he walks up to me and he says uh hey listen um Mike who got a great set tonight uh would you like to go to church with me tomorrow so Church I just got two standing ovations man why you messing this up right now man am I going to church rest of his misery we're gonna show you how to back up I ain't going in I ain't going to church twenty minutes later his fiancee asks me the same question she was fine I mean she was beautiful and she had some kind of accent - she's like Michael jr. would you like to go to church with us I was like I was just looking for a church the other day man find me in church man shoot hmm so go to his church for the wrong reasons I can't even find these people I'm sitting way in the back the search is huge it's like 4,000 people discharged I'm sitting way in the back and his dude comes out on stage right and he was talking about Jesus I said he was just talking he wasn't screaming he wasn't yelling he didn't had no perm you're just talking about Jesus then he did this thing where I said can I get a hallelujah that's what he said it can't get hallelujah I know what that means it means you want me to say what you just said but I don't know what that means so I'm saying it that's what I'm thinking in my head and then he says in case there's anyone in here that doesn't know hallelujah means and then I said this place is creepy he said it's the highest praise you can give and then he did this thing where I did an altar call he did an altar call and Patrick Craig does his phenomenal you know he does this this author call we said you're on geez your life all you have to do is believe in your heart confess with your mouth and then raise your hand or come forward and I really wanted to do it I'm telling you like I'm telling you I really wanted to but I was like no I got to read the pamphlet first I don't know miss him cuz I knew a couple Christians and it was kind of creepy it's some creepy Christians out there if you don't know any creepy Christians is you yeah so yeah your friends no one or so I say your friend knows one so told myself now I'm not gonna do that I got to read the pamphlet first and I was like I got I don't know cuz it could be a catch or something cuz there's some Christians who you ever know a Christian in need they cool at first and then when they start talking about God they voice change like you just taught hey you see the gay as a good game I like it can I tell you about the lower what is wrong with your voice what just happen to doctor I told myself I'd read the whole Bible before I went to the author I even have a Bible I didn't know it was that big in this lady at the O'Hare Airport I don't even know this lady out of nowhere she just hands me her Bible we never even exchanged words she's him her Bible so open a Bible up and the Bible was made I read the copyrights first the Bible is made in Grand Rapids Michigan me to read the Bible I'm going to church read the Bible going to church and now I'm rare variant I like I'm digging in I understand if I'm reading the Bible at this point in New York all I'm doing the whole time I'm in New York City is hitting the comedy clubs reading the Bible and sleeping like that literally is all I'm doing I'm putting in like 14 hours a day because now I really wanted my life towards Jesus about told myself and read the Bible first you don't have to do that I just wanted to stick to what I said so I'm digging into it 14 hours a day it's like 9 pages a day I was digging in I was like I'll get to the part of Matthew where I said Jesus died for me I did not know that Jesus died for me ty was 27 years old literally I didn't know I'd been to church people yelling screaming I saw the little crucifix thing same thing was on a rappers neck I don't know it does pose the man I didn't know until I read it right there in Matthew 2 Jesus died for me I didn't know didn't I turn the mark and he died again I'm like what is going on why they keep killing him I understand what's going on get to revelations and I was like reading the Bible was like paying bills you gotta pay attention to the red ink like you better pay attention so I'm gonna get cut off is something gonna happen so I'm finishing the Bible and I go to church and I run to the altar like during the announcements I was like yeah I know you got a picnic on Saturday but his Jesus here right now cuz I'm ready so I'll give my life over to God and now I understand some stuff like I understand before I just thought I was funny but now I understand I'm funny for a reason like there's purpose behind me having a sense of humor and God has a purpose for just like he has a purpose for you he even has a purpose for the things that you've been through even though he didn't cause him but he's using them you've been practicing for a lot of you guys it is game time or you end up on the field not knowing what to do and then just practicing some more so now I'm in that Club and I leave New York is extremely expensive and I moved to Los Angeles in Los Angeles is the number one club in the country the best con I can't even get inside this club physically except for the fact that my friend George Wallace is in town and he takes me into the comedy and magic club now he can't get me on stage he can only get me inside the club and at the time some of you guys may remember a football player got hit in the eye with a flag and he was sooner league for four hundred million dollars and now in the green room is George Wallace Garry Shandling Jay Leno and these guys are working on this joke subject for the tonight show's monologue on NBC I'm not saying anything I'm just happy to be in there eating french fries with these dudes but your gift will make room for you so I'm sitting in there working on the joke then it got quiet and he looked at me and I was like oh snap this is an opportunity I was like alright let me see if I got this right he got hidden I with a flag he lost his vision in one eye and he's Sunna League for four hundred million dollars oh he's not gonna see half of it like for real here's the thing how did I get that joke that fast under that much pressure the truth is it wasn't as much pressure as you might think because I've been practicing since I was a child in form of a kid who had a hard time reading I've been practicing just like you've been practicing you probably didn't know you were practicing oh I'm here to let you know you've been practicing in his game time but you have to be able to hear to coach his voice so now I'm in the club like I'm in the club and are probably four years ago five years ago right before I got on stage I was headlining there God gave me a change in mindset about comedy normally when a comedian gets on stage he wants to get last from people that's what I was all about and then God said to me simply know what I want you to do is go up there and give them an opportunity to laugh romans 12:2 be not conformed to the ways you don't look it up he said give them an opportunity laughs this right here has changed everything about everything that we do as a company because I'm not looking to take I'm looking to give if you can get a hold of this it will literally for real in every way change your life because if you walk into a room and you're asking the question what can I give you're just in a better place you are more like Jesus under those circumstances and if you haven't made that decision to ask that question by default you reaction you were saying what can I get so when you make the choice it literally changes everything so now I'm in I do too I do my show we have a great time I leave the club that night there's people around with autographs high fives it's like this whenever I leave this club now but this in particular night while I'm talking to the people I look across the street and I saw a homeless guy I had never seen a homeless guy outside his club before ever but I didn't mean anyone near before that just means before my mindset was to get last from people so why would I even know there's a homeless guy I noticed him I was like what about him how could I give him an opportunity laughs then the hexagon a guy was like you really want to know and I was like nope I said yes we went to did this comedy tour we start going to homeless shelters in prison so whenever I do a concert somewhere we always look for a prison or a homeless shelter do comedy yet we go to this one prison I got to tell you what happens I'm scared for real soon as we walk in a word took my belt from he's like you can't have a belt somebody might try to hang you why can't they just boo me or something why I got a hanger I'm in president my pants loose is a bad idea man I got seven different ways to look at this man so I'm scared for real and I'm walking in this prison and I know like I know I need to be funny immediately normally if you ever come see me in concert I take my time it's cool it's interactive no I need them to like me immediately but not too much so I'm walking into prison and uh I need a joke and I'm doing the math and first of all bars when you walk in the bars open in front of you take a few steps and they close and there's some more bars than just a couple some y'all know I'm dumb Oh welcome home you know anyway oh so I'm scared I'm walking in and I know I need a joke immediately and I got nothing seven different ways to nothing I have one joke pop-up but I wasn't gonna start with it I was gonna be like you know what you guys are a captive audience I just want to say that no so I'm scare for real and I'm walking in and um I literally have nothing and all the prisoners are sitting in here first of all there's no stage like there's no glass we're not doing comedy on the phone these cats are right here expecting funny and I got nothing seven different ways to nothing and I remember walking in and all I've got on pink jumpsuits so what I ain't saying nothing about them jumpsuits and they're all sitting there and I figure I got two steps left before I got to bring the funny before instinctively they know that I know that I got nothing and I don't know what's gonna happen because there's no guards in there with me the guards left me at the last gate they gave me a little give me a little black box and they put it on my pants and they said if anything happens pull the pan don't they know about the pan it's probably one dude his job is the whole Japan so I so I take my first step I still got nothing nothing nothing nothing I lift this foot up still got nothing I settled his foot and for a real life Church listen sitting right up front is a white dude with a white beard named Moses I was like thanks Laura when I said these words of Moses the place exploded I laughed we had an amazing time I said Moses this is what I want you to do when you see the prison ward I want you to look him in his eye when you're looking right in his eye and I want you to say let my people go like for real so here's the thing how did I get that joke that fast under that much pressure it wasn't that much pressure because I've been practicing just like you have been practicing before a bounce I like to explain to you how life works it leads from a comedian's perspective first there's a setup and then there's a punchline the setup is your talents your resources and your opportunities and most of the time we use our setup to ensure that our audience or the people around us are moving in a direction that serves us which means the punchline occurs when you change that direction in a way they weren't expecting you actually use your setup for other people the results are the same yet multiplied revelation fulfillment and joy but it's not just for the one receiving your punchline it's also for you who get to deliver the punchline as well people ask me all the time Michael what was your big break our next guest is performed on Comedy Central's premium blend he made its first appearance on The Tonight Show from Montreal Comedy Festival seen him on The Tonight Show with Jay you know that wasn't a big break the big break was at a club and right before I got on stage I had a change in mindset about comedy normally when a comedian gets onstage he wants to get last from people I felt a little shift take place where I felt like I was to go up there and give them an opportunity laugh now I'm not looking at tank I'm looking for an opportunity to give just changed everything my name is Mike Rowe jr. i'ma do some jokes ultrasounds come in color now which is ridiculous I know as a black baby it better be a black baby I leave the club that night there's all these people giving me hugs high fives telling me her favorite jokes then I look across the street and I saw a homeless guy and I thought to myself what about him most comedy most jokes are set up my son four years old looks at me out of nowhere he says dad I want to be a doctor like yes yes and then a punchline then he said or a dinosaur I understand that me doing comedy and doing all of these TV shows I'm making all these people laugh it's really just a setup my opponents line is to make laughter commonplace in uncommon places we go to Montrose Colorado place called the dolphin house they take care of children who have been abused by their parents and this grandmother explains to me that her grandson is being abused by his mom he's so afraid of his mom that everywhere he goes he wears a spider-man costume talking on stage sitting right up front a spider-man I started to a comedy people start laughing slowly but surely probably about 25 minutes into it I hear a voice and the voice says my name is Ronan and this little boy pulls off his mask and it was one of the most powerful moments in my entire comedy career if we could just stop asking a question what could I get for myself and start asking the question what can I give from myself I think people would learn you don't have to be a comedian to deliver a punch line so if I ask the question how many people here know what your setup is I'm talking to everyone at every location if I actually question how many of you know what your setup is chances are you would be able to tell me you can tell me if you went to school you can tell me if you have a job where you live you have a car you have clothes your setup is about what you've received but what if I ask the question what is your punchline how many of you actually know what your punchline is and to live life only knowing to setup and not the punchline is an extremely uncomfortable place to live let me get an example how many people are still thinking about the story of me and pastor Craig at the restaurant so you're still thinking about that story because all you have is the setup and that's a story you just heard but what you've decided to do is just push it in the back continue on about life we've laughed you heard some stories everything's fine but you still don't have the rest of the story the punchline is still missing and that's a story you just learn right now you've been living your story your entire life and if you only have to set up and don't know what the punchline is you need to know your punchline and the one who knows your punchline happens to also be the owner of the greatest setup punchline story ever let's think about Jesus for a moment he was the king my bad he was the king of kings and when you're the king of kings the mindset of the entire audience is you serve the king of kings that is the direction everyone goes but what did he do he said no he changed direction he said instead of you serving me I'm going to serve you I'm gonna climb up on his cross and I'm going to die for your sins the greatest setup punchline story ever and he also knows your story he knows your setup and please catch this when I was a kid I had a hard time reading he knows your setbacks which are just part of your setup so you can deliver the punchline your call to deliver and the further back you've been set like a slingshot the further you're going to reach but you first have to clearly just say to him please tell me what is my punchline why am I here I appreciate you I love you on my coaching at all other churches as you take a moment in pray I just want to meditate on the verses that Michael jr. brought up to us do not be conformed to the patterns of this world that be transformed by the renewing of your minds that you'll be able to test and approve what the will of God is is good is pleasing is perfect will for God you know the plans you have for us plans to prom prosperous to bless its not to harm us to give us a hope and a future god I pray that the set up would deliver us and bring about the punchline that you want for every person today as we bit in your presence and all of our churches I just want to take a moment and as you look back on your life many of you as Michael jr. said you've been through some difficult times some of you right now you're going through a hard time and you recognize I've just been practicing this is this is the setup for me to use my gifts to make a difference in this world I can so relate because I I too didn't know Jesus and went into the wild life and what I recognized now God used all that stuff in my life to help prepare me to tell the gospel in a way that people to understand and help bring them to Jesus at all our churches there are those of you maybe you're going through something right now or you look back and there's something or challenging or something unexpected in your life and you would say God use that use me not to try to get from others but God used be to give to others to make a difference if you want God to use a set up to bring about a punchline to use you to make a difference in this world would you looked at your hands right now all of our churches I hope every hand goes up father thank you so much for a church full of people who want to know you intimately and to use the gifts that you've given them to make a difference in this world and God I thank you most people wouldn't think of being funny and think of comedy as a way to share your gospel but God you can use every single gift that you've given us to make a difference I pray God that you would inspire people today to recognize that all throughout our lives you've been preparing us to make a difference for your glory and power your church to serve you and to serve others faithfully we pray as you keep praying to down so moved by Michaels story that at the age of 26 as he as he simply heard about Jesus about the unconditional love of God the reality that every single one of us we've all sinned with messed up we've we fallen massively short of God's standard but because of God's goodness he sent Jesus who was without sin to die on the cross one time not for like Michael thought of the Gospels but to die for us one time and to be raised again from the dead why so that anyone who puts their faith in Jesus would be forgiven and transformed at all of our churches there are those of you you recognize I don't have that I want it I need His grace I need his forgiveness today by faith I simply turned towards Jesus just like Michael jr. did say God I give my life to you I want to surrender completely Jesus by faith I need your grace I need your forgiveness so I surrender my life to you that's your prayer and all of our churches would you lift your hands high right now and say yes Jesus I surrender completely to you and all of our churches as we have hands going up church online you just click right below me and we're all going to pray together this how we do it everybody pray aloud for a Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins make me brand new I believe Jesus died for me and he rose again so what I could live for you fill me with your spirit so I could serve you and follow you for my whole life thank you for setting me up for the punch line to serve you I give you my life in Jesus name I pray would you all worship cheer deploy to God and welcome those born into God's family today

Channel: undefined

Views: 328,930

Rating: 4.91535 out of 5

Keywords: Craig, Groeschel, lifechurch

Id: DZb6yngru5A

Length: 35min 21sec (2121 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 02 2015