ReThinking Outreach - Francis Chan

thank you that's real encouraging when I first started a church was over 20 years ago there was a guy in our church he was he was blind he had been blind for about ten years and so the first ten years that he was there I didn't believe in miracles so I didn't even try and my theology started to change the more I study the scriptures I'm like gosh I think this might work and I just started I began to pray I go god I would love a miracle as we rethink outreach that'd be a great outreach um and I began to pray you know just kind of secretly you know for his healing and Kolkatta he doesn't even know what but I'm just praying for this because I believe you can do anything God the more I look at the scriptures and want to believe you really can do anything and and and just wanting to know God better and seeing this miracle and then then then then one day you know my friend John you know that the guy who was blind he his his kidney was failing and so he came in to be prayed for by the elders and and even as I'm praying for his kidney to be healed you know I finally just said John do you ever do you ever just believe that God could even give you sight and he says no I was I believe that I believe that and I want to pray right now that you would be able to see and then this guy John you gotta understand man it was so cool cuz he saw his blindness as a blessing he talked about how when he could see he didn't know Jesus and it was when he became blind that he could really see and know his Savior he says alright I don't see it as this curse and I thought man that's the exact type of person God's going to you you know not someone who thinks he deserves it or poor me but but but like you know you know I'm good but I do pray for that I go you know I'm gonna pray for you right now all the elders are here when I lay a hands on you you know and so I'm just praying I'm praying with my eyes open cuz I just wanted to see you know I just want to see a miracle like crazy insane miracle and I'm just looking into his eyes and you know praying and you know because I never just been where those moments where you believe with all of your heart and you're going god this might be it this might be the moment one of those moments I've been living for God I'm so desperate for you God right now I want to see you right now there's nothing I can do I need a miracle I need a miracle I need a miracle my concern with our attitude towards outreach is sometimes we don't have that same attitude you see I knew there was nothing physically I could do to make John see it was going to take a miracle of God or nothing and and it didn't happen right then I it still might I don't I don't understand that but I feel like sometimes we don't think of evangelism in those ways like we almost feel like there's something we can do to help it along you know what anybody but you but but the Bible says in in in junk John 6 verse 63 Jesus says it is the spirit who gives life the flesh is of no help at all at all when scripture talks about those who don't know Jesus it tucked it uses words like death it uses words like blind it even uses words like dead which makes you blind and deaf also you know but it's just it's just you know cook first Corinthians tells us that that the natural man T can't understand these spiritual things and so do we understand when we're talking about outreach we're talking about a miracle must happen it's just like raising the dead but sometimes we don't think that way so we don't get on our faces I mean if I told you your task that God told you tonight what he wants you to do is go to the local cemetery kid that's your calling tonight go to the local cemetery when I talk about a mass revival which is just one just get it just get one okay what would you do who would you bring with you now stir see I'm being dead serious right now and no pun intended yeah I'm being absolutely serious right now if that was your calling tonight you said okay God wants me to go raise someone from the dead who would you bring with you you got that in your head who would it be a good communicator band I mean who would you bring you wouldn't you do you command my only hope is they think of the people who are closest to him that they really know him that are living such a holy righteous life and I just want to bring them and maybe if we all get together and get on our faces and go god we can't do anything this is our only hope please please please raise over the dead we're hopeless there's nothing we can do to add to it that the flesh is of no help at all that's the minds that we have to start having with evangelism I mean these are the things that we were taught in seminary or Bible College but long times we separate our theology from our practice and we don't think this through and go wait I'm talking about raising the dead I'm talking about walking into a convention of blind people and begging them to look at me and this is going to take a miracle a miracle a miracle and so who would I gather I would gather those who know him most and say God would you please because according to Scripture you know the passage we just heard in English in Spanish you know is that he's the vine and and those of us who are attached to him those of us who are abiding him abide Oh in novi know that we are the ones that actually fruits just going to happen right those of us who a bike it says it's impossible is like taking a taking a branch you know that's not attached and going okay come on come on you know let's let's throw some you know fertilizer on this water lets us make something happen because it's not going to happen apart for me you're not going to do anything he goes but if you're if you're attached if somehow you were attached and abiding in the right he says you you're going to bear fruit and he says it's fruit that's going to last fruit that's going to abide I mean the vine the branch isn't like you know it's just it just happens it just flows because you know and and in Jesus this is the way the father's be glorified is when you know me and you're attached to me the fruits going to happen but sometimes we try we try we try we work but we don't just do the one thing that's actually really going to produce fruit which is abiding in him to believe that what one of my really my biggest mentor on the earth its pastor from India and he called me a couple of months ago and he was crying on the phone which has never done this before I mean it's just he's crying because he heard of another pastor in America who who fell morally and and it was grieving him but he was apologizing for his tears but as he was praying he listened you know sometimes I come to your country and I talked to some of your leaders even and I walk away going god I wish that person knew you I got away I wish he really knew Jesus I don't get a sense like they really know him I really want to know him they know a lot about him but do they know him and then he sweep he's not judging because he's crying he goes sometimes I feel like the people in America they're happy to today to hear from Moses he goes don't they know they can walk up the mountain themselves he goes with their contender to talk to someone who's been up the mountain and you can walk up and be in the president and he is weeping on the phone apologetic don't apologize he just goes I don't understand why they don't want to go up the mountain why wouldn't you want to go up there and just be in the presence of him and sometimes we're content with the podcast were content with the book we're content with the sermon we're content to hear and take a selfie with one who's been with Jesus and he say man why don't they go up God says I want you to produce fruit and I want that fruit to abide I want them to abide in me I soldier another pastor from India and he told me those Frances I've been studying great movements of God because you know how movements start he says a movement starts when the founder really knows Jesus and he says you know how movements die he says when the followers only know the founder it is it is because sometimes as long as we come down the hill and we just teach the people we don't say you got to go up there you get up the mountain okay yeah this is what I experienced now go up there go up there go up there you've got to have your own walk with that Lord you this is what we're talking about is is at that time of conversion it's that miracle where that heart of stone suddenly becomes a heart of flesh and there's his new desires I mean this was the miracle they said that was going to happen it was death to life and now they actually want the commands of God they actually actually long for the word it's that miracle that was going to happen where that person desires like when you see you know my wife's pregnant with our sixth or seventh kid and but every time it's that miracle when that child is born and I'm always blown away how the moment they're born there's just this hunger right and they just know what to do when it's it's weird you know but why because that's what happens when someone's born again a miracle happens and I feel a lot of times we're not seeing that happen and we just kind of almost make a counterfeit miracle or something it reminds me of and when I was in high school I saw this movie called a weekend at Bernie's remember that where is I don't remember the premise and don't want to try something bad in it about but it was that they pretended this guy was still alive he died in her coma no we got to keep him away so they just you know put him on water skis they just propped him up and I just go gosh that feels like church sometimes wears like no no this guy really he's alive he I mean we needed his five accountability partners to hold him up but trust me you know rather than oh man like dead bones coming to life because the miracle happened because we got on our faces those of us who knew God and when the fruit was born in something supernatural where everyone's looking going whoa that guy just came back from the dead that is a miracle I mean that's what we're after and yet it doesn't happen from a lot of the ways that we think will happen and a lot of things that we think might help Jesus as it comes when you abide in me see this is Jesus's final speech to his disciples he was about to dine he wanted them to be fruitful he says well then just abide in the vine and there's just something even weirder because we're thinking wow how's that going to do it now something even we're in John 17 in in in verse 21 he says that they may all be one just as you Father are in me and I in you that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you've sent me Jesus says this is what's going to prove it to them he goes it's when these followers actually love each other not just put up with each other but he says everything though that they love each other that they may be one just as father this is Jesus speaking father you know how you and I are just one we're just connected we are one he goes I want the church to be that way that I've never met for years I never prayed for that I didn't think there's a possibility that I could look at people in my church and be one with them as the father just as the father and son are one and jesus said look when that happens he goes I'm praying for that so that the world would believe that you sent me see again that doesn't make a lot of logical sense to us in the flesh we think let me use my intellect let me uh need some water sorry I hope this person isn't sick okay oh thank you now you show up um I was weird okay um so John 17 you know when you think okay what's gonna reach the lost we have so many methods but Jesus said they're gonna believe not when you bring the scholar I'm not and I'm not against any of that stuff okay hear me I'm just saying Jesus didn't say bring this guy in bring a famous person to give their testimony you know he says no look jesus said when you guys are united when you're 1 something happens and they suddenly believe but Paul said the same thing in enough Philippians 1 where he says when you're one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel not frightening anything by your opponents this is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation in that from God he says men when you guys are striving side by side with one mind together your is this team we're not afraid of anything because then the world is going to believe they're gonna believe in their own destruction and they're gonna believe in your salvation it's this unity I guess what I'm trying to say is I want us to really think through what we're trying to do which is raise the dead and it's not going to happen through our cleverness it's going to happen by men and women being so attached to the vine that the fruits just going to happen and it's going to happen when men and women called the church they are so United that a miracle happens you know Bible says we're like pieces of the temple where each blocks and it's when these blocks stops separating themselves and go wow look how you know my edges are so straight no no when you just jump in with the rest of the temple and you form this thing just like in the Old Testament that's suddenly the glory of God is going to fill this place when we just say I'm just another block I'm just jumping on the foundation of the apostles and prophets I just want a piece of this thing rather is when there's that type of unity watch the glory that comes down and watch how the world is going to start believing in their destruction in your salvation watch how the dead are going to come to life they're going to believe in Jesus when you are unified that's how we that's how we reach out to the world I believe in personal evangelism we have to do that the future the church depends on the average person being able to preach the gospel but I also believe that there's an apologetic in Scripture that says no the world's going to believe when the church really lives like the church and they become one and the last thought I leave you with another weird one is when we think about proclaiming the gospel we think about getting a great communicator to proclaim the gospel but during that time with his disciples Jesus said it's when you take this piece of bread what you break this bread remembering my body that was broken for me for you and you drink this cup of the New Covenant you proclaim you're proclaiming my death until I return I'm supposed to preach the gospel by taking communion that's what he said look I know there's a lot of strategies out there but I'm saying for fruit that lasts I think we need to rethink this and we're talking about a miracle and so I'm saying let's abide in him let's seriously believe that we can be one just as the father and son are one and pursue that in the and let's bring communion back to the forefront of proclaiming as death I know these things don't seem like they would work but we're talking about raising the dead so I think it's our best shot you know what I mean it's like okay this is what he said let's try it nothing else is working we're about to break bread together we have some tables and during worship time we're going to just give you some time and we've got plenty of time the worship team is going to be leading us but maybe even now as leaders you know whoever you end up at the table with it can just pray for an immediate supernatural unity where you break the bread together and you go you guys we all believe this right we're family right now we family right now we're going to be one I don't care for God some theological differences here there right now we can work that out later but my love for you as the body of Christ and you're another one of those blocks and we're building a temple right now because the blood of Jesus can we proclaim it that way and look at one another strangers get filled with the spirit and therefore we can be one and we preach the gospel this way we're about to preach the gospel together by taking the bread taking the cup Oh father just pray for my brothers and sisters that you would awaken all of us God if we're not attached to you if we're not going up the mountain alone and just an off that's not our favorite time on earth coming alone into your presence God then redirect our lives and God if we've lost our love for our brothers and sisters and are trying to reach out on our own apart from the body apart from the temple God then change our hearts redirect us and God if we're all about cleverness and don't see communion the Lord's table your methodology of proclaiming the gospel Lord then humble us and bring us back to the table and then we proclaim your death until your return in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Exponential

Views: 383,710

Rating: 4.811151 out of 5

Keywords: Francis Chan, Exponential Network, church planting, church plant, outreach

Id: sP5mepLMSTc

Length: 21min 45sec (1305 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 13 2015