JUN 11 2023 | Paul’s Third Missionary Journey S1E2 | Gospel Boldness – Persuasion – Power ; Pastor Joe Brandi

Sea Change Church · Paul's Third Missionary Journey S1E2 · "Gospel Boldness – Persuasion – Power ; Pastor Joe Brandi" Pastor Joe Brandi · June 11, 2023
Automated transcript. Not reviewed for accuracy.

Good morning. My name is Maverick. I, um, go to our Tuesday night group with Joe with our 24 to 25, sorry, 25 to 35 ish, uh, group. And we also have like a married group that we just get together with in fellowship. Um, my husband's one of those basketball players that won on Sunday with the group. Um, so if you guys will join me with reading today's scripture's.

Reading is from Acts 19, eight through 12. Paul entered the synagogue, synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate. They refused to believe in publicly maligned the way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and dis and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tarus.

This went on for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. The word of the Lord.

I'm Joe Brandy passed over the 25 to 35 ish, meaning there's 24 year olds, there's 36, 37. We still get that more up on the website and uh, I serve as president of Uni for Orphans. Yesterday we're at the orphanage and people from the congregation came, Casey and Brian Wheeler. It was amazing. And uh, before I start, if you have a bulletin, you guys have a bulletin. Awesome.

Hopefully there's a pen or a pencil in front of you. I'd like you, as we enter in this time, to write down three names of people that do not know Jesus yet, in a salvific personal way that you would love to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Think of those three people in your mind's eye. We all have them. Maybe there's more. It's fine.

I want you to write those down. It's between you and the Lord. All right, great. Let me pray. Uh, Lord God, father, son, and spirit, your saints are gathered on Sunday in your church in La Jolla, and I asked that your word doesn't return void. I said, I can speak with boldness and persuasion and love and that we can receive and that after we can be changed, that if somebody has not, uh, accepted you and trusted you personally as their savior and king, that they do.

So if people have accepted you as their Lord and king are, are drifting a little bit, we're all drifting The other way is bringing them back and help this church change this corner and change the corners of the world and the corner of San Diego. In Jesus' name. Amen. Uh, the world changed in 1980. The world changed in 1984 and you're probably wondering how did it change in 1984, trying to create a little bit of tension here.

Um, anybody heard the name Sunny Vaccaro? Sunny Vaccaro. Sunny Vaccaro was a low level marketing on the marketing team for Nike in 1984. And he was the one that found Michael Jordan and got them signed with Nike and the basketball world was changed. Anybody heard of Michael Jordan? Yeah. Okay. Anybody heard of Air Jordan shoes? Yeah. Okay.

That had not been done before. Sunny Vaccaro in 1984. Um, if you haven't seen the movie, there is cussing in the movie. I gotta mention that. Um, nothing else really bad. And it doesn't have Michael Plain. So if you're expecting a high action, it's not, um, based off a true story, uh, directed and produced by Ben Affleck who's in the movie and has these really funny sunglasses that were really popular back in that time. Um, sunny, uh, Nike was down low below Adidas, below Converse and they had a limited budget.

They were kind of floundering and in the past, uh, they would sign like three people to represent their company and they would divvy up the budget according to that. And they're, they're looking for the magic bullet so they can become number one. And they didn't know what to do. Everybody wanted Michael Jordan, but Michael Jordan loved Adidas. He wore them, he loved them.

I think Run DMC used to wear them whose house and um, and sunny late night in the movie and I'm sure this happened, he's all, you know, eating pizza and like sweats. I mean it wasn't a very glamorous moment. And he's watching that moment where Michael Jordan, North Carolina freshman year is waiting for the ball, waiting for the ball as a freshman gets the ball sinks, everything's changed. And then Michael Jordan continued to grow in power.

And there's something that happened with Sonny. He had a vision that Michael Jordan can change Nike and change the world for basketball. And he believed the next day he goes into the office to talk to his senior officer says, we have to put all our budget in Michael Jordan. No, that's crazy. That's never been done before. No, we need to do it. He talks to you, we need to get Michael Jordan.

Well the mom's the leader of the house and you're not supposed to go visit he books or he drives there meets Michael Jordan's mom has this one-to-one conversation. He against all odds won that family and Michael Jordan and the CEO and his bosses to sign Michael Jordan and create a shoe just around him. And the world was changed.

When you believe something and have boldness and are willing to be persuasive with them based off something that is true, the world changes. And the Apostle Paul had his life changed because he believed in the Lord Jesus. If we look to the text, it says that Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. Something had happened with the Apostle Paul, he's on his third missionary journey.

He'd done all these little journeys and we continue to do journeys going in the religious areas of the synagogues and speaking boldly from the scriptures going in the marketplace speaking people that uh, were religious in a different way and being persuasive. But something had changed him. I looked up the word how many times bold boldness boldly appears in the New Testament and it's everywhere and most all the time it's associated with opening up your mouth and saying something about Jesus.

I strongly believe that the church in America has lost its boldness. I know it cuz I have, I used to lead in uc Santa Cruz 20 years ago. Um, when all this stuff we see in the culture today was happening in uc, Santa Cruz. And I would train people and lead them in discussing boldly and persuasively in love things about Jesus and the King of God.

And then the longer I've been a pastor in the church and wanted to fit in and not offend people and this and that, I've slowly lost my boldness. I admit it. Have you, the early church and the apostles, uh, when they spoke about Jesus and the kingdom of God, boldly was the adjective that described them and the world was changed. It's repeated a bunch of times.

And then also it's not just boldness cuz we can be bold and be strong, but we also are called to be persuasive. And Paul, when he is in Acts 17, or was he synagogues or he speaks in a persuasive way that's different depending on his context. So in Acts 17, when he steps out of the synagogue with the philosophers, he doesn't just get up and say repent, believe in Jesus.

That's not what he does. He studies and goes, you know what? I see you guys are very religious people and you have an unknown God. And then he goes on this long, very wise thing of persuading them that that Jesus is uh, that unknown God that you don't worship. Uh, the church should be bold and persuasive. But why was he bold and persuasive?

I think it's because he experienced the kingdom of God and he came into a relationship with Jesus, not just as savior but also as king. If we see back in the text of Acts 19 said, Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. It wasn't right away to accept Jesus into your heart and you'll be saved. Yes, that's part of it. It says in Romans, if you believe with your mouth and confess in your heart or vice versa and you will be saved. But there was something in Jesus' brain all described in Matthew, in Luke about the kingdom of God and something in the early church.

And let me read this at the top of your notes, it says the kingdom of God, the term the kingdom of God occurs four times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark, 32 times in Luke twice John six Acts eight times in Paul wants a revelation. And then Matthew actually prefers the term kingdom of heaven, which is used over 20 times. So was this just important for them and not as important for us?

Or did they kind of tap into something that we're as Americans? Cuz we don't live in a time of kings and queens. We're maybe missing a little bit. It's not like it's a false gospel, but we've kind of missed it a little bit. What is a kingdom? Well a kingdom has to have a king. A kingdom has to have a king Jesus, I believe was the eternal son of God, the eternal logos. But then, and so he was the king of heaven. But then something had happened.

Something did happen where he was entered into into the world born of the Virgin Mary. And he obeyed where Adam didn't obey in Eve. And then he obeyed where Israel, his God's corporate son didn't obey. And then he obeyed where we personally didn't obey to bring glory to the Father and to satisfy his law to be a perfect sacrifice, dying on the cross, suffering as a substitute for us and then rising and defeating death defeating the devil.

And then us sending and being coordinated as a king at the right hand of God the Father. And now he intercedes for his people like a great high priest and his prayers are effectual. Do you know he's praying for you? Isn't that awesome King Jesus. And then at the end of time he's gonna come back again to judge the living and the dead and he's gonna recreate this world because he's king of heaven and king of earth and he can control the elements just like he controlled the, the winds of the wave and can walk on the water because he's king of the elements that he made.

He's gonna recreate this earth to not groaning but glowing and he's gonna recreate our bodies like he had a glorified body and can walk through walls. There's gonna be something there where we're gonna have a glorified body and the kingdom of heaven is gonna merge with earth and the kingdom of God will fully be here. But we're in this in between time.

Do you know Jesus as king? Have you experienced him as king? The kingdom has not only just a king, but also has a rule and it has a people and it has a land and it has a space. If you have believed in the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he has taken Jesus'. No, he's a good teacher, he's a nice guy. He's a person in history and he has come and lived in your heart by the Holy Spirit.

And now the spirit of the king of love rules in your heart. And now there's actually a struggle between your flesh and sin. Whereas before there was no struggle. You're just like give in. You know, my mom said this is good to do. I'm gonna try to do it, but I really don't wanna do it after I leave home. You know? But now the Holy Spirit, once you believe rules in your heart as a king and he has a people and his people gather on Sundays all over the world to say there is a king and a kingdom that's not visible to the eye all the time, but we are singing to him.

People would come in here and think we're crazy. You know, I was watching something on YouTube, I watched worship stuff a lot. And they're singing and singing. It's so beautiful. And I said to my friend, well people probably think Christians are crazy, you know, cuz we believe in an invisible God. And we believe in a savior that existed long, long ago, but now lives in our hearts that king has a people and he rules.

And then a king always has land and territory. Well, he began with the land of Israel. But then when Jesus in Matthew 28 rises, he says, go into all the nations, the whole earth is his kingdom. And as we go out and preach and do acts of love and pray and give to the poor and do all these other things, we're showing that the king is real and he wants, how does it say to pray?

Pray that thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven where love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, the name of Father, son and spirit can be known all over the world. Some of us have traveled of, you've ever been into a church in a different country. Mongolia. Mongolia is very far. Africa, Nicaragua, Haiti, Mexico, pick your place. What is this?

The king has unleashed the kingdom through his son and the spirit and his people. And it's starting to fill the whole earth with light. And you are part of that kingdom. And not only objectively is this kingdom real, we have to subjectively experience the kingdom. And I believe that's what Paul, uh, went through. He on the road to, I don't know where he was, on which some road out there in the Middle East. And uh, he was on the road after he is persecuting, uh, many Christians and all of a sudden he gets knocked off his horse in blinded and king Jesus says, why are you persecuting me?

And he was persecuting his people. And there's association, when you do stuff to my children, you're doing it to me. He blinds Paul and then he receives, uh, sends some guy to pray over him so, so he can receive his sight. And Paul was converted. He subjectively realized that his kingdom and the way he was going about uh, trying to be religiously zealous for Judaism was wrong.

And that king Jesus was actually the true king. And through him you have access to the kingdom. And he was changed. And not only was he converted with God in his heart as he got to go see a glimpse of heaven and nothing was the same after he had a glimpse of heaven, have you experienced a glimpse of heaven? Let us read in the notes in two Corinthians 12, one through five, second Corinthians 12, one through five.

I must go on boasting though there's nothing to be gained by it. I'll go on to the visions of revelations of the Lord. I know a man and he's talking about himself in third person. So he doesn't seem conceited, I guess. Um, I know a man who in Christ 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether in body are out of the body, I don't know. God knows.

And I know that this man was caught up in two paradise. Whether in the body, out of the body, I don't know, God knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter on behalf of this man. I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast. Now this is very special and uh, king Jesus father and Holy Spirit allowed Paul after he was converted, and I don't know when this was to whether he was in this strong dream state and he, he didn't know if he was in the body or out of it.

He like teleported up into the heavens where the angels are. And there's language that you can't even describe in his mind, in his heart. And everything was changed. And then he goes back into earth when he comes down to earth. He was forever changed. Not only was converted, he got a glimpse of heaven. And then forever he would enter the synagogue and go to the marketplace and be in jail and speak boldly, but not be a jerk and persuasively about the kingdom of God until he died. The whole, the end of the Book of Acts, it says he was in prison and he spoke boldly and persuaded people about the kingdom of God.

How is your vision of your king in heaven? And do you have a big vision of the king in heaven? And is it motivating you to persuasively and with confidence, speak about Jesus as being king? Boldness, boldness, uh, the Greek word, uh, we need to preach the gospel with boldness. It means to be frank, to be open publicity, assurance, plainly fearless confidence without ambiguity, without ambiguity. And there's a quote by this, uh, German, um, writer back in the day, very famous.

Whatever you do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has a genius and a power and a magic in it. Haven't you met people that are just bold about smoothies? I don't know. They're bold about surfing and that boldness switches to persuasion. You know, when I hear Brian speak about rock climbing, I'm like, I actually wanna rock climb. But I'm like, no, after a while I don't wanna a rock climb. I don't have body rock climber.

You know, like when you are bold and you believe and you persuade, it affects, there's like trajectories and like, uh, grew up near lakes and ponds and you still pond, you drop that rock and ripple effects happen. And the early church, the Apostle Paul, the early believers had this contagious boldness that changed the world. Mm-hmm There's a person in history named Martin Luther.

One of you guys have heard of him in 1517. I watched a documentary a couple days about him and I heard about him and knew some stuff. I just wanna make sure my factoid were right and whatever view is of the Catholic church Protestant, we're not gonna get into that. But there's two things that I know. He was very bold and the world was changed by him near the end of his life he had some cantankerous remarks about, you know, we're all human, okay?

Um, but he was convinced that by our own law keeping we could not attain righteousness before a holy God. But that the just will live by faith, by faith in Christ alone. You can be reconciled to the Father and then receive the Holy Spirit and then enter the kingdom. And he strongly believed that the people should have the Bible in their own language. He got brought, um, up with charges of being a heretic after he typed his not typed, wrote his 95 arguments on the vi whitten verb door.

And they got later put in the pre press and he didn't know this and put all over Germany and they got got brought, are you a heretic? Are these your books? He's like, you know what? Not a heretic. These are my books and I want to talk about these 95 things. Well, he was condemned to death and he was in this little carriage and on the way somewhere in the carriage, his friends rescued him, put him in a castle and he wrote the first German Bible out of boldness and persuasion to give the word of God in the hands of the people through his boldness.

The came of God started echoing in a different way throughout Germany with boldness from one person. The world can be changed, but it's not just boldness cuz we can be bold and we can kind of be obnoxious. Have you ever been around the, or been part of that where you're a little bit too bold and you ruin the relationship? Uh, yesterday with the orphanage, um, and there was maybe 11 of us, of us and five people were not church didn't believe in Jesus.

How do I know that? I just know. Um, and I, I just know. And uh, so we go around the circle doing introductions and there was some bold people there. People are like, Hey, I'm down with Jesus. Hey, I go to church and I'm, I start going maybe like, oh, what are the people that don't believe in Jesus yet thinking about should we tone it down a little bit? I'm like, I knock it off Joe.

You're preaching on boldness tomorrow. And um, and then you know, the whole day happens. The orphan kids pray in Mexico we pray, we give words of affirmation, all this kind of stuff. And the whole time like, man, what are, what are these people that don't believe in jeez, yet even thinking, what are they experiencing? And then later Brian and I were hanging out and uh, there was a lady from Italy there and um, she's really cool cause I'm Italian [unknown] That's all I know.

That's all I know. And um, Brian said, yeah, I was, I was talking to her about God and Jesus and I could tell that she wasn't open. So I, I chilled out, I slowed down and well that is a perfect way to be bold but calibrate to be persuasive cuz you don't want to lose the relationship just in the name of being bold for Jesus. You know what I'm saying? And then Paul, in the book of Acts, we're supposed to be persuasive about the gospel in the book of Acts 17. Um, he goes, did I already mention this in the sermon about Acts 17, Chris? I did.

Okay, but back to re duplicate that cuz God just brought my attention in Acts 17. There's different contexts that all of us will find ourselves in. And it's good to try to be persuasive and sometime being persuasive is being a good listener. The first person that shared the gospel to me was this huge three, uh, hundred pound full of muscle, uh, preacher.

And he was so bold and he was a standup preacher. And I, I mean, man, he was bold. And after probably the 15th time I finally went up to him and I talked and he was actually really nice and a bunch of different stuff happened four months after I talked to him. And then I came to him the second year. I'm like, dude, you'll never imagine. Like, oh my gosh, all this stuff happens.

He invited me to church. Um, but I remember asking him questions and he was so bold. I'm not naming his name. He's a great man. We're friends, but he was so bold, he never listened to me. But God used that boldness to catch my attention. And then later, once I was going to church, I was unconverted and I was gonna all these Bible studies and I was asking all these questions and uh, finally I met Kelly McGuire and Kelly Mcg McGuire goes, where are you at? Because people were speaking down to me. All these Christians, uh, were very zealous in being bold, but they were speaking at me.

He was the first person said, where are you at? And I asked him and he said, turn to Roman seven. And I turned to Roman seven. It talks about this struggle of flesh and spirit. I'd already been converted and I didn't know it. And I, I remember reading seven and I was in Woodstock's Pizza in San Lu Obispo and we have Woodstock pizza here. Hmm. And um, sacred spaces. And uh, I go, oh my gosh, I'm saved and I'm battling between the flesh and the pizza. I'm, yeah dude, I think you're already converted.

I'm all thank you for listening to me and persuading me and encouraging me. So sometimes boldness with persuasion is not, is using words, but also contextualizing. Have we stepped into that boldness and being persuasive? The Greek word, it's what's the bottom line of your reasoning? Have you reached a personal opinion? In the Greek persuasion it says, William, uh, bernbach persuasion is not a science, but an art Persuasion is not a science but an art.

And we all, if we leave this church, get to go in different spheres and there's ways that we can be persuasive in a contextual way. There's this interesting scripture where Paul gathers, gathers Timothy his little understudy and he was a Greek, but they were going to the Jews and he had 'em circumcised as an a adult or a young boy or whatever, a teenager or something very painful. And uh, but he did this in order that he wouldn't create a stumbling block so the Jews would listen to him better.

What lengths would we go and make sacrifice to win a people even though he didn't have to do this? And this reminds me of Hudson Taylor, a missionary in 1855. If you wanna have any questions about church history, we have Pastor Jim right over here who's his PhD in church history and was one of my professors at Bethel. And uh, Hudson Taylor was a British missionary that for the first 18 months he tried to dress all proper and be very English and um, he said, you know what, I'm gonna do something different.

And if any of you guys have seen Kung Fu movies, you know you've seen kung Fu movies in the past where they're all bald and they have that one piece of hair you ever seen that before? Crouching Tiger, hidden dragon stuff. And um, he uh, he said, shave my head, keep that he dyed his hair black, put on the garb, started eating the food and didn't worry about what the British missionaries that lived there thought didn't care what the British thought in order to reach the people in China.

And then he started the great great China Inland Mission agency that reached so many people cuz he was willing to contextualize so people could hear him better. What areas of life again are we willing to lay down and contextualize so people could hear about Jesus? Well it's not just gospel boldness that brings people into the kingdom or gospel persuasion, but it's actually the power of the gospel.

It says that extraordinary miracles in verse le 11 were being done through Paul and he even handker shifts and aprons and I think Pastor Adam might get into the miracle stuff next week. Um, yeah, he'll get into that. Well, I don't know, he eventually might get into it. Uh, but miracles happen today strongly believe it. Not like that. Um, but the power is in the gospel of father, son and spirit.

And if you believe in the Lord Jesus who died and was raised, you will be saved and not face judgment. And it says in Romans one 16 that the gospel, I'm not ashamed of the gospel cuz it's the power of God for salvation, for everybody believes first for the Jew and then for the Greek. And then first Corinthians, the word of the crosses falling to those who perishing.

But to us who are being saved, it's the power of God. I must admit, I, um, I believe the gospel, but then I get afraid and I forget that the gospel has objective power. It was either Spurgeon or somebody that said, you just let the word out of the cage because the word is like a lion. Once you let it out of the cage, it's strong, it's powerful.

This word is not dead. It's the living word. And the Holy Spirit that inspired the apostles and the prophets to write this and then uses people to speak about it, will fall on people and give them eyes to see and will cause them to be born again. And we co participate in expanding and witnessing of the kingdom. And this, uh, this participation can look different.

I'll never forget, um, when I was in my twenties and I was a partier too, not just Adam, I was a big partier, maybe not as big as him, but man, if we, if we knew each other back then that would've been crazy. Um, I remember being in McDonald's and I used to love the little, um, cheeseburger with the orange drink. I dunno if they have orange drink, it might be illegal now, you know, but uh, just the orange and the not yellow five, but orange number 10 or something.

And I remember I was like, Hey, what's up dude? We're in the line. And then all of a sudden I felt some magnetism like time started slowing down, you know, and I turn and I look and there's this skinny mother, she's a skinny mother just praying and thanking God for the McDonald's with her 11 or 10 year old daughter. And it was this moment I look and I'm all like, God spoke to me. I'm all she's praying to a true, real God in giving thanks.

And now I'm talking about it today. Our boldness and our persuasion in our contextualization for the kingdom of God could actually look like bold prayer. It could look like bold giving of your time. Like guaranteed some of you guys have been invited to go on a camping trip or I don't know, go to some party thing and you're like, no, I'm supposed to volunteer on Sunday at church, you know, or where are you going today? Let's go to brunch and then you have a chance.

I'm actually going to church. Really tell me about church. Or maybe, oh, don't tell me about church. Boldness of persuading could look so different. And then also we don't wanna forget that this can also be for the saints, I think is a good word for today, is that not just outward, but sometimes you need to Adam's done this before.

Like he'll look at you sometimes in the Holy Spirit night and go, dude, you have an orphan spirit. Like step into who you are as a son. Like sometimes the saints need to be encouraged and they're not believing all the identity and the who they really are in Christ and they've bought into a lie and it's like a stronghold. And you need to bust through and go, man, I hope this well maybe it needs to offend you.

And I'm telling you believe this about who Christ is and who you are so that you can know that you're his child and be more empowered. Boldness is also for within the church and persuasion is for within the church, but there can be opposition. I'm gonna wind up in a few minutes. Um, even Paul, when he was preaching in the synagogue, it said that some of them became obstinate.

They refused to believe and publicly maligned the way. So Paul took it for a little bit, but then it said he left them and he took the disciples with them and had daily discussions for two years to build up the saints. We are gonna have opposition, I believe this time in America in the future. We need to get back to what Jesus said in his be attitudes. It says, blessed are you.

When people say all kinds of false things about you and reject you because they did that to me. They did it to Jesus. They're gonna do it to you and it's okay. And if you're willing to be called to cook or, um, be left out of something or who knows what's gonna happen, it is horrible in that moment because we're not all together, we're all alone in those moments.

But I strongly believe that king Jesus is smiling on you. He's smiling on you in those moments because you are putting his name above your own reputation. And lastly, um, sometimes it takes a long time like it, you know, Paul was preaching and people would get converted right away. And through Peter I'm like, oh, I'm not Paul, I'm not Peter.

This doesn't happen so I'm not gonna share anymore. You know, all those times in Santa Cruz I didn't see one person overtly come to the Lord Jesus. So it kind of like killed my evangelism spirit a little bit. We'd only see, we'd always see what happened. Nick Sino was here last, uh, service. I didn't get to fit it in, but I surf at a certain spot in San Diego that I'm not supposed to name. And, um, been there for 20 years and um, and bo and just crusty sailors, just some mean people there.

I love 'em now they're my boys. But, uh, I, uh, reminding me of Santa Cruz and I stepped in there. Not only was it a good wave, but I'm like, I feel called to this place and I'm not the best prayer warrior. That's my worst discipline. But I had people in the small groups praying and praying and praying. And about four years ago, Nick comes up to me and I had the uni orphans van and like, hey, I wanna go to the orphanage.

And he had been making fun of me for years and like, you know, like making fun of me and scowling at me and I really didn't like him to be honest. And um, and then all of a sudden we're going to the orphanage. Well this is so awkward, like being kind of with an enemy in the car for two hours and it was like, okay, whatever. And then he sees the orphanage and we pray it, know where he is at.

He hadn't been a believer yet. And then we took these orphan boys to the movie Jumanji. This is over a couple of months and he looks at me, he is all, you know, I keep trying to understand intellectually are the answers. Why don't I just believe first and then deal with all the intellectual stuff after him? Well it sounds great.

And then we come home and my roommate there was Dan and we open up the book of John and I have him read three chapters and it's like his eyes and his heart start getting big. And now Nick is on my board for Unifor Phans. He's on my bible studies, he's my bro. But it took a long time. Don't lose heart church in being bold and persuasive for the kingdom of God cuz the king is on your side.

Those three people you wrote on the piece of paper, I want you to look at those right now. Um, I struggle with being bold towards my family. I did it, uh, when I was early Christian and I almost lost my family. I remember my sister screaming me at Christmas like, you're an alien. Who are you? Like, okay, I'm tone this down. Um, I challenge you if half of the people in this church can text or give a voice note to plant a gospel seed to those people, to invite them to have a conversation, the world can change.

And so I texted this after the first service. Hey Gina, my sister, I wanted to send this text to you and let you know, I feel like I haven't been the best brother to you. I know we live far apart, we're very different, but I don't ever forget all the times you saved me back in high school and all the memories. You're my only sister.

I know you've gone through a lot of hard times over the past years and I should have been praying for you more often. I want you to know I'm always here if you need prayer, if you want to talk, especially if you wanna talk to me about Jesus as you know, I believe in Jesus, but I don't want to be pushy with you and ruin the relationship.

I totally appreciate you visiting mom and dad and being more available for them. And I'm always a phone call away or a text away and let me know again, if you ever want me to pray for you in any area of your life, are you willing today to send a text or a phone call or set up a meeting with one of those three people And um, it may affect the relationship but the world can be changed.