Alright. Well, hey, everybody. Welcome to Valley Creek. It is so good to be with you here today. In fact, why don't you join me, real quick, in welcoming in all of our campuses together. Here we are. We finally made it. It's December. It's starting to look like Christmas and sound like Christmas. We are in the middle of a series called Kingdom Culture 101 - Learning to Live a Life of Values, and it's been a big series. We've been saying all through this process, it's felt more like a season actually than a series. That's because God's -- He's been doing some deep heart work in it. We've been talking about what the kingdom looks like, and what the kingdom values. In fact, we've been creating space to practice those values together and through the process, you see, it's been forcing us to ask this question, do the values of the kingdom align with the values of my life? 

In other words, do I value what God values? That's a big question. We've been saying throughout, there are a lot of questions in life that we actually don't get to answer for ourselves. But I'm here to tell you like, that's when we actually have to. You see, no one else can answer that question for you. Because to value something, to say something that is -- to say something you value in your life, what it means is that you're willing to pay a cost for it. See, I think that's a lot of what God's been doing each week, as He's been leading us through this series. He's leading us to a place where we have to decide, am I willing to pay a cost for whatever it is that we're talking about to become a value in my life? As we do that and as we lean into that, what's happening is we're allowing more of the kingdom to be shaped and formed within us. See, the kingdom itself, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Heaven, it's a present reality. It's not just this promise that somewhere, way off in the future. It's right now. 

See, we'd like to say that the kingdom it is fully here, but it's also not yet. See, it's fully here. That means that the moment that we put our faith in Jesus that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Within the Holy Spirit is the fullness of the kingdom of Heaven. We can actually have as much of the kingdom as we want, but it's also not yet. We still live in the midst of a broken world. There are still a lot of the world's values that shape and influence our lives. That's what God has been in the process of undoing. We have to allow God to undo some things in our life, so that more of the kingdom can be established within us. As we've gone through this, I'm not sure where you're at, maybe you've been here and be like, "Man, I love this series. I love our church and our values and who we are." On the other hand, maybe you've sat there and been like, "Man, this has been really hard. This series, it's been a challenge. It's been pressing on me a little bit." I just want to tell you today, either way, that's a great place to find yourself. 

See, it's great, because either way, that's evidence of God working in your heart. Really what that is, that's evidence of God answering the prayer that He would disrupt our lives. Again, that is a great place to be. Again, the kingdom it's being shaped and formed within us. But here's the thing about the kingdom, it was never actually meant to just stay there. You see, God's kingdom it is always advancing. The kingdom within us, it's always meant and intended to become the kingdom around us. In fact, I love what scripture has to say about this. See, this is the Book of Revelation. Really, it's talking about like, when all things are said and done, when all things have been made new, and it says that "The kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." That's a great verse. That's a promise to hold on to. Really what that means is that the kingdom that's presently being shaped and formed within us, it's going to continue to expand until the point that all things come under the Lordship of Jesus. This is what is actually happening all around us right now. 

This is what we're privileged to be part of. If this is true, well, then we have to ask the question, how does the kingdom within us actually become the kingdom around us? How does this actually happen? Here's the thing. The answer to that, it's actually really simple. It's what we've been talking about all year long. It's little-by-little, but it's also person-to-person. You see part of our story, as a church, it includes a season where we were like, growing really fast. In fact, for a number of years, we were growing so much, we are considered one of the fastest growing churches in the country. It wasn't that we had set out with this as a goal in mind. See, the thing is, we were just trying to value the presence of God and reach the next gen and do all the little things that God was asking us to do. For whatever the reason, there was just a favor on that season. Like there was a favor, people just kept coming. It was like, day-after-day and week-after-week and month-after-month. It was awesome. It was fun, it was exciting, but it was also terrifying. The reason it was terrifying is we had no idea how we were going to care for all of these people. 

What the team did is we began to pray to God. We began to pray that God would bring us more leaders. We'll never forget how God answered that prayer. He said, "If you want more leaders, then build them." But we didn't want to build them, we wanted God to bring them. Isn't it funny, when you like, pray to God, and He doesn't answer the way that you want, you'd like automatically assume He must have just heard you wrong. Because we just kept praying the same prayer. We just kept praying, "God bring us more leaders." But God kept saying, "I already have." Yet, as we looked around, we didn't see a lot of people that looked like leaders. What was happening in that season, see, God was beginning to change the way that we think. You see, He was helping us to repent of what a leader actually was. He was helping us understand that if we wanted to see more leaders that had the kingdom shaped and formed within them, then it was up to us to actually develop the people that God had already brought. 

You see, at the same time, we knew though, that like some of the greatest leaders we would ever have, they were the people that we had yet to reach. Really, it was through this season, that God began to put the value of reaching the lost and developing leaders on our heart. In fact, ever since this time, the value that "We will do whatever it takes to reach the lost and develop leaders," it has been the heartbeat of this church. See, a lot of ways you can say that this is like the primary calling on our house and everything we do around here, the things that you love about this place, even the things you don't, they all come back to that value. If you've ever been around our offices during the week, you'll actually see that on a lot of our walls there's this chart. What the chart does, it actually guides how our central ministry support teams and our local campus teams, how they work together. It starts with things like making sure that we have clarity of vision and that our strategies are simple, but ultimately, this chart works itself all the way down to this final step. What that final step does, it asks the question, "How is what we're doing helping us to reach the lost and develop leaders?" 

Here's the thing, if it doesn't, we just simply don't do it. See, this value right here, it's why our strategy is simply to raise up generations of hope carriers by helping people take the next step on their journey with Jesus. In other words, like our strategy, it is people. Specifically, it's people helping other people take next steps. Why? Because - here, it's why. How does a lost person ultimately become a leader? It's one next step at a time. If you're new around here, see a next step, it is just any belief or behavior that actually moves you forward on your journey with Jesus. They have always been a big deal around here, because we recognize that everybody starts their journey with Jesus the same way. You see, every single one of us, we all start lost and hopeless. We stay that way until we're reached by the grace of God. But, when that happens, we start to go on this journey. What we do is we start to discover who we are, and who God is, and what we're created to do. Literally just one next step at a time we begin to discover Jesus and find friendship with God, and learn how we can make a difference in the world. 

What's kind of happening through this whole process is we're actually being developed into a kingdom leader, or what we like to call a hope carrier. A hope carrier is simply a disciple of Jesus living on mission to change the world. See, we want every single person here to be able to live a life worthy of the calling that they've received. It's why we take verses like Ephesians 4 really to heart. You see, it says, "So Christ, He gave himself the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ can be built up." See, what this says, is that for those of us who like, serve here on staff, and really not just staff, anybody who serves here as a leader, a leader of teams, or of Circles, our job, our role, it is not to do the works of ministry. Our role is to equip His people to do the works of ministry, so that everybody can be built up. This value of reaching the lost and developing leaders, see, it's what allows us to be a church, for the generations; a church for kids and students and young adults and parents and grandparents, you name it, but a church where every generation is serving God's purpose in their generation. 

You see, this is what we believe, it's what we do, it's all built on the value that we will do whatever it takes to reach the lost and develop leaders. Through all of that, what I really want you to catch - to embody that value. What it requires. It requires that we have this deep-seated belief in the redemptive potential of humanity. It requires that we believe that there is a redemptive potential within every person. I have to ask the question, do you believe that? Do you still believe that, in Jesus, everyone can become who Jesus says they are? That in Jesus, everyone has a kingdom potential to fulfill? Or has, maybe, this past season actually broken your belief in people. Like, it's okay to be honest. I think we can all sit here and say that we have been hurt and disappointed by people in this past season. I think, for whatever the reason, I don't know that we can fully understand it. Those hurts, those disappointments, they just seem to weigh heavier in this season. 

I think what's been happening in the process of that has caused a lot of us to start to get cynical towards people. Instead of believing the best, we start to assume the worst. Let me just say, it's really hard to live for people when that's your heart posture. It's all of us. I've seen this in myself. I've seen it in different pockets of people. I've seen it in some of the most optimistic people I know. I think that reminds us that everything we do around here, ultimately, it requires faith. See, faith, it's just simply being certain of what we hope for, and certain of what we don't see. In other words, it's the ability to see what can be in the midst of what is. It takes faith to see people the way that Jesus sees them, especially when their words and their actions and their decisions, they don't align with what you know to be true of the kingdom. But we invite God to help us start to see people with the eyes of our heart. What happens is, we start to see that in Jesus, every single person is created to be a leader. 

That doesn't necessarily mean that every person is qualified for every leadership role, because I think sometimes, that's where we get tripped up. But in Jesus, every single person is absolutely created to lead. Think about it, we were all made in the image and likeness of God. The second we put our faith in Jesus, we're born again. We're a new creation. We're now beloved sons and daughters. In Jesus, we've been given his Spirit, so the kingdom of Heaven is within us. We are the head, not the tail. We have been empowered to destroy the works of the devil. We are created to lead. Let me ask the question again. Is that the way you see people? Do you see, in Jesus, what can be in the midst of what is? Or like so much of the rest of the world, do we just get stuck, fixating on the brokenness? See, think of Jesus for a second. Think about when Jesus first called the disciples. I just want to ask, what do you think Jesus actually saw when He first looked at Peter? 

Because I would contend to you, I don't think He saw a struggling fisherman. When He looked at James or John, I don't think He saw two brothers that had anger issues. When He looked at Thomas, I don't think He saw a person that was struggling with doubt. What He saw was a group of guys that simply just needed somebody to believe in them. Somebody that would honestly walk with them and point them to the truths of the kingdom. Somebody to call out and develop the leadership within them. See, what He saw was a group of guys that had the potential to change the world, and He sees the same thing in you. You see, I think sometimes we struggle to actually see the redemptive potential in people, because we start to lose sight of how Jesus actually sees us. We forget the fact that, like the original 12, that we too have been chosen. That even when we're at our worst, like, literally, Jesus, He still considered you worthy of dying for. That now, you're empowered, that now, you have been commissioned to be as delegated authority on earth. 

We have to start to catch the significance of who we've been created to be. See, Matthew 28, Jesus says, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We know this verse. We call it the great commission. These are Jesus' own words. He says, that we're to go and make. In other words, we are to seek and save, to reach and develop. There's no way that we can read this verse and come to any other conclusion, other than to say that we have been commissioned to reach the lost and develop leaders. See, in this, I think God is even wanting us to repent and change our thinking of what it looks like to reach the lost. I think a lot of times, we just think reaching the lost just means somebody came to church and prayed a prayer. Yes, sure, it may start that way for some people. But God's version of reaching the lost is that every single person would ultimately become a leader in his kingdom. In fact, anything less than that, it would actually be to settle for an inferior gospel. You see, we see it all the time around here. 

People, they claim to know Jesus and to be following Jesus. People right here, they're engaged in the church and serving and leading, yet we still see them live inferior lives. The reason that happens is we still allow the culture of the world to define our reality. But, remember guys, like the world itself, it was never meant to be our standard. If we claim to know Jesus, and we can claim to follow Jesus, we have to constantly ask ourselves this question: Does my life, the way I think, the way I talk, the way I act, the way I live, the way I believe, does it actually look different than the world around me? Here's the thing. If it doesn't, well, then, man, we're allowing ourselves to be robbed of the fullness of life that Jesus offers. If you're sitting there and thinking like, "Yeah, man, my life, it actually does look good. It does look different than a lot of the world." That is great. But my next question is, "What about the people in your life?" Think about the people you're walking with, or parenting, or the people that you're coaching and leading and teaching. Any area of their life that is not aligned with scripture or under the lordship of Jesus, that's an area that's lost. That's an area that is meant to be redeemed. It's an area that's meant to be worthy of living on mission for. 

We have to remember that salvation - it's not just the promise of Heaven someday. The original word for it, it's, it actually means to save, heal, make whole, or deliver. Really what it's all about is taking the realities of Heaven and getting it into every moment, into every day, into every area of our life. Here's the thing, it means that you're not whole until you're fully living out the values of the kingdom. When we see this in people, we should have compassion for it, we should have just as much compassion for it as we have for somebody who doesn't know Jesus. See, really, I think God is reminding us that we have a responsibility to reach the lost in three primary areas. First, our family, then it's church, and then finally, the world, or whatever area of life that you find yourself in. Remember, the kingdom, it always starts from the inside out. It always begins with our family. 

Check out Deuteronomy 6, it says that, "These commands that I give you today that they are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up." This is a verse that is like primarily being spoken to parents. What it's saying is that parents, you have a responsibility to reach the lost right in your own homes. I think what happens a lot of the times, it's really two things. One, we can get so excited and so worked up about reaching the lost and changing the world out there that we lose sight of the fact that there are lost people right in our own house. Or here's the other thing. Sometimes we can become so fearful of the world, that we spend all of our energy trying to protect our kids and shelter our kids from it. But here's the thing, I think we would be a lot less worried about sending our kids out into the world if we were actually confident that the kingdom was established in their heart. My question for you is, do you talk like the kingdom, do love like the kingdom, have you seen to have that the kingdom values are established in your house? Because it always starts with your family. 

Then as we reach the lost people in our own homes, and the kingdom begins to be established there, that we then have the responsibility to reach the lost right here in the church. See, Galatians 6, it says, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of the believers." Question for you, who is the family of believers? It's the church, it's us. It's those who claim to know Jesus, that are following Jesus. There are lost people and there are lost things right here in this church. See, what this means is that when we come together, we have a responsibility not just to consume, but to actually contribute. Please hear me when I say this - if you're newer to this place, if you're still figuring out this whole Jesus and church thing, this verse, it's not actually talking to you. See, your invitation is just simply to receive. We want you to know that hope is here, and everyone is welcome. Jesus changes everything. But for everyone else, this is for us. We have to remember that when we gather, whether it's in person or online, what we're doing is we are creating a dwelling place for God. 

We're creating a place where we get to encounter his presence, where we get to actually minister to one another, where we actually get to practice the ways of the kingdom. This takes all of us using whatever gifts God has given us to build each other up. We have a responsibility to reach the lost right here. Then once we do that, we're then to go out and live as family on mission in all the areas of life that God's given you. See, 1 Peter, it says, "Live such good lives among the Pagans" - who's a pagan? The world, the nonbelievers - "that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, that they may see your good deeds and glorify God." My question for you is basically, when you're not here, are you living your life in a way where people can actually see the kingdom in you and God can be glorified through you? Think of all of our values. Are you life-giving? Are you quick to repent? Are you humble? When you go to work or school, are you going and doing it with all of your hearts? Are you doing it with the spirit of gratitude? 

See, we are in a season right now, where, more than people want to hear what the church has to say, they want to see how the church actually lives. Our values are everything. We can't compromise on it. We have to be able to go into all the areas of the world with the opposite spirit so that those who are truly lost can actually see and experience the kingdom through us. See, in fact, if we look back at Matthew 28, it says, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," it's where we actually stopped before, but it goes on to say, "teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." See, this is what Jesus did for the disciples. It's what Jesus does for us. This is the essence of what discipleship is. Discipleship is just helping people become who they already are in Jesus. It's literally finding them right where they're at, and then helping them become everything that God has created them to be. It's why we actually spend so much time around here trying to create what we call "developmental culture." 

You see, we want to create a culture where people can truly practice the leadership calling on their life, where they could come and it can be safe enough to try and fail and make mistakes and grow and discover who they have truly been created to be. Have you ever just sat there and wondered, "Why do we create space right down front in a worship center, and then empower students to lead the way?" "Why do we empower young worship leaders or young and growing communicators who are still honing in their gifting?" "Why do you empower young staff and then put them over teams that are filled with people that are older or more experienced than they are?" You have to understand, all of these things are actually costly. There's a cost to empowering young and inexperienced leaders who aren't always going to get it right, but this is a manifestation of our value. Because it's our value, it becomes our culture. We're willing to pay that cost. It's not just our staff. I actually am super fortunate and the role that I have here, I get to oversee all things NextGen. 

Let me just tell you, our kids, and our students and our young adults, they desire this, they need it. They need opportunities to grow and develop. They need people who will believe in them, people who are willing to invest their time in them. They need to be coached and encouraged. They need to be loved and challenged. All of this, it only happens through life-on-life discipleship. You've probably noticed, I hope at least, that we're putting more into discipleship than we ever have before. This is why we tell everybody, if you're here, get in a Circle or join a serve team. Do you realize it or not, we care deeply that the character and likeness of Jesus is being shaped in every single one of us. Are people growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Are they growing in integrity? Are they growing in servanthood? Are they growing in generosity? Do we see people that are getting freer and healthier? Are they starting to engage in the mission on their own because right here, Jesus says, "If you're truly a disciple of mine, then you're going to actually engage in the mission of making disciples." 

See, in a lot of ways, like, the evidence of being a disciple is that you're actually making a disciple. Let me ask you, are you currently and actively involved in discipling someone? Now, we all have a role to play in this. See, another way that I can answer that question is, who are you walking with intentionally enough to where you actually have the relational capital to go speak into their life, but then also to hold them accountable? Making disciples, developing leaders - it takes relationship. We have to walk with people closely. It takes believing the best, but also holding people to the best. Believing the best - like calling out the potential we actually see in people. Do you know how rare it is these days for people to have words of life actually spoken over them? Sometimes, I think honestly, the greatest difference we can make in somebody's life is just to speak an encouraging word. To tell them specifically, "Here's where I see you growing..." or, "This is the potential that I see in you..." 

People, they will always live up to the words we speak or live down to the words we speak. Why not call forth the potential and who we want to see them become? We have to believe the best, but then we also have to hold people to their best. Let's be really honest, this is part of discipleship that nobody likes. We'd like to say around here though, we have the responsibility of accountability. Developing leaders, making disciples, it requires sometimes that we point out some things that maybe people don't want to have pointed out in their life. It requires that we're willing to have some harder conversations. Conversations, like, "Hey, that friend group that you're hanging out with school, I'm concerned they're not actually bringing the best out in you. Here's why..." Or conversations like, "Hey, it sounds like you're getting ready to leave that job because you're offended with your boss, and you just can't seem to get along with them. But remember, we have a responsibility to go first and make it right, so how about you do that right now, and then we could talk and pray and process whether or not it's time to move on?" 

Or conversations like, "Hey, a few weeks ago, you came to me and you were so excited. You said God clearly was inviting you to a next step, so let me ask, did you do it? How's that going? How can I help you continue to move forward with God in that area of life?" See, that one alone, I think if we did it, it would change so much in the lives of people. Accountability is key. It's everything when it comes to discipleship. In fact, at our Leader Summit this past summer, we talked about this. I think one of the things that we shared with them, that's probably important for us all here is, usually when we talk about having hard conversations and holding people accountable, what we tend to hear back is this concern that, "If I do that, I'm afraid that they're going to walk away." Yeah, maybe. But here's the thing, they likely already have one foot out the door. If they're already headed in that direction, we still have the responsibility to point these things out. In fact, there's a great verse in the Book of Proverbs. It says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." 

See, what this is saying is, yeah, these conversations are not fun. Yes, when you point out some of these things that people need to hear, it may sting a little bit, it may hurt a little bit, it may even wound them. But if your heart is right, then that's a wound that they can trust. I think if your heart is right, then they will come to understand that that is exactly what they needed to hear. Who knows, maybe they'll surprise you in how they respond. But even if they don't, you have to hear me today, it is okay to let them go. We have to be willing to care more about someone's soul than we do the relationship. When you're having these conversations, here's the thing you really have to keep in mind, the goal of the conversation should be to make them better, not bitter. What do I mean by that? It means that the purpose of the conversation, it has to come from a genuine place of concern for the person, not from a place of anger or frustration. Remember, Jesus, He always came with both grace and truth. We're actually responsible to do the same. 

We have to realize that we all tend to lead life one way or the other. It's either grace or truth, or it's truth or grace. If you ask, "How do I know? How do I know which way I lean?" It's easy. If your primary objective is always just to get your point across, man, you probably lean towards truth. Or if your primary objective is just not to offend them or not to hurt their feelings, well, then you likely lean towards grace. The thing is, neither is right or wrong. It's just being aware of which way you naturally lean, so you can be balanced when you're having those conversations. You have to remember, it cost Jesus everything to go on mission for us. It's going to cost us something to go on mission for Him. It's going to be hard at times, it's going to be inconvenient. But this is where we have to remind ourselves of the value itself. It's not just about reaching the lost and developing leaders; it's ultimately that we will be willing to do whatever it takes. You know what that actually means? It means we focus more on the mission than ourselves. 

It means that we like, lay down our preferences, that we lay down our opinions, it actually means that when things don't go my way, I really don't care, because honestly, if that's what it takes to reach the lost and develop leaders, then great. I'm locked in, let's keep doing it all day long. See, it means if you find yourself under a leader who is less experienced or who is younger than you, then that's okay. You're going to humble yourself in those cases. Because it takes humility to consider the development of somebody else more important than yourself. It means that we have to be patient. It's understanding that discipleship, it's a process that takes time, that God works at His pace, not ours. Guess what, His pace, it's always slower than what we want. It's recognizing that people, they stumble, they fall, but we have to be there to pick them up, to dust them off, to get them back on track when they do, and probably most importantly, it means that we have to be willing to take risks. You guys have to understand that we are always taking risks on people, we will never stop doing that, and that is absolutely upside-down to the ways in this world. 

You see, the world, it doesn't want to take risks on people. The world wants to basically go out and cherry-pick talent that's already been developed in other places. What the world wants is first-round draft picks. We're busy trying to develop the future Peters and Pauls. That's risky, but it's our value. Just so we're clear, like Jesus, He did not choose people that were already developed. Jesus chose Judas. Think about that. If He wanted to choose people that were already developed, He would have chosen the Pharisees, but it's not what He did. What does that mean? It means that we're going to pick some Judas's too. We don't know that they're Judas's when we pick them. I sure hope not, at least. All we see is what can be, what God wants to do in their life. But then ultimately, it's up to them to determine who they actually become. You see, some plant, some water, but it's God that makes it grow. But hear this; even in that, God still gives everybody a choice. 

Man, so we're going to pick some Judas's along the way. We're going to develop the Peters and Pauls. We're going to pick people the way God picks them. When you read throughout the Bible, you see the God, He picks a whole lot of people that the world wouldn't touch. But think about it. Aren't you glad that He did? Aren't you glad that He picked you? Aren't you glad that somebody was willing to take a risk on you? Man, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes. Really, my last thought is this. You see, all of this, reaching the lost, developing leaders, doing whatever it takes to do that, it's really more for us than it is for them. Always remember that everything in the kingdom, it's upside-down, it's inside-out. It's always more about what God wants to do us than what He wants to actually do through us. When we're actually aligned with our created purpose, that's when we actually are reminded that, man, that everything really is possible. That God truly is at work. It's what keeps us focused on the kingdom and out of the chaos of this world. 

You see, what it actually does is, is it offers you a better life. I know you're sitting there, and you're saying, "Yeah, but this stuff is, it's like, really hard, and it doesn't always make sense." I know, but that's the whole point. It forces you to be desperately dependent on Jesus. You see, I think one of the reasons that we see so many people these days that are just worn out and tired, that are lost, that are leading defeated lives is because they lost sight of the mission of God. We have to remember that serving others and building others up, it's always the fastest and most direct route to finding satisfaction for our soul. You see, it's when we actually start giving hope away that we start finding it for ourselves. Your life, if it feels empty, if it feels barren, if it feels heavy, if it feels weighty, could it just be that you've lost sight of reaching the lost and developing leaders? You see if that's the case though, it's okay. What it means is you just have to trace it back. If you've lost sight of your purpose and living on mission, it just means somewhere along the way, you've fallen out of relationship with God, which means you've lost sight of his grace for you, so just trace it back. 

Go back to grace, because His grace always leads us to mission. His grace always compels us to do for others what He's already done for us, so just go back. Remember what it was like when you first started following Jesus for yourself and let Him then launch you forward from there. See, it's the end of the year. It's the Christmas season. Really, what makes all of this work is when we realize that we are on mission with God because He first came on mission for us. We have to remember that Jesus, He came to seek and save you when you are lost. He came to passionately pursue you. He came to heal you, to deliver you, to make you whole. He came to develop the potential that He placed in you so that you can be the leader that you have been created to be. When we partner with Him in the work that He's doing in this world, well, then this will become the value of our heart and the culture of our life.

I want you guys, go and close your eyes with me. Come on. What's God saying to you today? Where's He wanting to interrupt your life today? My sense is that there's a stirring in a lot of our hearts, a stirring that reminds us that we've been created for something bigger, something more than just ourselves. We've been created to truly make a difference in the lives of people. If you're here today, and you've never put your faith in Jesus, and maybe you're sitting here saying, "Just gosh, I'm struggling to find any kind of purpose or meaning for my life." Well, then if that's you, then today is the day just to say, "Jesus, I open up my heart and I open up my life to You." It's the day to say, "Jesus, I recognize that You came on mission for me, so I'm ready to receive Your forgiveness and receive Your grace. I want to live my life reaching the lost and developing leaders with You." 

But see, for everyone else, we have to understand that this, it's not subjective, it is not even optional. Reaching the lost and developing leaders - it's what we are created to do. Scripture, it tells us that the harvest is plentiful, the workers are few, that the world is like, desperately waiting for the children of God to rise up and be the answer to the Lord's prayer, Your kingdom come. Lord Jesus, would You just stir up a divine purpose within all of us? Will You give us the courage and the boldness to truly live on mission with You? Would You teach us what it means to be compassionate for the lost? Would You show us how to partner with You and helping to truly disciple others and to develop the leaders that You've created them to be? See, Jesus, I ask it for all of us today, that You would make this the value of our heart and the culture of our life. 

It's in Your name that we pray. Amen.