Born Again || Victory Church [Book of John #8]

Put your hands together for the light that has come in Jesus. Amen. Well, good morning family. It's an honor and joy to be with my victory family. I really am not a guest. I am a part of the family here. I am Pastor Johnson's much older, much more Asian, much more bold brother. That's who I am. Now, if we haven't connected before, my name is Dan Leanne. I would love, love, love to meet you after this service. I'm going to be hanging out there in the lobby. Love to give you a high five, a fist bump. You're getting a bear hug, bro. You're getting a big hug, yeah. It's going to be very intense. I'm going to lift you up. I'm going to shake you around a little bit. Is that cool? So, I would love to connect with you afterwards. Now, I love this church. On my business card, it says Gospel Ninja. I get to travel around this blue rock God made talking about Jesus, and I see some cool things in the earth, and there is nothing quite as cool as what's happening here at Victory Church on all of our campuses. There is a window of revival open over this house. These are those days that the people who have gone before us have prayed for. So, I beg you, I implore you, do not waste this opportunity. Roll up your sleeves, tie up your laces, and let's run after every good thing God has for you and your family in this season. I love the Bowie family so, so much. I do. I love the Reverend Dr. Bishop Johnson. I love him. I love his hair. I keep staring at it. It's like this beautiful heavenly helmet. It's just, it's just, this is there, thick and lush, and just incredible ministers of the gospel here, wonderful leaders, but I want you to hear this. Your leaders have the highest integrity. They are people who do this because they love God, and they love God's people, and because of that, you can trust them and follow them. I love their sons. I love their team. I love the pastors on all of our campuses. What you're a part of is very special. Come on, put your hands together, and let's encourage our leaders in the house. Something special happening right now. We had a hundred people give their lives to Jesus last weekend, fill out the form, identify themselves, and say, hey, you know what? I want to follow Jesus all the days of my life. We nearly had 900 people make a formal rededication of their life to discipleship and following Jesus last weekend. It is so beautiful to think about the life change that has happened here in the last seven days, but I'm here to let you know, Victory Church, you all are just getting started, and that's the reason I beg you, do not miss this rare window of revival that is open over this house right now. We are in the midst of a series in the book of John. It will span 17 years,

and I'm so happy about that because I gave my life to Jesus when I was 17 years old, and I remember 1993. I'm a senior in high school. I'm surrounded by a bunch of people who are relatively new in my world, who all had this in common. They were all infatuated with this man named Jesus. It was confusing to me. It was not my upbringing. It was not my past. It was not logical to me, but there was something about their love for this Jesus that was strangely attractive, and so I found myself hanging around this group, and eventually I found myself one night feeling the love of God pour on my chest like a bucket of lava, and it transformed me that very moment, and the first thing that happened after I gave my life to Jesus at 17 was the kind youth pastor put a Bible into my hands. We used to give big Bibles back in 1993. Nowadays, because of inflation and the price of resources, you're going to get a relatively flimsy paperback situation, but not me. I was given... this very bible i dug it up this week i dug this the very first bible i was given a 1984 niv hardcover study edition i asked my youth pastor what should i do with this bible he said read it so what should i read he said the book of john so the very first thing that i read when i was given my first bible was the book of john in this very bible and it changed my life my heart swells with joy thinking that there are people in this room who started their journey with jesus last week who are now journeying through the book of john and maybe 33 years from now you'll be looking into the same words that started to transform your life even in this season so this week it is my assignment to pick up this series in the third chapter of this book of john i'll be looking at verses 1 through to 15 if you have your bibles would you go with me to john chapter 3 and verse 1 next week pastor johnson will pick this up with maybe the most famous verse in all of holy writ john 3 16 but this week we look at the precursor verses 1 through to 15 john chapter 3 follows john chapters 1 and 2 that is not deep or theological it is basic math john chapter 1 begins with an introduction from the heart of god regarding his son this is jesus who is the word who is with god in the beginning he is god forever and this word would make his dwelling amongst us our god is not a far away god nonchalant apathetic to our plight he's the god who stepped into time and space and he is life and he is light speaking to death and pushing it back

speaking to darkness and pushing it back this is jesus bursting onto the scene john chapter 1 continues with john the baptist the prophesied prophet the one who would come before the messiah pointed towards jesus he is the promise that's been made he is the main character of this grand and glorious story if you're looking for life he's it if you're looking for hope he's it if you're looking for the way forward he is it and he is it alone amen john chapter 1 finishes with jesus calling his disciples men and women to join with him in a mission to declare good news to preach a gospel to carry life and light to the deadest and the darkest places in the world john chapter 2 begins with a scene jesus and his friends hanging out at a wedding they gathered around jesus's time for ministry was about to begin there was a problem the wine had run out but jars ceremonial would be brought to jesus filled with water and he would turn water to wine but do not get it twisted that was so much more than just a party trick this was jesus declaring that i have command and control over all things natural in the earth whatever you see with your eyes i control with my deity with my sovereignty i can speak to water and turn its substance i can speak to a cancer and shrink it i can speak to blindness and eyes can be opened i can speak to depression and a cloud can lift i can speak to anxiety and peace can become your story all things under the earth above the earth are under the control of this king and do not miss the significance of water being turned to wine because jesus is now declaring he is the new wine he is the new covenant that which could not quench now is in play a new wine that can quench our souls and then he would move from this wedding to the temple a religious order set by god with the original intention to create a connection between heaven and earth but through legalism religiosity pride and time instead of becoming a pathway back to father God it became a blockade that held people back from God but Jesus wasn't gonna have it and he would literally flip a table upside down declaring I have come to make that which is wrong right to unblock that blockade to open up a door sealed shut this is Jesus at the end of John chapter 2 and then we come to John chapter 3 verses 1 through 15 where Jesus has a conversation with a man named Nicodemus as we will read Nicodemus was a leader within the pharisaical movement the Pharisees were the keepers of the law the most religious of the religious the elite do-gooders who felt it was their responsibility to keep the Israelites

pure and in line with God but how far they had fallen how far they had drifted and you will see that Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night asking questions even though he was religious his heart was hot his mind was closed he could not deny there was something about this Jesus there was a weight there was a love there was a power there was a compassion there was an authority about him which was deeply and profoundly attractive and Nicodemus came to Jesus in the middle of the night to ask questions you do know it's okay to ask Jesus questions there are people here this afternoon who are riddled with fear you can ask him your questions there are people here in this room right now whose lives are marked by doubt he is not insecure he can handle your questions there are cynics in this room he even right now while logically shooting down the points that I'm presenting to you I'm here to let you know I'm so glad that you're in this room right now and even though you are cynical regarding all things Jesus he welcomes your questions that's what we see here in Nicodemus and what he does is as Nicodemus asked questions about who Jesus is what he's come to do what is the peculiar message this rabbi carries Jesus for the first time in the book of John unpackages the glorious gospel the word gospel is just a beautiful olden time word that means the good news this is the macro message of the Bible and it's so beautiful to dive into these verses afresh and anew because it's so important for us as a faith community to consistently and continually circle back to this glorious good news it doesn't matter how many buildings we build how many thousands we gather how many songs we write it doesn't matter if we become the most famous church in the earth unless our entire work is centered around this glorious good news that Jesus came to deliver it will all amount to nothing but if we as a community could with all integrity and consistent fidelity boom this glorious good news your family your friends your work colleagues your teammates your neighbors your sons your daughters your parents everyone around you will see light and with their light there is hope it's so important that we continually talk about the good news there is a good news because there are some people in this

room who love Jesus if you love Jesus give me a whoo and you want to share the good news with the people around you well I'm here to let you know if you want to be someone who shares the good news it has to be good in your head and your heart if the good news and the gospel is clear in your head and your heart then it dances sweetly and naturally on your lips think about it when something was really good in your heart you can't keep it to yourself that's the reason if you have any good news you're trying to keep secret don't tell me about it I'm gonna tell everyone who will hear and most likely it will come out on a Sunday morning through a microphone you know I'm saying I can't keep good news to myself I remember when my son-in-law to be my daughter gets married in June and when my Like, not good. It's terrible. It feels like I'm in the movie, Taken. I'm losing my daughter and I'm paying the bill. But I remember when young Tyler's came and asked for my daughter's hand in marriage and then asked me to keep it secret because he had to do some preparation for a month. Because now you've got to prepare to pop the question. You know what I'm saying? When me and Pastor Johnson, when we were popping the question way back in the day, it was easy. You know what I'm saying? Pastor Johnson, beloved Pastor Summer, here's the situation, I'm gonna go take her somewhere quiet, get down on one knee, give her a ring that I bought with money

that I borrowed from my dad. It's easy. But nowadays, young brothers got a lot of pressure on them. There needs to be a destination involved, some form of transport like a helicopter. Kid got to pull out a guitar, sing a song that he wrote personally. Kid didn't even play the guitar before the whole proposal situation started. Kid learned how to play the guitar, wrote a song after proposing with a ring, way out of his price range. Both families have to come out of the woods. You got to do communion together. Like it's a whole thing. So Tyler's had one month between asking me and popping the question to my daughter, Caitlin. It nearly killed me, family. I'm telling you. Every time I saw my daughter knowing what was laying just around the corner, I was like, eee. I'm like, she thought I was going crazy. Because that's how you get when you know good news that someone else would be transformed by. If you want to step into an evangelistic grace, if you want to see these days of revival turn into salvation for the people around you, just make sure that the good news that you dived into last weekend, that Easter,

stays good in your heart. Come on, we got to circle back to the good news. You know why else? Because good news can become old news real quick. You have felt that before? Something that was so good once upon a time, but you've been around it enough and it becomes a little ho-hum, been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, shrunk in the wash. You felt it before. When I used to travel back and forth from Australia to America to preach, I always used to make it a requirement that the first place I would eat, wonderful establishment, primarily here in the South, as soon as I landed, I needed to go to a Cracker Barrel. I'd eat at 10 o'clock at night, nine o'clock at night, straight to a Cracker Barrel. You know why? Because I love those biscuits, fluffy biscuits. And you might not know about it, but Cracker Barrel has something called apple butter. Okay, so apple butter is amazing. All right, let me, I'm just not gatekeep, I'm letting you know, apple butter is amazing. Apple butter is basically America taking something fundamentally healthy like an apple and turning it into a liquid form of diabetes. So good. Many a first night in America

was me falling asleep in a hotel somewhere with biscuit crumbs on my chest, with my face smeared with apple butter. So when we first moved here in 2017, for the first three months, I basically just ate at Cracker Barrel. I was at Cracker Barrel a couple of weeks ago, I didn't even touch the biscuit. You know why? I've been around it enough. I've eaten my fill. I got used to something so beautiful. Now the biscuit is still fluffy, that apple butter is still so good, but I was around it enough. As wild as it sounds, it happens through the gospel. That which took your breath away last weekend for the first time, I'm telling you, if you're not careful, in a year from now, you'll hear that same message and it won't even cause your heart to race a bit. We have to fight that and make sure that the good news never becomes old news, that this good news, come on, remains good news, amen? Come on, we gotta circle back to these words of Jesus in the third chapter of John, because not only does good news become old news, good news can become fake news. If enough people keep telling the same story down the line, at some point it changes.

You remember that game you used to play at elementary school, Telephone? In Australia, that same game was called Chinese Whispers. Real racist. But if we played a game of Telephone starting down this side and moved all the way down the line, it would change, especially if we started with Brother Jerry, because I'm telling you, your Latino accent, man, I love it. But whatever I'm whispering in your ear, the first time you whisper it, you know what I'm saying? Like, just like, I love being here at Victory. I love being here at Victory. And then it's going to, and from there, it's... And it happens to the gospel. People take their take, their leanings, their biases. They add their own spin, their own flavor. And then before you know it, you find yourself with something that is so far from the original. So what are we doing? We go back to the original and the words of Jesus as he explains this glorious gospel good news. Can someone say a good amen to that? So what we're going to do is we're going to read through John chapter 3, 1, 3 to 15, and then we'll make some observations together about what Jesus is saying as he, for the first time, expounds upon and explains the glorious good news. John chapter 3, in verse 1, the Bible says, Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. I cannot believe this. It's hitting me every time I'm reading and preaching

from the very Bible that I got given on that Sunday night, 33 years ago. This man named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, thank you, God. He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform the miraculous signs you're doing if God were not with him. In reply, Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked. Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born. Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and of the spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the spirit. How can this be? Nicodemus asked. Well, you're Israel's teacher, said Jesus. And do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I've spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe. How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

No one has ever gone into heaven except the man, except the one who has come from heaven, the son of man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the son of man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. What's happening here? There are three parts to this discourse, three elements of the gospel that Jesus is introducing in the most beautiful and mind blowing way. And what I love to do in my remaining 21 minutes and 32 seconds with you, is highlight afresh and anew what Jesus did when he first had an opportunity to extrapolate on this glorious gospel to this man, Nicodemus. The truth uttered 2000 years ago still resonates in this moment. The nuance and the angles and the shades and the hues of the gospel unpackaged by Jesus should still paint our telling today. So what is the glorious gospel? If you're writing down notes, could you write that into your notes? What is the good news? If you're taking down notes, play your leather bound journals and your pens right now, scribble some stuff down. I'm not saying you need to take notes again to heaven. I'm just saying, why take a chance? You know what I'm saying? Get to the end, could be an open book.

you know what I'm saying? I'm messing around, it's not true at all. Not true, not true. But scribble some stuff down for some review later on. Come on, where my iPad people at? iPhone people at? Thank the Lord Jesus for Steve Jobs says you do so. That's a wonderful piece of technology you have right there. Come on again, where my Samsung people at? Where my Google people at? Put it away, got nothing for you. And your friends. Because you mess up our group texts with your invasive green bubble energy. You know what I'm saying? I'm messing around, you can write some stuff down as well. Here are the distinctives of the good news. First and foremost, you must be born again. That's what he declares there in verse three. Let me tell you about the gospel that I've come to bring. It's about being born again. And the reason it's so important right at the beginning for Jesus to establish this distinction is because it will rail against every wrong notion that had held people captive for so many generations and still holds people captive to this day. Because the primary thought 2000 years ago and the primary thought that I interact with even here in 2026, is that the gospel is primarily about bad people

trying harder to be good. Here's a bunch of stuff that you've done wrong. This is the stuff that you do now to make it right. And if you do this long enough, the God in heaven who watches you with an angry look on his face and a lightning bolt in his hand will give you a pass and let you into heaven only if you do enough stuff right. And that erroneous thinking has held so many back for so many years from stepping into a grace-based, mercy-marked friendship with the God of this universe. And Jesus blows it up by declaring the only way for you to go forward into new life is you must be born again. Nicodemus says that makes no sense. How can a man re-enter into the womb and be born again? And Jesus smiles wryly and says, you know what? It doesn't make sense. It is not within your human capacity to achieve. But here I am. You must be born again. The gospel is not about bad people trying to do good. It's about dead people coming back to life. Amen. That's pretty good news. I was dead and then he breathed into me and I was made alive. I'm gonna tell a very graphic story right now.

So if you get triggered, easily cover your ears. I told this story last night. I told this story in the first service. I'm gonna tell it again because I think it illustrates this reality beautifully. But again, especially when it comes to pups, puppies, and pets and all that kind of stuff, if you're a little queasy, cover your ears. I was in New York City earlier this year preaching at a friend's church. After the service, I found myself in a backstage area hanging out with a group of staff members and an intern. The senior pastor asked one of the interns to tell me a story about something that happened to her earlier that week. Here is the story. This young lady, this young intern in New York City was apartment sitting for a family that does their winter down in Florida. So she had a great situation. She had an apartment right there in Midtown Manhattan looking straight down Fifth and Broadway, a beautiful spot. All she had to do was take care of this family's elderly golden retriever. And as clear as a phone ringing in a quiet room, it was very evident that one morning there was something wrong with this golden retriever. It had passed away peacefully in its sleep. So we have a problem now. We have a 20-year-old intern with a 40-pound dog

in this apartment. What do I do with this dog? So she calls the family. They're obviously shattered, but kind of expecting this to happen at some point. It was an elderly dog. So they said, what you need to do is you need to transport this dog down to a vet that they have worked with in the past, and the vet would deal with the dog's body from there. So how do you do that? How do you as a 20-year-old intern move a 40-pound dog from Midtown Manhattan down to the Lower East Side? She looks around the cupboards and she finds an old piece of luggage, an old Louis Vuitton case. So what she did is she took the body of the dog, put it inside of the, now I don't know if it's real Louis or not, you know what I'm saying? Because Canal Street is a real place and some Louis stuff there ain't that Louis, you know what I'm saying? But she puts the body of the dog, she's telling me this story, everyone is so serious around me, I'm seeing the humor in this, but I'm trying to keep it all together. So she transports this dead dog in this Louis case, she jumps on the subway

to take it down to the Lower East Side. They get to a stop, she loses concentration for three seconds and as a door is about to close, the man sitting next to her jumps up, grabs the bag and runs out the door. Yeah. Now to answer all the questions that I received after the first service, the family were angry at the girl, she's still staying in the apartment, they never found the bag or the deceased dog, a police report was made. But as she's telling me this story, I could not help but have this image, that is who I am. I'm just someone walking around in fake designer gear with death on the inside. And then Jesus shows up and He spoke to the dead parts of my life and I came back to life. Jesus is risen and He is risen indeed and He is still alive today. And this my friends is the basis of very good news, you aren't a good person now trying to be better, you are a dead person now alive. This is very good news. The second part of the good news that Jesus unpackages in the third chapter of the book of John is not only do you have to be born again,

now the Holy Spirit is gonna transform your life. The gospel is about Holy Spirit transformation. One of the saddest experiences I have as a pastor is praying with people as they commit their lives to Jesus to start following Him and then seeing them a week from there. It's one of the most heartbreaking things you'll experience in ministry. People who will respond to the grace of God but never truly believe the transformational power that the Holy Spirit has to change everything about your life. Some people think that the gospel is just about a prayer you pray, a line you cross, a hand you raise, a form you fill out, but the gospel is so much more my friends, it's about stepping over a line into brand new forever life. And the only way into this forever life is total and absolute submission to the power and the person of the Holy Spirit. And that's what Jesus introduces here in John chapter three. He's letting you know that flesh will give birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. And the Spirit blows where it desires, it goes where it wants, it's mysterious, but is it at work? It is at work in every single believer. And I'm here to let you know today that the gospel doesn't only save you, the gospel has the power to set you free,

put your feet on solid ground, give you a brand new feature, a brand new future. This my friends is the gospel good news. It's not just about getting out of hell and into heaven, it's about getting out of this slippery, miry clay situation and now having your feet put on solid ground where you walk forward to every good thing God has for you. Like Pastor Johnson preached about last weekend between the Simon and the Peter. You stepping into the fullness of God is less about you trying harder and more about you believing. deeper that I was dead but now I'm alive I was this but now Jesus has made me this it doesn't mean that you don't stumble it doesn't mean that you don't fall it doesn't mean you don't trip up along the way it doesn't mean that we don't have some identity crisis along the way thinking to ourselves has anything changed it doesn't mean that the devil ain't gonna try to lie to you and let you know you know what nothing really happened you're the same old same old that will happen but every single time you hear that voice you get to speak back and said the gospel is about being born again and then being totally regenerated and transformed by the come on power of the Holy Spirit go check the live feed of the empty tomb right now he still ain't there that means he's as powerful as ever but here's the cool thing the Bible makes it clear in the book of Ephesians chapter 1 the same power that raised Christ from the dead on that first resurrection Sunday is that work where it's at work inside of you come on since I brought up Canal Street there's let me give you a warning at some point you might be at Canal Street you might be in the region of the earth where my family are from you know I'm saying and you're gonna come across somebody selling a Gucci bag that ain't

that Gucci so I'm gonna try to sell your bag that's Louis Vuitton but more Louis Vuitton than Louis Vuitton you know I'm saying and you're gonna ask them the question is this like a genuine article is this real and this is what my relatives will say to you same same but is this real yeah same same but is this a genuine article same same I'm here to let you know if someone is telling you it is same same it is not the same thing that is not this same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that's at work inside of you right now that's what the gospel declares that's why you can have peace in the storm that's the reason you can get freedom from your addiction that's the reason that anxiety is going to lift that's the reason that sick thing in your body can be healed that's the reason the doctors that swells around you can be replaced by glorious light that's the reason even though your life has been marked by shame up into this moment your life can be marked by freedom and liberty going forward because of the same power that's at work inside of you it's in the gospel you must be born again same power is at work and thirdly what is Jesus saying here in this discourse with Nicodemus he's letting us know that this glorious gospel has always been about Jesus is about Jesus and forever will be about Jesus forever and ever and ever amen would you write that down he's pointing towards himself showing how all of the scriptures leading up to this moment was about him and in this moment even though we live in a day in an age where highlighting Jesus and pushing all our chips in on Jesus isn't cool it doesn't seem like politically correct it's a little kind of narrow-minded a little bit a little bit arrogant I'm so sorry it has been it is and it will forever be about Jesus and Jesus alone forever and ever amen that's it because that's what he explains to Nicodemus he's going yo you're a teacher of the law you're Israel's teacher a Pharisee by his teen years could recite the entire Torah the first five books of the Old Testament he knew by heart how intently must you have studied something to know that much by heart but as well as he knew it in his head he had not experienced the beautiful reality of who it was all

about but Jesus was about to change that because in verse 14 he lets him know you know that random story in Numbers 21 about the time where all the Israelites were being bitten by snakes and they were dying because of the venom coursing in their veins and then Moses would lift up a stick with the symbol of the curse on it and if you stared at that symbol on the top of that pole you'd be saved you know that story it was about me Galatians chapter 3 tells us that he who was without sin he who wasn't a curse became sin and a curse was lifted up on a pole as we stare towards Jesus then we get saved what's he doing here he's showing that the whole Torah was about him the whole time Jesus was the promise In that first broken garden that Satan's head would be crushed, Jesus was that ark in which the righteous would be saved. Jesus was that ram in the thicket who would stand on behalf of broken humanity. Come on, Jesus is that song and the shout that would bring down the walls of Jericho. Jesus was the fourth man in the fire with his friends when things were swirling. The whole way through the Old Testament, it was actually about him. So I challenge you, I dare you, I double dog dare you. It feels really inappropriate to talk about dogs right now. All the days of your life, may Jesus be the loudest word on your lips. For this gospel has been, is, and forever will be about him forever and ever and ever, amen. Amen. And he needed it, because I know a lot of people who are good people.

Have you heard this one before? They said, I'm not really into like formalized religion. I'm more a spiritual person. I love your spirituality, but your spirituality is not gonna save you. Is Jesus and Jesus alone, amen. I hope your openness to things above and beyond what you can feel, see, hear, and touch would lead you to the one who's the way, the truth, and the life. But I'm telling you, it's Jesus and Jesus alone. Come on, forever and ever, amen. I know there are some people in this room right now, and you're like good people, you're moral people, you're kind people, you're generous people. You try to keep the rules. You come to church, you pray your prayers. You help little old ladies across the road. That little old lady didn't even wanna cross the road. You dragged that old lady across the road. I'm so grateful that you're good, but your goodness cannot save you. I'm glad that you're kind. It's important to be kind. The world would be a better place if everyone was kind, but even the kindest person is not saved by their kindness. It is Jesus and Jesus alone forever and ever, amen. Come on. That's what he's saying here. It has always been, it will always be,

forever it will be about Jesus and Jesus alone, amen. It is him alone who saves. So as we wrap up our time, I just wanna do two really simple things. First and foremost, I wanna give an opportunity to someone in this room to respond to the glorious gospel, because over the last 32 minutes, some of y'all have felt Jesus knocking on your heart's door. You have sensed him presenting himself as your potential king, Lord, and savior. And there's something deep inside your spirit telling you that you need to open up your heart to him and let him take over and be your king. Remember, this is what the gospel is. You must be born again. You have to let his Holy Spirit transform you and nothing else can save you. Come on, it's Jesus and Jesus alone forever and ever and ever, amen. And if that's you here this afternoon, I would love the honor and privilege to give you the words to pray to start your journey with Jesus, is that cool? So with every eye closed, but every heart open, if you felt Jesus knocking at your heart's door, would you allow me to lead you in a prayer that heaven will hear? And I promise you, it not only saves your life, if you let the Holy Spirit do his work, this will change your life.

So if you felt Jesus knocking at your heart's door and you're ready to open up and let him be king, when I count to three, I want you to lift your hand high in the sky all over this room. I heard that knock, I'm ready to open up my life and make him king. When I count to three, lift your hand high in the sky when I count to three, lift your hand. Are you ready? One, two, three, just lift your hand where you are. So good, yes. Keep it lifted, I want you to pray this out loud after me. In fact, we'll do it all together as an act of love and support. Let's just pray. Dear Jesus, I surrender my life to you. I make you my king. I declare you as Lord. Now fill me with your spirit and help me live for your glory. Amen. Can you put your hands together for all the people who lifted theirs? Wow. At the end of this gathering, I'm gonna head straight to the church. I'm gonna head straight to the church. straight up into the lobby, it's a lobby here, it's a lobby, you're gonna check how bougie you were, because some people call it a foyer, you know what I'm saying, but we Atlanta, we're Norcross, you know what I'm saying,

this ain't no Alpharetta, you know what I'm saying, we're in a foyer, you know what I'm saying, I'm gonna be up there, and if you lifted your hand and said yes to Jesus, I would love to give you a hug as a new brother in Jesus, my sister over here, I'm gonna find you, I'm gonna give you a hug, because you're my Asian sister, I make my heart extra happy, I love Asian people, I've been one most of my life. Finally, I did this in the first couple of services, because I felt such a compulsion driving down 85, spiritual gifts are given to us, yes, to serve the body of Christ, but before the edification of the church, the Bible says spiritual gifts are given to us to equip the saints, or in other words, whatever God has given you, he's given you to help others walk in that grace as well. I've spent the last 30 years preaching the gospel, declaring good news, I want to spend my last 30 years on earth, activating that gift in the people who I get to journey with, and I felt such a strong compulsion to basically end every service with giving people an opportunity to say, you know what, I think God has put inside of me an evangelistic gift. Now, all of us have the responsibility to be witnesses, to tell people of the good news, what he has done for your life, but some of you in this room have been given a supernatural, holy ghost, charismatic gift to operate in the office of evangelist. Whether you share good news with your family, your friends, and your neighbors, or you're preaching stadiums, and in open fields, and everything in between, everything in between, there is evangelism in this room, and I'm believing that as we knit faith, something is going to be activated in your life. So with every eye open, and every head raised, and everyone looking around in a judgmental manner,

I do this on purpose, because it creates a humbling experience. The Bible says God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. I want to activate a promise for your life before you leave today. If you feel in this humbling environment that God has given you a grace to share good news, I want you to stand to your feet right now. Yep. Amazing. Would you open up your hands as an act of receiving? I charge you men and women of God to be carriers of the gospel. I break fear of your life, intimidation of man, worry about having the right words, and I speak a fire to add fuel to the fire of the gospel. I worry about having the right words, and I speak a fire to absolutely engulf your souls. A passion to see those who are far away brought close to God. In the name of Jesus, open up the doors. Open up the opportunities. Highlight the spaces every single day. You want these men and women to be carriers of gospel good news to every corner of this city. And I thank you, God, for the fruit that will be produced, the souls that will be saved, the light that will be shone, and the way our generation will be changed. As my friends in this room, empowered by the Spirit, speak to the ones in tombs, I believe in the days ahead, there will be dozens and hundreds and thousands of people

who will find themselves face to face in friendship with you. Because of the work of these great evangelists. In Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen. Come on, praise Him in this room. Thanks for being a part of Victory Church on the Pando app. We hope this content was a blessing to you. But we want you to know that you're not done yet, because we want to hear from you. So send us a letter and tell us things like what God is doing in your life, how we can pray for you, or even content that you would like to see us create in the future. know that we see you. You're important to us and we'd love to continue to create some things in the future that will bless you. So send us a letter and we hope to hear from you soon.