What If Someone Close to Me is Far From God? | Crossroads Young Adults

Who in the room is not originally from Cincinnati? Okay, that's actually a little bit more than I thought it was. So I just moved here to Cincinnati about six months ago. My family and I moved to Cincinnati about six months ago, and I don't know where anything is. Like, literally, I don't know where anything is. And it's a sucky feeling, because I still have to open my Maps app just to figure out how to get to the grocery store. Simple things that you should just know how to do, I don't know how to do them. I do know how to get to my house, and I know how to get to work, and then I know how to get from work to my house. I got that down. And I started to notice every single day when I go home from work, I go to this one intersection, and I see almost 90% of the time this one guy posted up at the intersection, and he's asking for food and money. I mean, almost every time the same guy is there at the same intersection, and he's asking for food and money. Now, I need to be honest with you. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable when I pull up next to a person at an intersection or at a stoplight or something like that, and someone's asking for money.

I'm kind of, like, embarrassed to say that, but it's just what it is. Sometimes I try to, like, act like I don't really see him, because it's just awkward, and it makes me feel weird, and I don't know if I'm supposed to give something or if I'm not supposed to give something, and I just overthink it. Last week, I handed him a Gatorade, but most times I just pass by. And I was just thinking and reflecting, like, why is it so awkward when I pull up to this intersection, and this guy's here that I don't know who's asking for food and who's asking for money? Now, I really wanna be honest with you. I've reflected on it, and I really think that the reason that it's uncomfortable for me, and I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but I really think it's because deep down, I'm a little cynical, and I really struggle to believe that I add anything of value to this person, and I just don't know if giving someone a Gatorade or a sandwich is really gonna make that much of a difference. And that sounds horrible to say, but it's hard to think sometimes that I could actually do something to help this person out.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about? I wanna help, but sometimes it just feels like it's too far gone. Like, what's the impact of me just giving you a bottle of water? I don't like that I'm saying that, but that's just how I feel at times, and I don't wanna feel that way, but sometimes it just feels like, man, I just don't know if I'm actually gonna be able to help you that much. Like, is it even worth it to try to make a difference? Now, I think that some of you in the room, you feel that way about actual people in your life. Like, maybe your parents, maybe your relatives, your extended family, a brother, an older sister, maybe you feel that way about a friend or an ex or somebody who's connected to you in some way, shape, or form. They've done things, they've made decisions, and you wonder at times, should I even try to help? Like, should I even extend a hand to reach out to see if they need anything, or is it really gonna matter? Like, is it gonna actually make a difference? Is it actually gonna change anything, or is this person too far gone? Maybe they're just never gonna change. You have people like that in your life.

Some of you, you're not thinking about somebody else, you're actually thinking about you. You come into the room tonight, and you struggle to actually think, maybe I could change. Maybe I could actually come back from that mistake. Maybe I could actually get over that failure, or that issue, or that hump, or that problem, or that addiction, or that worry. Like, could I actually be worthy of love? Could I actually receive restoration and healing and freedom? You wonder that to yourself. And tonight, we're gonna engage with a story from the Bible. It's a really simple story. It's become one of my personal favorites. And as we engage with it, I just want this question to roll around in your head. What if there are people in your life who are close to you, but far from God? What if someone's close to you in proximity, in relationship, they're close to you, you have access to them, but they're far from God? They're wondering if. Things could ever change They're wondering if there's actually hope for the future they're wondering if life could actually be different and for once carry meaning and purpose and Significance and so tonight. We're going to look at Acts chapter 3 Acts chapter 3 this is after the life Death burial and resurrection of Jesus the church has just formed

There's a massive movement of people that are coming to God and that are Coming into contact with people who had experienced Jesus and there's this huge movement of people in the church is growing Now if you've been with us for the past few months, we've been talking about this guy named Peter from the Bible Peter's a super relatable guy because he has Incredibly high highs and very low lows and the Bible shows you all the unfiltered nitty-gritty details of it So a few months ago We talked about a low moment in Peter's life where he tried to walk on water towards Jesus and he did for a little bit until he doubted and he took his eyes off of Jesus and he began to sink and Then last month we looked at Peter again a few chapters later in the Bible, and it was one of his highest moments One of his peak spiritual experiences where he looked at Jesus and Jesus said hey Who do you think that I am and he said I think you're the Savior of the world One of his mountaintop moments We now pick up with Peter again as a builder of the church Jesus has left He's now a church leader And he's moving and operating in different cities in different places And there's a moment where him and a guy named John interact with a man who is asking for money Acts chapter 3 Verse 1 Says this Peter and John Went to the temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service They're just on their way to church and as they approached the temple a man lame from birth was being carried in Each day he was put beside the temple gate the one called the beautiful gate so that he could beg from the people going into The temple and when they saw or when he saw Peter and John about to enter he asked them For some money All right, so Peter and John like our church leader guys on their way to church, and then there's this guy who the Bible says He's been lame since birth, and he's asking them for some money the Bible says that every single day People carry this guy who can't walk and they set him outside of the church I have no idea how long they've been doing this but the Bible says that he's been lame since birth Which means he's never walked before

There's not been a single time in his life where he's been able to actually go somewhere that he wants to go He has to get carried Everywhere, so this could have been a few years this could have been his entire life that people have been carrying him outside of the temple Gate setting him there and his entire life. He asks people for money So I would imagine if he's been lame from birth that he's never walked He's never been able to do anything on his own. He's always been a beggar. You know what? He's probably been labeled as in society too far gone He's too far gone Beyond repair this guy's never walked. He's probably never gonna walk. I Think that people probably viewed him that way. I also think there's a good chance a significant chance that he viewed himself that way Never walked probably never gonna walk. I Guess this is what it is. I Beg for money outside of the church and I want you to notice that he's asking for money even Though he can't walk But this guy's begging for one thing and he's begging for money even though he can't walk I Think something that I've come to realize is that oftentimes people ask God for things and they ask people for things that they think they need instead of the things that they actually need and So although the man can't walk he wants to ask for money because he perceives money Possibly to be the thing that could solve his problem Or maybe in his eyes It's the only thing that could potentially provide some sort of solution to the thing that he's actually experiencing Acts chapter 3 verse 4 says this Peter and John looked at the man intently and Peter said look at us The lame man looked at them eagerly Expecting some money, but Peter said I don't have any silver or gold

gold for you, but I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk. Peter took the lame man by the right hand and he helped him up, and as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, he stood on his feet, and he began to walk. Then walking, leaping, praising God, he went into the temple with them. And all the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized that he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the beautiful gate, they were absolutely astonished. They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's colonnade, which is like a hallway, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Africa for the first time. I got to go to Ghana in West Africa. Absolutely amazing, completely wrecked me, one of my all-time favorite countries that I've ever been to. And in Ghana, I was a part of a small missions team where we would go into one of the largest marketplaces in all of Africa. We would get dropped into the middle of it. There are millions of people. And we would walk with a translator

down different hallways and side streets and all these areas, and then we would find a group of people and ask if we could talk to them about Jesus. It was one of the craziest things that I have ever been a part of. There's language barriers, there's cultural barriers, there's way more people than I've ever seen in my entire life, there's smells, there's noises. I mean, it's just crazy. And all of a sudden, we would pull up next to this group and our translator would communicate with this small group of people for a little bit. Obviously, he's speaking a different language, so I don't understand what he's saying. But after talking to them for a minute or two minutes, he would turn to one of us and he would say, okay, it's your turn to share. And we would share with them the message of Jesus. Fascinating. We saw hundreds of people choose to give their lives to Jesus. And over time, I was like, I wonder what our translator is saying to them in that one to two minute exchange that opens them up to the idea of a stranger getting to share the message of Jesus with them. Because I'm just trying to think about this happening in downtown Cincinnati with a group of us pulling up to some random people

in a restaurant going, hey, I have some friends who are here right now, they have a presentation for you. Would you like to hear about that? Yeah, you're laughing because you're like, that would never happen. People would start calling the cops probably. It was a not fly here and I was like, Simeon, that's our translator, Simeon, what are you saying to these people that opens them up to hearing about the message of Jesus? And he said, Jordan, when Ghanaians see Americans, they associate you with money. I said, okay, well, it's fair. And he said, I come up to them with our group and I say, I have friends from America. And they've come all the way from America to share something with you. I was like, okay. And I like see where this is going. And Simeon says, you know what all of them are thinking? They just hit the lotto. It's about to be a payday. All of them are thinking that you're here to give them money. Because in their eyes, if they can just get some money, they can get a one-way ticket to America and they think all their problems will go away. He said, so I tell them, I have friends here from America who've come all the way to share something with them. And as they begin to lean in, I say, and it's not money.

And they tilt their head to the side a little bit. And as they do that, Simeon leans in and he says, it's better than money. It's better than money. And in the Ghanaians' eyes, they go, nothing is better than money. Nothing is better than money. But he's got them on the hook and they lean in. He says, so you want to hear? They say, yeah, because we've never heard of anything that could possibly be better than money. And he turns to us and he says, okay. They want to hear. And I remember after being on that trip, absolutely being wrecked by that encounter. where Simeon is able to dial in on a perceived or felt need and say, actually, the gospel, the good news of Jesus, although you might not understand it right now, it's the one thing that's actually gonna solve the problem that you have. It's the one thing that's actually gonna fill the void in your life. It's the one thing that's never gonna run out. It's never gonna run dry. Once you experience, taste, and see it, you'll be changed forever. And although that may be hard for some people originally to see, that's the idea behind what Simeon is trying to communicate

that we then got to tell them, hey, money, although it may be nice, it didn't change my life. Jesus changed my life, and I wanna share Jesus with you. In Acts chapter three, the beggar asks Peter and John for some money, and I find it interesting because his real need's not money, it's healing. His real need's not money. What's he gonna do with money? He needs to be healed. And Peter just looks at him and says, hey, man, I don't have any money for you. I don't have money. I got something better than money, though. I'll give you what I do have. I don't have what you want. I got what you need. It's Jesus. Get up and walk. Can I tell you, your wants, your desires, your perceived needs, all of those things together will not solve your problems. They just won't solve your problems. Money is not going to make you a more happy person. It's not gonna fix your pain. It's not gonna heal your brokenness. Climbing the corporate ladder isn't going to be the thing that ultimately satisfies you as a peak that you have reached to fill the void in your life. Pornography is not going to satisfy you

or provide you with the intimacy or the love that you're hoping to experience the way that you think that it might. If you have more followers on Instagram, it's not gonna validate you to give your life meaning the way that you think that it might. Doing stupid things to be liked, to get the approval of people, the Bible says it's like chasing the wind. You can never actually catch it and bottle it up. And the more time that I spend with young people, the more I see how much desperation they are in for freedom and healing. The problem is they're just looking for it in all of the wrong places. And so the disciples actually see through the facade of this man's perceived needs because they understand that if they give him money and not healing, none of it matters in the end. They understand that if he gets the thing that he wants but is still broken, none of it matters anyways. And so they say, I don't have money to give you. I have something better than that. It's the power of Jesus moving in your life and changing your life. Now I have a question. What if Peter and John never would have taken personal responsibility for seeing someone and recognizing the need of someone who was close to them but far from the healing and grace of God?

Because I think this beggar for many people, it was so normalized that this is who he was, someone who was too far gone. He probably just blended in to the environment for most people. Most people could not possibly understand that this guy could actually be healed, that there actually was a bright future for him. And so I need you to hear me tonight. You right now have everything that you need to take Jesus into the wild. Like you already have everything that you need to do that because every single one of us operates within spaces where people are trying their best to cover up brokenness with wants and desires, believing that it's gonna solve their problems. Every single one of us, whether it's college dorm, whether it's your corporate job, whether it's living at home with your parents, whether it's all of those things, whether it's none of those things, your friendships, we're all in spaces where people are just trying to cover up and band-aid problems that need surgeries. And this man receives a healing because the disciples chose to not see a man who was too far gone. They saw a man who was broken and in need of rescue, and they knew that Jesus was the only solution. So after this man is healed, this causes a little bit of a ruckus

because he's praising, he's dancing, he ends up at church, he's celebrating, and people don't even recognize the guy. They're like, whoa, whoa, hold up, this is crazy. The same dude who was out here, like, they can't even comprehend it. And a few verses later, some people are like, hey, yo, how did this even happen? How is this even possible? In Acts 3, 16, Peter says, you wanna know how it's possible? One way, through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed. And you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes. I just gotta pose the question one more time. What if, right now, someone is close to you, but so far from God? What if they're close in proximity, close in relationship, close in intimacy, but they're far from healing? They're broken. You may have labeled them as too far gone, not even going to try. This is a question that I've been thinking a lot about recently. It's a question that we've been thinking about as a team and as a ministry recently. And for the remaining time that I have left, I just wanna actually let you in on some stuff that we've been working on behind the scenes.

Because maybe you've been around 18, 24 for the last few months. Maybe you haven't. We started this thing a few months ago called Launch Night. And it's just a monthly gathering where we're just bringing in 18 to 24-year-olds into a space and building some community and giving them an opportunity to explore faith. And a lot of people have been like, okay, well, why are we calling it Launch Night? Like, what's the launch part? I'm like, okay, well, yeah, we've been cooking up on some things and I actually get to let you in on some of that tonight. And I just need you to know that everything I'm about to tell you, it was all spurred from this question right here. What if every single one of us has someone in our sphere of influence right now who's close to us, but far from God? And then what could we do about it? So primarily over the last few years, 18, 24 has been a ministry dedicated to college students. It's been dedicated to college students. And there are many college students in the room right now. And largely it's been dedicated, not just to college students, but to students specifically at the University of Cincinnati. I love the University of Cincinnati. It's an amazing place.

I know many of you who attend there. But as we've been praying on this, as we've been thinking on some of these questions, and as we've been dreaming for the future, the vision that I believe God's given us for this ministry is something far beyond one campus. It's something far beyond one building. It's something far beyond one city. There was a vision that God was giving our ministry that was greater and bigger than that. And the vision that I believe he's given us is a multi-city movement of young adults who lead a spiritual awakening. If that doesn't hype you up and terrify you, you have some problems. Because it excites me and it scares me because if God calls us something to build that's big, we need to actually lean into that and pursue that. And if we wanna build and pursue a multi-city movement of young adults, we need to build a multi-city movement of young adults who lead a spiritual awakening. If we wanna pursue a multi-city movement of young adults, we need to do some things. We need a name, a brand, an identity, a structure that resonates not only with college students, but with a wider demographic that's not following the traditional linear path of college, career, marriage, kids. That's the linear path.

And there's nothing wrong with that linear path, but there are many young adults in the game right now. They're not following that path. And so I wanted to be thinking not just about college students, but about 18 and 19-year-olds who chose not to go to university after high school. I wanted to be thinking about 22-year-olds who were entering into corporate America. They got a job in a field that has nothing to do with their degree, and they're starting to freak out wondering if they just spent way too much money on something they may never use. That's real. I wanted to think about 25-year-olds who were engaged, they were preparing to be married. They're wondering as they move into this new life stage, who are their friends gonna be? Who are they gonna hang out with? Are things gonna change? And what's that gonna look like? I wanted to think through 27-year-olds who've moved back in with their parents because they were saving money to buy a house, and it's crazy out there. and they didn't have enough money and they had to move back in with mom and dad for a little bit. The audience for the ministry is expanding

because here's the deal. We wanna bust down every barrier to make sure there are no obstacles for young adults who feel like they are too far gone. That's my heart in it. That's the vision for it. And so if you've been wondering why we've been calling this night launch night, we've been preparing not just to launch a monthly gathering, we've been preparing to launch something a little bit bigger than that, an entire new movement to reach young adults in our city and in the cities beyond where Crossroads is currently present and established. And so I'm putting you on to some new stuff. You get to hear it first. I'm excited to let you know that as of this moment right now, this ministry is now not just for 18 to 24 year olds, it's for young adults ages 18 to 29 in any life stage. And we now go by the name Crossroads Young Adults. Yeah. Why are we making a change? Well, it's because the age range of 18 to 29 is what our team has been calling emerging adulthood. It's where people are focusing on identity exploration. They're focusing on experimentation with culture. It's the age range that we've been talking about as the epicenter of culture.

It's got a nice ring to it. Sounds important. The epicenter of culture. What do I mean? I mean that when you think about trend setting, but when you think about music and when you think about social media, when you think about technology, when you think about fashion, when you think about progress and movement and innovation in any of those area of influence, you think of 18 to 29 year olds as the leaders, the cultural influencers. And then things ripple effect from there. They move up to 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond, and it trickles down to high school, to middle school, to elementary school, and then it's not cool anymore. And then there's a new wave. That's the way that it works. And so if young adults, 18 to 29, are already leading the way in fashion, in trend setting, in music, in social media, in technology, why would they not be uniquely positioned to lead a spiritual awakening across our country? They're already in position for that. It's already happening and we want to tap into that. Here's what I need you to see. This movement is so much bigger than any of us. It's so much bigger than I wonder

if any of us even have some faith for right now. And so we had a team put together a little snippet of a video that I hope builds your faith for something that you get to engage in right now. And so check this out. A team of 15 freshmen showed up at UC to see what God could do. He is about to take the movement that they began and ignite it into something they could never have dreamt of or imagined. Over the past four years, we've been consistently praying for revival in and through our ministry. I am most excited to see for thousands of young adults beyond Cincinnati, 1824, bring God-given potential into people's lives. This generation has risen in a personal commitment to Jesus 15% higher than any generation before them. And the best days are ahead. This is for any 18 to 29 year old dreamer. We're building a multi-city movement of young adults who are ready to lead a spiritual awakening across our nation. This is Crossroads Young Adults. Yeah, come on. All right, look, here's the last thing I wanna say to you. I'm really excited about all this, but I need you to hear that tonight is not just about a new name. It's not just about a new look.

It's not even really just about a new vision. Like, it's about you tapping into the mission of God as an individual. That's what it's about. It's not about any of this, like, it's about you as an individual being able to answer the question, what if someone's close to me, but far from God? Because the reason that we're doing all of this right now is to make sure that the person right now who is disconnected, who feels too far gone, has a seat at the table. The person who feels like they're not where they need to be, living in the tension between who they were and who they're becoming, that person needs to know that they're welcome here. and that they can explore faith and find community as a part of this movement. But it's not just gonna happen with a cool video that goes on to Instagram. It's gonna happen when you tap into it as an individual. And so here's what's getting ready to take place tonight. We have hats. It's a cool hat. I'm not even gonna lie to you, it's a dope hat. And in a few moments, I'm gonna release you to grab one, but here's what I need you to do. This is not just a hat. It's not just a hat. In a moment, I'm gonna release you to do two things.

To grab a hat and to grab a Sharpie. You're like, oh, my nice new hat. A hat and a Sharpie. And as you take that hat, I ask you actually not to take a hat until you can answer the question, who is close to me, but far from God? Who's in the 18 to 29 demographic range? It doesn't matter what life stage, it doesn't matter any of that stuff. It's like, who is in the age range right now who's close to me? I have influence in their life, but they're far from God. And I need you to take that permanent marker. And on the inside of that hat, I need you to write their name. You could write more than one. Five, go crazy, knock yourself out. I need you to write a name in there. Permanent marker, this thing's not coming off. And I need you to associate that hat and this movement with that name. Why are we doing this? It's to create a space for that name, for that person. And every time you put that hat on, okay, I rep the ministry, but actually it's a reminder that I'm pursuing this person who's close to me, but far from God. As we do that, it's gonna take a few minutes.

I want you to make your way back to your seat. And then I want you to link up with two, three, four people right in your area right here. And I just want you to pray with each other. Hey, whose name did you write down? Okay, who is that? Your brother? Okay, yeah, yeah. Let's pray for your brother. What's his name? Okay, John, yeah, I got it. We're gonna pray right now that John is gonna meet Jesus. We're gonna pray that God would open doors, that God would give us boldness and opportunities, and that we would seize them and that we would go and that we would be a part of this mission and this movement. Lastly, while all this is happening, the band's gonna sing a song titled, You Will Be Saved. You Will Be Saved. It's an incredible song. It's simple, but powerful lyrics. And they just tell the story of the gospel, the good news about the saving power of Jesus that can take you from death to life. And as we sing that, we're gonna sing it as a community prophetically, which means we are going to God on behalf of the names that are transcribed within our hats saying, God, we're asking you to move in the lives of these people

and to break down the barriers and the obstacles to them getting a front row seat to see who Jesus is. We're singing it in faith, declaring it boldly that we're gonna see the city of Cincinnati and beyond saved. That's what we're gonna do. Hey, lastly, lastly, if you have not yet made a decision to follow Jesus, if you're curious, if you're open, if you're interested, I just want you to stay where you're at. And I just want you to have these words sung over you. And I want you to reflect on them. I want you to let them get into your heart. And we're gonna create an opportunity in a moment if you'd like to, where you can say, as Peter did that we discussed last month, Jesus, you're the Lord and you're the savior and I'm gonna walk with you for all of my days. So I'm gonna pray and then I want you to move. You can grab a hat, you can write a name. Let's pray over the hats and then let's sing this prophetically. Jesus, we love you. God, I thank you that these people are in this room at this time. God, it's not an accident that you brought them. And Jesus, I pray right now at launch night that a new thing is birthed and launched. Jesus, would you have favor on it? Would you move within it in a powerful way?

And would we see ourselves having a unique role to build and play to advance the mission that's ultimately in alignment with you? We love you. We thank you. Would you move in the people who are close to us but far from God? Amen. Amen. Amen.