Crazy Love Podcast - Being Biblically Courageous | Francis Chan

0:00Welcome to the Crazy Love Podcast. What if we've built a version of church that looks busy, but doesn't look like Jesus? Today, Francis Chan calls us to slow down and ask the hard question, are we obeying Christ or just studying Him? This message is a wake-up call to trade comfort for surrender and our human effort for true dependence on the Holy Spirit. I've never heard, that was the first time I'd ever heard Matt Carter speak, I've known Matt for years and that's the first time I ever heard him speak and it just wasn't that good. No, I'm kidding, no it totally kidding, no the whole time, the whole time he was talking I'm just going, hey Matt, no I was joking, I mean seriously, everything he said, everything

1:04came out of his mouth, I just wanted to amen, I just wanted to go, man I can't believe he just said that, that was so right on, it was everything the Holy Spirit's been stirring on my heart, it was eerie honestly, it was one of those times where I sat there, I go this is too weird, everything he is saying I feel like I want to say or I have said or I'm going to say or now I'll say it, it's just everything and that's what I loved about it, I go wow I agree so much, I just want, I have a hard time moving on from that, I guess is what I'm trying to say is after he was done I just wanted to sit there and process that and I, can we just try to forget that we're at a conference, you know how sometimes we can get in a conference mode and it's like okay here comes Francis, you know and we just, it's just like, like just to kind of slow down and go okay here's just a bunch

2:05of people, people, human beings in a room whose every breath is from God, there's a being up there and that's all this is about, you know it's just about him and it's just about him being pleased with what we're doing and this whole idea of what Matt was saying about, look if we've lost that first love then this is all just a joke, I don't want to be remembered as the mission community generation and I was just so good and I just sat there, I really know that the Lord was speaking to me, these are the things that God's been talking to me about, everything that he spoke about, even yesterday, just yesterday I teach this sermon prep class at our college and you know so I listen to these college students speak and you know sometimes they're really bad but this one kid, he preached yesterday out of Exodus 33 and again it just stopped me again I just sat there and I thought I

3:11got a repent, I totally got a repent, Exodus 33 verse 15 when it said, he said to him, this is Moses talking to God, he goes, if your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here, how shall it be known that I've found favor in your sight, I and your people, is it not in your going with us so that we are distinct, I and your people from every other people on the face of the earth and he just challenged us and he said, he goes, look, look, is that what you want more than anything, just the presence of God, I just want to know that he's with you right now, you just want to know that you're walking where he wants you to walk because my motives in ministry have not been pure, I mean so much of my life, I started off in high school and you know that's when I came to know the Lord, I remember

4:12I would see these youth speakers and they were just the greatest speakers, I thought I want to be like him, man he's funny, he's that, he's convicting, I want to do that, look at the way the crowd responded, those were the desires, the thoughts, a lot of things that went through my mind when I started ministry and then you know become a pastor and these churches and you go, I want to do that, I want a big church, I want to speak in front of crowds, it's just all these thoughts and all these different things go through your mind and you just lose sight of just that original intention way back when when you just want to know you're being pleasing to God and then the more responsibility you're given, the more God entrusts you with the harder it gets sometimes to just go, all I want is the presence of God, I just want to know and if he's not in this thing I don't want to be a part of it and that's

5:17what I loved about the whole idea behind this conference was I didn't think about the title of the conference until Sunday, like Verge, I know okay that's cool, that's new, usually you can't come up with any more new words for conferences, you know because everyone's taken them and I and at first I was thinking I was thinking what does that even mean, you know Verge, I don't know, I was thinking merge, you know I thought I would blend, no that's merge, you know and I did emerge, I did emerge conference once and I did a surge conference once, I did an emerge conference once and a research and you know I was thinking about all the different urge, you know I did a purge for bulimics, you know but I was thinking what is what's the idea of Verge and I actually looked up what does Verge mean and it means like the outer like a limit, like you're just about, you're right at, I'm like oh yeah on the verge, like it's right there and I like that, I like that thought

6:23because I really do feel like we're right there at something and it's not, I don't see this as one of these conferences where we go, come on you guys, let's start a movement, you know how you get it, you know I've done those, I've been the kind of go, yeah come on let's change the world you know and everyone stands up and we sing shout to the Lord and run out and everyone walks I go that was the greatest, we're going to start a movement, you know I haven't sensed that with this, what I've sensed is really that God is doing something and we really are on the verge of seeing something happen, like it's just been really weird, I mean listening to you was eerie because I go gosh that's so crazy, we're in these different places and those are all the thoughts that God has put on my mind, the timing of things, of a, I just different guys that I met, you know I remember when I was really struggling with some of this and I get this email from a guy named Neil Cole, you know asking me to you know write a forward in his book and I said no sorry

7:28I don't have any time, you know and but then later the Holy Spirit like you know I go back read that one, which one, Neil Cole's one, I know the guy, you know so I went and I read his book that the church 3.0 and I'm going no way, shut up, this is everything, you know it happened when we read total church as a staff, we go this is everything we've been talking about, it's everything we've been talking about, that's why when he said it's like well that's everything, I met Dave Gibbons, I just met Dave Gibbons, everyone assumed I knew Dave Gibbons because we're like the two Asian pastors and so seriously in Southern California we were the two Asian pastors that you know pastor multicultural churches so everywhere I went they go you know your buddy Dave I'm like I never met him you know and but we ran into each other this summer it was so funny we had a conference together and we both we just like ran up to each other and hugged each other we did because he was like man I've been hearing about you for years like oh yeah you do it was like oh

8:28you know and and it was it was so crazy it's like oh you know so we went out got some sushi you know and uh and we're just laughing would you I mean it was just like wow I can't believe I haven't known this guy but everything he was talking about it was just like this you got to be kidding me you got to be kidding me everything you're telling me is everything the Lord's been put on my heart and you know Jeff Fander South are guys it's just it's just it's just it's a really strange thing I don't believe it's this is not something I would have ever come up with I liked American church I did I like being able to hide in the back and come in and do my thing my relationship but I don't really like hanging out with a lot of people you know and uh just being honest with them more than more than introvert and um even my wife uh I remember years ago she asked she was honey what do you love most about me and my answer to her without even really flinching I go have all the people on the earth you bug me the least

9:36okay so that gives you an insight into you know me and uh we got other people like me out there um it's just that that that thought that's so but but what happened was as I started studying the scriptures and and looking at scripture and I think that's what Matt was talking about it always bugged me because you'd read scripture you'd see one thing you go to church you see something else and now everyone's just going I'm just I'm done with that there was a unity a love in that in the scriptures that we just don't see in churches we've been doing it um um this whole uh what do you call a mission community thing you know people have asked me hey you know what you're just doing because it's the emergent thing it goes in and aren't you emergent emergent I don't even know what I you know people say are you this movement are you this movement are you this movement and I go I don't know man I

10:36just read this and I just I just kind of whatever it says blah comes right back maybe we're regurgent we we just you know whatever you know this is what they did there it is again you know it's just I'm not trying to come up with anything new it's just when I read the scriptures this is what I was and what I'm convicted about of the way the church ought to look and um let's go ahead and tweet that Francis is a regurgent pastor um but uh like I remember remember like seven or eight years ago it's around there I came back from Africa and the Lord just tore me up he just showed me you don't care about the poor you know you you you you just avoid them and uh when I got over there it just caused me to fall in love with the people over there and and suddenly my my heart for those for a need and then I started I started seeing it every page of scripture I know I missed this and and it was so crazy because then I'd start talking to my friends and other places around

11:40the nation and guess what God was teaching them the spirit was saying the same thing to them and suddenly you saw this generation of people going man we got to start caring for the poor and then just became this huge thing but it wasn't like we all got together and said hey let's start a movement on caring for the poor it was just that some of the Holy Spirit was doing in each of our hearts and all these different places and and then a few years ago three four years ago the Lord really was convicting me on my theology on the Holy Spirit I I started reading the scriptures going wait a second I I've been completely ignoring the Holy Spirit not completely I would never deny he exists but the reality of him in my life and so then I start talking to my friends and guess what the Holy Spirit's leading them to think about and in the last couple of years like I said we've been getting together as elders and looking at scripture and going man I want this I want what the scriptures are saying and then we start you know as we go out and talk to other people we

12:42realize wait other people are even further down the road than we are it's something the Holy Spirit is doing and that's what I love about this is it takes a lot of pressure off there's I don't stand up here going okay come on Francis start a movement I just go man a movement started and it's cool I get to be a part of it we get to be a part of it and and you're here because the Holy Spirit has guided you here through your teaching through your study through your theology whatever it is we have to make sure this is driven theologically though you know that it's not just this oh here's a cool thing to do let's break down the mega church it you know but it's more just I read this in God's Word and so it has to be done see I I've had other ideas in my head that weren't necessarily biblically driven I go oh man why don't we try this at the church or why don't we try this

13:43when we try that and sometimes it goes well sometimes it fails sometimes I just quit going you know what it's just too hard but this is different because this is something I still remember the day when I was with a couple of my elders and we're sitting at just at Panera and we're just talking about church and and we're talking about biblically what it's supposed to be and then the reality hit us I still remember when the reality hit us where we're one of the guys said you know what scares me is when I read the scriptures God doesn't get mad at the people he gets mad at the leaders he goes he goes man our our church is the way it is because we let them here and there was the sense of I mean seriously it was like the sickening man I don't want to stand before God on this one and and just go well this is way everyone else was doing it no I knew better I know better now and I know what ought to take place in these gatherings because I'm looking at scripture and as

14:48we looked at that it's one of those things where we go we've got to change I don't know how we're still in the middle of the process but it's not something we can just quit because it's biblically driven it's theologically driven it's not an idea it's not a trendy thing it's just something we see in scripture and we said we're going to do this and and it's cool because as we look around and talk to other people and many of you you go yeah that's the same thing I feel last last week I was in Edmonton I don't recommend that and and this guy one of the guys at this conference younger guy was just he just said what would you say to a younger guy that's thinking about starting a church and I said be courageous biblically be biblically courageous think think through be as biblically as you can just just erase what you've seen everywhere else

15:54and just open up the Bible and go okay well if if I only had this and I'd never been to this church or this church I just never been to church and I just opened up this book I could just just try to figure out okay what would you do because I told my go I wasn't I wasn't mature enough and I wasn't courageous enough to do that I just I just looked around at other patterns I just looked at what what other people were doing and I would tweak it I go I like this about his I like this about his I like his about that church over there and so I'm going to combine those and make this thing I go I didn't have the wisdom to just sit down with the word of God and go okay what is it just clearly saying what's the obvious truth just based upon scripture and I just really encourage them I go just just try that because because I criticize the cults all the time I criticize cults because yes sure you can you can take this verse from here this verse from here this verse from here you can take all of these verses and justify your theology but there's never you

16:59never would have come up with that from a simple natural reading of scripture anyone can create a new religion and take verses from all these different places and make it work I go but you would never get that if you just sat down and read through the scriptures and just came to a conclusion on your own you were fed all of this theology and in the same way I got to look at myself in the way that I've done church and go okay would I ever have come up with this just from scripture and the answer is no I wouldn't have what would I have come up with if I just read the scriptures I wouldn't even think so much about the gathering you know like like my first thought wouldn't be let's have a gathering out of the scriptures I would think

18:00I'm on a mission like I love this God with all my heart's soul mine is strength and now I've got to go out and make disciples that's what I would think I need I need to go out there and just reach as many people as I can I I'm supposed to teach him no bay everything that God's command that's what I would get out of scripture and then what would happen as I did that what I believe would naturally happen is suddenly I would find those other people who are on that same mission because we'd be the weirdest people on earth right we we would stick out we'd be so different and in that pressure to always stay on that mission everyone else would be beating me down so I would actually need these brothers and sisters in my life and tell them hey don't let me slow down and I won't let you slow down we got to stay on this mission together see this is why it wasn't into fellowship before because I didn't need any more friends okay it wasn't like oh yeah

19:02you know let's just get another gathering so I have someone to talk to like like I didn't need accountability groups so that I wouldn't sleep around or whatever it was I can do that I can do that on my own like not not sleeper you know what I mean I can like you know I don't need that to do American church I don't need fellowship but to stay on mission every day I need people because I'm gonna get distracted there's so many things I would rather do than make disciples and so I need people in my life to tell me this that that's what I would get out of scripture is I had to go out and start making disciples and as I did that I really believe that I would start gathering with other people doing the same thing I would look at that great commission that we all memorized and I would take it literally you know I love what Alan Hirsch was saying on there of just just how we I forget how we said it but you know he said something like that hey I just I like don't when he said it I don't remember it now but basically we we we

20:06tame everything down you know we tone did everything down we we we we we we you know whatever we do we we uh the mast oh I thought he said masculine domesticate did he say masculine oh okay domesticate what am I thinking about okay um domesticate we domesticate yeah yeah that's that's what we do but it's it's so weird it is because I I'm a very simple person if you notice that yeah yeah I'm a very simple person and I just go black and white here's what he says to do go make disciples it's so weird how we change things in church and we make everything like about the the heart but the heart becomes not what we see in the scriptures where it was kind of the mission control center the decision making center of a core of a person's being but but it becomes like this weird vague mmm you know I received Jesus into my heart what does that mean you know it's it's just we we and we'll take the great commission and and different things about it and we don't

21:10we we just don't take his words literally it's so weird because when I when I was a kid we just placed game called Simon says all right most of us have played that and that's you're really young because there's no app for it Simon says is uh you know you just Simon says pat your head you know so okay you know Simon said it um it's just it was very simple game but it's so weird how in the church Jesus says is a totally different game if Jesus says something you don't have to do it you just have to memorize it you you you you study it you memorize you guys it doesn't make any sense a lot of the things we do when he tells us go out and make disciples and how many people in the our churches are actually making disciples they memorized it you know when I tell my daughter a rage go clean your room she doesn't come back to me two hours there and go I memorized what you said you said rage go clean your room I can say it in Greek

22:19my friends are going to come over and we're going to have a study on what it would look like if I clean my room she knows better than that and so why do we think we're going to come before the judge one day and quote everything that he said and talk about how much we know it's just it's just this black and white stuff if I just started with scripture I'd go here's what I would do start making disciples I think about the love that I see in scripture that's if I came out I thought wow what I do see about the interactions between believers or followers is such an intense love I mean once you get that if you just came out of scripture once you think okay whatever I do when I meet a brother like I got to treat that guy like family because when I would read the book

23:24of Acts you know you know Acts Acts chapter 2 you guys know these passages Acts Acts chapter 2 I mean I would read that and and think wow they devoted themselves for 42 to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers and all came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles and all who believed were together and had all things in common and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they received their food with glad and generous hearts praise in God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to their number day by day those were being saved I love chapter 4 verse 32 when he says now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own but they had

24:31everything in common and with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and a great grace was upon them all there was not a needy person among them for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid at the apostles' feet and it was distributed to each as any had need see we read those and we go man could you imagine being a part of something like that we're no one cared you see but it wasn't that they got together and said hey let's practice community they say let's get together and let's practice fellowship no they were on this mission because they saw someone rise from the grave and and they just go you know what I saw them use on a cross I saw him die and then now I saw him walking around and he said go tell everyone to obey me and so at that point these people were just like okay fine I could care less about any of my stuff

25:35I just saw a person rise from the grave there really is life after death I got to start telling everyone and if you're gonna tell people look what I don't care about my stuff anymore and there was this group of people who just didn't care about their stuff anymore they just cared more about being part of this family this group of people that were all gonna get this message out they realize our lives have eternal purpose now we just saw someone rise from the grave it makes sense it's radical but it makes sense that's the thing is when you read the book of actually look at what their commitment and the crazy things they did and while it's insane it makes sense it's radical but it makes sense it what wouldn't have made sense was if you read all of that and they saw man rise from the grave he said go and make disciples so they got together in a room every Sunday saying some songs and a guy teach teached that really wouldn't make sense

26:38they had a guy taught and they came back the next week and did the same thing and then the next Sunday and did the same thing and some of them gave 10% even you would read that and you go shut up you guys didn't see someone rise from the grave shut up you saw someone rise from the grave you'd be doing a lot more than that you'd be telling everyone you know see that's it makes sense if I just started from scripture I would think about the love that I'd have for these other people I would think about first Peter 2 where it talks about how we're this holy nation where these living stones and where we're building we make up a temple like I'm just a piece of it you know I'm like a Lego you know like a little Lego piece there's nothing great about it but then once we it's this idea of working together and we stack up and we create this this this this

27:42organism where we love each other so much and people in the world start looking and going man look at the way they interact and they actually see Jesus that's why in 1 John 4 12 it says no one's ever seen God 1 John 4 12 is no one has ever seen God but if we love one another he somehow his loves manifest in us so so no one out there has ever seen God but if we as the body would love one another they'd walk in and and they'd get a glimpse of him they'd get a glimpse of his love this is the way the scripture says that this is how we reach the world it's very similar to what Jesus said when he was praying in John 17 he goes oh Lord I pray that they be one I in them you and me may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved

28:43them even as you've loved me that's weird he says wait once they're unified when they really love one another not only will I be in their midst but when they love each other like that the world's going to believe that Jesus was sent from God our unity is going to show that that's crazy to me I remember when I grew up in church you know the way we proved that Jesus really came from God was through apologetics through prophecy I'm not saying that's bad I still use it but scripture says no it's going to be through your unity it's going to be by the way that you love one another and the truth is is when people came into our gatherings on Sunday they didn't experience that they still don't working on it something's just got a change something's got a break because when I read the scriptures there's supposed to be such a unity where God wants us

29:43like a body for Corinthians 12 like hand foot I hear like we're all just part of this one thing do you guys do you think that way do you think about God in heaven right now and for those of us right here in this room okay forget about everyone out there even back at our churches or gatherings like right here God wants us to live like a body like if God had if G if we care about what Jesus wants to or saying Jesus is Lord what does he desire he he wants to see us even in these next couple of days living like family living like an extension of one another and I think God I will say this you know with the different frustrations I've had with our gatherings man some of my elders are here at this conference with me and I look at our relationships with one another and I go okay

30:44this is it this is this is this is this is biblical these are guys that I know would give their lives for Jesus these are guys who are giving their lives for Jesus and their wives who are giving their lives for the like we're on this mission together there's a unity it's a body you know I've thought about leaving and I always do you know what whatever we all do right it's beyond it's okay we all think about quitting whatever but the one thing I go man but I can't leave this group of guys where I just never seen a body work like this I mean we disagree we're so different but there's this unity man I'll never forget to you know studying this axe passage together one night after having dinner together and breaking bread together and and just going man having you guys always just thought why can't this happen in Southern California what why do people always say this is cultural I mean the believers began to sell their possessions that wasn't the norm you know why why do we say that's cultural why would they write it if everyone was doing that anyways and

31:47everyone always had everything together no there was something unique happening it was this weird group where they had everything in common and no one was like no it's about me it's about me it's about me no it's about this mission it's about this God and and so everything I thought why can't we do that it to where where we depend on each other man and I looked at you know one of the guys I go man I promise you man that if anything happens to you I really look at you like like a brother like you know like the Bible says and if anything happened you I could promise you man that whatever is mine man is is your families like I would take care of them just as much as I take care of my own family your kids I mean you don't have to worry about them and and and for guys to look at me and say the same thing look me in the eyes and no friends as I promise you if anything ever happened to you everything whatever is mine it's your families man I got your kids I'll take care of them everything's cool and and and pretty soon we're like so you're my life insurance we can

32:48just ditch life insurance yes let's ditch it and let's be independent on one another and and so if you guys don't come through then then my family is going messed up but I know you guys will come through because I've seen the way you've sacrificed for this thing you believe in this thing it was just an awesome time where we just you know said you know hey my car my house they need money I my bank account whatever it's it's it's not it's and and I tell you it was one of those times where we walked out of that house all of us with this sense of awe like that felt like Christianity that was weird I don't know when I felt that just felt you every had those times where you just felt this feels like the Bible and you and it's so rare that's what stinks is it's like man this shouldn't be like that these are the things that are obviously biblical

33:51I think about the power that I would believe in if I just read the scriptures the power of Jesus to do something the Holy Spirit the promised one are you sure you've experienced the Holy Spirit this last year you know we're a lot of the things that you've seen and experienced are a lot of them explainable just by natural means so when are we the scriptures that's why it's so important that this has to be a Jesus thing then I the reason why I'm a part of this is I believe it's something Jesus is doing and I'm not trying to make him do something I'm not trying to start a movement I'm not we're not in here strategizing and planning a movement and how do we start one it can't be that

34:53because that doesn't that doesn't flow with scripture I mean the disciples they didn't get together and plan out the day of Pentecost okay John you learn Chinese and Peter you do Spanish okay we already changed your name once now your Pedro you know and uh it wasn't a plan what was it it was the Holy Spirit you know working in all these different wasn't it the Holy Spirit working in a bunch of different individuals but it was creating one unified result and that's what I'm saying about what I think is going on in here you know what I mean like like when I look back in my life and I look at when this stuff started bugging me really bugging me it it started bugging other people too and that's why I get excited about it's like okay I'm I'm just along for the ride now I'm not trying to create anything here I really believe

35:53this is something the Holy Spirit is doing the the other day I went with my buddy out to the beach to go surfing and it was totally flat you know there's nothing there so we bought a burrito breakfast burrito and drove home I didn't go out in the ocean with them and say hey you go out further and splash maybe you can make a wave now you just yeah there's nothing here we just go home he hasn't that's the same thing I'm talking about with this is is we just come in this room and go Jesus is this what I think this is what you're doing I think you're starting a a wave here but if you're not then let's just go home because I I've tried to start movements haven't you she tried to create something and make something work and it just it doesn't work

36:59there's no power to it remember one time in a in an elder meeting we were just we were trying to figure out this whole community thing and and we were just frustrated and we were you know get on each other's nerves a little bit and then one of one of our our elders Matt just stopped us and said you guys I just feel like we're trying too hard because I've noticed in my neighborhood I just I don't even say things to certain people anymore I just get on my knees I start praying for them and I can't even tell you about I just the results things are just happening and I thought wow that's so good and we just can the rest of the business as let's just pray the rest of the time and let's just ask God to move and we're not here to try to start a movement we're here because we believe God is starting a wave and it seems just like on that day of Pentecost where he talked a bunch of different individuals and uniquely gifted them and there was this one unified result it it seems like that's what's going on right

38:05now and it's what I want to pray for because I go no this is biblical when Jesus says to pray in his name it means more than obviously in Jesus name we pray it's like what are the things that Jesus wants and these are the things we ought to be confident about as a thing is as we pray even now I'm gonna say Lord would you start getting the believers in our nation to really love you and be serious about making disciples and can we can you God just put a love in us for one another where we really start looking like family because you guys know are my not churches don't look anything like families anymore and you know they ditch the moment you know one bad thing is set up front or one you know service changes or oh no they have got a better kids pro it's not there's no sense of unity or oneness or about and it's like Lord that's got to change there's no

39:09interdependence in it sharing of our belongings we're just as individualistic as the rest of the world and those are the things what what I love about it is those are things God wants to change and when I see in scripture that's his desire I know I'm praying in Jesus name when I ask for those things and so it helps me because you know sometimes when you pray you don't know what to pray for and you're not even sure if you're praying for the right thing this is one of those things where I know I am I know I'm praying for the right thing I'm asking for people to go on mission to live mission lives I'm asking people to to love one another there's so much so that people can see Christ in the way that we care for one another these are things I'm asking for and these are things I know I see in scripture I'm asking that we really make Jesus Lord and not just play this where Jesus says game in church where we just memorize and study and talk but we really live

40:09this way and I tell you I'm just we're praying before I end with the band and with mad I just felt like to pray God I last thing I want to do is another conference and try to start something and get something going aren't you just all bored of that I mean especially Texas you guys take a conference is every you know it's just don't you just go oh and and you just go God I want something that's just that's clearly you a movement of your spirit where this should have a life of its own an unstoppable force because that's what I see in the book of Acts nothing was going to stop it nothing was going to stop that church what's um I want to spend some time praying but I don't want to just say let's pray and close our eyes I want you to think about the book of Acts and how unstoppable they were can imagine

41:15back then these guys come out speaking in different languages amazing you know even even when sin tried to creep in there with ananisans fire god struck them dead okay fine problem solved you move on then then then you know Stephen remember when he was he was about to get nothing was going to stop him oh but Saul might stop him Saul could stop him no you see how it's all Jesus like the whole thing was Saul and everything else I mean every time there was something that was going to maybe block the church God said no no I want to build my church gates of hell won't stand against this thing I just want to be a part of that then the mega church thing the speaking thing they had in my life I'm going to stand before God and he's going to say I didn't ask you to do all those things here's what I ask you to do here's the way I asked you to love others did you do that and that's why I go this is something that has to happen and so by the power

42:21of the Holy Spirit I'm going to ask that we could continue in the book of Acts and that our lives and our gathering would be congruent with what we see in scripture and I want you to believe with me that God and heaven actually hears us let's make this a biblical gathering where it's a bunch of people with one heart and one mind like one person and God from heaven looks down and goes while I look at that room in Austin right there they they're serious about this thank you for listening to the crazy love podcast join us next week for a new episode but until then for more resources from crazy love ministries or to support the work of crazy love please visit our website at crazylove.org