Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Where is God Sending You? | Kingdom Builders | Week 2
Have you ever felt a whisper in your heart nudging you towards a path less traveled? That whisper turned into a roar for me, leading to missionary work in the far-off land of Paraguay, and it all started at a youth camp in Prescott. Throughout this episode, I take you on a deeply personal voyage of faith, sharing how meeting a Paraguayan couple in Egypt tied the threads of my calling together. We unravel how early church involvement and embracing one's spiritual gifts can prepare us for the divine callings that await us, even if they seem worlds away.
Embarking on a spiritual journey isn't just about finding your own foothold; it's about building the Kingdom, hand in hand, across the globe. Join us as we embrace the Great Commission from Matthew 28, fostering intentional spiritual growth through life groups and personal commitment. The stories shared—from planting churches to delighting in diverse cultures—paint a vivid picture of how our collective contributions shape communities near and far. Through prayer, we start within our own hearts and reach out to the furthest corners of the earth.
As we round off this inspirational dialogue, we not only urge you to pray and give but to go forth and actively share the tapestry of Jesus's love. The impact of simple acts, like hosting a tea party for international neighbors or supporting local ministries such as Mercy House, has the power to transform lives on a grand scale. I bless our Kingdom Builders with peace and favor, highlighting the ripple effect of our shared mission. Walk with us as we share stories of hope, commit to a life of salvation, and spread the radiance of Christ's love to every corner of our world.
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Welcome. I just want to start by asking this question to you today, and that is this when are you being sent? So most of you have known that I started off, before Jay and I got married, as a single missionary. I served in Paraguay and in Bangladesh, and most people don't even know where those locations are, because they're not countries we talk about very often. But you can find them on the map. Paraguay is down south. Bangladesh used to be part of Pakistan and they separated in the 70s and so now it's its own country. But I was there, and a lot of times I don't even think that I realize what my yes meant when I started following Jesus.
Speaker 1:When I began serving the Lord, my parents had just gotten divorced. I was about eight years old, and prior to that we weren't going to church, we were just a good family. And then my parents separated and out of that came the need for a change in our life, and so my mom began going to a church and I would go with her, and then, after that, I would begin going to the church and my mom would just drop me off and I was part of the church from then on. It was always a great place for me to be. It was a safe place for me to be and I remember at the age of 15, I attended a youth camp up in Prescott and I remember sitting in the middle section. I was towards the back of the stage and it was the altar time and I was standing at the seat. I was standing up and I began to pray and the altar call was about what is God asking from you? And I began to pray and I could see a visual of a map and it was just spinning in a circle and I thought, well, that's weird of a map and it was just spinning in a circle. And I thought, well, that's weird. And then, all of a sudden, I could hear the voice of God tell me you're going to go to Paraguay. And I thought, well, that's funny, because I don't even know where Paraguay is. Is it a city? Is it a country? What is it? I don't even know. And I could just hear very strongly the voice of God saying you are going to go to Paraguay. How many of you were here last week when my friend Alberto shared about some amazing testimonies of God taking him out of Africa last year when the civil war broke out. I just want to share just a little bit of the full circle story on that. When God asked me to go to Paraguay, man, I had no idea what that country was like. I just went in obedience to God, and Paraguay is a nation that we don't hear about very often.
Speaker 1:It's not known for many things, but when Jay and I went and we went with our family to Egypt we were introduced to a family that was there and they said, hey, there's this amazing family. They're serving in Alexandria, egypt, and they're going to be a great connection point with you guys. You guys will work really well together. They're leading a CrossFit gym, you guys are going to do the international church. It's just a great connection point. So we said, great, let's meet them. And so then we were introduced to Alberto and Indiana and we asked them where they were from and they said we're from Paraguay. And I thought, wow, that's a small world. Who's from Paraguay? And so I said that is amazing, where are you from in Paraguay? And he said I'm from the capital and we're part of this church and they named the church and I said, wow, what a small world At 15 years old.
Speaker 1:God called me to go to Paraguay and I went and served at that exact church that Alberto and Deanna came out of and I said, wow, that's full circle. And I said I used to serve at that church and Alberto was like what, when were you there? So I told him what years I was there and he said you know what, at that very time that you were in Paraguay, my wife and I were in Argentina going through mission school so that we could be missionaries all over the world. And I thought, wow, what a testimony that God brought us together. And the linking point was a country nobody really even knows of. So that's how good God is.
Speaker 1:But at 15 years old, I get this call into missions. What am I supposed to do with that? Come from a broken family, am I supposed to go home and tell my mom and dad, hey, I'm going to be a missionary, can you call up some people? They had no idea who they would call. There was just no natural way that it would seem that I would go into that kind of ministry. I didn't come from a pastoral home, I just came from a little town called Casa Grande in Arizona, and my dad didn't even teach me Spanish. That made it worse, he speaks fluent. It was his first language. He didn't even teach me, so I already have a lot of things against me.
Speaker 1:But when I went back to church after that summer camp, I knew right away that I was going to need to just start engaging in ministry. I was going to just dive into whatever God was offering at the local church and I was just going to get involved. At 15 years old, I knew this is what I got to do. I got to get involved, I got to do something. I got to do something so that this call that's on my heart. It's not something that you train for at the time that you go, but God prepares you all along the way till you get there. And one thing I love about God is there's no limitations on you. There's no limitations on your background, your upbringing, whether you're a girl and you're single, whether you speak Spanish or not. God says no, there's no limitations. And I grew up in a church where no limitations were placed on me, so nobody told me we don't really let girls come on the stage. Nobody said that to me. But God just let me be who I needed to be, who he created me to be. So, as I'm this young girl, I realized I got to do some things in the church. What can I do to get involved? This heart, this call that's on my life, what can I do? So I'm going to tell you some of the things I did. You're probably going to laugh. If you know me or you know my giftings, this list is pretty hilarious.
Speaker 1:One of the things I did was I served in the sound booth. Okay, I have no technical skills when it comes to computers or any of that. I just turn it on and off and you make it go and then I just scroll right. And so I used to help in the sound booth. And if I go up there right now because our team is amazing, I would probably push the wrong buttons, I would mute you, I would put who knows what behind you on the screen. But there was a need at the time and so I just went and I assisted. I helped with whatever I could.
Speaker 1:Another area that I served in was nursery. How many of you young single females that's the last place that you want to be is in the nursery. But there was a need and so I went in there and I just began to say whatever it is that you need me to do, god, I'm going to be available, and so I'm going to serve. Another area in the church that I used to help out with was cleaning the bathrooms. I used to say, hey, I'm here, whatever you need me to do, I'm going to do it. They said we need the bathrooms cleaned. I said, anywhere else, I'll do anywhere else, anywhere else but the bathrooms. But I would go in there and I would just sing a worship song and I would just clean the bathrooms because I just wanted to be used by God Whatever he had for me. I was ready.
Speaker 1:When I moved up to Cottonwood at 18 years old, there was a youth group that met on Wednesday nights and, if you know the area up north, there's a town called Cornville. That's about a 20-minute drive outside of Cottonwood. We had a lot of students that wanted to come to youth, but no way to get there, and so we decided you know what? Let's put a bus or a van together, let's do two vans and we're going to drive to Cornville every night before youth, pick them up, bring them in, have youth and then drive them out afterwards so that they can come to church, because it's not fair that they can't be here, so let's go bring them in. So that's what we did.
Speaker 1:I did it for several years. I drove those kids back and forth. I'd get home about 11 o'clock but you know what? I was so excited, so joyful, because I got to just serve and I just made myself available.
Speaker 1:In fact, a few months ago we were at the wildlife zoo and this young man is walking by and he said Celeste, and I was like, oh, my goodness, he's like, do you remember me? You used to pick me up in Cornville and drive me to youth. And I was like of course I remember you. It's been like 20 years since I've seen that kid. He's a man now. He, since I've seen that kid, he's a man. Now he's married, he has children. And he said I will never forget that you brought me to youth every single Wednesday night my entire high school life. And I said you know what? I hope you are still serving Jesus to this day. And he said how could I not? How could I not? And so it's the little things of just following Jesus and serving wherever you can that you can be used.
Speaker 1:It says in Ecclesiastes 9, 10,. Whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might. And that's what we do as believers in Jesus. We serve the people, we serve others so that he could be made known. There was never a list that I gave God. I didn't come to God saying I'm only going to do these things. And I never came to God and said but I never put that in my vocabulary. If God said, I want you to clean the restrooms, okay, I could have given him a list. There's always a reason, there's always an excuse. But I took that out of my vocabulary and I said here I am God. An excuse, but I took that out of my vocabulary and I said here I am God. Whatever it is you need from me, I'm going to make myself available. And so my question for you this morning is this when are you being sent?
Speaker 2:Say amen to that. You know, I get a bit choked up seeing Celeste talk about her story, and the reason is because she was being obedient to God and she was going and having nothing hold her back from saying yes to God. And what she didn't know is that whenever I was young, I was praying for my future wife that God would use her and that she would be someone who's amazing and that she would be changing the world. And that's exactly what she was doing while that was happening. And that's the powerful thing about saying yes to God is that if you say yes to him, then that means that you need to keep going after what he has for you, that you don't hold back from what he has for you. Because here's the thing, friends If we're going to be those that say yes to Jesus, if we're going to be those that are kingdom builders, that are investing in the kingdom, then we need to be those that say yes to where he has you to go in obedience. We need to be those that say yes to him whenever he's asking us to go to the next place, to go to our neighbor, to go across the street, to go to our workplace and share the love of Christ to go to our family member, the one that's estranged to reconcile. We need to be those willing to take the message of God wherever he asks us to be sent. Whenever we start talking about this concept, it's not something new for us here at Cornerstone, because we see ourselves very much on this journey with Christ. We use this imagery of walking with Jesus because none of us is perfect. All of us are on the journey more with Jesus. How many people would say yes to that? And since that's true, that means it doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, that all of us are still walking with Christ wherever he's leading us to go. Amen. And since that's true, then we need to be those that are in that ambition to be more like Jesus. To be more like Jesus.
Speaker 2:We talked about recently this idea of stretch, about God using us and molding us and shaping us, taking out the rocks, taking out the dirt and all the other things, because he wants to use you in a specific way, and that's what we're talking about today is about how he wants to send you out to specific people. If you're willing to go, if you're willing to take that step of faith and to say, yes, I want to be used by God, I want to be more like Jesus. See, collectively, we are those people here that love God. We make disciples and reach the world. How many people are thankful for that. We're not just about us, not just about me. It's not just about mine and my family, not just about our community, but also everyone everywhere that we get to be a part of that process of reaching the world. It's why we do life groups. The way we do is because we wanna be intentional in growing in our relationship with Christ. We wanna be those that are starting in this place and taking a step towards Jesus. We're those who are taking a step together in relationship, in growing together. We want to be intentional, to be more like Jesus.
Speaker 2:We use this imagery talking about reach the world and in that imagery of walking with Christ, it comes back to his words to us in Matthew 28. It says and Jesus came and said to them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I'm with you always, to the end of the age. Just say amen to that. See, that's what it means for us to be kingdom builders. When we talk about that, it's what missions is for us here. It's beyond our tithe and giving to the local church. It's beyond that. It's generosity to see that others would know the message of Christ. That's what it means to be a kingdom builder. It's about church planting, it's about compassion. It's what it means to be a kingdom builder. It's about church planting, it's about compassion, it's about missions and all those things encapsulated together. I'm going to ask you if you have your Bible, your tablet, your phone. This morning we're going to turn to John 20, 21. I'm going to ask you to highlight it and let it speak to you over the week to come. It says this Jesus said to them again Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me. Even so, I am sending you, lord. We thank you for this word today and, lord, we pray together right now, in this moment, holy Spirit, that you would breathe upon this word and make it alive in us, that you would challenge us in our hearts and you would speak to us what you want to say we pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Speaker 2:Now, how many of you are people that love to travel? You love to experience new places? How about new people? Maybe you don't like to travel, but you like new food from other countries. How many people are like no, I eat bland food. I stay alone in my own room. I don't even come outside. I'm not even here right now. I'm only watching online. And that is not me at all. I'm a person that you have to put a seatbelt on, because I'm the one that's like. They're like hey, do you want to go here? I'm like yes, I can push my meetings. Let's go right now. Let's leave together, because you know something about that new place, that new adventure. I love that, and I get the other side of it too. It's just not how I'm wired. I'm one of those people. It's like I want to go there.
Speaker 2:The people are like when are you?
Speaker 2:Oh, are you going to go there?
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm going there.
Speaker 2:They're like when are you going? I'm like soonish, let's go. You know what I mean. Like that's how I feel, and I've had such a great opportunity to be able to go to a place and you talk to someone from somewhere and they start to talk to you about they're from another country or they're from another place, and you talk about oh I've been there, man. There's something that clicks in your heart together, because you're able to share and talk about something that goes beyond just a normal experience. It goes to a deeper level and it's something powerful because here in the States, we have a great strength in being a country made up of many other countries, of many ethnicities, of many cultures, and that's a beautiful, beautiful thing. That's what heaven's going to be like, by the way. People from every place, every tribe, every tongue that's who God loves. He loves every single one of us from every single place, and so that is an amazing thing and that's such a strength of ours, and that we have people from everywhere so we can go and love people from everywhere.
Speaker 2:And that's what I love about this idea of being missional and about being a kingdom builder is that we can take that step of faith to reach out to people wherever we are, and it starts with us and it starts with the idea of prayer. We are called to be those that pray. I'll tell you this as a missionary in the past, whenever we served overseas, we were so very thankful and I'm thankful now as a pastor when people are praying for us and they're praying for the church and they're praying on our behalf. Because, I'll tell you this, prayer matters, prayer works, and when our people are praying, god is at hand, he is doing things, and so that's an amazing thing. I've seen people healed, I've seen provisions being made, I've seen all sorts of prayers answered. Whenever the people of God come together, it says where two or more are gathered, I am there with them, and that is very, very true.
Speaker 2:So we start talking about prayer. That's the first step for all of us, that we're called to be those that pray so that other people would know the love of God. And here's the thing If you're not willing to pray for someone, then how could you ever be moved to do something more for them? See, because it's the first step. So, if we're gonna be those that are gonna change the world, because how many people know that God didn't call you just to a normal, bland life, how many people know that's true, he doesn't want that for you. He wants you to have an amazing life, one that's stretching after him, one that's going to another level, and that's what he wants for you. So let's be those that are intentional and that we pray for others.
Speaker 2:Let me encourage you in this. Maybe you're someone who does their quiet time and that's something powerful for you. Take one of these bookmarks that we have for you about kingdom builders. Let it be a reminder for you. Put it in your Bible, put it in your journal, and when you're doing your reading every morning, or put it by your stand where you have your phone and when you're doing your reading in the morning, your prayer at night, whatever your time is that you remember to pray for our missionaries. On the back there's a little map of the world. It has some dots on it representing some of the people that we partner with, and we partner with over 40 missionaries every single month, internationally and in the States, doing amazing work of the gospel. So use this as a tool for yourself so that you can remember to pray for people to have that kind of impact. Would you say yes to that?
Speaker 2:The second is this we're called to pray and we're called to give, and it starts with giving of our time. It starts about starting right here, where we're at, and giving of our time in our own community. I'm so very thankful for those that give to Mercy House. Some people are thankful for Mercy House. It's an extension of our heart to the community here and man Mercy Adonoh, pastor Rich and others that started that ministry 30 years this year of Mercy House. We're very, very thankful for that and for the work of God in there. And so now we're seeing food and clothing and all the things we've always done and helping kids and tutoring and all those different aspects. All those things are happening because people give of their time. They give of their talent. I mean we have some ladies that just recently started doing some things and they're sewing bears for OCJ kids so that foster kids can have a cuddle bear whenever they get taken from a bad situation and they have to leave everything behind. Ocj kids puts that cuddle kit into their hands so they can have some resources and feel safe that our people would go and use their skills, even just rudimentary sewing, to be the love of Christ for other people.
Speaker 2:What a powerful thing and not just your time and not just your talent, but also our treasury that we would be those that give of what moves us so, whenever God prompts our heart that we would be generous, because we know that with open hands, he can pour more into our lives. How many people know that's true? And if you're keeping your hands like this, then how can he pour anything to you? But if we're those who are open and we're those that don't have a mentality that this is all I have, if, instead, we have a mentality that guess what? Just like this was given to me, more will be trusted to me because a good steward will be given more, and so it'll come through our hands. And I can tell you, as a person who has received in generosity and also got to participate in generosity generosity that God can outdo anything you think is even possible. So, friends, let's be those that pray, let's be those that give, and the third is that we be those that go.
Speaker 2:Last week, pastor Alberto, he, started challenging us about being those that go to the other side, that take the message of God to wherever that is. We're called to be those that go, and that starts right where we are. Maybe it's your neighbor, maybe it's your friend, maybe it's not your friend, at work or in your community or whatever. You guys get my point. I didn't say enemy, because we're not trying to have those. But Christ did say love your enemy, pray for those that persecute you. So maybe it is your enemy, but go. Go to your family member, go to this place, or maybe it is. Go. Maybe you are called to be those that go, that abandon everything and go to the place so that other people may know the love of Christ. Maybe that is you.
Speaker 2:We here, collectively, whenever we give to Kingdom Builders, we have an impact, both here, locally, at state, national and international levels. Friends, every month, whenever we give collectively to Kingdom Builders, it has a huge impact. We're able to give to lots of ministries, including 40 different missionary focuses that are there, and beyond that, we give to Mercy House, right here, where we're at, and it's a way for us to love the community and reach them in a way that they make sense. We give to Convoy of Hope for people that are going through a distressful situation and they're experiencing all sorts of bad things in their life. Convoy meets them right where they are, gives them food and shelter, clothing, all sorts of things. Nationally and internationally, we get to be a part of that. Meeting them in disaster Project Rescue helps young women get out of the slave trade, out of the sex trade internationally, giving them a liberation from that. How many people know that's true, that's needed, and so they're given that and they're given skill sets to take them out of that lifestyle, given people that care about them and liberate them from that life. That's what that's about.
Speaker 2:We give to OCJ kids, helping foster kids in here in Arizona and even across the nation, being those that resource others and work alongside the processes that are already here in the state but are so limited in their resources. We're able to give above and beyond because every child, every kid matters. How many people know that's true? We also give to things like Fire Bible so that people can read the word of God in a language they can understand. We give to Speed, the Light and BGMC. It's our youth and our kids that are giving to missions, giving equipment and giving necessary things to missionaries on the field. In the same way, light the Way and Light for the Lost are doing that from our men's and women's resources and they're giving things to missionaries so that they can have the tools they need to do the work that they're called to. We give to things like care by people that go and visit people in the hospital and are caring for our elderly. We give to things like Youth Alive on the other end of life, meeting with our students in Chi Alpha, both the high school and then the college campus. How many people know that college campuses need God right now, and so things like Chi Alpha are a way to reach them right where they're. At ASU U of A NAU at Emory Riddle, we support things that are happening like that right now. We support American Indian College and those that work on the Native Reservation, because we believe very much that our people, the American Indian people, the Native Americans, they need to know the love of Christ, and so we support that and support those that are going into ministry there.
Speaker 2:We see that we have missionaries in Spain, in Kenya, specifically in Barcelona as well, in Portugal, in the south of France, in the north of France. We have in El Salvador, in Latin America abroad and in different countries France and Israel, morocco, africa, turkey, oman, south Africa, austria, russia, in Saudi, in Thailand, in Estonia, in Germany, in Sudan, and more people and more places. As God enables us to do so, would you say amen to that? Friends, we get to be a part of this amazing story of what God is doing. Each one of these locations its own story, its own place.
Speaker 2:When we look around this room or see these images on the screen, each one of these faces is a doorway to a people group that need the love of Christ. Each one of these people is someone who has a story and they need to know God's love. We are in a unique situation here where we have all these liberties, where we can come together and we can meet in person we can worship the Lord freely, legally in this country People that don't have that kind of rights in their country, where they come from, but that we would be able to take the message of the love of God to them wherever they are. That we would be those making those connections, that we would be sending out those prayers across the world and we would see that connection happen. That we would be those that pray. We'd be those happen. That we would be those that pray, we'd be those that give, we'd be those that go, building the kingdom of God Would you say amen to that Amen.
Speaker 1:Our desire is that you are obedient to saying yes to God. Ever since I had a call of missions on my life, I always put a missions budget in whatever I was doing. Even in high school, I always wanted to give to what God was doing all over the world. As we got married, that was something we prioritized together. We've always put missions in our budget so that others can hear the name of Jesus Amen.
Speaker 1:Once Jay and I got married we were barely married just a couple of years and we had Javen, and God called us to go to France and we had a house full of really nice stuff that we had acquired during our wedding and different things that people had given us. And I'm the type of person that I'm a purger. I don't know if any of you are the same as me, but man, I mean, if you're eating dinner at my house and you put the fork down off the plate, it's already in the dishwasher or I've washed it. I just am always moving things, cleaning things, getting rid of things. So when God asked us to go to France for me it was easy I said wow, we got to get rid of everything, let's go, start now Timer. And for everyone it's not like that, but for me it was just like I couldn't move fast enough to say yes to what God asked us to do. My struggle was a little bit different, in that I'd served God singly as a missionary and I always knew what my job description was going to be. When I got to the other side and now that we were married and we had a son and a daughter on the way, I didn't know what my job assignment was going to be, other than I was just going because God had called us. And I remember just kind of having that internal struggle before we left America to France and I thought what am I going to do? There's going to be all these team meetings and there was a team going together to start a brand new church in the city of Paris. What am I going to do? Anybody ever been there, and as women it's a little unique because we go from being Celeste to Jay's wife, to Jay and Shiloh and Amelia's mom, and the whole time I'm like I'm still Celeste, I'm still Celeste, and I really did. I had a crisis during that moment before we left and I thought, god, what am I going to do when we get to France. I'm going to have all my day that I need to fill doing something.
Speaker 1:In France they start kids at age three in the school system and so right away, javen was going to go full time into the matronel and I had a mentor talk to me before we left and she said Celeste, you are going to go to shine the light of Jesus everywhere. When you go to the grocery store, you're going to represent him. When you walk on the street to pick Javen up and take him, you're going to represent him Everywhere you go. You are just going to be an example of Jesus that probably most people have never seen in Europe. And I thought, okay, god, here I am. I'm going to go With no position, no title, no job description. I'm just going to go and I'm going to be obedient and I'm going to do whatever you need me to do.
Speaker 1:One of our teammates, todd, his wife, also lived. They also live near us, in the same village, and our kids were all going to the same school. And so Amanda and I agreed from the very beginning. We said, listen, we're not going to hang out as we take our kids to school and back, we're going to walk separately and what we're going to do is we're going to target every female in this entire village and we're going to meet them and we're going to be friends with them and we're going to tell them about Jesus. And she said I'm in, let's do it. So I said here we go. So day one we start taking Javen. She starts taking her kids to school. We would wave, that was it. We would drop the kids off and we would just start meeting any mom who was lingering around the school. That was our target.
Speaker 1:So I just started talking to women. We started meeting women who were internationals that had married a Frenchman and they were living there and they had no work visa, so they couldn't do anything. I said, wow, what a captured audience. It's like being on an airplane. They have nowhere to go, so we're just going to talk to them. So they were also learning the culture the same time as us. So I said here we go.
Speaker 1:So, amanda, we'd get together, we'd talk about the people that we met and we said we got to do more. Let's have a tea at our house. So she opened her home and then I opened my home and every other week we'd have tea, because we had to have British tea because no other tea is good enough when you live in Europe, just the British tea. And then we had croissants from France and I mean, who's not going to go to that? So we'd invite them, we'd have them come over. They would spend a couple hours. We would just begin to talk and laugh. And we had women from Japan, I had women from the Netherlands, I had women from Britain All over. They were there and then the question would come up what are you American girls doing here? And we were like you, ready, here we go. And we'd just tell our story. We said well, actually we're here to start a church for you. And we began just to share about Jesus with them. No title, no position, no job description, just there being the light of Jesus.
Speaker 1:One of the women who was coming all the time, she said you know what? I want to go to your church. After a few months we said let's go. She not only came, she brought her French husband and her little 11-year-old boy and they came to our church and they just got plugged in right away. They gave their hearts to Jesus. She came to me and she said you know what I also want to bring my mother-in-law, who's French. I said bring her, bring her, we have French translation. If she doesn't understand everything in English, we got her, let's go. And so they bring the mother-in-law. Everybody got plugged in, all because we said you know what? We're just going to shine Jesus everywhere we go. That's all we're going to do. That's our full-time job description In this little town of Vilen-Soussine. We're going to just love everybody and serve them To this day. A couple weeks ago, the young 11-year-old boy who was raised in our church in Paris, all because his mom came to a tea with us. He updated. He is now living in Washington DC. He is part of the political area because of his job description. And he updated the other day, all because of my upbringing.
Speaker 1:I'm still loving and following Jesus with all of my heart and I said it's the little things. It's the little things of just telling people your story. That's it. It's just telling people what Jesus has done for you. Obedience is better than sacrifice, just being obedient and saying, yes, I don't know where you're at right now in your life, but you may be the only representation of Jesus at your job. We no longer live in a culture where people have been raised in the church. We're long past that, but we're now so much on the other side that people have said I think maybe my grandma went to church, maybe, and so you're getting to represent Jesus wherever you're at. They not only see your actions, they see your reactions of how you handle situations, and I want to encourage you today. Where are you being sent? Where does God have you right now? You don't need a title, you don't need a position, you just need to know that you love Jesus, he loves you and he wants to use you to reach everyone around you.
Speaker 2:People say amen to that Amen, jesus said to them again peace be with you, as the Father has sent me. Even so, I am sending you, friends. That's what we're about. Love God, make disciples, reach the world. It's our ambition, it's our focus, it's our drive, it's what helps us do the mission of God. Friends, we're called to be those that pray.
Speaker 2:Just a few weeks ago, I was in Cuba and getting a chance to be on this stage and share with people, and on that day many people made a decision to follow Jesus. That we would be praying for people like this in Cuba. That they would know the love of God, that they would have a breakthrough in their heart and their life, that they would have a breakthrough in their family, that people would come to know the hope that's found in Jesus. That we would pray for the Nana who's there with the little kids and she's teaching them a Bible story and playing a game with them at church. That we would be praying for the impact in her community. That we'd be praying for the refugees who are trying to make a place and make a way forward in a war-torn country and they've tried to escape to a neighboring place and they're caught in between, that we'd be praying for them. That they would know not just shelter and not just food those are great things but they would also know an eternal value that's only found in Christ. That they would know the love of God personally and it would transform their situation. That we would pray for little girls like this, so bright and so beautiful. That we would pray that they would know the love of God, that she would be valued and she would be brought up and she would be invested in and have a bright future.
Speaker 2:That we would be those that give, that we would be those that give so that maybe you can build a tabernacle church in a place, just like we did last year in Botswana. That people would have a shelter for their church, the church, the people to gather together. That they would know the love of God and that they would have a water well and they would have land for the building. That we would invest, like we did in Cuba in helping build the church there. Maybe it's with block and cement, like what we did there, that we would invest so that they could have a gathering point, a community center of hope, of the light of God, right in that place that we would invest in that way and we would give to see it happen. That we would give to plant churches, that it would be even something very rudimentary and not cost very much money but start a church that transforms people's lives and friends. That's what I'm talking about. That we could be those that give to things like we're talking about in Thailand and in Laos this year. That people would know the love of God as we invest with those that are on the ground doing the work that we give through things like Convoy of Hope, so that they can have medical assistance and they can have care to treat them right where they're at, to lift them out of those problems that maybe we don't deal with because it's solved in our countries, but they are still dealing with. That we can give to that way that they can know the love of God, the hands and feet of Christ serving others.
Speaker 2:Friends that we're called not just to pray, not just to give, but also to go. Go to our neighbor, go to our friend, go to the person next door, go to our workplace and give them the love of Christ through our testimony and what we're doing with our time. That we would be those that go to these people here with their bright smiles in Northeast Asia and they would have this opportunity to hear about the love of God. We would go to the lost generations of Europe and they would get to hear for the very first time who Jesus is Not some dead guy hanging on a wall in an empty cathedral, but the living God who wants to change their life. Friends that they would go to the Middle East and there'd be places like Egypt and there'd be places across North Africa that want freedom. But the real freedom they're looking for is found in Jesus. Friends like these in the Arab Gulf, these ladies that want to have an identity, that they are valuable and they're more than just belonging to someone, that God loves them specifically and their story and is a plan and a purpose for their life, that they would know the love of God and it would transform everything for them. Friends for this. And we see in Northern Asia, where these young girls would have an opportunity to hear the love of God and hear the message about how God loves her, that even the older generations that they would also know the love of God They've never heard the love of God and that someone would go to them and send the message of God to them In Latin America, in these unreached people groups, that they would go and hear the message of God, that this woman, that she would get to hear God's message, that these friends that are in Caribbean and in other parts of Latin America, in the markets, that they would get to know the love of Christ because someone goes to them, because they were sent and because someone said yes, friends, is that you? Will you say yes to Jesus?
Speaker 2:Today we have an opportunity as a church, even starting this year, in doing some small steps and missions. I wanna encourage you in this that we're gonna be doing some missions trips, starting in this year, in 2024, and into next year. It's open to all those that serve here at the church and we see it starting here First is a smaller trip. It's open to all those that serve here at the church and we see it starting here First is a smaller trip. It's to Mexico working with Pastor Carlos in Puerto Penasco, rocky Point, working with the church that's there. We've helped build this church in different phases over time and they're doing amazing ministry starting another location. We wanna partner with them in that way. It's gonna be in October of 2024, with more details to follow, and then we are looking in Cuba, going back to Cuba in February of next year, and so more details to follow about this.
Speaker 2:But if God starts speaking to your heart about going, then plan right now and start working that plan so that you can say yes to what God has for your life. Would you say amen to that, friends, as the Father has sent me is what Jesus said. Even so, I am sending you Friends. You are sent, it's. Where are you being sent to? That we would be those that say yes to Jesus, wherever he's sending us. Today we have this opportunity to come to this altar and to say yes to Christ. Maybe you're here and you've never had an opportunity to say yes to Jesus. Today is your opportunity. Today is your opportunity to ask him into your heart and life, to say Jesus, I believe you are who you say you are, that you came to earth and you lived a sinless life so that you could be the sacrifice, the holy sacrifice, for all.
Speaker 2:People See us as Christ followers. That's what we believe, it's what we place our faith and trust in. That's why the symbol of the cross is so transformative for us. We have answered the question have you embraced Jesus? And because of it, when we look at the cross, we don't see a threat of fear of torture. We look at the cross, we see freedom. We see a place where my Savior Jesus paid for me, my mistakes, so that I could be reconnected back to the Father, have a relationship with God.
Speaker 2:Friends, it doesn't matter what we try on this earth, we're not good enough. We can't offer enough good things because we're not holy. We know that. And to offer a holy God unholy things doesn't mean anything. We can live a good life. It's not enough. We can try to give our way out of it. It won't be enough. You can't earn your way in. It's only through Christ's work on the cross. For us it transforms everything. It says it like this in scripture the apostle Paul writing to the church at Rome. He says because you've confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified. With the mouth, one confesses and is saved.
Speaker 2:Friends, today is your opportunity.
Speaker 2:It's your opportunity to say yes to Jesus, to invite him into your heart and life. I'm asking if you're here in the room, if you just stand right where you're at, you just bow your head. If you're online, you just into your heart and life. I'm asking, if you're here in the room, if you just stand right where you're at, you just bow your head. If you're online, you just prepare your heart for what God wants to do for you. It's a simple prayer, the one that we pray, but it means a lot to us. It's said from the heart. Maybe you're here and you've never made a decision to us. Said from the heart maybe you're here and you've never made a decision to follow Jesus, but you'd like to make that decision today. Or maybe you're here and you have made a decision for Jesus in the past, but now you're not living or haven't walked that out and you want to recommit your life back to God. Today, as heads are bowed here in the room, if that's you and you just want to make that kind of commitment today to Jesus, would you just raise your hand right where you're at? I just want to be able to agree with you in prayer today. See the hands that are here. Thank you God, thank you Lord. Hands that are there. Thank you, lord.
Speaker 2:People making decision for God today. Thank you, jesus. Friends online making decision. We rejoice with you making decision today. It's a simple prayer, the decision. We rejoice with you making decision today. It's a simple prayer, the one we pray, but I'd ask that you'd pray it with us, out loud, together, everyone together. Let's pray this prayer together. Lord, thank you for loving me, thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you In Christ's name. I pray Amen, amen. Friends, we rejoice in you making a decision to follow Jesus today. What a powerful decision. If you let us know, we'd love to be able to put some things in your hands, some material we have some. If you meet us right over here at the prayer banner, we want to be able to give you some things to help you make that decision to follow Jesus and be successful in that way. Online, the same. If you message us, let us know you made a decision today, we want to send some things your way.
Speaker 2:But for all of us that are already Christ followers, friends, the challenge is this that we would be those that say yes to Jesus, that we'd be those that say yes to him and whenever he's calling us to be sent somewhere, that we would say yes, let's pray, lord.
Speaker 2:We thank you so much for your power and your spirit. We thank you, lord, for this word that's challenging to us. Lord, we want to be those that are kingdom builders, that are giving generously Lord to missions and to church planting, lord, that build the kingdom of God in obedience. So, lord, we say yes, we say yes to praying, lord, we say yes to giving, we say yes to going, lord, to whoever you send us to. Lord, that we would say yes, lord, and you would use us by your hand. So we pray, holy Spirit, that as we come to this altar today, you would pour yourself out upon us. It would be emboldened for you to live for you and to take the message of hope that is in Jesus Christ to others around us. We pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ, amen.
Speaker 1:A new season of Life Group starts today, so we want to encourage you to go on the app and see what the opportunities are for you. It's for the months of May and June. You're going to find some great groups to join, so go on there and connect with that. And then also, we have a treat for you today we have some horchata and churros outside. Yeah, you better be excited. I'm excited. I told you I'm going to miss the prayer in a minute and go sneak out there and get first in line, but it's great, so we just have that for you. It'll be outside, so enjoy A little Cinco de Mayo.
Speaker 2:You know why not Kingdom builders praise the Lord. I want to pray this blessing over us before we go today. Lord, bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Lord, lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people, how you empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. We pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, Amen, Know this. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and have a great week.