Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Different, Part 4: Different Perspective in Persecution

Episode Date: August 27, 2017

In this world, you’ll have struggles. You’ll face opposition. You’ll be challenged. And there’s a reason for that: this world is not your home. So answer hate with love, find joy in the midst of trials, and rely on a strength beyond yourself. You’... Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thanks again for joining us here at Life Church, where we are one church meeting in multiple locations and reaching around the world thanks to what God is doing at Church online. If you ever have any questions or you want to learn more about us as a church, you can always check us out online simply by going to life.church. We love you to stay connected throughout your weekend everywhere you go with the Life Church app. It's free and available wherever you download your apps from. You know, for many of us, the Christian life is better, but it's not always easier. When we step into the calling of where God has placed us, it's all.

often met with difficult times and opposition. But sometimes, and most of the time, the first step towards healing and overcoming can begin when God simply changes our perspective. And today, our senior pastor Craig Rochelle wraps up his four-part message series with another example from the book of First Peter in part four of differing. If you can hear this message, listen closely. To the exiled, misunderstood, or upside down. This is your message of hope.

When problems come, use them. When enemies persecute you, love them. These struggles are a fire, refining you into gold. Look around. You are not forgotten. You are not alone. Challenge what is expected of you. This world is not your home.

You are different. Well, I came ready to preach today. I'm wondering if there's anybody ready to hear a message from God's Word. All of our churches, welcome. Today we are in part four of a message series called Different. If you're just joining us, we're actually looking at high points from the book of First Peter. And as you look at the way Peter wrote, he was very, very direct. He said over and over and over again that this world is not your home.

You, if you're a Jesus follower, you are called to be set apart. You are called to be different. You are called to be holy. And today I want to bring to you what I believe is very possibly the most encouraging message that you didn't want to hear. I think that's possible. This may be the most encouraging message that you did not want to hear. Jesus promised us several different things. Let me show you, first of all, what Jesus did not promise us.

Jesus never promised us that everybody would be rich. Jesus never promised us that it would not rain on your vacation. Jesus never promised us that you would not get your heart broken by someone you're dating, and Jesus never promised us that your plumbing would not back up, and my home is a personal testimony to plumbing hell as we speak. Jesus never promised us a lot of things, but what he did promise us was this. If you are a faithful follower of Christ,

if you are set apart, if you are different, Jesus promised us that the world would hate us and the world would persecute us, and that's why I'd like to welcome you to Life Church today where we're here to make you feel good about yourself. the most encouraging message that you never, ever wanted to hear. Today I want to talk about a different perspective in persecution, and we'll start with the

words of Jesus. Then we're going to dive into the book of First Peter. This is what Jesus said. John 15, verses 18 and 20, Jesus said, if the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. If they persecuted me, Jesus says, they will persecute. you also. Today we're talking about a different perspective in persecution. And what I want to do in case you weren't here in previous weeks is give you a little background on the context of the book of First Peter. Peter was writing this letter to first century Gentile Christians

during a time of extreme persecution. They were being literally often tortured under a very evil emperor named Nero, who, among many things, Nero killed his mom. You may have wanted to do that at one point in your life, but I hope you never did. You know, that is, you don't get any worse than killing your mama. He also killed his first wife, Octavius, and many historians believe he probably killed his second wife as well. He was evil beyond measure. This guy had an insatiable lust to build. And when the Senate wouldn't let him tear down parts of Rome, many, most historians believe he actually burned, set fire to Rome, this massive fire that burns for days and days and then sparked again and burned and burned. And then he blamed these first century Christians

saying they set fire to Rome. And these already persecuted Jesus followers then faced extraordinary persecution under this very, very evil man. You fast forward to today, and it really depends on what part of the world that you live in. In fact, many of you at church online right now, you live in places where the persecution is extreme. Many of you listening in the United States, the persecution may not be as extreme, but it is very, very real. What I hope you'll understand, do not close your eyes to it for any length of time that in the world today, there is extraordinary Christian persecution. In fact, most people would argue that the persecution is at its worst level today in the history of the world. Let me say it again. Almost every article that

you'll read will say that the last decade has represented the worst decade in the history of Christianity and persecution around the world. In fact, just the statistics are staggering. In an average month, an average month, over 300 Christians are killed for following Jesus. On an average month, over 200 churches would be burned or completely destroyed. In an average 30-day period, there's upwards close to 800 followers of Christ who will be beaten, tortured, raped, or imprisoned for following their faith. So wherever you live, the pendulum could swing on house, severe it is, in some parts of the world, you may lose a family member, in another part of the world, you may lose a job. In some part of the world, you may be beaten, in another part of the world,

you may not be invited to a party because of your faith. All of it is persecution, and Jesus said, if you follow me, the world will hate you, and you will be persecuted. And that's why today, this will be, for many of you, the most encouraging message that you never, ever wanted to hear. Let's dive into 1st Peter and look at what he said. He said a lot about this subject, and I pray that it would speak to some people today, inspire your faith, and encourage you to live even more boldly for the one who gave his life for you. This is what Peter said in 1st Peter 412. He said this.

He said, dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you're going through, as if something strange were happening to you. He's telling these people who are hurting, don't be shocked. Don't be surprised that if you're living boldly for Jesus, that you would face opposition. I want to say this to you at all of our different churches. If you are living boldly, if you're set apart, if you are different, don't be shocked when you're criticized, when you're ridiculed, or when you face spiritual opposition.

Many of you would say, well, you know, I can't really think of a time that I ever really did face. opposition for my faith. And we'll start there and maybe try to understand potentially why that might be. For example, after teaching today, I will get in our car dash to another city and go to my third home. My first home is my home. My second home is the church. My third home is soccer fields across America. Where my boys play every single week competitive traveling soccer and they always win or if they lose, it's only because they were ripped off by a bad call, and technically they won, but they didn't really win. And so, imagine I'm playing soccer. Imagine you are the opponent. Let's just say that you're on the field playing. I'm on the bench, and I'm not even watching the game. In fact,

instead, I've got a water bottle, and I'm water bottle flipping on the bench. Then maybe I'm playing a little game on my computer, or I'm posting a selfie on Instagram, and then I'm flirting with this really cute cheerleader named Amy, who's over there, and I'm not paying attention. Okay, if you are my opponent, are you concerned about me impacting the game at all or not? The answer is say it aloud, not a bit, not a bit, not a bit at all. Okay. If, on the other hand, though, let's say I'm a really good player,

and I'm not water bottle flipping, playing games, or flirting with anybody, but instead I get on the field and I am a threat to score. If you are the enemy, are you then concerned about me? And the answer is, yes, you are, and you're going to do anything you can to stop me. The same is true when it comes to spiritual things.

If you are on the Jesus team, you believe in Christ, but you're on the bench. In other words, you've got the jersey, but you're not in the game. I mean, you'll come to church every now and then because you've got to do that when you're on the team. You'll show up to the game, but you're not engaged. You're not praying for miracles and asking God to do something and interceding on behalf of others and tapping boldly into the power of God and going before His throne of grace, believing that he would help people in their time of need. You've got gifts and talents,

but you're not using them to further the kingdom. You could make a difference and you know it, but you let somebody else play. You're not giving generously. You may tip a little bit here and there, but you're not strategically, prayerfully asking how I can use what God has given me, time, talent, and resources to influence others and be generous and make a different. in the world. You believe in Jesus, but you're not representing him boldly. You haven't invited anyone to church, and you're not sharing your faith. You've got the jersey on, but you're not in the game. The same is true in that example that your enemy takes no notice of you. The moment, though, you engage. You have a spiritual enemy who takes notice, and you will face opposition. The most

encouraging message you didn't want to hear. Imagine a warrior, a soldier enlisting in a battle, going into war and coming back to his commanding officer going, sir, sir, they're shooting at me. I didn't think that was going to happen. What would the officer say? What did you expect? We're at war. Church, we have to understand. is not a playground. It is a battleground. We are at war against the forces of darkness, and we are in a very real spiritual battle. When you engage in the battle, you will face opposition. If you've never, ever, ever faced any sense of real spiritual opposition, maybe it's because you are not on the front lines engaging in the battle in the way that God would want you to do so.

That's why Peter said. He said, hey, don't be surprised at the fiery trials that you're facing. Now, when Peter said fiery trials, it's very likely that he was being literal when he said fiery. Because among other things, what Nero would do, this guy was sick in the mind. He would take, one thing he would do is take animal skins. So like cut up a dead animal, put the animal skins around Christians, and then put them into a cage and release wild dogs to attack these Christians and maul them to death as he watched on for entertainment.

But the fiery part, very likely Peter was referring to what Nero would do is he would dip Christians in hot wax and then put them onto a tree out in his courtyard and light them on fire, essentially making like a candle, and he would light the night sky as he would entertain with suffering and dying Christians. And that's who Peter is talking to, and he says, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that you're facing as if something strange were happening to you today.

If Peter were writing this message in the year that we live, he would probably adjust the way he would say it. Perhaps if he's writing to someone in the Middle East, he might say, don't be surprised if you lose a loved one because of their faith in Christ. If he was writing to a new Christian in a predominantly Muslim country, he might say, don't be surprised if your family turns on you and you face extraordinary danger because of your faith in Christ. if he were talking to a freshman girl in a university,

he might say, don't be surprised if you don't get a second date because you have a stance of purity. If he was speaking to you, he might say, don't be surprised if people make fun of you at Thanksgiving because you're following Jesus and you're engaged in the church. Do not be surprised, Peter said, at the fiery trial that you're facing.

You're in the game. You're on the front lines. You're making a difference and you're rattling the darkness of hell. Don't be surprised if you face opposition. Then he says this, the most encouraging message you didn't want to hear. He said, instead, verse 12, be very glad. For these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering. Is that different or what?

Be glad. Be thankful. when you're persecuted for your faith. And you'll be partners with Christ so that you'll have this wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it's revealed to all the world. Why is it that so many of us would say,

well, I've never really experienced anything like this? I don't think it's necessarily your fault. I think that culture is so convincing, so convincing that the most important thing for many of us is the pursuit of comfort. I mean, I'll be honest, I would rather have a comfortable conversation with you than one full of confrontation. I'd rather have a nice, easy day than one that's full of pain. Comfort is something that we so often will pursue at all costs, and even in the name of Jesus, God, help me, have a good day today, God, God, pray, bless us, keep us safe,

don't let anybody anything happen to us. God, we'll watch over us today. Bless this food, God, help our kids protect us, keep us comfortable, and keep us safe. And essentially what we want is let's avoid conflict at all costs. Let's dodge any opposition. And so therefore, we're going to take the path of least resistance. How does this play out? Maybe you're at a party and you kind of give in and you smoke or drink, whatever they're smoking or drinking.

Why? Because you don't want anybody to make fun of you. It's not that big of a deal. And so you're just kind of going to fit in. Maybe it is that you don't correct someone when they say a racist or a sexist joke. You know it's wrong. You know it's wrong, but you don't want anybody to, you don't want to be uncomfortable, and so you don't say anything.

Maybe it's that if someone asks you or you're a follower of Christ, you'll say yes, but you'd rather not just come out and lead with that because at your workplace, you don't want people to make them fun. You don't want to be that guy that they talk about and make a lot. make fun of. And there we are pursuing comfort. In fact, what I want to do is I want to show you just a couple of cycles. And I want you to think about these two cycles and ask yourself, which one most represent your life last week? Let me show you the first one. It looks like this. This would be kind of what culture says. Above all else, we're going to pursue comfort. We want to be

happy. And so when we pursue comfort, then that forces us in many ways to, avoid opposition. I don't want to upset anybody. I don't want to make anybody mad. You know, we don't have a good day. But the problem is when we avoid opposition, our faith, it just seems to weaken. We're not standing for anything. We're not passionate about much. And our faith, for some reason, we just don't feel so close to Christ. And then we wake up one day and we feel very, very empty. Life feels so empty. There's got to be something more. So what do I do? I'm going to pursue comfort. I'm going to pursue comfort. And maybe, maybe, this thing, that place, this many likes, that relationship, whatever it is, maybe that will

fill my void. Pursue comfort, avoid anything difficult. Why don't I feel close to Christ? I need to have something else out there that's going to make me happy. There is another way to live, but let me warn you, you have to be different. And the only way you really live like this is when you recognize that you are a foreigner in this world, you're a stranger, you're a pilgrim, you're a sojourner, these are the words that Peter used, you're just passing through. But actually, you come from a heavenly kingdom,

and you serve a king that is not from this world. And his standards are very, very, very different. He teaches you to love when people hate. He teaches you to give even when people take advantage of you. He teaches you to turn to the other cheek. He teaches you if they ask for your shirt to give them the jacket too. I mean, his teachings are radical and completely different. And there is a totally different cycle that looks like this.

When you are instead living boldly for Christ, standing up, sharing him, expressing his love, suddenly when you live boldly, guess what you do? You do face opposition. The most encouraging message you didn't want, to hear. Why? Because you're in the game. You're making a difference. But the strange thing is that when you face opposition, your faith tends to strengthen. There's something about it when you're living by faith, when you're on the edge, when you're comfortably uncomfortable, meaning that you're living by faith and not by sight. Then one day you wake up and realize, oh my gosh, I'm so much closer

to Christ. How did this happen? His word is alive to me. He's guiding me daily. And suddenly you find yourself living even more boldly than ever before. Leave those up for just a moment, look at them, if you will, and ask yourself, which cycle best represents your life in the last week? Were you comfortable, avoiding any kind of trouble, kind of not really close to Jesus, empty life pursuing comfort? Or instead, were you living boldly? Were you facing some opposition? where you're going through and realizing I am closer to Christ because of my obedience and it stirs you even more intimately to share your faith. Which one would you say best represents your life in the past week?

The most encouraging message you didn't want to hear that when you're different from this world, they will not always like you, but these trials will make you partners with Christ. 1-Peter 419 to me is probably my favorite verse in all of this book. This is what Peter says. He says, so if you're suffering in a manner that pleases God, let's all right, everybody read it aloud.

What does he say? He says, keep on doing what is right. Let's say it again. I need somebody from Roca Narrows from Yukon. I need somebody from Tennessee. Let's all say it loud. So if you're suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right and trust your lives to the God who created you for he will never

ever fail you. Keep on doing what is right and trust your lives to the God who created you because he will never ever fail you. Let me tell you what is one of the driving principles of my life and before I tell you what it is, I want to illustrate it with a story the first time I really lived this out. I read this verse years ago when I was a brand new believer in college. And it was my final year of college, and I was nominated for this award that was the, it was called the All-Greek Man of the Year. Now, pay careful attention. I did not say all-geek man of the year, but all Greek.

I was in the fraternity system, and there were a handful of guys that were nominated for this. And for some reason, I actually really wanted to win it. I thought this would represent something that meant a lot to me at the time. And so I had to fill out a form that would go before a board of maybe, you know, 10 or 12 professors. And I knew every professor on the board, and there was not a single one that was a Christian. And most of them were actually hostile toward the things of God. They didn't like Christianity at all. And I filled out this form about, you know, different successes in leadership.

And the last question was something like this. What was, you know, your most valuable thing that you received at the university? Or what was the biggest, most important thing or whatever? And I just remember that the answer was very clear. It was that I had met Jesus, that my life was changed, that I once was in darkness and I'd seen the light, my eyes were blind, and now that I could see I was spiritually dead, and now that I'm alive. That was the true answer, but that was not an answer that was likely to help me win the award. In fact, it was very likely to disqualify me in the eyes of those professors. So I had just read this verse about do what's right and trust God.

and I'm really there thinking, well, maybe it's right to win the award, get that influence, and talk about Jesus then. So I can say what's politically correct or I can say what's true. And I wrestled with it and I wrestled with it. And finally, I just decided, I'm going to tell the truth. And I wrote down something about Jesus saved me and, you know, just really, exclamation, point. There you go, point, you know, and I turned to them. Here's the principle.

This is the principle that I try to. to live by. I don't always get it right, but I pray this speaks to someone. The principle is this in every area of your life, in your family, in your finances, in your relationships, in your work life, whenever you're peer pressured, any area of your life, do what's right and trust God with the results. This is going to speak to somebody. What do you do? How do you live? We as Jesus followers, we do what's right and we trust God with the results. We don't cut corners. We don't take shortcuts.

We don't try to do what we think will get us to the end result faster. We do what's right and we trust God with the result. We do what's right in our relationships and we trust God. If we have to have a hard conversation, we have a hard conversation. If we have to confess something, we confess something. If we have to stand up and say, I'm sorry, I can't do that, even though it may cost me. We stand up and say, I won't do that, even if it may cost me. As Jesus followers, what we do is we do what is right and we trust God with the results.

As long as you're suffering for doing something good, keep on doing that and trust God who will never, ever fail you. What do we do? We are different. We do what is right and trust God with the results. Now, some of you might be wondering. So, Craig, did you win the award or not? Does anybody want to know if I won the All-Greek Man the Year Award? Anybody want to?

Okay. Did I win the award? The answer is, I am not telling you. Because winning or not winning is not what matters in that story. What matters is that as Jesus' followers, we do what is right, and we trust God completely with the results. The most encouraging message that you'd never want to hear. If you are like this world, the world will love you as its own. You'll never be persecuted.

If you are following Jesus, you cannot be like this world. Do you understand this? You won't raise your kids like the world. You won't use your money like this world. You'll have different morals from this world. You'll have different values from this world. You'll have different types of conversations from this world. You'll be different at work than this world.

And if you are not like this world, guess what? The world will hate you at times. Is that fun? It's not fun, but the odd thing is it does something to you, and you recognize, I am a follower of Christ, and it builds some kind of boldness in you, and it makes you different. I have people sometimes ask me, it looks like, you know, persecution's coming more to our part of the world. This is where I live. Like, things could get worse. Does that ever scare you? The answer is, no, not at all, not a bit. Not in the least bit does it scare me? In fact, to be quite honest, it actually excites me a little bit when I think that there might be a little persecution

because I would argue all day long, persecution never ever hurts the church. It always strengthens the church. Persecution never ever weakens faith. It causes our roots to grow deeper into things that matter. In fact, I think that where I live right now, it's so easy to claim to be a Christian that many people probably aren't. And when there's a little persecution, it puts some stakes to it. It matters. If we are followers of Christ, we are willing to stand for some things and to be persecuted if we are. Let me show you the slide one more time.

Look at it again. Just look at it again. Which side best represents you? Be really, really honest. We're going to talk about it in our life groups. Are you like most people? Life is about you. Your comfort.

What can I get? Avoid opposition. Your faith is weaker. Life is empty. And so you're on this continual pursuit of something that's going to matter. Or are you one that have died to yourself and Christ is living boldly through you? And sure, you face some opposition, but your faith is strong and you're closer to Christ than you've ever been before and it continues to build your faith.

Which one best represents you? This is what Peter says as he's wrapping this up. And I love the fact that he's speaking to people that are really, really grieving in persecution. And watch what he says. He says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the heart. humble. He says, so humble yourselves under the mighty power of God. And at the right time, our God will lift you up in honor. Now watch what Peter says. He says, give your worries and cares to God because God cares about you. I want to pause for a moment and recognize that there are a lot

of people that are hurting right now. Amy and I were a part of ministering to three different families that had three tragic deaths this week. And our hearts are so heavy. Hearts are so heavy. We're facing other stuff just with people that we love close to us that has us awake and praying and difficult sleeping. There's so much pain in this world. This is what Peter said.

He was saying it to people whose lives were at risk. He said, give your cares. Another version says, cast your cares. The word in the Greek, literally it's a fishing term. Like the fishermen would cast their nets on the water. He says, cast your cares on God. Why? because he cares for you.

Cast your cares on God because he cares for you. If you're living different, if you're being bold for Christ, you may face spiritual opposition. It may come in the form of persecution. It may be in some other way. And then what do you do? You let it build your faith.

You cast your cares upon him. Why? Because he cares for you. And then this is how Peter is finishing his letter. He says this. He says, it's so beautiful. He says, so after you've suffered, for a little while.

This is what our God will do. For those of you that are suffering, after you've suffered for a little while, our God will restore, he will support, he will strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. After you've suffered for a little while,

what will our God do? He will restore you. He will support you. He will strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation, all power to him forever. Hear the word of God. After you have suffered for a little while, just because you're suffering doesn't mean you're not following Christ. The fact that you are suffering may be a direct indication that you are in the game and there is spiritual opposition. After you've suffered for a little while, what will our God do?

He will restore you. He will support you. He will strengthen you when you are weak. His strength is made perfect, and he will put you on a firm foundation, the rock of his son, Jesus. If you continue to do what's right and trust him, you will see the faithfulness of God.

He will reveal himself to you. He will never fail you. He will never let you down. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. This is our God. He is good. He is worthy of praise.

He is worthy of honor. And that's why we don't serve the customs of this world. We are set apart. God has called you to be different, holy as he is holy. And when you are, do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, when people don't understand. But you continue to do what's right and try. trust God with the results.

And after you've suffered for a little while, our God will restore, support, and strengthen you, placing you on a firm foundation. Therefore, all praise goes to him. All of our churches praying together, Father, we thank you for your goodness. Empower us to live boldly for your son, Jesus. As you continue to pray at all of our churches, nobody looking around, those of you who would say,

I've been too comfortable. And let me just say it right now. Amy told me, after the last message, she said, that one really convicted me. I want to live more boldly. I want to tell you right now as your pastor, I am convicted by God's word. I am living too comfortably.

I want to live more boldly. Those of you who are followers of Jesus and say, bring it on, whatever happens. I refuse to be on the bench. I will be in the game. I'm going to be on the front lines. I'm serving in my church. I'm giving generously.

I want to be obedient to the voice of God. I'll mix it up. I'm not going to watch. I am a follower of Jesus. Your prayer is this. Help me live more boldly. Lift your hand right now. That's you.

All of our churches. Father, I pray today you stir us up. God, stir us up. Holy Spirit, fall upon your church. That we would be obedient. We trust you with the outcome, realizing obedience is our responsibility. God empower us to do what is right

and to trust you with the results. If we're left at, if we're persecuted, help us to continue to show the love of Jesus, to let the light shine into darkness, stir us up, God, that we would live even bolder. As you continue to pray today at all of our churches, some of you, you're going to recognize you may have grown up in the church like I did, and one day I realized I was not following Jesus. That may be you. You kind of believe in him, but you've never been engaged really in the game. You're not following Jesus actively. of you, you may look like you're really far from God.

Other people go, you're not a religious person at all, but there's something happening in you right now. You're being drawn toward God. What is that? It's not an accident. It's the power of God. You are here because God loves you, and guess what? It's time.

What do we do? We recognize that we are sinners. We have all fallen short of God's perfect standard. We call on the name of Jesus. Who is Jesus? He is the sinless son of God, perfect in every way. Who became obedient to death, even on the cross, died in our place for the forgiveness of our sins.

He was risen by God, his power from the dead, so that anyone, and this includes you, no matter who you are or what you've done, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord would be saved. All of our churches, there are those of you who recognize, I need his grace, I need his salvation. I'm not following him. I turn from my sins. I turn toward Jesus.

And I say, yes, Jesus, today I give you my life. All of our churches, those who say, I need him, I call on him. Jesus, take me. I give my life to you. Your prayer, lift your hands high right now, all over the place. Lift them up and say yes.

Back over here. God bless you here as well. Others today say, yes, Jesus. I surrender to you. Right back over here in this section as well. Church online, you click right below me. Others, you're leaning into it. Say yes, Jesus.

I surrender my life completely to you. Would you pray today with those around you? Pray aloud. Heavenly Father. My life is not my own. I ask you to save me, to change me, forgive me, make me new, fill me with your spirit so I could follow you for the rest of my life. My life is not my own.

Today I give it to you. Thank you for new life. Now you have mine. In Jesus' name I pray. Life Church, would you worship big, worship loud today? We are not praying for revival church. We're living in the middle of the one. Worship God for new life in Christ.

As a church, it's our honor to play a small part in all that God is doing in and through your life. And we would love to continue with you on that journey. To find out what your next steps could be in your relationship with Christ, all you have to do is go to life. dot church slash next. You know, here at Life Church, we love to be a place where you can walk in just as you are. We like to say it this way. You can belong before you believe. And one of the best stories I've recently heard of someone that belonged before they believe is Rocco.

He's from Life Church Albany, and he has a great story. Check it out. I'm Rocco Arcina, and this is my story. I'm a local barber in downtown Albany, New York. My wife introduced me to Life Church three years ago. My first impression was great, but after that, I just felt skeptical, doubted it. So I knew about God. I had the tattoos, but I didn't really know him. I felt like I wasn't following Christ the way I really should, like I am now, you know what I mean? But I went ahead and started serving at the church three years later. Now my relationship with Christ is very intimate. I talk to him on a daily basis.

My relationship with him is amazing. Thank you to all of you who consistently give, serve, and pray. You are the ones that God is using here at Life Church to truly make a difference around the world as we live out our mission of leading people to become fully devoted followers. of Christ.