Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - You Can Make a Difference

Episode Date: December 31, 2023

We believe whoever finds God, finds life. Because of You, more people are experiencing the love, hope, and healing only found in Him. Let’s celebrate what God has done and look forward to what He will do next. ABOUT THIS MESSAGEWe believe whoever finds God, finds life. Because of You, more people are experiencing the love, hope, and healing only found in Him. Let’s celebrate what God has done and look forward to what He will do next. NEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.churchFind locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/appFIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/life.churchTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifechurchYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LCNowCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/craiggroeschelFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@craiggroeschel#lifechurch #craiggroeschel #becauseofyou Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I want to take a moment and just sincerely say, thank you. Like from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for being here today. You made it. And your presence, it really, really matters. Like, in all the busyness of your life, you chose to gather together with God's people, to hear God's word,

and to serve God's people, and to praise God's name. And I just want to say sincerely, thank you. And what I want to do is I want to show you a portion of scripture that reminds me of how I feel about you. Paul said to the Thessalonians this in God's word, he said, so we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and sufferings, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives us new life to know that you're standing firm in the Lord. Now watch this. He said, how we thank God for you. and you're going to hear me say it again and again and again, thank you. I thank God for every

single one of you. How we thank God for you. Now, let's say these next three words aloud together. Everybody say it with me, because of you, one more time. Let's say it aloud. Because of you, we have great joy as we enter God's presence. How I thank God for every single one of you. And because of you, we have great joy as we enter into God's presence. presence. What I want to do is I want to tell you that because of you, God is changing lives. And honestly, this is ridiculously emotional for me because it was 28 years ago this very week that we met for the very first time with 40 people in a two-car garage. We just saw the overhead projector there, and there's mirrors that made it look like there's 80, but there's really only 40.

And we gathered together for the first time. Pako, you and Jennifer were there. Jerome and Shanna, of course. If you've been a part of our church for any amount of time, you've heard me brag on Jerome and Shanna. You represent what our church is about. And just this month, they had 85 people in their life group, 85 people, twice the size of our church

in the beginning in their life group. And it is the most diverse group. that you have ever seen in your life. And you have to understand Jerome and Shannon to understand their life group. Jerome was a drug dealer who got saved. Now he's a very successful computer programmer, but he was a drug dealer.

And before, you know, he had a legal job. We tried to build him a resume, and all we could come up with was he was good at sales. Good at marketing. That's all we could do. Now Jerome has memorized 58 chapters of the Bible come on somebody, that's ridiculous. 58 chapters of the Bible.

And Shanna is the strength. She is a powerhouse. She is a mentor. She is a missionary. She's a homeschool mom. She is someone that we all look up to. And even with their mission work, it's no wonder that they have people

from seven different countries in their life group. Let me tell you about their group. Jerome texted me and he said, they had three U-version engineers, one architect, one veterinarian, one lawyer, two accountants, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Okay, I made up the last part. But that sounds about right. The attorneys and U-Virgin and, you know, veterinarians and stuff. They also have two prostitutes. One who's been saved and baptized in out of the industry. The other, with the support of the group, is making positive steps in her life even now.

They also have two ex-gang members, four ex-strippers, two guys just out of prison. Three people were homeless, now they're employed and thriving. So what I want you to see is, in this life group, you can get free from an addiction,

you can escape an abusive situation. You can get your pet spade. You can get good legal advice. You can get your house design. You can get your teeth clean and you can get your taxes done at this life group. And I want to say to you, Jerome, and to all of you, thank you for being a church that loves those that other people reject. Because of you, we're a church where everyone is welcome,

everyone is needed and everyone can be changed. And so today I want to invite a few other people to help me say thank you to you, to show you what God is doing through our church because of you. First, I want to invite Pastor Brian Franco to come up who's been married for 14 years to Sarah. Pastor Brian is the campus pastor at Life Church in Springfield, Missouri. The reason I show you this building is because this building used to be, a concert hall and Brian had his very first date with his wife at a concert, none other than Shane and Shane concert in that very building and only God do that years later, that would be

a life church and he would be the campus path. Would you please help me welcome, Pastor Brian, Franko. Let's go. Thank you, Pastor Craig. For the opportunity to share what's happening in Springfield. I want to introduce you all to my very good friend, Steve, right here. This was us having some fun last summer. The little thing we called At the Movies. And we were having a good time. But here recently, Steve turned 62 years old, or 62 years young, as he likes to say it. And on his birthday, I asked him the birthday question.

I said, Steve, what lesson has it taken you 62 years to learn? And he immediately replied, Brian, I don't know. I can't remember. I'm too old. And then he came back the next day. But this time is a little different because this time he said, I've got your answer. And with tears in his eyes and his voice starting to quiver,

he said, Brian, I've learned that God is enough. Now, the reason why that's an amazing answer, because there is no way he could say that unless there was a miracle of God at work in his life. See, I met Steve in 2018, about six months before the Life Church, Springfield, campus opened the doors. And he said, I cannot wait to be a part of what God's going to do in the church. I'm so excited for how it's going to change our community. But I want you to know, you're never

going to see me, Brian. I was like, what do you mean? He's like, I'm not going to attend in person. Because Steve was actually the primary caregiver for his wife, Kristen, who had been battling muscular dystrophy for her entire life. Now, when we went through the lockdown in 2020 through COVID, and we started to feel the challenges of pain and isolation in our life, the very you felt I want you to recognize, they'd already been feeling it for years. They'd been isolated. They were alone. And it was my privilege at that moment of their life to enter as their new pastor. And honestly, what was going to be the closing journey of Kristen's life? Because it was in 2021 that I got the news from a neighbor that said, Brian, you need to get over there fast. It doesn't

look like she's going to last much longer. So I rush over, I get into the house, I find the room where they're at. I grab Steve's hand. I put my hand on her shoulder. We begin to pray. got to give her hope, give her hope, give her peace. Lord, let the light of Jesus rise up in her and lead her home. We said amen, and moments later she passed. She entered into the presence of her Savior. And Steve was devastated. He was lost.

He didn't know where to turn. He didn't know how to put his life back together. That's all he had known for so long. He probably felt like many of you have felt before. Or maybe even many of you feel right. now. So let me tell you what Steve did. Steve went to church. He said, you know what? As much as I'm hurting, I'm going to take advantage of my opportunity to be involved, to get engaged. So he started attending regularly. Then he went to an event where he got to know other people. He started serving

on the host team, developing friendships outside of his home for the first time in years. He found himself in his way to a life group where he was surrounded by other Christ-centered people, He said, it was in those contexts that I began to discover the truth about who I was, my identity that I had forgotten a long time ago, that I am not Steve the widower. I am not Steve the caretaker. He said, no, I am Stephen, a follower of Jesus, a man of God centered in Christ. I am called. I have a purpose, and I can make a difference.

He's like, I got a second lease on life. Let's do this. and then 361 days after his wife passed, he got that phone call, that phone call that you don't ever want to get. His doctor said, Steve, it's cancer. It's melanoma. It's stage four.

It's metastasize. And so for the last 18 years of his life, Steve has been fighting for his life. But the difference, the difference is this time, he's not doing it alone. because he has the support of the love of God through the local church, which we have not forgotten is still the hope of the world,

because Steve found hope in the local church. It was his friends from the host team taking him to the hospital. It was his life group that was the life support to him, the strength to him. And yes, he is in the fight of his life, but he is not fighting alone. So when Steve stands up on his 60 second birthday, and he said, Brian, I have learned that God is enough. He's saying that as a man who lost his wife, who lost his health, but he has found that he has the only thing he's ever needed in life. And it is because of you.

When you give, when you serve, when you invite, when you do those things, you step out by faith, God uses you to create space for people like Steve to discover that God is enough. So thank you for letting me share. story with you off the last. And the good news is that through the church many of you will discover that when God is all you have, God is actually enough. And Steve, right now, we pray for you in the name of Jesus that the power of God would touch your body, that you would continue to be strengthened, healed, that God would extend your days to be a blessing in the church as the church to people all over the world. We pray this in Jesus' name. And the Church of God said, amen, and amen, amen.

Next, I want to introduce a very good friend of mine. This is one of the coolest guys and one of the toughest guys at all a life church. It's Pastor Zane, who's been married for 23 years to Stacy. And he actually launched Life Church in Mustang, Oklahoma, the biggest life church launched with almost 4,000 people on the very first weekend. They're switched ministry. This is ministry to teenagers. It is so big that they don't fit on one night. They have to meet on two different nights because they're impacting so many young adults, and I'm thankful for every single one of them.

Would you please help me welcome. Pastor Zane Rowland. I'm so thankful to Pastor Craig to have this opportunity. I want to first introduce you to my family. This is my wife, Stacey, and our five kids, ranging from 21 down to 10 years old. And yes, the little one with blonde hair and blue eyes is our daughter, but we thought,

when we start spitting out blonde hair, blue eye the kids, we have got to stop because we have broken something. So we stopped at five. Man, you know what? I love the way that God interacts with humanity. Now here's what I mean by that. When we choose to serve, when we choose to serve him, what he does is he uses simple, ordinary actions to create extraordinary, spiritual, impact. Simple ordinary actions that we have and he uses those who create extraordinary spiritual impact. That's exactly what he did in the life of Alex. Alex and her husband Derek attend the Life Church campus in Mustang and they've been there since 2016. But Alex's story began about a decade before when she was a senior in high school. You see, when she was a senior, she was so excited to get her

life started. She was ready to roll and all the possibilities that life had to offer. And so she moved out and was excited to get it. Everything started. And about six months into that, she found herself surrounded by the wrong people, doing the wrong things, and eventually had to come to her mom and dad and confess that she was pregnant. Now, for her, it was like the end of the world. She was scared. She was embarrassed. She was full of guilt and shame, so much so that she couldn't even go back to the church that she'd been attending her entire life. So for the first time, she was looking for a new church. And they found the South Tulsa campus. And when they walked in the very first time, she met Pastor Tommy. And as she was walking, she was

walking in, Pastor Tommy looked her right in the eye, and he said, I'm so glad you're here. Simple, ordinary actions. Because when Pastor Tommy said that, which by the way, he says to everyone, what she heard God say was that I see you, I love you, and my grace is sufficient for you. She said she felt a wave of peace come over her that silence every one of her fears. Simple, ordinary action that produces extraordinary spiritual impact. She continued to walk into worship and as she sat down and got ready for worship, the very first song they sang had the lyrics, Your Love Never Fails. It never gives up.

It never runs out on me. And Alex, in that moment, just broke. Because no more was she scared and embarrassed and full of guilt and shame. Now, after God washing over her, she felt safe, she felt forgiven, she felt welcomed, and she felt wanted by a God and people who never give up. In 2020, she and Derek were baptized at the Mustang campus, and that's a picture of them going public with their faith. And, man, since that time, they are so consistent, and they go to Life Church every single weekend. And Alex gets to take her daughter, Abby, and their little brothers. And she gets to take them into a Life Kids classroom where there's somebody there that knows her name, that looks at them.

and says, I'm glad you're here. So here's what I want you to know. I want to say thank you to those of you who serve in host team, in life kids, in switch, on ops, in worship, or you lead a life group at your house or whatever you do, however you choose to love God by loving people, I want to say thank you, because even though you may never see the impact that your serving makes, you got to know because of you, families are forever different. God uses your simple, ordinary actions to make extraordinary, eternal, spiritual impacts. Thanks so much for let me share us to life. I love that. And I want to just say to you that you are so welcome here. It doesn't matter what you're going through, what you're in the middle of.

You are welcome here. You are loved. And God's grace is sufficient. God is changing individuals. He's changing families. He's changing legacies. And as your pastor, because of you, God is doing something special all over the world through the U-Versian Bible app.

It's probably the most humbling thing to me to know that our church stewards, what many people are calling the greatest Bible engagement tool in the history of the world. And we give this away for free because of you. And when it comes to the Bible, our vision is big, just so you'll know, we plan to get God's word to everyone, everywhere, every day. And we will not stop until we see God's word in everyone's hands, everywhere and every day. And because of you and with our partners around the world, we're making progress. I want to introduce you to Maston, who is a church planter in Zambia, and I want to show you how people are being transformed by God's word because of you.

For a community that is really remote, it gives a community of people so much dignity when they hear the word in their language. As a ministry, we've been developing leaders, local missionaries, like Maston. It's important for me to take their gospel into these remote areas. People have no access to the Word of God. These places I go preach the gospel to, they are very remote. The journey to get people to have access to the Bible, you know, it's something hard.

It's like passing through the fire, you know, smoke gets into your eyes. At times you get to cry, you want to give up, say, I can do this. I have to walk. I have to walk for days. My bag full of books, you know. I get into the boat. I begin to cross. You see the crooks, you see the hippos, snakes.

It's kind of scary. There are times the books get to be soaked in water. People are so open to the gospel, and it hurts because communities who need the word the most, In many situations, can't afford to buy a printed Bible. I found your vision. One of our church leaders introduced it to me. The Bible app changed my life.

It has changed my ministry a lot. Having it on my phone makes things easy. I don't have to carry all the books. I put them on the side and say, I have your vision. It has got everything. We get the Bluetooth speaker. We connect it to the phone.

where everyone is able to hear in their mother time. We get to learn the word of God, we get to sing songs, we get to dance together. It's awesome. People don't have to die without hearing the gospel. We have the means, we have technology, we have U-Version.

With U-Vision in my life, God has made me for this moment so that I can reach out to those in remote areas and preach the gospel to them. to marry. Let's go ahead and tell God, thank you for that, huh? Because of you, because of your generosity, the U-Version Bible app is on over 700 million devices around the world, on its way to a billion. And we're not going to stop. And it's always interesting to me. People often say, like, you guys give that away for free. Like, why don't you sell ads or why don't you just sell it for like a dollar each?

And if you've never heard the story, I actually came to faith in Christ by someone who gave me. a free Gideon's Bible. And that's how my life was changed. And so just for the record, our Bible is not for sale. It will never be for sale. We will always lead the way with irrational generosity because we truly believe it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. And not only are you impacting people all over the world with the word of God, but you're empowering churches around the world as well. And to show you what God is doing in churches because of you, it's my honor introduced Danny to you, who was originally from Wahaka, Mexico. And three years ago, she relocated to Oklahoma, where I live, to intern with Life Churchill

online. The good news is she never left. She actually joined the U-Virgin team as the U-Virgin global expansion coordinator, which means she works with partners all over the world to expand the content library of the U-Virgin Bible app. I'm going to tell you right now, get ready, because this gal is one of the most passionate Jesus followers. You will ever Meet. Would you please help me welcome Danny Nuker. Most about Danny, come on. Okay, have you ever wondered if what you do matters or if what you give matters? Let me tell you the story of the church I grew up in back in Mexico. In 2017, my family and I were living in a city called Puebla when an 8.2 earthquake struck the city next to us, which is Waxaca, where my mom's family is from.

After the earthquake struck, my dad and my family quickly began to mobilize resources to bring relief in need to the people in these communities in Wahaka who had lost everything. After just a few weeks of doing this work, my dad started feeling called by God to not just meet people's physical needs, but to prioritize meeting their spiritual needs by planting a church in the city. So you could imagine the weight that my dad was feeling. the weight of seeing people all around us hurting and in desperate need. And now on top of that, the added layer of now having to plan a church. And my dad knew that he couldn't do this alone. So he started searching for support. It came across life churches free resources.

We launched the church. And believe me, when I said, we used everything that this church had to offer every single week since day one. from my dad translating Pastor Craig's sermon notes into Spanish every week and preaching off of those to the team and I translating and re-recording the kids' curriculums available on Open Network to using U-Version Bible plans as our small groups curriculum. We used everything that Life Church had to offer every single week. Now, around that same time, I start asking myself, how can I better equip myself to serve the church?

And after seeing everything that Life Church was doing, I decided to apply for an internship here. Fast forward a few months later, I got the internship, and my dad came to drop me off in Oklahoma. And when he was here, he got the chance to meet the Open Network team. And I will never forget how, as soon as he stepped into that Open Network office, tears started feeling his eyes. And he looked at the team and said,

weren't for you, I wouldn't be in ministry anymore. Or in other words, because of you, I'm still in ministry today. See, I had never seen my dad so vulnerable. And I also hadn't fully comprehended all that life church had done for us until that moment. At that moment, I realized the huge weight that had been lifted off of my dad's shoulders because of you. And I realized that as my family and I were trying to do everything we could to bring relief to me people's physical and spiritual needs, at that same time, God was actually bringing relief to us through you. God brought relief, God brought encouragement,

God brought people closer to him, and God did more than anything we could have asked for or imagined, and it's by his power working in you. So if you're here today, And if you're wondering if what you do matters or if what you give matters, let me remind you that this story is one of thousands of stories. There's hundreds of thousands of pastors all across the world who today get to do their ministry that they're called for because of you. And because of that, there's millions of people all across the world who today get to attend a church where they feel seen, known, loved, and careful. or because of you, they're able to find relief through a local church.

So on behalf of my family and on behalf of the church in Mexico, thank you for not just preaching about irrational generosity, but for actually living it out. The thing I realized today is that as we were doing everything we could to bring relief to the people in Oaxaca, you were actually standing right beside us, bringing relief to us and therefore bringing relief to the community. So thank you for being irrationally generous. And thank you. Thank you for being you, right? Love you so much. So I pray that you can

see it and that you can feel it that what you do really matters. And when it sinks in, it's very humbling and sobering to recognize as a church at 44 different locations and globally touching every country in the world through church online and spreading the word to the U-Version Bible app and resourcing churches all over the world that we are big enough to impact the world and we are small enough to care for the one. Alex, you are absolutely welcome and you are loved. And the good news is we're just getting started. Like it's a new year with new chances, new people to love, new people to come to faith, new resources to give, new churches to bless, new languages to translate God's word into.

And every now and then some people say, isn't the church getting too big? Like, no, never, never. As long as there is one person without Christ, as long as there's one person in need, as long as there's one church that we can serve, As long as there's one language that doesn't yet have the Word of God in, we will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, stop lifting up the name that he's above every name. His name is Jesus, and that is why we're here. We'll never stop.

We wholeheartedly reject the label, mega-church. We're just a microchurch, a little startup organization with a big world that needs the good news of Jesus who loves them. No one could say thank you. better than one 14-year-old girl I wanna tell you about. I'm gonna call her Ava, it's not a real name, but I wanna respect her situation because her parents do not support her newfound faith.

They agreed to drop her off but wouldn't go in the weekend that she decided to get baptized. And so 14 years old, she sat alone in a room full of adults who were being baptized in the pre-baptism meeting. And a husband and a wife stood up and told their story, and they were crying and said, we feel so bad. We raised our children.

It was during the Parenting on Purpose series. We raised our children, but we were not a Christ-centered family. And we feel so inadequate. And now we want to be a Christ-centered family to our grandchildren. And we're so sorry that we failed. And little Eva stood up in front of a room full of adults and said, no, no, no, no. She started crying and said, you need to hear this. She said, you're my family and you're my spiritual support.

You're my example. She said, I don't have anybody at home. I don't know anybody around that loves Jesus, but you are my spiritual family. And everyone in that room cried because they realized that who they are, what they do matters. And then she went on a ranch. She said, thank you for serving in life kids. And thank you for serving in Switch. and thank you for serving on the host team.

And I want to say that to you, because of what you do, because you serve, because you pray, and because you give, and because you invite people who would never feel welcome at most churches.

Our God is changing lives. And I'm going to say this, not in a way for you to clap, I'm just going to say it and let it sink in. That because of you, this year, and I don't want, I want just to sink in

because of you this year, there are over 43, 3,000 people who have said no to their sins and said yes to becoming followers of Jesus. And I want that just to sink in without you clapping. 43,000 people like Ava. And we get to be a part of that. And how did that happen? Because of God's work through you.

43,000. That's twice the size of my town I grew up in. And every one of those has a name. And every name has a story. And every story matters to God. And so I want to give God the glory and the honor and the praise because he is worthy. And I want you to feel the gratitude. Because of you, God is changing lives all over.

So Father, thank you that we get to do our small part. And together it adds up. to one significant ministry. I pray God that your church, your people, these people, they would feel blessed today. That they're making a difference. As you're praying without looking around, I would just ask, as we move into a new year,

I wonder how many do you think that there's even more in you? There's more ways you can give. There's more people you can serve. There's more prayers you can pray. there's more people you can invite. With nobody looking around today, I wonder how many of you say, you know there's more in you.

Would you lift up your hands right now? Lift them up high, lift them up high, lift them up high. Online, you can type, there's more in me. God, I pray that the power of your Holy Spirit would stir up within your church, God. That as we launch into a new year, that we would lift the name of Jesus higher, that we would give you praise in all that we do.

God, that you would push back all the forces of darkness and that you draw people to know your son Jesus. God, we pray for miracles, we pray for healings, we pray for provision, we pray for restoration, we pray for salvation, we pray for more of your spirit, God, we pray for more of who you are and what you can do. God, prompt us. God, if it's to serve, show us where to serve.

If it's to give, God, may this be our most generous year ever. If it's prayers to pray or worship to give, God, let us give freely to you. And God, if it's someone who doesn't know the grace of your son, Jesus, prompt us, God, give us the words to say, the heart to care, to invite them to know you, invite them to church, invite them to experience the grace of Jesus. God, do more, exceedingly and abundantly more, God, than all we can ask, think, or imagine. According to your power, God, that is work within your people. that you would be glorified in your church.

As you keep praying today, guess what? There's more of you that are about to have your life changed. In fact, wherever you're watching from today, some of you right now, as you move into a new year, you recognize there needs to be something different in your life. And guess what? It's time for a line in the sand. As we move into a new year,

what better time to move into a new relationship to say, I'm no longer going to live for the things of this world? I'm not going to live for myself. I'm not going to be caught in the old trappings of sin, but today, by faith, I give my life to Jesus. What does this mean? Who is Jesus? Well, he is the Son of God.

And God loves you so much that he became one of you in the person of his son, Jesus, who was without sin, died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins, but he didn't stay dead. God raised him from the dead so that anyone, and this includes you, it doesn't matter what you've done, it doesn't matter where you've been, doesn't matter how dark your life is anyone

who calls on the name of Jesus. God, hears your prayers and forgives all of your sins. It makes you brand new. Today, as you launch into a new year, it's time for a new faith and a new beginning. The old is gone and the new is coming. If you need his grace, if you need its forgiveness, if you're stepping away from your sin and stepping toward Jesus today. I need Jesus. I give my life to him. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now all over the church. Lift them up and say yes. We praise God for you. Hands going up all over. Thank God for every single one. if you say yes to Jesus online, type it in the comment section.

I am surrendering my life to Jesus. Just type that, I'm surrendering my life to Jesus. And today, step into new life and prayer. Let's all pray together. Pray Heavenly Father, forgive me for all of my sins. I step into your grace, your love, your forgiveness through Jesus. Jesus saved me, change me. fill me with your spirit so I could know you.

My life is no longer my own. I give it all to you. My past, my present, and my future, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. You have all of mine. In Jesus' name, I pray. Somebody give God praise right now. Welcome to us born into the family of God.

Come on.