The question is, do
we get what we expect
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or do we expect what we get?
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We'll be right
back, stay with us.
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Welcome to "Issues and Answers."
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My name is, J.D Quinn.
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It's like I asked a
while ago the big question is,
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do we get what we expect
or do we expect what we get?
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Today, I have a
special guest Troy Fitzgerald.
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I just want to welcome you Troy.
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It's good to have you
here at Issues and Answers.
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Tell us a little
bit about yourself.
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Well, I'm pastoring in
Walla Walla Valley, Washington.
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It's beautiful there right
up against the Blue Mountains,
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and I've been
working with this church
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Walla Walla University
Church for 12 years now
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as the youth and adult pastor.
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My wife Julia, we've
been married for 19 years.
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I got two boys,
Cameron 12 and Morgan 7.
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Amen. They're dynamite.
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We have the best
of times together.
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And that's what we like to do
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as we spend time
together as a family.
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It's what we do for fun.
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Now I know that
you are quite athletic,
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are the kids pretty athletic?
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My boys love to
get out and do things
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and my oldest boy is probably
just by his age is pretty,
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pretty oriented that way,
but they like to do a lot.
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He plays the cello
and so they're trying to--
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we're trying to keep
them well rounded but--
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Amen, well balanced. Yeah.
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They love the Lord that's
what we care about the most.
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Most certainly. Yeah.
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Tell me about your education.
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Studied theology and
went into Pastoral Ministries.
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I got my Masters in Education,
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did some teaching,
also just wanted to learn
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how to teach, so that I
could be a better pastor.
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And then I eventually
did my Ph.D. in leadership
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because I really wanted
to be a part of engaging
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our world, our
church, and a life of change
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that was
positive and productive.
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And so I was
excited to be able to
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do a Ph.D. in leadership too.
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Amen, well, that sounds like
that's quite balanced to me.
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I also know that you've authored
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four, five, six books.
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A few of them, yeah. Amen.
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I know one book
that I've read of yours
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that I really
like is 20 Questions
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God Wants You to Ask.
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Life-Changing Encounters with
the Divine, Troy Fitzgerald.
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Yes. I like this book.
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And I've gone through
it and its simple enough
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to understand
what you're saying.
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It doesn't get into,
you know, lots of doctrine,
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lots of stories, and
it's just really neat
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the way that you tied all in
with the biblical principles.
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Thank you. Yeah.
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It's really a lot
of work and, you know,
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it's hard to--it's hard
to find something that just
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rings your bell that you
can write over and over and over
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about most of my ministry.
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I didn't have a whole lot
that I could just continue in,
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but I found this
theme in scripture
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as I was studying the
teaching ministry of Jesus.
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One of the
qualities that was so powerful
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in His ministry was His
ability to ask good questions.
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In fact, that's
one of the things I do
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when I am teaching a class
in the life of Christ whatever,
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so I'll just have
the students open up
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red letter edition bibles.
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I'll say look around
for the question marks
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and find what
Jesus is curious about,
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what does God want to know,
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and they will look
through and see some
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very
penetrating questions. Amen.
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You know, why don't
you have more faith?
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Why are you afraid?
Who are you looking for?
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You know, what do you
want Me to do for you,
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He says to the blind man.
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And so lots of
questions that's God asks,
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if we answer them, we can find
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that there is a window
that opens to God's heart.
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We can see what God's like
by answering these questions.
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We can also find a
way to walk in His will,
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I believe that, there
is this door that opens
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and we can walkthrough
and follow Him by responding
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to the things
that He asked us to do.
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I would think
that if someone was
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wanting a closer
walk with the Lord,
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that'll be a
great place to start.
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Go to the gospels look
under the red letters--
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and look for question marks.
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Well, you can certainly find
a lot of things to think about.
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But God doesn't want us
to just think about things
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He wants us to answer. Amen.
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And sometimes
questions are meant to be
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just thought about
but most of the time
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in scripture God wants
us to speak up, to stand,
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to say, to go, to do in
response to His curious,
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His curious notions. Yeah.
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And so He gives us to us
and I'm so grateful for them,
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talking about
getting closer to God.
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I had to answer
the questions myself
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as I walk through
the whole of scripture
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and I did it because
I just want to respond,
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I just--I wanted to
interact and have this contact
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with God in a very
meaningful enduring way.
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And so my questions
weren't good enough.
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I mean, I'd ask superficial
questions or even questions
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that I felt were
theological and big
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and they turned out to be,
well, he didn't answer them,
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they must not be that important.
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I believe God
thinks I'm important.
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Which is why here comes back
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and says, Troy,
do you believe this?
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He'll say, Troy, you know,
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tell me about your
faith is it big enough?
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And He will ask me questions,
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do you want to go home?
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You know, He will--
so He will follow through
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and that's what's been
so rich about this study.
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And I think it's been helpful
to lot of people as well.
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Amen, I know today
we're gonna be talking about
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expectations, wholeness,
where do we go with that?
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Well, I'll tell you
where, I was--as I was
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going through the
gospels, I was looking at these
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little stories and
events where Christ
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asked people in crisis something
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and so if you come to a moment
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in your life or ministry
where there is a crisis,
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sometimes the questions
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people ask during those moments
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are pretty pivotal,
especially with Jesus.
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He comes upon a man at
the pool of Bethesda there.
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And in John 5 this
story is pretty amazing.
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He happens upon this
man and I'll just read it
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real quick here,
"There is in Jerusalem
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near the Sheep Gate a pool,
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which in Aramaic
is called Bethesda
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which is surrounded by
five covered colonnades.
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Here a great multitude,
a great number of disabled
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people used to lie,
the blind, the lame,
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the paralyzed
and one who was there
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had been an
invalid for 38 years."
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So I'm reading this
story and I'm thinking, okay,
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well, what's
Jesus gonna do here.
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Well when Jesus
saw him lying there
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and learned that he had been
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in this
condition for a long time,
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so Jesus must
have investigated it,
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he asked him a question.
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He asked him, do
you want to behold?
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Amen. Or do you
want to get well?
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And behind that questioned
is this world of possibility.
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You'd think, I mean,
if somebody came to me
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and said, you know,
do you want to behold
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or do you want to
get well? And I was sick.
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I'm leaning forward in my chair
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and I'm thinking you know I do.
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Yeah. What do I have to do?
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But in this case he
doesn't respond that way.
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And in fact his answer has to be
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a little bit
disappointing to Jesus.
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He says sir, "I
have no one to help me
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into the pool when
the water gets stirred,
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while I am trying to get in,
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someone else
goes down ahead of me"
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In other words for me. Yeah.
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Nothing ever good happens to me
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I've been here for
38 years and I'm broken.
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And every time I get a chance
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somebody else
gets in ahead of me,
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so frankly your
question is a mood point.
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It doesn't matter what I want
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or what I hope for what
I think is a possibility
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and I'm paraphrasing here,
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"It doesn't matter what
those things are somebody else
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is gonna get in ahead of
me and so I might as well
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just sit here and
complain about it."
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Well, I might be
over-dramatizing that.
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I don't know if you are not.
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But we hear this
daily from different people
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in the form of an
excuse for doing this
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or I mean, just
those pity parties.
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And unfortunately
I've heard them too
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and the hardest
place to hear them
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is when they come
out of my own mouth.
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I've been like this, I
can recall several moments
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in my life when someone
asked me, you know, Troy,
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why don't you getup and
why don't you preach a sermon.
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Oh, nobody cares what I think.
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No, you've got
something that you should say.
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I mean, I think
you should say it.
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No, nobody is gonna listen,
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somebody is just
gonna criticize me.
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Now I've seen these
things coming out of my mouth.
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Well, let's go to church today.
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Oh, nothing good
is gonna happen there.
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Well, you know, those
are those moments when I know
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Jesus wants to
describe us by our robes
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and just jostle
us a little and says,
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wakeup I've got something better
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and if you just step up
you might experience it,
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so in this story he
gives the excuse and, you know,
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when we ask that
question immediately, do you,
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do you just get what
you expect from day to day?
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In another words or do
you expect what you get.
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Sometimes I think we
just go along with life
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and whatever happens happens
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and that's what
we've come to accept
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but I don't think that's the way
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Christ is calling us to live.
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It's like that story
that was told of a disaster
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that was talking place in
the small Midwestern town.
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Somebody was going
around, shooting the town up,
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a sharpshooter, you know,
it was a sharpshooter because
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there were these
targets and in the dead center
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of the bull's-eye of the target
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was the bullet
hole, exactly center.
00:10:56.51\00:10:59.44
The town was
frightened with terror.
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They just
didn't know what to do.
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They stayed inside,
00:11:04.58\00:11:06.08
the authorities
came in, the FBI came in.
00:11:06.09\00:11:07.87
The FBI finally
caught him as the story goes,
00:11:07.88\00:11:12.10
this guy wasn't a
sharpshooter at all,
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he short first and then painted
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the target
afterwards. Oh, my goodness.
00:11:16.47\00:11:19.02
And so you have this, this
target that you just kind of
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accept whatever happens,
so you just shoot the target
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and then well that's
what we're aiming for.
00:11:26.31\00:11:29.36
This guy shows up
at the pool everyday
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and nothing happens
and nothings gonna happen
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and he knows it and
38 years just gone by.
00:11:34.45\00:11:38.03
And I just wonder if there
are people out there today,
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that don't
expect much from church,
00:11:39.86\00:11:41.93
from Christians,
from life, from God.
00:11:41.94\00:11:45.86
They don't expect
possibilities to emerge
00:11:45.87\00:11:48.74
that are beyond
their wildest dreams.
00:11:48.75\00:11:50.78
They just don't
expect much and I think
00:11:50.79\00:11:53.94
they get exactly
what they expect.
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I've had enough
disappointing moments
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where I've been
hopeful about something
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and it hasn't come through
and there are those moments,
00:12:00.24\00:12:02.75
but in this story Jesus
comes and He ask the question
00:12:02.76\00:12:06.50
to this man that I think He
asked for all of us out there.
00:12:06.51\00:12:09.10
And that is, do
you want to behold?
00:12:09.11\00:12:11.47
Do you want more?
00:12:11.48\00:12:13.08
Do you want more than this pool
00:12:13.09\00:12:14.71
and this fabled hope that
if somebody stirs the water,
00:12:14.72\00:12:18.10
it's gonna cleanse
you from your infirmity.
00:12:18.11\00:12:20.62
Didn't even know if
that was gonna work or not.
00:12:20.63\00:12:22.75
It's just an old
story, that's all he had
00:12:22.76\00:12:25.94
and Jesus comes into his life
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and brings him
a little bit more,
00:12:27.30\00:12:28.68
but he has to learn what I
call the law of expectation.
00:12:30.67\00:12:35.02
He has to learn
and Jesus does this.
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He picks him up, He
just--He says all right,
00:12:36.74\00:12:40.29
here's what I want you to do,
00:12:40.30\00:12:41.66
pick up your mat and walk.
00:12:41.67\00:12:43.93
Now something had to
happen in that man's mind,
00:12:45.22\00:12:48.64
he had to just flip
the switch from going,
00:12:48.65\00:12:51.91
from just expecting what you get
00:12:51.92\00:12:55.95
or getting what
you expect, right?
00:12:55.96\00:12:58.44
He had to stop just
taking what comes his way
00:12:58.45\00:13:01.01
and he have to start
saying, I want to expect more.
00:13:01.02\00:13:05.18
I'm gonna hope and
dream and think that
00:13:05.19\00:13:07.31
this might be the moment.
00:13:07.32\00:13:09.32
The moment he starts pushing
up the muscles in his legs
00:13:09.33\00:13:13.79
rising up, he felt the
strength and he gets up
00:13:13.80\00:13:16.57
and he experiences
healing, wholeness.
00:13:16.58\00:13:22.65
Something had to be
there, something had to happen
00:13:22.66\00:13:25.68
in his mind for him to standup.
00:13:25.69\00:13:28.27
In other cases
throughout the gospels
00:13:28.28\00:13:30.19
Jesus actually pulls people up
00:13:30.20\00:13:32.51
who can't do it are moments like
00:13:32.52\00:13:34.93
that were Jesus
will just heal you,
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.71
whether you're
asking for it or not.
00:13:36.72\00:13:39.18
And think of the paralyzed man
00:13:39.19\00:13:40.56
who has dropped from the roof,
00:13:40.57\00:13:42.10
didn't ask for healing
but he got forgiveness,
00:13:42.11\00:13:45.37
lifted him right up healed him.
00:13:45.38\00:13:47.69
But in this case I think
it teaches us to expect more
00:13:47.70\00:13:50.60
because I
believe that God believes
00:13:50.61\00:13:54.21
great things on our behalf.
00:13:54.22\00:13:56.60
He believes the best about us
00:13:56.61\00:13:58.78
and He hopes for
the greatest things
00:13:58.79\00:14:00.11
and I think
sometimes we're so short sited
00:14:00.12\00:14:03.92
that we don't
experience the abundant life
00:14:03.93\00:14:06.44
because we don't
think it-- we don't think it
00:14:06.45\00:14:08.94
should happen to
us or we don't believe
00:14:08.95\00:14:11.52
it's gonna happen to us.
00:14:11.53\00:14:12.73
It's like that I mean, you know,
00:14:12.74\00:14:14.60
what's the different between
00:14:14.61\00:14:16.01
a thermostat and a thermometer.
00:14:16.02\00:14:19.19
We got thermostat on the wall
00:14:19.20\00:14:21.59
and then we got
thermometer on the wall.
00:14:21.60\00:14:23.14
What are their
functions? They're different.
00:14:23.15\00:14:26.25
They are much
different, thermometer just--
00:14:26.26\00:14:29.42
Just tells us
where we are. Yeah.
00:14:31.05\00:14:33.09
That's what I meant, it
just registers the temper,
00:14:33.10\00:14:35.44
but a thermostat,
sets the temperature.
00:14:35.45\00:14:39.91
In fact if you turn it to 72
00:14:39.92\00:14:42.73
and it's 100 degrees outside,
00:14:42.74\00:14:45.85
all of the
resources, electrical,
00:14:45.86\00:14:49.29
Freon, whatever it is
that makes an air conditioner
00:14:49.30\00:14:52.03
kick on are gonna be
deployed to make sure it
00:14:52.04\00:14:55.61
gets to that until it
gets to 72 there is no stopping
00:14:55.62\00:15:00.02
and it'll grind
away and drawn energy
00:15:00.03\00:15:03.33
and it'll suck all of
that energy till it gets to 72
00:15:03.34\00:15:07.67
and I just think as Christians
we got to start dreaming big
00:15:07.68\00:15:10.61
and expecting more,
expect not just the healing
00:15:10.62\00:15:13.61
but the great things
for churches to rise up
00:15:13.62\00:15:16.95
and be planted and
the gospel to go to places
00:15:16.96\00:15:19.44
that we just don't expect it to.
00:15:19.45\00:15:22.13
But first we've
got to know that,
00:15:22.14\00:15:24.33
you know, that
He can do it for us.
00:15:24.34\00:15:27.12
Precisely and he
tells us to-- Amen.
00:15:27.13\00:15:29.93
He says in John 14, He
says, if you believe in Me,
00:15:29.94\00:15:32.88
you will do the thing
I do and he stops there
00:15:32.89\00:15:36.11
and says no, you will do
even greater things-- Amen.
00:15:36.12\00:15:38.74
When I go and the
Holy Spirit comes.
00:15:38.75\00:15:41.38
And again that's kind
of what Peter expected,
00:15:41.39\00:15:43.87
I mean, to happen at Pentecost--
00:15:43.88\00:15:46.21
how many people
are in Jesus' church
00:15:46.22\00:15:49.57
on resurrection morning.
00:15:49.58\00:15:50.86
It's probably
not too many maybe,
00:15:52.45\00:15:55.32
handful up to maybe a
120, that's not very large
00:15:55.33\00:15:58.79
after feeding how many thousands
00:15:58.80\00:16:00.76
that He fed and
healed whole towns.
00:16:00.77\00:16:03.29
Where are his people?
And that Peter comes in
00:16:03.30\00:16:07.58
tells the story of the
risen Christ and how many?
00:16:07.59\00:16:10.46
Three thousand.
So there is something
00:16:10.47\00:16:13.46
to this law of expectation.
00:16:13.47\00:16:16.78
It's God calling us to
say, do you want be a thermostat
00:16:16.79\00:16:21.40
or do you want
to be a thermometer.
00:16:21.41\00:16:24.24
It affects the whole teaching.
00:16:24.25\00:16:25.27
I don't know if
you've had teachers
00:16:25.28\00:16:27.06
that have
expected a lot from you.
00:16:27.07\00:16:30.37
I mean you could probably think
and start wincing right now.
00:16:30.38\00:16:34.25
Yeah, teachers
who just you knew--
00:16:34.26\00:16:38.27
They expected
much but they might not
00:16:38.28\00:16:40.10
have been able to give you much.
00:16:40.11\00:16:41.71
Yeah. I mean, there
is that concept too but--
00:16:41.72\00:16:45.50
They set the bar high.
00:16:45.51\00:16:46.56
They set it high and
then some don't really care.
00:16:46.57\00:16:49.75
Yeah. You know, you're just
one of a number that's in there.
00:16:49.76\00:16:53.40
And I think that's
what, I think must frustrate
00:16:53.41\00:16:57.57
the Lord the most and
they did this research projects
00:16:57.58\00:17:01.73
on teachers in schools
this one intercity school area
00:17:01.74\00:17:06.28
and I was so troubled
to find what they found.
00:17:06.29\00:17:09.08
They found that
there are teachers who just
00:17:09.09\00:17:14.67
because of the color
of a young person's skin
00:17:14.68\00:17:17.70
were not capable of
learning math the same way
00:17:17.71\00:17:22.87
and so they were just--
00:17:22.88\00:17:25.18
they wouldn't
teach them to aspire
00:17:25.19\00:17:30.45
and yet when that student get's
in a classroom of a teacher
00:17:30.46\00:17:33.03
that dreams big
for their students--
00:17:33.04\00:17:35.70
And looks right
into their beautiful eyes
00:17:35.71\00:17:38.18
and says you know what you
could be the next president.
00:17:38.19\00:17:43.64
Amen. Or you could,
you know, learn to read,
00:17:43.65\00:17:47.24
you could learn to do math,
you could do be an engineer,
00:17:47.25\00:17:50.29
you could learn to revolutionize
the farming industry
00:17:50.30\00:17:54.01
you just have to
seize the opportunity.
00:17:54.02\00:17:57.45
Now those are the
teachers that we hear
00:17:57.46\00:17:59.55
and read about
that inspire us, right?
00:17:59.56\00:18:02.85
It's a lot of expectation.
00:18:02.86\00:18:04.88
In fact, there is
this one particular teacher
00:18:04.89\00:18:09.62
that is inspired
by the master teacher,
00:18:09.63\00:18:11.66
his name is Bruce Wilkinson.
00:18:11.67\00:18:12.84
He wrote the book
"The Prayer of Jabez"
00:18:12.85\00:18:14.85
and a couple other books
on teaching and learning.
00:18:14.86\00:18:20.28
His first few days
as a teacher in college,
00:18:20.29\00:18:24.20
at a Bible College, he
was given the task of teaching
00:18:24.21\00:18:28.54
three sections of
Bible study methods
00:18:28.55\00:18:31.86
and section 1, 2, and
3. Now he was nervous,
00:18:31.87\00:18:35.29
because he was just
right out a college himself.
00:18:35.30\00:18:38.35
One of the esteemed
professors came up to him
00:18:38.36\00:18:41.28
and said to him, how did
you get to teach section 2?
00:18:41.29\00:18:46.92
And he looked astonished,
he says, what do you mean,
00:18:46.93\00:18:48.45
I've got section 1, 2, and 3.
00:18:48.46\00:18:49.83
He says, I've been
teaching here 25 years
00:18:49.84\00:18:52.06
and they've never
let me teach section 2.
00:18:52.07\00:18:54.98
He says, what is section 2?
00:18:54.99\00:18:56.06
He says, you don't
even know that's even worse.
00:18:56.07\00:18:58.97
Section 2 is the
cream of the crop,
00:18:58.98\00:19:01.11
the finest students
that come to our school,
00:19:01.12\00:19:03.67
the highest
achievements scorers,
00:19:03.68\00:19:05.36
they put them all
in one class room,
00:19:05.37\00:19:06.88
and you don't
even have to teach them
00:19:06.89\00:19:07.96
they just pull
it right out of you.
00:19:07.97\00:19:10.79
He went back to the
class looked at the names
00:19:10.80\00:19:12.49
and, of course,
just looking at the names
00:19:12.50\00:19:14.14
and names looked smarter to him.
00:19:14.15\00:19:16.63
Jonathan and Susan and Frank,
00:19:16.64\00:19:20.21
those are just genius
names he thought to himself.
00:19:20.22\00:19:23.67
And when he got to
class section 1 went fine,
00:19:23.68\00:19:26.76
section 2 was just alive,
00:19:26.77\00:19:29.57
there was electricity in
the air, there was energy.
00:19:29.58\00:19:33.92
Section 3 was a bit
of a disappointment.
00:19:33.93\00:19:36.78
And that's how the
whole school year went.
00:19:36.79\00:19:39.13
Section 1, section 2,
boy, they just rolled along,
00:19:39.14\00:19:41.65
got through the material,
stacked up the papers high.
00:19:41.66\00:19:44.49
Section 3, didn't
turn anything in hardly.
00:19:44.50\00:19:47.16
When he finally finished,
he went back to the school,
00:19:47.17\00:19:50.80
to the academic building
00:19:50.81\00:19:53.30
and he met the
academic dean this time.
00:19:53.31\00:19:55.20
He says, how did your
first core teaching go?
00:19:55.21\00:19:57.99
He said, it was fantastic
00:19:58.00\00:19:59.94
and thank you for
giving me section 2.
00:19:59.95\00:20:03.18
And he says well, why
are you thanking me for that.
00:20:03.19\00:20:05.25
He said, because
they're the cream of the crop,
00:20:05.26\00:20:06.72
they're brightest of the bright,
00:20:06.73\00:20:07.91
they just, they just
pull it right out of you.
00:20:07.92\00:20:09.94
He says, yeah, that
used to be what we did,
00:20:09.95\00:20:12.86
but we don't do that anymore.
00:20:12.87\00:20:15.45
He said, but go
check with the registrar.
00:20:15.46\00:20:16.91
He went up to the
registrar he said, section 2,
00:20:16.92\00:20:19.63
best of the best,
cream of the crop,
00:20:19.64\00:20:21.09
they just pull it
right out of you, right?
00:20:21.10\00:20:22.53
She said, yes, no, we
don't do that anymore.
00:20:22.54\00:20:27.83
He said, you mean to tell
me that all of the students
00:20:27.84\00:20:29.85
in my class were a mixture of
all different types of students
00:20:29.86\00:20:35.62
they all had the same potential.
00:20:35.63\00:20:37.91
Wow. She said, yes, they did.
00:20:37.92\00:20:40.38
He went back
feeling like a fraud.
00:20:40.39\00:20:43.62
But he learned a valuable lesson
00:20:43.63\00:20:44.85
about teacher
expectations. Amen.
00:20:44.86\00:20:48.24
Is that when we set the
expectations our students rise
00:20:48.25\00:20:53.20
and as disciples of Christ,
00:20:53.21\00:20:55.57
you know, Christ
sets the bar high,
00:20:55.58\00:20:57.70
do you want to
behold, do want to be healthy,
00:20:57.71\00:20:59.65
do you want to live,
do you want to be full,
00:20:59.66\00:21:01.55
do you want to make difference,
00:21:01.56\00:21:02.56
do you want to change the world,
00:21:02.57\00:21:03.54
do you want to
bring one soul to Christ,
00:21:03.55\00:21:05.51
do you want to bring a
whole nation to Christ,
00:21:05.52\00:21:07.75
do I stop at one, right? Amen.
00:21:07.76\00:21:10.46
And so that's
the challenge for us
00:21:12.65\00:21:14.80
is to live this
law of expectation.
00:21:14.81\00:21:19.02
And I would-- what
I would like to think
00:21:19.03\00:21:21.91
that if you know, who
you are in Jesus Christ,
00:21:21.92\00:21:25.79
you could be very
passion about that.
00:21:25.80\00:21:28.37
And that passion
that's contagious.
00:21:28.38\00:21:31.25
Exactly, in fact,
when you look at people
00:21:31.26\00:21:35.11
who are contagious
they're not contagious
00:21:35.12\00:21:38.72
or bitter or angry or critical,
00:21:38.73\00:21:41.28
people who are contagious
are alive with possibilities.
00:21:41.29\00:21:45.17
Amen. There are
the hopeful ones.
00:21:45.18\00:21:47.26
Now we need a few
naysayer's out there
00:21:47.27\00:21:49.12
to say don't do that
project, that's not gonna work,
00:21:49.13\00:21:51.82
I had a couple of farmers
00:21:51.83\00:21:52.88
when I was
pastoring in Michigan said,
00:21:52.89\00:21:54.23
that's not gonna
work, and they were right,
00:21:54.24\00:21:56.11
I listen to them.
00:21:56.12\00:21:58.12
But then they are those who see,
00:21:58.13\00:21:59.89
you know, we have to try it,
00:21:59.90\00:22:01.13
we have experiment, we
have to do great things.
00:22:01.14\00:22:04.92
I believe that
they're whole TV ministries
00:22:04.93\00:22:07.71
that are built on the
promise, the possibility,
00:22:07.72\00:22:10.72
the notion that God can do
great amazing things with us.
00:22:10.73\00:22:16.98
I just believe that with
all my heart I've implemented
00:22:16.99\00:22:19.85
that in my ministry I
give you a couple of examples
00:22:19.86\00:22:23.28
well, first of all I did my,
00:22:23.29\00:22:25.24
my doctoral research
on student missionaries.
00:22:25.25\00:22:27.90
I tried to think
of one of the things
00:22:27.91\00:22:29.80
it's the most practical learning
experience for young people.
00:22:29.81\00:22:33.15
There were summer
camps and great things
00:22:33.16\00:22:35.24
like that but
student missionaries,
00:22:35.25\00:22:38.03
students that we empower
to take a year out of college
00:22:38.04\00:22:40.95
and go away and spend a
year teaching in Korea or Saipan
00:22:40.96\00:22:45.91
or Africa or Bolivia or
Brazil, all over the world
00:22:45.92\00:22:50.92
and some of them
stay in the States,
00:22:50.93\00:22:52.53
but they go and they
function as teachers,
00:22:52.54\00:22:57.14
deans, pastors, principals even,
00:22:57.15\00:23:01.63
who haven't had a year or
two of training in that area,
00:23:01.64\00:23:05.45
so how dare we do that.
00:23:05.46\00:23:06.75
Well, whole schools are
run by student missionaries.
00:23:06.76\00:23:09.92
Like in Micronesia right now,
00:23:09.93\00:23:11.96
all the schools down there
depend upon a college student
00:23:11.97\00:23:14.77
saying I'll take
a year out and go.
00:23:14.78\00:23:17.66
And then some
naysayer could go and say
00:23:17.67\00:23:19.25
but you're not
a trained teacher,
00:23:19.26\00:23:20.72
you don't know how to teach?
00:23:20.73\00:23:24.14
You're not old
enough, do you have a degree?
00:23:24.15\00:23:27.19
They say no, I'm
gonna-- I'm a little overwhelmed
00:23:27.20\00:23:30.37
by the whole thing
myself but they go.
00:23:30.38\00:23:34.05
And they give and what happens
with the law of expectations
00:23:34.06\00:23:36.67
is they're asked to
teach second graders in Palau
00:23:36.68\00:23:41.80
and they pray like
they've never prayed before.
00:23:41.81\00:23:45.38
They study like
they've never studied,
00:23:45.39\00:23:47.81
they pay attention to
every face in the classroom
00:23:47.82\00:23:51.22
and previously they
might of ignored everybody
00:23:51.23\00:23:53.83
in their own class
while they sat in college.
00:23:53.84\00:23:57.24
They think and
work and try new things
00:23:57.25\00:24:00.13
because why they're expected
00:24:00.14\00:24:01.99
to do great things
in the name of Christ.
00:24:02.00\00:24:05.00
I started doing that with
my young people in my church.
00:24:05.01\00:24:09.86
I started asking them, I
said I've got this young person
00:24:09.87\00:24:12.75
that just made a
decision to be baptized.
00:24:12.76\00:24:15.32
They responding to the call
00:24:15.33\00:24:17.17
and I said I need you
to study with him. Amen.
00:24:17.18\00:24:20.01
Well, here is a
16-year-old saying,
00:24:20.02\00:24:21.83
"Study with him,
that's' your job."
00:24:21.84\00:24:23.70
I said, I know,
but I'm pretty busy
00:24:23.71\00:24:26.28
and I know I do it,
but something has got--
00:24:26.29\00:24:28.68
I've got a leave for
a couple of weeks too.
00:24:28.69\00:24:31.09
I've got a do a
series of meetings in Africa
00:24:31.10\00:24:32.96
and for two, three weeks
00:24:32.97\00:24:34.17
I can't just
leave the young person.
00:24:34.18\00:24:36.71
You have to,
you have to step up,
00:24:36.72\00:24:38.36
can you--do you
think you can do it,
00:24:38.37\00:24:39.51
"Well, no, there is no
way, I don't know anything."
00:24:39.52\00:24:42.26
I said, you don't know anything?
00:24:42.27\00:24:44.37
Now come on are
you willing to try?
00:24:44.38\00:24:48.04
And just like
that man by the pool,
00:24:48.05\00:24:51.48
the notion pops into their mind
00:24:51.49\00:24:52.74
that just maybe God has
great possibilities for them.
00:24:52.75\00:24:57.05
He said, I'll try and
you know what it turns out,
00:24:57.06\00:25:00.69
the 16-year-old
young lady teaching
00:25:00.70\00:25:02.85
the 12-year-old young girl
is the perfect combination.
00:25:02.86\00:25:06.89
Because the 12-year-old wants
to be like the 16-year-old.
00:25:06.90\00:25:10.92
Amen. They don't want to--
00:25:10.93\00:25:11.95
I don't know any
12 year old girls
00:25:11.96\00:25:13.59
that dream of becoming like me.
00:25:13.60\00:25:16.13
No, no. They don't even imagine.
00:25:16.14\00:25:18.23
Exactly. But that other
person so influenced there
00:25:18.24\00:25:22.32
and not to
mention they study harder
00:25:22.33\00:25:24.85
for these Bible
studies than I do.
00:25:24.86\00:25:26.87
I've been trained I
think I know the Bible already.
00:25:26.88\00:25:29.64
They put their heart, their
prayers, they worry about it.
00:25:29.65\00:25:34.14
Do I worry about a Bible study?
00:25:34.15\00:25:36.21
I don't, I probably should
but they take it so seriously
00:25:36.22\00:25:41.05
and what happens, the
impact is significant.
00:25:41.06\00:25:45.05
I don't do
anymore of those classes.
00:25:45.06\00:25:47.39
I do one maybe but
I've got 15, 20, 30 kids
00:25:47.40\00:25:50.92
deployed doing that,
well, the job of the pastor.
00:25:50.93\00:25:56.26
And what I hear you saying is,
00:25:56.27\00:25:57.46
they draw on the resources
that are available and because,
00:25:57.47\00:26:00.61
you know, they have
conscientiousness about them.
00:26:00.62\00:26:04.48
Yeah, they have something
00:26:04.49\00:26:05.83
that they're just
unwilling to let go,
00:26:05.84\00:26:08.46
once you taste that,
you don't want to let it go.
00:26:08.47\00:26:12.32
You don't want to
ever expect small.
00:26:12.33\00:26:14.47
You hold on to the one thing
00:26:14.48\00:26:16.42
that means the most
to you, it's a legacy.
00:26:16.43\00:26:19.57
Amen. I think of this--
the Tennessee Valley Project,
00:26:19.58\00:26:23.86
they're trying
to get this family,
00:26:23.87\00:26:26.22
this operation
family of Hillbillies
00:26:26.23\00:26:28.33
to move to the other side.
00:26:28.34\00:26:29.31
They built a cabin for them.
00:26:29.32\00:26:30.87
They built with water and lights
00:26:30.88\00:26:33.06
and everything all the amenities
00:26:33.07\00:26:34.57
and yet they couldn't
get this family to move.
00:26:34.58\00:26:37.60
They had to
bulldoze the whole other side
00:26:37.61\00:26:39.96
and they looked and they tried
00:26:39.97\00:26:41.19
to find out why
they wouldn't move.
00:26:41.20\00:26:42.75
They stood there
with their shotguns.
00:26:42.76\00:26:45.62
Finally a social worker
came in and found the problem.
00:26:45.63\00:26:49.06
The man said, I won't move
00:26:49.07\00:26:51.38
because that fire
you see in the hearth,
00:26:51.39\00:26:53.90
it's a fire my grandpa started
00:26:53.91\00:26:55.80
and it hasn't been
put out since. Amen.
00:26:55.81\00:26:58.06
We didn't have
money for matches,
00:26:58.07\00:26:59.55
so we kept fire going.
00:26:59.56\00:27:00.78
My daddy kept the fire going,
00:27:00.79\00:27:02.06
when my daddy died, I kept
the fire going. I'm not moving.
00:27:02.07\00:27:06.74
Amen. And so they said well,
00:27:06.75\00:27:09.73
if we were able to
carry the fire with us,
00:27:09.74\00:27:13.19
would you be willing to
go, so they got in a huddle,
00:27:13.20\00:27:15.00
they discussed it, and
they got this big apple kettle,
00:27:15.01\00:27:17.85
took up the coals and the fire,
00:27:17.86\00:27:19.91
and the whole family moved
00:27:19.92\00:27:21.31
to the other side of
the lake with the fire.
00:27:21.32\00:27:25.12
And I believe that, that's
what Christ wants us to do
00:27:25.13\00:27:27.35
with our young
people, with our people
00:27:27.36\00:27:29.49
that are just
young at heart in church.
00:27:29.50\00:27:31.55
He wants us to expect
more great things to happen,
00:27:31.56\00:27:34.24
do you want to be behold? Yeah.
00:27:34.25\00:27:37.07
And I think our
answer to that is,
00:27:37.08\00:27:39.11
you said so Lord I'll go.
00:27:39.12\00:27:40.87
Most certainly, keep
those fires going? That's right.
00:27:40.88\00:27:42.94
We're out of time
again Pastor Troy,
00:27:42.95\00:27:45.42
I mean, it's just
actually time just flies by.
00:27:45.43\00:27:48.45
I just want to thank you so
much for being with us today.
00:27:48.46\00:27:51.44
You're a wonderful teacher.
00:27:51.45\00:27:52.57
Praise God. You're so balanced.
00:27:52.58\00:27:53.94
Anyway I want to thank
each one of you out there
00:27:55.36\00:27:59.42
for being with us today.
00:27:59.43\00:28:01.53
We love each one of you,
we wish you only the best,
00:28:01.54\00:28:05.40
and I know that God has a
special plan for your life.
00:28:05.41\00:28:08.70
God bless you.
00:28:08.71\00:28:09.78