Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / August 26, 2018 | Game Changing Moves - Do It Anyway - Chad Parks

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August 26, 2018 | Game Changing Moves - Do It Anyway - Chad Parks · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay, um, so that was your last chance to clap.
0:03
SPEAKER_01: You just blew it.
0:04
SPEAKER_01: You just, if you didn't clap, it was your last chance.
0:06
SPEAKER_01: This is the 10-week 10-week series.
0:09
SPEAKER_01: This is week number 10, right?
0:12
SPEAKER_01: Four months ago, I uh ran across Chad's book, Game Changing Moves.
0:17
SPEAKER_01: I go, I want to steal that title.
0:19
SPEAKER_01: This will be a great series.
0:21
SPEAKER_01: And I called him and he said, Okay, for a thousand dollars you can do it.
0:24
SPEAKER_01: And uh so anyway, we've had this great series, and Chad uh preached on week number two, and people said I never want to hear him again, but I asked him back anyway.
0:33
SPEAKER_01: So someone someone came up to me a little while ago and they said, Can you get him to speak at the governor's prayer breakfast?
0:39
SPEAKER_01: So, anyway, so you're you're in trouble.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: So, um anyway, it's been just just a really great series for me.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: For me, Chad, it's been a deal of going through the Bible and thinking, you know, every one of these biblical characters had a game-changing move in his life.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: And so it was for me really fun to I did a spreadsheet of all these characters in the Bible and their game-changing moves, and then tried to pick out seven or eight that I would preach on.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: So it's been great for me, and I asked Chad if he'd come back and close us off.
1:11
SPEAKER_01: You're you're in for a treat, kind of.
1:17
SPEAKER_01: Because Chad's the kind of guy who preaches the way he probably coaches, because he looks you in the eye and he says, get your butt in gear.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
1:28
SPEAKER_01: But Connie already has been talking about rear ends up here, so I'm okay.
1:31
SPEAKER_01: So um no, but he's gonna he's gonna challenge you to have a personal talk with God right close to the end of service, and so so be ready.
1:39
SPEAKER_01: This is really motivating.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: Thanks, man.
1:41
SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate it.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: Yes, sir.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
1:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, real quick, where I'm from and my culture, we like to give gifts.
1:48
SPEAKER_00: And so I know that Pastor went to Wheaton College, and I still happen to know the wrestling coach there.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: So I got a hold of the wrestling coach this week and say, Can you send me a Wheaton wrestling shirt?
1:59
SPEAKER_01: Unbelievable.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ is life, and the rest is just wrestling.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: And Wheaton thunder on it.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: So there you go, sir.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: There's nothing you could have given me on my well, it has been an absolute uh honor for me.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: Hey, introduce your daddy's okay.
2:22
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: Oh well.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna do it right now because Pastor told me to do it right now.
2:27
SPEAKER_00: So um I spoke on week number two, and I talked a lot about my dad, and my dad is a National Hall of Fame wrestling coach, and uh he is with us today, so I'm gonna embarrass him.
2:39
SPEAKER_00: Right up front.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: So sitting with my lovely bride and my daughters, and my boys over at Cab Building, hopefully not terrorizing people.
2:53
SPEAKER_00: So they're small children with a lot, a lot of energy.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: Um, all right, so game changing moves, this has been a great series.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: And I know I'm biased, but it has.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: I've literally learned something every single week.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: And uh, if you did not see the entire series, if you haven't been here every Sunday, go online or we have the TBC app now.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: Go to the TBC app.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: So we missed a couple Sundays, went down to Oklahoma, did some different things, and I was able to get on and watch these sermons, and every one of them just mean just fed my spirit, fed my soul, um, taught me, challenged me.
3:29
SPEAKER_00: You know, we've talked about game-changing places, game-changing people, game-changing prayers, game-changing activities, all those.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: And today I'm going to give you the last game-changing move for this series.
3:43
SPEAKER_00: But I was talking to my wife and I said, Hey, out of this uh out of this whole series, what was your favorite sermon?
3:50
SPEAKER_00: And she said, probably any of the ones that Jim did.
3:55
unknown: I was like, dang.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: She said, But the God that spoke week two, he was really handsome.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: So I'll take it.
4:05
SPEAKER_00: Now, today's sermon, I'm gonna go ahead and start out with scripture and then I'm gonna tie this back in because this is gonna be our foundation.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: So scripture is gonna be up here.
4:14
SPEAKER_00: Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: We are all in some way, shape, or fashion foolish.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: We are all weak in certain areas, and sometimes uh those things can be expounded upon, and I'm gonna get into that more in a minute, but I'm gonna tell you a couple stories, and uh in 2015, there was a young man, and I know that this is like Kansas City Chiefs country, big time.
4:48
SPEAKER_00: All right, I'm from Oklahoma, I grew up being a Dallas Cowboys fan, and that's not real popular around here.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: The Oakland Raiders, the in 2015, the Oakland Raiders made a game-changing move.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: And I know how much you Chiefs fans love the Raiders, and I know that you're thinking there's no way the Raiders have ever made a game-changing move.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
5:10
SPEAKER_00: Well, they did have Bo Jackson one time, so that was cool.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: But in 2015, they signed a young man from right here in Topeka, Kansas, and his name is Austin Willis.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: I first met Austin whenever he came in and played eighth grade football for me.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: Walked in, wasn't a real big guy, but man, he is fast, he is athletic, got a huge heart.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: Started the year at Tellback for us, we eventually moved him to quarterback, and that was not one of our best years in football.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: I had some phenomenal teams, some not so much.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: We were kind of struggling that year.
5:42
SPEAKER_00: So I moved to Austin to quarterback, and we had two plays Austin right and Austin left.
5:48
SPEAKER_00: Everybody else go block for Austin.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: Well, when he got into high school, he had never wrestled, and I'm the high school wrestling coach, and so he came and talked to me and said, Hey coach, I want to wrestle this year.
5:59
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, that's yeah, Austin, let's do it.
6:01
SPEAKER_00: So after football season, he comes in, wrestles for me.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: Long story short, he ends up being a three-time safe placer, had over a hundred wins in high school, and over a hundred pins in high school.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: So he's in like the top 20 all time in the state of Kansas for pins.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: This is incredible because most wrestlers like me, I started wrestling when I could walk.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: Most wrestlers have competed their entire life.
6:24
SPEAKER_00: And so for Austin to start that late and be that good, it's just unreal.
6:29
SPEAKER_00: He didn't have what we would call qualifications to be that level of wrestler, but he did it anyway.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: And the crazy thing is that's not even his best sport.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: So, really good at football, elite level on track.
6:41
SPEAKER_00: And so during that senior year, he said, Coach, um, you know, I've been thinking about all these sports and what I want to do.
6:46
SPEAKER_00: I know I want to be a college athlete.
6:49
SPEAKER_00: I have a number of track scholarship offers, I have wrestling offers, but man, what I really want to do is play football.
6:54
SPEAKER_00: I don't have any football offers.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: So I said, Hey, I'll continue to try to talk to some coaches for you.
7:00
SPEAKER_00: Our head coach at the high school will be talking to some coaches for you.
7:03
SPEAKER_00: Well, he got a really good scholarship offer to Emporia State.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: And he said, You think they'd let me play football there?
7:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't know, you got to talk to their football coach.
7:11
SPEAKER_00: So he did, and he was allowed to walk on.
7:15
SPEAKER_00: So he goes to Emporia State as a freshman, walks on the football team.
7:19
SPEAKER_00: He played a little bit as a freshman and sophomore, played some special teams, and ran, you know, runs track.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: Did good at track, but even though he wasn't starting in football, he said that his passion for football just kind of continued to grow.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: And he calls me at the end of his sophomore year and says, Coach, like this football thing is what I want to do.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: It's what I felt called to do.
7:41
SPEAKER_00: I'm not getting any play in time.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: I think I want to transfer to another school.
7:46
SPEAKER_00: What do you think?
7:46
SPEAKER_00: And I said, Have you talked to your parents about it?
7:48
SPEAKER_00: And he said, Yeah.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: I said, if that's what you really want to do, then I'll reach out to some people for you and see if we can make it happen.
7:54
SPEAKER_00: And he said, Okay, so I did a reach out to a couple coaches.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: We had some people interested.
7:58
SPEAKER_00: And then he calls me back and says, Change the plans.
8:02
SPEAKER_00: I said, Okay, what's going on?
8:03
SPEAKER_00: And he says, Well, one of our guys decided he's gonna graduate early, and another one of the receivers is injured, and he's gonna be out the entire next season.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: So coach called me in his office, told me about these things, and said, Get ready, you're gonna be the starter.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: So he goes in his junior year, first time he's gonna be a starter, and he is lights out.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: Ends up being the top wide receiver in the MIAA, ends up being one of the top receivers in all Division II football.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Great year.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Senior year comes in, has another really good year.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, their starting quarterback was injured.
8:36
SPEAKER_00: They had a really good rhythm, so they were, you know, they were handing the ball off more, they were running it more.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: He didn't quite have the numbers the senior year.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: He had his junior year, but it was still a good year.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: So, senior year is over.
8:48
SPEAKER_00: Now, what's he gonna do?
8:49
SPEAKER_00: We talk on the phone, and he says, I think I'm gonna try to make it to the NFL.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: I think I'm gonna go to one of the pro days.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna have one here at Emporia State, possibly.
8:57
SPEAKER_00: If we do, I want to be ready for it.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: I said, Well, small world, I just happened to know a guy that trains a lot of NFL players, and he gets people ready for the pro days.
9:06
SPEAKER_00: So we send Austin to Nebraska.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: He goes up there for a couple weeks, he trains, comes back, has his pro day at Emporia State University, and one college scout showed up or one NFL scout showed up.
9:19
SPEAKER_00: But it was the Chiefs, okay?
9:21
SPEAKER_00: So the Chiefs show up, Austin does his bench press tests and his vertical and his long jump, and he runs his 40.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: And he is insanely strong, Austin is insanely strong.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: He was he won the Emporia State Iron Man athlete three times, which is their strongest pound-for-pound athlete.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: And so he did that.
9:39
SPEAKER_00: But during this pro day, he runs a 42940.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: If anybody knows anything about speed, that is elite.
9:48
SPEAKER_00: That is like, you know, the top of the top in the NFL for wide receivers, and that's what Austin is a wide receiver.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: So he gets home with this pro day, gets a call two days later, says, We want you to come to KU's pro day, which is next week.
10:01
SPEAKER_00: Can you be ready?
10:02
SPEAKER_00: He says, Yeah, I'm there.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: Shows up, anyway.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: He calls me later on that night, and I say, How'd you do?
10:07
SPEAKER_00: And he says, I think I did pretty good.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: And I said, Well, would you run this time?
10:10
SPEAKER_00: He said, I don't know.
10:11
SPEAKER_00: So, what do you mean you don't know?
10:12
SPEAKER_00: He said, I don't know.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: I lined up, I ran, when I turned around, all the other players were cheering, and I looked up and there was like 16 or 17 NFL scouts around me.
10:21
SPEAKER_00: He said, So they were talking to me the whole time.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, so he felt pretty good about it.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: Uh, when we looked at his numbers overall, had he been a Division I player and invited to the major NFL combine, he would have been number two wide receiver in the entire combine with all of his numbers.
10:37
SPEAKER_00: So this young man is a great athlete.
10:42
SPEAKER_00: Fast forward to the draft.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: We know he's probably not going to get picked in the first couple of days, except they show on TV, and he doesn't.
10:50
SPEAKER_00: Then I get a phone call.
10:55
SPEAKER_00: Hard for me not to get emotional talking about this because I spend a lot of time with this young man.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: Coach, I did it.
11:05
SPEAKER_00: The Oakland Raiders drafted me.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: Going to the NFL.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: Incredible.
11:12
SPEAKER_00: Going to the NFL.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing: Austin's 5'9 and 165 pounds, and he's a wide receiver.
11:20
SPEAKER_00: Foolish and weak in the world standards.
11:25
SPEAKER_00: Foolish and weak in the eyes of a prototypical NFL player, right?
11:30
SPEAKER_00: But he beat the odds.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: There was something inside of Austin that knew he was meant for more.
11:37
SPEAKER_00: He had a calling in sport, and this was it, and he put everything into it.
11:43
SPEAKER_00: Everything into it.
11:45
SPEAKER_00: So today's final game-changing move is this.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: Do it anyway.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: There are going to be times in your life someone is going to tell you you can't do something.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: But if you feel God is calling you to do something, do it anyway.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: Just like Austin did.
12:00
SPEAKER_00: Now let me tell you another story.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: 1928.
12:03
SPEAKER_00: 1928.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: There was a six foot five, pure muscle cowboy that also worked in the oil field.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: He was a part-time moonshiner.
12:16
SPEAKER_00: He liked a fist fight.
12:18
SPEAKER_00: He was my great-grandpa, Charlie Parks.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: If you've ever met or know any of the Parks family before we give our life to Jesus, that's about par for the course.
12:27
SPEAKER_00: Alright, so Charlie's a good old boy.
12:31
SPEAKER_00: My dad's read me some like these old family notes that were written.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: And one of them says that when the Parkses would get together, they like to let the juices flow.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: Alright, they like to let the juices flow.
12:41
SPEAKER_00: And then it said in there, and old Charlie never backed down from a fist fight, actually kind of enjoyed them.
12:48
SPEAKER_00: So this was a man who was married, had a family, and he was a physical laborer.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: Okay, he worked in the oil fields, which a lot of my family is down in Oklahoma, and he's a part-time cowboy.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: Well, one day Charlie's out breaking horses.
13:04
SPEAKER_00: And for you non-cowboy folk, he's getting them ready to ride, all right?
13:09
SPEAKER_00: It's a wild horse, and he's out there breaking them so he can ride them.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: Well, unfortunately, he breaks his ankle in the process.
13:16
SPEAKER_00: This is in 1928.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: This is not a time where like you can file and get workman's comp.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: You can't like have Aflax show up with a little duck giving you money, okay, or goose or whatever that thing is.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: All right.
13:29
SPEAKER_00: You either show up and work and get paid, or you don't show up and work and you don't get paid.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: And he had to do it even with a broken leg.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: So he's struggling along.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: He's really questioning everything at this point.
13:42
SPEAKER_00: And Charlie's not a God follower.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: He's not a believer in Jesus.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: He's a good guy, just a good old boy, but he's not.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, so one day he's walking, and you know, my mind, I visualize this, and he's got to go work on those oil leases, and so I'm certain, you know, he was he was hurting, he was limping along, work's gotta be done, he's got to provide for his family.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: And he says he hears a voice and it said, Go kick the well.
14:07
SPEAKER_00: And on this path down to the lease, there was a water well off to the side.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: So he literally hears his voice says, Go kick the well.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: He said he stopped and turned and like looked behind him because he thought someone was talking to him.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: He was like, continues on, goes down, does his work at the lease, he's coming back, and he passes the water well again and he hears it again, go kick the well.
14:27
SPEAKER_00: So it just stops him in his tracks.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: And then for the third time, he hears, go kick the well, and I'll heal your ankle.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: So he said he knew he had to do it.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: He walks over and he kicks it, nothing.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure it hurt big time.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: Kicks it again, nothing.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: So the third time he reads back, kicks it as hard as he can.
14:48
SPEAKER_00: Bam! He hears a snap, and he said, literally, he felt everything go back into place.
14:53
SPEAKER_00: He goes home, takes off his boot, takes off his sock, no more swelling, the bruising is gone.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: He's 100% healed.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: He said, in that moment, he knew that he knew that he knew God existed.
15:06
SPEAKER_00: He knew God had healed him.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: This is like a like a Paul on the road to Damascus moment.
15:11
SPEAKER_00: Like he had an encounter with God that was undeniable.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: And he told God right then and there, however, you want to use me, I'm available.
15:20
SPEAKER_00: That could be a dangerous proposition, right?
15:22
SPEAKER_00: That could be a dangerous thing to say to God.
15:25
SPEAKER_00: God starts putting it on his heart, and he goes in and talks with his wife, and he says, Uh, I'm gonna be a preacher, I'm gonna be a pastor.
15:34
SPEAKER_00: And his wife looks at him and she says, Uh uh, I married a cowboy.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: She's not a God follower either.
15:39
SPEAKER_00: You gotta think about it.
15:40
SPEAKER_00: He has a steady job where he's making money, and this is, you know, we're coming into the Great Depression.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: So to walk away from that into the unknown, the uncertain, of a job where he may not even get a job or make any money, that's a big risk to take.
15:56
SPEAKER_00: But he knew that God was calling to do it.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: And it was foolish and it was weak, it was stupid.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: He's a moonshiner, he's a cowboy, he's a guy that likes to fist fight.
16:07
SPEAKER_00: He's not a preacher.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: In the world's eyes, he would not be qualified to spread the gospel.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: You know what God uses?
16:14
SPEAKER_00: People that are weak and foolish.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: It's all throughout the Bible, it's all throughout scripture.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: Charlie Parks ends up being a lead pastor for the next 63 years of his life.
16:27
SPEAKER_00: He's great with his hands, he's a carpenter.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: So everywhere he went, he would literally plant a church, build the church building, build the parsonage, get it rooted and established, and then he would go somewhere else and do it again.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: And he did that for 63 years.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: He was a big, strong man, lived until he was 90 years old.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: And I remember a few times going to visit him.
16:49
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Stroud, Oklahoma was the last place that he was a pastor at, and he was there for a lot of years.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: And uh just a little side note here my brother, who did not follow Christ for a long, long time and was also an oil field worker, was transferred to Stroud, Oklahoma about 10 years ago, walks into my great-grandfather's church.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: Great-grandpa's been passed away for a long time, walks into his church, gives his life to Christ, and he now ministers at that church.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: So he builds these churches.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: He's a big, strong man.
17:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm like a little kid, I'm like five years old.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: I remember we go to his house and we're visiting him, and I'm sitting on his lap, and remember I could just see his huge hands around me.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: My name is Chad, C-H-A-D.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: Well, everyone that was close to Charlie called him Chad, C-H-O-D.
17:40
SPEAKER_00: And he thought I was named after him, and nobody had the heart to tell him.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: So until the day he passed away, he thought I was his namesake.
17:48
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't have told him either.
17:49
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, great grandpa.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: Right here in our own church, our own pastor, Pastor Jim.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: Every time Pastor Jim preaches, alright, this like 10 fire emojis.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: Like that dude brings it, right?
18:04
SPEAKER_00: Every single time.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: When Pastor Jim was younger, he knew God had a purpose for him.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: He didn't know what it was.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: And when he very first went to college, for the first two summers, he went and got a job selling books door to door.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: He was unbearably shy.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: He was unable to speak publicly.
18:29
SPEAKER_00: He had no idea he was going to end up being one of the best communicators in the United States.
18:35
SPEAKER_00: He just knew that God had something for him to do.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: He had this call in his life.
18:38
SPEAKER_00: So he went and got a job that was the most uncomfortable possible thing he could do.
18:43
SPEAKER_00: And he made himself do it.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: And so he learned to talk to people and he learned to communicate.
18:49
SPEAKER_00: And then he becomes the pastor of this church where he has grown it and he has shepherded this church.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: You see, each and every one of us, we have something deep down inside of us.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: We have a calling in our life.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: We have gifts and we have talents that God has given us and we need to use them.
19:08
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes those get buried in the ground and hidden.
19:11
SPEAKER_00: And there are a number of reasons why.
19:14
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's fear.
19:16
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we don't want to fail.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: We're scared to step outside of our comfort zone.
19:22
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it is something someone else has said, and you have taken on those words as a label in your life, and you've believed those words.
19:31
SPEAKER_00: And they've got a vice grip on your minds and on your heart.
19:35
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they said you're not smart enough, you're not big enough, you're not fast enough.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: It might have been a teacher, it might have been a parent, it might have been a friend.
19:47
SPEAKER_00: Those things aren't true.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: What God says about you is what is important.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: God has the ability.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: If you say, God, I want to do this, but I can't.
20:00
SPEAKER_00: I don't have the ability to do it.
20:02
SPEAKER_00: I'm not able.
20:04
SPEAKER_00: You know who God is?
20:07
SPEAKER_00: He's the great I am.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: He says, you may not be able to, but I am able to.
20:14
SPEAKER_00: I am able to do this.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: And once you know Jesus as your Savior, you're brought into a sonship, a relationship with God.
20:20
SPEAKER_00: He becomes your father.
20:23
SPEAKER_00: He gives you the abilities to do these things and not for your own glory, not to glorify you and to say, here I am.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: So that you can be his hands and his feet.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: God isn't looking for the qualified.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: Now, I always want to make sure that I say this, okay?
20:39
SPEAKER_00: God isn't looking for the qualified, he qualifies the call, qualifies those he brings in.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: But I want you to be a little realistic.
20:50
SPEAKER_00: If you're 5'2, your mom is 5'2, and your daddy's 5'2, you're probably not going to play in the NBA.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: At the same time, don't be someone who puts that label on a person.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: People are under-encouraged.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: You'd be an over-encourager.
21:06
SPEAKER_00: There was someone along the way that told Austin Willis he couldn't be in the NFL.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: He was too short.
21:12
SPEAKER_00: There's no way you can be a wide receiver in the NFL.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: Had he listened to that and let that stick, he would have never made it to that level.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: I have literally heard people tell kids, no, no, no, you're not going to be a pro athlete.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: That's ridiculous.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: Get an education.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: Get a job.
21:33
SPEAKER_00: It's not necessarily bad advice.
21:35
SPEAKER_00: Get an education.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: Maybe get a job someday.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: But who knows?
21:38
SPEAKER_00: Who are you to tell somebody what they can and can't do?
21:43
SPEAKER_00: What God wants you to do is between you and God.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: God is the one who can supply you with abilities.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: We can go ahead and put the next scripture up.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: And I'm just going to kind of paraphrase this.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: Okay, in Acts 4 and 13.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: We have a couple of the disciples.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: They are not the religious elite.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: They're not the most educated men of their days.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: They're like my great-grandpa Parks.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: They are physical laborers.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: Yet people looked at them and said, How do these guys know so much?
22:18
SPEAKER_00: They're not one of us, not one of the religious elites.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
22:21
SPEAKER_00: They're with Jesus.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: Whenever you're with Jesus, whenever you're with God, He can produce miracles.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: God can use you in ways that you cannot use yourself.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: God can implant abilities within you that you cannot implant within yourself.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: Now, I truly believe this.
22:39
SPEAKER_00: It is our job, if God tells us to do something and we begin to do it, we need to try to get really good at it.
22:47
SPEAKER_00: We need to perfect and hone our craft.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: I don't go into my wrestlers and just say, hey, uh, wrestle live for a little bit and we're gonna go home.
22:57
SPEAKER_00: No, I try to be the best coach I possibly can so I can train them to become the best wrestlers.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: We put in the time, the effort, and the energy to do those things.
23:05
SPEAKER_00: But God can take that time, effort, and energy, and he can multiply it.
23:09
SPEAKER_00: God can give you abilities that you don't have on your own.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: He can take the foolish things of the world and the weak things of the world, and he can shame those who think they have it all together.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: None of us have it all together.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: But God needs you.
23:22
SPEAKER_00: He needs each and every one of us to be part of his family, to build each other up, and to go out to a hurting world, to come right inside here to a hurting world and to show them the gospel, to show them Jesus.
23:35
SPEAKER_00: And you can literally do that in any area of your life.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: Discovery Day, my man Josh Jones, he felt a calling in his heart to start to share the gospel, to start to have conversations of consequences, he says, with other people at his workplace.
23:57
SPEAKER_00: He's not a pastor, he didn't go to seminary, but he knows he's got to start having these real conversations.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't want to be a person who lets somebody else go through their life without knowing Jesus Christ.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: So he steps out of his comfort zone, he begins to talk to people, build relationships, and then God blows away and exceeds his expectations.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: Next thing you know, you have an incredible men's group at their workplace who meet together and encourage one another.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: And then you have women's groups exploding there at the workplace.
24:32
SPEAKER_00: So I want to ask you, what is it that God has placed on your heart, on your mind, something you're passionate about, something you want to do, but you're not doing it?
24:46
SPEAKER_00: Is it a new job?
24:47
SPEAKER_00: Is it singing?
24:48
SPEAKER_00: Is it teaching?
24:49
SPEAKER_00: Is it art?
24:51
SPEAKER_00: Is it sharing the gospel with other people?
24:55
SPEAKER_00: What is it that God is calling you to do that because of fear or labels or something, you just haven't stepped into it and done it yet?
25:05
SPEAKER_00: We all have those type of things.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: I want to encourage you, do it anyway.
25:10
SPEAKER_00: Run toward God, get out of your comfort zone, do it anyway, and see what happens.
25:14
SPEAKER_00: See how God uses you and utilizes you, can blow you away.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: He can show you ministry opportunities that you did not know existed.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: He can touch lives that you didn't even know needed touch.
25:26
SPEAKER_00: I promise he can do that.
25:27
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to.
25:37
SPEAKER_00: Those things are wonderful.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: But in our everyday lives, what are the things that you're supposed to be doing that you feel like would be foolish or you're too weak?
25:49
SPEAKER_00: You don't have the ability to do those things.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: We all got them.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm a seventh and eighth grade PE teacher.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: Not supposed to have written a best-selling book.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'm supposed to be wearing like old cotton shorts and socks with stripes, a polo and a whistle, right?
26:10
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: Those who can't do teach, and those who can't teach teach PE.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: Supposed to be rolling out the basketball or having kids throw dodgeballs at each other, which we actually do that, and that's awesome.
26:23
SPEAKER_00: But we all have gifts and abilities, and we all have a calling on our life.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: What is your calling?
26:31
SPEAKER_00: What is God asking you to do?
26:34
SPEAKER_00: And I would be remiss if I didn't say this because I know that everyone who comes to church isn't saved.
26:43
SPEAKER_00: Some of you have a relationship with God, some of you are growing in your relationship with God, some of you don't know God at all, some of you are mad at God.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: There's all there's a whole spectrum here.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: This building, CAD building, there's a whole people watching online, a whole spectrum.
26:58
SPEAKER_00: You cannot qualify yourself.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: You cannot earn your way, you cannot be good enough to come to God.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: It's done one way and one way only, and that's through Jesus Christ.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: He qualified you.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: People said that Jesus was foolish and weak.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: That's the carpenter's son.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: He's not the Messiah.
27:19
unknown: Okay?
27:19
SPEAKER_00: Can anything good come from Nazareth?
27:23
SPEAKER_00: Jesus knew what his calling was.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: No matter what anybody said, he said, I'm gonna do it anyway, even when he didn't feel like it, even when he cried out to God, said, if there's another way.
27:33
SPEAKER_00: But he did it.
27:35
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know Jesus, it's simple.
27:39
SPEAKER_00: Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth that he is Lord, and you'll be saved.
27:44
SPEAKER_00: You can't qualify yourself to do this.
27:48
SPEAKER_00: Run toward him, ask him to reveal himself and see what happens.
27:54
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna take a minute or so.
27:57
SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna pray.
27:59
SPEAKER_00: The Bible says, where two or more are gathered in my name, I'll be in their midst.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: God is in our midst.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: And I want you to ask God.
28:06
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know him as your Savior, ask him to reveal himself and to have a relationship with them.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: If you do know him, ask God, what is my purpose?
28:15
SPEAKER_00: What is that thing that I'm too scared to do?
28:19
SPEAKER_00: I don't feel like I could do because of what someone else has said.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: What is that thing I'm supposed to be doing that I'm not doing right now?
28:25
SPEAKER_00: God help me to see it.
28:27
SPEAKER_00: Help me to have courage through you to step into it and to do it.
28:32
SPEAKER_00: For you to glorify you, to shine a light in our church, in our community, in our home, everywhere I go, so that people will know you better.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: All right, so if you want to keep your eyes open or closed or bow your head or whatever you want to do, we're just gonna take about a minute and pray, and then I'll finish out the might be a conversation that you can continue now.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: It may be a conversation with God that you continue at home.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: Seek Him, find Him, and ask Him.
30:07
SPEAKER_00: And as I close, I want to tell you one last story.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: My dad, who's a Hall of Fame National or National Hall of Fame wrestling coach, great coach, would often have former athletes come and visit.
30:18
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they were in college or they're you know working out, whatever, and they'd come to our house and visit.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: And they would be speaking back and forth, and I'd be sitting there listening, and it seemed like this always happened.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: There'd be some point in the conversation where they would say, Coach Parks, I wish I would have listened to you.
30:33
SPEAKER_00: I wish I'd have been more dedicated and I would have worked harder.
30:37
SPEAKER_00: I would have been a better athlete, I would have been a better student, I would have been a better person.
30:41
SPEAKER_00: And they would finish their conversation, and the person would leave.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: And my dad would always turn to me and say, Son, did you hear that?
30:49
SPEAKER_00: Don't be that person that has regrets.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Don't be that person who wishes because we can never get back time.
30:58
SPEAKER_00: What you don't do today, it'll be gone once we get to tomorrow.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: You can never get back time.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: So I want to tell us the same thing.
31:06
SPEAKER_00: Whatever God is calling you to do, don't wait.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: We can't get back time.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: It's precious, one of our most precious commodities.
31:14
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know Jesus, ask him into your life.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: We can't get back time.
31:19
SPEAKER_00: Be that person who goes for it and then watch what happens on the way.
31:24
SPEAKER_00: Not guaranteed to be easy.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: Nothing in life is, but when God is walking with you, when Jesus is with you, he can give you the abilities that you need.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: Let's close in prayer.
31:34
SPEAKER_00: Father God, we thank you for this day.
31:36
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for each and everyone here, dear Heavenly Father, and their families.
31:40
SPEAKER_00: Ask that you be with us.
31:42
SPEAKER_00: Open up our hearts and our minds, dear Heavenly Father.
31:45
SPEAKER_00: Show it, show your way specifically, dear Heavenly Father, the things that you want us to do, the talents that you've given us, how we can contribute to the body of Christ.
31:59
SPEAKER_00: What it is like Paul who worked so hard for you to show others what you did for us, Jesus.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: Help us to be like that in any area of our life.
32:16
SPEAKER_00: I ask that you be with us as we go out into this week and let us take action.
32:20
SPEAKER_00: Let us step into your calling and let us be a light in the community for you each and every day.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: We love you and praise you in Jesus' name.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: All right, you're dismissed.