America's Greatest Hope

Hi, this is Pastor Daniel Bracken. You're listening to Kings Alaska podcast. I hope the Word encourages you and you get a touch from God that brings transformation and equips you to experience life with people, power and purpose. Thank you for joining us. Enjoy the Word.

Second Corinthians. You all there? If you're all there, say amen and stand upon your feet, which I pray are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Second Corinthians, chapter 5, Second Corinthians 5. And again, I'm reading from the new King James now, and we hope that you read along with us and whatever version you have.

Second Corinthians, chapter 5 and verse 14. Are you ready? All right, let's. Let's. Let's go.

For the love of Christ compels us because we judge thus that if one died for all, then all died and he died for all. That those who live should no longer live for themselves. They should what? No longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose. Again.

A little bit more monitor, if you don't mind. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer. Therefore, verse 17. Therefore, if anyone would you agree with me? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and as committed to us the word of reconciliation, verse 20. Now then, you are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God, for He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Wow. Father, thank you. Move in great power this morning. All those online, thank you for what you've done already. We love you, we worship you, we bless you, receive all the glory, and may the results be far reaching, even to eternity.

In Jesus name, amen. You may be seated.

What makes a nation great?

I do believe we have a great nation, but it's not because of our military strength, although we seemingly have the strongest military in the whole world. But it's not a military that makes a nation great. What is it that makes a nation great? Can you answer that question? What actually is it that makes a Nation great.

Is it the education? No, but it does have a role for certain. Is it the economics of that nation? Economic prosperity? No, that's not what makes a nation great.

Is it political leadership or technology? No, no. Is it energy? No, not by the definitions of God's word. In Proverbs 14:34, it says righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Throughout history, what has changed nations is people, because nations are made of people. And if a people are changed, then the nation has changed. And we've taught that to you in previous sermons and messages over the many years that we've been here. We call it elevation and lift. It's a sociological principle of the gospel that when the gospel comes in, all of society has changed from the least to the greatest.

God changes people. And when people are changed, they vote differently, they act differently, they behave differently, their marriages get healed, they. They stop getting drunk. There's a change that takes place. What makes a nation great?

It's. It's the Lord through his people.

There's a man by the name of Marquis de Lafayette. He was 19 years old when he came to the United States of America from a very prosperous family in France. And he snuck away, rejecting the counsel of his parents. At 19, he came to the United States of America, was introduced to George Washington and became one of our generals. He was a general in the revolution.

At the age, I believe it's 23. 23 years old. There's some 23 year olds these days that don't come out of the basement from playing video games, he was asked. It is purported that he responded this way. It's not substantiated by many, but it's.

It certainly is true. He was asked the secret of what makes America great. And he said, it's the churches. Beyond all doubt, it's the churches that make America great. Why would he say that?

Because there was a great awakening that took place. America's greatest resource is not energy, it's not military, it's not political might, it's not education. It's the church. The church is what will change America. I got like three soft spoken Amens.

It's a church that will change America. A healthy church, not a dead church. The Proverbs say you wander out of the way of the understanding. You'll rest in the congregation of the dead. There is a dead congregation, but I don't believe we're part of it.

I heard so many testimonies this week of people saved people, healed people, delivered people Coming in with anxiety and leaving free from that anxiety. People having depression and sickness and infirmity, cancer, just disease going away. Doctors saying, well, we don't know it's in remission. That's a nice way of saying, she gone, it's gone. Come on, somebody say it's gone.

So many testimonies.

Thousands came to faith during the Great Awakening as I shared the population of our nation and the north and the northeast and through the colonies at that time, 1730 to 1740. Well, from 1730 to 1740, population doubled. But let's just for argument's sake, approximately 2. A quarter of a million people. A quarter of a million people.

Men by as John, by the name of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, John Wesley. They were powerfully used. You know that George Whitfield went back and forth between England 13 times. 13 times. And it's not like jumping on a plane today like I'm about to do.

In a few hours. They were on a, on a boat. It took nine weeks. It was. There's storms, there's challenges, there's all kinds of difficulties.

Thirteen times risked his life to come and preach the good news. He was a missionary to America is really what he was.

Political freedom came because they understood the great liberator. They, they were impacted by Jesus Christ, they were impacted by the Gospels.

Thousands came to faith. Whitfield preached to crowds of 10,000 to 30,000. 10 to 30,000 people. There were no buildings that held the size of the crowds that gathered in one New England town. He was heading out to a field and the whole town and surrounding area people had rode for days on horseback and they were coming to hear him preach.

And these are common stories. Preaching outside was very, very unusual, but they weren't accepted in the churches, which is true today too. On fire. It's pastors and preachers are many times not allowed to preach and just don't want to mess anything up. Don't get political.

They were very political. They had statements like no king, but King Jesus. They were, they were, they were about God's word. If you study the founding fathers, it is said that 2/3 of their speech was scripture, 2/3 their writings. They using words like providence.

And I've shared this with you before 10 to 30,000. One town went out to preacher, went out to preach. And there was a man that came out of his house and the neighbor knew that he wasn't a believer. He said, hey, why are you going to listen to him preach? You don't believe?

He says, no, I don't I just like to watch him burn. There was a fire in their preaching. There was a zeal in their preaching. There was a conviction in their preaching. And they didn't preach 35 minutes like I was on my clock.

Not that I'll obey it, but they didn't preach for 35 minutes. There wasn't a 35 minute message. They preached for hours. And it was deep in theology and profound messages like sinners in the hand of an angry God shook the whole place. People were holding on to columns in the church because they felt like the bottom was going to fall out and they were all going to go to hell.

You read that the story that town had been largely not impacted at all by the revival that had broken out all around it. It was like it was a bastion of of difficulty and they couldn't break through. But on that day they break through, broke through and revival hit that town as well. The hand of God was on our founding fathers. Why was the hand of God on our founding fathers?

Because they were Christians, 96 of them. And that's not popular. But I don't really care about popularity, nor should you. What makes our nation great is righteousness. And if righteousness is not a part of our nation, then we will not be a great nation.

We begin to endorse things that are clearly forbidden in scripture. Then the hand of God comes off our country. But we're in a great battle right now. I believe we're in a moment of grace right before a tremendous outpouring. And we know that in scripture that the Lord's not going to come back until the fullness of the Gentiles.

Fullness is a picture of time. The time of the Gentiles is complete. There is a time. Come on, someone say there's a time. There's a time.

When it's. When it's over the rapture happens.

I've shared this before, but I just like it. And it's a story of George Washington and how God's miraculous protection was over him.

Washington's preservation.

Washington returned after the war to the same Pennsylvania woods where he earlier fought. By the time of on a peaceful surveying mission, an ancient leather faced American Indian chief heard Washington and come back to the area and he traveled to meet him. Explaining I've traveled long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of great battle. Over a council fire, the chief declared that he had been a leader with the French 15 years earlier and recounted the famous battle from his perspective. He explained that he ordered his braves to single out the officers and to shoot them down.

And that Washington had been specifically targeted. The chief proudly announced that his own rifle had never before been known to miss. But after personally firing at Washington 17 times without effect, he concluded that Washington was under the care of the great Spirit. And he therefore instructed his brave to stop firing him, confessing that Washington had come to pay homage to the band. So and in that battle they, they talk about how Washington's coat was filled with bullet holes.

How did he not die? God protected him. God protected him. You look at the lives of the colonists and they, their value, the value, their faith in Christ and saw the Bible is truth by which to live their lives and form a government. I'm going to say that again.

The colonists, the early settlers of our nation in the 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, they saw the Bible as truth. We believe that the Bible is truth. It's not an ambiguous blend of maybe or just written by some man. And recently I, I, I destroyed that argument in messages not long ago, about six weeks ago or so. You can find them on YouTube.

They saw the Bible as truth by which to live their lives and to form a government.

My wife and I were in New Hampshire and I've shared this story before as well, but we were sitting at a coffee shop looking at the most magnificent church edifice and steeple, I mean massive and beautiful. And as I was looking at it, I'm noticing it's, you know, it's the middle of the day, it's maybe early morning, mid morning, and I'm looking at, the doors are shut, of course not time for church. Okay, that made sense. But then the longer I look, the more I realize that on the front steps of all those marble steps in Portsmouth, New Hampshire are drug deals going on. I see people doing deals, I see drugs going on.

I, I see an argument between these two teenagers that are obviously intimately involved and begins to be a domestic violence situation. Then I just see all kinds of hurting, broken people around those doors of that church with the door shut. And the Lord spoke to me and said this is a picture of my church in America. Now I believe that picture is changing. It is my sincere hope that one day our church will, we will never close.

We'll have a 24 hour a day, seven day week prayer meeting where people can come at three in the morning if you're troubled and you can come and worship and pray here. I'm hoping one day we'll get there. Can someone say amen? America will never be transformed by politics. America will Never be transformed by economics or military power.

No, no. The nations are changed by transformed people. How will America become a great nation? America is a great nation because of the church and because of righteousness. That's still in our land.

But it must increase. Increase. It must wax. There must be an increase in transformed people. Can I get an amen?

That's how our nation changes. Nations are made of families, made of communities. You change a community and then you move on to another one and another one and another one. If communities get transformed by the power of the word, of the power of the blood, if people get transformed and healed, guess what? They vote different.

They act different. They get a job. They start working. They stop stealing. Come on.

Somebody say, God, make America great.

The church is God's appointed instrument for national transformation. The church is God's appointed instrument for global transformation. Let's look at the text. Apostle Paul here writing the church in Corinth.

He defines who we are as Christians. He really defines what a Christian is in these verses. Verse 14. Would you look at that with me for work? For the love of Christ compels us because we judge thus that if one died, then all died.

Christ love compels us.

In your life, does that happen? Do you do things because of the love of God? Are you bringing about change in your life because you love the Lord? I find in my life a direct correlation to me drawing near to God and me being a better husband. Now, Pastor Karen is not here at the moment, so we can't interview her.

And of course, men view things differently than women, and that can be very good. Come on. That can be very good. Like if you had an intruder. I ain't under my bed.

I've got guns in every corner of my house. In the wrong house to intrude into, you would run into trouble. Now, Pastor Karen might be praying in emergency tongues underneath the bed, but I wouldn't be. That's good. However, sometimes we're a little bit dull, which is good for pain but not good for emotional response.

Did you hear, Honey? Honey, Honey? Toby? Toby, did you hear me? Toby?

Huh? Yeah. We all have challenges like that. Some more than others.

You got, like, some people not laughing nervously. Can you move on? Yes, I can. I've found in my life, when I draw near God, I'm more responsive to people. I'm more responsive to my wife.

I'm more responsive. I just. My heart's more tender. I just. I started thinking about some of the things that maybe are on her plate.

What she concerned about Now? Now, I can get driving ahead in the vision that God's given me and. And being responsive in the love of God that way. But lose sensitivity, perhaps to my wife, because I'm not as close to the Lord, but with the love of God. The love of God changes your behavior.

It changes you. What does it do? It changes you. It compels us. Look at first.

Look at the second point here. We're no longer live for ourselves. Oh my narcissism. There's so many narcissists. That comes from a Greek mythology where this boy looked into a.

This young man looked into a reflection pool, saw his face and fell in love with himself. It's the original selfie.

He fell in love with himself and then he was judged. And he was locked. He was in locked gaze, gazing at his beauty in the reflection pond. And this call, they called him narcissist. That was his name.

That's where narcissism comes from. We're not supposed to live for ourselves. When the love of God comes into your heart, you become less selfish.

Live for ourselves, but for Jesus. That's the key to being a Christian. Living for Jesus. Verse 17 in the notes. Now we're new creations.

We're new. What new creations? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone and the new is here.

That's amazing. When you repent, you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Something happens, as many of you know, something happens. He changes you. You no longer behave the same way.

Your appetites change. You're no longer about you. Your name is no longer Gimme, gimme Jimmy. You start serving. You start behaving differently.

He takes out the heart of stone and he puts in a heart of flesh. He makes you a new creation. And that's when you're born again. He makes you new. But at the same time, there's a process of sanctification which is becoming more like.

Raise your hand if you're becoming more like Jesus. Yeah, sanctification is a lifetime process.

Somebody said, pastor, somebody cut me off. When I flipped him off and cursed at him. I lost my salvation. I said, no, you didn't lose your salvation. You guys think your sanctification has been affected.

Sanctification is a big deal. But we're new creations. We're made new. You no longer have to obey. Romans talks about this.

You, you, you do not know owe your flesh a debt anymore. You owe the one who purchased you, the one who died for you. You live for him. You live as a new creature, a New creation. Come on.

Say, I'm made new. Say it. I. I'm made new. I can't hear you. I'm made.

I'm made new. New creation.

Moving on. The apostle Paul defines a believer's divine assignment. That's what I'm calling it. I've used that language before. By the very fact that you and I will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for our life.

Now you're saved by grace. It's not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. It's a what? It's.

It's a gift of God. However, you're judged by what you do with your life from that point forward. You're judged by what you do. You're like, what? Yeah.

You don't just get a free ride. Yeah. You get to go to heaven. But you'll stand before God for what you've done with the time that you now have. How are you doing?

How are you doing with the time that you have? It's not a sloppy, a gompy. He loves us, but we have to obey. We are called to respond. There's literally a divine assignment so that we would hear in the end, well done, thou good and faithful servant.

There's keys there on your divine assignment. But he gives us the divine assignment. Right here we have the ministry. Look at verse 18 in the NIV. It says this.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. Come on. If you're separated from God, you. You need reconciliation. We've had marriages.

Come and say, pastor, we're working on reconciling. We're not currently together because we just hate each other right now. Can we come for counseling? Because we want to be reconciled. Reconciliation.

Jesus is a mediator, the high priest of our confession that reconciled us. Because you cannot be reconciled to God any other way. There's no other way. There's no other truth. There's no other life.

You must believe on. On Jesus that he died for you. Otherwise you will die in your sin. That's why it's called good news. To be reconciled.

God is holy, totally other than separate. You can't earn forgiveness, Not feeling the love. I'm gonna come further. I'm gonna come a little closer. You can't earn it.

What do you mean? If I give all I have to the poor, don't I get points? I mean, it's noble, but it doesn't forgive you of your sin. He said, but what. What if I surrender my body to the flames?

The stuttering was on purpose. What if I give my body to the flames? What if I. I just surrender my body to the flames? No, that's not what gets you forgiven. There is a way of being forgiven.

Only one way. And there's no other way to be reconciled to God. There's no other way to have that mighty gulf between you and God. Between me and God. There's only one way to bridge that, and that's death.

And not your death. The death of God's one and only spotless son. Fully God, fully man. Born of a virgin. Over 300 verses of scripture promises fulfilled in his advent as he came the first time.

Christ, Emmanuel, God with us many types and shadows throughout the Old Testament. The only way you can be reconciled to God. Hear me Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists. There's only one way. There's only one.

You must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And if anybody adds anything to that, then it's heresy. Now, when that happens, and you give your life to Jesus and you repent, you return from your sin, you repent and you receive him. What happens is that you have a new nature. God comes to take up resonance on the inside of you.

He comes to live inside of your heart. He comes to live inside of my heart. We're redeemed. We're reconciled. And then what?

Well, if that was it, we would all die straight away and go straight to heaven, as I've said so many times before. But that's not it, because he leaves us here to be a nehemiah. He lives us here to. To have a ministry. What ministry?

We have the ministry of reconciliation. Say we have it. We have the ministry of recon. That is what we're supposed to do. That is your divine assignment.

What do you mean? That means you're supposed to introduce people to Jesus. That means you're. You. What?

I'm. I. Dude, I just go to church here. Yeah. If you're born again, then you're called to minister to people the truth of God's word, bringing reconciliation between them and God. And I'm going to tell you, it's oh, so much fun.

Oh, it's a joy. Pray that God would make you a soul winner. The only thing that counts is that from the kingdom of God is winning souls. You can't take your Harley to heaven. Some people holding on to the handlebars heard one preacher say, you never see a hearse with.

With a trailer behind it. Now, you can't take any of that, but you can take relationships. You can win souls. You can Reach to your neighbor, you can reach to your brother, to your sister. You can live in a way that causes people to begin to think, think about God and literally hear the message.

One of the things that grieves me, and it was just a part of the culture of the day on my mother's side of the family, the, the McCall family. MC, capital A, capital L, capital L. There are missionaries going way back and one of those leaders, his name was Robert McCall. I might have it wrong, first name. I met him when I was like 5 at my grandfather's house. He was a missionary to China.

He was a medical missionary. He lived in China in World War II. Well, I mean, the incredible stories they told us about how they were walking and they, they met, they met Jesus, they met the Lord. The Lord appeared to him and said, don't go this way, go this way. And they went that way and were spared.

They were caught and tortured and went through all kinds of things. He told us these missionary stories. Can I tell you? As a five year old, I was just, oh, tell me more, tell me more, tell me more. And do you know that I never heard from him.

Jesus died on a cross and rose again from the grave. You must be born again. I was eating out of his hand, like, I want to be like you. You're a hero. No, they didn't close the deal.

Didn't preach. Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected. You must be born again. Never heard it. I went to the Catholic Church and they still have him hanging on a cross.

It was around the same time I showed up to Catholic church and my mama said I yelled from the back, embarrassing the entire family. Jump, Jesus, they're gonna kill you.

We have this ministry of reconciliation. Don't waste it. Don't just let it go by. Don't just assume somebody's saved. You know, we have a precious family.

They're around their, their daughter right now. No parent should marry their. There's no parent certainly should bury their children, but no parent should bury their children. We're praying for them right now. She's going to heaven.

Should she pass? We're believing for a miracle. How is it with your kids? How is it with your mom? How is it with your dad?

How is it with your next door neighbor? You said, is that. Are they my responsibility? Yeah. Yeah, your responsibility.

My responsibility is to be a minister of reconciliation. Raise a hand to heaven and say, oh, God. Come on, raise a hand. Heaven say, oh, God, help me to be a minister of reconciliation. You don't have to have title Minister or pastor or apostle or prophet or Head.

Jurassic Cooter. I don't. You don't have to have any title. Head what? You heard me.

We've been appointed.

We've been appointed as Christ ambassadors.

An accredited diplomat, an Ambassador. Verse 20. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors. As though God were making his appeal through us. That's pretty strong.

I mean, that's very strong. As if. As though. Pardon me, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God.

Gone.

If you would see your life that way. If we would see our lives that way, our nation would change because we wouldn't walk past the one that looks so lonely and so hurting or the one that's so fit and in fine clothes and everything in between. We wouldn't walk past people. Why are you saying this? Because I'm believing for a great awakening.

And a great awakening doesn't just happen. It happens by the church getting on fire and people beginning to see the responsibility of the community is theirs. Ambassadors. What's God saying to us? The church is not a building.

It's God's people. Did a whole series on the church. He said, isn't this a church? It is, but it's a church because we're meeting in it and we designated to be so. The NIOS of God says First Corinthians.

It's a dwelling place of God, but it's people. It's people. For the church to remain strong, God's people must be strong in their faith in Christ and steadfast in their devotion to living by His Word. There's a lot being said right there. But the church remains strong.

God's people must have a strong faith. How do you get that? Continue to come. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. Growing in your relationship with God.

Growing and demonstrating his power. Steadfast in devotion. I mean, we don't even use that word too often. Devoted. Said devoted.

She's a devoted wife. He's a devoted husband. Are you devoted? Are you a devoted follower of the Lord? Or do you have a whole bunch of things in your life that's compromised and you know the Lord.

Yeah, he knows your heart. It's okay. You know, it isn't, actually. And then we, we. We cut off conviction and don't transform.

You believe in your heart. You confess your. With your mouth unto salvation. There's. There's moving forward.

There's transformed lives. Is what causes people to come to Jesus. When they look at you, they Knew what a dirt bag you were. They knew what a jerk you were. And now look at you now, because you've been transformed.

But if you're not transformed, why would anybody want to have whatever you have? I remember years ago, I had somebody come up to me. It's before I knew the Lord, so forgive my attitude, but it's how I felt. This person came up to me and said, hey, hi. Hi.

How are you doing? Like, I'm okay. Like, listen, I want to tell you about the greatest thing. Jesus Christ. You need to be born again, otherwise you're going to hell.

I'm like, yeah, okay, bro. How's it working for you? You look like you look so miserable. What? I don't want.

Whatever. I got enough problems. I don't want whatever that is.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Knock on someone's door, hi, we're from Kings. Just want to tell you we love you and you should come to church. Like, what? Don't just stay home if you have that kind of an attitude.

They don't need whatever you have. That bitterness, that lack of joy and that religious pharisaical spirit, they don't need that. People need Jesus. They need the love of God. They need to be reconciled.

Yes, yes. We need to stand for truth, all of that. I'm all for it. I'm gonna say it. I'm gonna preach it.

I'm a pray, I'm a prophesy. But come on, you've got to have joy and live a life of faith. You got to be steadfast in your devotion to living the Word.

Come on, raise your hand if you desire that. I do. God help us to live devoted to you and your Word. Winning. The loss must remain at the heart of both our church and our personal lives.

Without a show of hands? Without a show of hands. Have you led anybody to Jesus over the past week or two? Let's just go. Two weeks.

If the answer is no, then you have to check what's actually going on. You say, well, that's for the evangelist. No, it's not for the evangelist. It's for every believer. Every believer is given the ministry of reconciliation.

So you have to see, are you, Are you reconciling people? Are you being used by God that way? He said, but I, I, I don't know what to say. I understand. I told some of you, heard the stories of how I started witnessing.

I just, I would hear messages like this, and I'd be like, okay, I'm up my game. I'm Going to share Jesus, he's changed me. I'm going to tell people. But I was so ashamed. I still had shame on me.

Thank God that's gone. I would pull up at a stoplight and I had like a. I think it was a 1983 Rabbit convertible. Orange Caltrans, orange ugly. Stephanie might remember my car. She was hosting our first life group that we ever went to.

And we're so honored that you're in the church with your amazing husband. I would sit there at a light with my. My top down and I. My. My stereo is more expensive than my car.

And the thing had had a thousand watts, great bass. It's awesome. So I'd pull up and I'd turn the stereo down and there'd be a car next to me and I'd wait. I'd time the lights. How many of you know how to time lights?

You know, I'd look, it's just about to turn. I'd say, excuse me. Excuse me. I'd get their attention. They'd roll the window down, the light would turn and I'd say, jesus loves you.

And then I would just like do a neutral drop and just take off. Like what? That's how I started witnessing. Just sharing your faith. It's okay to say, come on, try it.

Bump your neighbor and say, hey, Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you.

Winning the loss must remain central to what we're doing. So easily to get. So easily to get distracted by the news.

So easy. We must never forget who we are. We're the church where God's hand extended to the community, to the nation and the nations of the world. Well, let's not forget, we all have a mission to fulfill. We have a mission to fulfill and it's reaching the world.

It's sending out missionaries. It's raising up leaders. Yes. How does this to do anything to do with America? It has everything to do with America.

Go look at England. Look at England. The church went to a social gospel and they've lost a good portion of their buildings. And Muslims have taken over. But there's a revival.

Revival in England, too. We cannot just be a social gospel. Yeah. We're going to feed the hungry. Yes.

We're going to clothe the poor, the naked. We're going to help people. Absolutely. The rich, the poor and everything in between. But we must declare the word of God everywhere we go.

We'll never stop preaching the gospel. Never stop sharing. Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. It is a mission that God has called, called us. And it's not just receiving him, it's being discipled.

You probably add that in the. In the. In the margin.

Add that. We can be strong and influence our community worship team, please. We can influence our community in the world. How? Pray for people.

Pray for people.

Our beloved sister Karen.

Not Pastor Karen. Karen. I can't remember her last name currently, but she's just a tremendous person of prayer. And her husband came to the church because I was at the gym. And if you heard him tell the story, it is not how I remember it, but he came out and he had a.

A problem with his bladder. So he had one of those bags, you know, I mean, he was in a world of hurt. He needed God to heal him. He came out of the showers and he had a bag on, towel around his waist. I said, hey, you all right?

He's like, no, I got this thing. I said, man, can I pray for you now? His story is I flew over the bench like a cape flying behind me, and I laid hands on him. And the power of God came. Came, and the whole locker room got touched by the Holy Ghost.

That's not exactly how I remember it, but I did aggressively step over and I said, may I pray for you? I believe in healing. He said, yes, I laid hands on him. The power of God touched him. You know, God extended his life.

Not just because of my prayer. I'm sure his is his wife's. And he went on. Now he's in heaven now, but he lived a number of years more. And he would constantly introduce me to everybody all the time.

If I saw. If I came in the locker room, I'm there. Before I worked out, after I worked out, whatever. He would come and say, oh, hey, hey, have you met this guy? This is Pastor Daniel.

He's going to tell you the most important thing you've ever heard. See you guys later. And he'd walk away. No, he did it like dozens of times. I'd come in the sauna, he says, but it's my favorite pastor, Pastor Daniel.

He would say, hey, you know, I used to be sick. And he jumped over with a cape and flying across the locker room, and he laid hands on me. And he would tell the whole story. And he says, if you guys need healing, just ask him. And then he's going to tell you the most important message you've ever heard in your life.

Okay, see you guys later. And he'd walk out.

I would pray for people. Pray for people. He said, but I've never. Yeah, and you never will if you never lay Hands on anybody and never pray for anybody. You're never going to see your a miracle.

Contend. Pray the word, pray, pray healing. Pray, pray peace, let God use you. Just a quick and not a long Pentecostal prayer where you're on the ground giving the hose. And if you don't know what that means, don't worry about it.

Just pray. An anointed moment. Don't freak people out. You like being supernaturally natural. Many stories.

I'm moving on. Share your faith with people, share your faith with others. That's. That's how we can turn our nation around. How is that going to turn our nation around?

Because they're going to get born again like you. And you used to be a mean cuss and you know it. And look at you now. You're not so mean. You're still getting sanctified.

But I mean, come on, look what God's done. And so God can then take them. My brother, who's online most likely right now, drive, he's. He drives a bus and Denali up at the, the park up there. I mean he, he was voting and believing for everything.

I was against literally almost everything. Living in Southern California, we just have a. Arguments about this or that or all the corruption and all the stuff, but just solely steeped in blue.

He gets born again. He's lying on his bed in, in Malibu, California. Dana Point to be exact. He's watching a Wednesday night while I preach. And I pointed at the camera and said, you're addicted to cannabis.

You're in trouble. You need Jesus. And he knew it was him. He'd smoked weed for 40 years. 40.

He said the power of God hit him and something came out. You could hear his testimony.

And he packed his bags up and moved to Alaska. Amazing. Talking with him shortly after he was born again, coming to church. All of his opinions about everything he thought before was completely changed. Abortion is not of God, it's murder.

Same sex marriage is not right. I mean just all the way down the line. Why? Because it's right here.

It's right here. It's not about a cultural influence except for the fact that the word of God, that's what happens in the colonies. They voted their conviction. Pray for people. Share your faith with others.

Invite people to come. Invite people. Just invite them. Invite them to come to your life group. If you don't know what a life group is, a small group and homes at different places and cafes.

Invite them to come to morning prayer. Invite them to come to Sunday morning. Invite them to come to Sunday night, invite them to your home, have coffee with them, get to know people, invite people, and then I give you this challenge in closing. Here's the challenge. If everyone here.

Here's the challenge. The challenge is everyone remember, reach one. I'm going to say everyone reach one. Would you, over the next 90 days, 90 days is a good spread of time. Would you, over the next 90 days, change our nation just by one person, Just one.

Just pray. Have God help you. He said one. I can do five. Go for it.

Do five. I'm. I'm asking every single person, would you believe God to reach one person, bring them here, lead them to Christ? Would you challenge yourself to do that? Would you?

You know why? It's because it's what we're supposed to do as Christians. And that's how we change our community. That's how we change our. Our state.

That's how we change our nation. America, the next Great Awakening will happen if the church will do its job. And I intend with all my heart, with all my mind, soul and strength to love God and to fulfill the mandate to be a minister of reconciliation, to be his ambassador, even. It's as though God was making his appeal through me. Think about that.

God wants to make his appeal through you. Lift your hands to heaven. I'm concluded, Father. Thank you. I pray that people would take up the challenge just once in the next 90 days.

Come on, wave at me if you. If you're gonna believe God to do it. Next 90 days, you bring. We could double the size of the church. Why would that be important?

Because we will double the influence. And then we'll do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again. Father, thank you.

Well, I hope you were encouraged by God's word. Thank you again for listening to Kings Alaska podcast. God bless you. For more great content, go to kcalaska.com and may God's face shine upon you and give you peace.