Video Transcript: Your Voice, Your Purpose and Your Passion and Your Audience

Henry - Welcome back. Today we're going to talk about finding your juice, your  giz, your let's not worry about new words, and let's get down to business her,  ministry business, So here we are.  

Steve - we're gonna, we're going to talk about your veoice, your passion, your  purpose. And your audience.  

Henry - In a lot of ways, this is your calling your ministry calling.  

Steve - And we're talking about this, because we're talking about ministrybiz,  how you might combine business and ministry. But how do you even begin to  start thinking about what in the world you would even do or what you would  even try? And so we're going to spend this session talking about who you are,  and trying to figure that  

Henry - so this is sort of like developing a curious and doing route. So like, what  do I do? How do I make an impact.  

Steve - And if you can fit, if you can figure out how you're wired, how God made  you to be, and kind of go in that direction, then it's going to be way more fulfilling than just trying something because you heard about it and maybe doesn't fit  you.  

Henry – Right. So really, that spiritual calling you have that spiritual dream that  brought you the Christian Leaders Institute, is now we are going to put that in  focus.  

Steve - Okay, so we're first going to talk about your voice Ephesians 2:10. For  we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God  prepared in advance for us to do. We are a God's handiwork. I think the literal  translation is we are God's piece of art, artistry, right? That each one of us is  

unique, we've been created, uniquely, with unique gifts. And that God has a  special purpose that God has already figured out the good things that he wants  us to do in the future,  

Henry - right. That's the thing that I see when I read your stories. Sometimes I  read your stories, and you're like, wow, look at the set of gifts that that person  has made him and by God, I would not even have imagined, we have a person  who owns a dance studio in California. And we feature this person in the Getting Started class. And they had a video that I did, I slipped in there because it was  so interesting to see. And how he wants to give all glory and honor to God, but  that set of gifts, and he has a ministrybiz going over there. 

Steve - So So who has God made you to be? First of all, I think a lot of times  people will discount who they are, right? I don't have any gifts. I'm not very good at anything. People tend to look at other people that are way more superior than themselves. And they start thinking, Well, who am I? Right? And, but but if you  think about God, creating the whole world, and in God, God did see what was  going to happen. He looked at the whole world, that that would one day be. And  he looked at every individual that would be into this world. And he saw you. And  he said, I'm going to create the world where you exist, he could have created the world just as it is without you. But he looked at those two worlds and said no, I  want you there. So why does God want you there? Right? I mean, if God put  you on this planet, what does he want you to do? So even though you may  disqualify yourself. You know, I haven't been able, you know, my life has been a  disaster. I made a lot of bad decisions. Well, you made a good one by coming  here. You're studying you're trying to improve yourself. You're trying to learn  things because you have a dream that God has put in you are God's handiwork.  And he has your future planned. So what is it?  

Henry - Did you hear that? You are God's handiwork.  

Steve - Right. Now, sometimes, you know, art is hard to understand. You maybe  haven't figured out who you are yet. But I guess starting from the fact starting  with the belief that God has created You for a special purpose, if you have that  sense. Remember, the first time I flew in the plane was 1975, I signed up for a  mission trip to Ogden, Utah, to work among the Mormons. And you know, I was  a young kid, it was the first time I got on the plane, and it was Friday, the 13th,  which is, you know, in some circles is a negative  

Henry - stop for the I've never heard this story.  

Steve - So, I got on the plane, and I was sitting between two ladies, I was in the  middle seat. And before we took off the one lit up a cigarette. This is when you  could smoke back then. there, and the other one started reciting her rosary  beads. And then we took off, and I looked at both of them, and said, did it work?  Did the cigarette work? Did the rosary beads work? But I remember thinking  this, the first time I flew and it was Friday the 13th. I remember thinking, you  know, planes crash and all those things. But I thought, but I know this plane is  not going to crash. And I know it, because God has a purpose for my life. And I  have not yet fulfilled it. I was young, I was 18 years old. And I thought I know  God has something in mind. And you know, when when I was dating a girl, and  she dumped me. All the negative things that happened in my life, I thought,  Okay, what is God going to do with this? 

Henry – Or in other words, there's purpose around the next corner, no matter  what failure.  

Steve - And I don't know what it is, I just went out and boldly did whatever was  what was in front of me. But no matter what happened, I had that sense that  somehow God has a plan, and he's using every little thing that happens to me to make it happen.  

Henry - Well, maybe it was, If the plane did go down, the two ladies next to you,  and it brings to the Lord real quick. It is true, we get the days we get Yes. And  when those days are complete, and the purpose for our life is complete, that's it. 

I Corinthians 12:7, Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for  the common good. This whole, this whole chapter is about spiritual gifts. Right  how every single person, which means you is given a gift, or maybe more than  one gift by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of building up the church for the  

purpose of ministry. Right. And that means you, you have gifts, that the Holy  Spirit. You know, when you know, if I were to give you a gift Henry, before you  have before you get the gift that I give you, do you have it? No, no. So I give you the gift, and you open it up. And all of a sudden you take this thing out. Now you  have something but before I gave it you didn't have it. Okay. So a lot of you say,  you know, well, I'm not a good speaker. I'm not good with people. I'm not  outgoing. I'm not very smart. I'm not and you list of all the things that you're not  and you have experienced it you did this, and it didn't work out and you failed  and you try this, okay? When the Holy Spirit gives gifts, he gives a gift. And  maybe he didn't give you the gift of speaking before. But maybe he's going to  give it to you now. You don't have a gift until you get the gift. Right and the Holy  Spirit can give you the gifts whenever he wants to. So it doesn't matter what  your past experience has been. You have to keep trying keep experimenting,  keep doing things curious doing because you have no idea what the Holy Spirit's plan is with you.  

Henry - Right in some ways, God has a ministrybiz and you are a part of it.  

Steve – Right. So this sense that you are a special unique creation of God that  that is the rock bottom. That's where you start as you go into wherever curious  doing that you end up doing. Beautiful. So let's talk about your passion.  Philippians 3 in your let me read that first.  

Henry - Okay, I will Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider  myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind 

and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize  for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  

Steve – So straining towards something pressing towards something towards a  goal to win a prize being called to something, we're talking about your passion.  What passion do you have? What is what what drives you, Henry? I mean,  what's your, there's something inside of you that, I mean, we got up here, we got up at six o'clock in the morning to do this. We had one cup of coffee, and here  we are. So last night, we were trying to make one of the videos and we had  technical problems. finally did it really well. And we forgot to turn the fan off. So  that noise is there.  

Henry - And after that the sound system burps. And then I went to bed and all I  could think about is getting up so that we get going, we said we're going to start  at 8 but at 5:30 I'm up.  

Steve - And so what are your what, what what is driving today? What is this  passion? 

Henry - if it's all true. That dead are awake with Jesus Lord and Savior in  heaven is real. And I believe that with all my heart, I want to get there. I'm glad  to get there by the grace of God. And I want to take as many people with me as  possible, and I want to help others take as many people with them as possible  that they can take to that's what Christian Leaders Institute is all about.  

Steve - So where do you think? I mean, not everyone has that same passion?  Where do you think they came from?  

Henry - My wife just got me a plaque. And, and I actually cried when I saw it. It  was a plaque deep within my calling, before I formed you in the womb, in the  womb, I knew you. My grandma said that when I was 12 and that has never left  me. I believe God has a plan for my life, to be a prophet to the nations. And I  remember thinking that the Father, Lord, I am know the verse by heart. That's  my fire, my passion to reach the world for Jesus Christ.  

Steve - So what's your passion? Are you in touch with your passion? Is is? Do  you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night? Thinking about who God is?  And what God is calling you to do? What, you know, why is it this? What do you think are some of the blocks to this passion? Because not everyone seems to  be passionate about about anything. 

Henry - I think one block is our environment is we are just entertained into so  many distractions, that we often do not spiritually get quiet enough to hear the  still small voice of God speaking. So one block is a noisy world with fear and  trepidation and worry, everything is everywhere. That's a block.  

Steve - So the difficulties that people face. And then I think, you know, to offset  those difficulties, there's all these distractions that you can do to not worry about these things, right? There's all these fears out there. And then instead of like  attacking it, right, why not just sit back and watch a movie, right? And then you  can just forget about all your trouble,  

Henry - watch someone else's story. And watch somebody else's passion. Right, right. Yeah, get a good answer.  

Steve - I get a surrogate experience in sports or whatever it might be. Where  you can throw some passion into a thing that is like pretend to not think about  the real thing. You know, your family's falling apart, your marriage is falling apart. You know, you hate your job. You want to be close to God, but you're distracted.  You never read your Bible, you never pray. You're never part of that whole  system. And then you wonder why you know God seems distant. And then you  distract yourself again, from all this downward spiral and the depression that you find myself in. So how do you get out of this?  

Henry - You know, I was thinking of a few more blocks. I think there's pseudo  passions out there. You go to Facebook or multimedia and what not or network  media, what you find is that everybody's around this cause, right? But it's not the core cause of your life. But you know, it's a cause your life. You get distracted,  right in the cause, right? It's not your voice. So when it means what happens you do a little bit to do it. And that sort of solves all of your, like desire, right? But  then a year goes by and you still leave your passion. you're calling on the shelf.  Five years goes by many people, have you written how your calling was here  when you were like 14 or 18. And now they're 62. And they go, I'm like, Jonah.  But you know what? Whether you're like Jonah or not, you're here today, 

Steve – right. So get in touch again, with your passion. God has called you for a  purpose. Right? And, and spending a whole lot of time trying to figure that out,  like you're taking classes. That's one good way to figure out, you know, what,  what things touch you what things, spark an interest, what things get you  motivated you, you watch a video, you do the work, and you're like, excited, you  can't wait to get to the next one. That might be an indication of the direction that  maybe God is calling you to. 

Henry - You know, I think, too, for some people, it's where they are in their life  right now. Like, I've seen a lot of you come to retirement age, and you are  passionate now than ever before, about your future in ministry, right. So, you  know, some of the blocks are to be you're in a situation and you can't get out of  the situation now for the first time, you're out of that thing that held you back.  And now you're all in right? And you're gonna fight, strain for what's ahead and  get the prize. Right?  

Steve - So we're talking about, you know, maybe starting a ministrybiz. And  unless you have the press on attitude, right. It just won't happen. I mean, we had that with church planting, it's, it's, things are always harder than you think. And  there'll be obstacles that come in your way. So that, you know, Paul had this I'm  gonna press on. Yeah, I failed in the past. It didn't always work out but I'm  forgetting the past. And I'm straining towards what I'm going after. I'm after the  prize and after the goal, and it's gonna take some pressing on to get there.  

Henry – Now I have a story down but you've heard planting a church in Eugene,  Oregon. A realtor who was just seemed so amazing story in my church that I  planted with Dave hiding in Colorado Springs. So I'm called to go planted church in Oregon, and he picks up and moves. So he's to help tell, I like it. He's like the  number one realtor in the state of Colorado. Okay. So he moves over there and  I'm thinking Gary, right away, he gets connected with REMAX firm. And  gentleman, Patty Tubbs, right down the line. You remember Patty? What a great girl and Jan. And one by one. He's sharing Christ. This was where we were in  our early days. So we're remembering helping Patty read the Bible. And she  became a believer and I still see her occasionally in Facebook and she's walking with the Lord. This is years 30, 25 years ago. But so there was this moment  when we're Gary Jacobson says, Well, what do we do to plant a new church?  And I said, Well, what would you do? I just started knocking on doors. Now, I  knocked on a lot of doors in my first churches. And I couldn't believe it. Here's a  guy with such a fire to share Christ. So we went on street in Eugene, Oregon  and I went to one side, and he was on the other side. And while he was on the  other side, one failure for another because he has no ministry training didn't  anything I personally did that you are having. But even despite he knocked on  the door and a woman in joy or mando was zo noodley knocks the door and this gal was seriously depressed and all that. And then Gary waved at me and I  walked over there, and we led her to Lord. But his fire and passion was so clear, right? So that's you. What is it that you believe to your core of your being?  

Steve - So if you don't have that, then the first bump in the road you just stop.  And so many people do that. So getting in touch asking God to give you that 

press on mentality. Alright so your passion, your purpose. This, by the way, is  my favorite verse.  

Henry - This is your favorite verse, we'll come back to really why?  

Steve - Well, let me read it. Now when David had served God's purpose, in his  own generation, he fell asleep and was buried with his ancestors and his body  decayed.  

Henry - This is my theory, you have a theory on this. So I have finally connected  the dots here after all these years, I've known that That's his favorite verse, he  said, I've been in public places where you've spoken that this is my favorite  verse. And in my mind, at first, I think it's that airplane story he told earlier, he's  on the plane it's 1975 thinking some of these planes go down. And if you  remember that some of you are already know about it. And he's between a  smoker, and he's between someone who's just like, spiritually worried, and so  forth. And I think, that's what  

Steve - this verse, you know, whenever I tell people this verse, they sort of hear  the second half, he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed, the  body decayed. It doesn't sound like a real pick me up verse to start your day, I  how I can mark that but you have read the last part in the context of the first  part, and I love the first part when David had served God's purpose. So what is  God's purpose, and you know, when you're done serving God's purpose, then  it's time to go home. I mean, in fact, you're not getting the plane is not going to  go home, or go down until God's purposes for building your lives, you have to  totally screw up because, you know, what do you have to worry about? And you  can boldly go out and do things. What is the worst that can happen to you? The  worst thing that can happen to you is you could die. But if you die, that means  God has already fulfilled His purpose in you. Right? So that's the worst.  

Henry – Right. And that's not bad, because the dead are raised.  

Steve - Exactly. So it gives you a lot of freedom to try anything and everything.  Tthe worst failure is really not even a failure. So I love this verse. Because, you  know, what I tell people to do is, when you read it, just put your name in there  instead of David. So when Steve had served God's purpose, in his own  generation, he fell asleep. And was buried with his ancestors and his body  decayed. So what is your purpose? So as you're thinking about, maybe a  ministrybiz, okay, how can I make a living and do ministry at the same time? It's  really about your purpose, right? What gifts and abilities has God given you?  What people has God brought into your life? What training do you have? What 

training do you need? What? What gets you out of bed at six o'clock in the  morning? Because you're so excited to get to it? As you have evaluate your life,  what are those things in your life that sort of get you going? And that might be  your purpose? Your passion, your purpose, your audiance. One more is your  audience. Acts 13:36. Where we heard that before. Go back. Okay. Can we just  read this? We did. But we didn't talk about the one part. Now when David had  served God's purpose, or when Henry had served God's purpose, or when  Steve had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep and was  buried with his ancestors. his body decayed/ In his own generation. Interesting.  So David, was a historical person doing the thing that he was called to do,  fulfilling God's purpose in his generation. So you and I are alive today. And, and  the people that are alive with us today are only going to be reached by the  Christians who are alive today. We can't like say, Well, eventually we'll get to  this. We are responsible for this generation. And God has specifically planned,  orchestrated, that we would be born into this generation, he orchestrated that  you would be born into the family into the situation into the culture, whatever it is that you were raised with, because he specifically had something in mind for you to do with your specific world.  

Henry - You know, it's like, this is so interesting, I know, as you're talking, my  mind is going off in different directions. So it's not just generation, it's the people  group is your generation get real practical. It's the people group. It's the people  group you hang around with. It's the people group with interests that you have.  It's the people group that respect you. It's the people group that you feel  passionate about. And it's okay to feel passionate about the people group that  you feel passionate about, right? And it's okay to feel passionate about the  people group that you feel passionate about. You don't have to be on a mission  to another people group, right? Because they're different or not different from  you, right?  

Steve - So, so in some ways, again, I've said this before, but God has is  preparing you for His purpose in you. And he's been preparing you by all the  experiences that you've had. And you've had some really good positive  experiences. And you've had some really negative experiences, but all those  things, all those are preparing you to reach a certain kind of person, if you've  had, if you've been through a divorce, you know what that is like, like no other.  So when you're meeting someone that you want to share Christ, and they're  going through that, you can speak to them in a way that I can never speak to  that, right. So nothing in your life is wasted. If you've had a horrific life, and you  look back and you go, Oh, I wasted so much of my life.  

Henry - That was preparation to reach people that have that situation, 

Steve - right. So doesn't matter what your whole life has been. God, God has his eye on you, before you were born. He created those purposes. And those things that he wants you to do. And he's been preparing you and part of that  preparation is Christian Leaders Institute and the classes that you're taking. This lecture right here is we're trying to inspire you to, to get in touch with who you  are, what your gift is, what God is calling you to and to whom God is calling you  to. So getting in touch with all of those things, is a helpful exercise in deciding  what kind of ministrybiz you want to try.  

Henry - So I want to talk about one last little tangent. I think it's practical. That's  a tangent of are you a mission person in your ministry and calling? Or are you in indigenous Minister connected to your call? Okay. So what do you mean? Well, I 

feel like sometimes, and I've seen this, where someone feels the need to give  money, they feel the need to give a little time donate and volunteer for  something. It's for those people in different people groups, but they're not tied  into their own passions. And what happens, you know, if, let's say, I support a  ministry, I don't like something the ministry is doing. I'm support this mission.  And I like to I'm not going to give there. In fact, I'm not going to do this now. And  it's like, the mission. Identity is not really their calling and passionate identity,  indigenously like, I've seen that with church planter, sometimes, where they're  not knocking on doors, or talking to people that they will actually influence and  lead, there somehow, in their mind have a different person they're trying to get  

Steve - so in some ways, it's sometimes where people will come down to a soup kitchen to help the poor. And they don't really connect at all to the poor. They're  just doing this thing. And I think of like the apostle Paul, okay, what did the  Apostle Paul do? He was called to reach the Gentiles, right? But every time he  went to a new city, where did he go? He went to the synagogue. Why? Because  he was a Pharisee. He was a follower of the law. And then Jesus saves him  from being a follower of the law to being a follower of the Savior. So what was  he saved from? He was saved from the following the law thing, so when he goes to a new city, the first place he goes, are the people who need exactly what he  needed. 

Henry - and that's a hard sell for him.  

Steve - He got beat up every time. And then he finally goes, he finally says, You  know what? I'm done with this. I'm going to the Gentiles. And he goes to the  next city, and what does he do? Right back to the synagogue. So it's, it's, what  you're saying is, is you have a people group experience, you have experiences  in your life, that God is preparing you for a particular segment. And a lot of 

times, we go to a totally different segment, just because we think that's what we  should do. That's, that's what a mission would be. And we're, we're, we're totally  not connected to that.  

Henry - It's for those people over there. But it's not for the people closest in our  life, and the people in your family in your life. In the synagogue, they're often  very difficult to reach but, here's the path to join the benefits. When you can  reach that group of people that know you well, and you know them well, a  synergism Holy Spirit's synergism starts occurring. And I remember in church  planting, the kind of the first stage of church planting is often you reach the  easiest possible people to reach. So in when you reach the easiest possible  possible people to reach. These are people who are very dependent, they're not in your economic or your interest group. You have them over for dinner, because it's the program to have them over dinner, but they will not invite you to their  house, you won't necessarily want to invite them again. And it becomes like a  sort of. And that's the honest truth of the elephant in the room, right. You want to  in the Lord. But it's very difficult to reach and difficult to maintain, right. But then,  then you find someone in your group, and you take the bold and audacious, you  do it. You share, they come to know the Lord, and now you're hanging out  together and you want to build these, you're hanging out more with them than  somebody else who's on the mission side, and you gather them to join the  mission from those people. Instead of saying, let's meet people, is let's keep  going with people and our people group connection now get people out of hand  on that make it so that they become a country club and forget the other people.  I'm not saying all that. I'm just saying in general, you know, is your passion to  reach in your generation with the people that are closest to you in your life?  

Steve - Right? You know, so, as a church planter, of course, I felt like I have to  save everybody, right? And so then I did, I would, I would try to help this person,  this person, and I would get a bunch of dependents. And then I would burn out.  Right. And so in the end, God has created you with, with experiences with  certain gifts, that are sort of focused towards a particular people group. And as  you can as you reach them, you'll get energy from it, rather than be draining  from it. So that's all we're trying to say is God creates us uniquely, he gives us  unique gifts. He gives us unique experiences for the purpose of reaching unique people. Right? So trying to, you know, figure that out. And if you figure that out,  then you're able to press on right, because then when it's difficult, it's like well,  you know, like Paul, he kept getting beat up. But he just kept doing it. And he  just kept going at his countrymen, because he had a passion for that. He  understood, a lost they were. He understood how empty that kind of life was.  And so his heart was breaking for those people. Right? 

Henry - Well, I think that was enough for today. This is a really good session. So  praise God. Let's Close in prayer. Lord, this is very personal, to get into the  passion, the gifts, unique, deep into the soul, and if something dream level,  calling level. Lord, I pray for everybody here today that Your Holy Spirit will give  them insight and get them for that passion for ministry to reach more people and to glorify You in the process. We pray this in Jesus name, amen. Amen.