Surrendering All for a Richer Life.

What's up, New Culture. How's everybody doing. Awesome. It's good. I'm so glad everybody came and didn't stay home and watch the Bucks game. They're going to win anyways, all right, so no stress.

Man, it's so cool to see so many friends and many of you new friends, a few of you I've connected with in the past. But we lived in Brookfield, Wisconsin for like nine years, and I was a youth pastor there. Before that, I grew up in rural Iowa where my dad still pastors.

In fact, I got a photo of my wife and our four kiddos. My wife Rachel and I met in youth group at church. My kids from the oldest are Levi, then Nora who's right next to me, Grace who's got a big laugh, and Isaac. Yesterday, Isaac and I, Isaac's four, we went to a monster truck rally. It was a good time.

But a little bit of our story, we were youth pastoring in Wisconsin. We would take students on youth trips, on missions trips. I was excited for these trips because I thought God's going to touch these students.

A year later after going to India, God brought it back to me. He really put on my heart a burden for the people where we live now. We've got a couple pictures actually of where that is in northern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. And you'll begin to understand as you look at these pictures why it is an unreached area.

I remember trekking and being on this missions trip, and this pastor sharing with me, every place you see on these mountains, for these people, they'd have to walk days to meet someone who even knew the name of Jesus. I remember sitting in my chair a year later and being just struck with the idea that people have to go, otherwise they'll never know the name of Jesus. So I told my wife, we've got to go to India. People need to hear about Jesus. And she said, no way. That's not going to happen.

A two-year struggle with calling

So for about two years, we were going in totally different directions and really struggling with this idea of the call of God on our lives. In that journey, I began to realize I was never going to convince her to go to India in my own strength. There was never going to be a conversation or enough arguments to convince her to move to a place where you don't always have electricity and you don't always have running water and you aren't always able to flush the toilet or get on internet. Those things are kind of important to us here living in the United States.

But what I began to do is this. I just began to fast and pray for my wife and for the country of India, for my own heart so that I would have a good attitude in the midst of struggling with my calling. I don't know if you've ever had that season of struggling with your calling, like what God's laid on your heart to do. But man, I struggled for two years, and I just would fast and pray.

And then God began to speak to my wife in a totally different way. He began to ask her some questions. One of the first questions he asked her was, are you supposed to be married to this guy. This guy who's so passionate about going to this other country. And thankfully she said yes. We resolved that.

And then he asked her, well, is he really called. Like, is this for real. Because there were other things that I had wanted to do. I wanted to be in a rock band and tour. I had wanted to open a t-shirt company. All sorts of different things that, like, you just think, hey, man, in college or high school, let's just do this. Stuff that I wasn't even really that great at. But as time went on, she realized, no, he really is called. Like, this is from you, Jesus.

And then the Lord asked her, in the quiet moments, when she was doing the laundry or some dishes, when the kids finally went to sleep, and he asked her, can you trust me.

I don't know if you've ever had that conversation with Jesus, where it's like you're at the edge of the diving board, and it's like, can I trust you. And she said, Jesus, I can't. This one's too hard. It doesn't make any sense to me. I'm not good at any of that. Living in a different culture, telling people about Jesus, even just sharing my faith, I'm not good at any of that. I can't trust you.

But here's the cool thing that we learn in seasons like this. God loves us for who we are, for where we are. He doesn't love us because we'll become somebody else. He loves us right where we are. My wife began to realize that Jesus loved her right where she was at in her struggles with saying, I trust you.

God just began to give her these words of encouragement and truth into her life to help her take one small step and then one more small step, which eventually led to leaving our jobs in Brookfield, moving out of our house and selling our stuff, figuring out all the financial, countless financial decisions and moving our family to northern India to this beautiful place.

The mission in India

In fact, this is a picture from our front yard of our city. You can see the sun setting and the clouds coming in over the hillside. We're a part of a Live Dead team. And basically what that means is we're a part of a team that lives among unreached people groups. You guys know that concept, unreached people groups.

The idea is that either a language group or an area, a cultural area, and there's no representation as far as the gospel, the church in that area. So we live in and work with a team among the unreached people groups in that area. We're working to plant churches just like you guys are talking about creating culture right, a Christ culture here. That's what we're working to do in those mountains of India.

It's been so amazing to see how Jesus has taken me and my wife on this journey and brought us to such an amazing team and so many amazing people. I just wanted to share a quick testimony from my wife's grandmother, Grandma Brown. Man, she's a prayer warrior. I don't know if you all got a Grandma Brown in your life.

She said, I know that you have this business because to be in this part of India, we can't go as a missionary or a pastor or even as an NGO. We have to have these businesses so that we have access to that area, building relationships and connecting in that community. So we have a couple CrossFit gyms and a trekking company. She's like, I know you got these gyms, but how are you going to reach the kids. And I said, Grandma, we're going to pray, and God's going to open a door. She said, that's not a plan, right.

Grandma knows, right. She asks you about college, and you're like, well, this is going on. And she's like, no, I want the honest truth. I don't know if you got a grandma like that, but she could ask those questions. And she said, I'm going to pray that you reach the kids.

2020 came and everything shut down in India. We couldn't meet in our gyms. We couldn't connect with any of our athletes. We're like, what are we even doing here, struggling through COVID in a different country and we can't even do what we came to do. But we began to realize as we looked around our neighborhood that there were kids walking around all day with nothing to do. No school, no activities. They're just aimless.

So we were like, well, let's just start doing like workouts centered and focused on being accessible to kids. Let's just start doing them in our yard with our kids. Then we started inviting our neighbors and their kids started coming. Then they started bringing their friends. Finally the gyms opened back up and we started having actual CrossFit kids classes with four-year-olds to 12-year-olds. It was chaos, man.

We opened a second gym, and we started doing classes in that second gym. And then last year, the door opened for us to meet in public schools. So with fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, we're doing these CrossFit classes. Man, I am using all the Hindi that I know, which is the language we use in that area. I am just butchering it, but we're having a good time.

It's so cool because I was able to raise up another coach who's now doing those classes in public schools, helping our team to connect with kids and families. One of the best parts about it for me is we got a picture of one of those classes and some of those fifth and sixth graders. All right. Watch out, Madison. Watch out.

But one of my favorite parts from this is that my son and 11 of his friends got baptized in water in September and all of them got connected because of these CrossFit kids classes. Can somebody say amen. And here's the cool thing. This week there will be a group of kids, actually two different groups, that will meet in different places to read the Bible and pray together and worship together, growing in Christ every week, building relationships.

I have a photo of some of our athletes. We like to go trekking and hiking. This is some of our crew. Now out of that group of 10 amazing athletes, only one of them is following Jesus. The rest of them are from Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist backgrounds, Sikh backgrounds because our city is so varied as far as religions and culture. You can see on people's faces as you go down the street their hunger for God. They're seeking after God.

It's such a cool thing to see when God opens a door and you're able to share the hope of what Jesus has done in your life. I think of my friend Surti. He's in that picture, who's following Jesus, and now he's beginning to disciple someone else that's in that picture. It's so cool because these last couple years I've gotten to disciple him, and now he understands he needs to disciple someone else. He needs to disciple them in a way so that now they'll go and disciple somebody else.

Because that's when the church is most strategic and most quickly planted. When we're discipling someone who's discipling someone else. That's when we multiply the fastest.

I just wanted to share a few of those stories to encourage you guys today. God kind of changed direction. I was going to share a different message, but as we were worshiping, that was awesome worship. The Holy Spirit just laid something else on my heart.

I have some resources available if you'd want to stop and grab one of our prayer cards. We've got some maps you can take. I've got a couple books available for a suggested donation of $5. One of them is Common Table. How to Invite People to Your Table to Meet Jesus. It's stories of our teams on the field. Another one is Leading Indians to Jesus and it's about how to cross the barrier culturally to share Jesus with somebody else. The third one is called Missionary God Missionary Bible. It's a powerful year through the Bible chronologically by Dick Brogdon and every day you have an unreached people group that you're praying for.

The rich ruler and empty hands

So let's turn to Luke 18, verse 18. You can pull out your device or your Bible.

A certain ruler asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. And he said, All these I have kept from my youth. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

Luke 18:18-23

Jesus, thank you for this story that speaks to us. I ask, Lord, that you would help us clarify some things tonight as your Holy Spirit speaks to us about what it means to come and follow and what that needs to look like for us on a daily basis. We pray this, Lord, in your name. Amen.

I don't want to go on here, but I do want to share a couple things from this story. Jesus challenges him. This guy either has everything or can buy what he doesn't have. That is very obvious from this story. He has everything or he can buy what he doesn't have.

It's so interesting to me because Jesus then tells him, you still lack. You don't have enough. And he's like, wait, what. One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.

It challenges me. If you've ever been to a wedding, you've seen the moment where couples turn and they face each other and kind of giggle sometimes and take each other's hands and they'll say important things to each other. What kind of things do they say. Yeah. Sickness and health. Richer or poorer. Will you do his part. Yes.

You've got that picture in your head. All right. Now I want you to picture this. They turn to hold hands and while they're holding hands, the man's holding on to his wallet real tight. Sickness and health, for richer or poorer. You know, like, he's still hanging on to his wallet. Like, you got everything but my bank account.

Or, well, how funny would it be if they turn and he's holding on to his keys, his four-wheel drive truck, right. And they're like, sickness, but not my truck. Like, I'm hanging on to that one still. Or they turn and he's holding on to his cell phone still. And it's like, why aren't you holding their hand. Because I'm holding on to my cell phone, man. You don't understand. I'm connected to the world with this. The pastor's like, no, you need to set that aside.

Or maybe it's not any of those, but they turn to hold hands and he's still holding the hand of another lady. I want to go to that wedding. Something about to go down. That sounds like a good time. No, right.

Here's this idea. Whether it's holding on to the keys, a wallet, phone, baseball, volleyball, clothes, a Cheesehead, a hand of a girlfriend or boyfriend, we can't receive what Jesus wants to give us until we let go of what we already have. Because when we turn to take his hand, he can't take our hands if they're already full of stuff. My job, my degree, who I am. I want to hold on to this thing. I want to hold on to who I feel like I am, my identity. Jesus is saying, man, you can trust me with all of that. Let it go.

Because it's not until your hand is empty that Jesus can finally use you. We think we need to have something in our hands for Jesus to use. He called my wife when she could offer nothing. She didn't know Hindi. She had never lived in a different culture and yet he called her in that place. Could it be that he does the same thing here today, that he's wanting empty hands so that he can take you and guide you where you need to be.

The story of Surti

I think of my friend Surti. She grew up in rural India, in those mountains that you saw. She grew up in a place where it is all Hindu idol worship. She had altars in her house and the temple that they would go to.

But about 15 years old, she got very, very sick, to the point where her parents thought she would die within a few days. Now the hospital was well over a day's hike away from the village, but they said, we've got to do something for our daughter. So they took Surti, some friends from the village, and they took her over the mountain, carried her all the way to the hospital.

It was while she was laying in that hospital bed that she began to weep, realizing that she was going to die there, separated from her family, from her home. But a nurse was walking by and noticed her crying and asked her, what happened. What's wrong.

She told her story and the nurse began to tell her, you don't have to cry. Jesus is with you. Now for Surti, this was the first time ever hearing that name. She began to wonder as she laid in her bed, who is Jesus and why would he want to be with me. I am nothing. My whole life I've been nothing. Why would he care about me.

Now miraculously, within a few days, the doctors figured out what was going on, performed surgery, and she made a complete recovery. She was able to return back to her home. Secretly she got the family radio and began to tune it until she found a station that talked about how to follow Jesus. This is rural India. Somehow she got a station that told her about Jesus and so she began to tell her sisters and her brother. When I was in the hospital, I learned about this man. He touched my life and now I'm going to follow him and you need to follow him too.

She refused any idol worship and her father found out. When he found out, he was furious, flying into a rage. He said to her, you will not live in this home. We will kick you out of this village. None of your family members will ever take you in. You are gone.

That evening, there was fighting between her family members, her sisters, her brother, her parents. And after everybody had gone to bed, in the quiet stillness of her mud and grass home, she just began to pray, crying in the stillness, saying, Jesus, I am going to fast and pray for my parents until they follow you.

Well, days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months became years. Still Surti continued to fast and pray that her parents would know Jesus. And one day, many years later, she was sitting with her father. He began to share memories she had never heard before. He talked about how as a little boy, a family had come to his village and they had shared stories and candy and they'd even shared songs about who Jesus was.

From a memory ages old, he right there in their home began to sing in his own language, Psalm 23. Can I tell you, that night Jesus became his shepherd.

The power of empty hands

Here's the thing that I think about. Now Surti didn't stop fasting and praying that night when her dad came to know Jesus. I just talked with her a couple days ago and she has a huge list of people she's fasting and praying for. Because she realized the most powerful thing she can do is when she raises her empty hands to Jesus and says, God, please do something. The most powerful thing she can do is when she's saying Jesus, I surrender all. Please change my friend's life. Please change my father's life.

I wanted to share this story with you as we close because I want to challenge you. Like Surti. Like Grandma Brown. Because there's nothing, honestly, there's nothing special about Grandma Brown. She's in heaven now but if she were here she would say there's nothing special about my prayers. Surti would say the same. It's just the reality that they committed to say Jesus, I'm not giving up on those kids in India. Jesus, I'm not giving up for my dad, for my mom.

Here's the cool thing. Maybe you're the person who somebody's been fasting and praying for and Jesus has brought you here tonight because he wants to do something in your life.

Man, if that's you, whether you're familiar with Jesus and you've just kind of been a part of things, or Jesus is pretty new to you, I want to invite you tonight. Like Surti's father. Like those kids who got baptized just a couple months ago. Make that decision to say, it's all on the table. I just want to take your hands, Jesus.

If you close your eyes, just close your eyes. And if that's you, if you want to make that decision, I just want you to raise your empty hand up in the air, saying, Jesus, it's all I have. Just this empty hand. If that's you, respond right now. Raise your hand up in the air. All I have Jesus is this empty hand. Take it and use it.

All I have Jesus is this empty hand. I see that hand. I see that hand and Jesus sees your hand. By putting your hand up, you're positioning yourself exactly where you need to be for Jesus to transform your life, to transform your community, to transform your family.

I encourage you, respond right now. Say, Jesus, this is my empty hand. This is all I have, but I give it to you.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. It's all we have, Jesus. We raise it up to you. Jesus, I pray over each person that is just saying, Jesus, here's my life. I pray for each of them right now as they're making this commitment to you that you would take their hand and lead them just like you say, as a good shepherd, you bring us to the green pastures, beside the still waters.

I pray, Jesus, lead them to that place of experiencing you because you are the green pasture. You are the still waters. Jesus, I pray that you would transform their heart tonight. Let them experience your goodness. Thank you, Jesus.

Prayer for the kids

New Culture Church, if you would open your eyes and look up at the screen, let's put that picture of those young people back up on the screen. I just want to invite you. If you would, we're just going to take a minute. Let's pray over these kids.

Because I guarantee you the parents are not praying for them to know Jesus. There's not one family member who's going to pray that they know Jesus.

And so I invite you, would you fight for these kids. Let's pray for them.

Jesus, right now we pray over these kids in India. God, they just had a CrossFit Kids class this weekend and I thank you so much for how many have even joined since I've been here in the United States. How it's been growing. But Jesus, we pray right now specifically for these kids for you to transform their lives.

Jesus, we pray right now that you would open the door for them to be able to hear the story of how you love them, how you care about them and how you died for them. God, for us this last weekend we experienced Easter, but God, for them, none of them have ever known the story of how you gave your life for them and how you came back to life to give us new life.

Jesus, we pray right now. Open the door for these kids to have their lives transformed by the Holy Spirit. That they may take those next steps and lift up their empty hands, receiving the life that you have for them.

I thank you so much that you have called each and every one of them. You have created them. They are a reflection of their heavenly Father. God, this purpose you have created for them is beautiful. It's amazing. The story you have for them. Jesus, we pray. Begin to transform their lives. Open the door for them to know you. May they walk and take those steps to become a part of the community of Christ.

We thank you so much, God, that your culture isn't just for Madison. It isn't just for the United States. But it is for the mountains of India as well. Jesus, it is by faith that we declare, Let your kingdom come and your will be done in India today.

We pray this, Heavenly Father, in your name. Amen.