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Feb. 27, 2024

Finding Faith and Community on a Mission Trip to Guatemala: CityLight Church Podcast Reflections

Finding Faith and Community on a Mission Trip to Guatemala: CityLight Church Podcast Reflections
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CityLight NYC Church
Finding Faith and Community on a Mission Trip to Guatemala: CityLight Church Podcast Reflections
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Season 1

I never anticipated the incredible stories of faith that would emerge from our journey to Guatemala. Our CityLight Church podcast captures the essence of these profound experiences where ordinary church members stepped into the extraordinary, guided by God's hand. Our episodes unravel the rich tapestry of emotions and spiritual battles faced by our team, revealing that ministry is both challenging and deeply rewarding. As we swapped the comfort of familiar pews for the hands-on construction of worship spaces and the delivery of Bible studies, each of us discovered strength we didn't know we had. We confronted spiritual oppression with prayer and unity, and through it all, the heartwarming connections with the local community underscored the universal language of God's love.

Whether you're seeking spiritual nourishment or a family to call your own, we extend our hands to you. So come, listen to our stories, witness the miracles, and perhaps, find yourself inspired to embark on your own journey of faith and service with us.

Chapters

00:00 - Agreeing With Your Adversary Quickly

03:30:00 - Faith Over Fear

07:40:00 - Powerful Healing and Spiritual Transformation

21:18:00 - Powerful Mission Trip Testimonies

30:43:00 - Church Mission Trip Reflections

41:20:00 - The Power of Community and Healing

55:43:00 - City Light Church Podcast Invitation

Transcript
00:00.361 --> 00:03.929 You know, jesus said something peculiar in the gospel of Matthew and the Beatitudes. 00:03.989 --> 00:06.053 He said agree with your adversary quickly. 00:06.762 --> 00:11.648 So when your adversary, satan, says You're not righteous, agree with him quickly. 00:11.688 --> 00:12.150 That's right. 00:12.310 --> 00:15.722 Satan, in and of myself I'm not, but in Christ I am. 00:16.841 --> 00:20.688 When Satan says you're inadequate, agree with that adversary quickly. 00:20.748 --> 00:23.894 I'm not adequate, but in Christ I can do all things. 00:24.361 --> 00:24.682 Amen. 00:26.300 --> 00:28.426 Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. 00:28.667 --> 00:34.967 Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. 00:35.711 --> 00:40.671 If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyccom. 00:41.441 --> 00:43.408 That's City Light NYCcom. 00:44.780 --> 00:51.680 Pastor boy on Janssen and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. 00:52.642 --> 01:02.430 As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by his grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you. 01:05.781 --> 01:08.388 Well, a good number of us have had a whirlwind of a week. 01:08.609 --> 01:23.011 We're back from Guatemala, from our missions trip, and we want to thank you, city Light, for sending us, enabling us to go and enabling us to minister in that region for 15 years. 01:23.492 --> 01:24.113 Can you believe it? 01:24.193 --> 01:28.447 15 years We've ministered there, visited hundreds of churches. 01:28.507 --> 01:35.492 In 15 years preach the gospel, helped Pay for the supplies and build 40 plus church buildings. 01:36.582 --> 01:37.927 You can give the Lord a hand for that. 01:43.427 --> 01:45.791 We had 26 on fire. 01:46.532 --> 01:47.954 No other gods but Jesus. 01:48.074 --> 01:59.409 City Lighters come with us and I want to give them an opportunity this morning to share what they observed, what they experienced and what the Lord has done in their heart, and this will minister to you. 02:00.921 --> 02:11.095 Nobody who's gonna share is in full-time ministry, but God occupies their hearts full-time and Whatever the Lord has done in their lives, know that he can do in yours. 02:11.115 --> 02:17.693 And we're commanded by the Lord to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 02:19.001 --> 02:29.010 And we went into the part of the world, but thankfully we live in a city where the world has come to us Any given time, depending on what nation is being recognized or not. 02:29.201 --> 02:32.240 There's about a hundred and eighty to a hundred and ninety six countries in the world. 02:33.443 --> 02:35.388 161 of them are in Queens. 02:35.669 --> 02:37.273 Not even in the whole, five birds are in Queens. 02:37.941 --> 02:43.990 That means 80% plus of the world Lives here, and you can be a missionary without even having a passport. 02:46.241 --> 02:49.448 So let me just get five or six people who want to share first. 02:49.488 --> 02:50.871 Can I just see your hands and we'll go. 02:50.971 --> 02:52.134 We'll go in rounds of five. 02:53.841 --> 02:58.107 Rob Yari yeah, you guys come on up. 03:02.148 --> 03:02.729 That's how you know. 03:02.749 --> 03:04.934 A kid has grown up in the church since he was one years old. 03:05.801 --> 03:06.824 Just feels right at home. 03:06.884 --> 03:15.543 Feels like an Altoid goes up to the altar, gets one, cassandra, won't you start? 03:15.703 --> 03:16.946 Hey, let me get that second mic. 03:16.986 --> 03:17.688 Do we know where that went? 03:17.789 --> 03:18.310 There we go. 03:18.350 --> 03:19.152 Thank you so much. 03:20.524 --> 03:22.160 Give Cassandra Comedina a hand. 03:28.048 --> 03:28.809 Hi everyone. 03:29.089 --> 03:30.090 I'm happy to be here. 03:30.791 --> 03:34.796 So let me start with saying I know that I was supposed to be on this trip. 03:35.561 --> 03:37.928 It was a confirmed word that I remember. 03:37.988 --> 03:44.780 Nathaniel prayed over me Not only my heart for the nation's, but he saw me surrounded by kids, and this fit exactly into that. 03:44.961 --> 03:47.890 So just know that when the Lord gives you a word, he's gonna fulfill it. 03:48.545 --> 03:51.776 I Thought it was gonna die when this trip started. 03:51.796 --> 03:53.266 I'm not kidding, I actually thought. 03:53.327 --> 03:55.060 We landed on the plane in Guatemala. 03:55.160 --> 03:57.226 I actually had the fear that I was actually going to die. 03:57.527 --> 04:06.507 I started having like serious medical complications on the plane and that fear was there from Satan to keep me from going. 04:06.528 --> 04:14.659 I was thinking about how I could turn back, how I was gonna coordinate a flight back to New York, and my brothers and sisters of Christ prayed for me. 04:15.702 --> 04:16.684 We got rid of the fear. 04:16.744 --> 04:20.873 I stood strong in the faith that I had in the Lord and I didn't let that deter me. 04:21.981 --> 04:31.874 So not continued into the first day to where I Re-renounced all that and I took my faith over fear and what I knew needed to manifest in the physical. 04:35.622 --> 04:39.479 And not only that, but that's because the Lord wanted to get different words to people. 04:39.599 --> 04:47.284 So Chris had shared earlier in the previous service about a woman where he got a word from the Lord, and this is such a confirmation, a word of knowledge. 04:47.324 --> 04:54.736 I'd prayed over this woman, I felt that she needed to be prayed Over and I had touched her hands for healing. 04:54.836 --> 04:59.180 And then, as I walked away, I thought, okay, there's actually someone in her family that needs healing. 04:59.582 --> 05:03.780 I went back and I asked her and it turned out that she did have two people in her family that needed healing. 05:04.102 --> 05:11.112 So we were able to pray over her, tell her that we're praying, but that the Lord was gonna release healing through her, even if she didn't see it when she got back. 05:12.083 --> 05:14.500 So, nestor, thank you for helping me to translate with her. 05:14.640 --> 05:15.944 But the point was she won't. 05:16.045 --> 05:18.031 The Lord wanted her to know that he saw her. 05:18.381 --> 05:27.145 So when I was done praying for her, then Chris spoke To her as well and got the same word and that gave me the Knowledge, encouraged, that the Lord was speaking to me. 05:27.185 --> 05:30.292 It was literally the exact same word, that the Lord saw her. 05:30.633 --> 05:39.450 So Also know that if you don't hear the Lord the first time, he's not just gonna not get the message to you, he'll send another person to make sure that you you get it. 05:40.681 --> 05:53.622 And I was able to give a few other words to people one child that he'd be a landowner, one child that he would write music Even though he was a drummer, that the Lord would give him songs, and one of our cooks that the Lord would restore the years that she was out of the faith. 05:53.743 --> 05:56.385 So, thank you, thank you. 05:57.220 --> 05:58.265 Good morning everyone. 06:01.501 --> 06:01.883 All right. 06:01.903 --> 06:03.892 So I just got a couple little bullet notes. 06:05.962 --> 06:06.484 So I'm past the boy. 06:06.584 --> 06:21.453 Our first Mentioned that they were gonna do this Guatemala trip, because Andre and I were actually sitting somewhere in that area and as soon as he was done, saying hey, we're gonna plan to do this upcoming trip, she looked over to me and she said I don't know what you're doing that week, but I'll be in Guatemala. 06:23.145 --> 06:25.182 I'm gonna go to the next one, guatemala. 06:28.901 --> 06:30.688 So I had to get my application. 06:33.022 --> 06:34.266 So, yeah, it was an amazing trip. 06:34.647 --> 06:45.260 A Couple days before the trip I started to have issues with my left foot and I was getting swollen and stuff and I couldn't put any pressure on it. 06:45.381 --> 06:52.254 And I had originally signed up to be part of the construction team, which I was really excited about, and I was getting really bummed. 06:52.454 --> 06:56.849 Not only can I not be a part of it, but I was starting to think I'm gonna be a liability on this trip. 06:56.969 --> 07:00.288 I should just Hit up past the point or Sarah, let her know. 07:00.328 --> 07:03.911 Like this, I don't think I'm gonna make it because I'm just gonna hold the trip back and it's just gonna be an issue. 07:04.401 --> 07:16.906 But glory to God, you know, he spoke to me through through some people and told me I needed to be on this trip and it was a blessing to be part of the VBS team To work with the kids. 07:17.864 --> 07:34.567 It was a blessing I didn't expect to have Because, like I said, I was originally just only thinking about doing the construction work, but the opportunities the Lord gave me To pray over some of these kids, pray over some of the teachers that were there, was truly remarkable. 07:36.511 --> 07:39.780 So the Lord can take anything and really use it. 07:40.110 --> 07:44.838 There was a couple of things that stood out to me, which was on one of the services. 07:46.030 --> 08:01.775 I believe it was night number two after we were done with our service with the kids, but right before we headed up with Pastor Boyan to pray over the members of the church, there was a little boy that came up to me and said that he needed prayer, that he had, he was dealing with some stomach pain. 08:03.252 --> 08:07.072 But this wasn't a normal stomach ache, this was. 08:08.115 --> 08:15.338 I got the inclination this was like something internal, something within the organs, something a lot more serious than just a little stomach ache. 08:17.411 --> 08:22.235 So she ever happened to be next to me and I got Kate to come over as well and we prayed for that little boy. 08:23.411 --> 08:26.580 And when we were done, man, we gave it all we had. 08:27.230 --> 08:44.090 And when we were done, and to see that boy lift his head with tears down his eyes, saying that he doesn't feel any pain anymore, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, it really is only something that I can do. 08:44.331 --> 08:51.096 Then Kate shared this early at the first service, we prayed over one of the teachers there. 08:51.850 --> 08:53.196 Brian came along and helped us too. 08:53.371 --> 08:54.897 We just prayed the peace of God over her. 08:55.010 --> 09:04.455 One of the things that stood out is that, even though for some of us there was a language barrier, when God wants to get a message through there is no barrier. 09:06.471 --> 09:13.515 And at the end we got to ask her how she felt and she just pointed at her heart, saying that she just felt the peace of God, like when it was all over. 09:14.990 --> 09:27.020 So it was just an incredible trip, and I'll finish off with this One of the biggest things I got out of it was an increase in boldness when it comes to praying for others. 09:28.790 --> 09:34.735 You know, when we were at one of the services, they warned us that you may see some manifestations and stuff of that nature. 09:35.290 --> 09:50.494 Especially if you're not accustomed to seeing that, just be aware it may come out, and I've seen it before, but I've always just like I never went up to pray for anybody about it, I just, wherever I was sitting out, I would just pray over the person, so pretty much from a distance. 09:51.910 --> 09:59.679 So I remember when we were praying at the second service, when he had a Pessibon, had pretty much almost the whole congregation come up and we had to go forth and just start praying for people. 09:59.730 --> 10:16.875 I'm praying for this young man and I see this lady kind of manifesting and it's kind of irking my spirit a little bit, like she's kind of annoying me, but not in a personal way, not like she did something wrong, but just like the fact that you know, the devil thinks that he still has territory, even though he's already lost. 10:17.490 --> 10:21.738 So I'm praying for this man but I can't leave him right Cause I don't want to chip him out of his own blessing, right. 10:22.050 --> 10:35.294 So I finished for him and when I was done I like bypassed like 17 other people who came up for prayer and I just went straight to that lady Cause there was just something in me that was like all right, these things, we got to start nipping them in the bud, you know, start handing them in the room. 10:35.670 --> 10:39.296 So just an increase of bonus that came from this trip was absolutely amazing. 10:39.550 --> 10:41.676 Thank you for the opportunity to bring us along. 10:43.570 --> 10:45.877 Yes, and thank you all for keeping us in our prayers and your prayers. 10:46.138 --> 10:46.880 Sorry. 10:52.467 --> 10:53.249 Thanks a lot. 10:55.310 --> 10:56.013 Good morning everybody. 10:56.334 --> 10:57.278 I shared the first service. 10:57.350 --> 10:59.338 I'm hoping everything lands just as well Second service. 11:01.870 --> 11:16.973 So, first and foremost, I'm still and many of us are riding this Holy Spirit wave of just how cohesive this team worked together while we were there, how powerful, how effective our prayer was there and, quite honestly, just how many tortillas with the red sauce we put down Amazing to watch. 11:17.233 --> 11:18.016 Very grateful for that. 11:18.930 --> 11:32.134 But it's also a testament to the Holy Spirit working through us that we were able to quite simply go there, do what we were called to do and for a large portion of that we were called to do battle and prayer and, as you've heard in these testimonies, it wasn't glamorous. 11:32.194 --> 11:49.714 It may not have been an immediate variable change in the natural, but the seeds Lord used us to plant, the lives the Lord called us to touch, whether it was by stirring up concrete in a room that'll later be used to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, or whether it was the songs we sang with children, reminding them to have joy in their heart. 11:50.570 --> 11:56.956 When we placed hands on and ministered to the still spiritually oppressed, the shilled people in the region to help them receive the love of God. 11:57.470 --> 12:14.400 It was and forever will be for the glory of God and the furtherance of the kingdom, in Jesus' name, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 6, that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the world forces of this darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. 12:14.550 --> 12:29.257 So, without getting too deep into the thoughts and theories behind it, it's enough to say that this region, for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, worshiped false gods and idols, and their gods were a wrathful, unappeasing, unforgiving, unloving gods. 12:29.650 --> 12:37.618 And so when the Spanish came and implemented Catholicism, as one of our team members, chris, really powerfully put it, they just traded one God for another. 12:38.030 --> 12:42.178 But their method, their manner and their mentality and worship and identity didn't change. 12:42.750 --> 12:50.779 And even as they became Christians, they still struggled with the weight of feeling unworthy in a faith destructive, in a faith inhibiting sense. 12:51.570 --> 12:54.580 Their cries and wails are not, excuse me. 12:54.650 --> 13:01.277 The cries, wails and violent shaking are not what Paul had in mind when he tells us in Philippians to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. 13:02.190 --> 13:09.458 This fear they felt was not an awestruck, reverential one, but rather an incoming destruction, wrathful, vengeful, god sort of fear. 13:09.570 --> 13:20.420 And their trembling was not from the weight of God's presence on them, but the weight of their own guilt, their own shame, their own fear of not being able to appease God themselves. 13:21.010 --> 13:25.295 Their violent shaking would evolve into convulsions and projectile vomiting. 13:25.335 --> 13:27.454 And that told us we're in the midst of a battle. 13:28.490 --> 13:30.938 But we simply had to remind them who had already won. 13:31.930 --> 13:40.678 And as we began to minister and lay hands on the people, that first night there at church service, pastor Bo had preached a powerful message reminding the people of the rest they have in Jesus. 13:41.890 --> 13:56.395 And that need for striving, for earning, for begging, for working for God's love and forgiveness was battled with a sermon highlighting the equal righteousness we have in Christ, not at all of our own doing but because of His great love and sacrifice for us on the cross. 13:56.970 --> 14:01.434 And this was and maybe even for this room for some of you it's a radical view and it's difficult to accept. 14:02.170 --> 14:07.658 And in that room with the Yeshua, people certainly felt that way that they struggled initially to accept that truth. 14:07.770 --> 14:19.774 But as we laid hands and prayed, I believe identities in Christ were realized in old ways, excuse me, old ways were exchanged for new wine, as particularly I'm thinking about this occurrence at the end of ministry time. 14:19.814 --> 14:37.938 That first night, when I walked past the gentleman and he was whispering a sound that was both foreign and familiar at the same time, and as he spoke and he swayed back and forth in his denim jacket, I looked at his face and there was a really long length of snot just coming down that left nostril, and I immediately walked right past him and said, nope, not you. 14:38.511 --> 14:43.856 And I don't think the Lord liked that very much, kind of highlighted him in my heart and I was like Lord, are you sure? 14:44.170 --> 14:45.228 You know, I don't want to get what he has. 14:45.370 --> 14:47.598 And he said I'm pretty sure, I'm pretty sure. 14:49.150 --> 14:56.675 So as I approached him and put my hands on him, started to pray, his swaying actually became even more violent and he started shaking and he's crying out. 14:56.695 --> 15:05.298 His wails turned into loud, loud, anguish cries and my first thought was that there was something in the spirit realm that caused that reaction in him and I had to go. 15:05.590 --> 15:11.112 I rebuked whatever voice it was it wasn't the Lord's and I reiterated in prayer to him that he is a new creation in Christ. 15:12.270 --> 15:17.817 I continued to observe his reactions as I prayed and I felt that he was doing a lot of what he was doing because he felt like that was his only way to access God. 15:18.130 --> 15:21.916 God only see him if he shook, if he cried out, if he did all those things. 15:23.250 --> 15:28.237 But I reminded him and asked him to repeat after me that he was saved by the blood of Jesus. 15:28.730 --> 15:30.737 He was loved and accepted by God, the Father. 15:31.170 --> 15:34.674 He didn't have to plead or agonize or work to receive God's love and forgiveness. 15:34.910 --> 15:36.136 He was already forgiven. 15:37.775 --> 15:41.118 As he repeated each of these things out loud, I observed a physical difference in his demeanor. 15:41.190 --> 15:48.676 He went from violently shaking and swaying to sort of just standing there with palms wide open in a receptive demeanor. 15:49.170 --> 15:53.456 Finally, we said together I can rest in Jesus, tango de sconso and Jesus. 15:55.730 --> 15:56.895 He completely stopped the wailing. 15:56.970 --> 16:02.178 He sort of just stood there in a posture of peace and his uttering turned into a surrendered silence. 16:02.690 --> 16:04.838 He encountered grace and I felt so happy for him. 16:05.190 --> 16:07.178 I'm grateful for the Lord blessing him in that moment. 16:07.310 --> 16:13.617 So, among many precious moments and conversations and friendships that we built on this trip, that one surely is among the top four. 16:13.650 --> 16:17.933 I mean, I'm believing his life is forever changed in that identity revealing moment. 16:18.674 --> 16:26.309 Praise the Lord, all right, all right, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. 16:27.210 --> 16:27.893 Good afternoon. 16:28.431 --> 16:29.799 I'm Yari Martino. 16:30.624 --> 16:31.791 That's right why. 16:35.310 --> 16:41.118 So, yes, I had the opportunity to go to Guatemala on a mission straight back in 2019. 16:42.450 --> 16:58.099 That was before COVID happened and even though this was my second time going to Guatemala, god definitely did a new thing in me and it was just a whole different experience. 16:58.730 --> 17:06.295 And to start, I have to say that the group that went to this trip, we were all so united. 17:07.390 --> 17:27.878 It was just beautiful the level of trust and comfort that we had with one another and just to feel, have that sense like we all have the same goal, we all are on the same page and we just want to release God's healing power over his people. 17:28.530 --> 17:29.975 It was just beautiful. 17:31.610 --> 17:37.678 So in 2019, when I went to Guatemala, god called me to minister to children. 17:38.530 --> 17:49.881 He put in my heart to just help children to be rooted in the true identity, and it was after that trip that I ended up becoming one of the city kids coordinators. 17:52.433 --> 18:23.699 And then, when I heard that Jude and Victor were gonna join us to this trip, I was filled with so much joy because, having been able to see them come into city kids and just see them grow in the spirit and just to see the fruit of the spirit in that trip come alive and when they go to city kids and they just embrace the word of God. 18:23.850 --> 18:40.321 And it was just powerful to see at nine-year-old, 11-year-old with such boldness praying over, not only over kids, but like everyone. 18:40.730 --> 18:45.482 Like their boldness was just so amazing. 18:51.464 --> 19:06.959 You know, it's funny because it was interesting to see their innocence during the day, playing Uno cards and spoons and all that and playing running around the camp and then at night there was just filled with the Holy Spirit and filled with the fire. 19:07.191 --> 19:10.841 It was like whoa, what happened here is just very powerful. 19:14.403 --> 19:20.949 So I'm sorry, just really trying to catch up. 19:23.800 --> 19:27.331 You know, that's what God's calling me to do. 19:28.001 --> 19:33.373 It was just confirmation that this is what I want to see in your children's life. 19:33.700 --> 19:41.845 This is what I want to see in my children's life, you know, and just to remind them of who they are in Christ. 19:42.840 --> 19:44.523 So there's this story. 19:45.245 --> 20:03.030 I want to share this testimony of this little boy that I met during our last BVS and you know he was so small and I just saw like pain in his eyes and he just looked at me and came to give me a hug. 20:04.120 --> 20:12.167 And you know, in that day, for those that were doing BVS, that day, we received so many hugs, so much love. 20:12.800 --> 20:19.231 He was like one after another, one after another, even the same kids who were like you know, they were like hold you and really hard. 20:19.720 --> 20:21.764 But this kid was just special. 20:21.804 --> 20:41.547 When he hugged me, even though he was tiny, like I felt like his hug was so powerful, like he, it was like like like filled with healing, you know, like it felt like a giant was hugging me even though he was like tiny. 20:43.680 --> 20:47.130 So, yeah, healing power was definitely coming from that hug. 20:47.280 --> 21:03.631 So I started praying over him and talking, you know, telling him the calling that God was giving him to heal people, and I encouraged him to use his hugs whenever he saw sadness in people, just to hug them. 21:05.240 --> 21:16.988 And I was so amazed by the power of his hugs that I even started asking him to like hug all the teachers, hug Heidi, hug Carolina, and like because it was just, it was amazing. 21:18.341 --> 21:21.267 And so this other kid, you know he was curious. 21:21.348 --> 21:39.084 I was what was happening and hearing, you know, and hearing and what you know, what I was speaking to these other boys and he said, looking confused, like he likes to hate kids, like he he hurt others, like he's not a good kid. 21:41.120 --> 21:45.209 And I just laughed, you know, but you know, to to the enemy's lie. 21:45.610 --> 21:56.209 You know, because it just spoke to me how when we are in pain and we have been hurt, the enemy uses that to make us do the opposite of what we were created to be. 21:57.540 --> 22:01.531 And the enemy, you know, made him believe he needed to hurt people. 22:02.001 --> 22:12.408 And later than he know, god has, you know, really blessed him and equipped him, you know, with a healing gift and I just spoke life over him. 22:12.540 --> 22:20.342 I told him who he really was, a child of God, that God was calling him to heal and not hurt others. 22:21.280 --> 22:23.564 He believed it, he received it. 22:23.840 --> 22:30.024 You know, I saw a beautiful small smile in his face and he just kept hugging me and I was just loving it. 22:31.141 --> 22:46.152 And you know, and that's what I want to continue to do for his kingdom, you know, I just want to silence the enemies, you know, and speak God's true about the calling that you know he he's, you know he's giving to his children. 22:46.460 --> 22:49.131 So, yeah, I'm excited for the next mission trip. 22:49.653 --> 22:51.440 Awesome, Yari, you gave that to Nesta. 22:51.661 --> 22:53.806 I'm going to just call my son Victor up. 22:54.929 --> 22:57.228 Just Did you see that? 23:00.285 --> 23:06.890 She said boldness, holy cow, Just share with the people what happened to you on the trip. 23:07.660 --> 23:23.186 So this is my first time doing the missions trip and the powerful time of the missions trip was when we were in the church and like half of the church wasn't believing. 23:24.020 --> 23:28.131 So like I was just like okay, better bless them, we better bless them. 23:30.282 --> 23:35.451 So then, like the next minute, the whole church is like crying and like yeah. 23:37.700 --> 23:48.870 So then God touched me and I spoke in tongues, so you know, I'm up on the altar. 23:49.040 --> 23:50.486 Let me just tell you this story real quick. 23:51.060 --> 23:55.680 I'm up on the altar and I'm looking in one direction. 23:55.861 --> 24:11.783 Next thing, I know I see my son just praying for people and just tears running down his cheeks, and so I'm really touched that he's touched and God is pouring into him while he's pouring out to others. 24:12.960 --> 24:23.428 And so the next day we're on a rooftop doing construction and I just sense the presence of God, you know, and I say hey, victor, I believe God wants to fill you with this Holy Spirit. 24:24.720 --> 24:30.382 I said just look to Jesus and, by faith, open your mouth and begin to speak in your heavenly language. 24:31.760 --> 24:35.589 And he just does it very, very fluently, too fluently. 24:37.340 --> 24:50.869 You know, when people first get filled with the Holy Spirit, it's with stammering lips and another tongue, and it takes at least five to 10 minutes to form some syllables and words and refer it to resemble a proper language. 24:50.920 --> 24:52.921 And now he's like an old timer and I go. 24:52.941 --> 25:02.431 You know, I wanted to have this special moment with him on a rooftop where dad ministers the baptism of the Holy Spirit to his son and he just takes off. 25:04.483 --> 25:07.449 I said, hey, this is not your first time. 25:09.320 --> 25:10.666 When did you first speak in tongues? 25:11.301 --> 25:11.882 And he said oh yeah. 25:11.922 --> 25:14.828 The other night, when I was praying for our people, at the altar. 25:17.400 --> 25:21.183 That is good, amen, that's the one she's here. 25:25.729 --> 25:28.004 Hey, what's up so well? 25:28.044 --> 25:39.851 First of all, I want to thank God for taking me and putting me back out on the missions field after 10 years and I can easily say this has been the best mission strip I've ever been a part of. 25:40.200 --> 25:47.704 Every one was solid and man God did some incredible things which I'm going to share with you One of the stories right now. 25:49.182 --> 25:50.946 So put on my testimony. 25:51.367 --> 26:11.472 You know, after I got saved, I went to a lot of cessationist churches, you know churches that believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for yesterday, and all that which kind of you know, rubbed me the wrong way, because I've always read scripture and in Hebrews it says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. 26:11.980 --> 26:18.585 So, mike, doesn't it make sense that suddenly it's like oh yeah, let me just stop somewhere around like 1960 or whatever. 26:22.280 --> 26:34.704 I've never had an encounter with deliverance in the sense where I've witnessed other people delivering, and I've read the Derek Prince books, I've like watched videos on it, but I'm like all right, well, I've never had an encounter like that personally. 26:35.520 --> 27:00.489 But if that's the way that God operates with everyone else, amen, cool, that all changed on this trip, and I remember this was the second day, we were in a small church doing vacation Bible study with the children there, and one of the pastors there he was an Eshiel pastor, his name was Pastor Leesh, I don't know where he just decides to come out and say hey, you know what? 27:00.509 --> 27:01.772 Let's let's pray for the women here. 27:01.920 --> 27:04.728 There's a couple of women that have been sitting in the back during the lesson. 27:05.069 --> 27:05.630 Let's pray for them. 27:06.621 --> 27:08.688 And I was like sure, no problem. 27:09.080 --> 27:13.486 They brought him up to the front and I remember there being three women there. 27:13.887 --> 27:19.784 One of them had an ISU, the other one had a rash on one of her legs and the one that was closest next to me. 27:20.125 --> 27:23.879 You know, I spoke to her and said you know what's going on, what can I pray for you about? 27:24.080 --> 27:34.485 And she explained well, you know, I have this just crazy headache and I just have pain all over my body and I was like all right, well, let's pray, let's see what God is going to do here. 27:35.723 --> 27:41.250 So I started praying, I put my hand on her forehead, I put my other hand behind her back and I'm praying and praying. 27:41.360 --> 28:06.211 I'm praying in English, by the way, so this lady doesn't really understand what I'm saying, and I hear coughing and I'm like man, this lady is really not feeling well, you know, I just started laying into it another minute later, praying and praying, and praying, and then suddenly I'm like okay, at this point I'm thinking I don't know why, but this is not something that's normal. 28:06.560 --> 28:16.910 So I start gently tapping her on the back and then she starts spitting out all over the floor and I'm asking her you know, how are you feeling? 28:17.720 --> 28:20.329 She says you know, I feel good, but like I got to vomit. 28:20.601 --> 28:23.074 I'm really like I need to just release all this. 28:24.742 --> 28:30.627 And at this time we were like interrupted because we really had to finish the lesson and kind of just go about our day. 28:32.002 --> 28:36.022 And when I try to find the lady again afterwards she was gone. 28:36.062 --> 28:44.350 She wasn't in the school, but I continued to pray for her in my personal time and just thinking about that testimony. 28:45.880 --> 28:58.586 I didn't mention this in the first service, but I remember having a conversation with Terry McComb, who was one of our hosts down in Guatemala, which there are amazing people, the Mike and Terry McComb. 28:59.140 --> 29:09.124 I remember we were having a conversation with them where they did an IQ test of the population in that area and these people only have the ability to answer true or false questions. 29:10.788 --> 29:17.265 And while I was on a trip, I was reading this book called Sky People right, these mess. 29:17.346 --> 29:23.387 It's about Mesoamerica and these Mayan people having these crazy experiences with these sky gods. 29:23.740 --> 29:27.311 And this is not something that these are not old stories. 29:27.360 --> 29:30.524 These are stories that are currently happening now, from my witnesses. 29:32.000 --> 29:39.851 So, my point being number one these people, on a cultural level, believe that life is inherently supernatural, right? 29:40.140 --> 29:51.789 And then my second point is if these people believe that life is inherently supernatural, these just rural farmers, how much more supernatural is life for us, for those who abide in the multi-god right? 29:52.800 --> 30:07.606 So I hope that this testimony encouraged you and just pray that, if you are abiding in the Holy Spirit, expect to receive the impossible and expect to accomplish the impossible through Him. 30:08.387 --> 30:10.793 Thank you, thank you, take that. 30:12.480 --> 30:13.605 Let me get another five people. 30:14.040 --> 30:15.607 Brian and Heidi, can you come back up? 30:15.700 --> 30:17.381 Josh, come on up Please. 30:17.462 --> 30:20.847 Chris and Matthew and Nicole, can I ask you to share too? 30:20.967 --> 30:23.101 Just share, I know. 30:23.543 --> 30:31.325 Can I just give you the mic next, cause I know you're instant in season, out of season Guys, if you can just cause, I want them to be able to hear from everybody. 30:31.800 --> 30:36.981 Keep your testimonies to two minutes, three minutes max, all right. 30:37.001 --> 30:40.127 I don't want to feel like I need to receive an offering for you after you're done. 30:43.420 --> 30:56.728 So I do get to do ministry full time All over the country and, please excuse me, I think I have a half a bag of cement in my nostrils and in my sinuses still from bringing that in, which was a blast. 30:57.500 --> 31:03.467 I will have to do a shout out to the Skirt Brigade that did all the shoveling of the rock right. 31:04.500 --> 31:05.163 We had a blast. 31:06.440 --> 31:10.888 One of the incredible things that I get to see is the church at work all over the country. 31:12.100 --> 31:18.266 But what stood out to me is standing with the Macombes, who are the missionaries on the ground. 31:19.220 --> 31:30.347 See, they've been doing this for 30 years there, day after day, night after night, ministering to pastors, to people all over the place, and we got to all over Guatemala. 31:30.740 --> 31:36.009 We got to just step in right and spend a week with them and have fun and see God move. 31:36.580 --> 31:42.509 But there they're tilling the ground day after day after day, and we may plant a few seeds and water others. 31:43.380 --> 31:46.369 But I thought, you know, when I came out here I'm tired. 31:46.780 --> 31:56.444 I wrote 24 Bible studies last year, I spoke all over the country and it gets exhausting and I thought I just want to go and do something with my hands. 31:57.081 --> 32:13.472 I just want to do something different and then talking in the Macombes for hours each and every day, I thought you know what we're called to do the hard work, to stay consistent, persistent, to endure to the end. 32:13.700 --> 32:21.747 And God has placed us here to endure, not to look for the break, which is always nice, right, but to see that we're here tilling the ground. 32:22.280 --> 32:30.949 We're here doing our job, our part, and others may come in and they may plant some seeds and water, but our responsibility is here. 32:31.600 --> 32:39.825 And the other thing I learned is the scripture kept popping out to me left and right James and I spoke about it Is that we don't fight against flesh and blood. 32:39.926 --> 32:43.248 Right Principalities and powers is what our battle is with. 32:43.920 --> 32:53.327 And when I saw those people and they're wailing and they are physically showing the inward oppression that was happening, it was just coming out. 32:55.120 --> 32:56.263 When you see them do that. 32:56.684 --> 33:01.514 Not once did I look at them and say, oh, I cannot believe this. 33:01.715 --> 33:02.460 I cannot believe. 33:02.480 --> 33:04.282 Instead, you run, you run. 33:04.382 --> 33:05.621 Freedom, right, freedom. 33:05.641 --> 33:08.309 You wanna see them experience freedom in Christ. 33:09.200 --> 33:10.205 Well, that happens here. 33:10.400 --> 33:14.747 It looks very different here, though, and it's so easy to walk right past them. 33:15.180 --> 33:16.285 Oh, I don't wanna deal with that. 33:16.720 --> 33:18.006 I don't wanna deal with that homeless person. 33:18.120 --> 33:27.969 I don't wanna deal with that addict, I don't wanna deal with this or that, but our hearts is to see that they are oppressed and they need freedom, and they need freedom in Jesus. 33:28.360 --> 33:37.250 And instead of running, we need to be tilling that ground here, day after day, and not getting tired, and keep enduring and knowing that Jesus is the answer. 33:37.620 --> 33:41.368 And we need to run to the people who are oppressed. 33:45.357 --> 33:45.818 Thank you. 33:45.879 --> 33:48.424 Thank you, hello, city light. 33:49.003 --> 33:52.929 I'm Heidi and this is my husband, brian. 33:53.660 --> 34:04.112 He and I and our 11 year old son, jude, went to this mission trip together and we had an amazing experience. 34:04.820 --> 34:05.845 That's an understatement. 34:07.960 --> 34:11.911 I was actively seeking something more. 34:11.980 --> 34:18.482 I was looking for a radical movement, a connection, and I got it. 34:19.426 --> 34:27.529 And some and there are so many moments during the trip that I can pick from that were so moving and so powerful. 34:28.520 --> 35:05.850 In the first service I spoke on just kind of not feeling like I didn't know how I could be used, not exactly feeling equipped, a little bit intimidated, and how God just washed all that away and I felt like during the altar calls we were just unleashed on this crowd of people that are dealing with unworthiness and this sort of ritualistic bowing down and groveling before God, and we were able to just go out into the crowd and pray over these people to break that spirit off of them. 35:07.300 --> 35:11.091 I was what I didn't mention in the first service. 35:11.240 --> 35:16.029 But the second service I didn't initially sign up for VBS. 35:16.160 --> 35:23.472 I signed up for the construction team because I just felt like, okay, I know how I can do that. 35:24.140 --> 35:30.192 It made sense to me and so, with the VBS on the last day. 35:31.460 --> 35:37.425 Both my husband and my son we were on that team and I was completely. 35:37.826 --> 35:39.952 I was like wow, I get this. 35:40.320 --> 35:42.588 The VBS, like this is where it's at. 35:45.507 --> 35:50.700 The innocence and the engagement of the children were so moving. 35:50.780 --> 35:55.583 They were just so thirsty and open for God, like there was no barriers, there was nothing. 35:55.623 --> 35:59.869 You just saw it in their eyes and you saw them like little lights. 36:00.120 --> 36:02.749 It was so beautiful and so moving. 36:03.140 --> 36:07.586 I felt like I'm supposed to be pouring into you guys and I'm receiving. 36:07.740 --> 36:11.892 I felt like that moment was just amazing. 36:12.502 --> 36:15.526 It was so moving and I just wanted to share that. 36:16.248 --> 36:16.609 Thank you. 36:19.450 --> 36:21.900 Thank you, thank you. 36:22.040 --> 36:27.548 All right, so my 11 year old can be here today, but I have a quick little thing from him. 36:29.323 --> 36:31.970 He said I had an amazing time with City Light on this trip. 36:32.600 --> 36:34.226 I think Victor was a big part of that too. 36:34.720 --> 36:35.804 You guys had a ton of fun together. 36:37.500 --> 36:49.508 Yari, I think, hit it on the head when she said they were running around the camp gun Like kids one moment, the next moment, praying on people, and what a joy it is to see kids, especially your own kids, serving the Lord. 36:50.062 --> 36:50.885 That was amazing. 36:51.000 --> 36:52.566 Doing that as a family was special. 36:54.120 --> 36:56.529 He wanted to call out one particular memory you had. 36:56.820 --> 36:57.885 It was Saturday night. 36:59.000 --> 37:00.486 He was able to pray for a number of people. 37:00.940 --> 37:06.069 He said I remember praying alongside Miss Yari for one woman we could see who was feeling a lot of distress. 37:06.960 --> 37:11.186 As we prayed for her, we saw the peace of God in her face as she received his love and healing. 37:11.520 --> 37:13.348 So this is an amazing experience. 37:13.942 --> 37:19.971 I mean I could just tell you he's really anxious to get back at it and pray for people. 37:20.100 --> 37:21.185 I mean he really enjoyed that. 37:21.600 --> 37:24.966 I think there's nothing like experiencing God flowing through you and touching somebody. 37:25.080 --> 37:32.746 He really experiences love in some kind of new, profound way and I think he just he saw a part of God's heart he hadn't seen before, as he prayed for people. 37:34.981 --> 37:36.226 All right, this is my bit here. 37:37.420 --> 37:41.282 I wanted this trip expecting to be impacted by ministering to the Ishmael people, and I was. 37:42.044 --> 37:44.343 It was awesome to see the Holy Spirit move and set people free. 37:45.080 --> 37:45.844 I'll never forget that. 37:46.340 --> 37:48.584 But something else happened on this trip that I was not expecting. 37:49.240 --> 37:55.809 I wasn't expecting to be so deeply impacted by being able to spend a week with this amazing, the amazing people of this church. 37:57.177 --> 37:58.782 We took flights and bus rides together. 37:59.255 --> 38:01.362 We prayed for other people and we prayed for each other. 38:02.195 --> 38:04.402 We shared meals together morning, noon and night. 38:05.135 --> 38:08.898 We shoveled rock and gravel and mixed the mint together in the hot sun. 38:09.935 --> 38:17.203 We sat around fires in the cold evenings and played games, laughed, shared stories of how God had drawn us to him and to this church. 38:18.095 --> 38:21.498 We shared the miracles we had seen God perform in each of our lives. 38:22.776 --> 38:28.579 In the process of it all, heidi and Juni felt our hearts being knit together even deeper with this church family. 38:29.395 --> 38:34.544 We felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude welling up in us for God placing us in this family. 38:35.615 --> 38:47.542 We found ourselves truly amazed by the maturity, strength and love of the people around us, and we felt such gratitude for the church leadership team for helping lead us into greater maturity in Christ. 38:48.935 --> 38:56.998 So, just like I did in the first service, I just wanted to give a few words of gratitude for the leadership team, because the health of this church is no accident. 38:58.095 --> 39:08.618 To Pastor Boyan and Emily, thank you for leading us with strength and speaking to our identity in Christ so often to give us the courage to step into the freedom that is found in him. 39:09.335 --> 39:16.304 Your strong leadership and just being unapologetic about the truth is evident in the health of your people. 39:16.835 --> 39:29.198 So thank you To Pastor Moe and Tiffany you have invested tirelessly in the community of this church through life groups and otherwise, and your leadership is evident in how people connect and love each other here. 39:30.595 --> 39:38.442 To Pastor James and Nicole, thank you for the joy that you carry, the transparency with which you minister and the way you draw people in and make them feel valued. 39:40.176 --> 39:45.898 And to Pastor Robin Yarry, thank you for showing us how to serve with love and grace and compassion. 39:46.655 --> 39:48.100 You two are an amazing example. 39:49.355 --> 39:51.463 Can we just like give them a round of applause? 39:51.483 --> 39:54.113 Thank you, thank you, thank you. 39:58.023 --> 39:58.665 It's hard work. 40:00.436 --> 40:05.900 I'm a leader in a business sense and a lot of times the people around you are a reflection of your leadership. 40:06.035 --> 40:10.142 You kind of look around and say, well, I'm not really happy with how things are going. 40:10.235 --> 40:15.325 I got to change how I'm leading and it's amazing to see how healthy this body is. 40:15.495 --> 40:25.939 We're so blessed to be a part of this church and I've been a part of a lot of different churches growing up and sometimes people brag on their church, which I think is kind of cool, but sometimes it's about the work. 40:25.959 --> 40:31.060 We have really great worship, we have really great this, that great kids program, and we have all that here. 40:31.175 --> 40:34.405 But I was just blown away by the depth and the maturity of the people. 40:35.618 --> 40:44.685 I mean, just turn to your left or your right at any time in here and you're bound to run into somebody really amazing who can pray for you can share about their walk with the Lord, and it's just amazing. 40:44.765 --> 40:50.514 It's amazing and I'm just so glad to be here today. 40:51.177 --> 40:53.038 Hi everyone, my name's Josh. 40:53.815 --> 41:01.785 So it's just funny, just because a couple of years ago, when I first started coming to City Light, I didn't even want to go beyond the overflow section or the back row. 41:01.875 --> 41:05.906 And now I'm here testifying, coming back from a mission trip. 41:05.926 --> 41:15.723 Yeah, yeah, and I just also just found a couple of years back, I remember just finding mission strips are so offensive for some reason. 41:15.935 --> 41:20.182 But now, coming back from one, it's just funny how God works in that way. 41:20.335 --> 41:26.604 But I think, just even so, I just had a hard time understanding why I was even selected in the first place. 41:26.635 --> 41:30.463 When I got the email, I was like, really this is the best we can pick. 41:31.055 --> 41:42.901 But I think, just thinking about it, I just remember getting a couple of words, even from Pastor Nathaniel, saying there's a gift of healing on your life and I just didn't know where there could be an opportunity for that. 41:42.975 --> 41:43.980 This is the perfect thing. 41:44.135 --> 41:56.123 But I think, just even amidst my struggle of wanting to know why I was even selected and why God even placed me to be in this, I just learned that there's just so much authority. 41:56.215 --> 42:03.360 Just go and just know that your authority is in Christ and just trust that he's going to take care of everything when you do show up. 42:03.475 --> 42:07.599 I remember, just like the second service in particular, just the way it was set up. 42:07.680 --> 42:16.481 We all were kind of called up to the front in a line and then it was time for altar ministry and I just remember just a wave of people coming towards us and I was like, ok, we got to do this now. 42:16.975 --> 42:19.243 And I remember Pastor Boyn just said, ok, now go. 42:19.675 --> 42:22.204 And we just had to kind of just step out and go in faith. 42:22.495 --> 42:35.361 And I just think this, knowing that if we just step out in faith and just pray and just know that God is taking care of everything, you just have to step up. 42:35.455 --> 42:38.164 I just remember just praying for this one person. 42:38.295 --> 42:41.946 I remember just saying Jesus, jesus, jesus, jesus. 42:42.115 --> 42:48.285 And the demon that was inside had to respond and it was just like just coming back at it Jesus, jesus. 42:48.515 --> 42:53.122 And I just saw things just move in just ways that I never thought I could imagine. 42:53.275 --> 43:02.808 And that's available to all of us here, not necessarily, not just in these remote areas, where there may be a lot more receptive to it. 43:02.855 --> 43:21.665 It's here and we can do this in our everyday lives and just know that, even though there may not have been a physical outward appearance, that there's something there, that the Lord is working, something in the spirit, lord, that we planted those seeds and that something powerful is going to come up from that. 43:21.815 --> 43:29.220 But I think one of the things I was just blessed with is just what other folks have said is that we've just grown so close as a family. 43:30.195 --> 43:32.544 I've received just by being there. 43:32.695 --> 43:42.584 We were just ministering to one another, just praying for one another, just seeing all of us just show up in unity and just being in Christ with one another and just pouring into each other. 43:42.655 --> 43:50.836 It was the most encouraging thing and I came back just so filled and just so blessed and so I just want to encourage you to give this. 43:50.876 --> 43:54.801 Anyone kind of that was like me a couple years ago that didn't want to go beyond that section. 43:55.675 --> 43:57.342 The Lord has so much prepared for you. 43:57.635 --> 44:03.660 He has so much that he wants to give you and he has so much that he wants to use you to share to his kingdom. 44:03.815 --> 44:06.485 So thank you, guys, so much for just allowing me to come here. 44:06.505 --> 44:10.623 Thank you, hey, hey, inclines nineteen signs for just giving thanks. 44:10.663 --> 44:18.753 Hey guys, see, stop, john-force lady, how's it goingda佳 Phoenix lady, slave lady, slave lady. 44:19.557 --> 44:21.422 You don't act like I'm a slave to her represents. 44:22.595 --> 44:26.774 Hey, if I can come here in action at last, that's we're investigations. 44:27.237 --> 44:28.022 I sorry, I haven't been doing that. 44:29.620 --> 44:31.283 I think there's just something that is oupe for Na, another section. 44:31.304 --> 44:35.068 I think we all thought that if thisור invite me and my other people please access. 44:36.575 --> 44:37.799 I'm going through a lot of pain. 44:37.819 --> 44:39.044 I had a rough childhood. 44:39.235 --> 44:43.260 There's some things that God's healed over time, but there are some things I was still caring. 44:44.415 --> 44:58.307 One of the things and one of the lies the enemy still had on me, like a hold on me, was this thought that I'm still alone, alone, I misunderstood, and sometimes it comes like the thought that nobody cares, nobody understands you, you know. 44:58.328 --> 45:07.477 So something like I struggle with no, not anymore, praise God, but let me get there, let me get there, let me get there. 45:08.125 --> 45:16.473 So we go on this trip and my intention is I'm believing God to see this supernatural miracle signed to wonder, which we did, see God move, which we did. 45:17.365 --> 45:21.613 But the thing I was not prepared for was to experience the love of God and the family of God. 45:22.925 --> 45:29.572 We just had such a good time and through the community, through us praying together and talking together, playing games together. 45:30.085 --> 45:36.050 You may hear a rumor about a grown man and a child wrestling over a spoon. 45:37.846 --> 45:38.670 I am said man. 45:39.886 --> 45:40.589 I am said man. 45:41.305 --> 45:42.409 Victor was said child. 45:44.545 --> 45:46.190 He did win, however, he had help. 45:48.146 --> 45:48.849 I'll leave that there. 45:50.406 --> 45:59.771 But we just had such a fantastic time and it blessed me and the Lord really just gave me a clear revelation that I am in the family of God. 46:00.126 --> 46:12.612 I am in this family of city light and I'm not alone, and I just want to share that for anybody who may feel that way, who may be experiencing that lie, that thought it's in community, where it's set free, and that's where I seem to happen on this trip. 46:12.725 --> 46:17.154 Now, you don't have to go to Guatemala to have that same type of transformative experience. 46:17.605 --> 46:18.349 We can have it here. 46:18.965 --> 46:26.733 Chambers, plugs or Fast and Furious Life Groups are starting soon so you can sign up for one, and I just want to let you guys know the love of God is here. 46:26.773 --> 46:31.233 So God loves you, we love you as a church and we just want to see everybody winning God, amen. 46:31.574 --> 46:34.284 Thank you, thank you, thank you. 46:37.634 --> 46:37.855 Thank you. 46:37.895 --> 46:42.667 Hey guys, I'm Matthew Shalom Shalom. 46:44.985 --> 46:47.693 So my story actually starts. 46:48.054 --> 46:48.776 I'm new in this thing. 46:48.825 --> 46:50.712 I'm only a year and a couple of months in. 46:51.366 --> 46:56.370 I didn't know how to pray, I didn't know what to cross the floor, I didn't know I was loved. 46:57.025 --> 46:58.251 I didn't know how to express love. 46:58.365 --> 46:59.991 I was broken, beyond broken. 47:00.545 --> 47:08.973 I would come in here and when Pastor Boyn would say thank you, I was out before you Gone and I was like I didn't want nothing to do with anybody. 47:09.747 --> 47:12.014 And now the Lord has really done a working in me. 47:12.505 --> 47:13.649 We're now on Captain Lunch. 47:13.931 --> 47:14.573 Go Ron. 47:15.611 --> 47:16.054 Captain. 47:17.589 --> 47:29.632 I love community and really it's through the revival I learned that to appropriate God's love for me and I started loving myself and then that just turned into loving others. 47:30.125 --> 47:35.837 So on this trip I only had one expectation to learn how to minister. 47:36.925 --> 47:40.615 But I kept telling myself I have no expectation except for me to show up and the Lord to show up. 47:40.695 --> 47:44.953 And he did, in a tsunami of just constant waves. 47:44.973 --> 47:56.114 From the time I got to JFK to now I'm still receiving these waves of His goodness, his grace, his love, and it's really a beautiful thing. 47:56.885 --> 48:13.891 But I tell you that because when I get to the airport I'm battling, I guess, remnants of self-hatred, like I'm not good enough, how am I going to pray over the people I can't even pray over, my family, and just the enemies started lying to me. 48:14.606 --> 48:21.254 And then, just kind of, how a lot of people shared, you know, you're there and you're looking up at Pastor Boyle on this stage and he says now go, what are you going to do? 48:21.314 --> 48:25.485 No, so you're just going and you're going in faith. 48:25.665 --> 48:28.052 And it was really a journey for me to go. 48:28.112 --> 48:33.114 Wow, I'm doing this and also being in this place of just questioning is this working? 48:33.214 --> 48:33.836 Am I working? 48:34.165 --> 48:34.868 Is the Lord working in me? 48:35.189 --> 48:37.048 And you just saw it, it was one woman. 48:37.088 --> 48:47.611 We were praying, it was actually a young man, I'm sorry, and I started praying over him and just like everyone's saying, you get this mom, but times a hundred. 48:49.967 --> 49:15.693 And so I put my hands on him and then he just started really like swaying, like this and just crying, and I couldn't really stop him from swaying and I was just started speaking in tongue and clocking and as soon as clock, as soon as clock put his hand on on his other shoulder, he just stopped and he took a deep breath and we both started praying on him and you could just feel the peace and the joy. 49:16.505 --> 49:19.455 And I related to these people because I felt like them. 49:19.565 --> 49:22.835 When I came here, I was crying every service. 49:22.925 --> 49:28.752 I was crying every revival because I felt like he hated me and I was delivered from that Praise Jesus. 49:30.149 --> 49:43.191 But I'll tell you one thing when I got on the bus, I was one of the first people on the bus, I was sitting closer to the front and I had this revelation that one of the fruits of the Lord is joy, and I love spreading joy. 49:43.365 --> 49:55.725 I love seeing people laugh, I love making people smile, and as I sat on the bus and as each person came in, every one of you smiled at me with just like the most pure smile. 49:55.865 --> 50:02.828 I said, wow, the Lord really went from me hating myself and being angry to just being a clown, you know. 50:03.405 --> 50:04.931 So that's the way the Lord works. 50:05.765 --> 50:07.209 Thank you all for our leadership. 50:07.249 --> 50:08.714 Thank you everyone here, amen. 50:12.091 --> 50:12.833 Worship team. 50:12.893 --> 50:39.711 Come on up Hallelujah, you know, and we didn't even get a chance to hear from everybody, but there was a consistent theme in both the first service and the second service and the theme that I picked up on was this sense of inadequacy that comes upon all of us and I encourage you to welcome that. 50:41.085 --> 50:44.274 God forbid you ever feel adequate and strong in and of yourself. 50:45.445 --> 50:48.936 You know, jesus said something peculiar in the Gospel of Matthew and the Beatitudes. 50:49.045 --> 50:51.071 He said agree with your adversary quickly. 50:52.965 --> 50:58.416 So when your adversary, satan, says you're not righteous, agree with him quickly. 50:58.476 --> 51:02.529 That's right, satan, in and of myself I'm not, but in Christ I am. 51:03.725 --> 51:07.456 When Satan says you're inadequate, agree with that adversary quickly. 51:07.525 --> 51:10.651 But I'm not adequate, but in Christ I can do all things. 51:11.425 --> 51:11.506 Amen. 51:14.425 --> 51:15.891 I want to share a secret with you. 51:16.205 --> 51:20.808 I mean, if you're close with the Lord, that feeling of inadequacy never leaves and that's a good thing. 51:21.605 --> 51:31.126 He always, always keeps you dependent and you should always feel like, unless the Lord comes through, I'm finished, amen. 51:32.525 --> 51:36.136 I want to give you an opportunity to worship the Lord with your tithes and offerings. 51:36.325 --> 51:44.853 Let's put our hands together and once again to thank you, city Light Church, for your generosity. 51:45.925 --> 51:55.577 Did I mention this, the service is kind of jelled together, but that we have not missed our sponsorship to any of the countries that we sponsor. 51:55.845 --> 51:56.488 Did I say that in this? 51:57.005 --> 52:02.670 So it shouldn't be this way, but it is, and missionaries share this with me. 52:02.925 --> 52:10.816 They have various churches that partner with them and more often than not churches are inconsistent. 52:11.325 --> 52:23.592 They'll send their monthly pledge in January, forget February and March and send it again in April, maybe May, then forget June, july, and it's very hard for missionaries to budget that way. 52:25.725 --> 52:36.977 And for 15 years we have never, with any of the different organizations we've partnered with, we have never, ever, by God's grace, ever missed one month, not one. 52:37.745 --> 52:49.277 I remember back 15 years ago, city Light Church was in a very difficult place financially and I actually had the thought you were going to have to just pause our missions giving. 52:50.085 --> 52:54.595 And within me I just heard no, this is why you're still alive. 52:55.925 --> 52:57.009 You cannot pause it. 52:58.045 --> 53:00.032 That would be ministerial suicide. 53:01.065 --> 53:11.534 You know, in Corinthians God says the scripture says that God is not willing to do without a prompt, joyous giver whose heart is in his giving. 53:12.845 --> 53:14.610 So I want to be indispensable to the Lord. 53:15.332 --> 53:16.275 Think about that scripture. 53:16.485 --> 53:18.572 God is not willing to do without. 53:19.565 --> 53:26.111 So I wanted a church that was so generous, that's pouring out into other countries that God would be unwilling to do without us. 53:27.868 --> 53:30.015 It's a secret to survival in New York City, amen. 53:32.492 --> 53:37.571 So it just so happens we didn't plan it this way, but that this is the third Sunday of the month, which means it's mission Sunday. 53:38.805 --> 53:47.697 We didn't plan for a mission trip to take place and for us to land on the third Sunday, but here we are, which means that, in addition to your normal tides and offerings, there's a drop-down menu. 53:47.885 --> 53:52.115 You can give an extra amount to missions, and that's what keeps us faithful to these organizations. 53:52.175 --> 54:00.705 Right now, we're in Ethiopia, we're in Guatemala supporting Montenegro in Serbia, and we're going to continue to do so, hallelujah. 54:04.309 --> 54:15.209 So I want to pray for you as you give and I encourage you, every time you give, to pray and to release your faith. 54:16.645 --> 54:18.931 Don't be what's known as a bucket plunker. 54:20.925 --> 54:25.256 Now, several years ago, we got rid of the buckets because everything is so digital now. 54:27.228 --> 54:34.294 But you know, a bucket plunker is someone who just they may even tithe, but they just automatically, haphazardly, without actually thinking about it. 54:34.645 --> 54:38.326 They're committed to the Lord, but it's become such a habit they're not actually releasing faith. 54:38.386 --> 54:42.324 When they give, release your faith. 54:42.405 --> 54:50.079 That means you're expecting a return on your giving and that's okay, that's right, that's legal. 54:50.705 --> 54:54.395 Jesus never spoke about giving without also speaking about receiving. 54:55.565 --> 54:58.133 Every time we tithe, my wife and I, we pray over our giving. 54:58.885 --> 55:00.452 We still give old school by way of check. 55:00.685 --> 55:09.971 We hold that check in our hand and we give with gladness and we commend the money to multiply and come back to us a hundredfold. 55:11.525 --> 55:19.008 So, father, in Jesus' name, for every giver and every gift, may you multiply it back to your people. 55:20.085 --> 55:36.313 You're the God of abundance, you're the God of seed, time and harvest, and we thank you that our giving does not enter into a void but it comes back multiplied to us and we make a living by our giving. 55:37.034 --> 55:42.128 In Jesus' name, amen, amen. 55:43.645 --> 55:45.572 This is the City Light Church podcast. 55:46.085 --> 55:55.257 If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansic and City Light Church, visit us at CityLightNYCcom. 55:55.845 --> 55:57.491 That's CityLightNYCcom. 55:58.925 --> 56:01.834 Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. 56:02.385 --> 56:03.810 We would love to connect with you. 56:04.845 --> 56:12.313 We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. 56:13.285 --> 56:14.028 Thank you for listening. 56:14.645 --> 56:20.051 Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.