Participant: Hey everybody.

Welcome back to another episode of
the Breakthrough Church Podcast.

Uh, it's great to, to um, be with you
and we are week three post-launch,

um, which is really exciting.

We are having, we're having so much fun.

It's just a blast gathering with people.

And I wanna share some, uh,
share some things with you.

Uh, that's just been happening
in the last few weeks.

Um, new faces are coming to breakthrough.

We're seeing people commit to the
church and wanna be members and.

Just, uh, make breakthrough
their church home.

And it's really, really
cool to hear about that.

Um, I just wanna share
a few things with you.

Uh, last week I was, um, I've just
been praying, asking the Lord,

who do you want me to disciple?

Like, who do you want me to pour into?

I want, I want more.

I have a couple, but I want pour into
some, some people and replicate what

God's done in me and, and somebody else.

And um, so I was asking the Lord
that last week around this time, and.

I had a, I have a student text me a few
days ago, be, before I pray, I was really

praying that I had a student text me and
he said, Hey, I wanna get to a, a former

student of mine from the youth ministry.

Uh, hey, I wanna get lunch with you.

I said, great, let's do it.

I didn't know what the agenda was
or if he just wanted to hang, but

as we get to lunch, we sit down.

As we're sitting down, I look at
his face and I feel the Holy Spirit

say, I want you to disciple him.

And I was like, sweet.

How do I bring that up?

You know?

Uh, so we catch up on life a
little bit and then, um, I just.

Felt like doing what Jesus did.

Jesus cast a vision for the kingdom
and then said, do you wanna end?

You wanna follow?

Um, and that following meant
being discipled by a person.

That's how you followed
into the kingdom, right?

So I cast a vision for the kingdom
and I just was like, man, I feel

like God is doing something special
in this day and age, in this hour.

And it's in your generation.

And, and, and the kingdom
of God is here at the future

kingdom that we're headed for.

It's actually here today.

And um, and we can walk into that and
I feel like the invitation to you.

Uh, today in front of you is do you wanna
follow Jesus and become a fisher of men?

And I don't mean go to
heaven when you die.

I'm talking about being an agent of
the future kingdom in the present.

Um, to see the kingdom invade and
break into our reality here on earth.

And, uh, and what do you think about that?

And he's like, man, you know what,
the reason I was asking you to get

together is 'cause I want to ask
you to mentor me or disciple me.

Me and I was like, oh, that's amazing.

Let me tell you what the Lord
just showed me when we sat down.

So we talked and I outlined for
him what discipleship looked like.

And it was, it was just
so sweet of the Lord.

'cause I love this student.

I've always seen potential.

He is always felt like he's been maybe
called to ministry in some capacity.

I'm not sure if he's still there.

I, I think that that's still,
still there, but we'll see.

Um, time will tell.

Right.

But it was so sweet of the Lord to answer
my prayer for more people to disciple.

And it for it to be a former student
of mine that I get to pour into.

Really, really cool.

And so my encouragement to you if
you're listening, is, uh, if you ask

the Lord to bring someone to you to
disciple, he's gonna answer that.

He said The harvest is plentiful
and the laborers are few.

Therefore, pray that the
more laborers would come.

I'm praying right now as I'm
saying this out loud, Lord, bring

more laborers to the harvest.

The harvest is plentiful.

There are people wanting
to be dec, be discipled.

I had a, a girl say to me last week,
they came, uh, her and her husband came

over for dinner and she was like, I've
never had anybody disciple me because

I don't, nobody's offered, I just
don't know who it would even be yet.

No one's been willing or available.

And I was, I was like, that's
so sad because this is the work.

Jesus said, go make disciples.

You're not a fully functional,
healthy disciple unless you

are discipling someone else.

And it's relational and it's consistent
and it's organic and it's just.

Let me just replicate in you
what I God has done in me.

And so if you ask the Lord, ask him, ask
the Lord, who do you want me to disciple?

He's gonna answer that.

And then you're like, okay, what
do I do once God brings me someone?

Well, I was just thinking and
praying through this last week.

Let me give you three words that
might help you figure out how to

disciple someone if they come to
you and say, would you mentor me?

Disciple me.

Three words, prayer, prudence, and power.

So here's what I mean, prayer.

Um.

How are they doing in their
time of prayer with the Lord?

Like the abiding presence
of Jesus in their life?

Are they walking in an awareness
of his presence because of the

time they're spending in prayer?

Uh, it's not legalistic.

It's not, oh, you better pray,
or else God doesn't love you.

It's, no, we gotta be
connected to the vine.

We gotta be connected to Jesus
and stay there all the time.

And it starts as we form a dwelling
in the secret place with the Lord.

So I always start there.

Hey, how, tell me what is Jesus talking
to you about in the secret place?

What are you praying about?

What's God doing in your life and
prayer and private and all that stuff.

So that's, that's how I start
prudence is prudence just means

thinking through things in a wise way.

It's wisdom.

So I, um.

I ask a lot of questions, trying to
get a feel for where they're at in

relationships or school or work or family.

Um, stewardship of financial,
financial resources.

And I just ask questions,
where are you guys at?

And we, and then we
think through everything.

We just process.

Okay.

What's the wise thing to do
here in this relationship?

What should I do work-wise here?

What, and we just have prudence.

We just think through life
and I give suggestions.

I cast a vision of the kingdom,
and we just go from there.

And I've just, I've been discipled
into that and seen so much

fruit and the discernment and
wisdom that comes from that.

And so I just help people process and just
think wisely about their lives according

to Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

Um, and how he's leading.

And then power, uh, really it's
not just about, you know, laying

hands and praying for the sick,
although that, that's a piece of it.

And you guys know me by
now, that's so part of me.

I can't help it.

That will come out in the way I disciple.

But when I talk about power, I'm
really just talking about, um, how are

you serving and loving other people?

We have to be others focused.

We can't just be, I'm trying to live
wisely and I'm trying to pray a lot.

Um, those things, the effect
they'll have on you is.

Capacity and desire to love
and serve other people.

So the last thing we talk about
is, hey, who are you pouring into?

How are you serving the Lord in his church
and what are you, what are you doing?

You know?

Um.

And so prayer, prudence,
and power, uh, just do that.

Meet with somebody, uh, say, Hey,
would you be willing to meet with me?

I'd love to pour into you.

Or maybe they'll come to
you if you, if you pray.

Um, and then, uh, and then go
through those three questions and

just see what the Lord might do.

I think he's gonna honor it.

The, the secret sauce is just the
relationship you build and the

trust you build, and you'll be
able to pour in and they'll listen.

They'll trust you.

Um, so yeah, that's really exciting.

We wanna create a culture of that
at Breakthrough, where people

are just pouring into others in
a consistent weekly, over time,

organic and relational way, and,
and going through those questions.

Um, yeah, so that was really cool.

And then week two was just a special
service, really sense the Holy Spirit.

And from, from worship at the beginning
all the way through my sermon to

ministry time communion offering.

It just, we were just like,
man, the Lord is here.

It was so powerful and we
had a time of ministry.

So I preach, and then after I preach,
we, we have a time of ministry where we

just talk through, um, what's going on.

Oh, we, we just, we not talk
through, I'm sorry, I'm distracted.

Um, ministry time is a chance
for people to encounter the very

one we've been talking about
in scripture and leading two.

Uh, this week two was specifically about
uncleanliness in our lives, habitual

sin, ways of operating that aren't
right, and we just encourage people to

come forward to receive prayer for that.

Well, one of the things that.

Uh, Sal had while he was ministering
to the Lord in song, uh, he looks at

me in the middle of playing the guitar
and it was like left knee, left knee.

I was like, does your left knee hurt?

I don't even know what
you're talking about.

Oh, oh, word of knowledge.

He had a word of knowledge about somebody
else having pain in their left knee.

So I mentioned it and I said, if anybody
has pain in their left knee, come forward.

Love to pray for you.

Three people came forward of the three,
two, uh, experienced significant ministry.

Uh, one was a guy who I just prayed
for his knee, but also prayed into

some burdens and some heaviness that he
had, and he really got free from that.

He felt like he, I, I was, my eyes
were open when I was praying and

he started weeping and just this
release happened in his spirit.

He texted me later after I followed
up and was like, I feel so at peace.

You're so, I was that the Lord gave
you that because I was so heavy and

burdened by work stuff and family stuff.

Um.

And he was just completely,
uh, set free from that.

His knee was still hurting a little bit,
but he was completely set free from that.

And then there was another guy, or I'm
sorry, another girl, a woman that came

forward for knee pain and prayed for
her and her pain went completely away.

And the backstory there is she
just had ACL repair surgery and

she's in more pain now post-surgery
than she was before the surgery.

She had just told her sister the
week prior that, Hey, I regret

having that surgery because I.

I really needed to, you know, I, I
needed to fix it, but I'm in more pain

now than I was before the surgery.

And she had just told her sister that
she gets prayed for from this word of

knowledge Sal had and her pain goes away.

I emailed her next this last week and
said, Hey, how's your knee feeling?

And she said, I had a moment,
literally just a moment of pain

and just, or of discomfort.

But I went on an hour long walk this
week and no pain before or after.

And she sent me a screenshot of the
activity rings on her bot on her watch.

And, uh, and she was just telling
me yesterday at church, she was

like, I wasn't just, my knee's not
the only thing that's restored.

Like I'm myself again.

I can get on the floor and play
with my nieces and nephews.

I can go for walks and be mobile.

This is, that's who she is.

And she hasn't been able
to do that because of this.

And so the Lord restored her
knee and her sense of self, which

is so good of God to do that.

Um, that was a really cool testimony
and really, really excited about that.

And, and, and.

There was more prayers for deliverance
and, and, and repentance and confession.

And I just really sensed the Lord's
presence, you know, and there's

no place I'd rather be, what an
honor that the Lord would be there.

Um, and I just think we've been.

Talking a lot over the last several, uh,
I, oh, I've been just processing a lot

over the last several weeks about this
idea of worship and what, what are we

doing when we're gathering with, as a
church or what are we doing when we're

just going to pray, uh, in private,
what, what are we doing in those spaces?

And I'm going through the Old
Testament and I've been, uh,

really fascinated by this idea of
bringing an offering to the Lord.

And that's what worship
was in the Old Testament.

There was, there was some other things
that worship was like aligning your

whole self with the reality of God.

It's like, I'm fully devoted to you
and I'm gonna show you that devotion by

word, organizing my whole life around an
awareness of your presence in my life.

That's what worship was, and
the primary way of, of entering

into a lifestyle of worship was
bringing an offering to the Lord.

And they would bring bowls or
goats or lamb or um, birds.

They would bring flour or grain.

There was different type of
offerings you'd bring depending

on what you were trying to give.

Sometimes it was a guilt offering,
sin offering, peace offering.

Um, but they would bring these
offerings and, and it wasn't like

I'm coming to God and to his presence
without anything in my hands.

Every time I come, I'm bringing
something with me to give to him.

And I.

We know from the book of
Hebrews that we don't need to

bring any more bulls or goats.

That the blood of Jesus, the lamb of God,
that was the ultimate sacrifice that did

away with all sacrifices in that way.

But now there's a, there's
a different type of, of

sacrifice that we get to bring.

Listen to what this says
in one Chronicles 29.

David pray and says this.

Blessed are you, oh Lord, the God of
Israel, our father forever and ever.

Yours, oh Lord, is the greatness and the
power, and the glory, and the victory,

and the majesty for all that is in
the heavens and in the earth is yours.

Yours is the kingdom, oh Lord.

And you are exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honor come from you and
you rule over all in your hand are power

and might, and in your hand it is to
make great and to give strength to all.

And now we thank you.

Our God.

This is the offering we bring.

We thank you, our God, and
praise your glorious name.

It's Thanksgiving and praise.

This is the offering we bring.

We don't have to come to church with
a bowl and slit its throat and spill

its blood because blood has already
been poured out from the body of Jesus.

The precious, spotless lamb of God.

God has provided for himself the
one sacrifice that would finally

appease him, finally satisfy the
wrath that he has towards sin.

And Jesus is that lamb.

He has offered his own body as
the sacrifice to make us right

and whole in front of God.

And now when we come to God.

We don't bring another bull or goat.

That job has been accomplished.

It has been finished, paid in full.

Now we come to him with thanksgiving and
praise because of what he demonstrated

on the cross, which was, I love you, you.

I'm coming after you, I'm pursuing you.

And on the cross was displayed exactly
what David said, the greatness,

power, glory, victory, majesty, the,
the might, the power, the strength.

All of this was displayed and
demonstrated on the cross of Jesus.

And so when we come to God in
prayer or worship, either in private

or in the corporate assembly,
on the weekends, we are bringing

with us thanksgiving and praise.

That's what we are having in
hand as we walk into these times.

We're not coming empty handed and
we're not coming with, sometimes, we're

not coming with an emotional high.

We're not coming with this excitement.

A lot of the times, maybe you
do, and maybe, I mean, I have

sometimes, but I'm not always coming
with to prayer in the mornings.

Like if I'm going to pray, I'm not always
like super jazzed to wake up early, to

spend time in the presence of the Lord.

Now, I know I want that, but to
get into that space, it's hard.

I don't want to, I'm tired, I'm hungry.

I just wanna go back to
sleep, or I got work to do.

But I'm saying no, I'm bringing
to the Lord today a Thanksgiving

offering and a praise offering
because Jesus has died for me.

The love that he has for me is
on full display on the cross.

I wanna meditate on the cross.

I wanna thank him for the cross.

I wanna bless him for the cross.

And you know what's gonna
happen my entire being.

Is going to be aware of the presence
and love of God for me, and then because

of that, my whole life over time will
be conformed into this image that is

representative of that love because I'm
changed as I behold the Lamb of God.

This is discipleship.

This is spiritual formation.

It's gazing at the cross and
the love of Jesus for me.

And when I look at him for
who he is, I am transformed.

That's what it says in Corinthians.

That's what it says in one John.

When I behold him for
who he is, I'm changed.

Everything about me changes.

This last week on Tuesday,
I, I was praying and fasting.

I didn't wanna pray.

I was fasting and I'm like,
oh, I don't wanna do this.

I, I, Lord, I got work to do.

I wanted to sermon
prep, but you know what?

God, I, I remember saying
this, you are worth an hour.

I mean, you're worth a lot more than
that, but I'm gonna give you an hour

today because you're worthy of it.

So I planned from nine to
10:00 AM I was gonna pray.

It's gonna be in the presence of the
Lord and offered him my body, my time.

Just give him what he's due.

You know, he's worthy, he's
great and, and glorious.

He's worth that, in fact
worth way more than that.

You know what happened?

Nine to 10 turned into nine
to 1:00 PM Do not look at me

like I'm the spiritual giant.

It was not me.

I showed up from nine.

I didn't even wanna be there,
but as I began to just.

Pray and offer myself to the Lord.

Gaze at the cross, I was opening scripture
and asking God to show me the cross.

Show me the cross, and I saw a passage
that showed me the cross and it lit me

up and the spirit came and filled me.

And it's like I didn't
wanna go anywhere else.

I'm like, I'm here.

I'm gonna pray.

I'm here with you.

God, there's no place I'd rather be.

Sermon prep can go away.

Everything else is gone.

God, you're here with me right now.

I'm in your presence.

I love you Jesus.

And it was amazing.

Sal Marco me about an hour and a half
in and said, dude, I'm having the most.

Fiery, oily time of prayer.

You, if you gotta stop what you're
doing, stop and pray right now.

And I was like, dude, let me tell you what
I've been doing for an hour and a half.

And he was jazzed.

And I was like, dude, if you're
available, come meet me at the church.

Let's pray.

So he met me there at like 11, 11 30.

We prayed, worship, sang interceded
until one, and it was the easiest thing.

We were flowing in a river of the spirit.

The spirit's current was carrying
us deeper into the presence of God,

deeper into his heart to pray and
intercede for ourselves, our church.

The branch other places just to intercede
from a place of acknowledging his heart.

And that's, that's what
I'm talking about guys.

It doesn't matter if you feel it.

Um, God's worthy of our time, he's
worthy of our praise and our Thanksgiving

because look what he's done on the cross.

He went to Helen back for you and for me.

And so my encouragement is do not
underestimate the power that your heart's

your heart has when you make a commitment.

Don't underestimate the
power of a committed heart,

is what I'm trying to say.

Jeremiah 29 13 says, you, you, if
you seek me, you will find me if

you seek me with all of your heart.

What if?

What if you just committed in your
heart and said every morning for

30 minutes or so, I'm gonna fully
commit my heart to seeking God?

And saying, show me your face, Lord.

I wanna be with you Lord.

If 30 minutes you put everything
aside, every distraction,

everything you could possibly be
doing in that time, set it aside.

Get in private, close the door behind
you and say, this 30 minutes, I'm

seeking you, God, with my whole heart.

Wow.

Do you imagine what will
happen to your life?

What's the reward?

What's the reward for
somebody who does that?

Him.

He's the reward.

You get him.

The father, the son, and the spirit,
the triune God will invade that room

and your heart in such a way you'll
be marked wounded and never the same.

The love that God has for you will become
more real than you've ever experienced.

The Holy Spirit will ignite a fire
in your heart that'll never go out.

I'm excited.

I wanna hear testimonies.

I feel like some of you're gonna
do this and you're gonna never be

the same and do not be discouraged
if it doesn't happen overnight.

Don't be discouraged if it
doesn't happen in a month or two.

For me, the beginnings of it was,
um, the beginnings of it was just

little sense of his presence.

A little drop.

Right.

It's like if there's a faucet
and it's barely dripping every

few seconds it drips water.

That's what it was like at first,
but it was every drop was like,

oh my gosh, leading me deeper.

I'm like, yes.

If this is just the
beginning, Lord, I want more.

And it was two years went by until
finally the faucet opened and the

water came flooding into my heart.

The floods of the blood of
Jesus just entered my heart

and started to and ignite me.

And to show me the love of
Jesus and make it real for me

like I've never had in my life.

And it started with me saying, I'm
gonna come in my heart 30 minutes a

day to just seek your face, God, just
to, I don't know what it looks like.

I don't know how to pray.

Teach me to pray.

I'm seeking your face.

And I was consistent and disciplined,
and the fruit and the reward was himself,

the presence of God in my life and
awareness of him throughout the day.

Um, and I'm not perfect at it, so a long
way to go, but it is very, very worth it.

So just wanna encourage you guys with
that, um, and let me know how it goes.

Love to hear testimonies over time of you
guys doing this, and would love to see

you as always on a Saturday at 5:00 PM
uh, 1320 Holly Drive in Richardson, Texas.

Uh, all right, have a great week.

Love y'all.

Bye.