You are invited to surrender your life to Jesus today, whether through baptism or a deeper commitment to His will. Trust that He will provide a way out when you face tests, just as He did for the pastor during his time in Pakistan. Connect with this community to walk out your calling together.
Amen. I know I look a little funny today. This is not my normal garb. For those of you that don't know, Jerry and I just got back from Pakistan. And yeah.
*God* did a lot. We're gonna share a lot about it today. And, I believe that in hearing it and seeing it, there's gonna be some some principles that you're gonna take away. That's my prayer, is that there's principles that you take away that are that you find all throughout the story that you apply in your relationship with Jesus. And amen?
Amen. So my name is David John Phillips. I have the joy and honor of getting to be the pastor here. There's no place that I'd rather be. There's nothing that I'd rather be doing because this is where God has me.
There's nothing like being in the center of his will. Amen? Being exactly where he's called you to be in that moment. It's a beautiful thing, and and you're a beautiful church, and it's an honor to get to pastor you. So so thank you.
Thank you to our dream team. Thank you to everybody that serves on Sundays and leads small groups and and, you know, participates in the finances by giving. We couldn't do what we do without you, and we won't be able to do what God's called us to do next without you either. So so it's a "big deal". It's a it's a team effort.
And if this is your first time, as my wife said in the very beginning, is we pray that that you encounter the love of Jesus, that you experience his presence and his goodness in such a way that it leaves you never the same and hungering for more. Not just so you come back here, but that you seek him in your daily life, and you experience him day in and day out. And then you come back here and we celebrate together what God's done throughout the week. Amen? Amen.
That's just the the Christian life. Okay. So a couple of things. We're going to today's Pakistan recap. We're gonna show you all kinds of stuff.
Now, *God* has, like, led up to this for a long time, like a long time. And I guess the first point I wanna make is, 7 years ago, in my bedroom in Louisiana, before Clearwater was even a thought, God put Pakistan on my heart and told me to start praying for it. Like, I just had this desire to begin praying for the nation of Pakistan that they would begin to experience the love of Jesus. I mean, that sounds like a big prayer, you know? But 1 John-5:14 and 15 says, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us, we know that we have whatever we've asked. Meaning, we don't just pray our will all the time, but we listen and pray what He wants to happen, and He's inviting us to participate in what He wants to do throughout the world through prayer. That's not just for the the pastors, that's for every believer that has a relationship with the God of the universe. And so 7 years later, we get to put eyes on the fruit of the prayers that I prayed 7 years ago. So the other thing is in your prayers, don't just, well, I believe God told me to pray this and it didn't happen 3 years later.
Well, it hadn't happened yet in 2 weeks. Like, there's something about remaining steadfast, persevering, enduring, and knowing that he's good, know that knowing that he's faithful. And even if your kids are the 1 that get to see the answer to prayer, 10 years after you're gone. Amen. I'm gonna stand in faith on what he says.
Amen. Amen. That's what the Hebrews says about the patriarchs walking out faith. See, if if you're only a Christian for you, then you really don't know him. If you're only a Christian so that you can have a better life, then really you're still the Lord of your life.
Because it's all about you. When we come to Jesus, we come to him laying our life down because he laid his life down for us. And we realize that the greater fulfillment is not in seeking for me. The greater fulfillment is is "laying my life down" for what he wants. And in doing that, we're more fulfilled than ever.
Amen. That's Christianity. Amen? Amen. Cool.
Okay. So, started with prayer 7 years ago, 5 years ago or no, 2 years ago, so 5 years in, our church began to get really involved. 1 little baby step at a time. That whole process, not gonna go into it today, because that's not what today's about. However, I do have it written out, about 5 pages written out for you to see.
And if you're interested, you wanna see how God step by step, little by little, faithful to little, He gives you more, how we got to the point that we are in Pakistan. You're invited to read it, share it with people. It details all of the details up to about March and then, we're going to take it from March on. So, if you'll go to on your phone, you go to realchurch.us. Realchurch.us.
That's our website, www.realchurch.us. You click the little hamburger or a little 3 lines. That's what? It was doing that the other day, wasn't it? Yeah, last week.
I don't know why but hopefully, it'll stop. In Jesus name. Is it is it a short? I wonder if it's a short. I hope it's not, but okay.
Alright. So 3 little lines. Right? You click on that, click on live streams, and then message notes. It'll pop up in the Bible app, and and you can it'll be up for at least the next week.
So, you can read through it. It's a lot. Also, have something else, a little bonus thing on there under that that 5 year or what god has, how god has led up to to what's going on that we'll talk about in a minute but basically, just to to give you the the the brief summary is god invited us to partner with what he wanted to do in Pakistan. Sad day. It says AFP.
I don't know what that is but Alright, I'm transitioning to this right here. Me and Jerry will just hand it back and forth when we talk. Thank you guys for your patience and good to go. Yeah. Our tech guy is going to fix all things.
He's great. Would you guys give John a hand and our production team? So basically, *God* invited us to begin working in an area of Pakistan and really partnering with a guy named Daniel, who is a Pakistani man of God, to pioneer a work in an area where there was no believers. To our knowledge, believers. And now, after working there for 18 months up to March, there was over 2,700 believers and went from 1 little family to over 27 villages.
We had put in 20 different wells. We built a bathroom and and discipleship and it's beginning to multiply and then, *god* asked us to do a major kind of they call it crusade or Jesus festival event revival service, whatever you want to call it where we invite, you know, we're thinking 10, 12, 13, 0 people to come. So, those we would we would get those those leaders that we have and the new believers to go and invite people around the villages where they are and to come to this big event where we just share Jesus and hopefully, you know, impart a bunch of new believers into the work so that they could disciple them. Problem is that was going to cost a whole lot of money. You know, in order to bust the people in that they invited because they all walk, you know, that kind of thing or most of them do.
It's going to cost 45, about $45,000. And, you know, so I, back in February, I knew we were gonna be a part of something like this back in November, but then in February, I knew, you know, we had gotten other churches to partner with us and doing stuff like this before but I just knew that this was a major faith step our church needed to take and you know, in as a believer in our financial in our finances, you know, as a believer, we tithe. This is what we do as believers. We we give the first 10% of our income individually and to the local body of Christ. It's the body of Christ.
By doing it, you're giving it to Christ. It's just we're showing that he's the first part of who we are. Well, that's individually. Well, as a church, the local body, you know this about us, most of you. If if we're gonna do that individually, well, as a local body, we should do the same.
So our church gives the first 10% of everything that comes in that you guys give to the kingdom of of God, to another either to another work or another ministry or or, you know, what we're doing in Pakistan. We we divvy it out in that way. So our church tithes off of your tithes and offerings. But then as an individual in relationship with God, not only do we just give the first 10% and we call it good, no. By doing that we're declaring him to be the center of all of our finances.
So we listen, and when he asks us to give over and above, sometimes it's a major faith step, but it's in relationship and and all that we have is his. So we trust him that that he wants us to participate in what he's doing throughout the world. And God's asked my wife and I to do that multiple times, and it's just it's called offering, giving over and above. Well, as a church, you know, if we're gonna give tithes, well as a local body together, we should probably do the same thing, give offerings sometimes over and above what God asked us to do. And this would have been a this is a for our little little baby church plant, this is a major $45,000 a big deal, you know.
And so it's not a decision I wanted to make by myself to say, hey, God said, let's do this. No. We have a leadership team for accountability for a reason. You know? And so I also know that that this is the beginning for us.
Like, it's our call. We're a church that receives from around the world in in Pinellas County. It trains, equips, and sends all around the world. This is who we are. It's what we're gonna do.
You know, it's Pakistan is the beginning, but not just around the world, in Pinellas County too. We're we're called to do this. If you're around long enough, you'll see this happen in many other nations and throughout Pinellas County, because we're called to do this kind of stuff all over the world. And so this is kind of the beginning. So I wanted to not I wanted to not just make this decision by myself.
So I I wanted all of our leadership team to come together, and I just wanted to present it to them and have them pray and ask God and see what what God told them. And if we're all in 1 accord, all in agreement, then we'll move forward. And so, man, I pulled all the leadership team together, told them what was on my heart and said, you guys pray, you know, we'll come back and meet again. And if we're all in 1 agreement, then we'll make this crazy radical faith step as a church and do it. And, man, we prayed and and and and I just kinda sat back and and listened after casting the vision and and they talked through it.
And if you're part of the leadership team that was a part of that decision, would you guys stand up? Thank you. Keep where's where's Don and and Mike? They're in the back there And and Mariah was here. Don's security.
Angie is is sick. Mama Wanda, there there you are. So our deacons, elders, trustees made the decision together. And and another reason is because if this church is gonna do that, you guys can be seated, then then there's many decisions like that's gonna be made. So we need to learn to be radically generous together and to follow him.
And they're also accountable to say whether or not this is time for us to really start into that. Does that make sense? Well, they said it was time. So, man, they said they said, but if we're gonna sew, you need to go. And and so we, began the process of of getting visas to a country that it's illegal to convert a Muslim to Christianity punishable by death.
And so Heidi said, I glad I didn't know that before they went. So anyway, we began the process of getting visas and the first response we got, we were rejected. Our visas were rejected. And but we knew that we needed to go. And it was 1 of those things where you just had to kind of push through.
Didn't understand why. In the midst of in the middle of our visas being rejected. The president was ousted and then another president was put in that was liked America a little bit better. And so an a new way for a visa process opened up where we were able to reapply, and then our visas were accepted the week before we were supposed to go. And so we bought tickets.
And so that's so we're radical seed, seed time and harvest. Right? We sowed a radical seed. And we're we're now God's opened the way to go, and and we weren't a 100% sure we were gonna get to go until we were in Pakistan and they stamped our visas. So we we were still kinda iffy.
We're just kinda going by faith. Jerry, would you come on up? And so now I just wanna share what God did and how he did it. And I'm just excited. And and what you see us wearing is what they asked us to wear when we preached that that day.
And so would you would you pull up that first picture? You guys see that? I can't see it but That's pretty amazing, We'll get there. We pull up the next picture. Is it possible to put the pictures on the back there?
I don't know if if that's possible. If not, maybe we can turn 1 of these these TVs this way so that we can see what we're talking about. And then, you pull up the next picture? That's me in the hospital. In a Pakistani hospital.
Don't worry, we'll get to that story too. That's a that's a major story. Jerry, do you wanna say anything before we get started?
You know, I just I just want to say this trip was totally anointed by god. It was quite amazing. There was a word spoken that Dave is going to share beforehand where god just crushed boulders. He moved rocks out of the way. I think I declared before we left that we're gonna get to see a "Red Sea moment" and man, it was Red Sea moments.
*Miracles* and signs and people that love you and families that just mesh together. It was just a pretty pretty awesome trip.
That's good enough. Yeah. I'll read this as they're doing that. This was a a about a few days before we went, this was a prophetic word that somebody had just kind of a they wrote it down and it was very encouraging to us the whole way through and I think you'll see why and if you're if you're don't know about prophetic words or or you're like, you know, you hear that and you're like, that's weird. Well, it's real and I think that this will help you to see how real it is.
So, let me let let me pull it up. Uh-oh. Okay. So here I'm gonna read it. This is a prophetic vision concerning our trip to Pakistan.
Spoken to us by someone in our church a few days before we left. They said, as I was praying for the trip, I saw a dirt road crossing a large open field. It was strong with huge boulders and immense chunks of concrete. No 1 could pass through because it was completely blocked with obstacles. I don't know why no 1 can simply walk around the outside edges of the road.
Then I saw huge burly angels land on the road and begin to "smash the boulders" and pieces of concrete to smithereens with giant mallets. They were having a wonderful time laughing and shouting with joy. Sometimes they use the mallets like croquet mallets and would whack the boulders off into the unseen distance. I began to perceive demons in in the distance away and they were screaming in frustration. Their assignment had been to place the obstacles on the road and it had been an extremely difficult endeavor.
Now, the angels were easily destroying all of their work and having fun doing it. Once the road was clear, I sensed the father at the head of it. He said a word and almond saplings appeared. All along each side of the road. Many, many trees as the road stretched off into the distance.
As I watched, they grew to maturity, blossomed, and began to "bear almonds". The air was filled with the aroma of almonds. The road was beautiful and peaceful. As I'm typing, the Holy Spirit showing me doves and other smaller birds nesting in the trees and raising the little ones. Just so you know, like, when you're going to fulfill, you know, part of the purpose that god has for you, even in your daily life, the enemy wants to stop you and puts all kind of obstacles in front and *prayer* and relationship, I mean, the enemy I mean, god breaks those those obstacles, those boulders out of the path.
And then for us, it was confirmation that God was gonna do that as we went. So, you know, we went in faith based on this. It was more confirmation that that what was spoken was gonna happen, was gonna take place. And then also the the almond saplings coming up out of the ground, you know, in the Old Testament, Aaron, you know, there was an almond tree that budded, his staff budded as an almond tree. It represented God's leadership that he had placed in area.
In And that was signifying to me, you know, that the leadership of the leaders that have been instituted over the last 18 months was strong and sturdy and bearing fruit. And we could trust and not only that, but it was going to continue to grow and to multiply. So it's just a really encouraging thing for us to to start into. Would you go to the next picture? So there we are, beginning the trip and, we're in the the airplane and are about to get on the airplane in in Tampa.
Next picture. You wanna talk about that?
Well, this is after we get to Lahore. We go get in line at customs to get our visa stamped. So, David gets up to the front which we were trying to decide who's going to go first because you know, we're a little antsy at this moment and it's 01:30 in the morning. David gets up to the little booth and the guy looks at him and then he calls me for it and he says, how many guys are with you? We said, 4 and then he points to this little room over there and says, go in this room and I'm thinking, okay, here's where all the questions are going to start.
So we step in this room and it's what? 2 or 3 guys sitting in this room and they grab our papers, they look at it and say, was seem salim and we kinda say, okay. We're all kinda looking and then they just look at us and say, here, here's your paper. Go get your visa stamped so we can welcome you into our country. And it was just like, what?
You know, and then we go get back in line and this room is filled with Pakistan people. And I had this auction that this guy was gonna come out and ushers forward because we're at the back of the line and all of a sudden, this guy comes up and says, come. Not only do we go to the front of the line but we are ushered behind the booth and now we're looking at all these guys are like I'm looking at you and I'm like, what? What is going on right here? And the guy is joking with us and talking and says, hey, come and take your picture, stamps us.
I think he even invited us to dinner, didn't he?
Yeah. Yeah, he did. Yes, you can go to the next picture. So there we are. We're all super excited.
We got our we we got our visas. We're going into Pakistan and that's, me and Jerry, that's Aaron Christopherson in the dark, with the dark hair and then Chris Donald. 2 guys of a nonprofit that went with us that, they started partnering with us and what we're doing about 5 months ago. They're looking, at purchasing 2 acres of land and building a training center in the center of everything that we've been doing in order to multiply what God's doing throughout Pakistan. And they've also been selling water wells and other things into it.
Next picture. So there we are. The first, day, we we sleep for a few hours. We get up and we go and we go to these 3 places, not where we've been doing ministry like I told you earlier, but just around the initial city that, you know, Daniel over the last year and a half would randomly call me on WhatsApp video. He said, hey, we're doing ministry right now in this village.
Can you preach? I'm like, sure. He said, okay, get ready, 30 seconds. I said, oh, I said, are these people believers? He'll like, some of them.
And I said, okay, how long do I have? He'll say, 20 minutes. I'm like, alright. And so then I'll just get to preach the gospel or whatever. So we went to 3 of those places.
1 of them was a school. So right now you see mostly children. I preached actually in the night where the after they were working, they could come and see. But man, this was just a joy to see. You can go to the next 1.
So, what was that like, Jerry?
My kids. You know, I'm standing there and we're about to leave and when I always see these kids, your heart just goes out for them because you're walking through the city and you see the places that, I mean, it just looks desolate. You see the sewage system running down the side of the road and then you see these kids in here colorful and joyful and man, I stood on that stage and we were about to leave and the holy spirit says, give him a fatherly hug. And I asked Waseem. I said, hey, can I give him a hug?
And he says, absolutely. And so I sat on the stage and I called him forward and he said, they wanna give you he wants to give you a hug. And they didn't move, so I jumped down and got on my knees to where they were at. And they just surround me and start just loving me with these big hugs and well, I think that's enough.
They thought he was Santa. No. Really, they did. They called him Santa, but they loved him. It was just Jesus flowing out.
It was Jesus flowing out of him. But they they they had these schools where they're teaching these kids curriculum, like math and science, but they're also teaching them Jesus. And Hindu and Muslim and and and Christians come, and and so they're getting to sow the gospel into them, which is awesome. Go to the next. It's just what a street looks like.
Go to the next 1. Okay. So then the last the third place we get to that the first day is we get to this field, and, they have about 15 to 20 people that are out of this crowd that's scheduled to be baptized in the field, Pakistani *baptisms*. And I'm excited and and so I start to preach and, I'm thinking, you know, if you ask me to speak, I'm thinking I'm speaking to mostly believers. So So I'm talking about the Holy Spirit encouraging them that they can do the same things we do and even greater because the same spirit lives in them.
But then I got to thinking, I was like, wait a second, maybe there's some people in here that need to be baptized and don't know Jesus. And and so I'd I'd talked in about the importance of baptism. This is important for you to know. If you're a believer, you don't have an option to not be baptized. It's a command by Christ.
It's not like I'm just gonna wait till I'm ready. If you're a believer, you're ready. If he's your lord because baptism is transformation. It's baptism is you're declaring you died with Christ. Right?
So the old you is gone. And when you come up out of the water, you're declaring, I'm new in him. His life is my life. The way I always thought about myself is gone. The way that all everybody always said about me is gone because Christ purchased that.
Now I am who he says that I am. It's it's a declaration. And if Jesus is your Lord, why would you not do it? Right? It's surrender and submission to him as your Lord.
Amen? So if there's anybody in here that you need to be baptized, you haven't been baptized yet, but you've been born again. I'm not talking about sprinkle when you were born. I'm talking about you made a decision to follow Jesus, and now it's, you're declaring I'm transformed, and this is my testimony to the world that I have been transformed. Be baptized today.
And I want you to hear it that hard. Because the Lord says it that hard. It's time. Today's your day to be baptized if you've been born again. And so I told them what I just told you.
And I said, how many of you guys, is Jesus your Lord? And they all raised their hand. And, and, but they, they weren't all Christians before. They were declaring Jesus as their Lord right there. And so then we go to do baptism.
And the 15 to 20 come to be baptized. And then Daniel, our the coordinator and leader there, he says, this guy wasn't planning to be baptized, and this guy wasn't planning to be. And next thing you know, we're baptizing between 30 and 40 Pakistanis in the middle of a field because of what God did. How cool is that? There's Jerry.
So so we were baptizing in this thing and and then, you know, they had this pump pumping water into it and it was it was kind of hard and difficult. Then, it started messing up. So, they put us in a ditch. I think that's the next picture. There we go.
So we're baptizing in a in a dirty ditch in a Pakistani field. What what are your thoughts on that, Jerry?
It was truly amazing. I remember standing there watching David and he gets in the ditch and he goes, come here and I immediately kicked off my shoes and walked in the ditch and we just started declaring *Jesus* over these people and they start giving their lives and it was just truly amazing. An experience that, oh my goodness, it is so humbling. You get to be called across the water to meet new believers in Christ Jesus, you know?
Yeah. It's awesome. Keep going. And then, oh yeah, we got to feed them afterwards which is just serving them. And Jerry, they were just so honoring, you know.
Bible says honor 1 another above yourself. It's something in American culture we need to learn because we're so individualistic. But the kingdom culture is the Bible is honor 1 another above yourself. I don't even count equality with Jerry something to be grasped. It's not something I don't have to attain to anything.
I'm proven in him so I can serve him and honor him, you know? And that's that's what they did for us and and taught us to do for them. Jerry, this this old dude who's walking us to the van and, know, washing our feet as we're getting in the van because we're all dusty. The Holy Spirit moves on Jerry's heart and he gets down and he washes that man's feet. You know, I mean, and that's what we're to do for 1 another.
It's a beautiful thing. Just just an ox cart so you can kind of see, you know, they got they got motorcycles and they got cars, some of them, but many of them have ox carts. That's Chris Donald and then that's Saul. He's, a funny man. He's he was awesome.
He taught me oh, stay there for a second on on this 1. But Saul taught me how to say Jesus loves you in Urdu. It's basically Jesus loves you.
He also trimmed us off and made us look nice.
Trimmed beards. So this is our security detail. We had a lot of security there. They took care of us. They we had a a truck in the front and a truck in the back full of those guys ready to go.
And, thankful that God provided that. Next. This is what the village is that where we've been ministering looks like. This is their home. Yeah.
This is where they cook. And that is our first water well that we've ever put in. The water wells, when they become Christians, the the area we've been ministering is a 80% Hindu area. And when they become Christians in the area, they get kicked out like the other Hindus in the village. Don't let them use their water because they're dirty and they're tainted.
You know, so it's persecution is what it is. So we pay $450. Stay right there. We pay $450 to put a water well down whenever we have new Christians, new believers in the new area. And they now they have access to "clean water", and they have influence in the area to win others for Jesus.
And then this is a a bathroom. It's kind of an experiment. It costs $850. 30 third companies put this bathroom down. And, you know, just to be real blunt, you know, it's very unclean there, the ladies, and like 2000 years ago, they don't have access to to feminine products or anything like that.
You know, so, putting a bathroom down is a big deal. And it allows them to clean themselves in privacy without, fear of being raped and watched and all that kind of stuff. And it also, since we put that down, a family of 9 gave their life to Jesus because they saw how God provides. So we want to put wells and bathrooms in every village that we have that has believers and continue that they can see that the gospel is holistic. So, that's our team.
You want to talk about this 1?
Yeah, this was the church that we built, right? Or help?
That is the first the 1 of the first churches there. They converted it to a to a church, a home to
a church. Yeah. And so, they came out and we got to pray over the leaders of this little tribe or village and I don't think this was the 1 where *god* gave me that vision but. Yeah. Yeah, this was just and I, they sunk us a song.
We got to love on him and pray with him and got to got to see what god's doing in that village.
Amen. Next. They just honored us, put these "sweet smelling roses" all over us and it was great. Next. So, this is this is what they they look like, walking into the crusade.
If you could stay here for a second though, I do want you to talk about what happened at that village because I don't know if I I got those pictures. We're walking into 1 of the villages to to see the bathroom and the and the pumps, water pumps, and this was before the crusade day. And, as we're walking in, I just have the thought, which I know now in relationship with with the Lord, it was the Holy Spirit saying, I knew that the gospel needed to be preached in that village. I just knew it. It didn't say anything to anybody.
And so we're we're standing there and talking to the villagers, and Chris begins to preach the gospel to the village to the villagers. And as he's preaching, I have a thought, Jerry needs to speak. And I don't say anything. I'm just like, okay. And then
So right before that, we pull up in this village and as we're pulling up, I'm I'm seeing, I'm hearing this vision and I say, Chris is speaking the gospel. Nobody raises their hands and then the Holy Spirit says, you need to speak this I said, woah, that'll be pretty cool and I get off the, I get out of the, I'd out of the van and I don't think nothing about it and I'm walking up and as David says, I'm sitting there standing beside Chris and Chris starts preaching the gospel and I said, woah. And then all of a sudden, he asked if anybody wants to surrender their lives for Jesus Christ to be their lord and savior and no hands are raised and I said, this is real and I immediately turn around. Now, I could have said, well, man, I heard this from the Holy Spirit. I'm going to do it but I immediately turned around and I went to David and I said, I said, look, this is what I've been told to speak and it was Romans-1:18 to 20.
For the wrath of god comes upon those who suppress this truth in their unrighteousness because he's made it evident to you, in you, and around you so no man is without excuse and it was like, amen. This sounds like we're about to "twist our arm" and David looks at me and he goes, I trust you. To me, that that's submitting to 1 another and after we discuss this, he showed me that in honoring my pastor. I got to honor my pastor and then he submitted to me of of what I thought I was supposed to do. I step up.
Well, right after that, David said, I trust you and then all of sudden, Chris says, Jerry, come here and I said, woah. And I go up there and we pray for this guy about healing of his knee. The guy gets healed and then right after Chris finishes, David reaches up and touches him on the shoulder and says, Jerry has to share something and so I tell them what I had to share. After I said that, then I asked him again, did anybody want to surrender their life? 12 men raised their hands.
And so, 2 truths were shared at that moment. I mean, the gospel was a truth, but if you didn't, this is a result of that and it was pretty powerful. Yeah.
Yeah. It was awesome and just how the Holy Spirit coordinated that to make it, you know, in unity, in unison. You know, I I I may have if if I wouldn't if the Holy Spirit wouldn't have told me that beforehand, I may have said, no, not right now. You know, But he just made it to where his will happened so that these people gave their life to Jesus. You know?
And we and and by showing us, he was inviting us to participate through obedience to his leading. Know, You everything I'm telling you is not just for pastors and people that go overseas. This is for you in your daily life. You can have a relationship with God where you know this is not a religion where you just follow code of rules and hope you get it right. It's a relationship where you walk with God day in and day out.
And then come to church and celebrate how what God did in in each of us. Amen? So these are the people "walking to the crusade", walking up. Beautiful people. Oh, these are the buses.
So we, the leaders, the 100 leaders that that we have trained up over the last year and a half, Daniel has really trained, Holy Spirit has, God has. They went we're in 27 villages. They took flyers and little videos that they made to a 158 villages. Many of them walking to go invite to come hear the gospel. Hours.
Knocking on doors. 158 villages. And they hire these buses. Say, hey, on this day, the bus is gonna come. Get on the bus.
And on these buses, you how many people you think that bus will hold? That what? In America, hold about 20. There, a 100. A 100.
Planning for a 100 people per bus. Sitting on the top, packing it out in there. I mean, and, 158 villages they sent the buses to. Amazing. Keep going.
Here they are walking up. Keep going. They're at the crusade. Keep going. Beautiful.
Beautiful people. So here we are, man. We walk in and we see this and this is the fruit of that seed that you guys sowed. And we didn't get the numbers until afterwards but we were praying. We were expecting 13, 0 from the buses.
We were hoping for 15,000 and from the buses, 21, 0 showed up. 21, 0 people. That's not counting the ones in the city that just walked in. Probably more like 22 at least. So, Jerry kind of preached identity.
He prophesied over them who they would be after this happened because you gotta understand 90% of these people, 95% probably are not Christians. Only the ones that were already Christians in the year the year and a half before. So, maybe 2,000 of them, 2,700, depending on how many of those believers could come. And the rest are this this is the first time they're hearing the gospel. And then after that, Chris got up and he shared about that's Chris.
He shared about healing and miracles. This is before we preached. Because a lot of times, Jesus would heal the sick then preach the kingdom. So he shared about that and then prayed for the crowd and many people in the crowd were healed showing them that the gospel is real. Then, I got up and preached the gospel.
And would you play the next video? When I say confess Jesus as your Lord,
I mean
you confess Jesus as your only Lord. So, I'm speaking to could you stop it for a second? I'm speaking to mostly Hindus, And but but the message is applicable for Americans too. I had them raise their hand. They wanna confess Jesus as Lord, but but Hindus just oh, I just wanna add another God to my life.
Many. Right? Could have been. Americans too. I just wanna incorporate Jesus into my life but not make any adjustments.
That's not Christianity. Christianity is Jesus, you're my only lord. I follow you and I adjust my life to where you're the center of it in every aspect. So I had them put their hands down and I said, no, look guys, it is you take all the other gods off your shelf. Everything else that you've been following, take off your shelf and you don't serve or worship anything else except Jesus as your only lord.
How many of you want to be saved? We have reports from the 250 buses that 9,850 people gave their life to Jesus. And about 40 of the buses we can't get reports from. We have reports from the buses. We got to minister and pray for people after that.
That over 1,700 people were healed. Miracle and and the number went down from what it was because they didn't count headaches or fever leaving because they wanted it to be a bonafide miracle. *God* is real. Could you go to the next picture? This is, after we we did we didn't we couldn't lay hands on that many people, but we did get to lay hands on quite a few people and saw some really cool stuff.
Keep going. Jerry, what's some of the miracles you saw as you were praying for people?
Well, I got I got to see eyes straighten out from a little girl. They were they were all disassembled and they drew together. It was an older man. He came up to me and I had an interpreter and he said he was paralyzed half of his body. So, I start praying over him and then I tell my interpreter to tell him to move it and this guy takes his arm and he does all he can to stretch it out and he's smiling and then he takes it straight up in the air like in victory and then there's a little guy behind him.
He starts working his elbow and every time he works his elbow, he's popping this little guy in the chest. I mean, boop. Boom and and so, he walks off. There was an occasion where the man, I think this is it right here with this little girl. She comes up and she was just crying and wailing and moving her head around lethargically and I just reach out and grab her and pull her in and set her on my knee and put my hand on her chest and all of a sudden, she just stops crying.
She stops moving and she just falls asleep on my shoulder and she's facing the crowd and everybody's going, woah and I give her back and then, I had gotten a little bold then because of the holy spirit. Yeah. Guy walks up. He couldn't walk on his leg. I start praying and I look down and see a cane.
Well, I knocked the cane out of the way and I tell him, I said, walk and he starts moving and then the little, I guess it was his grandson. He reaches down and grabs a cane and I saw him give it to him and I told my interpreter. I said, no, tell him to "walk it out". Well, he walked, they leave and evidently, the young man saw what he he wanted some healing too. So, he came back and asked me to pray over his stomach for healing.
There was just it was it was miracles and signs right before our eyes. I mean, I'm trying to think there was 1 more. Now, there was a guy that when we first called him to the stage, he had a son that was, he was all tangled up and the little boy kept turning around and he was connecting with me and it was funny because I get up and because of that little boy, I said, I'm going to this side. Well, I go to that side and I was like, Chris is, this is yours because this is this is your area and man, I'm standing there and all of sudden, this man comes back around and brings that boy and sets him right before me and I swallow and I just start praying over. I lay him on the stage and I pray for his legs and his arms.
I didn't see the result but I knew it was going to happen and I just told the man, not only will he walk, he will run.
Amen. Praise the lord. It's challenging some of your faith. It's okay. Let it be challenged.
Let it be stretched. God can do the same thing in you, to you, and through you. Go to the next next. I won't there we had many of these pictures. We only put 1 of them in here.
But I put it in here for a reason. It's real. **Demons are real**. Demons affect people. And a lot of times, what people blame is something else is actually demonic oppression.
So, there was many that were freed and from the reports, many of the Daniel actually said 90% of the sicknesses were actually demonic deliverance and when they were delivered, the sickness went. So, I'm not trying to make you find a demon under every rock but I am saying be aware because the Bible says in Acts-10 that Jesus went around healing everyone who was under the power of the devil. So, don't let your theology explain away what's real but this is not something to be scared of because Jesus is lord over everything. So, all we do is we stand and stay in Christ. Amen?
You can go to the next picture. I just, you know, he's looking cute. And there's Chris and Aaron, thankful for those guys. As Daniel, that's our main contact who's really the 1 doing leading all of this. The apostolic leader there.
Puja is the 1 on the right. She's the 1 that translated us all as Daniel's wife. And yeah, there's me. Next. And just to let you know the impact and the connection that we have with this family is Daniel and Puja had a baby in in April as their second child.
And they named him David. There's a connection, guys. There are church family there too. And it's a big deal. And it's an honor to get to play a part.
And thankful for what he's doing there. And I want you to know that we're gonna bear fruit here of the seeds you sowed there. God's gonna do the same things and greater here too. And it's up to our surrender. God wants to move in your life, but he'll move to the level that you're willing to let him move, which means the level that you're willing to obey what he tells you to do in your daily life.
And last but not least, Could you go to 1 more and we'll come back to that 1 for a second? Is there 1 more or no? Maybe not. Yeah. Could go ahead.
Could you talk about the family?
Yeah. This family, like I said, we spent most of Saturday with the family. David has worked with Daniel for a long time. I I met him 3 or 4 times on FaceTime but when I met him up close, it was like me hugging you as you come in the door. I mean, I knew him.
He was like embracing me and everywhere we went, the father would grab my hand out of respect for who I was. I mean, they just "showered us with blessings". We sat around and just propped our feet up on the coffee tables. They just then we got to pray for the babies. We got to pray with the families.
We get to see his *father* that had turned from himself to Christ. We got to see the fruit of that labor. As he passed it down to his sons and you know, and the sons continue to to flourish in that fruit of of of remaining in god and like David said, I think this is a call for our church. In the beginning, *Holy Spirit of my journey, Holy Spirit gave me wrong. I mean, Hebrews-11:8*.
Have faith as Abraham. Not knowing where you're to go or what you're going to do. Just be ready when I call and so I begin to research that and I went to Genesis-13. You know, Abraham, he had to take the first step. He didn't know where he was going.
He had to step out. He had to leave his familiar territory. Separate himself this from everything. The, you know, his society, his geographical area, his family. He left everything and I think that's what god is calling our church to do.
To separate ourselves from us and come follow him.
Amen and Imma share this last testimony. You pull up that that hospital picture again. So, that that night right before we leave about 6 hours before the plane takes off, I start puking and you know, diarrhea. I mean, the whole just dehydrated real bad. I'm laying in Daniel's bed and I I can't get up and you know, I I'm questioning, am I going to be able to get on a plane?
And about 2 hours into that, I remembered something. Most of you know Olivier. About 2 and a half weeks before we before this part, about a week and a half before we left, Olivier came to me and he said, he said, David, we're praying for your family that's been sick. My family's was sick about a month for about a month before we left. You know, the "enemy likes to attack" you before you go do big stuff for his kingdom.
He said, we've been praying for your family, but we need to pray for you. I I I have a vision of you with an IV in your in your arm in a hospital bed. This was a week and a half before we we left. Of course, when he got done saying it, I'm like, *Lord Jesus*, that's not from you. No way.
I wanna hear that. That's weird. But I kept it in the back of my mind. And I'm thankful for that word. Because it wasn't a bad word.
It was a good 1. Because 2 hours of laying in the bed, not being able to move, not knowing if I'm gonna be able to make it home for a few days, have to postpone flights and stuff. I had the thought, Olivier, what Olivier what God told me through Olivier a week and a before we left. IV. So I called Daniel into the room.
I said, hey, Daniel. The person that took our COVID tests and stuff, the lab tech, could he bring an IV in? He's like, no, brother. He can't do it. He said, but I had the same thing you had 2 weeks before the crusade happened, and I went and got an IV.
The hospital's 10 minutes down the road. Let's go. He said, was thinking about this for the last 2 hours. I just didn't say anything. I would have never asked for it if if Olivia had not prophesied that over my life.
I would have never had the faith to do it because I would have said, no, you know, you know, it's a typical man thing. So here I am, Pakistani hospital bed. They're giving me IV. I feel 10 times better after I get done. Can get up and go get on the plane, you know, and am able to make it home.
And it's just God the Bible says, he will not test you or not allow you to be tempted. Same word for tempt is the same word for test. God doesn't tempt you, but he does test you. More than you can bear but will always provide a way out. It seemed more than I could bear, but the way out was the word he gave me a week before.
Would I have the faith to follow it? Praise the lord that that I did. You know? And in your journey and walking with Jesus, he's always always with you, gonna encourage you in the midst of it, and always gonna provide the way out when it's time. And in it, so that you can "weather the storm", persevere through it, and develop *character*.
Suffering produces perseverance which produces proven character. God's all about developing you so you have the character necessary to walk out the calling and stand against the evil 1, the enemy when he comes to attack. Amen? Amen. Okay.
So, here's what we're going to do. Imma get the worship team to come up and we're going to have a baptism. Drake called me earlier this week. Been listening to podcasts, you know, watching media and stuff and just realized it was time to **give his life* to Jesus* and be baptized. So, so Drake gave his life to Jesus and got baptized.
Can probably go ahead, Drake, and change your clothes and go get changed and come back in. Soon as he comes back in, we're going to baptize him. After we baptize him, you guys are dismissed. Please don't leave now. Please wait until to celebrate what god did but I also want to give the invitation.
Maybe you're out there and you've received Christ and you've never been baptized and you understand the importance of it. Hey, we got shirts and towels for you. Here's your ditch. Let's get baptized today. Don't wait.
Don't make excuses. And maybe you don't know Jesus. You've never had a relationship with him like I'm talking about. Maybe you just incorporated Jesus into your life instead of really submitting to him as lord. Jerry and Heidi are going to be in the back corner back there.
Heidi, would you stand up? And Jerry's that guy. They're gonna be back there. Go give your life to Christ. They'll help you and lead you in that and then come get baptized.
Okay? But after we baptize, Drake, you guys are dismissed. If you wanna connect with real church, you're invited to be as connected as you wanna be. We we ask you to connect. We can't be who we God's called us to be unless you connect.
That's whether it's serving or groups or just being a part of the family. And then also after we get done baptizing, we're gonna tear down. If you got time, stay around, hang out, help us tear down. You'll meet people. When you serve together, you stay together.
It's a beautiful thing. Amen? Let me pray. And we're gonna worship the *Lord* and do baptism. And anybody that needs to be baptized during the song, go back there and they'll help you get ready.
We have changes of clothes, all excuses. We have changes of clothes, we have shirts, we have towels. So all excuses don't matter. It's just whether or not you wanna surrender. Amen?
*Lord God*, I just thank you for your goodness. Let's just stand up. Thank you for your love. Thank you for who you are. Thank you for what you've done in Pakistan and that our church got to be a part of your plan.
It's so cool. Lord, thank you for what you've taught us through those brand new believers there. Well, not we didn't just go to sow. We we we went to receive in relationship and learn from as well. Lord God, we praise you, and we pray that you do the same stuff here.
Teach us to surrender to that level, Lord God. Lord God, teach us to go out in our daily lives here to outside of our church here, to to minister here as you've as you've done there. Lord, teach us what it means to walk with you here, Lord God. Lord, that every everybody here would see themselves as a missionary to Pinellas County. Lord God, to to minister in the same ways, if they are believer, Lord God.
And if they're not, Lord, draw them into relationship. Let's step out of their chairs. Go talk to Jerry and Heidi, and and get saved. Have a relationship with you, Lord God. I know there are people in here, that their heart's calling them right now.
*Lord*, that they wouldn't reject and stay under the wrath of God, but they would receive the fact that Jesus paid the price for the wrath so that they could know you and walk with you, a loving father who cares for you. Lord God, thank you for what you've done. Thank you for what you're doing. We worship you. And Lord, I I also, Lord, I pray they have an amazing week.
In Jesus name. Thank you for tuning in today to the Real Church podcast. I pray that you walk away from today encouraged and with a deeper understanding of how much God loves you. If you'd like to connect with us, we can't wait to reach out to you and pray for you. You can go to www.realchurch.us/connect.
And then also, if you would like to give to what God is doing in and through our ministry, you can do so at www.realchurch.usgiving, or you can text any amount to 840-0321, and then just search in the link that comes up search for Real Church Clearwater. **God bless you** and the best is yet to come.