Being Called Into Someone Else's Storm

We're going to do something a little bit different tonight. I would like the opportunity to speak to the graduating class of our Bible school this evening at Summit International School of Ministry. And not just to our graduating class, but to all of the students that are here and to those of you who are online this evening, this message will apply to you as well.

And when I get to the end of the message, we're going to have communion together tonight. So take the time to get some bread and some juice together. And we're going to, I'm going to invite the students to come forward because for those of you who are online, all you ever get to see is the back of the students' heads all year.

Now, I want you to know that they are here praying for you every Wednesday, praying for your victory, praying for your freedom, praying for God to do a work in your life that only he can do. And we want to give you an opportunity to see what these young men and women actually look like who have been praying for you. And we're going to have communion here sitting on their standing on this platform.

And we're going to join you for this communion service. This is the last prayer meeting where all of the students will be here with us in chapel. The school is graduating on Saturday.

And so we're going to be down to the powerful dozen that will be here on Wednesday night after that. And thank God for the scripture. We're two or more gathered in my name.

We're going to be here and we're going to be praying. And I know you're going to be with us online, praying as well throughout the summer. And then next fall, we'll have a whole new class come in.

And plus the second year students, the first year students now, but there'll be second year they'll be with us again. And we're so looking forward to that. Praise God.

What a year this has been. It's been an awesome year. It's been an amazing year.

It's been a miraculous year that the testimonies are astounding. And I wish, I wish we all had a chance to hear them all, all of the testimonies. I think you'd be truly amazed at what God has been doing to the graduates of Summit International School of Ministry and to those that are going to be graduating.

And also to those that have come out to pray. I want to talk to you tonight about being called into someone else's storm, being called into someone else's storm. Father, I thank you for your word tonight.

I thank you. It is indeed a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. I thank you, Lord God, that you will anoint me to be able to speak this and you'll anoint those of us who have gathered to be able to hear it.

For we are living in a season of incredible storms in people's hearts and lives. We saw it online tonight. The amount of depression is literally off the chart now.

So many people losing heart. So many are losing hope. Father, I ask in Jesus name, God Almighty, that you would give me the ability to speak this and give us all the ability to hear it.

For we are truly being called into someone else's storm. And I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Acts chapter 27, beginning at verse 20. Now, when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

Now I urge you to take heart for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve saying, do not be afraid, Paul, for you must be brought before Caesar. And indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.

Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. In Ecclesiastes chapter 3, beginning at verse 1, the scripture says, to everything, there's a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. Now, the next seven verses describe differing times when everything familiar begins to change.

There's a time for peace and a time for war. There's a time to build. There's a time to tear down.

There's a time to plant. There's a time to reap. There's a time for love.

And it even says there's a time for hate. There's, we're entering one of those seasons of change now. The change we're about to experience is going to be worldwide.

When human reasoning, having charted its own course, loses hope in a storm of its own making. In Acts chapter 27, the word of God was there through the apostle Paul challenging the people of that particular time. Do not take this journey.

If you insist on taking this journey, it's going to result in the loss of many things, not just the cargo or not just the things that you've learned to trust in the material things, but also our very lives will be in jeopardy. But nevertheless, the majority advised to set sail. And when the wind blew softly, supposing they'd obtained their desire, they put out to sea.

You see, this is what society has been. This is a season we've been going through where we have disregarded the word of God. We've disregarded the warnings of God.

We've disregarded the standards of God. We've tried to change the laws of God in this and other nations, especially the Western nations throughout the world, not learning from history. The one thing I've heard it said that we don't learn, what we learn from history is that we don't learn from history.

They assumed that when everything seemed to be smooth, that they were going to obtain their objective only to find that they found themselves headlong into a storm that was bigger than anything they'd ever seen before. Voices, secular voices are starting to now warn about the trajectory that we're on as societies, as threats of war are beginning to rise and saber rattling has become the order of the day. Incivility seems to be in our society at every potential level.

Immorality has taken over from morality and lies are abounding and pushing out truth and proclaiming themselves to be virtuous in the ways that offer life. No, we're entering a season of confusion, a season of a storm bigger perhaps than this world has ever seen in its history. I had a warning in my heart before 9-11.

People who are there in New York City know that it was in April of that year, the Holy Spirit warned me that a crisis was coming to the city and we needed to prepare the church to be ready for that crisis. We canceled everything in the church. We canceled a missions conference, a women's conference, all of our guest speakers and we began to meet nightly and prepare the people, teaching them to come to the throne of grace to find help now before the crisis came because a storm was coming to the city.

And when the storm came, thank God that his people were ready. Thank God that many of God's people came in. I still remember to this day that one of the men who was a businessman in New York City, we had just heard of the second tower being hit by another airplane.

He come into the church. He was rolling his sleeves up as he came down the aisle, the hallway and he said, Pastor, tell me what to do and I'll do it right now. They came to church not out of fear.

They came to church to work. People came to church. They said, God warned us.

We were prepared. We were ready. We are now ready for the storm that has come to our city and we're here as part of the solution.

We're not here as part of the problem. We're not called to be running around wringing our hands like everybody else. We're called to roll up our sleeves and just call out and say, God, what would you have me do now? Lord, who would you have me to speak to? What situation would you put me in? Because there has to be a demonstration of the stability that you offer to people even in these crisis times.

Psalm 136 tells us 26 times in that Psalm that the mercy of God endures forever. Thank God for mercy. Thank God that we don't get what we deserve.

Thank God that he found you. Thank God that he found me. Thank God that he pulled us out of the mire that we were in.

And as David said, he set us in a solid place and he put a new song in our hearts and many people see it and fear and it will cause them to begin to trust in God. Just as we heard a testimony tonight, a powerful testimony. Oh God, thank you Lord for taking that young lady off that billboard and putting her on this platform and sending her out through the internet.

The mercy of God endures forever. This is where you and I come in because we are the extension of God's hand of mercy. Now in Psalm 107, beginning at verse 25, it speaks to the Lord.

It says, for he commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens. They go down again to the depths.

Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and he brings them out of their distresses.

He calms the storm so that its waves are still. And then they are glad because they are quiet and he guides them to their desired haven. And just as with the apostle Paul, this is now where you and I come in.

You see, without Paul in the middle of their storm in Acts 27, all of the people on that ship, all 275, 276 in total with Paul, but the other 275 would have drowned without Paul being on that ship. It is the mercy of God that sends you and I into someone else's storm. It's the hand of God's mercy.

We made a mistake in Western Christianity in the last couple of decades. And we started to believe that the purpose of God is just to make all of us happy and healthy and prosperous and everything else. That was a tragic mistake.

The purpose of God in my life, in addition to many of these things, is to be there in the middle of somebody else's storm to lead them to the safety that can only be found in Christ. Thank God for Paul on that ship. If he wasn't there, if it was recorded in history, we would have just recorded 275 drownings.

275 people with no hope for eternity with God. 275 people experiencing the torment of being where God is not and experiencing the wrath of God right now as I stand here for all of eternity. But because one man given to the sake of others, one man who was taught that Christianity was living for the benefit of others.

As we teach in this Bible school, the purest expression of being a Christian is when you and I live our lives for the sake of somebody else. We're not living just for our own good. Yes, thank God that God is good.

Thank God, God will bless. God will keep. God will prosper.

But we might have to swim along with everybody else to get to shore. Do you understand me? We might have to find ourselves in the middle of somebody else's storm. We can't be aloof.

We can't. We can't be outside of the society around us, especially in crisis times as we're about to experience in our lifetime. Now, God's mercy is shown even to those who disregard him is shown to an endangered generation by placing you in the middle of their storm.

And this is where you're going. The young people are going to graduate from this school. You're going into a storm.

Make no bones about it. I know you may have a plan and your plan might be a nice one, but there's going to be a bit of hail and a bit of wind and a bit of rocking and shaking. And there's going to be some calamity in the middle of your plan.

And you're going to be there. And by God's grace, you and I are going to stand strong. By God's grace, we're not going to be caving in like everyone else around us.

By God's grace, we're going to be given the supernatural strength like the apostle Paul had. And he had this strength because he understood his calling and the fact that God would keep him until his calling was finished. That's the core.

You've got to understand you're not going to be taken down by the storm. You're going to get to the other side of your storm. Whatever God has planned for your life, that's what's going to happen in your life.

Don't think you're going to go down. You're not going down. Paul knew he was going.

The Lord spoke to him and said, I'm taking you before Caesar. And because you're on the journey, I'm going to grant to you the 275 others that are sailing with you. He knew he could not be taken down until his time was finished.

Praise be to God. You know, when that gets in your heart, you're not afraid anymore. God knows my final day.

God knows the last beat of my heart. God knows the day I draw my last breath. And I am not at the whim of anything in this world.

I'm not at the whim of any dictator. I'm not at the whim of any threat. I'm not at the whim of any storm, any trial, any difficult, any earthquake, any flood, any fire, any trial.

I'm not at the whim of these things. I am in the hand of God until he deposits me at the end of my journey on this earth into eternity. Oh, thank God.

And when that gets deep in your heart, you are not shaken by the storms that are all around you. God also gave Paul his heart. Paul possessed the heart of God for those who, without it, we would say don't deserve mercy.

We need the heart of God. Paul had a journey, but he had a heart that God had planted within him. Because I know in his prayer, he must have said, God, please show me what my future is.

I know it's not to drown on this ship or to die in chains on the belly of a sinking ship. And God said, no, I'm taking you before Caesar. I'm sure that Paul said, God, what about the people that are traveling with me? And the Lord said, I grant them to you because you're willing to take this journey.

I'm giving you the 275 that are traveling with you. He possessed the heart of God for the soldiers that mocked him. He possessed the heart of God for the people on the boat who cursed him.

He possessed the heart of God for those who wouldn't listen to the message that had been given him, warning them not to take this journey. He possessed the heart of God. And he had a sure word.

Thank God. In Acts 27, verse 31, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved. He had a sure word.

There's only one way to eternal life. There's not three ways, four ways, five ways. There's only one way.

Jesus Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And no man comes to the Father except through me. In other words, give up all the other ways of trying to save yourself.

There's only one way you can save yourself. You stay in the middle of the word of God. You stay in the middle of the promises of God and the purpose of God.

And then Acts 27, 33, I love this verse. It says that the day was about to dawn. Paul implored them all to take food.

And actually, it says in the original King James to take meat. In other words, first of all, your life, those that are online tonight, your life is destined for more than just surviving and just getting out of something. I know you're coming into the prayer meeting because you want to get out of depression, out of addiction, out of hard family situations, and such like.

But have you considered that your life is not just to get out of something, but it's to get into something for the sake of somebody else? It's to have a testimony and say, I used to be depressed, but God has set me free. And now I've come to you who are suffering from depression. God sent me into your storm for your sake.

There's a purpose for your life. It's not just to get out, but it's also to get into what God has for you. And Paul told them, take some meat.

And may I say to the church of Jesus Christ in this generation, it's time to take on a bit of meat. You've lived on cotton candy for way too long. It's time to get some meat from the word of God.

In this world, you shall have tribulation. It's not just all about niceties. And there are difficult places.

There are hard times ahead for all of us. It's time to take on some meat. It's time to understand that you and I are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ right to the end.

Praise be to God. You know, I just said to my wife today before coming to this meeting, it shouldn't be a revelation. But I looked at her and I said, we will never retire.

We just won't. The Lord told me not to travel in 2025. But then he said, you're going to travel a lot in 2026.

We will never, ever, ever retire. It will never be over until it's over. Do you understand what I mean? Anyhow, I told her, I said, I'd like to smell the roses for a while.

Unfortunately, I'm probably going to have to wait for my funeral to do that. Our life is about more than our own comfort. It's about more than our own desires.

We are sent into other people's storms. There has to be somebody that says it will be well. If you will listen, if you will listen to the word of God, if you will follow the instructions that God gives, you will make it to the other side.

You will not lose your soul. You'll be given an opportunity to receive Christ as Savior and to make it through to heaven on the other side. If you will listen and take on some meat and begin to understand that the Christian life is more than just about personal comfort.

The Christian life is about other people. It's about being sent into the center of somebody else's storm. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that God holds the future.

I do know that he gives us a history so we're not afraid of the future, that we can go into places where there is war. We can go into places where there are calamities, into prisons where people think they're never going to get out. And we come in with a calm assurance in our heart that we know who God is.

We know where God is sending us. And we can tell the other people there, he can take you through your storm. And by the grace of God, he can bring you to the other side.

And then I love this. And you know, you've heard me say it before, but after Paul had said all of these things, in other words, we're all going into the drink, the sea that is, the boat is going to break apart. There's going to be lots of wood to go around.

I love to say the cross still floats, folks. You can grab a hold of the cross and you'll get to the other side. No matter how big the waves are, no matter how fierce the wind, you'll make it.

If you lay hold of the cross, it floats. It'll keep you up. It'll get you to where you need to go.

And as the day was about to dawn, Paul, and I have a painting that an artist did for me. It's in my office back at home. But Paul took bread, said when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all.

And when he had broken it, he began to eat. And they were all encouraged and took food also themselves. I think next to the last supper, this has to be one of the ultimate communion services in the New Testament.

You're on the deck of a sinking ship. This thing is going down. The waves are probably higher than the ceiling in this sanctuary.

The waves are going to break the ship to pieces. You're all going to be in the ocean. It's cold.

You're going to be entrusting yourself into the hands of God. And Paul, instead of woe is me, woe is me, what have I done to deserve this? I am your servant. I love you, God.

You know I love you. Why would you put me in this place? No, instead of that, Paul takes bread and blesses it and prays. And here's what I believe he said.

God, thank you for the privilege of living for the benefit of others. Thank you for the privilege, God, of being thrust into the storm of these 275 people. Because if you hadn't sent me here, they would die in their sin.

They would have no chance to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you, God, that you considered me worthy enough to send me into this place. Thank you, Lord, for the strength that you give in the midst of this calamity.

That I'm not afraid of the waves. I'm not afraid of the wind. I'm not afraid of the ship going down.

God, I have a journey that you've set before my life. And I thank you, God. And as they saw, Paul, they saw the visible demonstration of a man who is not afraid in the middle of the storm.

The scripture says they too were encouraged and took food for themselves. And I can see a lot of the people on that ship. You know, my mind goes that way sometimes.

I get to see them. They don't know God yet. But they're just, whoever you are, thank you for this man.

Thank you for this guy. Because even if we're going to die, we're going down happy. You know what I mean? A lot of them.

It doesn't mean they had any faith. Paul had faith. And Paul had a word and they were going to follow it.

And by the grace of Almighty God, 275 people made it to shore. And so for all of the young people that are graduating, you're being called into someone else's storm. This is the calling of God on your life right now.

This is a tough season ahead of us. All of us. It's not going to be an easy journey.

But God's going to keep you. He's going to give you his heart. And he's going to give you a sure word for the generation that we're now living in.

Because people are going to be afraid in the coming days. It says in the scripture, when all hope that we would be saved was gone, there was still a man of God on that boat and in that storm. When all other hope was gone, the hope of throwing out the tackling, the hope of stopping the ship with anchors out of the stern, the hope of finding some other alternate route, the hope of riding out the storm was all gone.

The only hope left was one man of God that was on the journey with them. And for many of you that are here and some that are graduating, the only hope for people that you will encounter in the future, in many circumstances, will be the fact that God has sent you there. It is you that will make a difference.

Because you are being called into someone else's storm. Thank God. What a great privilege it is.

Now we're going to go to communion. The worship team is going to return to the platform. And we're going to go to communion together.

And what I would like all of the students that are here this evening, what I would like you to do is get your communion cup and come and join me here facing the camera. Facing the camera at the back so people online can see your face. And we're going to take communion together.

You're going to take it at home. We're going to believe God for you. And we're going to take communion here.

And we're going to meet you. Many of these young people are going to meet you in the middle of your storm. And you too are going to be used.

Turn your heart to Jesus tonight. Those that are online listening, recognize that you can't save yourself, that only Christ can save you. And open your heart to the forgiveness that God's willing to offer you through his son, Jesus Christ.

And you will be saved. You don't have to figure it all out. Just follow what you know.

The only way to eternal life is through Jesus Christ, the son of God. Let's pray together for the sake of those that are praying online. Right now, Lord Jesus Christ, I give you my life because you gave your life for me.

This night, I open my heart to you. I invite you to come into my life and be my Lord, my Savior, and my God. Thank you, Lord, for loving me.

Thank you for receiving me. Thank you tonight for saving me.