Bill Johnson - How to See From God’s Realm of 'Nothing Is Impossible'
Hey, I felt like there was something I was supposed to do today. It’s like we’re pulling our car into the bay at the repair shop to get a little tune-up—something we have pretty good training and real good exposure to, as we’ve been working on it for a lot of years. The concept of testimony and the prophetic nature of testimony is what I’m referring to. To do this right, I need to take you on a little bit of a personal journey. Oh goodness, 38 years ago, I was pastoring in Weaverville. I was in my office, reading and praying in the morning, going through the book of Revelation. I came to this verse in Revelation 19:10 that says, «The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.»
When I was reading through Revelation and got to that verse, it was one of those moments you have with God where it feels like it’s in neon lights. Something happened that I can’t explain. I love learning from here because your heart can fit where your head can’t. He invites us into things we have a perception of here but can’t fully comprehend. It’s a wonderful way to learn. Anyway, I sensed life in that verse. I actually stopped my reading, looked at the verse, and said, «God, there’s something here. I know you want to teach me.» I asked, «Please show me what this means.» I went on with my morning, and that afternoon, maybe an hour or two later, I was in my office doing work when one of the guys from the church came and stood in the doorway of the sanctuary. My office was adjacent to the sanctuary, and he walked in and said, «Bill, come on in, sit down.» I said, «No, I’ve got to get back to work; I just wanted to tell you about the miracle God did in healing my marriage.»
He stood there in the doorway, giving me a three or four-minute synopsis of the miracle God had done in his marriage. I thanked him for the report, and he turned to leave. He got about this far away when he turned around and said, «You can tell this story to anyone you want. You can tell my story to anyone you want.» In that moment, I knew something just happened connected to my prayer that morning. I couldn’t have taught on it, I couldn’t have explained it, but I could tell they were related. He had just shared a testimony with me and was giving me permission to repeat that story. So, let’s take the verse: «The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.» Say it with me: «The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.» Let’s do it again: «The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.»
All right, number one: The testimony of Jesus is a spoken or written record of anything He’s done. The testimony of Jesus is a spoken or written record of anything He has done. The spirit of prophecy is that prophetic anointing, that prophetic mantle. So, what is prophecy then? To my understanding, prophecy operates in two realms. One is to foretell the future; a prophet will describe something about to happen on such and such a day. However, I believe predominantly the prophetic is used not to foretell but to do something else: to change present situations. The prophetic is used to make a decree that actually changes the reality that an individual, a family, a church, a city, or a nation is facing. The word of the Lord is released, and it changes the situation.
So think of it this way: The testimony of Jesus carries with it the weight of heaven to alter the reality of a problem or situation we’re facing. It has that written into the DNA of a testimony; it possesses the ability to change realities. I was in Rochester, Minnesota, with a dear friend at an Assembly of God church. I had spoken at a night meeting and spent some time praying for a young lady. She had been in a snowmobile accident, and her ankle was put back together with pins and metal to make it work. She had pain and restricted movement in her ankle. The only way I know to learn in some of these things is to either have a mentor or to experiment. Since I didn’t know anyone who knew anything about the prophetic nature of the testimony of Jesus, we had to experiment.
The safest way to experiment is with people you know and trust, who you live accountable to, so that if you overextend yourself, they reel you back in and help you clean up the mess. But you have to be willing to experiment if you want to touch new things. So, this gal came to me after I prayed for her that night. The next morning, she said, «Bill, you prayed for me last night.» I replied, «Yeah, how is your ankle?» She said, «When I got up this morning, I was getting dressed, and my husband looked at my leg and said, 'Hey, that wasn’t there before! '» She looked down and realized she was actually missing part of her calf muscle because of the accident—and it grew back overnight. Yes, it grew back overnight! I thought, «Well, that’s so cool.» I said, «Tell the others about it.» We had about 20 or 30 people in that morning meeting, so I said, «Tell them the story.»
She shared her testimony about the accident and the missing muscle that grew back overnight. As soon as she returned to her seat, a girl sitting in the front row from Toronto, a visiting friend, walked right up to me after this. She said to me, «If God did that for her, surely He would do that for me.» She had a brilliant understanding of the kingdom; she understood that number one, God is no respecter of persons. What He’s done for one, He’ll do for another. He doesn’t categorize us where some people get special things and others just get crumbs—that’s not how He works. Number two, she understood that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
So if He did something at another time, He’ll do it again. She said, «If God did that for her, surely He would do that for me.» I called the girl who just got healed back and said, «Come back here.» Then the pastor’s wife and this young lady came up and prayed for her. She had been in an accident and had to go through therapy to learn to walk again because she was missing part of the muscle in her leg. That’s why she wanted prayer. The pastor’s wife and this young lady laid hands on her and, before their eyes, the muscle formed and was recreated. It was a creative miracle in that instant. That’s amazing!
Two other women came up—it’s like an epidemic of calf muscle problems! How do you get that many people in a small crowd who all have similar issues with their leg muscles? Two other girls came up: one had been kicked by a horse and destroyed part of her muscle, with a growth in its place. The other one I don’t remember the details, but they prayed, and we watched the growth, the tumor disappear, and the muscle fill up. The fourth one had the same outcome. We celebrated the kindness of the Lord for doing such unusual things in such a small group of people.
I flew from there to another city in Tennessee. I don’t remember the name of the town; it wasn’t Nashville, but it was a place I normally don’t go to. I was there with a good friend and shared the stories of these healings—the four leg muscle incidents. There was a medical doctor who had broken his leg a year earlier. His muscles had atrophied, and he had restricted movement and a lot of pain. He wanted prayer, so he came up. I had a bunch of students with me, and they prayed for him. Later that evening, he came to me to give me a report. I asked, «What’s going on with your leg?» He said, «The pain is all gone. I have all the movement back, but I was curious about the muscle thing.» I said, «How’s the atrophied muscle in your leg?» He said, «I can feel the skin stretching.» I flew home and shared those five stories here on a Sunday morning.
Not long after, about two weeks later, I was in a small meeting with maybe 15 or 20 people, and a gal there said, «I need to tell you a story. Two weeks ago, do you remember when you shared the testimonies of God healing the leg muscles?» I said, «Yes, I do.» She said, «I broke my leg a year earlier, and my muscles had atrophied. I had restricted movement and pain. While you were giving the testimonies, my leg turned hot.» She had since learned that hot means good. Her leg turned hot, and she was completely healed without anybody praying!
What happened is I started stewarding these stories and experimenting. I would give a story, and then we would find out what God was doing. Now, how many of you have heard testimonies in church? Deliverance from drugs, healing of bodies, whatever it might be—I’ve grown up hearing those stories, and they were always so encouraging and exciting. However, I don’t remember one time growing up where a testimony was given and a miracle followed as a result of that story. Yet it is in God’s plan; it’s in His DNA. Adjusting how we think actually puts us in line for how He moves.
I was on the coast again with a group of students at a meeting. It turned out to be the only meeting of my life where I lost complete control. I’m not a control freak, but I like to direct traffic. I like to ensure this person is healed and this one gives testimony and such. However, I lost control of everything. Finally, I quit and just got into the fray because I realized I couldn’t regain control of the meeting. They were having all the fun, and I was trying to direct traffic. I got down into the fray with the people, and we had empty wheelchairs being passed over people’s heads to the front. A gal with permanent nerve damage down one side of her body—I’m sorry, I forget which side—was completely healed. A blind eye was opened, deafness was healed; all kinds of stuff was happening.
The students came to me and said, «We just prayed for this little boy with club feet, and God healed him.» I said, «Bring him to me; I want to see him.» They went to get this little guy—he was three years old, and his feet were turned in like this. He had scabs on the tops of his feet because he dragged them. A little guy named Chris was bending over, playing with the scabs. One of his little friends, a girl, came up to him and said, «Run, Chris, run!» So he takes off in a 20-foot circle and comes running back to the little girl, saying, «I can run! I can run!» His eyes were wide, and his face lit up with joy; oh man, it’s enough to change your life!
We brought the story home, and I shared it here. Someone visiting from out of state had three children, one of whom was a little girl almost two years old. Her feet turned in so severely that she would trip over her own feet when she tried to run. She was in our childcare. I taught on the concept of testimony and then shared the testimony of the club feet. She heard that God intended to duplicate miracles. Did I mention that the Hebrew word for testimony comes from a word that means «to do again»? The very nature of what He says about keeping a testimony is a record of what He wants to duplicate; it was never meant to be a historical factor pointing to an old event but a present reality that releases God’s activity into present situations.
She taught on that briefly and shared the testimony, saying in her heart, «I’ll take that for my little girl.» When the meeting was over, she went over to get her little girl, and her little girl’s feet were already straight. Nobody prayed for her!
Wow! If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood is wet. That’s amazing! I took those two stories and was with Mahesh and Bonnie Shabda in North Carolina—wonderful people and dear friends where we minister every year. After a meeting, we spent some time with Mahesh and Bonnie. Our driver, who was from Brazil, meets us at the end of the meeting and said, «I just got a phone call.» I don’t remember if it was his sister-in-law or sister, but he said, «My sister was watching tonight’s meeting online, and she has a little girl about 10 or 11 years old with deformed feet. She’s beautiful but has the inconvenience of a problem with her feet, and people stare at her.» The mother watched online, heard the stories, and called her daughter from the other end of the house. She said, «Take your shoes off.» As she walked toward her mother, God healed her feet completely; they were completely straight!
It’s not a tool we use to manipulate; it’s a privilege to broadcast the nature of God because every testimony reveals the nature of God and His covenant with man. I was in Modesto at a wonderful Assembly of God church, which I have a fondness for. I was at another healing meeting—great stuff was happening—when a gal came up to me and said, «The voices stopped.» So I said, «Help me understand—tell me your story.» She explained that she had bipolar disorder. Her father, a retired surgeon, began to explain that for her particular issue, she was constantly hearing voices. Nobody prayed for her; this happened during worship—the voices stopped. Now they were trying to figure out what to do because she had a lifestyle of many years with much medication.
That Thursday night was not the next Sunday but a week later; I stood in the back of the room when a gentleman walked up to me and said, «Do you remember me? I was in Modesto when you talked to me about my daughter.» He said, «I have my daughter back—absolutely no effects, no medication, nothing! She’s completely restored in every way, and it was during worship.» I shared that testimony, and there were two men in the room who had both had bipolar for over 20 years. The moment that came out of my mouth, they were both instantly healed—sometimes healing takes time, but in this case, it was instantaneous.
We quit counting bipolar healings about 10-12 years ago, but for a season there, we counted about 60 or 65 of them, with only three or four actually prayed for—others were healed either in worship or by simply hearing the report of the Lord. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Old Testament testimony comes from a word that means to do again; in the New Testament, it embodies the prophetic nature of God’s work.
Let me read a quote to you. How many of you know who Charles Spurgeon was? He was a remarkable pastor from England and made a statement on July 17, 1859 (no, I wasn’t there, but it was recorded). He preached a message called «The Story of God’s Mighty Acts,» and here’s what he said: «When people hear about what God used to do, one of the things they say is, 'Oh, that was a long while ago; I thought God did it—has God changed? Is He not an immutable God, the same yesterday, today, and forever? '»
Doesn’t that furnish an argument to prove that what God has done at one time He can do at another? Nay, I think I shall push it a little further and say what He has done once is a prophecy of what He intends to do again. Whatever God has done should be looked upon as a precedent—let us seek with earnestness what God would restore to us in the faith of these old men that we may richly enjoy the grace as in the days of old.»
Here, in 1859, the body of Christ had an opportunity to step into a reality that I don’t think was very common. I’ve never read anyone else discuss this reality, yet it’s plain in scripture—the nature of testimony and the spirit of prophecy and revelation. However, Spurgeon made this declaration, and I don’t know what happened, but it seems the message got reduced to a good sermon instead of an invitation to explore what might be possible if we treasured the record of what God has done.
Now, fast forward to the book of Deuteronomy. From what I understand, young Jewish men need to memorize it; it’s the cultural book of the law. I used to read it, reread it, and reread it because it contains the instructions to train your children in specific ways, which is part of my life. I was reading through it and noticed God instructs them: «Keep the commandments, keep the statutes, and keep the testimony.»
Keep the commandments, keep the statutes, keep the testimony. We know what it means to keep a commandment—obey God. What does keeping the statutes mean? Keeping the statutes of God is about teaching us His value system. In a commandment, He tells you what to think, but in a statute, He tells you how to think. That’s better than the response I got! In a commandment, He tells you what to think, but in the statutes, He shows you His perception of reality and how He navigates life. He says, «Keep the commandments, keep the statutes, and keep the testimony.»
How do you keep a testimony? It’s not like sacrificing an ox or something; you’re supposed to hold onto something. My conclusion, especially from studying the gospel of Mark and the lifestyle of Jesus, is that keeping the testimony means this: I hold the record of God’s interventions among people so close to me that they become lenses through which I perceive present problems or challenges. In other words, I interpret them through a history with God.
A prescribed history with God gives me lenses to see possibility in a problem, instead of just seeing a problem. The nature of God in a situation—how is God going to triumph now in this condition? It’s amazing we have the ability to steward the record of divine interventions so well that they inform how we see, think, act, and pray. A testimony isn’t just an exciting moment for encouragement; it’s as if Elijah is standing in front of you prophesying. That’s what a testimony is—it reveals the heart, nature, and covenant of God, and it’s available to you!
Let’s look at Psalm 68. I had a guy come up to me once at a conference who said, «I’m 34 years old; 25 years ago when I was nine I broke my leg. When it healed, it grew past the other leg by an inch and a half, and I have back problems as a result.» He wanted to know if I’d ever seen a leg shrink before. I figured if I hadn’t, there was always a first time, right? I paused for a moment and thought, «Yes, I have seen it happen.» I was in an Italian restaurant with a pastor friend in Sacramento who had been in a snowmobile accident. When they put him back together, they apparently had too many parts because he had a leg that was too long. So, I said, «Just turn your chair aside,» and we lifted his legs up.
I commanded the long leg to shrink, and it just shrank! He went back to the therapist later and told me, «They said it’s perfect; everything’s just right.» So, I told the guy I’d seen it happen and said, «Get a chair.» If I hadn’t seen it, I was going to make it happen anyway! He sat down, and I held his legs up; sure enough, one was an inch and a half longer than the other. I paused for a moment, unsure whether I should shrink the longer leg or see if God would grow the shorter one.
It took me ten seconds to ponder, but I surprised myself by saying, «In Jesus' name—grow!» As I said it, we watched! The longer leg grew and then shot past the other one. I would give anything to have had a video of that moment because the guy’s in pain. How many of you had growing pains when you were kids? So did he—34 years old, and he got two years of growth in a moment!
While I was on the outside acting like this happens, on the inside I was saying, «Oh, Jesus, I need to search my heart; how do I pray now?» My thought processes took me to the word «shalom.» The word shalom is known as the word for peace, but it’s one of the fullest most pregnant aspects of the Bible. It represents sound mind, prosperity, financial stability, divine health, anything you’d ask for in life—it’s all wrapped up in that word. So, I prayed with all the confidence I could muster, «Lord, I pray you release the peace, the shalom of Heaven over this man.»
It evened out perfectly. You see, the testimony prophesies. Sometimes you just do dumb things, and sometimes the Lord honors it anyway. I was in another city where a gal had a completely deaf ear that opened up. She had bone cancer, and they replaced this bone with metal. They made it an inch and a half longer because they knew she’d grow into it, but she didn’t grow anymore and had the same kind of issue. She asked for prayer. Her deaf ear opened up, and I prayed for the leg.
Having had a recent experience with the wrong leg, that situation was fresh in my mind, so I thought I wouldn’t mess with this. She was laid out on the floor, so I got down beside her and spoke to the leg. It actually shrunk back into line. She came to me the next day and said, «I’m so glad you had the metal leg shrink.»
I asked, «Why is that?» She said, «Because if you’d grown the other one, the doctors would have said, 'See, we told you you’d grow into it if I grew the other one.'» So, sometimes God looks good when you don’t deserve it; that’s my conclusion!
Psalm 78—are you there? We’ve got a few minutes left! I want to begin at verse three, which refers to dark sayings and parables. It states, «Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strength, and His wonderful works that He has done.» What just happened there? They are being exhorted to train their children not only with the report of the law of God and the commandments but also to train them with the report of His wonderful works, which is a testimony!
Verse five says, «He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children.» This means the generation to come might know the children who would be born could arise and declare them to their children. You can see this was a pattern of a value system for the spoken or written record of all that God has done to be given to this generation, that they would pass it to the next generation, who would then pass it to the next.
It tells us why, and this is important: «That they may set their hope in God.» There’s something about the testimony that positions a child or adult to place their hope in God. When a trial comes, their instinctive response is, «I’m going to trust God.» He’s the God who works wonders. I don’t understand how He’s going to do it, but I’ll trust Him. That instinct came because the cloud of their heart was filled with the thought that «God is faithful in impossible situations.»
Here, it says, «That they may set their hope in God and not forget His works.» The works of God keep His commandments. Are you all still alive? You sure you’re still with me? What I want you to notice is that not forgetting the works of God and keeping the commandments—testimony and the courage to obey—are connected. This is a big deal because what we do for ourselves, what we do for our children and grandchildren, sets the stage for them to have courage; it takes courage to obey God.
We want courageous, radical obedience out of our lives. Here it says, we keep the testimony going through multiple generations. Why? So that they’ll put hope in God, they won’t forget the works of God, and they’ll have the courage to obey God. That’s it! Now, He illustrates it in the next three verses.
Verse nine says, «The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.» Why did they turn back? Verse ten tells you, «They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law.» How many of you know if you’re not walking in obedience, spiritual warfare isn’t where you want to be? You become very vulnerable!
So, they turned back in a day of battle because they hadn’t been walking in obedience. Why weren’t they walking in obedience? Verse eleven states, «They forgot His works and the wonders He had shown them.» There’s something about the testimony that instinctively breathes courage for radical obedience into our soul. That’s part of the process; it’s how you maintain confidence and faith in God.
What happens if we decline in sharing testimony? If we see fewer miracles, we’ll expect them less. If we expect them less, we’ll talk about them less. If we talk about them less, we see them less. If we see them less, we expect fewer; there’s this downward spiral, leading to miracles merely becoming a part of our history.
Some time ago, God used to do such and such. This is where a lot of the church is right now—it was part of Israel’s history, the book of Acts—it was simply a memory of something that happened back then, but not a current reality. A present-tense experience is what the testimony should become, inviting us into this relational journey of taking chances to see what He might do.
It’s simply because I’ve been built up by the record of God’s supernatural interventions. I love it when God gives us a glimpse of what He’s doing, as it’s fun to understand. However, often He moves, and I’m clueless—I’m simply a clueless observer trying to learn. I’ve told Him I just want to be in the room. It doesn’t have to come from me; I just want to be part of it. There are things He does; I prayed for this individual in Dallas, and the lightning of God went through him, delivering and healing him of schizophrenia completely. A year later, he came to me in his right mind, completely restored.
He ended up going to Africa and helped liberate around 40 people who were considered insane. That’s a testimony! Imagine being handed a priceless gem worth ten million dollars—you can’t lose it, but you have to wear it. How many of you think if that ring is on your hand, you’ll be constantly looking at it, wrapping tape around it to ensure you don’t lose it? You’re aware of the value of what’s on your hand—are you aware of the value of what’s in your mouth?
It’s the record, the revelatory testimony of the heart, nature, and covenant of God that invites people into a personal relationship with Jesus. Paul, when he was in trouble, reverted to his personal story in his testimony. It’s not just healings or miracles; salvation is the greatest miracle of all, and everyone here has a story.
God wants to give us an upgrade. This might sound strange, but it’s the truth. If you want to change the atmosphere of a room—say a restaurant—imagine three or four people sitting down who only share miracle stories for the first twenty minutes. I don’t mean miracle stories to impress people around you, but to change the atmosphere because the angelic realm is fascinated by your perspective of Jesus, the Son of God. They love hearing the stories of what you’ve seen and known about Him.
They’re enthralled with Him, but every story we share gives them another glimpse of who He is through the eyes of someone redeemed. Simply telling stories matters. I feel like the Lord wants to give us an upgrade in this area.
I’m thankful beyond words for what I’ve seen happen—what’s happened in this room, in our city; it floors me sometimes. I come in early on Sunday morning, walk around, and remember—oh, colon cancer was healed here! A woman who’d been in a wheelchair for over 50 years got out after having a stroke. Multiple sclerosis was healed here; just walk around this room. A man who was crushed by a 14-ton truck received prayer right there—his ankle turned cold, and there was a pop, and he was completely healed.
There was a woman who could barely open her mouth because she had broken her jaw ten years ago. She was in extreme pain. The dentist didn’t have time to give her anything for the pain, yet one Sunday morning, simply praying for those with broken bones, she was instantly healed right back there. A man with prostate cancer was healed; a woman down here had a tumor in her breast that simply dissolved. The stories go on and on!
There are hundreds—hundreds of these testimonies. None of them are badges of honor; they’re records of a God willing to work in and through very imperfect people. He just seeks those who value His nature and will offer Him the opportunity to do what He does best.
He works in the impossible! I’m in the journey, and I believe that in this fall season there’s stuff coming up—targeted in a couple of weeks, three weeks maybe. We’ll focus on the miracle realm because I believe it’s a season for an upgrade. It’s honestly for everyone in this room.
Jesus asked His disciples a series of questions when they were bewildered by the challenge He’d just given them. They were beside themselves, baffled. He asked them these questions: «Can you see?» You could tell they weren’t answering. «Can you hear?» They just stared. «Can you remember?» Those questions have helped me a lot. I’m always trying to see what God’s doing, always discerning His activity around the room.
In a moment like this, I try to discern what He’s doing. When He asks me, «Can you see?» my heartfelt response is, «No, I don’t see anything.» Then He says, «Can you hear?» My hearing is better than my seeing, but at that moment, I can’t hear anything.
Then He asks, «Can you remember?» Yes! I can remember! I can remember flying back from New Zealand after spending time with a great hero of the faith, Winky Prattney, who had a stroke. His brain literally blew up, and he was completely healed, restored in his right mind. I was on the plane thinking about this miracle of healing and recalled to mind Rand Baker, a wonderful friend whose brain was dying. The doctor even had ex-rays of it, but God completely healed him!
With two of the smartest men I’ve ever met, God restored their brains—so I thought, «I bet He’s healing brains!» «Can you see?» No, I can’t see. «Can you hear?» Occasionally I hear. «Can you remember?» Yes, I can remember. The more I remember, the better I hear, and the more I hear, the better I see.
So here, we came in on a Sunday, and I announced, «God is healing brains!» Right back here, Kevin, you were praying for this young lady. In fact, we have the testimony on video; she was dying—terminal systemic lupus of the brain. Chris had a word of knowledge about someone who had had a blow to the head, and she was dying of the disease. Chris asked the moment; God is healing brains, so they prayed!
The next day, her mother looked at her and said, «You look like you did before the accident.» She was completely healed! She came into school of ministry, I think in Oxford now—she’s in a smart school because she’s very smart!
See, the Lord heals! Why don’t you stand? Can you see? Yeah, I don’t see much! Can you hear? I sometimes hear. Can you remember? Yes, I can remember! Folks, listen to me—you have a responsibility! This isn’t just a pastoral issue or ministry team issue; it’s a people of God issue.
What have you seen God do? Here’s the great news: you may say, «I’ve hardly ever seen anything happen. My own testimony is a miracle, but I’ve never seen healings or deliverance.» That’s totally fine. I had a long season where I hadn’t seen anything, but there’s a verse in Psalms 119:111 that states the testimony of the Lord is your inheritance forever.
Think about it. The testimony of the Lord is your inheritance forever. What is the testimony of the Lord? It’s the full record of anything He has ever done on this planet—He did it with Moses, with Elijah, with David, with Paul, with whoever. It’s your story! Yes, you may not have experienced it directly, but the full record of God’s activity with people is your inheritance!
Why is that important? Because the scripture says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb—there’s the legal basis—and the word of your testimony. My testimony isn’t just what I’ve experienced; it includes what you’ve experienced. Your story becomes a part of my weaponry—it’s a tool that ensures I walk in victory in the present situation.
So, Father, I pray for a fresh grace that will inspire us from the inside out to treasure the records of the miracles and interventions of God that we’ve seen and are about to see. May we never treat them carelessly or casually, but together stand in awe and celebrate Your kindness and mercy as You do extraordinary things through such simple, imperfect people like us.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen. Before anyone else moves, I want to acknowledge that in a crowd this size, there’s always a chance that there are people who have never made a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. This means turning from your way of life to follow this one who forgives us and truly gives us eternal life starting now.
If there’s anyone here who wants to make that confession, just raise your hand quickly right where you are. Is there anyone? Over here, I see one! Is there another? Wonderful! Right here! Anyone else? Put your hand up real quick—another one back over here! Another one right there! Beautiful! Thank you, Lord!
Now, here’s what I’m going to ask. We’re going to pray together and wrap this up, but I need to let you all go. I’m asking the ministry team to come to the front, and I want the three or four people who raised their hands or any others I may not have seen to come right over here. We have a team of trusted people who want to pray with you because I believe the greatest miracle of your life is about to happen in these next moments.
So I’ll ask, as the ministry team comes to the front, please leave your seat, come right down over here; the folks who raised their hands will have trusted friends to pray with them and talk to them!