Louie Giglio - Confident Through the Fog
We pivoted this week. We’ve been doing a lot of pivoting since March, and this week we had planned a whole different gathering for today in terms of direction. However, this week, Shelly and I both had so many opportunities to be in the lives of people—conversing, praying, and walking beside them. While many of the stories from this season in our house are amazing—people’s businesses are doing great, their families are thriving, and their influence has grown—there are just as many stories of people who are really struggling and hurting. It seemed today that we needed to pivot a little bit, which is why we created what looks more like a study or reading room or dining room, depending on where you come from. We want to bridge our house to yours. For those of you who are physically in the building, we hope you feel at home, and for all of us at Passion City, let’s come together as family today and make big church feel small.
Next week, we’ll talk about small church being made big, but today, the focus is on the truth that this message is for everyone. I believe God wants to do what we sang about earlier; I believe He wants to bring a breakthrough. God’s timing and our timing aren’t always the same, but God’s heart is always the same: to do what is best for you and what brings Him the most glory. So today, we’re doing something a bit different. Some of our house members here decided to jump off YouTube and join a Zoom call, which is pretty awesome. I can get the weather forecast from David Chanley if we need it during the gathering. There’s Todd Phillips, who proudly wears his Georgia hat every Sunday. Thank you so much for that—go Dawgs! Can we take a moment to acknowledge everyone zooming in today? You all look amazing!
In our last gathering, we had a lady sitting by her pool; it was so awesome! She had her sunglasses on and a little water feature behind her. I thought, «Yeah, that’s what we’re all aiming for!» Misty Page had a big birthday this week—I’m not allowed to say which one, but it was a milestone. We love you, Misty! She’s the brains behind every Passion Gathering. Look at this amazing collection of people; it’s our house! I wanted to sit like I’m in your living room or across the table. I want you to lean in today, not as if there’s a big production coming across your computer screen or television. I want you to know that God knows who you are, and He knows your name. It’s different when it’s personal.
I love the giving today; I don’t know how much Procter & Gamble is paying us for that, but I hope we get a check of some kind. It doesn’t have to be five million dollars, but we just put Tide out for crying out loud! You know, Mark mentioned investing, saying one way to be part of this story is by owning stock, and he gave the stock price. It’s kind of like that; some of you are in the market, others not so much. For some, it’s a big lump sum, and you don’t know much about it, but the stock market’s been crazy the last few months. If you have something there, that little number you hear at the end of the day isn’t just random; suddenly, it feels personal. When the stock market goes up, it becomes personal; it’s not just the Dow Jones average anymore. This example is surface-level, and consequences get much more serious. But something that may not have meant much to you suddenly becomes your story. I think that’s what God wants for your life; He wants this miracle of the resurrection to become personal, not just a grand story but your story. That’s what I believe He wants to do today.
I was reading in Psalm 113; it’s powerful because it describes the vastness of God. He is big, but it says in verse 4 that the Lord is exalted over all the nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the one who sits enthroned on high? Then look at the next phrase: Who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth. It shows us how big God is. He has to stoop down to enter the affairs of man, which He is acquainted with. Psalm 139 tells us He’s intimately acquainted with all our ways, so there’s not a thing on your list today that He doesn’t know about. There’s not a situation happening that He’s not ahead of you on. He’s up to speed on every single detail of our lives.
Then look at how He interacts in verse 7: He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He sets them with princes, with the princes of their people. In other words, God isn’t too big to stoop down from His throne, which is above the heavens, and enter the affairs of the world, even into your life. The hand He’s looking for isn’t the amazing, mighty, «I’m doing great» hand; the hand He’s looking for is the needy hand—the person who needs a way up, a second chance, a breakthrough, or who doesn’t know where to turn. That’s the hand the Almighty is reaching for today, and I believe He’s going to do that in your life and in mine. From our house and our family to your house and your family, we just want to open the doors of that possibility today.
We’re doing something we’ve never done before: opening up a phone line for you to text in—not live to the number people text when they put their faith in Jesus, but a different number. The number will come on the screen right now for anyone in this gathering who feels they need what we’re talking about today. If you need God to reach down from heaven into your story and don’t know where to turn, text your prayer requests. The number is 404-999-785. When you text, those requests will land right here with us. Our team will receive them, and we’ll be passing those out throughout our staff and intercessors. You can be as discreet as you want; just say, «Pray for my wife—it’s a health issue,» or «Pray for my marriage,» or «Pray for my child.» You can specify, «My husband has this disease, please pray for this procedure,» or «This is going on in our business.»
Today, we just want to be family. At the end, Christian’s going to come and sit in that chair with his guitar and lead us in worship just as he would if we were all in a room together, being the church together. We are a big church today—tens of thousands of us are in church together today—but we’re not too big for God to come into your circumstances and be a difference-maker in your life. This story is for everybody! Can I get an amen on that? This story is not just for someone out there; it is for everybody. The people at Cumberland almost clapped; they didn’t quite clap, but they almost did. I’ll take «almost» as a clap; we’ll add them up! People aren’t used to being back in church, but it’s fine to clap! You can clap at your house, too!
I know some of you want to clap but aren’t sure it’s allowed at your watch event. It is allowed! Even if you’re by yourself, you can get up, stomp around the room, and declare that God’s still in your story! This is the reality of what we’re talking about today. I was struck by how Acts 2 quickly turns into a beautiful picture of this. We talked in the last two weeks about the beginning of the church, and we see all that unfold in Acts 2: a massive response to the preaching of the gospel. Three thousand people get saved the very first time the gospel is preached! Now they’re meeting in homes, sharing fellowship, and breaking bread together. It’s a beautiful picture of the big and the small.
Notice what happens in chapter 3. It says one day, Peter and John—unsure whether this was a week or a few days after Pentecost but still very close to that moment—were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, 3 in the afternoon. A man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful.
Can I just pause for a moment? If we were in a living room together, I’d gauge the moment better. Let’s shift out of just hearing this story through the lens of what you already know, and imagine what if it were happening right this minute. Because I believe this kind of power could happen right now in the lives of people.
Let’s shift away from, «Oh, I know this story about the crippled man and Peter and John.» The irony here is that the gate to the temple court is called Beautiful, but right in front of it is a man who has been crippled all his life. The irony and tension exist in the moment. There is a great and good God, an amazing kingdom, power, hope, truth, and life, yet many of us sit right outside the beautiful gate, facing situations that don’t match the beauty we long for.
He was carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, put there every day. Whether you’re at home alone or in the room with us now, say every day with me. How often did they carry this guy? Every day! What was his routine this afternoon? Every day, they carried him there to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
We’re going to return to that in a moment. I think it’s crucial to focus on that little phrase: Peter looked straight at him, and so did John. Then Peter said, «Look at us.» I’ll try to inflect my take on this. I wasn’t there, but I don’t think it was, «Hey, look at us.» I think it was, «Hey man, look at us.» Why did they say that? Because the man was staring at the ground. The person was embarrassed and demoralized and didn’t want to make eye contact. In this context, it wasn’t even cool to catch someone eye to eye. The person was staring at the ground, asking for help. Peter said, «Hey man, you need to make eye contact! We want to see you, and we want you to see us.»
So he paid them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, «Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.» If you’re hoping for at least an amen right there, that’s bold! Compassion is saying, «I’ll put a dollar in the cup,» but boldness is stepping out in faith, not knowing exactly how God’s going to move but going for it. Peter and John went for it. When you use Jesus’s full name, you mean business. There are many people named Jesus, but you want to make sure hell knows which Jesus you’re talking аbout: Jesus Christ, the one from Nazareth, walk!
Then taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. Amen! He jumped to his feet and began to walk! Amen! Then he went with them into the temple courts—walking and jumping and praising God. Yes! This guy had made it every day to the gate but had never been inside the courts. He had made it each day within an inch of entering worship, but his friends couldn’t carry a crippled person because he couldn’t defile the place of worship. He knew he wasn’t allowed in. He had no shot, no chance! He was just hoping someone going in there would feel inclined to do a good deed and put some coins in his cup. Now he’s standing, and he can walk, he can jump, and, as soon as he can, he realizes not only can he walk, but he can worship. Not only can he leap, but he can go in with the people of God!
Now, for the very first time in his life, he’s in church. He doesn’t know how to act in church; he doesn’t know if he’s supposed to leap, jump, run around, or praise God out loud. He doesn’t know if he’s supposed to high-five people. He just knows he has never been in there before, and he just got in there, and everything just changed for him. This is what church is about!
I believe every church in America, and the world, would do well to have more people inside who have been sitting outside the gate every single day but are finally in. They don’t know all the etiquette; they don’t know when you stand up, sit down, or when to say «amen,» but they can learn in time. However, the reality is that many churches are the way they are because the people inside are so accustomed to doing things their way that they might not want new people who don’t know how to participate.
This is the nature of the gospel: it’s for everybody. We had a guy today jumping up and down the whole time during worship. In time, we might not put him on the front row, but we might encourage him, saying, «Hey, jumping is amazing; let’s all jump a little bit!» But it’s great just to have someone excited in church who says, «I’ve never been in here before! If you knew who I was and where I’ve come from, you might not even want me here. But this guy told me about Jesus! I figured out He’s for everybody! When He died, He didn’t just die for one person—He died for all people! When His blood was shed, it covered all sins, including mine! I want to trust in that Jesus; I want to follow Him!» His Spirit came into my life, and I’ve seen a miracle! People, this is what we’re seeing right now: breakthrough miracle power!
Many people might say, «Hey, bro, we’ve been here a while.» But can you just put your arm around him and say, «See, this is what we’re talking about—a kingdom promise! This is for everybody.» It’s possible that, from this moment on, someone who never thought they would get in is going to be in, and the moment they’re in, they’re going to come in excited—jumping around, praising God!
Then look what happened: when all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him! Peter took the moment to preach another sermon while the beggar held on to Peter and John. All the people were astonished and came running to them in a place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, «Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of your fathers—has glorified His servant, Jesus.»
So immediately, it’s not about the guy jumping, getting healed, Peter, or John; it’s not even about the miracle anymore. It’s about Jesus. Then, in chapter 4, something amazing happens. The priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
But look at verse 4: but many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand! So, a man gets healed; someone joins the everybody; Jesus is proclaimed, and the church that was just three thousand has now grown to five thousand! This church is exploding, but it’s not exploding so fast that a man at the gate called Beautiful can’t have his life changed and experience the grace and goodness of God.
This is our message for the world today—it’s our message for you, everyone in this city, and everyone on the planet: Jesus is alive! The resurrection is real, and this gospel is for everybody! I want to encourage you to do what this guy did and ask for help. It seems so simple, but especially to the guys out there, understand that it can be hard sometimes when you’re confronted with reality to reach out for help. Don’t just say, «My business isn’t doing great.» Instead, say, «I don’t know how I’m going to pay our mortgage this month. I’m grabbing at straws on every side, and I need prayer.»
I encourage you to have that family spirit, to ask for help with anything you need today. Passion City Church might not be able to do everything you need, and I may not be able to help you, either, but we believe it starts with asking. The man asked Peter and John for help. He asked the right people on the right day.
Peter and John replied, «We don’t have money, but we do have something. We have the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,» and they exercised the authority of that name. All that happened because he asked them. I want to invite you to ask.
The second thing I want to encourage us to do in this moment is to pray specific prayers. I’ve found this to be so helpful lately. When someone shares what they’re going through and you think, «God, I want You to turn it around,» but you don’t know if He can do it by a certain time, instead pray, «God, will You do something specific that they will know in the next week that unmistakably shows them You are in their story?» It doesn’t have to solve everything, but it’s crucial that they recognize what God has done.
We’re praying these specific prayers for people all through our house and for those across the nation, some facing massive challenges without a breakthrough and uncertain about tomorrow. We’re praying for miraculous moves on kingdom turf, things only God could organize. If He can still be in your story, it’s not finished!
If you’re uncertain of having faith to pray, let us pray with you today. Just text right now, and our team will start praying—the staff will be praying for you all day long. We’ll divide these prayer requests among us and pray for you this week!
I have a few more things you can do to step into this moment: celebrate the big and small victories. If we ask God to show us He’s with us, when something happens—no matter how small—celebrate that!
Right now, we’re moving fast through the bad news, and we can forget to celebrate the good news. We often forget to go back and thank God for the little victories. Be the one that goes back and says thank you for small progress! Recognize and celebrate every small victory.
I also encourage you to mourn losses. When quarantine started, I thought, «Lord, I want to keep spirits high.» I want to keep pointing people toward hope and goodness, but we can’t neglect to grieve what has been lost. Many have experienced actual loss—loved ones, progress that feels lost, being pushed back to square one. It’s real.
As a nation, we need to stop and mourn the loss of hundreds of thousands who have died. We can’t move on and act as if nothing happened—we need to grieve. Even if you didn’t lose anyone yourself, as a nation, can we take time to mourn those lost? While acknowledging the reality of loss, I want to do it in light of a God who is alive. There’s a God who stoops down and lifts the needy.
This is how we keep hope alive, acknowledging loss while understanding that God still cares for us.
I encourage you to reach out and ask for prayer and help. We might not be able to do everything, but God will work through our prayers. Get involved in the good; do what you can do!
During times like this, people get paralyzed by the size of problems. In the face of our political, racial, financial, or health situations, we might want to step back and do nothing because we don’t know how to solve everything. The church of Jesus is powerful today! If everyone steps into the mentality that I can do something—even if it’s small—it can change lives.
If you’ve been blessed, raise your hand if you can! Thank you! If you’ve been blessed in this season, I encourage you to listen for the needs around you and be a blessing to someone else. If you know a coworker struggling to pay their mortgage, help them out. You don’t need to tell them. Figure out a way to get help to them anonymously so they can say, «God, can You do something?» You can be the answer to someone’s prayer.
As the church is doing this, we’ve been helping people daily because of your generosity. Thank you for being stakeholders and investors in our house. We don’t know every need; we might not be in every neighborhood or community, but you are. You know who needs help. You can make a difference.
I love how Paul wrote to Timothy in a benediction, «Now to the King of the ages, the immortal, invisible, the only wise God.» That’s why, in this unusual summer weather in Atlanta, we can remind ourselves that God is always present!
It’s important to recognize when things get foggy—a time when you can only see the small tip of a tower. You aren’t panicked because you know the full picture is still there, even if you can’t see it yet. Similarly, when you can only see a little bit of your reality, remind yourself of what God can do!
What gives confidence in a fog-filled season is knowing God is here. He’s given you the ability to decide what you feed your mind. Choose worship over worry! You control the narrative.
I encourage you today, let’s pray together. Lean in as we close our time together. Can you believe for what I’m sure are hundreds of texts from people trusting God for all kinds of needs?
Father, we don’t have the resources to do it all, but we have a name and come in that name. We pray that name today across every story in Jesus' name. We thank You, God, for being near. Please come and be the Prince of Peace right now!
We are praying for healing for children, mothers, fathers, friends, and anyone who needs Your hand. We thank You, God, because You still hear prayers; You still mend what’s broken; You still give us hope!
We are asking for help in the name of Jesus over our lives as we face challenges and storms. Help is on the way, and we believe it today in faith!
Christian’s going to sing that last part.
If you’re here today and need to ask for forgiveness for the first time, just say to Jesus, «I need You.» Thank You for dying for me. Wash away my sins. I want a new heart. I want to follow You all my life. Just tell Him. He’s saving you right now.
I’d love for you to tell us; Christian is going to sing. Imagine someone getting this message right now—miracles happening today!
The message we share is not just facts—it’s alive! So let’s sing this last little line, celebrating together!
Can we take a moment and celebrate what God is doing? He’s worthy! Enjoy the rest of your day, and I look forward to seeing you here next week at Passion City Church!