The Problem with Self-Reliance | Francis Chan

Summary

Crazy Love Podcast Episode: The Problem with Self-Reliance | Francis Chan Date: June 29, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this stirring episode, Francis Chan speaks at a missions conference at Antioch Church, challenging listeners to move away from fear and self-reliance and instead live in the power and peace of God’s presence. Pulling from both personal stories and Scripture, Chan charges the next generation to step into their calling, trust in Christ’s resurrection power, reject the lies of the enemy, and boldly participate in God’s mission, not by their own strength, but through a radical dependence on the Holy Spirit.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Blessing of Spiritual Family and Examples

• Francis Chan begins by expressing genuine gratitude for being a part of the Antioch family, highlighting the encouragement and sense of belonging he experiences every time he visits.
  (00:41) “I really feel honored… your heart. Seriously, every time I come here, I get so encouraged and… so much more like home…” – Francis Chan
• He reminds listeners of the privilege they have in being surrounded by godly examples and a church with a rich heritage. (04:27)

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2. Wrestling with Calling vs. Comfort

• Chan reflects on his own youth and the tension between pursuing the American dream versus responding to God’s call for the nations.
  (01:41) “There were things about the American dream that were appealing and it was just this struggle… I just want to beg you. Like, if you have that willingness to go and you have the ability to go, go.”
• He confesses a sense of missing out on deeper experiences of God’s power due to past self-reliance or fear. (02:27, 03:44)

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3. The Power of God’s Presence – The Great Commission

• Francis centers his message on Jesus’ words in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), especially:
  (08:22) “And the thing I want to get focused on today is that last phrase. And I'll be with you always…”
• He challenges:
  (08:57) “So does that mean that he is literally here, right here with me? Like, how much do I believe the word of God, that I am not alone on the stage right now…?”
• Chan asks the audience to imagine their actions if they truly saw Jesus walking with them—erasing fear and replacing it with expectancy and confidence. (09:28–09:57)

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4. Emptying Ourselves to Make Room for the Spirit

• A memorable story recounts a past conference where Chan didn't speak but allowed space for worship, leading directly to someone hearing God’s call to missions.
  (06:24–06:48) “The most powerful message was the one I didn’t give.”

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5. Self-Reliance vs. Spirit-Reliance

• Chan warns against fleshly confidence and eloquence, likening overreliance on human skill as directly diminishing the power of the gospel.
  (10:20–10:53) “You probably talk way too much and rely on your own power… let the resurrected Christ speak if we believe he's alive. Let the word of God speak…”
• He emphasizes:
  (12:56) “If I'm walking up here with Jesus, no one would expect anything from me, right? In fact, you would just say, okay, the less you say, the better. Right? And the more he speaks, the more better.”

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6. The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

• Chan asserts that the real battle is not flesh-to-flesh but “spirit to spirit,” with the enemy seeking to distract and disable believers through fear and worldly thinking.
  (15:19) “God's saying, this isn't about flesh and blood. There's something so much bigger going on here. This is reality.”
• He insists on looking to eternal, invisible things rather than temporary, visible ones. (15:34–15:39)

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7. Prayer for Resurrection Power

• Chan leads a passionate prayer, asking collectively for a tangible experience of the resurrection’s power.
  (18:00) “Father. We are united together… we want to know the power of your resurrection. We are not satisfied with anything less God.”
• Emphasis on rejecting fear, lies, and striving—resting instead in the identity and power given in Christ. (22:22)

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8. Unity and Fearlessness in Mission

• The transformation that comes from believing Christ is truly with us, removing fear and empowering bold mission and unity.
  (26:04–26:42) “You're only gonna [be fearless] if you believe the resurrected Christ is there. He's the one that takes away all fear… it's because he lives that I can face tomorrow…”

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9. Rejecting Human Wisdom and Accepting God’s Power

• Drawing from 1 Corinthians 2, Chan explains that clever speeches and persuasive words can empty the cross of its power.
  (30:52) “…not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
• God hates self-reliance and demands hearts that trust entirely in Him. (31:46–33:31)

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10. Practical Illustration: Wave Pools vs. Real Waves

• Chan likens self-manufactured church experiences to predictable wave pools, while true dependence on God is like waiting for waves in the ocean—uncontrollable, thrilling, and real.
  (42:05–43:57) “There’s this safety in some of our fleshly confidence to create something. And for many people, that’s enough… as long as that's enough for us, God's not gonna give us more… But that wasn't enough for Paul, and I don't think it's enough for you.”

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11. Evidence of the Spirit: Internal Transformation

• Chan insists that true spiritual life produces a hunger for God, a hatred for sin, and a natural boldness in witness—from the inside out, not via external pressure.
  (49:41–52:14) “When the Spirit came into me, it’s like all the sin… get it out… I’m not happy just golfing and surfing every day… I have to be about the kingdom… The spirit has given to me to be his witness.”
• If someone constantly needs to be pushed to pursue God, Chan suggests:
  (52:14) “If the Spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead enters into these people, it's going to start happening from the inside out… if the Holy Spirit does not enter those people, nothing's going to happen.”

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12. Final Prayer and Commission

• Chan ends with a prayer, knocking down lies of inadequacy, declaring dependence on Christ, and asking for the church to be filled with resurrection power and unity.
  _(53:10–58:10) “I want to walk with this confidence that the resurrected Christ is with me. And that's a lot of power. That's all authority in heaven and on earth is with me…”

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Memorable Quotes

• "You have these windows in life and these opportunities in life. And Christ is always worth it.” — Francis Chan (03:44)
• "The most powerful message was the one I didn't give." (06:48)
• "Let the resurrected Christ speak if we believe he's alive... let the word of God speak if we believe this is the only book that is alive." (10:20–10:53)
• “God hates self-reliance. God hates the confidence in the flesh.” (31:46–31:54)
• "We should be the most confident group of people because of who is standing with us." (35:09)
• "I don't want fear to paralyze you. That's what the enemy wants..." (34:38)
• "I want us to take a moment and… pray together… Lord, I want to know the power of His resurrection." (18:17)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:41 – Francis shares his gratitude for the Antioch Church and its encouragement.
• 01:41–03:44 – Personal reflection on missing opportunities due to fear/self-reliance.
• 06:05–06:48 – Story about a missions family called through worship, not a sermon.
• 08:22–09:57 – Chan on Jesus’ promise to be with us and what it means to believe it.
• 13:41–15:19 – Why nervousness reveals self-focus; the enemy’s role in fostering fear.
• 18:00–22:22 – Collective prayer for resurrection power and a lived sense of Christ’s presence.
• 26:04–26:42 – Unity, boldness, and how belief in Christ’s presence removes fear.
• 30:32–31:54 – Human eloquence vs. gospel power; God’s opposition to self-reliance.
• 42:05–43:57 – The “Wave Pool” analogy: manufactured experiences vs. dependence on God’s spontaneous movement.
• 49:41–52:14 – Real evidence of the Spirit's presence: hunger for God, internal transformation.
• 53:10–58:10 – Final prayer and commissioning to mission by the power and presence of the resurrected Christ.

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Concluding Thoughts

Francis Chan issues a passionate, convicting call to lay down fear, pride, and the myth of self-sufficiency. He urges believers to step forward in faith—not relying on their own strength, talents, or plans, but trusting entirely in Jesus’ presence and resurrection power. By living in unity and holy anticipation, the Church can become an unmistakable witness in the world, not through “manufactured waves,” but by the visible demonstration of the living God at work.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Crazy Love podcast. Do you truly believe that Jesus is with you? Not just in theory, but in reality. In today's message from the missions conference at Antioch Church, Francis urges us to move beyond fear and self reliance and live in the peace of God's constant presence. Through the power of the resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit, we can have confidence that we never have to rely on our own strength.

[B]

It is really seriously, like an honor to be a part of this family. I don't go through all my tapes every week. I don't say that. Okay. That's not like a normal thing to say. I really feel honored to, you know, almost feel like I've been grafted into this family in some ways adopted in because your heart. Seriously, every time I come here, I get so encouraged and it's just feeling so much more like home and just so much encouragement from different people and

[C]

because a lot of times we're in

[B]

our own worlds and you can just feel like you're crazy and everyone thinks you're crazy. And I'm here to tell you, no,

[C]

I think you guys are some of the few that have their heads on straight biblically, you know, to give up

[B]

everything for this mission.

[C]

And I was confessing to the leaders during lunch today. Like I remember being your age and being confronted with, you know, the needs in the world. And I remember not having the faith to go and still being stuck in my flesh, not knowing it at the time, but just kind of masking it under a. Well, I don't know if God's calling me. And back then there weren't things like this and there wasn't the same talk, but that's no excuse. I knew the mission and I know that in my heart I wasn't ready to go. And there were things I just confessed, confessing in the flesh, where I wanted

[B]

to be a speaker.

[C]

I wanted to stay in America. There were things about the American dream that were appealing and it was just this struggle. And so when I see people your age thinking about the things you ought to be thinking about, the glory of God amongst the nations, there's like this jealousy. Honestly, they're going, God, I didn't get it back then. I didn't get it back then, you know, and it's not like the self condemning thing, it's just you get later on in life and God gives you all these things and dreams you had and you get them and you go, this really isn't that great, you know, and then I'm talking to some of Your people who have been overseas for years and the things that they've seen and experienced. And there is a part of me, in total honesty, that feels like I missed out on something. And I say that because I just want to beg you. Like, if you have that willingness to go and you have the ability to go, go. You know, seriously, I just. From a guy who's 51, big old family, everything else, I'm just going.

[B]

You have these windows in life and these opportunities in life.

[C]

And Christ is always worth it. And there are times when we're afraid and Satan gets in our head and our own flesh has its own desires. And then, you know, church people can almost talk you into what your flesh wants to do anyways. And sometimes they do that to justify their own lifestyles. And man, I know these things. And you can get caught up in that and miss out on what God has for you. And so it really is so uplifting

[B]

to meet so many people who have given their lives. You guys don't know what a. Maybe you do know what a privilege you have in being a part of things here and having such a rich, rich heritage of so many godly examples. I mean, everyone I meet, I just

[C]

listen to their lives and where they've been and what they've experienced and even

[B]

the hardship they've been through.

[C]

And it's like, oh, it's just gold.

[B]

It's just gold.

[C]

And I think a lot of you know that. And I see this younger generation that's like, hungry for those examples. Cause in so many places you don't

[B]

have examples like that. And yet God's done a very special thing here. Today was probably one of the most encouraging days. Cause one gal that came up to me who's been serving in the Middle east, she shared with me, you know, you were a part of our story. I'm like, really? And she goes, you were leading at this conference back in 07. I think she said 2007, but she was. Me and my husband and I were there. And you were gone up to lead and you just felt like you weren't supposed to speak and that we were just supposed to get into the presence of God and start worshiping. And she says, my husband for the first time was like flat on his face. Cause he just felt like that's what

[C]

God wanted him to do. And so he's flat on his face. And then God tells him exactly where to go in the Middle East. And she, you know, no talk of this before. And he goes to her and says,

[B]

this is where God wants us to go. He just spoke to me, and that's where they've been for the last few years. And I had no idea any of that happened.

[C]

And what so encouraged me is my most.

[B]

I mean, that's just like a dream as a speaker.

[C]

But the most powerful message was the one I didn't give. You know, it really is, and I love that, because it couldn't have. You couldn't have told me that story at a better time. Because everything I'm reading about the resurrected Christ and how he moves and how it really is when we empty ourselves, right? And he moves and to give him space. And, you know, we're here. We're here gathering together in all the different sites because of the Great Commission, right? And Jesus comes to them and says,

[B]

all authority in heaven and earth's been given to me.

[C]

This is after rising from the grave. You know, everyone's gathering together to see this man who rose from the dead. And it must have been shocking, right? Like, no one's ever seen anything like this. A man rose from that. He claimed that he would die and rise again and that he did it. And now he's about to say something, and he says, every ounce of authority is right here. And I'm telling you, go make disciples of all the nations. I want you to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And I want you to teach them. I want to teach them to obey everything I commanded you.

[B]

And the thing I want to get focused on today is that last phrase. And I'll be with you always,

[C]

okay? So as I go out and make disciples, that man who died and was mutilated and came back to life and says, every ounce of authority, every single bit has been given to me.

[B]

So go do this thing, and I will be with you. The resurrected Christ will be with you.

[C]

So does that mean that he is literally here, right here with me? Like, how much do I believe the word of God, that I am not alone on the stage right now,

[B]

that that much power is right here? All day I've been imagining,

[C]

what if

[B]

I walked on here with him and I could see him, what would I do? Would I be nervous to speak? No, I would be so anxious to get up here and go, what's he gonna do?

[C]

Seriously, right? Wouldn't you. You just go, what is he going to do?

[B]

And if he asks me to open my mouth and read some scriptures, then I just read it and watch to see what he does.

[C]

See? That's what I believe.

[B]

Happened at that gathering 10 years ago. So I just kind of got out of the way. And Jesus, that's fine. I don't need you. I actually.

[C]

Seriously, you probably talk way too much and rely on your own power and

[B]

let the resurrected Christ speak if we believe he's alive. Let the word of God speak if we believe this is the only book that is alive. It's the only one. The words of this book are the only. The only words that are actually living. Crazy love is probably second.

[C]

But I'm kidding.

[B]

I am totally kidding. But this whole idea of, like, living words and Christ being here, and I've been focusing on that all day because I thought, how many times have I walked on a stage as though I were alone? A lot of times I've walked on the stage as though it were up to me. And so I start feeling the stress, I start feeling the expectations. I start expecting things of myself. Other people start expecting things of me.

[C]

But if I'm walking up here with

[B]

Jesus, no one would expect anything from me, Right? In fact, you would just say, okay, the less you say, the better. Right? And the more he speaks, the more better. And what does it mean to manifest the Holy Spirit of God? He says to everyone, to every single one of us is given a manifestation of the Spirit. Like somehow Christ and the spirit of God would actually speak through me. And I'm praying for that tonight. I sometimes give the illustration of the demon possessed person where we've seen movies or we imagined, or some of you have probably actually seen it, where a person is no longer there, but he's chosen to, or however it works, it's no longer that human being speaking, but this demon manifesting through him. I'm going, God, I want that. I want your spirit to manifest through me. I want Francis Chan to be crucified with Christ. So it's no longer Francis who speaks, but Christ speaks through me. I used to teach a preaching class, and I would tell my students, if you walk on stage and you feel nervous, there's probably sin in your life or disbelief.

[C]

Because if you feel nervous, why do you feel nervous? It's usually because you're concerned of whether

[B]

the people will like you or not. That's what makes you nervous up there. So you're up there to please people.

[C]

Like, what causes that nervousness? It's either that or maybe you don't believe that the resurrected Christ is on that stage with you because if you knew he was on that stage, there would be no fear. Fear. There would just be this incredible Expectation like, what is he going to do? What is he going to do? What's he going to say? What words is he going to give me to say to the people today? And something amazing is going to happen because Jesus Christ rose from the dead and he commanded me to make disciples, commanded me to teach everyone to obey what he said. And he promised me that he would be with me as he did that. Do I believe this? But we have an enemy that's constantly getting into our heads and trying to get us to forget he's really here. There's an enemy who's constantly trying to get us to do this. Flesh and blood to flesh and blood. My mind to yours, my clever speech into your brain. This will accomplish something and put all the stress on me, all the pressure on. That's what the enemy wants.

[B]

And God's saying, this isn't about flesh and blood. There's something so much bigger going on here. This is reality.

[C]

And everyone in the world is saying,

[B]

oh, get your head out of the clouds. Like, no, no, no, no. I am not gonna.

[C]

You're not gonna get me to stare at what is seen. Cause everything I can see is temporary. According to scripture, it's those things are invisible that are eternal. And so somehow there's this invisible world, and this is what this is. The war that's going on in the room is this invisible world. And these thoughts that are getting into your head that are from that invisible world, you know, that are telling you to look at things in the flesh, to stare at things in the world, to look at these few years you can enjoy on the earth. That's a spiritual thing that's going on. The Bible says the whole world. First John 5 says, Lies in the

[B]

hands of the evil 1

[C]

Corinthians. He says, the God of this world

[B]

has blinded the minds of unbelievers so

[C]

they can't see the glory of Christ. This isn't like a flesh to flesh thing. That's one that. It's a spiritual enemy. There's this darkness, and as long as

[B]

we fight it in the flesh, the enemy's thrilled. He would love for me to walk up here and give my best stories and use every bit of human ability to try to talk you into something. The enemy would love that. The enemy would love for you to be satisfied with that.

[C]

The enemy would love it if you. Oh, good. Francis Chan's gonna come up and he's

[B]

gonna give a message. And for you to be satisfied with that. The enemy would love that rather than what God would want Is for you to go, okay? The last thing I wanna hear is Francis Chan give a message for you to sit there and go, that's not why I came. I would love to hear. Hearing from a godly man is not a bad thing. But I'd much rather hear from God himself. And for you to demand from God. I'm not happy with that. I want your spirit to manifest through him and do something. I want something spiritual to be deposited today. Please, please have Francis give him the

[C]

wisdom, the mercy, the grace to die to himself, to be crucified up there so we can hear from the Spirit of God. So the spirit of God would manifest through him and so that something real would change. I'm not satisfied with anything less than that.

[B]

It's the power of the resurrection. Don't you want to experience the power of the resurrection today? I want us to take a moment and I want us to pray together. I want you to think about God Almighty who dwells in unapproachable light, all the angels staring at him. I want you to think of Jesus, who has all authority, every bit of authority is given to this one person. And I want to throw a verse on screen. It's Philippians 3. You guys know it, Philippians 3:10. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. But I want to hone in on that first phrase. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection. Okay, I'm not gonna ask you to just close your eyes and pray this with me. I'm gonna ask you to seriously have everything from the core of your being, your inner man, your inner person crying out to the God on his throne, saying, lord, I want to know the power of his resurrection. I want to know the power of his resurrection. Can we all just honestly come before God right now and let's just spend a couple minutes. He hears us. We want something spiritual, invisible to happen in these next few minutes. So let's ask him together, Father. We are united together. All of these different gatherings across all of these campuses, we all agree that

[C]

we want to know the power of your resurrection. We are not satisfied with anything less God. We don't want to do things like those world does it. We don't want to be feel like we're alone, God. We want to show them your power, God. Anything less, Lord, is not enough. We don't want to play games. We don't want to manipulate. We don't want to do things in the flesh, God. We want to experience the power of the resurrected Christ. And we trust your word. Your word says the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us. Your word tells us that as we go and make disciples that Christ is with us. And we are claiming that, Lord, that he is here with us. Lord, we put to death, we take captive all of those thoughts that the enemy has planted in our minds, that we're alone, that we have to look in the mirror and see if we're good enough or we're smart enough or we're clever enough. No, God, we take all of that captive. We trash it. We destroy all those lofty arguments. They're all lies. Lies from the pit. You are here with us. You dwell in us. Holy, holy, holy are you. Hallelujah. Praise you, Jesus. You have risen. You are alive and you are with us.

[B]

And so, God, today we collectively say we want to know the power of your resurrection. And we claim that truth. Your word is truth. You didn't give us a spirit of fear, but the enemy keeps trying to give it to us. You are with us. You are with us because your word says, by your grace. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for being in this room, giving us power to do what we could never pull off in the flesh. Thank you for the rest. We have in your power, you take all stress away. Your yoke is easy. Your burden is light. I praise you, Jesus. I worship you. Even now, may you be moving across all these campuses, showing them the power of your resurrection. Oh, Jesus, we love serving you. We anticipate what you're about to do even in the next few minutes. God, we just feel like your disciples 2000 years ago, just walking around going, what's he gonna do here? We believe you're here. What are you gonna do here? What are you gonna do? This time you're here with us. Thank you, Jesus. I love this. I love this. Drive away all that is evil in this room, Lord, till we're just left here in your beautiful presence. Thank you. In Jesus name. You know, earlier, in Philippians, in chapter one, verse 27, he says, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I come and see or am absent, I may hear of you. That you're standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your Salvation and that from God. See, if we're all confident in the power of the resurrection again, it takes away all fear, doesn't it? At least I know it does for me. I just go, okay. Once I have in my mind what the scriptures say, that he's with me, all fear is gone. Then he says, if you guys could all with one mind strive side by side for the gospel. And we just go, okay, Jesus is with me. I'll go anywhere, Lord. He goes, you start doing that with zero fear, no fear at all of your opponents.

[C]

You're only gonna do that if you believe the resurrected Christ is there. He's the one that takes away all fear. All fear is gone.

[B]

It's because he lives that I can face tomorrow, right? It's because he lives that all fear is gone.

[C]

And so then when he says, when you guys would live in a manner worthy of the gospel, and you lock arms, you're side by side of one mind, we're all saying we're not afraid, he's with us.

[B]

He says, then the world is going to believe in their destruction and your salvation. Then they're actually gonna believe our message and actually even have a fear themselves of their own destruction. That's amazing.

[C]

In a world where hardly ever anyone

[B]

seems like they're afraid of their own destruction. God says, well, an empowered church will create that. A united, fearless church. The enemy hates that he loves.

[C]

When we separate, we divide on so many things and we're afraid and insecure, and we go to every event nervous

[B]

because we don't believe in the resurrected Christ. He loves that because he knows if these guys get united and believe that Christ is with them and they're not afraid of anything, then what Jesus said, what happened will happen. That the world's going to believe that he really did come.

[C]

In.

[B]

First Corinthians, chapter two. Paul says this in verse one. He says, I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

[C]

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Well, you're going.

[B]

Wait a second.

[C]

Paul just is saying there that he came in fear and trembling. Listen to what he's saying, though. In contrast to fleshly confidence, which would

[B]

be I'VE got a great speech prepared. I've thought this through and I can out talk them, I can convince them.

[C]

No, he's saying, I didn't come that way. I came with a simple message going, okay, if you don't move God, nothing is going to happen.

[B]

And I tell you there are times when I'll walk onto a stage and there's confidence in the flesh. Like, oh, this message is gonna kill it. You know, there's just one illustration in the middle. I bet you I can get half of them to cry.

[C]

Like, right? That's what Paul says. Like I could come and some people, that's enough for them, man. If you come and you give me a few quotes that I can write down and tweet out, that's all I want. If you can tell me one story and make me laugh and you know, then throw a few scriptures, that's enough for me. If you could just get into some Greek words that I've never heard about and really tear them apart, that seriously is enough.

[B]

And Paul's saying, I'm coming and I'm gonna. I decided it was a choice to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

[A]

Why?

[B]

He says, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. He explains. He goes, I don't want to. Earlier in chapter one, he says, verse 17, Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel not

[C]

with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the

[B]

cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

[C]

So there is a way that if I come up here in the confidence of the faith flesh, I will actually

[B]

diminish the power of the cross.

[C]

That's who talks like that, right? To come up here with fear and trembling and with a simple message of the cross so that I don't take away the power. Because if I'm up here, Francis Chan just go, oh yeah.

[B]

And Jesus is just like the message of the cross somehow gets diminished by our confidence in the flesh. You see this in the scriptures.

[C]

Whenever someone start God hates self reliance.

[B]

God hates the confidence in the flesh.

[C]

Remember the story. One of our favorite verses, right?

[B]

Is and

[C]

it's one of our favorites in chronicles.

[B]

See, he doesn't like that. I could just quote it in the flesh.

[C]

I Forget if it's 1 Chronicles or

[B]

2 Chronicles 16, 9. Okay, 2nd Chronicles 16, 9. We know this. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done Foolishly in this. For from now on, you will have wars. What the context is what I'm getting at. If you know the context of that story, it was King Asa who was amazing because he relied on the Lord

[C]

and he defeated these armies way bigger than his. But then later on in his life, towards the end, he starts partnering with

[B]

this other king and God speaks to him through the prophet there and said, what are you doing? And he goes, because you relied on this king of Syria, you're gonna lose. He goes, you relied on me your whole life and now. Cause you're this mighty king and you have all this ability to partner with other people.

[C]

You're gonna rely on that because of that.

[B]

He goes, you've done a foolish thing. He goes, don't you know the eyes of the Lord? He's looking for the one whose heart is blameless. But because you relied on this king, you're gonna lose and you're gonna have wars from here on out. He hates that reliance on anything besides him. And that's why Paul says, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to rely on. Paul was mentored by like the best. Like, he was brilliant.

[C]

He could have come up here and just had this amazing speech and talk people into these things. And if he had come, he goes, no, I decided to know nothing.

[B]

I'm just going to go up there in weakness, I'm going to tremble and

[C]

I'm just going to give the simple

[B]

message and believe that the resurrected Christ

[C]

is there to do what he needs to do. I'm just going to speak his words because his words are living.

[B]

And if I start talking, if Paul

[C]

starts talking with his lofty speech, all

[B]

of his wisdom, it's going to kill everything. I'm sharing these things because I don't want fear to paralyze you. That's what the enemy wants you to look in the mirror and remind you. Because all your life, it's been about working hard. You know, everything's been flesh. The harder you study in the flesh, the better grade you're gonna get. The more you work out, the better you're gonna do. You know, in the game, you know, everything's about like this work. And we are supposed to study and we are supposed to search the scriptures, but our confidence, it's like coming in weakness and trembling and trusting, going, God, you're moving in this room because I asked you to. And by your grace, because you want to move. And Lord, as your eyes are looking around, I really want you to pick me and say, there's a guy who really wants to die to himself and have me live through him, he really believes there's nothing he has to offer. Jesus says it's the spirit, right? John 6:63. It is the Spirit that gives life. The Father flesh is of no help at all. We should be the most confident group of people because of who is standing with us and because of whose presence is with us. So get rid of all those lies that Satan's trying to plant into your mind, that you could never survive over there. You could never pull this off or this. Just get rid of that. That is all of the enemy. And believe the resurrected Christ is with you everywhere you go. And when you walk around with that type of fearlessness and we join arms and say, yeah, we're in this thing together. None of us are afraid. That's when we know the power of the resurrection, and that's when the world's going to believe. But we have to be dissatisfied with lofty speech, eloquence, superior wisdom. We just have to agree. That's not enough for me. You know, I was reminded when we were praying this afternoon of a psalm I just read a few days ago. It was really interesting. It's Psalm 17. And when I read this, I was like, really? Psalm 17, verse 13 says, Arise, O Lord, confront him, subdue him.

[C]

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men, by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure.

[B]

They are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

[C]

It's such an interesting passage to me. Cause it says, hey, deliver myself from the wicked by your sword, from men, by your hand. O Lord of men of this world, whose portion is in this life. So you're going, man, who is he saying, God, please deliver me from these wicked people. And then he goes to describe them. They're people whose portion is in this life. God, you fill their womb with treasure, and they're satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. He goes, there are people on this earth that are happy just to have kids, make a living, die, and pass on their inheritance to their kids.

[B]

And he refers to those as the wicked. And he goes, that's not enough for me. He goes, as for me, I mean, for some people, they're satisfied with that. They're happy with that.

[C]

And I think back to those days when I was Your age. And I just, I'm just ashamed. Oh God. I think even as a Christian at that time, the only things I was dreaming of was like a family, a happy family and some kids and a home. These aren't bad things. But to be satisfied with that.

[B]

Where he says, as for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness. When I awake, I'll be satisfied with, with your likeness. That's the only thing that's gonna satisfy me. It's so similar to Paul going for me to live is Christ.

[C]

The enemies of the cross, their God is their stomach like whatever they. This one, they're satisfied by that. That's so weird.

[B]

He goes, I want you. I wanna know the power of your resurrection.

[C]

I wanna fellowship in your sufferings. I've gotta attain to that, that resurrection somehow. So when this is over, man, I'm going to see your face and I'm going to attain your likeness.

[B]

Like that's the hunger of my life. We've got to stop being satisfied with the things we can see. I used to be satisfied giving a sermon that people liked and having the people like it and walk away going, oh, that was convicting. That was good. That was this, that was that. And Paul says, man, I'm not satisfied with that. I want to see the power. I want to come. Because the kingdom of God is not about words. It's about a power and a demonstration of the spirit. And that's what I've been praying for. God. Could tonight be a demonstration of the Spirit's power so everyone leaves their knowing the power of the resurrection, I can't give that to you. I can't talk you into that. I can't talk you into leaving this

[C]

room and going to the most dangerous

[B]

places on earth to share the gospel and get you to be unafraid for the rest of your life. No, but by the grace of God, he can do that. And that's what I'm praying for. You see, it's. I was sharing with some guys earlier today just how, okay, like I love surfing and I heard that there's a place to surf in Waco. And so I went on the Internet

[C]

because someone told me there was a

[B]

wave pool in Waco. So I looked it up and watched a video this morning. I thought that's kind of cool, you

[C]

know, because what's cool about it is when you have those man made waves, it always breaks in the same place. You know, normally you're swimming out in

[B]

the ocean, you don't know where the wave's gonna come. When it's gonna come, how big it's gonna be, what's gonna bite your face off.

[C]

You don't know any of that. And I thought it'd be nice to just go in a wave pool and go to the exact spot where the machine makes the wave every single time. And you can wave, you know, just ride the exact shape wave over and over and over again.

[B]

I go, that looks kind of fun. But I would get bored of that after a while. But as I was watching that wave, I thought, you know what? That's what we do in our church gatherings. Sometimes we just know how to create a wave. We know when it's gonna begin at 9am we know just at the height at 9:21.

[C]

And then we know it's gonna close off, you know, in these different places. And then we'll do it again. And it's just this. We can manufacture so much and be satisfied with it. I've done that a lot of my life because there's something about that where if I go to that wave pool in Waco, I. I won't. I know it's not gonna be horrible. There'll always be something. Whereas there have been times I paddle out on the ocean hearing there's gonna be a swell, and you're sitting there. Lord, please.

[B]

Please, just one, God, please. Come on, Lord.

[C]

Oh, gosh. I prayed this morning. I did my devotions. I witnessed to the guy on the way here, you know, like, can I just have a wave? You know, like, that's what you do sometimes.

[B]

And it's like nothing happened.

[C]

But you never have that problem in Waco.

[B]

It's always gonna show up. It's always gonna be the same thing. And I just feel like there's, like, this safety in some of our fleshly confidence to create something. And for many people, that's enough. And as long as that's enough for us, God's not gonna give us more. And as long as we play it safe and use our human wisdom and eloquence to create some sort of way that's manufactured by us. And as long as I'm happy with it, you're happy with it. God's like, all right, fine, that's all you'll get then. But that wasn't enough for Paul, and I don't think it's enough for you. And that's why you're here. And it's not enough. That type of wave that you can create through your own learning and strategy is not enough to sustain you. Not even close. And who wants to do that over and over and over again, ride a wave that we created rather than saying God, like Paul, I'm going to go out there, I'm just going to paddle out. And if you don't do something, I'm just going to be standing there. I'll just be sitting on my board. But if you create something, you can create something so beautiful, so amazing. That's what Paul was saying to the church in Thessalonica in 1st Thessalonians 1. He says in verse 4, he says,

[C]

For we know, brothers loved by God,

[B]

that he has chosen you because our

[C]

gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the Word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit. So. So you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Kea, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere. So we don't need to say anything, for they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you

[B]

and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son

[C]

from heaven, whom he raised from the dead.

[B]

Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Paul says, okay, when I came to your town, when I came to your city, he goes, I know God chose you. I know he created a wave. Why? Because the result. He goes, you started just the gospel.

[C]

When I spoke it there, there was like this power and there was conviction. He goes, it was in a time of persecution, and yet when you heard what Jesus did on the cross, you took it with full. You're like, you know, okay, bring the persecute. These people heard the word, like, go ahead, persecute me. I don't care anymore. And Paul's going, man. He goes, I didn't even have to tell people what happened in your life. You started preaching. You started preaching to everyone. And everyone started talking about you and how you turned. Turned away from idols to serve God. You were imitating us. You're laboring. It's like. He goes, man, something happened there. Same message.

[B]

He goes, but with you guys, something happened. There was a wave. There was a wave. As yesterday when I was hanging out with Jimmy, he was just telling me about the times when. Because when that wave comes, when the Spirit moves any Strategy will work.

[C]

You know, it's not like. It's just when that. When God isn't moving, we try to manufacture something. So then you gotta get real clever and make something look like a semi revival, you know?

[B]

And it's just to say, God, I don't want that. Lord, I wanna see this. I wanna see your spirit move. I don't know how that's gonna look in these different places, but I'm not satisfied with anything other than the power of the resurrected Christ. I was speaking with a couple friends of mine at this other conference a few months ago, and they spoke, and then I was going to come at the end, and it was all about getting people to go and, you know, into the nations. And I'm just like. I go, gosh, I just really feel like if it ended right now, they would all go, that was good. And then nothing would change. And so I gathered the two guys. I go, what do I say? What do I say to change that so that something happens? And we're sitting there applauding, just the three of us, like, gosh, I don't know, maybe if I go this direction or this direction. And then it hit me. I go, wait a second. I go, this shouldn't be that hard. And I asked the two guys that spoke before me, I'm like, when the Holy Spirit entered you and you believed, did anyone have to talk you into spending time with him? Did people have to beg you to get the sin out of your life? Was your pastor just all over you begging you to do something for the kingdom?

[C]

I don't know what it was like for you guys, but, like, I had to do something. Like, when I. When the Holy Spirit came into me, it's like the thought of, I can speak to Almighty God, like, he'll listen to me. Like, he'd have to beg me to spend time with God. I wanted to be something in there. And when the Spirit came into me, it's like all the sin that was in my life, I'm like, I want an elk. Get an out. Get it out, get it out. I hate it every time I dabble just a little bit. Ah, I don't want it. I'm not. I'm a new creation. I don't want that stuff in my life. Something inside happened and I am not happy. I couldn't be happy just golfing and surfing every day. That would drive me nuts. I have to be about the kingdom. Like, even now, like, as the end is looking like it is just imminent, like, it's happening I'm begging God all the time, please get me in the game, get me in the game. I'm begging Jimmy and Andy, get me in the game. Where, where do I got to go? I got to do something. Because I'm not gonna sit around like in the days of Noah and go, I'm happy, you know, marrying my kids off, you know, like, no, no, I'm not satisfied with that. But it was something inside that happens. The spirit has given to me to be his witness. So it drives me nuts when I haven't been his witness. It drives me nuts when I chicken out. I go, this is all it was happening inside of me. I go, do people have to beg you?

[B]

And they're listening. They go, you're right. No, something happened inside. Something happened inside you guys. Our job should not be that hard if you are pushing, pulling, dragging people

[C]

for the tiniest bit of fragment fruit.

[B]

We've got to, out of love, be concerned that the spirit of God and

[C]

the resurrected Christ is not really in them, changing them from the inside. Because if the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead is in them, what I hear is that your soul, your depths will cry out, abba, Father, and you'll want to manifest the Holy Spirit of God. You'll want to be his witness. You will seek first his kingdom. When you see the poor, you can't just keep walking. How could the love of Christ be in you? Like, it's all these things should happen as the Spirit enters us. So as you go to these other

[B]

countries that you go, oh, no, I'm

[C]

scared of this, this, this, this.

[B]

No, there's only one X factor. That's the Holy Spirit. If the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead enters into these people, it's going to start happening from the inside out. And that's something that only the resurrected Christ can do. Who is with you? And if the Holy Spirit does not enter those people, nothing's going to happen. And you can spend all your days trying to protect them and talk them into something, when in reality we need to be honest with people when we don't see the fruit in their life to say, you know, I'm nervous for you, I'm concerned for you because I don't see this power. So I even have to ask you, like, do you from the core of your being, cry, abba, Father, does your spirit cry out to him? Do you hate sin and want it out of your life? Are you a slave to that righteousness? Is your mind about the kingdom and wanting so Desperately to be a part of this mission that he's called us to see. If that's not coming from inside and you need everyone and their mother pulling you, begging you, then I'd say, gosh, you may not know him. I say that cautiously, but out of love, because this is about the power of the resurrected Christ. It's about people going from death to life and there should be a noticeable difference. So don't put the pressure on yourself thinking I'm not good enough to go and accomplish this in that tribe. If you do feel like you're good enough, man, that's exactly when nothing's gonna happen. It's that confidence that you're not coming with fear and trembling and you're not coming with this confidence that the resurrected Christ is with you everywhere you go. My prayer is that there's. I don't wanna ever walk on another stage or share with another unbeliever with fear. I want to walk with this confidence that the resurrected Christ is with me. And that's a lot of power. That's all authority in heaven and on earth is with me. So I would just like to pray over you right now and kind of end this the way we started coming before Almighty God. Abba. Father. Abba. Father, you are our only father. You're the only father we need. You're a father to the fatherless. Our cup overflows. You are our shepherd. We are clean. You died and rose again. And you are with us to the end of the age. The spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us. Greater is he who is in us than and hues of the world. Your eyes wander to and fro throughout this earth looking for people to strongly support. You're looking for hearts that are blameless, not arrogant. God, we can do nothing. I have no wisdom, no power. Your word is living and active like a two edged sword. When Jesus says whatever we ask in his name, you'll do it. God, we are asking for the same thing. You want a united church that is not afraid because the resurrected Christ is with us. We want to know the power of the resurrection. We agree, Lord. So I pray for everyone in this room and in every satellite. That we would know your resurrection power. And we destroy all these crazy arguments that came from the evil one that tells us we're not good enough, we're not wise enough, enough, we're not strong enough, not intelligent enough. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us all things. You're with us, Lord, by your Spirit, give us the strength we want Christ to dwell in in our hearts through faith. The resurrected Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith. And now, Lord, may you move throughout all these rooms and just lead us. Resurrected Christ, lead us.

[A]

Thank you for listening to the Crazy Love podcast. Join us next week for a new episode. But until then, for more resources from Crazy Love Ministries or to support the work of Crazy Love, please visit our website@crazy love.org.