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The Question That Changes Everything

Elevation with Steven Furtick

Fri Feb 06 2026

Summary

Elevation with Steven Furtick

Episode Title: The Question That Changes Everything
Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Pastor Steven Furtick
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode, “The Question That Changes Everything,” explores the foundational question behind personal and collective spiritual journeys: “Why are you here, and what do you want God to do through you?” Pastor Steven Furtick pivots from his planned series to focus on vision—both for the church and the individual—revealing a new articulation for Elevation Church’s purpose and challenging listeners to examine their motives, desires, and expectations in their walk with God.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Vision and Motive

Furtick opens by reflecting on how difficult it is not only to have a vision but to articulate it (02:06).
He shares a story where a seatmate on a plane asks, “Why do people come to your church?”—a question that leads to deep introspection about motives and vision (04:23).
The problem isn’t just knowing what you want, but understanding and communicating why you want it.

“A lot of people spend their whole lives figuring out what. But when he asked me why, it got me remembering why we started the church.” – Steven Furtick [08:00]

2. Personalizing the 'Why'

Listeners are encouraged to consider their reasons for coming to church—prompted to share with someone next to them (06:54).
Furtick emphasizes that each person's why may be different—community, family legacy, music, or even relationships, but finding intention is crucial (07:59).
He warns against making the church experience transactional or entertainment-driven.

“If I don’t tell you why, I just leave it up to you to figure out why.” – Steven Furtick [08:30]

3. Biblical Examples: The Questions of Jesus

Furtick draws from two stories in the Gospels:
- Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10) — Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus despite being told to stay quiet, and Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (11:42)
- John’s Disciples (John 1:38) — Jesus notices two disciples following him and asks, “What do you want?” (19:06)
These stories underscore the importance of motive—not just what we want, but why we want it.

“It is faith that God is interested in, and not perfection, but participation that attracts the presence of God.” – Steven Furtick [17:18]

4. From What God Can Do For You to Through You

Furtick traces the evolution of the church’s vision, highlighting its mission statement:

“So that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ.” [25:16]
However, he seeks a memorable, everyday language for this vision.
After months of searching, he realizes that the essence is:

“I want you to see what God can do through you.” – Steven Furtick [29:54]

5. Encounter, Participation, and Purpose

Furtick emphasizes that the journey begins with what God can do for a person (healing, direction, encouragement) but should evolve to what God can do through that person in their community and relationships (33:29).
He uses Bartimaeus’s story to illustrate this transition: Bartimaeus receives sight and then follows Jesus—his life becoming part of a bigger story (39:35).

“It’s okay to start with what God can do for you… but it’s a terrible place to stop.” – Steven Furtick [33:29]

6. Vision for the Future: Ephesians 3:20

Furtick repeatedly references Ephesians 3:20—God’s ability to do “immeasurably more than we ask or imagine”—as the foundational scripture for Elevation Church’s next decade (09:18; 36:55).
He connects the potential of the church community to God’s power “at work within us,” challenging listeners to become participants in God’s mission (37:21).

“God has a job to do… but he’s going to do it through you.” – Steven Furtick [37:56]

7. Personal Testimonies & Application

Toward the end, Furtick tells the story of Fergie, a once-reluctant teenager now working on the church’s media team, to show tangible examples of what God can do through someone (43:35).
He urges listeners not to settle for stories of what God could have done, but to pursue seeing what God will do through them.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On defining vision:

“I said, if you come to Elevation Church, what I want for you is I want you to see what God can do through you. When I said it like that, I knew it.” – Steven Furtick [29:54]
On Bartimaeus’s transformation:

“The greatest miracle in Bartimaeus’s life was not that he got to see what God could do for him. It’s that he made the decision to follow Jesus and see what God could do.” – Steven Furtick [39:35]
On communal purpose:

“We have so elevated the platform of the preacher. The preacher has no platform if the people have no sense of mission.” – Steven Furtick [42:25]
On shifting mindset:

“It’s okay to start with what God can do for you… but it’s a terrible place to stop.” – Steven Furtick [33:29]

Important Timestamps & Segments

[02:06] – Furtick opens and pivots from the planned series to discuss vision
[04:23] – Airplane story: The question “Why do people come to your church?”
[06:54] – Listeners told to discuss why they came to church
[09:18] – Introduction of Ephesians 3:20 as guiding scripture
[11:42] – Story of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10)
[19:06] – Jesus’s question in John 1:38: “What do you want?”
[25:16] – Elevation Church’s mission statement discussed
[29:54] – “See what God can do through you” revealed as the phrase
[33:29] – The journey from “what God can do for you” to “what God can do through you”
[36:55] – “Nothing is impossible to him who believes.” Community call to embrace vision
[43:35] – Practical testimony: Fergie’s story
[44:35] – Concluding prayer and challenge to commit to seeing what God can do through each person

Flow & Tone

The episode maintains Steven Furtick’s energetic, encouraging, and conversational preaching style. It mixes humor, storytelling, biblical references, and personal anecdotes to break down complex spiritual ideas into relatable, actionable concepts. By speaking as though each listener is “on staff” at the church, Furtick brings an inclusive tone, challenging every person—not just leaders—to own the church’s vision and mission.

Summary Table

| Timestamp | Segment/Quote | Focus | |---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | 04:23 | “Why do they come?” | The core question of motivation | | 09:18 | “My favorite scripture is Ephesians 3:20…” | Biblical foundation for vision | | 11:42 | Story of Blind Bartimaeus; “What do you want me to do for you?” | Personal needs and motives | | 19:06 | John 1:38: “What do you want?” | Motives as spiritual starting point | | 29:54 | “I want you to see what God can do through you.” | Articulation of vision | | 33:29 | “It’s okay to start with what God can do for you… but it’s a terrible place to stop.” | Shift from receiving to participating | | 43:35 | Fergie’s story and practical transformation example | Testimony, real-life application |

Takeaway

The question that changes everything isn’t just “What do you want God to do for you?” but “Are you ready to see what God can do through you?”
This episode challenges listeners to examine their motives, embrace their unique place in God’s story, and become active participants in His transformative work. The call is to not merely receive but to be a channel for what God wants to do in the world—through you.

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Transcript

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Steven Furtick (2:06)

Hey this is Steven Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. God has really been speaking to me this week. It's for that reason I wanted to interrupt the series and the message I was going to bring from this stage and just talk to you. I told Wade I was going to talk to you today like you were on staff at this church. I said, I'm going to talk to the whole church like they are on unpaid staff. Clarify that. I want to speak to you about vision. About vision. How many of you have a vision for your life? Now, how many of you could explain your vision for your life? That's kind of the problem sometimes. I know it, but I can't explain it. My job is to figure out a way to explain some things that sometimes we intuitively know. Earlier this year, you may be watching this at a later time on the Archive, but it was at the beginning of 2016 I began to ask God to give me fresh language for our vision as a church. A way of expressing where we've been, where we're going and who God has called us to be that everybody could understand, relate to, and even explain to their friends. I guess it kicked off when I was on an airplane as all great preachers stories start. The guy next to me asked, what do you do? I told him I was a preacher. He said, really? You don't look like a preacher. I said, well then what do I look like? He looked at me really hard. He said, I don't know either some kind of fighter or musician. I said, well, I fight the devil with my praise. I said, no, I pastor a church. It's great. He's from Charlotte. I was like, you should try it. I want you to come. Because I was trying to explain to him, you could watch it online, here's the website. But you really have to come. I know it's a little inconvenient sometimes and you feel like I could just click on. But you really have to come to experience it. I said, because I think my preaching is okay, but it's really the people. I can prove that to you. Because a lot of times when I get an email, they'll say, we knew from the moment we rolled up on the parking lot, this was our church. We knew when we saw people smiling, excited, happy, enthusiastic and joyful that this was our church. They hadn't heard a sermon yet. It wasn't what happened behind the pulpit, but it was what was happening as they parked their car. I said, you really have to come. He said, well, I may sometime. He said, how many people come? I said, well, I'm going to tell you. It's a lot of people. I want you to know. It's a lot of people and it's different locations. It's a lot of people. He said, how many? I said, Thousands of people. He said, you have thousands of people? How many thousands of people? I said, well, bro, it's like over 20,000. I'm not trying to be something, but if you just want to ask, it's over 20,000. He cussed when I said that because he was not a Christian. You know, people who aren't Christians don't talk like Christians, he said. The non Christian equivalent of, well, praise the Lord. Glory to God. His next question floored me. And this is where I want to go today. I won't be long. I just want to say something really simple to you. He asked me, why do they come? Now, that's complicated. I know what the answer to that is supposed to be, but I don't always know what it is. I said, man, I've asked myself that question a lot. I think some people might come because they heard the girls are hot. I think some people might come because their grandmother told them if they didn't go to church, they'd go to hell. And this is a more enjoyable option than certain other churches. I think some people come because they like the music. Some people come because of social reasons and friendships. Some people come because their parents gave them no option on that particular morning or evening. But it got me thinking. Why did you come? Would you take a moment and just tell the person next to you why you came to church today? Just. If you could do that real quick. Why did you come at every campus? Yes, you too, Blakeney. Yes, you, too, Rakhill. Why'd you come? You didn't have to come. You could be washing your car, cleaning your closet.

Steven Furtick (33:29)

I'm ready for bread that satisfies. I told you this message is going to be a shift. I was so excited to preach it. I thought, well, I'll share that later in the year. God said, you'll share it when I tell you to share it. I said, when am I going to share it? He said, share it now because somebody is sitting by the roadside and the opportunity is passing by. Don't you want to see what God can do as a church? Wouldn't you? Or do you want to be telling the story to your kids one day of what God could have done? Do you want to lay there one day on some bed? I know you're going to be 120 when you die because you eat kale and not gluten, but you want to be laying there at that point thinking about what God could have done, would have done. Or do you want to see? I'm sorry, I know the crowds are telling me to shut up. But I have to see what God can do. What God can do for you. That's where it starts to see what God can do. For you. That's a great place to start because you need a touch from God and it's by grace. We're saved through faith. I can't do it for myself. I want this to be a place where you can come and God can do for you what you need done. Because some weeks you're going to need direction and encouragement. You have a business decision and this thing with your kids. I want you to come here to see what God can do for you. It's a great place to start, but it's a terrible place to stop. When God spoke the vision of this church to me for the next 10 years and the vision he has for each and every life that's represented within this body of believers. He didn't say for you to see what God could do for you. He said, it's time. For you to see. Let's use the blue. What God can do. I'm excited about this. Now. To him who is able to do, give him 320 again. What time is it? It's 3:20. Ephesians 3:20. Time. It's 3:20. Whenever you're watching this, it's 3:20. Set your watch 320. Who is able to do God See what God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. According to his power. Your potential is equal to God's power. Nothing is impossible to him who believes.

Steven Furtick (39:35)

Stand on your feet. I've said what I came to say that's what you came for. It needs to shift in your heart today. It's okay to start with what God can do for you. The cool part about Bartimaeus is what happened after his eyes were open. He saw what God could do for him. This is the cool verse. I don't think people preach about this because if you're doing it, you want the climax to be and he could see. But the really important part is what happened next. And it's going to come right there on the screen. It says that Jesus told him to go. He said that his faith had healed him. And then it said that immediately he received his sight. See what God can do for you. And then this is the part. He followed Jesus along the road. Now, the greatest miracle in Bartimaeus life was not that he got to see what God could do for him. It's that he made the decision to follow Jesus and see what God could do. What could God do through you? I don't know. I don't just mean in the church. By the way, I hope you volunteer. I hope they swarm the tents when they're leaving today and just volunteer. I'm not doing a volunteer push. This isn't a giving sermon. Nothing like that. This is what's in my heart for you. If you're part of this ministry in this movement, whether online or. Or on television or locally here at one of our campuses, I want you to see not what God can do through me. We have so elevated the platform of the preacher. The preacher has no platform if the people have no sense of mission. I wish I knew your name. I'll call it out. I'll just call your name straight out. I'm not a prophet, so I can't do that kind of stuff. I could make something up. I could call you Doug. You might not be Doug. Through you, through Fergie over here. Fergie wasn't always running a camera in the church. Fergie was a mess. Teenager. Little punk teenager. Came over to the church 10 years ago. Been with me almost the whole time. My first capital campaign where I raised money in the church. We didn't have a building yet. We were praying for a building. But we wanted to have the money ready when we had it. Because we wanted to raise money for a building. We wanted to raise money for a vision. When I would raise money, I had a picture of Fergie getting baptized on my wall. When donors would come in, they'd say, what are we giving to? I'd point to Fergie getting baptized. I say, that's our mission. That boy, he's a man now. He has some traps and some triceps. Big old camera, runs his jib camera. There's only three people in the state of North Carolina license to run one of these. I made that part up. But he does run it.

Summary

Elevation with Steven Furtick

Episode Title: The Question That Changes Everything
Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Pastor Steven Furtick
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts

Main Theme & Purpose

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Vision and Motive

Furtick opens by reflecting on how difficult it is not only to have a vision but to articulate it (02:06).
He shares a story where a seatmate on a plane asks, “Why do people come to your church?”—a question that leads to deep introspection about motives and vision (04:23).
The problem isn’t just knowing what you want, but understanding and communicating why you want it.

“A lot of people spend their whole lives figuring out what. But when he asked me why, it got me remembering why we started the church.” – Steven Furtick [08:00]

2. Personalizing the 'Why'

Listeners are encouraged to consider their reasons for coming to church—prompted to share with someone next to them (06:54).
Furtick emphasizes that each person's why may be different—community, family legacy, music, or even relationships, but finding intention is crucial (07:59).
He warns against making the church experience transactional or entertainment-driven.

“If I don’t tell you why, I just leave it up to you to figure out why.” – Steven Furtick [08:30]

3. Biblical Examples: The Questions of Jesus

Furtick draws from two stories in the Gospels:
- Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10) — Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus despite being told to stay quiet, and Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (11:42)
- John’s Disciples (John 1:38) — Jesus notices two disciples following him and asks, “What do you want?” (19:06)
These stories underscore the importance of motive—not just what we want, but why we want it.

“It is faith that God is interested in, and not perfection, but participation that attracts the presence of God.” – Steven Furtick [17:18]

4. From What God Can Do For You to Through You

Furtick traces the evolution of the church’s vision, highlighting its mission statement:

“So that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ.” [25:16]
However, he seeks a memorable, everyday language for this vision.
After months of searching, he realizes that the essence is:

“I want you to see what God can do through you.” – Steven Furtick [29:54]

5. Encounter, Participation, and Purpose

Furtick emphasizes that the journey begins with what God can do for a person (healing, direction, encouragement) but should evolve to what God can do through that person in their community and relationships (33:29).
He uses Bartimaeus’s story to illustrate this transition: Bartimaeus receives sight and then follows Jesus—his life becoming part of a bigger story (39:35).

“It’s okay to start with what God can do for you… but it’s a terrible place to stop.” – Steven Furtick [33:29]

6. Vision for the Future: Ephesians 3:20

Furtick repeatedly references Ephesians 3:20—God’s ability to do “immeasurably more than we ask or imagine”—as the foundational scripture for Elevation Church’s next decade (09:18; 36:55).
He connects the potential of the church community to God’s power “at work within us,” challenging listeners to become participants in God’s mission (37:21).

“God has a job to do… but he’s going to do it through you.” – Steven Furtick [37:56]

7. Personal Testimonies & Application

Toward the end, Furtick tells the story of Fergie, a once-reluctant teenager now working on the church’s media team, to show tangible examples of what God can do through someone (43:35).
He urges listeners not to settle for stories of what God could have done, but to pursue seeing what God will do through them.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On defining vision:

“I said, if you come to Elevation Church, what I want for you is I want you to see what God can do through you. When I said it like that, I knew it.” – Steven Furtick [29:54]
On Bartimaeus’s transformation:

“The greatest miracle in Bartimaeus’s life was not that he got to see what God could do for him. It’s that he made the decision to follow Jesus and see what God could do.” – Steven Furtick [39:35]
On communal purpose:

“We have so elevated the platform of the preacher. The preacher has no platform if the people have no sense of mission.” – Steven Furtick [42:25]
On shifting mindset:

“It’s okay to start with what God can do for you… but it’s a terrible place to stop.” – Steven Furtick [33:29]

Important Timestamps & Segments

[02:06] – Furtick opens and pivots from the planned series to discuss vision
[04:23] – Airplane story: The question “Why do people come to your church?”
[06:54] – Listeners told to discuss why they came to church
[09:18] – Introduction of Ephesians 3:20 as guiding scripture
[11:42] – Story of Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10)
[19:06] – Jesus’s question in John 1:38: “What do you want?”
[25:16] – Elevation Church’s mission statement discussed
[29:54] – “See what God can do through you” revealed as the phrase
[33:29] – The journey from “what God can do for you” to “what God can do through you”
[36:55] – “Nothing is impossible to him who believes.” Community call to embrace vision
[43:35] – Practical testimony: Fergie’s story
[44:35] – Concluding prayer and challenge to commit to seeing what God can do through each person