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.