Podcast Summary: Times Square Church – Sermons

Episode: Just Tell Your Story
Speaker: Pastor Tim Dilena
Date: August 3, 2025
Location: Times Square Church, NYC & worldwide online

Overview

In this stirring sermon, Pastor Tim Dilena inspires the congregation to recognize the transformative power of sharing personal testimonies about faith and redemption through Jesus Christ. Drawing from powerful stories—both personal and scriptural—Pastor Tim emphasizes that God can turn even our lowest moments into pathways of hope, not just for ourselves, but for others. The episode centers on the simplicity and necessity of "just telling your story," regardless of how dramatic or ordinary it may seem. The message is designed to mobilize believers to participate in the church’s vision: seeing one billion souls come to Christ.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening: Community, Prayer, and Global Reach

[00:00–06:40]

• Pastor Tim opens with gratitude, referencing songs and worship, expressing emotion over Elder Vicki and Judah’s music.
• Prayer for Pastor Carter Conlon: The congregation is asked to fast and pray on August 26 for the church's general overseer as he faces heart surgery:
  • "He has to stay alive as long as I'm in this role. That's his job." [01:20]
• A heartwarming roll call welcomes attendees from 66 countries and 44 states, including persecuted nations not named:
  • “Thank God that you're with us today.” [05:15]
• Introduction to the ongoing series: One Billion Starts with One—a challenge for believers to be soul-winners.

2. How a Testimony Changed Pastor Tim

[06:41–13:10]

• Shares his transformative visit to Rwanda 20 years ago, post-genocide, emphasizing the resilience and forgiveness of its people.
• A profound moment observing a joyful man with no hands (a Tutsi survivor) worshiping in church:
  • “I had to know his story. ... For this reason, both of his hands were chopped off. ... But somehow I believe that every time that man claps in heaven, it is the loudest clap in glory.” [09:58]
• This experience led Pastor Tim to release hurts and offenses quickly and commit to fervent, uninhibited worship:
  • “If that man can worship with excitement and fervor with no hands, what am I doing with two hands?” [11:37]

3. God Turns Bottom to Road—Biblical Foundations

[13:11–17:12]

• Explains Isaiah 51:10, that God makes “the depths of the sea a pathway for the redeemed.”
  • “When does the bottom become a road, a road for the redeemed?” [14:49]
• Personalizes this idea: hitting rock bottom is not a dead end, but an opportunity for God’s miracle and transformation in life.

4. The Power and Purpose of Testimony

[17:13–39:10]

• Your Story Matters: Sharing your “rock bottom” story can become a lifeline for someone else.
  • “You need to tell the story of the deep. You need to tell the story of rock bottom.” [17:55]
• Five Things That Happen When You Share Your Testimony:
  1. People Praise God, Not You (Galatians 1)
     • Testimonies end with God; biographies end with people.
     • Paul’s transformation from persecutor to preacher caused people to glorify God:
       • “Our former enemy...is now preaching the good news...They praised God even more.” [21:44]
  2. It Crushes the Enemy’s Lies (Revelation 12)
     • Testimony, just after the blood of Jesus, has devil-defeating power:
       • “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” [27:24]
     • Illustrates through Detroit ministry how radical transformations (ex: “Radio” and “Travis”) defeated hopelessness and skepticism.
  3. It Silences Critics & Makes Believers Louder (Acts 4)
     • Miracles and changed lives (ex: healing of the lame man) are irrefutable:
       • “But with the man right before them…what could they say against that?” [32:48]
     • Testimony emboldens faith, as critics fall silent and the church raises its voice.
  4. Testimonies Have No Expiration Date (Acts 22 & 26)
     • Paul shares his conversion story decades later, with the same fervor:
       • “Don’t ever think you can’t keep telling your story.” [36:56]
     • Cites Nicky Cruz (87 years old, still telling his testimony to millions).
  5. It’s Simple: Don’t Complicate It
     • Refers to the blind man in John 9: "One thing I do know, I was blind, but now I see."
     • Powerful in its simplicity; the gospel is: from death to life, not bad to good.

5. Diverse Testimonies: Every Story Counts

[39:11–47:58]

• Shares stories from different backgrounds:
  • A woman saved from addiction and crime, now serving in TSC’s online ministry:
    • “I am saved. I thank God for his mercy. I thank God for his grace.” [24:34]
  • The story of Nicky Cruz, former gang leader, whose testimony has impacted 50 million people.
  • Pastor Tim reflects on growing up in church and feeling his story wasn't dramatic, but calls out the fundamental truth:
    • “Jesus didn’t come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live.” [42:45]

6. Modern Parables: Uncomplicated Gospel

[47:59–52:15]

• Retells the story of a university diver saved twice: once spiritually, once physically, after seeing a cross-shaped shadow at the pool.
  • “He never looked in to see if there was water there. There was no water. God not only saved him spiritually, God saved him physically.” [50:12]
• Stresses that everyone, even those who seem “good,” are brought from death to life through Christ.

7. Invitation: Respond to Christ

[52:16–56:45]

• Pastor Tim concludes with a passionate appeal to accept Jesus, not religion:
  • “I'm not inviting you to religion. I'm inviting you to a relationship with Jesus today.” [53:23]
• Encourages public response – to raise hands and come forward—to declare faith and experience resurrection life.
• Leads congregation in a prayer of salvation.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On legacy and spiritual leadership:
  • “He has to stay alive as long as I'm in this role. That is his job. ... Like that old disco song, ‘Stayin’ Alive.’” (regarding Pastor Carter Conlon) [01:35]
• On forgiveness and worship:
  • “A man that has lost his loved ones and family in a genocide, but has forgiven and moved on, what am I doing holding on to offense?” [11:22]
• On testimonies:
  • “God formed man. Sin deformed man. Education informed. Religion may reform him. But only Jesus Christ can transform him.” [23:29]
• A testimony’s power:
  • “A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” [31:14]
• On the gospel:
  • “Jesus didn’t come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live.” [42:45]
• Simple faith declaration:
  • “One thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see.” (John 9:25) [46:45]
• Salvation invitation:
  • “I'm not inviting you to a church, a denomination. I'm saying to give your heart to the most exciting, the scariest, the most powerful being in the universe, Jesus Christ, who has conquered hell and the grave and has come to set you free today.” [53:34]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00–06:40: Opening, special prayer for leaders, global church roll call
• 06:41–13:10: Pastor Tim’s Rwanda testimony; forgiveness in extreme suffering
• 13:11–17:12: From “rock bottom” to “the road of redemption”; biblical basis (Isaiah 51:10)
• 17:13–39:10: The five reasons to share your testimony, with real-life stories and Scripture
• 39:11–47:59: Nicky Cruz, Pastor Tim’s “ordinary” story, and the value of all testimonies
• 47:59–52:15: The university diver story; the simplicity of gospel transformation
• 52:16–56:45: Call to salvation; communal prayer and response

Tone and Style Notes

• Language: Warm, direct, compassionate, occasionally humorous, always faith-driven and exhortative
• Style: Storytelling interwoven with teaching, biblical references, and continual appeals to self-reflection and public action
• Mood: Passionate, hopeful, unashamedly evangelical

Key Takeaways

• Every believer has a story, and every story—regardless of past mistakes, suffering, or upbringing—is a testimony to God’s transforming grace.
• Sharing your “rock bottom” moment can crush lies, silence critics, and provoke praise for God.
• The gospel is not about making good people better; it’s about resurrecting the spiritually dead.
• Testimonies never expire; keep telling your story—simple or dramatic—because God uses each one to draw others to Jesus.

Final Charge:
Do not hesitate—just tell your story.
“If you’re in this place, I’m not inviting you to religion. I’m inviting you to a relationship with Jesus today.” [53:23]