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Allen Jackson Ministries

Culture & Christianity Conference - Chad Robichaux

July 24, 2025 | 28:35

Culture & Christianity Conference - Chad Robichaux
Pastor Allen Jackson's mission is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
#Culture #Christianity #Selfishness #Flesh #PersonalStory #Testimony #Military #War #Veterans #Serving #Ministry #Sacrifice #ServantofGod #Calling

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Allen Jackson Ministries | Culture & Christianity Conference - Chad Robichaux | July 24, 2025
  • ...
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Allen jackson: you know, i know you know, but we're living in a
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  • Chaotic world.
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  • Things are changing globally.
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  • There's wars, there's threats of war, a lot of stuff happening.
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  • But i want to make a suggestion: don't focus on the negative.
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  • Don't get caught up in the uncertainty.
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  • That'll bring fear and anxiety and worry.
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  • It's not helpful.
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  • Let's determine to focus our attention on the lord.
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  • We've created a tool that i believe will make a difference.
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  • It's called "awaken us."
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  • It's a 30-day plan.
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  • Each day is directed at a different topic that's a part of
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  • Our current world.
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  • It gives us a verse of scripture, a little devotional
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  • Around that topic, and then a prayer for that specific thing.
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  • The idea is we're gonna give the holy spirit an invitation to
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  • Awaken us to a new place of faith.
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  • You know, we need an awakening in the midst of the people of
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  • God, and we wanna say, "well, i am awake."
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  • Well, i get that, but you know, i was awakened yesterday, but
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  • This morning i was awakened again, and my prayer is tomorrow
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  • I'll be awakened yet again.
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  • We need a daily awakening by the spirit of god to find his best
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  • For us in this season, and i believe this book will help you.
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Allen: we have a special program today.
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  • Our guest is chad robichaux.
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  • He's a good friend, a force recon marine, multiple
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  • Deployments in afghanistan.
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  • Chad's a true american hero.
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  • He was a presenter at our culture & christianity
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  • Conference last summer.
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  • I'm delighted you can hear his message.
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  • I wanna give you a personal invitation to join us here on
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  • Our campus for culture & christianity this year,
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  • September 19 and 20.
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  • We're learning to lead with our faith, to take our faith out of
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  • The pew, into the public square in an informed, prepared way.
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  • You can see the website on the lower third of your screen, all
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  • The information you need with the speakers for this year.
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  • I'll see you soon in tennessee.
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  • Chad robichaux: when pastor allen and his team invited me to
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  • Come here, you know, i thought, "man, what is the most important
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  • Fundamental problem in our culture and christianity that i
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  • Can talk about?"
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  • And to me, i believe that problem is based on the
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  • Word "selfishness."
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  • If we're all honest with ourselves, most of us, me
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  • Included, live believing the world revolves around us, right?
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  • We're all the centers of our own universe.
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  • Our culture has really long lost the heart of sacrifice.
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  • Your life--as important as your life is, your life is really not
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  • About you.
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  • The bible speaks clearly to this in john 15:13, when it says:
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  • "greater love has no one than this that someone will lay down
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  • His life for his friends."
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  • How does someone actually truly get there, to be willing to lay
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  • Down your life for someone?
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  • Really, what's that even mean?
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  • I think it could mean how most of us probably interpret it to
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  • Physically and permanently be willing to die for someone else.
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  • You know, spending 14 years in special operations and doing
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  • Eight deployments to afghanistan, obviously i've seen
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  • The willingness to physically lay down your life for someone,
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  • And it sounds pretty bravado and heroic, but when you think about
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  • That for a moment, choosing to die.
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  • The risk of death is one thing, but actually making the decision
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  • To die and believing that's going to happen, it's an
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  • Incredible weight.
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  • We see it in the bible when jesus is, before calvary, before
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  • The crucifixion, he goes to the garden of gethsemane and he says,
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  • "my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of
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  • Death," right?
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  • Even jesus facing death, you could see the anguish that he
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  • Faced in the garden of gethsemane.
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  • It says he walked back and forth and paced back and forth in the
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  • Garden and fell on his face three times, asking god, "is
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  • There another way?"
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  • His sweat was like drops of blood falling from his body, and
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  • We see him do something incredible anyways through all
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  • That anguish.
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  • He chose to move forward with his death for us.
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  • I think back of my times in afghanistan if those who know
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  • The story of me doing eight deployments to afghanistan and
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  • As our operations start to dwindle and i work in this
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  • Clandestine operation, it becomes compromised and we
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  • Keep operating.
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  • I end up, over eight deployments, burying 15 friends,
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  • And we continue to operate.
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  • I get abducted by foreign intelligence agency,
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  • We keep operating, and i reached this point to where every day i
  • 00:04:08.797 --> 00:04:11.867
  • Woke up and i was absolutely certain, like, today was
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  • The day, like, not even questionable,
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  • It's not like maybe i'm--like, i'm going to die.
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  • I just conceded to that, to the point to where i was in such a
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  • Dark place that i would write notes on little sticky pads.
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  • I'd write a note to my wife, kathy, and i'd put it in there
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  • And say basically like, "hey, i don't want you to be alone.
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  • You could--" giving her permission to marry.
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  • I'd write notes to my oldest son, hunter, saying, "you're
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  • Gonna have to be the man of the house now."
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  • And then my other kids saying, "i'm sorry
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  • I'm gone" and "i love you."
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  • I'd write these notes and put them in the lid of my suitcase
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  • Because i knew my personal effects would make it home.
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  • And then when i'd get back from an operation alive, i'd throw
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  • Them away 'cause i was scared anyone see them.
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  • Just the permanence--the processing the permanence of
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  • Death when you actually believe you're gonna die is such a heavy
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  • Thing, and over my time in the military, i've witnessed men
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  • Reconcile that gravity of that decision to die so many times,
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  • Men with--men, by the way, with wives and children at home, with
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  • Lives and futures ahead of them, and i've recently seen this
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  • In ukraine.
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  • February 24, 2022, you guys know the russian forces crossed the
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  • Eastern border of ukraine and invaded the ukrainian people.
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  • Since then, i've been there ten times.
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  • Mighty oaks foundation, my foundation, has went there and
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  • We've trained over 300 chaplains on the front lines.
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  • We've done a lot of rescues for people.
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  • And i know what some of you are thinking.
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  • You're probably thinking the same thing i do, like, you're
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  • Not into the 100 billions of dollars getting sent there to
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  • President zelenskyy.
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  • Well, i'm not either.
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  • I don't believe--i believe that there's billions of dollars
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  • Going in the hands of corrupt politicians, who have the power,
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  • By the way, to end that war within 24 hours is atrocious.
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  • And so, i'm asking no one to throw anything at me for going
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  • To ukraine 'cause i'm not there to support president zelenskyy.
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  • I'm not there to support president biden.
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  • I'm there to help people that can't help themselves, and one
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  • Of the dangerous things--one of the dangerous things that
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  • Happens in stuff like this is we get so tied into it that we let
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  • Our politics cloud our judgment to have compassion for people,
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  • And i will never cave to letting my political
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  • Views keep me from helping people.
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  • I've seen hundreds of thousands of women and children there that
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  • Have literally been killed and they don't want any part of
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  • This war.
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  • And so again, i'm not--i didn't go there to help zelenskyy.
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  • I didn't go there to help president biden.
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  • I went there to help people.
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  • And we've been able to rescue a lot of people.
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  • And february 24 was when the invasion happened.
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  • I had a friend there days before 'cause we knew it was gonna
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  • Happen, so we were prepared to be there in advance so we could
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  • Evacuate people.
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  • Days later, after the invasion, i found myself heading to
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  • Ukraine, and on march 15, i was in a
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  • Safe house in krakow, poland.
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  • We were staging, and i believe
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  • God orchestrated the timing of this.
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  • We had just got these ambulances and all this medical equipment.
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  • The reason we did that is we needed to both have access and
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  • Placement to go around ukraine.
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  • Anybody can cross the border to go into ukraine 'cause
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  • Everyone's trying to get out, right?
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  • So it's pretty easy to cross going in, but once you get in
  • 00:07:01.236 --> 00:07:03.338
  • There, it's very difficult 'cause a war is going on.
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  • So you have checkpoints and controlled areas, and so the one
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  • Thing we learned was that, really quickly, is that in
  • 00:07:08.176 --> 00:07:10.212
  • Order to get anywhere you want to get,
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  • If you're a medical team you could go anywhere.
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  • So we bought ambulances, we got some emt uniforms, got some--we
  • 00:07:12.881 --> 00:07:16.685
  • Made some--printed some ids and got paperwork and all that
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  • Happened and about 2 hours after we got all this in place,
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  • We got a call.
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  • I remember the call came in and my friend seaspray, he's on our
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  • Team, he had the phone and we knew it was important because he
  • 00:07:25.794 --> 00:07:28.363
  • Held up his hand, like, for everyone to be quiet, and as
  • 00:07:28.363 --> 00:07:31.399
  • He's getting this call, this call came in from the pentagon,
  • 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:33.401
  • From some of our friends in the central intelligence agency,
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  • Telling us what we already knew, that the us military and the--
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  • And our government agencies were not allowed to go into ukraine
  • 00:07:39.341 --> 00:07:42.477
  • Even to help americans that they need to be evacuated.
  • 00:07:42.477 --> 00:07:45.013
  • And so they were asking us if we'd go in.
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  • When seaspray put down the phone, he gave us a brief of
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  • What had happened.
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  • Fox news reporter benjamin hall, if you guys remember, was
  • 00:07:51.987 --> 00:07:55.023
  • Catastrophically wounded.
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  • His local correspondent sasha was--she had been
  • 00:07:56.424 --> 00:08:02.297
  • Killed immediately.
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  • Pierre zakrzewski had been killed immediately.
  • 00:08:03.665 --> 00:08:05.867
  • The two ukrainians that were with them had been killed
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  • As well.
  • 00:08:07.469 --> 00:08:08.803
  • And it was benjamin alone that was alive.
  • 00:08:08.803 --> 00:08:11.873
  • He had a lost--we learned later he lost a leg, his foot, a hand
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  • Which they put back on, an eye.
  • 00:08:15.510 --> 00:08:17.646
  • His throat and his head was riddled with shrapnel.
  • 00:08:17.646 --> 00:08:19.848
  • He was breathing from his brain, and i remember seaspray saying,
  • 00:08:19.848 --> 00:08:23.184
  • "hey, this guy is an american.
  • 00:08:23.184 --> 00:08:25.587
  • He has a wife and two little girls at home, and if we, the
  • 00:08:25.587 --> 00:08:28.690
  • People in this room, don't go get him right now, he's not
  • 00:08:28.690 --> 00:08:30.292
  • Gonna make it."
  • 00:08:30.292 --> 00:08:31.626
  • At that time, this wasn't just kyiv.
  • 00:08:31.626 --> 00:08:33.995
  • This was kyiv being taken by the russians.
  • 00:08:33.995 --> 00:08:35.964
  • The russians had surrounded it, rockets were flying in.
  • 00:08:35.964 --> 00:08:38.567
  • The ground forces were pushing in, so it was not the time to
  • 00:08:38.567 --> 00:08:41.102
  • Go there.
  • 00:08:41.102 --> 00:08:42.437
  • We had nine people in that room at the time, and i remember
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  • Seaspray saying, you know, again, "if we don't
  • 00:08:45.807 --> 00:08:48.443
  • Go, he's not gonna make it, who's in?"
  • 00:08:48.443 --> 00:08:50.579
  • And every single person raised their hand to go, including
  • 00:08:50.579 --> 00:08:54.649
  • Two--including my son hunter.
  • 00:08:54.649 --> 00:08:58.954
  • My son hunter is a marine combat veteran,
  • 00:08:58.954 --> 00:09:01.823
  • Afghanistan veteran as well.
  • 00:09:01.823 --> 00:09:03.158
  • Both of us served in afghanistan.
  • 00:09:03.158 --> 00:09:05.393
  • And actually, i've written a book that we're actually just
  • 00:09:05.393 --> 00:09:08.496
  • Gonna talk about, released today here.
  • 00:09:08.496 --> 00:09:11.333
  • It's called "mission without borders," and it's really about
  • 00:09:11.333 --> 00:09:14.102
  • Me and my son going to war together, going to combat
  • 00:09:14.102 --> 00:09:16.304
  • Together, and me as a father having a fear, not letting him
  • 00:09:16.304 --> 00:09:18.840
  • Participate, and then that fear turning to faith in god and him
  • 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:22.444
  • To trust him, and that's what the book's really about.
  • 00:09:22.444 --> 00:09:24.512
  • But in that moment, i needed two people to stay back and run the
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  • Operation center, and hunter got left behind, and myself and six
  • 00:09:28.316 --> 00:09:32.988
  • Others crossed that border.
  • 00:09:32.988 --> 00:09:34.389
  • Two vehicles.
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  • I was one team leader, seaspray was the other, and we crossed
  • 00:09:35.924 --> 00:09:38.526
  • And went towards kyiv to get benjamin hall.
  • 00:09:38.526 --> 00:09:41.663
  • Seaspray's vehicles actually got him.
  • 00:09:41.663 --> 00:09:43.932
  • Long as--a lot happened in that operation, that rescue.
  • 00:09:43.932 --> 00:09:47.402
  • When we got benjamin hall back across the border, we handed him
  • 00:09:47.402 --> 00:09:49.504
  • Over to the 82nd airborne who was waiting on the polish side.
  • 00:09:49.504 --> 00:09:52.173
  • They flew him to aeromedical evac unit who flew him to
  • 00:09:52.173 --> 00:09:56.344
  • Landstuhl, germany.
  • 00:09:56.344 --> 00:09:57.712
  • Eventually he flew to brooke army medical center in san
  • 00:09:57.712 --> 00:10:00.548
  • Antonio, texas, where he--if you had not heard the story,
  • 00:10:00.548 --> 00:10:04.119
  • He's alive and well.
  • 00:10:04.119 --> 00:10:05.453
  • He's not only standing but dancing on his prosthetic limbs.
  • 00:10:05.453 --> 00:10:09.357
  • And the next day, we got a request to go get--to recover
  • 00:10:09.357 --> 00:10:16.631
  • The body of pierre zakrzewski, and pierre is like a 20-year
  • 00:10:16.631 --> 00:10:21.403
  • Fox cameraman.
  • 00:10:21.403 --> 00:10:22.737
  • He'd been to afghanistan, covered afghanistan.
  • 00:10:22.737 --> 00:10:24.105
  • Everyone loved pierre, and they wanted his body, and i made the
  • 00:10:24.105 --> 00:10:26.841
  • Decision that we would not go get his body because i wasn't
  • 00:10:26.841 --> 00:10:28.576
  • Gonna risk our team in the middle of kyiv being taken
  • 00:10:28.576 --> 00:10:31.212
  • 'cause we thought it was gonna be--it was gonna fall
  • 00:10:31.212 --> 00:10:32.681
  • That night.
  • 00:10:32.681 --> 00:10:34.015
  • We were not gonna risk our team to go get a body, but then his
  • 00:10:34.015 --> 00:10:36.284
  • Wife, michelle, came in to poland and said, "i want my
  • 00:10:36.284 --> 00:10:38.953
  • Husband," and we said, "yes, ma'am."
  • 00:10:38.953 --> 00:10:41.022
  • And we went into--we went back in there, and i remember we got
  • 00:10:41.022 --> 00:10:45.593
  • To pierre's body, opening the casket, confirming it was his
  • 00:10:45.593 --> 00:10:48.763
  • Body, and i saw this flag.
  • 00:10:48.763 --> 00:10:51.066
  • He was irish and they had threw a flag in the back of the--in
  • 00:10:51.066 --> 00:10:54.002
  • The back of his vehicle, and i immediately, like, thought of
  • 00:10:54.002 --> 00:10:57.338
  • All my buddies who came back from afghanistan, and when we
  • 00:10:57.338 --> 00:10:59.974
  • Put up--when we send a casket back home, one of the things
  • 00:10:59.974 --> 00:11:02.377
  • That we do that's so honorable is we put our american flag on
  • 00:11:02.377 --> 00:11:05.880
  • That casket, and the blue goes at the head and then red and
  • 00:11:05.880 --> 00:11:08.717
  • White goes down towards their feet and i remember thinking,
  • 00:11:08.717 --> 00:11:10.819
  • Like, this flag and it's so perfect, this flag needs to go
  • 00:11:10.819 --> 00:11:14.389
  • On pierre's coffin.
  • 00:11:14.389 --> 00:11:15.957
  • And so i asked seaspray, "give me some tape," and i
  • 00:11:15.957 --> 00:11:18.593
  • Started googling.
  • 00:11:18.593 --> 00:11:19.961
  • Does the orange or the green go at the top and we figured it out
  • 00:11:19.961 --> 00:11:21.996
  • And we--and i started putting it on and i actually got really
  • 00:11:21.996 --> 00:11:24.199
  • Frantic and seaspray came back.
  • 00:11:24.199 --> 00:11:25.533
  • He grabbed my arm.
  • 00:11:25.533 --> 00:11:26.901
  • He's like, "hey, let me help you," and we put that flag on
  • 00:11:26.901 --> 00:11:28.636
  • And we--i drove pierre out of ukraine that night and delivered
  • 00:11:28.636 --> 00:11:33.641
  • Him home this--to his wife so he can have a dignified burial,
  • 00:11:33.641 --> 00:11:37.145
  • And i say that to say that, like, serving with the people
  • 00:11:37.145 --> 00:11:43.685
  • I've served over these years has just been the most honorable
  • 00:11:43.685 --> 00:11:45.687
  • Thing to see them willing to, you know, sacrifice themselves,
  • 00:11:45.687 --> 00:11:49.524
  • But aside from the sacrifice of physical death, laying your life
  • 00:11:49.524 --> 00:11:52.694
  • Down could mean more.
  • 00:11:52.694 --> 00:11:54.062
  • It could mean--it could mean putting your needs, your goals,
  • 00:11:54.062 --> 00:11:56.331
  • Your hopes, your dreams aside for someone that you love.
  • 00:11:56.331 --> 00:12:00.435
  • It could mean to stand against culture and speak truth like
  • 00:12:00.435 --> 00:12:04.072
  • This church and pastor allen does every sunday.
  • 00:12:04.072 --> 00:12:06.908
  • It could mean putting in the hard work to rescue those
  • 00:12:06.908 --> 00:12:09.577
  • Spiritually lost.
  • 00:12:09.577 --> 00:12:10.979
  • For me personally, actually those things are way more
  • 00:12:10.979 --> 00:12:13.314
  • Difficult than the risk of physical death.
  • 00:12:13.314 --> 00:12:15.016
  • The truth is i could be a pretty selfish person myself, and when
  • 00:12:15.016 --> 00:12:17.986
  • It comes to my goals and desires, most of us, if we're
  • 00:12:17.986 --> 00:12:20.789
  • Really honest, we could be pretty selfish, but the truth is
  • 00:12:20.789 --> 00:12:24.025
  • There's no place for selfishness in god's plan.
  • 00:12:24.025 --> 00:12:27.762
  • The world and culture calls us to be selfish.
  • 00:12:27.762 --> 00:12:30.098
  • The world says we need to be happy.
  • 00:12:30.098 --> 00:12:32.133
  • We need to follow our dreams and be ambitious for our goals.
  • 00:12:32.133 --> 00:12:34.803
  • None of those things are altogether bad, but if
  • 00:12:34.803 --> 00:12:37.472
  • Selfishness is--and ourself is the focus, our culture will
  • 00:12:37.472 --> 00:12:41.142
  • Be lost.
  • 00:12:41.142 --> 00:12:42.510
  • The christian life is sacrificial, and you know, the
  • 00:12:42.510 --> 00:12:46.714
  • Work i get to do, those, i think i quickly mentioned it in the
  • 00:12:46.714 --> 00:12:49.584
  • Video there at mighty oaks foundation, is a place of
  • 00:12:49.584 --> 00:12:53.621
  • Sacrifice and service for those who served us.
  • 00:12:53.621 --> 00:12:57.025
  • I'm the founder of mighty oaks foundation, and we now serve
  • 00:12:57.025 --> 00:12:59.928
  • Hundreds of thousands of warriors from the military and
  • 00:12:59.928 --> 00:13:02.030
  • First responder communities through christ-centered
  • 00:13:02.030 --> 00:13:04.098
  • Resiliency and recovery programs.
  • 00:13:04.098 --> 00:13:06.034
  • I started mighty oaks foundation 12 years ago.
  • 00:13:06.034 --> 00:13:08.403
  • But not as the founder.
  • 00:13:08.403 --> 00:13:09.737
  • I started as a person that fell on my face, and god used people
  • 00:13:09.737 --> 00:13:12.740
  • To do the hard work to pursue me, to lift me up, people
  • 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:16.211
  • Willing to lay down their lives, literally lay down their lives
  • 00:13:16.211 --> 00:13:18.880
  • For me and my family, my friends, my church.
  • 00:13:18.880 --> 00:13:21.583
  • And when i finally got up, i turned around and i helped the
  • 00:13:21.583 --> 00:13:24.385
  • Next guy, and then that guy did the same for the next guy, and
  • 00:13:24.385 --> 00:13:27.789
  • On and on that process of discipleship--that process of
  • 00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:34.162
  • Discipleship has played out for 12 years, and over half a
  • 00:13:34.162 --> 00:13:36.798
  • Million warriors and their families and their communities
  • 00:13:36.798 --> 00:13:39.167
  • Have been impacted.
  • 00:13:39.167 --> 00:13:42.470
  • Allen: hey, we have a tool that i think will help you overcome
  • 00:13:46.674 --> 00:13:48.910
  • Some of the chaos in the world and stay focused on the good
  • 00:13:48.910 --> 00:13:52.113
  • Things that god is doing.
  • 00:13:52.113 --> 00:13:53.648
  • It's called "awaken us."
  • 00:13:53.648 --> 00:13:55.049
  • It's a 30-day plan.
  • 00:13:55.049 --> 00:13:57.085
  • Each day's got a scripture, a little devotional, a prayer that
  • 00:13:57.085 --> 00:14:00.255
  • Goes with a specific topic, to awaken us to god's promise and
  • 00:14:00.255 --> 00:14:04.592
  • Provision in this season.
  • 00:14:04.592 --> 00:14:07.228
  • God's moving in the earth.
  • 00:14:07.228 --> 00:14:08.563
  • I want to move with him, and i believe this tool will help you
  • 00:14:08.563 --> 00:14:11.366
  • Be prepared to capitalize on god's invitations in your life.
  • 00:14:11.366 --> 00:14:16.137
  • Female announcer: "awaken us" delivers 30 days of prayer,
  • 00:14:16.137 --> 00:14:18.740
  • Scripture, and insight from pastor allen on relevant topics.
  • 00:14:18.740 --> 00:14:22.777
  • Each day is designed to sharpen your focus as you ask god to
  • 00:14:22.777 --> 00:14:26.180
  • Show you his heart and his truth in a new way.
  • 00:14:26.180 --> 00:14:29.450
  • With the holy spirit's help, this book will awaken you to the
  • 00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:32.921
  • Impact your life has on the world and those around you.
  • 00:14:32.921 --> 00:14:36.124
  • Start your journey today by requesting "awaken us" when you
  • 00:14:36.124 --> 00:14:39.160
  • Donate any amount at allenjackson.com or
  • 00:14:39.160 --> 00:14:42.230
  • By calling...
  • 00:14:42.230 --> 00:14:47.368
  • Chad: the act of laying down your life and being willing to
  • 00:14:47.368 --> 00:14:51.172
  • Sacrifice yourself for others is something that's--we're all
  • 00:14:51.172 --> 00:14:55.610
  • Called to do, but satan will put every obstacle in the way to
  • 00:14:55.610 --> 00:14:59.914
  • Stop you, just like he did with pete.
  • 00:14:59.914 --> 00:15:02.884
  • Serving people, loving people, sharing the gospel with people
  • 00:15:02.884 --> 00:15:06.087
  • Is difficult, not just because of the devil, by the way, but
  • 00:15:06.087 --> 00:15:09.023
  • Also because of culture and people.
  • 00:15:09.023 --> 00:15:11.893
  • Pastor allen, he just stepped out and he'd probably give a
  • 00:15:11.893 --> 00:15:14.062
  • Amen if he was still in here, would say ministry is easy if it
  • 00:15:14.062 --> 00:15:17.465
  • Wasn't for people.
  • 00:15:17.465 --> 00:15:21.069
  • Bringing broken people in a place of hope is difficult, but
  • 00:15:21.069 --> 00:15:25.306
  • It's worth it.
  • 00:15:25.306 --> 00:15:26.674
  • One of my favorite stories in the bible, and it's probably one
  • 00:15:26.674 --> 00:15:30.712
  • Of god's favorite stories too, 'cause it's in three of the
  • 00:15:30.712 --> 00:15:32.347
  • Gospels, matthew, mark, and luke.
  • 00:15:32.347 --> 00:15:33.915
  • It's a story of five friends, and one of these five friends
  • 00:15:33.915 --> 00:15:36.150
  • Was paralyzed, and i'll read it.
  • 00:15:36.150 --> 00:15:38.619
  • It's from luke 5:17-19.
  • 00:15:38.619 --> 00:15:44.792
  • It says: "one day jesus was teaching and pharisees and
  • 00:15:44.792 --> 00:15:48.229
  • Teachers of the law were sitting there.
  • 00:15:48.229 --> 00:15:50.031
  • They had come from every village of galilee and from judea and
  • 00:15:50.031 --> 00:15:53.234
  • Jerusalem, and the power of the lord was with jesus to heal
  • 00:15:53.234 --> 00:15:56.070
  • The sick.
  • 00:15:56.070 --> 00:15:57.405
  • Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried
  • 00:15:57.405 --> 00:15:59.540
  • To take him into the house to lay him before jesus, and when
  • 00:15:59.540 --> 00:16:02.610
  • They could not find a way to do so because of the crowd, they
  • 00:16:02.610 --> 00:16:05.013
  • Went on the roof and lowered him on the mat through the tiles
  • 00:16:05.013 --> 00:16:08.282
  • Into the middle of the crowd, right in front of jesus."
  • 00:16:08.282 --> 00:16:10.985
  • Now, i love this story.
  • 00:16:10.985 --> 00:16:13.054
  • There's a lot of times you read the bible and you just kinda,
  • 00:16:13.054 --> 00:16:16.891
  • You know, you read a story and you just gotta keep flipping the
  • 00:16:16.891 --> 00:16:18.626
  • Pages, but there's some stories that you just have to hit the
  • 00:16:18.626 --> 00:16:20.695
  • Pause button, stop, and dig in, and then this is one of them.
  • 00:16:20.695 --> 00:16:23.398
  • A lot actually happens in that, you know, 60 seconds i
  • 00:16:23.398 --> 00:16:26.434
  • Just read.
  • 00:16:26.434 --> 00:16:27.802
  • One is that jesus is touring the town and he's healing people,
  • 00:16:27.802 --> 00:16:31.906
  • And these four friends hear about jesus.
  • 00:16:31.906 --> 00:16:34.375
  • They didn't know who jesus was like we do.
  • 00:16:34.375 --> 00:16:35.777
  • They just know jesus is a man that people are saying is
  • 00:16:35.777 --> 00:16:38.079
  • Healing people, and they love their paralyzed friend enough to
  • 00:16:38.079 --> 00:16:41.249
  • Say, "we're gonna do whatever it takes to get him to jesus.
  • 00:16:41.249 --> 00:16:44.285
  • Against all odds, we're gonna get our friend to jesus."
  • 00:16:44.285 --> 00:16:46.354
  • And you have to think, like, this paralyzed guy has to be so
  • 00:16:46.354 --> 00:16:50.358
  • Grateful that he has four friends that are willing to
  • 00:16:50.358 --> 00:16:52.593
  • Bring him to jesus.
  • 00:16:52.593 --> 00:16:53.961
  • But the truth is, probably not.
  • 00:16:53.961 --> 00:16:55.296
  • Like, if you ever been around a sick person, they're usually
  • 00:16:55.296 --> 00:16:57.532
  • Pretty miserable.
  • 00:16:57.532 --> 00:16:58.866
  • Like, they tried everything before, right?
  • 00:16:58.866 --> 00:17:00.234
  • Like, this guy was born paralytic.
  • 00:17:00.234 --> 00:17:02.970
  • He's been on a mat his whole life,
  • 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:04.372
  • And somebody's like, "hey, we got this new idea.
  • 00:17:04.372 --> 00:17:05.706
  • We're gonna bring you to this guy, jesus," and he's like, "i
  • 00:17:05.706 --> 00:17:07.308
  • Don't wanna go see jesus.
  • 00:17:07.308 --> 00:17:08.643
  • Leave me alone. i wanna lay here."
  • 00:17:08.643 --> 00:17:09.977
  • I mean, the health care system back then was probably as bad as
  • 00:17:09.977 --> 00:17:11.712
  • It is now.
  • 00:17:11.712 --> 00:17:13.314
  • They're just like, "just let me lay here.
  • 00:17:13.314 --> 00:17:15.883
  • Like, leave me alone.
  • 00:17:15.883 --> 00:17:17.218
  • I don't wanna hear your idea of bringing me to jesus."
  • 00:17:17.218 --> 00:17:19.253
  • And, you know, he probably had a pretty cynical bad attitude, and
  • 00:17:19.253 --> 00:17:22.957
  • We hear that a lot with the veterans.
  • 00:17:22.957 --> 00:17:24.325
  • People are like, "oh, you guys got this amazing program
  • 00:17:24.325 --> 00:17:25.927
  • For veterans, they must be so thankful."
  • 00:17:25.927 --> 00:17:27.395
  • No, they hate us.
  • 00:17:27.395 --> 00:17:28.729
  • They're like, "we don't wanna go to jesus camp."
  • 00:17:28.729 --> 00:17:30.064
  • Like, usually we gotta bribe them with, like, food and
  • 00:17:30.064 --> 00:17:33.434
  • Four-wheelers and horses and-- or the judge tells them, "you're
  • 00:17:33.434 --> 00:17:37.138
  • Going to jail if you don't go to mighty oaks," or the wife tells
  • 00:17:37.138 --> 00:17:39.340
  • 'em, "i'm gonna divorce you," or the military commander says,
  • 00:17:39.340 --> 00:17:41.843
  • "we're gonna kick you out."
  • 00:17:41.843 --> 00:17:43.211
  • Like, we gotta do all kind of things to get unwilling people
  • 00:17:43.211 --> 00:17:45.713
  • To a place of hope.
  • 00:17:45.713 --> 00:17:47.081
  • Usually with the people that need the help the most, the
  • 00:17:47.081 --> 00:17:49.484
  • People that need to meet jesus the most gonna be the most
  • 00:17:49.484 --> 00:17:51.085
  • Unwilling, and we have to be persistent like these four
  • 00:17:51.085 --> 00:17:54.021
  • Friends were.
  • 00:17:54.021 --> 00:17:55.356
  • The good news of this story is this guy was paralyzed on a
  • 00:17:55.356 --> 00:17:57.925
  • Mat, so he didn't have a choice.
  • 00:17:57.925 --> 00:17:59.260
  • The bible said they picked him up and carried him, right?
  • 00:17:59.260 --> 00:18:02.964
  • I'd say he probably--he might have went kicking and screaming,
  • 00:18:02.964 --> 00:18:04.765
  • But he might've been screaming, he wasn't kicking.
  • 00:18:04.765 --> 00:18:07.468
  • I don't know if that's a bad joke.
  • 00:18:07.468 --> 00:18:12.373
  • They carried him, and you know, i don't know if anybody's ever
  • 00:18:12.373 --> 00:18:14.876
  • Carried a limp body before, but it's not easy.
  • 00:18:14.876 --> 00:18:16.978
  • Don't raise your hand if you have, but you know, carrying a
  • 00:18:16.978 --> 00:18:19.247
  • Limp body is not easy, and they just--they didn't just carry
  • 00:18:19.247 --> 00:18:21.282
  • Him, like, next door, they carried him across town.
  • 00:18:21.282 --> 00:18:23.184
  • I'm told people that went--did the tour in jerusalem, they said
  • 00:18:23.184 --> 00:18:26.087
  • That it was actually pretty far they had to carry him.
  • 00:18:26.087 --> 00:18:27.655
  • So it's difficult to move him, and then they get to where jesus
  • 00:18:27.655 --> 00:18:30.024
  • Was and when they get there, the bible says the room was so
  • 00:18:30.024 --> 00:18:33.027
  • Crowded that they couldn't get inside.
  • 00:18:33.027 --> 00:18:35.096
  • So you think, you know, "oh man, we tried, but it was sold out,
  • 00:18:35.096 --> 00:18:38.599
  • We couldn't get in, so we're gonna try next time."
  • 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:40.334
  • No, they were--these guys were determined.
  • 00:18:40.334 --> 00:18:42.503
  • And i don't know how, but the bible says they actually got him
  • 00:18:42.503 --> 00:18:45.573
  • On the roof.
  • 00:18:45.573 --> 00:18:47.175
  • Again, i don't know how they got this limp body on the roof, but
  • 00:18:47.175 --> 00:18:49.043
  • They got him on the roof.
  • 00:18:49.043 --> 00:18:50.378
  • Then they probably looked inside, seen how far jesus was,
  • 00:18:50.378 --> 00:18:51.712
  • "look, he's 15 feet away from this wall, 15 feet away from
  • 00:18:51.712 --> 00:18:54.482
  • This wall."
  • 00:18:54.482 --> 00:18:55.816
  • So they paced out, like, where jesus would have been, and then
  • 00:18:55.816 --> 00:18:58.452
  • They start digging a hole in the roof, right?
  • 00:18:58.452 --> 00:19:01.255
  • These guys were determined, and i'm thinking of jesus being in
  • 00:19:01.255 --> 00:19:04.559
  • This room, giving--i mean this--he's giving a message, and
  • 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:07.228
  • It had to be really good because it's jesus, right?
  • 00:19:07.228 --> 00:19:09.830
  • Everybody's tuned in, and all of a sudden a piece of dirt falls
  • 00:19:09.830 --> 00:19:12.800
  • From the ceiling, and a light starts shining through.
  • 00:19:12.800 --> 00:19:15.970
  • Like, i would get distracted right now if a baby started
  • 00:19:15.970 --> 00:19:17.705
  • Crying in the back, but jesus is giving this good message and all
  • 00:19:17.705 --> 00:19:21.142
  • Of a sudden these four crazy guys are digging
  • 00:19:21.142 --> 00:19:23.644
  • A hole in the roof.
  • 00:19:23.644 --> 00:19:24.979
  • And by the way, like, this isn't like a nashville cookie-cutter
  • 00:19:24.979 --> 00:19:27.315
  • Home with, like, a sheet of plywood and tar paper
  • 00:19:27.315 --> 00:19:29.984
  • And shingles.
  • 00:19:29.984 --> 00:19:31.352
  • It's a middle eastern roof, like, thick, like mud, sticks,
  • 00:19:31.352 --> 00:19:33.955
  • It's hardened.
  • 00:19:33.955 --> 00:19:35.323
  • In afghanistan we'd fight, we'd make fighting positions, and
  • 00:19:35.323 --> 00:19:36.724
  • We'd shoot out the walls.
  • 00:19:36.724 --> 00:19:38.092
  • Like, we'd cut, we'd carve out, they would just like, hit that,
  • 00:19:38.092 --> 00:19:40.094
  • Like break.
  • 00:19:40.094 --> 00:19:41.562
  • This is like these four guys digging through there, and they
  • 00:19:41.562 --> 00:19:43.464
  • Probably didn't have any tools, right, and not just a small
  • 00:19:43.464 --> 00:19:45.533
  • Hole, a hole big enough to fit their paralyzed friend through.
  • 00:19:45.533 --> 00:19:48.502
  • And then my imagination gets the best of me 'cause it says they
  • 00:19:48.502 --> 00:19:51.205
  • Lowered him to jesus, and i'm like, "would they make a pulley
  • 00:19:51.205 --> 00:19:54.475
  • System or something?
  • 00:19:54.475 --> 00:19:55.810
  • They didn't have time for that."
  • 00:19:55.810 --> 00:19:57.144
  • So how did they lower him?
  • 00:19:57.144 --> 00:19:58.512
  • I think they were probably like, "hey, he's already paralyzed.
  • 00:19:58.512 --> 00:20:00.648
  • What's the worst that could happen?
  • 00:20:00.648 --> 00:20:04.318
  • Jesus is gonna heal him.
  • 00:20:04.318 --> 00:20:05.686
  • Like, jesus is gonna heal him anyway," and they just shoved
  • 00:20:05.686 --> 00:20:07.755
  • Them through and maybe he bounced, you know, i don't know.
  • 00:20:07.755 --> 00:20:14.061
  • But they get the man to jesus, and jesus heals him.
  • 00:20:14.061 --> 00:20:19.600
  • But there's a lot of things that happened before the
  • 00:20:19.600 --> 00:20:21.235
  • Physical healing.
  • 00:20:21.235 --> 00:20:22.803
  • In the room where jesus was with the paralyzed man, there were,
  • 00:20:22.803 --> 00:20:26.374
  • Like, fans of jesus, right?
  • 00:20:26.374 --> 00:20:27.708
  • There were people that are following jesus, but there was
  • 00:20:27.708 --> 00:20:29.243
  • Also a lot of critics.
  • 00:20:29.243 --> 00:20:30.611
  • There were skeptics.
  • 00:20:30.611 --> 00:20:31.946
  • The pharisees, the religious leaders, were there.
  • 00:20:31.946 --> 00:20:33.914
  • I have some teenage kids and they say this: haters, right?
  • 00:20:33.914 --> 00:20:37.685
  • There were some haters in the room with jesus.
  • 00:20:37.685 --> 00:20:39.287
  • They were looking for him to do something wrong.
  • 00:20:39.287 --> 00:20:41.822
  • And when jesus--jesus, before he heals him, he does something
  • 00:20:41.822 --> 00:20:44.925
  • That's absolutely crazy.
  • 00:20:44.925 --> 00:20:46.394
  • Before he heals the man, he forgives him.
  • 00:20:46.394 --> 00:20:48.929
  • In verse 20 it says: "when jesus saw their faith, he said,
  • 00:20:48.929 --> 00:20:51.699
  • 'friend, your sins are forgiven,'" right?
  • 00:20:51.699 --> 00:20:54.568
  • Why would he do that?
  • 00:20:54.568 --> 00:20:55.936
  • Why would jesus forgive the guy before healing him, right?
  • 00:20:55.936 --> 00:20:58.739
  • If i'd brung a paralyzed guy on this stage and i laid him down
  • 00:20:58.739 --> 00:21:01.942
  • On a mat and i gave a pop quiz and said, "everybody, what's
  • 00:21:01.942 --> 00:21:05.212
  • This guy's biggest need?"
  • 00:21:05.212 --> 00:21:07.081
  • We'd all get it wrong.
  • 00:21:07.081 --> 00:21:08.416
  • We'd all say the same thing, me included.
  • 00:21:08.416 --> 00:21:10.017
  • Well, clearly his biggest need, he's paralyzed.
  • 00:21:10.017 --> 00:21:12.019
  • His biggest need is to be able to walk.
  • 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:14.522
  • But jesus demonstrates something to us.
  • 00:21:14.522 --> 00:21:16.190
  • He demonstrates the priority of spiritual healing over physical
  • 00:21:16.190 --> 00:21:19.894
  • Healing, right?
  • 00:21:19.894 --> 00:21:21.295
  • Why do what we do at our ministry at mighty oaks works
  • 00:21:21.295 --> 00:21:23.464
  • For the veterans?
  • 00:21:23.464 --> 00:21:25.166
  • Look, if you hear me on fox news, i'm on fox news all the
  • 00:21:25.166 --> 00:21:27.435
  • Time, i'm bashing the va, which they deserve it, by the way.
  • 00:21:27.435 --> 00:21:31.372
  • They do.
  • 00:21:31.372 --> 00:21:34.208
  • But the truth is the va has some really good programs if you're
  • 00:21:34.208 --> 00:21:36.477
  • An amputee, man, for prosthetics there; if you burn, the burn
  • 00:21:36.477 --> 00:21:39.680
  • Units; tbi; they do some really good stuff in some areas.
  • 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.783
  • But why with all the good stuff they have, they still get it
  • 00:21:42.783 --> 00:21:44.719
  • Wrong and fail the veteran community because the truth is
  • 00:21:44.719 --> 00:21:47.755
  • You could heal someone's body and you could heal
  • 00:21:47.755 --> 00:21:49.957
  • Someone's mind.
  • 00:21:49.957 --> 00:21:51.292
  • But until you heal someone's soul, they're never truly gonna
  • 00:21:51.292 --> 00:21:53.794
  • Be well, and jesus heals the souls of men.
  • 00:21:53.794 --> 00:21:57.865
  • And nothing else and no one else could do that besides him, and
  • 00:21:57.865 --> 00:22:01.068
  • That's what he demonstrated at the room, he said--jesus said,
  • 00:22:01.068 --> 00:22:03.237
  • "your sins are forgiven," and the haters in the room begin to
  • 00:22:03.237 --> 00:22:05.873
  • Think blasphemy.
  • 00:22:05.873 --> 00:22:07.475
  • This is exactly what they were trying to catch him to
  • 00:22:07.475 --> 00:22:08.943
  • Do: blasphemy.
  • 00:22:08.943 --> 00:22:10.311
  • Who is this to forgive sins?
  • 00:22:10.311 --> 00:22:12.346
  • Only god could do that.
  • 00:22:12.346 --> 00:22:14.115
  • And jesus knew their thoughts and he said, "oh, you think
  • 00:22:14.115 --> 00:22:16.884
  • That's a big deal?"
  • 00:22:16.884 --> 00:22:18.252
  • I'm paraphrasing right now, by the way.
  • 00:22:18.252 --> 00:22:19.653
  • He said, "hey, paralyzed guy, stand up and walk."
  • 00:22:19.653 --> 00:22:22.289
  • And the man jumped to his feet.
  • 00:22:22.289 --> 00:22:23.624
  • In verse 26 it says: "the people were amazed and they glorified
  • 00:22:23.624 --> 00:22:27.595
  • God and they were filled with awe and they said, 'we have seen
  • 00:22:27.595 --> 00:22:30.264
  • Remarkable things today.'"
  • 00:22:30.264 --> 00:22:32.733
  • People, listen to me carefully.
  • 00:22:32.733 --> 00:22:34.368
  • It's probably the most important thing that i could say related
  • 00:22:34.368 --> 00:22:36.737
  • To culture.
  • 00:22:36.737 --> 00:22:38.105
  • When you stand up and walk from where you were to where god's
  • 00:22:38.105 --> 00:22:40.975
  • Taken you, people will be amazed and god gets the glory, not me
  • 00:22:40.975 --> 00:22:44.745
  • For a message, not pastor allen or this church.
  • 00:22:44.745 --> 00:22:47.848
  • We get to be a part of it, but god gets the glory, and your
  • 00:22:47.848 --> 00:22:50.418
  • Story will bring hope to others and that will bring change to
  • 00:22:50.418 --> 00:22:54.288
  • Our world and culture.
  • 00:22:54.288 --> 00:22:55.656
  • We need to recognize as a church and as christians, and i assume
  • 00:22:55.656 --> 00:22:59.126
  • Most people here are christians, right, we need to recognize the
  • 00:22:59.126 --> 00:23:02.263
  • Fundamental brokenness of our culture in america is not
  • 00:23:02.263 --> 00:23:05.800
  • Washington, d.c. and politicians.
  • 00:23:05.800 --> 00:23:07.935
  • They are a problem.
  • 00:23:07.935 --> 00:23:09.270
  • Don't get me--we know they're a problem, but the real problem
  • 00:23:09.270 --> 00:23:12.306
  • Is us.
  • 00:23:12.306 --> 00:23:13.641
  • It's you and me.
  • 00:23:13.641 --> 00:23:14.975
  • We're the problem.
  • 00:23:14.975 --> 00:23:16.343
  • If the church would simply be who we claim to be as
  • 00:23:16.343 --> 00:23:18.579
  • Christians, if we would live, if we would vote and stand up for
  • 00:23:18.579 --> 00:23:21.949
  • The biblical--for biblical truths daily, this country and
  • 00:23:21.949 --> 00:23:24.985
  • Our culture would not be where it is today.
  • 00:23:24.985 --> 00:23:27.922
  • Eric nails it in his book.
  • 00:23:27.922 --> 00:23:31.158
  • I mean, "letters to the american church," his book, if you
  • 00:23:31.158 --> 00:23:33.561
  • Haven't read his book, "letters to
  • 00:23:33.561 --> 00:23:34.895
  • American church," you have to read it.
  • 00:23:34.895 --> 00:23:36.230
  • It's a challenge to us in this very thing.
  • 00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:37.832
  • We are the problem.
  • 00:23:37.832 --> 00:23:40.234
  • But here's the good news: we're also the solution.
  • 00:23:40.234 --> 00:23:43.604
  • We alone have the power to change our culture and our
  • 00:23:43.604 --> 00:23:46.874
  • Future by being selfless and courageous, by being the people
  • 00:23:46.874 --> 00:23:50.911
  • That god created us to be.
  • 00:23:50.911 --> 00:23:55.049
  • I wanna close with this little story.
  • 00:23:55.049 --> 00:23:57.318
  • We were in ukraine, myself and seaspray.
  • 00:23:57.318 --> 00:24:02.122
  • Seaspray is one of my main teammates, career in special
  • 00:24:02.122 --> 00:24:04.992
  • Operations, worked as a paramilitary officer for the
  • 00:24:04.992 --> 00:24:06.894
  • Cia, incredible human being.
  • 00:24:06.894 --> 00:24:09.797
  • Literally traded his career to do humanitarian work to help
  • 00:24:09.797 --> 00:24:13.367
  • People that he didn't know from countries not his own.
  • 00:24:13.367 --> 00:24:17.905
  • Just to sacrifice-- sacrificially give his life for
  • 00:24:17.905 --> 00:24:20.341
  • Others, and he's still doing it right now.
  • 00:24:20.341 --> 00:24:21.675
  • Right now he's international.
  • 00:24:21.675 --> 00:24:23.077
  • I'm usually tracking where he's at 'cause we're working
  • 00:24:23.077 --> 00:24:24.578
  • Together, but we had just went to rescue this marine who had
  • 00:24:24.578 --> 00:24:28.215
  • Been--who was volunteering in ukraine, had been shot
  • 00:24:28.215 --> 00:24:30.251
  • And had been captured.
  • 00:24:30.251 --> 00:24:31.585
  • We were going to get him and then we're gonna identify these
  • 00:24:31.585 --> 00:24:33.921
  • Mass graves of women and children,
  • 00:24:33.921 --> 00:24:35.256
  • 1400 women and children.
  • 00:24:35.256 --> 00:24:36.590
  • We actually validated and verified
  • 00:24:36.590 --> 00:24:37.925
  • Those are mass graves of women and children.
  • 00:24:37.925 --> 00:24:39.260
  • They're executed by the russians and leaked it to fox news, and
  • 00:24:39.260 --> 00:24:43.430
  • So as we're driving back, the fox news lady called and she
  • 00:24:43.430 --> 00:24:46.934
  • Was--i was not very happy with her conversation.
  • 00:24:46.934 --> 00:24:50.004
  • She was kind of irritating me, and i was--i hadn't slept.
  • 00:24:50.004 --> 00:24:52.172
  • I was sleeping like an hour or two hours a day, and i was very
  • 00:24:52.172 --> 00:24:54.375
  • Grumpy, and she kept asking, like, "why are you guys there?
  • 00:24:54.375 --> 00:24:56.610
  • What are you doing?"
  • 00:24:56.610 --> 00:24:57.945
  • I'm like, "it's the right thing to do."
  • 00:24:57.945 --> 00:24:59.280
  • She was pulling the politics of, you know, zelenskyy, and us
  • 00:24:59.280 --> 00:25:00.748
  • Being there and i'm just like, "hey, we're just here to help
  • 00:25:00.748 --> 00:25:02.983
  • People and it's the right thing to do."
  • 00:25:02.983 --> 00:25:04.652
  • And then she asked seaspray a question.
  • 00:25:04.652 --> 00:25:07.021
  • She said, "is it worth it?"
  • 00:25:07.021 --> 00:25:09.323
  • And he said this.
  • 00:25:09.323 --> 00:25:10.691
  • He said: "it doesn't have to be," right?
  • 00:25:10.691 --> 00:25:13.260
  • It doesn't have to be worth it to do the right thing.
  • 00:25:13.260 --> 00:25:16.297
  • I think so many times in america, in our culture, we
  • 00:25:16.297 --> 00:25:19.166
  • Believe that there has to be an roi on everything, return on
  • 00:25:19.166 --> 00:25:21.735
  • Investment, right?
  • 00:25:21.735 --> 00:25:23.103
  • I'll give my time, i'll give my energy, i'll give my resources.
  • 00:25:23.103 --> 00:25:25.172
  • I'll take risk, but what's the roi?
  • 00:25:25.172 --> 00:25:27.775
  • Selfishly, what's in it for me?
  • 00:25:27.775 --> 00:25:30.544
  • And like i said in the beginning, your life, as
  • 00:25:30.544 --> 00:25:32.947
  • Important it is, it's not about you.
  • 00:25:32.947 --> 00:25:34.782
  • It's about others.
  • 00:25:34.782 --> 00:25:36.116
  • Seaspray nailed it.
  • 00:25:36.116 --> 00:25:37.484
  • It doesn't have to be worth it to do the right thing.
  • 00:25:37.484 --> 00:25:39.587
  • In this country--
  • 00:25:39.587 --> 00:25:41.822
  • [congregation applauding]
  • 00:25:41.822 --> 00:25:47.227
  • Chad: in america, we miss it, and i think who miss it
  • 00:25:47.227 --> 00:25:49.663
  • Most is the church, sadly, and if anybody could turn around,
  • 00:25:49.663 --> 00:25:53.834
  • It's gonna be us, to stand up and do the right thing, not
  • 00:25:53.834 --> 00:25:57.371
  • Because it's worth it, 'cause it's the right thing to do.
  • 00:25:57.371 --> 00:26:00.240
  • God bless you guys. thank you so much.
  • 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:01.675
  • Thank you, pastor allen. thank you.
  • 00:26:01.675 --> 00:26:06.814
  • Thank you, thank you.
  • 00:26:06.814 --> 00:26:11.352
  • Allen: hey, we have a tool that we think will help strengthen
  • 00:26:15.556 --> 00:26:18.258
  • You in this season.
  • 00:26:18.258 --> 00:26:19.793
  • A lot of confusion and chaos in our world, a lot of fear.
  • 00:26:19.793 --> 00:26:23.097
  • I hear from people every day, battling in their minds and
  • 00:26:23.097 --> 00:26:26.033
  • Their lives with the uncertainty of our world.
  • 00:26:26.033 --> 00:26:29.203
  • Well, it's a booklet called "awaken us."
  • 00:26:29.203 --> 00:26:30.904
  • It's a 30-day plan.
  • 00:26:30.904 --> 00:26:32.306
  • Every day has a theme with a scripture, a little devotional,
  • 00:26:32.306 --> 00:26:34.775
  • And a prayer for that specific theme.
  • 00:26:34.775 --> 00:26:37.444
  • The idea is that every day we're gonna ask the spirit of god to
  • 00:26:37.444 --> 00:26:40.547
  • Awaken us to a new aspect of god's provision in our lives.
  • 00:26:40.547 --> 00:26:45.352
  • You know, hopefully we wake up every day to the opportunities
  • 00:26:45.352 --> 00:26:48.188
  • And the challenges of that day.
  • 00:26:48.188 --> 00:26:50.324
  • Well, this is gonna correspond to that.
  • 00:26:50.324 --> 00:26:51.692
  • We're gonna ask the spirit of god to awaken us to what god is
  • 00:26:51.692 --> 00:26:54.595
  • Doing in this season.
  • 00:26:54.595 --> 00:26:56.530
  • We're not alone and we don't have to be overcome by fear.
  • 00:26:56.530 --> 00:26:59.867
  • Let's pray.
  • 00:26:59.867 --> 00:27:01.201
  • "father, i thank you that there's nothing that confronts
  • 00:27:01.201 --> 00:27:03.370
  • Us that intimidates or threatens you,
  • 00:27:03.370 --> 00:27:06.073
  • That you have made provision for complete victory in every aspect
  • 00:27:06.073 --> 00:27:09.543
  • Of our lives.
  • 00:27:09.543 --> 00:27:10.911
  • Lead us now as we turn our faces to you, to a season of peace and
  • 00:27:10.911 --> 00:27:14.815
  • Hope and wholeness, in jesus's name, amen."
  • 00:27:14.815 --> 00:27:18.452
  • This book, it'll be a blessing.
  • 00:27:18.452 --> 00:27:20.354
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:27:20.354 --> 00:27:30.397