Message Takeaway: “What If . . .”

What if you had only three years to fulfill God’s purposes in your life? How would you live? What would you do with your last 1,000 days? This is where Jesus is during the Sermon on the Mount. He knew His time was short. For us today, we know we have a mission from the Lord, but we don’t know how much time we have. So what will you do with your time?

Continuing our series, “The Sermon that Changed the World,” this past weekend Pastor Doug shared the vision God has impressed on our church and challenged us to go all in as we consider the “What if?” possibilities in our own life.

Watch the video below to see a few highlights from the teaching and share it with your friends via social media. To watch the message in its entirety, click here.


FOR THE NOTE TAKERS
Let’s recap some of the key talking points from Pastor Doug’s teaching this weekend:

VISION 2023
Give (“When you give . . .” [Matthew 6:1–4]): It’s your generosity that has allowed us to plant churches, send teams, make an impact in foster care, and so much more . . . But what if Vision 2023 is the next step in a journey? We will not rest until we see this transformation in our generation.

Pray (“When you pray . . .” [Matthew 6:5–15]): “Your kingdom come, Your will be done . . .” This is not a casual prayer. It’s a prayer of powerful intercession, where we call upon the Spirit of God to carry out the good and perfect will of God to transform this world and our lives. The genuine, fervent prayers of God’s children sow the seeds of revival.

Fast (“When you fast . . .” [Matthew 6:16–18]): Vision is birthed in prayer and fasting. This year, we’re calling you, our brothers and sisters here at Calvary, to fast in preparation for a transformative season of discipleship. Consider the one person—or small group of people—you can disciple over the next year. Pray for them and yourself as you seek to embark on this journey. Pray for our church body as we do this together in the power of the Holy Spirit.


What If Revival Hasn’t Happened Because We Haven’t Prayed for It?: Trusting God to double the number of disciples in our community over the next five years will require a great deal of prayer and fasting on our part. It will not be easy; there will be times when this vision seems unobtainable or too far fetched. There will be times when we may even want to give up and return to the status quo. This vision will require perseverance, humility, surrender, and deep reliance on the Spirit for strength, wisdom, patience, and endurance. But what if we remain faithful to what God has impressed upon us? 60,000 new disciples! Imagine how our city and world will change . . . We are praying for a story only God could write.

What If Revival Was Waiting For Us to Do What We Already Knew We Should Do?: What if we planted gospel churches in every community of our region? What if marriages in the church thrived in direct contrast to the world around us? What if every college student fully engaged in his or her faith? What if everyone in addiction recovery would hear the gospel? What if every elderly man or woman got a visitor every month? What if there was a home for every child? What if we could connect Sunday’s faith to Monday’s work? What if people began moving to South Florida because of what they saw God doing here? What if we all got into the story?

Quote to Remember: God’s vision is about seeing beyond yourself.—Pastor Doug Sauder


START INVITING PEOPLE TO EASTER!
Easter is only two weeks away! Did you know that personal invites from friends and family are the number one reason people visit a church for the first time? Knowing this, we want to encourage you to invite your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors to join you and our church family this Good Friday and Easter as we celebrate how the resurrection of Jesus has given us new life and hope for a new future. Grab your invites at church this weekend or share our Easter page with your friends on social media!


EVERYDAY EVANGELISM: SIMPLE WAYS TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS
Join us for an interactive training designed to equip you to share the gospel in your everyday life. Gain practical knowledge, discover the best ways to engage in personal evangelism, and participate in breakout sessions on apologetics, world religions, reaching the secularist, and more. Click here to register.


PASSOVER SEDER
Join us as Dr. Mitch Glaser, renowned author and president of Chosen People Ministries, shares an intriguing look at this celebration. Enjoy a great meal as the story of Passover—the exodus from Egypt—is retold through the special significance of each food item. Together, we’ll spend time worshiping the God who keeps His promises and remains ever faithful. Space is limited, so register today!


A LOOK AHEAD
Join us on Wednesday as we continue in our “Character Study” series and hear more about what Vision 2023 is all about.

This weekend is Palm Sunday! In our time together, we’ll discover what the good life truly is as we study Matthew 6:19–34. As we prepare for the events of the Holy Week, learn how to store up treasures in heaven and what Jesus has to say about worry.

About the Author

Danny Saavedra

Danny Saavedra is a licensed minister who has served on staff at Calvary since 2012, managing the Calvary Devotional and digital discipleship resources. He has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling and Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary. His wife Stephanie, son Jude, and daughter Zoe share a love of Star Wars, good food, having friends over for dinner, and studying the Word together as a family.