It's a Wonderful Life, Part 2 (cont'd)

Be the heir apparent that my dad decide to retire.

They want me to be the pastor and Philip everything is good and filling going to California to know what I was getting myself into what God had said, go West young man go with.

When God told Abraham to get up and go. Abraham got up and went. That's what genuine faith in God, looks like hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Well, there was a time in pastor Paul's life with God told him to get up and go. He and his wife Meredith had plenty of questions, maybe even a few doubts, but like Abraham before them. They stepped out in faith. Pastor Paul shares part of this story today, one that will encourage you in your own journey of faith. Today's message is straightahead, so stay with us or visit pastor Paul.net to listen on demand. That's pastor Paul.net you can also listen or download the podcast at tune in, or wherever you go to get your podcasts now. Let's join Pastor Paul for today's message. It's a wonderful life when I came to California because the Lord told me that he will send me to California to be a disciple in a soul winner. He said I have thousands of people. I have called you to win and disciple thousands was the term that he put in my spirit when I accepted the invitation, the pastor, a small church that brought me to California. It was because of what the Lord had said. He said thousands were going to be one and disciple to my ministry, so he was in 1989 talking to this 34 people about thousand when they asked me to come to get past us and meet with Joe and let me share with you the vision I have and then I'll see if I go through your pastor."

I will assume that they could handle change and I figured if you are 34 member church and God said thousands of common you know some 34 member churches on it just didn't thousands because we don't get to run things. You know how that works in church ever seen church the same foreground and nobody can come take our place so I want to make sure they know so I met with Sharon within this vision.

I told about thousand everything I said.

I told them they were excited. So praise God that we want to be pastor. When can you move out here and be here by Easter.

This is in January. This meeting, 1989 be here by Easter and they say, all past and leaving the church. While the associate pastor. My dad is the senior pastor in Philly. We have a thousand members and boys to be the heir apparent of my dad decide to retire.

They want me to be the pastor in Philly everything look good. I make good money and feeling mortgages low in Philly everything is good in Philly. Now I'm going to California.

I didn't know what I was getting myself into but God had said, go West young man go West.

So here I am in my car driving across the country on 80 golfing 80 is just out here in the West. 80 starts on the East Coast, all the way across the country, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and then I drive in all states. I remember Wyoming. I'll never forget Wyoming went to get some gas in Wyoming and it was little room or area near Casper world any of the cities.

It was a rural area and it was a man who didn't like to see people who look like me and it was his gas station in Wyoming and I remember so well because I needed gas and was one of the ones you had to go inside to get him to set it up and he didn't even want to look up at me. I will never forget that he didn't want to look at me. He just kept his head down he saw who it pulled it put his head down like some gas and slid the money when he could see and he just didn't say a word, just I told him what number and I just thought if you just give me get your want me in your state if you give me gas. I will get out of Lord, what have you got me into out here fooling with this stuff so I get out here because the Lord said thousands of common I got to California. California didn't care the first year the church grew from 34 to 45.

I'm thinking thousand I got 11 new members, one year preaching my best son is not something I was little building Canada for a solid year got a new members. The show for you know how my mind works best with mine I'm like okay so the Lord said thousands and I spent the whole year and I got 11 more. How long is it going to take me. This case how long before I have 500 you know what you can focus on anything but what God said it was my job to calculate and see how many people at this pace committee… Do you know for seven years.

Our church grew from 34 to 250 and that's good growth by regular standards go the ever search America has less than 100 attendees and so here we were at 250 but I was perfectly miserable because the Lord had said thousands and after seven years, I got a couple of hundred percent every we got to drive home from church. On the one we must've missed. I thought I heard from God, but clearly is one God, we must've missed God dissing you know how many will go to my church on Emma what God was doing the hotel and drop me off Monday. I sent him a check in here baby being here for three nights because I need to hear from three days of Bible time. You know, three days and three nights. Come pick me up and checked in there. I took 2 1/2 gallons of water. I remember it was a carrying case to 1/2 gallons of water. I took that it was me that was all. I took my Bible my notes and my water stick goggles speak to me.

I went and shut the curtain so I would know what it was day and night and for three days and three nights.

I did nothing but pray, fast sleep and drink water. That's all I did read the Bible, read the Bible and sold for three days and three nights on believing this will be thunder and lightning and earthquakes wait for God to just come in that room and is going to be less, can I do it would suck to came out Thursday morning, got in the car while I said what the Lord say drive home always ask a question cranky one God, not doing what you want to know God sent me all you you happy when somebody got say I was just so excited was really thinking what I want you to see key thing that the Lord said to this man. Zacharias, the Lord told him that is going to come to pass in mind that he had ordained in other words, here's what it says in verse 20 behold, you will be new and not able to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time. The vision God gives you is for an appointed time and you don't get to set the appointment time, he sets the time and you have to wait for him and walk with him until his time, we don't like that we want to set our own time goddesses know if I give you a vision it's for an appointed time and sometime you give your vision and not give you time to sometime you know some help because God said it, but you have no idea when is the other reason he doesn't give you advance work because he doesn't tell you what you will have to go through from where you are to the fulfillment of your destiny.

You got some hell to go through.

Don't believe me ask Joseph. Joseph was 17 when he had the vision that one day Estella will be battling down the him. It took 22 years for that to come to pass, and most of those 22 years were full of hell.

See, we like the end result that we don't like the process always learn to walk with God through things you don't understand things you don't like to believe. Stay with us were only about halfway through today's destiny for Victor message with pastor Paul Sheppard.

We want to thank all of you whose prayers and financial support help pastor Paul share the gospel all over the world as we find ourselves still fighting their way through a season of uncertainty. Your support is even more critical today because in times of crisis, people are often more willing to have conversations about Jesus or to listen to Christian radio programming like destined for victory. That's why your gifts are so important. Give online safely and securely from our website. Pastor Paul.net or give us a call at 855-339-5500 in the number 855-339-5500. Have you ever question God welcomes your questions and concerns, but you want you to voice them from a position of peers pastor Paul was arrested today's message.

It's a wonderful life. The fourth point is questions born of faith do not offend God. See, there are some people who question God, but the bottom you can question God, the real issue is what is the question born is born of unbelief or is it born of the need for information.

Let me show you what I mean in the same chapter 6 months after the encounter with Elizabeth the same angel comes to Galilee to Nazareth and has a new message.

Look at verse 26 now in the six months the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth and to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary and having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women verse 29 when she saw the angel she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great will be called the son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom there will be no end.

I watch this here's a question. Then Mary said to the angel, how can this be, since I do not know a man now that's a question, but it's a question seeking information but is still a question of faith. She believes what he says you don't get pregnant. All she needs is how this will happen because you haven't mentioned a man she's seeking information. I say this to you because sometimes we have questions from God and don't let super spiritual people tell you you can question God, of course, you can just make sure it's a question coming from faith. I believe you, Lord. I just need more information at the house to have me the question that asked was not a question of faith, he said how that will happen.

I will hold get your meds Elizabeth over. The court also glad you got my but his question came from doubt. We know that because angel said to you what you not to speak to become the past because you didn't believe what God said his was born about is not whether question is where the question coming from.

You need information. Mary says you know, sexually, and yet you say, God, how are you going to do this, Lord. So I'm here to tell you, you can ask questions and make sure the question born of faith. I'm not doubting you, Lord, I believe you. I just need some information she needs to know another word what's the process you want me to go through Lord and she's going to find out later on what that process is. Please understand this, that even when the process takes you through a situation where you don't see how in the world is going to happen. Remember the analogy of flying. You don't have to see out the window. You just have to read the instruments and you have to listen to the tower. God has given you the instruments in his word and giving you the tower and the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit tells you something. Don't doubt him, trust him and follow him.

That's what I had to do when I came to California after those seven years and were only at 250 and the Lord said thousands. I said okay Lord I'm just going keep reaching people believe and keep praying year eight. By then, where the little warehouse in Menlo Park warehouse and its capacity could only get 300 people in the sanctuary and another 300 overflow. We had to develop. You know I had to develop an overflow because we didn't even have the foresight to make the fellowship hall and overflow. It happened accidentally. One day, people came to make one of my leaves can be surpassed about the people in the back people in the back. He said all every Sunday there people sit back there because they can't hear they just trying to hear through the wall what you're saying said that people in the back. We had to create an overflow in the fellowship hall because people wanted to come. The Lord will send an Company when they couldn't get in the 300 seat sanctuary. So I will get a screen and put a speaker back there and we develop overflow when it wasn't in the permit, or anything that we got from the city. We had to do it because God will send the people and that service filled up eventually and then we start having to services and into services when overflow and M3 services and three services when overflow we have having to get everybody in the church was growing and finally we said we better build a big and that's how we build a worship Center in Mountain View. We built one that said 2100 seats and do you know God when you finish with 2100 the church grew to two services. With 2102 things work three services with a 20 1C6 1 1/2, 2100 seat sanctuary.

You say how does that happen because when God says it will come to pass and so you can learn to trust God. Don't try to understand. Just trust them when I first got to California for the church was $60,000 a year for the whole year both 34 people gave me a budget of $60,000. I'm coming from a church with thousand members and we've taken a big offerings and doing big things come out here since 60,000 foot hole you yeah okay how much of that is mine. I taken my salaries and in some way. 1989. The sale yeah yeah we've designated 24,000 for you.

1989 I got here. I make more net and feeling with a small mortgage. I have a house in the hood that we left in Philly that are sold in Philly to come out here. It was in the hood so the mortgage was $200 a month because nobody want to move in, but I like to hunt it. I can do it. I'm not worried about the crackhouse process. They waited and closed it down for good.

But we will make it 200 a month.

That was wonderful, and I heard the trustees talk about asking the Lord to give the pastor house under thousand dollars a month. That way, what yeah I said so you don't gotta play got out here for house fund that's actually a matter they say yes, and if it happens it will be God's prayer my first house with 995 God made it happen. But even then I got a 2000 and they give me so only said yeah so we can pay you now, but when that vision that you see somebody visit laying when we know people, we got past had to believe God wanted.

He helped us pay the bills.

You know by the time I left that church. 20 years later we did have a $60,000 a year. We had a $12 million a year budget. Why, because where God guides probiotics don't question what God can do what he can do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or even God taken $1 million a month. God is able. Don't you question your God's ability.

What do we do. He will pass what we learn to do is to walk with him through everything he calls us to go through even when you requested him make sure the question is of faith and it is not of doubt. I had a lot of questions along the way. In this new season will take destiny when I'm down for the ride know what God can do what you years to come in so don't come find your God, to your thinking you know what that'll do. That'll make you a child of a lesser God of his God was able to do exceeding one above all we can or even do you want to demonstrate faith in God today when he tells you to get up and go get up and go. It's okay to have questions. Just make sure you're asking them on the way is what faith looks like and that's the life God blesses well right now. It may seem like the worst of times, but from God's perspective, these could very well be the best of times because it's during seasons of chaos when people are often more willing to embrace the cross.

God's will is that all would come to the knowledge of repentance and so right now as we continue to walk through this season of uncertainty. Let us be a safe place for the loss to land. Let's choose to love them into the kingdom the way God has loved us.

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Pastor Paul shepherds DVD message refocus a sermon in which he offers three guidelines to help us work through the challenges we're facing here in 2020 and encourages us to continue fulfilling God's purpose in our lives.

Again that's Pastor Paul's DVD message refocus our gift to you by request for your most generous gift to destined for victory this month. Vision, but when you have a vision you're standing in what you don't see is what you will have to go through between here and the fulfillment of the vision and that's what Mrs. a whole lot of people out all of us it destined for victory.

Hope you have a great weekend and that you join us again on Monday. Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. It's a wonderful life until then. Remember he who began a good working you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory