Living Life Through the Power of His Life

And now as our World Outreach Week draws to a conclusion, we have a speaker here who, well I'll put it this way, there are some lives that can only be explained through the power of the gospel. Now that's really true for all of us who are God's people, but it's especially true sometimes certain lives really demonstrate that in a huge way because you look at the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and you think to yourself there's no way that person could still be standing, still functioning if it weren't for the power of God in their lives. And when I think of our next speaker, he's in that category for sure.

35, 36 years ago this church commissioned him, sent him to Naples, Italy to be a pastor and church planter. He grew up in the mean gang-ridden streets of Watts to go to the mean gang-ridden streets of Naples where organized crime pretty much controls just about everything. And yet God has used him to plant two churches, two vibrant healthy churches that are making a huge difference in their community and culture. It's a real privilege to have really an extension of our own church family. Doug Valenzuela is sharing with us this morning. Let's welcome him.

Gracie, gracie Mark, gracie. Bujorno, Twin Lakes. Very good. Mark was right on 1977 till now. Today is 2013. How many years is that? I'm not good in geography. We're talking about how many years? Almost, well close to 67 years. So we'll round it out. We'll say we've been in Italy for like 50 years or so and what a privilege to come back to, we consider this our home church, Twin Lakes, because we've been part of this ministry for these many, many years. And thank God it's in Santa Cruz, California.

Do you know today we're 27th of January. You know what it's like in Minnesota? It's 20 below. I get up this morning, sunshine and the drive here, extraordinary beauty and the coastline. I could have been in Fresno, but we're here. And in spite of it all, I said it's such a beautiful day. Sunshine and the glorious water sparkling out there. And I was sort of mad coming to church this morning. I said, you know, this speaker better be good or I'll leave it.

So do we want to change this, Mark? Or I'll just use that one. Thank you. Thank you very much. Very good. Thank you. So we, of course, got appointed in 1977 and that's a long time ago. And I would like to take a little trip back with you in time. And before we do that, I need to put a disclaimer on the board. So what you're going to see here is already going to avoid any further lawsuits against me. You're going to see some things that may be disturbing. If you have little kids, you might want to shield their eyes. If you have a weak heart, time to take another pill. But if you don't want to look, don't look.

This is what your church sent out in 1977. I just got out of seminary. I appreciate the years of support, Mark, but there was something mentally wrong with your church that supported it. Or they had visual issues. Immediately after getting appointed with our mission and coming, we got married and it didn't help either. And now, thanks to the modern marvels of steroids and other things, this is who we are today. Check it out. Yeah, you better start praying. If you look carefully, it's not that's awful. That's almost all, folks, because I'm going to preach.

So it's great. You know, in 1977, who was our president, if anybody can remember, was a man by the name of James Earl Carter. For you young people, you know what we called him? Jimmy. Jimmy had a brother. His name was? Billy. Billy was known for? Beer. Beer. Isn't that great, young people? Look how far you've gone down the tubes. 1977, that's the year we got appointed. Elvis may or may not have died. And not only that, 1977 was my famous Raiders. That's when they beat Minnesota. Then we hit it off to, in the Super Bowl, we hit it off to Italy.

And all those years have come and gone, and I will be very honest. Almost from the day that Christ became my Savior back in 1968. And that's a story that I hope one day I'll be able to share with you, as Mark even said. There are those stories in life that are beyond human imagination and what took place to me. On a ferry boat crossing the English Channel was something that, of course, changed my life not only for eternity, but gave me incredible purpose.

One thing that I'll be very honest. Passion to reach the lost continues to take a hold of my life. And of course, we're doing it in Italy today. And this desire to share Jesus Christ with the thousands and the millions continues to grow and continues to consume my life. And I'm imagining, I'm just guessing what you're saying. That's great for you. You're the missionary. You have great moral fortitude. You have a strong character, and that's good for you. But look at me. I'm just, and many people will tell me this, well I'm just a housewife. I'm just a carpenter. I'm just a retired person.

As if there's this huge divide between the missionary and the pastor and you who just come to church and fill up a pew week after week. I wonder maybe if culture has conditioned our mind to think these thoughts. I'm wondering if maybe we're not getting our information from the Word of God, but from what men teach us and tell us and show us. I came across this interesting video that I'm sure you've seen time and time again, publicity that gets young people, young men and women, to sign up for the United States Marines.

And when you see this, you'll wind the sign up too. Let's see this. Look at those faces. Tough guys, you know, training, personal time, going over those high jumps out of airplanes. Who is this all for? Why do they do this? Well it tells you, for honor, yeah. And for courage. But there's another reason, for honor, for courage. Men and women, look at this. Honor, courage and country. Oh yeah, where's the pen? I'm ready to sign.

Who can do this? They tell you who can do it right off the bat. They don't lie. It's for the few. You know it, come on. This is for the proud. This is for the Marines. The rest of you little sissies can stay home and watch Oprah. Because it ain't for you. It's for the few and the proud. The Marines, this is a select group. You can't do that. Same here. You see, we have this thought. Well yeah, that's good for Doug Valenzuela, that's good for Mark Spre. He's a pastor. But that's not for us. I'm not one of these select ones.

Or maybe you are and you just haven't discovered your identity in Christ and what he's done for you. And maybe you are part of that wonderful family that God has called to transform the world. And maybe in this case Capitola or Santa Cruz or yes Fresno, you know. Maybe you are that person. And I would like to share with you a verse. You have this in your bulletin. If you want to turn to the Bible, it's in Philippians 4. A verse that if applied in your heart, not only will transform your life for eternity, yes of course that's true, but this verse gives great joy when applied to God's heart.

It gives significance and purpose to your life and it gives hope to those who know you, who surround you. It's a verse often misunderstood, I will be very honest. And it's a verse that we've seen plastered all over, especially at athletic events. And it's a verse maybe you have in your home somewhere on a plaque and might one day you've memorized it. But I want to look at it with you today and see if there's something that we're missing. To see if we're part of that select group that God calls his family around the world.

Well in Philippians 4, I'm going to just read the last verse and it's on this bulletin here. And it's in verse 13 of chapter 4. And if you want to read with me, I bet you memorize this verse because it's so easy. You've seen it on people's faces, plastered in athletic events. I can do, verse 13, I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Now we're just going to read that for now. We're going to get back to the rest of it later. Is that really true?

So you mean you, because you know Christ, if you have no voice you can sing? If you're blind you can drive a car? If you have no artistic talent you can create a masterpiece? If you're like me you can dunk? No. Can't. So maybe we're missing something. Maybe what this verse is saying is you can't do all things through Christ. Because if you analyze your life you probably can't. And that's true. So I ask myself, well are we missing something? Is there something that I'm not getting here?

Let's first go back in history. So where's Paul writing this? He's writing this in a dark and dank jail in Rome. I live 200 kilometers south of Rome where Mark said in Napoli where initially if you look in the Bible in Acts 28, Paul landed there in the city of Puzuli and then up the Appian Way onto Rome. Well now he's in jail. His days are numbered. Why? Well because of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. However, when he's awaiting his death sentence he has time to write this very wonderful, brief thank you letter to this church called Philippi.

Now what they did was they sent him a gift and he is simply thanking them for this gift. How did he get to know them? When you go home today you go to Acts 16 and 17 and 18 and you'll see this incredible journey that Paul made along with others. It lasted about three years and he eventually ended up in the city of Philippi, an Asia Minor. And he established a church there. And it was a great revival. And people were coming to know Jesus Christ as their own Savior.

And they were leaving their old pagan ways and trusting Christ in a new way, new life, revival, reputation of Paul was growing, things were great. But that was ten years ago. Do you remember your boom days when things were going great? You were so happy. That was a wonderful marriage. Great kids, the job. That was yesterday. And now today, ten years down the line, Paul is writing from jail. His freedom is gone. He can't get that back. He's chained between two guards. He can't unlock the shackles. His reputation is destroyed. He can't get that back. And you know what? He couldn't do all things either.

He couldn't release himself from the guards. He couldn't get his freedom back. So what in the world is he writing? I can do all things through Christ, through him who strengthens me. Well now we need to maybe look at the rest of the context. The verse is prior to that. And I think we're going to understand what he meant by that verse. Oftentimes misinterpreted, misquoted, misunderstood. So if you have this little piece of paper, read along with me, or read in your Bible, from verse ten onwards.

"Well I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you've renewed your concern for me. Indeed you were concerned, that is they were desiring to help out Paul, but you had no opportunity to show it. In other words, they had no way to send him his gift. Why? Because FedEx and DHL didn't exist back then. But now it does. I'm not saying this because he wants more from them. I'm not saying this because I'm in need. He's in jail. Why? I've learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.

I know what it is to be in need. I know what it is to have plenty. I've learned the secret of being content in every, in any and every situation. Whether well fed and hungry, or whether living in plenty or in want. And then there's that verse. I've learned the secret. He's saying, you know I'm surrounded by problems right now as I'm writing this. I'm closed in a dark cell. I'm awaiting my death sentence. I've been abandoned by friends. No one is with me. And yet in verse 11 he said, I've learned a secret.

I've discovered a key for my personal satisfaction that has nothing to do at all with my present condition. I'm full. I'm satisfied. It doesn't matter what comes my way. It could be freedom. They might open up the jail door. It could be death. They might send me to that destination. But in every moment, in all ways, I've learned a secret. You see, I'm more than my personal situation. I'm much more than that. In the palace of the king where Paul was. Or in prison in Rome where he is now. The applause of men he heard, they called him a god. Or abandoned by his friends and all those who knew him.

I know how to live, he says in verse 12. I know what it is to live. And here's why. Because I know who to live for. That's the difference. And we have to make a connection between chapter 4 and verse 13. And it has a connection to the very beginning of this letter in chapter 1 and verse 21. And I know you know this verse as well. But we're going to read it. Where Paul gets his desire to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Because we go way back to chapter 1 and verse 21. And here is where Paul lays the foundation for saying, "This is why circumstance means nothing to me." "This is why change of venue for me is okay."

Because he says in chapter 1, verse 21, in jail, waiting death, he says, "For me to live is Christ. To die is gain." Well, what is that all about? I'll tell you what it's about. You see, you have to imagine Paul having a balance. And you have this same scale. And what Paul is saying, as he places in the balance of eternity the issues of time, he's made up his calculation. He knows what weighs the most. You've got to do the same thing. Everyone does. And Paul in verse 21 says, "For me to live is Christ. It weighs heavily in my life. It's everything."

Why I live for me to live is Christ. Jail, the palace, the hospital, or heaven. For me to live is Christ. And then to die, it just added on to it. It's gain. Now, you've all got to make this choice eventually in your life. And you've got to ask yourself the question, "Well, what am I living for?" For me to live, what is the purpose? You have to ask that question. You do. You have to do it now. You have to ask that question to yourself. "For me to live is..." Someone here might say, "Is my family?" Oh, you made your choice. For me, and the balance is sex. For me, money. For me to live is church. That's not a bad one. For me to live is religion. For me to live is... You have to answer that question. You are already. You have already done that. Many don't have an answer.

For me to live, I don't know. I don't know. And therefore, in the other side, there is emptiness. You're running on empty. There's nothing there. Paul is saying in chapter 1 and 21, "I have a clearer idea of who I am, because I know where I'm going. I have a compass inside my heart, a GPS, and it's pointing towards that person. I know who he is. I know why I live. I live for him. I know why I get up in the morning. I know why I breathe. I know why I'm here tonight in this jail, or why I'll be free tomorrow."

It doesn't matter. He's with me in every and all situation. Whether it's with success or the applause of men, or whether it's now in chains awaiting death, it's still about him. It's a simple truth. I know it. But it's a truth that directs your life for eternity. Many people in that balance put these three words, and they destroy their lives. "Me, more, now." That's it. Very simple. And that's why they live. And that's who they are. Paul is saying, "I've learned a secret. How to be content, satisfied, full, realized. And it's not me, more, now. I'll substitute with three other words. Very simple words. "Him, here, forever." You've got to make that decision. Everyone does.

And when you do that, like I said, that decision brings joy to God's heart, brings significance to your life, and gives hope to those who are around you. It really does. You've got to know why you're living. For me to live is Christ. You may be on the side of the question mark, and you're a person who has great success. But you're like a car, like a Maserati, like a Ferrari, but you're placed up on blocks. And we've turned on your 16-cylinder engine, and the motor's going, and the wheels are going, and you've got that beautiful stereo condition in your car, and the air conditioning is on, and everything is going, and the wheels are turning, and three hours later you go there, and it's still there.

It's still there. I know you have energy, and you're doing a lot, and you've accomplished this and that. But you're still there, because you're not moving in the direction that God wants you. That's what it means for me to live is Christ, and therefore to die is gain, and therefore, yes, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, because I know where I'm going.

Now, you know in the animal kingdom, have you heard that illustration? It's sort of interesting. I don't know how true it is. They say, "Every day in Africa." You heard that one? "Every day in Africa, there is a lion that gets up, and he's looking for something to eat, and he's running." "Every day a gazelle gets up, and he or she has got to run, or he's going to be eaten." And so they say, "It doesn't matter what you're doing. If you're hungry, if you're hungry, you've got to run." That's all there is. "Get up and run." That's sort of okay, but it doesn't really make any sense to me, because you have to know why you're running. To where are you running? You've got to know that, or else you're just running.

And from the animal kingdom comes a perfect example of this. Check this out. There she goes. 160 miles an hour. Here it goes. Actually, on the internet, if you look this up, it's called "Blond Antelope." I know where I'm going. I know how to run. I know to whom I'm running. And may I share with you, it's not because I'm a missionary. I'm not one of the few in the proud. I'm like you. I'm running like Mark is running, and it's not because he's a full-time pastor. He's like you. We're in this thing called "humanity" together, and I want to share with you a story that will prove to you that this is not theory. It's reality. It's true as can be.

You know, in our lives, folks, there are times when something in our past took place. That event, that moment is crystallized. It's so sharp. It's focused. It's better than HDTV. It's clearer than 3D. It's everything about that thing in your past. It's something. There's not a lot of those moments. There's a few moments that come out like that. My moment was on January the 8th, 1988. That's a lot of years ago. It's like 25 years ago. Oh, but I remember everything about that day. I can't even remember Christmas, all what we did last month ago. Probably either can you.

But there are times in your life, there are certain events that place an "X" in your heart. Try as you may, you will never forget it. There are not a lot of those times. That was for me on January the 8th. You see, we had been in Italy now for 10 years, just about, a little bit more. In fact, we had now three children, and in this period of time, we had been in Italy for a term extending beyond four years. Back in those days, you would go four years, and you would come back to the States for a year, and then you would go back to your country because of expenses and so on. It was difficult to travel back then.

But we decided to stay for an extra year. Five years without seeing our relatives, and parents, and churches. And that's hard, but I was doing this because I'm serving God. Well, there were also things taking place. And on this particular evening, I was teaching our young people in our church, and it was late at night. It was about 9 o'clock at night, actually about 9:15. We have our meetings late at night and so on. And a person from our church comes up to me, and he says, "You need to leave this service now, and you need to go home because your wife has to tell you something."

My wife has to tell me. He said, "What am I?" My wife has to tell me. "At 9 o'clock at night on a Friday, so I go home." We live on the third floor, fourth floor. And you know me, folks. I'm not the kind of guy. I'm sort of antsy. You can tell that, right? I'm not a really calm guy. "Go up to the house. My wife is sitting down. There's our table." And this was a position, and she was there. And I said, "Diana, well, come on. What's the... I got those kids down there. You need to tell me." She says, "You need to sit down." "But I got it. You need to sit down." "I need to sit down." She says, "I have something to tell you." I sit down. She's right there.

And she says, "I need to tell you something very important, so don't get up." She said, "I got a call from one of your brothers in California today." Now, in that time, in 1988, we didn't have Skype, no cell phones, no... It was very difficult to get in contact with someone from another country. So when somebody does call you, it's not like today, "Hey, Dad, how you doing?" and this and that. Your kids call you. It was not that way, so already I'm sort of preparing for something that I think is not going to be good. So I didn't get up.

She said, "Well, I just got a call, and your brother said that your mother just passed away." So I get up like this. She says, "No, no. You need to sit down there. Don't get up. There's more." Well, now, first of all, let me tell you this. What she was telling me wasn't true, because that couldn't have happened. Why? See, because I hadn't seen my mother for five years. And when I last left my mother in LA, she was 70. So my wife had to be lying, because it's not true. Number two, I'm a missionary. I'm a good person. Bad things don't happen to good people. I'm a good person. That can't be true.

But she said, "Yeah, don't get up, because there's more." So I'm sitting, "Well, what worse thing could there be than saying, 'You're not going to see your mother anymore?'" So I'm like, "No, don't get up." She said, "Well, I didn't tell you everything." She was shot and killed, a bullet to the head. I go like this, and I don't know how to take that in, because there's no way you can. There's no way you can. She must have been saying this to somebody behind me, but not to me. Because, see, my mother couldn't have gotten shot with a bullet in her. It's not possible. That is not... Those things just don't happen.

Because I'm one of the few that are proud. No, I'm like you. I'm just in this thing with you. And I go like this, and I'm trying to come towards her to get some comfort. She says, "No, don't get up. There's more." I can't take any more. I really can't. And then I knew why she said, "Don't get up from your chair." Because she said, "The person that shot and killed your mother was your brother." And that's where I was, crying just like this. And I was being overwhelmed by my own tears. I said, "Why? Why? Why?" And it was not a physical fall that really did anything to me. It was here. It was a very deep hole. And there was nothing to hang on. I had no handles. I was going down.

And the tears weren't really necessary physical as they were. It was my soul coming out. I had nothing. And in my anguish and in my deep despair, I'm saying, "Why? Why?" And I'm almost inhaling my own tears in this pool of utter grief. Down there my wife taps me. She says, "Can I say something?" I said, "Yeah, well, you know." She says, "Do you remember in 1969 when you were in Naples, Italy, you were a kid, and you just got your heart right with God? Yeah. Do you remember on the day that you got baptized? Oh, yeah. What does that mean? Yes."

She said, "That's the day that you had a chance to lead your own mother, to know Jesus Christ as her Savior. And she's in heaven. She's okay now." I was missing something down there. I was missing the purpose. Bing, bing, bing. The fuses started lighting. They started coming on. Everything started coming alive. Yes. You're right. It's not hopeless despair. God is in control. He knows my mother. He knows what took place. He knows my brother. He knows it all. My mother is safe. Oh, I won't see her here. I will see her up there one day. I know that. She trusted him on the day that I got baptized.

Well, of course, the grief didn't go away because of that. The pain didn't just evaporate that way. It was still there. We had two little -- we had three little kids, two of them we had to leave behind. The little one, a year and a half, the next day we had to find the airline ticket for three people come back from Naples, Italy, all the way to California where we stepped in this huge vortex of pain and suffering. And there was my family. We have a very large family on both sides. And they were all there, you know, with the eyes like this red. Did you ever come a time in your life when you've cried so much that it's painful to cry because there's no more tears and your eyelids just sort of grate like sandpaper on your eye because you run out of tears? And that's what it was like for I didn't have any more.

And yet I understood a purpose in all of this. And yes, He is everything for me. And my life is more than just having my mother. And my family asked me to preach at my mother's funeral, which I did. I have my message prepared here. I couldn't prepare a message then. Had no time. Had no energy. Had no strength. Didn't need it. He was my strength. And on that funeral message, I was just sharing with Mark prior to this message. There are times that you dip, you draw from a pool that you've never drawn from before. I preached that message on that day and hearts were touched. Misery became joy. Desperation became hope.

And I'll tell you this, death was transformed into life because people understood the purpose of life is not just that, it's Him. He's the reason why I get up in the morning. Is He the reason why you breathe? Is He the reason why you came to church this morning? Is He going to be the reason why you want to continue on? Because you see, my friends, life, just like this verse, is really not about you. It's about Him. And in Him, I become all things because of what He's done for me. And in spite of a shaky, difficult, stormy life, He's still the anchor that holds. Is that right?

And in spite of how dark it is sometimes, we've got to go through this life that makes absolutely no sense. He's still that light. Is that right? And in spite of the very difficult situation around us, sand that is decaying around us, He's still that pillar who holds us strong. He's still the bread of life that fills us up. He's still our comfort that gives us hope. That's true. And He is for you too. So that's why Paul says, "Yes, in Him, I can do all things." Not, "I don't have to do it. I can endure. I can suffer things. I can go through it with Him who strengthens me." So unto Him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you ask or think, unto Him be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen?

If you don't say, "Amen" in my church, I continue on. Amen? Amen. That means you want to end. Okay. Thank you, Lord, for this great group of people. Thank you for the Word of God. Thank you for truth. Thank you for Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. Thank you for who is here this morning, came in with a heavy heart. His circumstances, her circumstances, maybe have not changed at all. Maybe they've gotten worse. Allow that person to know that you are His or her all in all. Thank you for an anchor that holds. Thank you for a pillar that stays strong, for a light that still burns in our heart. And thank you for Jesus, the wonderful name that allows us to do all in Him. We thank you. Amen.