Called Out to Call ’Em In

Well good morning church. My name is René, I'm another one of the pastors here and I want to invite you to grab your message notes that look like this. It's very important, everybody just kind of grab these out of the middle of the bulletins that you were handed when you come in. And I want to do this by way of explanation because some of you walked in and you've been doing your one month to live book. We started this new series for the new year at the first weekend of January. We've done three weeks already. There's three weeks to go and I've been amazed at the influence it's had on this church.

It's been so much fun to work through this material and we are going to continue it on Super Bowl weekend for three weeks after that. In fact we've got a great video tape testimony of Tony Dungy coming up on Super Bowl weekend. Don't miss that. But as you see in the bullet points there at the top of the notes, we are going to sort of preempt regularly scheduled programming for our annual World Outreach weekend. Next weekend we have a wonderful speaker Dr. Paul Borthwick. He is the author of over 22 books, a great sought after speaker.

And this weekend we have an amazing speaker too. You're going to be inspired by what happens this weekend. I really think that for some people here this is going to be a completely life changing weekend as in altering the trajectory of what you do with the rest of your life. And that's why I really don't see this as an interruption of the one month to live series more than an application of the one month to live series. Because many of you have told me that on your bucket list before you go are things like make a difference in the life of a total stranger.

Or adopt a cause that makes a difference for God in the world. And what happens this weekend is we give you dozens of very practical ways you can do that. You're going to be inspired by the tables in the lobby. It's not just short term trips you can sign up for. It's also awesome local ministries like one of our own Sunday school classes that you may not even know exists. The Joyful Noise class. It's a class specifically for adults who are special needs people. And they just need able bodied people there to help out in that Sunday school class.

There's many amazing ways you can serve and get involved at those tables that will help you fill in some of the items on that bucket list that we've been talking about in the one month to live series. And you're not only going to be inspired by those tables. You're also going to be inspired by the speaker you hear this morning. The man you are about to meet is the founding pastor of the largest Protestant church in the entire country of Italy. And when you hear him you will understand why.

Now some of you may be thinking, yeah, I'd like to have a ministry in Italy that sounds like pretty cushy duty. Well, parts of Italy are very beautiful. But this part I want you to think of this very urban part of Naples as the equivalent of say Compton or Watts or Fresno. I don't know what you want to put in there, but it's tough stuff. Seriously, there's drugs, there's gangs, there's crime there. In fact, I had a chance to visit about a year ago. Now we did have some fun. Doug told the mayor that I was a well-known American author. And so the mayor was glad to meet me.

Here I am with him as I hand him some sermon tapes. And behind us there, Paul Spurlock is discovering that pain meds are not in fact a cure for jet lag. Because look at him back there. I don't know what's going on. But we also saw the raw reality of the city. Crumbling cement facades on buildings, completely failed infrastructure, sky-high unemployment, drug use rampant, literally city utilities that are controlled by the mob. The kind of poverty Americans might find picturesque, but it's very difficult to live in.

And in the midst of all of this is our sister church in Casoria. It's like dropping Twin Lakes Church down in this gritty urban environment there near Naples. And it's bringing so much hope and so many ways to the Italians. For example, this man, I went out to dinner with him and his beautiful family, and he sat across the dinner table from me and he told me, "Weeping with tears." He said, "I want you to go back and say thank you to Twin Lakes Church for me." He said, "I was a drug addict. I was a criminal when the Lord found me through Doug's ministry."

And this man is now one of the pastors on Doug's church staff. This gentleman that you're about to hear is a difference maker and we are privileged to hear him. Would you please welcome Doug Valenzuela.

Are we on? There we go. Now, you know, René and I have a lot in common. He's just one of my dear friends. We came to church this morning similarly dressed, but there's a major difference between goodwill and Italian style. You can see that right away. Buongiorno, Twin Lakes! Very good. We have been part of this wonderful family that we really do call home, and we have been part of the ministry of Twin Lakes since 1977.

I am not a good person in geography, but how many years is this in '77? It's like 80 years that we've been part of this ministry. It was back in 1977 that I graduated from Western Seminary, and there's my photograph, and I came here like that. But living in Portland, Oregon, during that period of time, there was another person in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening, who when he saw me, he was inspired to use me as the model for one of his characters on The Simpsons. And who could that be if no other than Disco Stu? So when you think of me, think of Disco Stu.

You know, Italy, I just had my 61st birthday this past week, and in Italy, you might think that it's tough. I'm so thrilled that many churches and also this family here have sent so many over. But when you come to Napoli, you know, the mozzarella lasagna, candelone, pasta chute, all kinds of different... You know what it does to your body? It regenerates you. And look what happens after 30-some years of living in tonight's... tray-trunk forearms, coconut-sized deltoids. Believe it or not, I had a guy in our church, I didn't tell us any other services. A guy in our church says, "Tuck, check this out." He says, "Feel how hard... I've been working on my abs." Jet lag, I guess.

Anyway. Let me put up a disclaimer. It has been a long time since we've been with our mission, and I don't want to shock anyone or offend anyone or hurt your digestive systems for anything that you might have been eating these days, but let me just warn you, the photo that you are about to see might harm you. This is how we came in 1977. Isn't that horrible? And I think René's... I loaned you that shirt last week, René. But things have changed, and thank God for steroids and other things. But this is our family today. My wife, 34... We got married in 1970... Where is she now? She's in the smoking section. Where is she? There she is back there. She moved up from the chewing section to the smoking section, so...

We actually got married, and I graduated from seminary in 1977. We got married in 1977. We got appointed with our mission in '70. We moved to Italy in '77. Oakland Raiders beat Minnesota 32-14 in Super Bowl. X, L, X, Y, Z, something like that. And that's how it's been for all those many years. My son, Armeno, who is... Armeno is the Italian pronunciation for the word "Armenian." Now, I'm half Armenian, and my father is American Indian, if you can believe it. In fact, he was born and raised on an Indian reservation in Tucson.

And my father was... The reason why we ended up in Naples, Italy... Because actually, my dad was in the Navy, and I don't know if many of you know that. In fact, he attained the rank of naval chief, which makes my dad what? A real Indian chief. Yeah. Who's your daddy? Your daddy's nothing. How about his Indian chief? Armeno, born and raised in Italy, loves a country, and now, after so many years, he lives in... Yes, China. He lives in Shanghai. And actually, he's now on his way to come over and visit us, and we're so excited that he's coming from China to come and visit us.

And my daughter, Elisa, she is happily married. Got married last week to a young man from our neighborhood in Naples, Italy, and is living in San Francisco. And go to one of those Italian restaurants where Fernando, her husband works, and give a big tip. It'll help pay back the loans that we gave them all these many years. Pray for my daughter. She has type 1 diabetes, and oftentimes suffers from just terrible consequences. And that weighs always heavy on our hearts when we can't be there for her or do anything except pray for her and visit her on Skype for so many miles and hours away.

And then finally, our daughter, Dominique, who also is born and raised in Naples, Italy, and after 24 years, lives with us still in Naples, Italy, and takes care of our beautiful lemon beagle, Maggie, who we love so much. Just a bundle of love. You can't ask for a better dog. Such loving companionship this wonderful beagle gives to us. And finally, we have our cat. Let me explain about cats, and then we'll move on. Cats are not real pets. Cats are what I call a backup pet. A spare pet. Now you have on your car four tires, right? You go in as one of your tires pops. So you open your trunk and you bring out the spare tire. We have a real pet, and that's a dog.

Now you might have a turtle, a monkey, a snake. Let's say your real pet breaks down. That's why we have backup pets. Spare pets, and that's what a cat is. That's our family, and we're just thankful to be part of your family. After all these many years. And it has been since 1977, and years come and years go, we come back and forth to America. We've been here so many times. We moved to Italy in '77. We see culture change over there. Culture changes over here. We see subtle things take place, and we see great things take place.

We come back. We see churches grow. Some churches decline. We see new pastors. We see culture taking issues in the lives of families and of churches and individuals and a nation. And after all these years, though, we are still honored to be involved in the greatest enterprises this world has ever seen. And God has allowed us to be part of His wonderful plan, His wonderful projects for this world. And sometimes, though, again, culture maybe tends to sway us and condition us in ways that maybe we shouldn't be conditioned.

I'm thinking of a publicity, of a PR project that the United States Marines have done and continue to do by encouraging young men and women to sign up and be part of this wonderful organization that protects and serves our country. Just listen. I mean, if you were a young man or a woman, you know, you're seeing this commercial, and you're seeing these young men of airplanes, helicopters doing basic training, jumping out of airplanes. Who can do all of this? I mean, who's able to do all this? How can I do all of this? How can I sign up?

And so they show you these men, and they say, "For honor." And you say, "Oh, man, that's me. I'll do it." And you check them out there, riding on airplanes, mechanics, for courage, not just for honor, but also for courage. And I want to sign up. I want to put my name on it. Young men and women serving this great country, yes, it's for country. And you say, "Who can do this?" I mean, who has the ability, courage, honor? Oh, this is the few. Not for everyone. This is for the proud. This is for the Marines.

Now, the rest of you sissies can stay home and watch Oprah because you're not cut out. You're not one of the few. You're just a housewife. You're just a teacher. You're just a retired person. You just come to church on Sunday, and you sit there, and the few, the proud, the anointed like René and others, and like me, the missionary with the real Italian shirt, not that Goodwill stuff, we do what you can't do. Because, you see, we're the few. We're the chosen. And you're not.

Sometimes that's what culture tends to burn in our hearts. There's a category of special people. And oftentimes, maybe it's our own weakness that allows us to get blinded to what God is doing around us, and therefore we fail to see all the opportunities. We fail to grasp what His great promises are in Scripture for us. And we're simply blinded. We're nearsighted. We're unable to focus.

Speaking of being unable to focus, there's a story about Sherlock Holmes. He was walking in the forest, in the mountains, with his friend Watson, and it was late at night, and they had a little pup tent, and they placed his pup tent down, and they spent the night in that pup tent. During the night, Sherlock is startled, and he awakes, and he touches his buddy Watson right next to him, and he says, "Watson, look straight up and tell me what you see." Now, when you're in the presence of a great sleuth like Sherlock Holmes, you know what he's looking for.

He's not just asking you a question, an immediate response. He wants to figure out what's going on and why you're asking that question. So Watson looks up and he says, "Well, Sherlock, great detective, I see a whole lot of stars up there." Yes. "Well, therefore, I'm thinking that I'm not seeing all the stars that I can see up there." Continue on. "And there's probably a lot more stars up there than I actually can see. Therefore, there's many, many more, many more out there." Keep going. "And therefore, I deduce, Sherlock, that there is life on other planets."

And Sherlock looks at him and says, "Watson, you idiot, someone stole our tent." Now, René said the other service was a lot more attentive than you, and he's right. He said, "That was a secret." He didn't tell me not to say it. We fail to see what's so clear. We fail to see what's so obvious. Let's see if Scripture can help us focalize and sharpen our view of what God wants for us.

There's a passage in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5, and I know that when you probably trusted Jesus as your Savior, someone shared this with you from verse 17. I would imagine that many of you have memorized this verse, which is one of the key verses in Bible about our new life in Jesus as we came to know Him by faith. Now, I want to read this to you, then we're going to look at it from a different angle and see maybe if there's something here that we're missing, that we're not seeing. And maybe we've read it a thousand times and we memorized it, but let's look at it together.

So Paul comes to a conclusion in his fifth chapter, and he tells these Corinthian believers, "Therefore," based on this long discussion, "if anyone is in Christ, he or she is as a new creation. The old is gone. The new has come." All of this wonderful new birth and everything with it, all of this is from God, reconciled us to Himself through Christ and then gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Now, maybe people didn't understand that, so he said, "Well, here it is," that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.

And for the second time, in case somebody was sleeping in the church there at Corinth, he says, and has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Moral of the story, verse 20, we are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. I want you to look with me at one small portion of this verse in verse 17 that says, "If anyone is in Christ," because sometimes when we look at Scripture, we scratch our heads and say, "You ever had that feeling?" What does that say? And we can't understand it.

I would like to read this in a way that Paul did not mean for it to be understood, and by reading it in a way that was not meant to be understood, we're going to understand what he meant. But this is not what Paul said. Let's look at it together. He did not say, "If anyone is interested, he's a new creation." You don't become a new creation by simply being interested. He didn't say, "If anyone is in church, you're a new... My friend, you may be in church this morning, but if you're not in Christ, you're in trouble." There's nothing in church that can make you become a new creation.

He didn't say, "If anyone is inserted as a member, you may be one of the founding members, but if you're not in Christ, you're not a new creation." He didn't say, "If anyone is informed..." You might know the Bible by memory, all the doctrines, all of history, but if you're not in Christ, you're in trouble. He didn't say, "If anyone is infatuated with all of the newness, the great music, the wonderful friendships, the great possibilities, the tri-tip steak and everything else, that's not how you become a new creation. So that's what he didn't mean.

What did he mean? If anyone is in Christ. You see, friends, there's nothing near, in front, by, around. You've got to be in Christ. Now that's the thing here. Let's start with that. Are you in Christ this morning or in church? Christ in you, the hope of glory, Colossians 1. That's where it starts. That's the secret to a protected heart. That's the key to a powerful testimony in Christ. Paul starts right there and says, "If anyone..." Not those few, not the graduated from semis. Anyone. If anyone is in Christ, that person, only that person, is called and is capable of new purposes and new desires.

And then comes to verse 18. And we're going to read that in a way that Paul didn't mean it either. Verse 18. All of this, all of this what? All of this leap from death to life. All of this new eyes, vision that we receive. All of the new dreams. All of the new desires. All of our new calling. All of our new eternal hope. All of this. All of this and more is from what? All of this is from, say it, from your commitment to a 12-step program. 12-step programs are wonderful. They really help people. But that's not how you become a new creation.

You didn't get it by producing something. All of this is from your involvement in a three-hour workshop. Doesn't happen that way. All of this is from your desire to become a better person. And that doesn't happen that way. All of this what? All of the riches of God's grace. And I know that your pastor just terminated a wonderful series on the riches of God's grace and what that means for us in a very practical way. All of this wonder, all these wonderful riches and things that we'll never know about. Ephesians 3:20. Beyond all that we can imagine or think or dream about. All of this and more is from God who gave it to us by His grace.

Now I'm not a great theologian. I'm not a great thinker like your other pastors. I don't have those great thoughts. But I know what I like on TV. I like the wheel of fortune. That's my mind. I'm not a Jeopardy guy because I can't answer those questions. But I can spin the wheel of fortune. Now let's imagine all of this is from God who has the wheel of His grace and it's rigged by His love and it stops on my name. And there is no bankrupt. There's no lose your turn. There's no give up what you earn. You know whatever it is? Every one of those slots have my name on it and it's stopped by God's grace. Those are the riches of His grace given to me and I've been given all of this. All of this. And like they say on TV, but wait, there's more.

Because we think that all of this serves just for later on when we get there. But what about now? January 23rd, 2011, Aptos, California. What about now? Verse 18, all of this and more was given to us by God who reconciled us to Himself and look with this, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 19 again, committed to us the message of reconciliation. Committed. He has given me something to do with His grace. He's given me a way to function as His messenger on this earth by dispersing His wonderful riches of grace in Jesus Christ. How? Verse 20, we are therefore Christ's ambassadors.

Who? The few, those really nice guys like René who's got degrees from seminary or maybe spiritual missionaries or others. No, no, no. It's not for the few, the proud. It's verse 8, 17. It's for the anyone's in Christ. Well, that's me. I'm an anyone. Are you an anyone in Christ? I am. You've been called. You've been given God's wonderful riches, wonderful grace, and also one wonderful thing to do with it. He's committed that message to you. I don't know how it's going to work out in your life in this peace acronym here. I don't know how you're going to dispense these wonderful riches of God's grace, but that's what He does.

Now therefore, verse 20, I am Christ's ambassador. Why? Because I graduated from seminary? No, that's a good thing, but that's not why you're an ambassador. Because I took a course on evangelism? I mean, that's a good thing to take a course on evangelism, but that's not why I'm an ambassador. Why? Because I went on a mission trip and I could afford it and so on and so on. That's a good thing, but that's not why I'm an ambassador. Why am I an ambassador? Verse 20, we are therefore Christ's ambassadors. Because I memorized some verses? No, memorizing verses is good, but that's not why I'm an ambassador. Why? Verse 17, I'm an anyone in Christ.

I have been given new dreams, new hopes, new desires, and when I was that punk, 18-year-old hitchhiking through Europe, and I had no idea where I was going, no desires, no dreams other than to fulfill my own carnal passions, there I was sitting on a ferry boat in the middle of the English Channel, and oh, what a wonderful, wonderful day. Day I shall never forget, August the 8th, 1968, and I can even tell you about what time it was, about four in the afternoon, and I'm sitting on that bench, on that ferry boat, crossing the English Channel from Austin to Dover, and Ingmar Oskarsson, that young Swedish man, came up to me and shared with me the gospel of God's grace, and immediately the fuses, bing, bing, bing, and my soul turned on.

And something wonderful happened to me. No, no, not something wonderful. Someone wonderful became part of my life. That's verse 17. I became in Christ at that moment, freed up to be the man that God wanted me to be. I'm his ambassador for one reason, because Jesus Christ in his grace, in his love, freed me, called me, and now I love him. Mamma Mia, this is the man or the woman that Santa Cruz County is waiting for. Trust me, friends, it's not going to be a new series of sermons that René is going to preach, although it's going to help so many. That's not the person that Santa Cruz really wants.

They're not looking for new music. That person on the verge of suicide today doesn't want new music to sing. He's not even looking for a new church to go to. You know what he's waiting for? And anyone in Christ. That's what he wants. And anyone in Christ who has been changed from the inside out and now has been committed a message to share with others. That's what he's waiting for. That's what he's hoping for. That's the hope of Santa Cruz County. By the way, that's the hope of Naples, Italy. That's the hope of any man, any woman ever born on this earth. They're waiting for anyone in Jesus. And that's me. That's you.

And he doesn't call these powerful professionals. Who does he call? The anyone's in Christ. And of my life, Doug Valenzuela's life is a testimony to one thing. It's that God does not call the powerful. God empowers the called. I'm called. Are you called? Are you called? Three people are called. That's good. I'm so... Don't tell the other service only one was called there and it wasn't even René. But that's all right. We're called. We've been chosen. We're ambassadors. Why? Not because we're perfect. Not because we're educated. Not because we're productive. Verse 17, "Where anyone..." He called me and I served him for one purpose. Because he freed me.

Speaking of freedom and being called. You know, for three consecutive years when I was living in Portland Oregon, going to school. During the summer times, I would work as a Boy Scout chaplain at the base of what was back then Spirit Lake, Washington. There was a mountain there. It was called Mount St. Helens. Remember that? And you know what happened to that mountain, right? But for three years I worked there when Mount St. Helens actually was there. And by the way, I had... People still try to blame that one. I was in Italy when that thing happened. So there's a lot of stuff you can pin on me, but not that.

For three years I worked as a Boy Scout chaplain at the base of Mount St. Helens, Spirit Lake, Washington. And my purpose as a Boy Scout chaplain during the summer months, actually it was nine long weeks of summer camps. The young Boy Scouts would arrive on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, and they would stay all week until Saturday afternoon. And my purpose as a Boy Scout chaplain was to console the ones that were homesick maybe, for the young boy who for the first time was away from home, a little bit scared of the outdoors and so on. And that was one of my purposes, to be a counselor, to be a help.

Now, when you look at me, do you think I have the gift of compassion? Do you really think so? I'm scared of the heck. Go fishing. You know, that's me. That's me. But I was there working as a chaplain. And while I was working there as a chaplain, I also got lonely. You have to understand, there was many weeks you were just there doing this. And I also needed companionship. I also needed consolation. I also needed good comfort. And so there I was, 21 years old, not knowing what to do or how to even find this companionship that was deep in my heart too. Because I was just expending myself for others.

So I decided to do something that many people say it was not a good thing to do. And I'm going to let you decide that because I actually did it. And I'm going to confess to you that I did it. I was 21 years old. I was, I guess I just needed companionship. I don't know. That's not a wrong thing, is it? And so what I did on, when the last young boy scout left the camp on that Saturday afternoon, I got into my little Volkswagen bug and I went all the way down to Portland, Oregon, following the Tootle River, which ends up at Kelso, and then all the way down to Portland.

I didn't have a lot of time and I didn't have a lot of money. And I'm going to let you decide it because I needed companionship. And I'm going to confess you know what I did. I went to the Portland dog pen and I bought this little dog here. Wait a minute. What were you thinking? I bought this little dog. I don't know why I bought this dog, but I did. I put down $7.50 that I had to borrow from somebody because I didn't even have that amount of money. And I went there and on an impulse, you ever got an impulse buying? That's a bad thing. I go there and I end up with a dog under my arm.

I've never owned a dog in my life before. I see this little dog. You can see what kind of dog that is. That is a part purebred dog. And I took Amos. When I bought the dog, I placed him under my arms. I walk out of the Portland, Oregon dog pound. Remember folks, I really wasn't planning on this. And then now I'm looking at a dog. And I don't know what to do. So I placed Amos down on the ground when we got outside and I started walking towards my car. And I said, he was right there. I said, let's go Amos. And you know what he started doing? From that moment on in his life, he started following me.

And from that second on, this little dog never, ever, never once, never, ever, one, not even ever, single, never, ever had a leash on him. Let me see my notes. Ever. He just followed me. He was a funny dog. He had lots of friends. People, people loved him. He was just a good person like a dog. He accompanied my, we got married in 1977. I got appointed with our mission in 1977. We toured all of the different churches with Amos in 1977. We left for Italy with Amos and we moved to Italy with him. Way back then, and he was there for our first term for four years.

And my little dog, I mean, he was so smart. Amos learned even how to bark in Italian. Isn't that amazing? So why are you laughing if you don't know how dogs bark in Italian? I'll tell you how they bark in Italian. You know how dogs bark in Italian? They're different from Americans. Americans bark bow-wowly. Italian dogs bark, hey, bow-wow. And my dog barked in Italian. He stayed there with us, and he came back. And then he went again in 1983 with us. My dog was accumulating air miles.

But aside from all of his little quirks and his funny ways, Amos had one singular passion. I mean, he was consumed by this. It was almost his whole reason for being. And in fact, he really didn't have another purpose other than this. You know what his number one passion, desire, dream, his number one consummating desire in his heart, you know what it was? Check it out. Tell me what you think it was. You know what it was? If you can't see him, there he is right there. Don't say fishing. You know what it was. Can I be with you? That's all I want. And he was always with me.

And did I tell you that he never had a leash? Did I tell you that was at the other group? Okay. He never had a leash. Ever. Not once. Never had to be chained. Never. Just follow me. When we were in Italy now, it's 1985. And my little dog was 15 years old. And all during those 15 years, he never had a leash. I told you that. But now he's blind and he can barely hear. We park our car in a place, not by our home, because we don't have a place to park it. If you park it down from your house the morning, it won't be there. So in Italy, we park our car in a parking car garage, and then I walk back.

And so every night I would do that. I would buzz my wife and she'd have Amos come down the steps without a leash, by the way. And I would drive to the parking garage, and I would place the car there, and Amos and I would walk home. And that's what we would do. And on this particular night, it was dark, and it was no one's fault. You can barely see the little dog anyway, and there's no lights in our area, and it's difficult to see. And we're walking, and this little dog either sniffs me or knows it. He's walking with me, no leash. And a car turns the corner, and he didn't see him. And it's no one's fault.

And the front wheels and the back wheels, both of them, right in front of my eyes, I lose my little companion that I've had for 15 years. 15 years in dog years. I don't even...that's like 197 years or something. I don't even know, but I lost my friend. And then I started thinking, sometime afterwards, that Amos was not only gone, but his reminders in my heart were still burning. And I remembered that my little Amos never barked at people. He'd have never barked at...even if he'd seen you for the first time. He just didn't bark at humans. That was another thing he never did, ever.

He never barked at people. But he did bark at other dogs, at certain dogs. You know that lady with the high heels like this, Miss Chanel No. 5 with her little poodle walking down the street like this? My little dog would bark at her little Chanel No. 5 dog. And then I figured out what it meant. Amos would say, "Check it out, no leash." That's what he was saying. Or big Tex, you know, with his German Shepherd half, German Shepherd half elephant. You know this dog? They have names like Thor and he's... And Amos. [barking] I got no leash. I'm free. And he'd bark at all these dogs with their leashes. [barking] I got a great master, he would tell them.

[barking] And when he came into the dog pound, he freed me. And look at this. I love him with all my heart, because he freed me. Do you got a master like I do? [barking] He would tell them. Other dogs pull on their chains and stuff like that. And little Amos. [barking] My master came into my dog pound, and he didn't have a lot of time, and he didn't have a lot of money. [barking] He placed it all down. And when he brought me out, he lifted me up. Then he placed me on the ground. And he said, [barking] Amos, you're free. And I've been following him ever since. [barking] Do you have a master like I do, he would tell them? Is your master like mine? He freed me.

I had one more day, and they were going to put me down. And he didn't have to, because there were so many other dogs. Beautiful dogs. Big dogs. Fluffy dogs. Pretty dogs. And you know what he did? [barking] He chose me. And he would tell them. [barking] If any dogs in Doug, he's got it made, he's a new creation. The old is gone. The new has come. And he was my little ambassador. That's what he was. [sniffing] Do you remember what it smelled like in the dog? Do you remember that dog pound we were in? Do you remember that? Oh, wasn't that horrible? You haven't forgotten how it smelled. Did you remember that, right? When the old was real, and the smell of death was evident. You remember that, don't you?

Then he comes in. And he opens up the cage. All paid for. It's done. It's all paid for. And he picked us up, and he says, "You're free. You're free." And we've been free since Jesus came into our dog pound. Opened up that cage and said, "Goes, they're mine now." I'm an ambassador for one reason. He freed me. And I tell people, I bark in another language. You bark in English. I do it in a dog. [barking] Do you have a master like I do? Do you know him like I know him? He's the greatest. You're an ambassador. I'm not asking you to go to Italy. It'd be great to see you there. There's a million and one other ways to do it here.

Tables galore out there, although ours is the only one that we give out free lotto tickets. But there's a ton of tables out there. There's ways to serve Jesus. Not because of guilt. Not because of compassion. Not because of the few. Not because of the proud. Because of this. My heart's been set free. He released me. And he says, "You're free. I want to follow you. You're in Christ. You are His ambassador." Now, after this service, you go out wherever you live and you give them heaven, okay?

Lord, thank you because you're a good God. You give us great things. Jesus is our Savior. Thank you for making the effort to come into our dog pound, to come into our cage, to look at our soul and say, "Free him! Free him up!" And now we are. Not for good works. Not for anything we've done. Because now we are in anyone in Christ. What a calling. What a hope. Santa Cruz is in for a great surprise as they see these wonderful men and women who have been released by your power to become a man or a woman of great change. Knowing that though the leash has been cut off, we're now free to follow you, not bound by sin any longer.

We'll go back to Italy. Santa Cruz will have these great jewels, these ambassadors, men and women who remember the stench of that dog pound and remember the touch of the master and said, "I'll have that one." We thank you. We love you. Can't wait to see what's going to happen. We love you. You're a great master. We thank you with all of our hearts for our salvation. In Jesus' wonderful name, amen.