Three Graduates, One Heart: Stepping Into God's More
What happens when three first-time preachers take the stage with messages that perfectly complement each other? Magic. Pure, Holy Spirit-led magic.
This past Sunday at Courageous Church, we witnessed something extraordinary as our Leadership Night School graduates Mason, Ashley, and Ethan delivered their inaugural sermons, wrapping up our "Heart of Jesus" summer series with messages that will resonate long after the final "amen."
The Invitation to Step Out
Mason kicked things off with a story that perfectly captured his adventurous spirit – driving four hours to Jacksonville at 3 AM for Whataburger honey butter chicken biscuits. But his real adventure began when he connected this tale to Peter's bold step onto the water in Matthew 14. "What invitation is Jesus giving you right now?" Mason challenged us, reminding us that Jesus doesn't ask for perfection, just our willingness to say yes.
The power in Mason's message wasn't just in the biblical story, but in his personal testimony. Two years ago, he wouldn't have imagined preaching, yet there he stood because he and his wife Kate accepted an invitation to step out of their comfort zone and plant a church. Their prayer life, marriage, generosity – everything transformed because they said yes to Jesus's invitation.
The Heart That Seeks
Ashley followed with a message that hit every parent in the room. Her story of frantically searching for her daughter Lily's lost "lambies" – those precious stuffed animals found tucked away in a kitchen cabinet – painted a beautiful picture of how far we'll go for what we treasure. But more importantly, it revealed Jesus's heart for the lost.
Drawing from Luke 15 and the woman who lost one coin, Ashley showed us that seeking isn't passive for Jesus – it's active pursuit. He didn't take the easy route around Samaria; He went straight through it to reach a woman society had written off. "Jesus goes, meets, and reveals," Ashley explained, challenging us to consider who we might be avoiding that Jesus wants us to seek.
Freedom Through Forgiveness
Ethan closed with perhaps the most convicting message of the day. His story of ignoring medical bills until they threatened his ability to buy a home became a powerful metaphor for the debt Jesus handled on the cross. But the real breakthrough came when Ethan shared his personal journey of forgiving someone who had wronged him as a child.
The room fell silent as people stood to their feet, accepting Ethan's invitation to release the debts others owed them. "On the other side of forgiveness, there's freedom," he declared, and you could feel chains breaking throughout the sanctuary.
The DNA of Raising the Next
What made this service even more special was watching our church's DNA of "raise the next" in action. These weren't just sermons; they were demonstrations of what happens when a church invests in developing people. Twenty-three individuals went through our 10-month Leadership Night School program, experiencing heart transformation and character development.
As we transition from summer into fall, these messages leave us with clear action steps: accept Jesus's invitations, actively seek those He's calling us to reach, and walk in the freedom that comes through forgiveness. Because when we say yes to stepping out, going after the lost, and releasing others, we discover that God has so much more waiting for us than we ever imagined.