Andy Mason (00:00.728)
Hey, do you want to be a part of what God is doing in the earth right now? It's easier than you think. I'm bumping into people all the time, and there's talkers and there's doers, and there's so many more like you and I that want to do something but don't know how. Well, I'm gonna tell you some stories, I'm gonna give some practical keys, and really it is truly easier than you think. Bottom line up front, meet somebody, pray with them. secondly, you can meet
Ask them their story, what's the biggest challenge, what they facing, and pray with them together and then meet again. Number three, tell stories and repeat them of what you are seeing God do. Teddy Roosevelt in 1916, this is a quote from a speech that he said, it is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or whether the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who
Who at best knows the end of the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. You get to choose as long as I get to choose whether we're gonna be part.
Of those that do something or those that talk about those that are doing something. I want to encourage you to do something. I've got an invitation to you, pastors listening to this, is we want to help you and we need your help. There are so many people, and your greatest missionaries are actually sitting on your pews right now, just waiting to be activated. Let me come back a story. There's two stories, and I just want to encourage you in this. Firstly, how surprising easy this is.
Andy Mason (02:19.08)
We've got a lady that we know. We've just met her local church. She's a local businesswoman in sales at a furniture shop. And I got to connect with her a couple of weeks back, and she knew that she had a sale coming in, a potential sale of about 26,000 to happen on that day. So I just prayed with her, confident, grace of God, and then spontaneously, and God, I ask that you wouldn't just do enough.
But you would do more, that you'd send someone alongside this that would be a sale and more sales, that you'd give her favor and unusual advantage. I prayed that blessing on her as I was inspired by the Lord. Well, I know she was surprised. I was surprised that day the expected sale happened, but a spontaneous person walks in and a second sale of $6,000 came in. Now that's a great day.
Well, if that just happened once, it would be awesome. But here's the crazy thing. Yesterday I bumped into her again and she's had the quietest week ever. So I just stopped, paused, remembered the testimony of the previous week and just prayed again, God, that you send in somebody today. Well, here's what we just heard. There's a ten thousand dollar sale of furniture yesterday. What's the point?
It's not me, it's not me. The grace of God that represents God's character, not mine. My obedience, that's a reflection of my character to do something, to say, Hey, I'm with you, and I'm gonna pray the favor of God because I know even Jesus says of myself I can do nothing. But there's something about also remembering the testimony and repeating it again. My friend Chris, he's a farmer from up north of here in Illinois.
And he farms corn. This is actually one of the corn cobs from a season just gone. And he heard the stories of people walking through their orchards and praying over apples, praying over pizza, and seeing God just do amazing things with the power, the simple power of prayer. Of myself, I can do nothing, but with God, there's nothing I cannot do. And so he started to walk through the fields and pray over his crops of corn. Well, he's a fourth generation.
Andy Mason (04:39.214)
grower and they go in and they harvest or they scout the corn before they send in the harvesters to to harvest it, the combine harvesters. And he scouts it and he finds literally this is one of them. And he counts the rows and the amount of kernels. So they know how big is this in the four generations of farming corn, they've only ever got 14 to 16 rows of corn. This year, 20
Now that's a good year. What's the difference? Same fertilizer, same sprays, same production, same everything else except prayer. What's the point? Number one, you can pray with people. Five real simple words. How can I pray? May I pray for you? It's maybe six words. And I can't even get that thing right. But I'd rather be the dusty one in the arena doing something and getting it wrong than the critics on the side.
Writing the posts, putting out the YouTube clips, criticizing those that are doing something. So I encourage you to get in and do something. Here's another thing. We just got a survey, or actually came across a data survey done by Barna Group with Faith-Driven Entrepreneur. It was done last year, and they found that for pastors, for leaders of people that are to engage everywhere. Nine out of ten pastors.
So that's your pastor. That's you if you're the pastor listening to us. Nine out of ten pastors feel a responsibility and call to equip those in their pews with purpose and destiny and what they're called to do. I feel a responsibility to equip the business people to engage in the community where they are sent and called, to equip them in their gifting. Four, only four out of ten actually know how. That's a massive gap.
It's compounded by the fact that only one in five business people actually would even consider going to their pastor for advice and import and help on vocation and calling and destiny. This is crazy. Well, that's exacerbated even more in that business people in their place of work are trusted nine times more than politicians and two times more than pastors to be a person and a voice of influence. What's the point? You pastors?
Andy Mason (07:04.182)
Your greatest untapped missionaries are sitting in your pews right now. If you can help you to actually activate them, I want to tell you how. Secondly, you business people, you're sitting there wondering, somebody else do this. No, it's you. You have more trust, more influence, more favor than you realize. So practically, what do I do? Number one, pray. Just find somebody else. Pray and just see what God will do.
Jesus himself, of myself I can do nothing, but with God nothing is impossible. Pray and keep on praying. Ask and keep on asking. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. What does this kingdom look like? Psalm 103. Forget not the benefits. Bless the Lord with all that I am, my hands, my gifting, my talent, all that I am, and forget not the benefits.
He forgives my iniquity. He removes shame. He heals all my diseases, every single one. He redeems my life from destruction, from cash flow problems, from absence of sales. He redeems my life from poor situations. He crowns me with loving kindness and tender mercies so that my youth is renewed like the eagle. What does that mean? That means that I'm the happiest employee on the workforce.
Because God is with me and He's taken even my bad moments and turned them into good. That's Ephesians. It's really good. He is better than we think. What if we started to pray and believe like it? So, number one, just grab somebody else that you know that you already walk in relationship with. Maybe that's your neighbor, the person sitting beside you. Maybe it's the person sitting beside you as you're listening to this right now. And pray, how can I pray for you? How can I
Can I pray for you? It's six words, people. It's six words, Andy. Let's go. How can I pray for you? Number two, pastors, this will change your world. You're wondering how do I equip these business people? Here's the quick answer. You don't have to. They just need encouragement and clarity. Clarity for what's next and the courage to do it. How do you do that? Just ask Holy Spirit, which business person should I meet with this week?
Andy Mason (09:24.087)
Of all the ones that are in your congregation right now, you business person, who could you meet with this week and just meet with them and ask them these simple questions? Hey, tell me what's your greatest challenge? Hey, by the way, don't get them you to come to you. You go to them in their place of work and ask them, what's your greatest challenge? What are you facing? tell me about your life. Tell me your story of how'd you get to be doing this? But what's the challenges or opportunities that you are facing right now?
And then those simple six questions. How can I pray for you? Simple six words. That is one question. How can I pray for you? And then pray for them on the spot. Not not when I leave, but let's do this right now. Now, if there's people all around, just keep your eyes open. Talk, it's communication. I pray favor over you. I pray the psalm 20, favor of you over you, that God would answer you in the day of your trouble.
He'd send help from his sanctuary. He fulfilled your purpose. He'll answer every desire. He caused you to be even in the middle of your enemies. God would prepare a banqueting table for you. That's Psalm 23. That even though a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, no plague, no evil, no harm would come against you. That's Psalm 91.
But God would lift you up that your foot would not strike a stone. That though you fall, though you fall, you won't be cast down because God would uphold you. And God, I pray that you'd bless them. He's just you can do this. So, number one, pray together. Number two, meet with them, ask them what their challenges and opportunities are, pray with them and do not leave that meeting until you gain agreement. When are we going to meet again? How about we we put a time in the calendar, four weeks from now, do this again? Has this been helpful?
What if I brought another business person with me and the three of us meet and pray for one another? And here what's happening? Number three, real simple, ask one another, what are you seeing God do? I just told you two stories. One, a favor and furniture sales. Two, corn. Like that just was a production or a harvest that was way more than four generations of growers. You can do the same. Finally,
Andy Mason (11:43.928)
I encourage you, join us in Dallas. If this is provoking you and inviting you into increase, I agree that's what this is about. Do not be the one in the stands shouting at the one in the arena that's dirty, that's musty, that's dry. Jump in the arena and if nothing else, cheer them on. Let's go. So, Dallas at the end of August, meet us there. Two, if you've got a pastor and you know
Hey, how could we help that pastor? We're developing a toolkit from what we've learned over 15 years being a self-funded business pastor. How do we do that? What do we learn? What were the results that turned the city in their own words? The city said, My board, the president of the Economic Development Corporation says, there was previously only animosity towards that church, and now there's only admiration. How did that happen?
What do we do? How do we engage? It's easier than you think. So if you've got a pastor that would want to know more about this, get in touch with us. We're gonna have resources. And by the way, if you're gonna come to the conference, bring your pastor and we will pay for the pastor. And pastor, if you want to bring your business people, we'll pay for the pastor. What's the point? The pastor comes and gets paid for, and then we're gonna have a special side session.
To meet with you to get your discernment about what God is doing and to help one another equip, train, activate, and deploy our greatest untapped missionaries, the business community. So I bless you. What were those things? Number one, find someone to pray for, encourage them, and let's see what God will do. Number two, meet with someone, ask them their story, what their challenge is, what their opportunities are, and pray together and do not leave until you make make an appointment for the next time you meet.
Number three, share stories of what God is doing rather than getting hung up over what is not happening. Number four, meet us in Dallas, bring your pastor, send your business people, and let's see what God will do.
