Damaged But Not Broken

Things ahead of you will require knowledge learned from your past experiences.  If your life is shaking and shifting right now, discover how God could be using these experiences to rebuild your foundation and redig your wells so that you can be used to rebuild someone else’s!  Through Gil’s personal sharing about following God here at The Father’s House, be encouraged and empowered to keep going through it all. On the other side of your wilderness season is fresh vision, purpose, and your destiny to fulfill!

📖 Scripture References:
Isaiah 58:12, Genesis 26:18

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hey, this is Pastor Gill from the Father's House TC in Jensen Beach, Florida, and we welcome you to our weekly podcast. Thank you for joining us today for the relevant messages and genuine conversations. We hope dreams and God's promises for you are awakened and restored. Be inspired, be challenged, and be reminded that God is not done with your story and he has more for you than you can think or imagine. Enjoy the message. Good morning. This is a day that the Lord has brought us back to really the beginning of a new life. We've been talking a lot about how to hear from God and how to get your life right with God and how to bring your bring your life where it needs to be. And so as I was thinking about those things this morning, the Lord brought me back to, he asked me a question. He says, So why did you move to Florida? Why did you come back? And I said, Well, we said, and thought that you brought us back to Florida to rebuild the ancient ruins on the ancient foundations and redig the wells that were dug here in the past. So I got to thinking about the foundations that God had allowed Pastor Tom to build upon or build in in this area. And I'm talking about Martin and St. Lucie Counties. I'm talking about the foundations that this man of God laid in this area. And then the wells that were dug in in prayer and reaching lives, the wells that were dug in this area. And Liz and I were called back to rebuild those ancient foundations, rebuild on the ancient foundations and redig the wells. So we think about foundations as buildings or places and things. And the Lord is saying to me, he says, Well, yeah, that's all great and fine, but the foundations are the people that were left here. There was a work that began in Martin and St. Lucie County that far exceeded any work in its time in this area. Pastor Tom, he was doing what God had called him to do. And the foundations that were built were in the people that God brought him. Those foundations, as we find out as we walk through our time back in Florida, being obedient to God, coming back and wanting to rebuild on those ancient foundations, we have really sought long and hard on how are we going to build on these foundations. And when I think of foundations that were ruined or or damaged, I think of a jagged, busted-up concrete foundation that in this first glance is not even built upon them. You can't even build upon it. I do a little remodeling and I dabble in building and stuff. And so when I think about that, I'm like, wow, that's that's really tough. And when you think of an old foundation, you're thinking, wow, is that really going to support the weight or the remodel that needs to be done? And God says, I'm rest assured that it will. As I was thinking about the times of ministry with Pastor Tom and him building in this area and in Port St. Lucie, I'm thinking about the people. And, you know, those type of people, there are many of them today that are wandering and that have been disillusioned by the church. There are many that don't go to church. There are many that that when spoken to can remember the times of services when they were in Pastor Tom's church. They were good times. They were times the people says I grew in the Lord. I I was able to rebuild my life. I was able to get revelation. I saw signs and miracles and and things were moving in my life. And then my life crumbled. And I was thinking about the times that Pastor Tom was in ministry and towards the latter part of his ministry, he had great vision for this area and for the church and for moving forward and growth. But there were people around him that were naysayers. There were people around him that didn't believe in his vision and did not stand behind him in his vision, and in fact tried to steal his vision and supersede it with their vision. And I remember the fight that Pastor Tom was in, and it wasn't just one fight, and it wasn't two fights. It was constant. There was always a battle to achieve the vision that God had given him. And the sad part is, and I'm sitting here today, and the sad part is this is that very, very, very few people stood behind him. Very few people said, you know what, I'm going to help you accomplish your vision. Very few people saw the need of doing that because what that really meant was I don't care about the foundation that was laid in other people's lives. Most people were thinking about themselves and their vision and what they were going to do. And you know, today I say this with kit gloves, but today, those people that did not support and did not stand behind the vision of Pastor Tom and his ministry, which ultimately was God's vision for this area, those people are wandering today. Oh, yeah, they might be in a church, but they're not where they should be. They're not where God planted them. They're missing something in their lives. Their foundation is damaged. And so I got to thinking again this morning as I was thinking about this, I'm going, but you called Liz and I to Florida to rebuild on the ancient foundations and redig the wells. How is that possible? Because as builders, as remodelers, and as pastors and teachers of the word, that's a daunting task for just two people. And I got to thinking, well, Lord, you've got people out there that have the same vision and the same calling, and they have a same desire to see the people that were hurt restored, rebuilt, and brought to a place where they are fruitful again. You have a plan for this area. And yeah, there are some really good churches in this area. I'm not talking about those churches. I'm not talking about their ministry. I'm not talking about their mission. And I'm also not talking about their territory. I'm talking about the ancient foundations that were laid in Martin and St. Lucie County by Pastor Tom and their calling and their mission. You know, Pastor Tom was a person who re who believed in revival. He believed that the revival was coming. And for a short time in his church, there was revival. We had services every single day of the week and sometimes two and three times a day. And we saw signs and miracles take place. We saw people healed and delivered. We saw people that got revelation of the word of God that just blew their minds. It was on the same level as the one who was blind and Jesus touched and healed them and they could see. It was that level of miracles of revelation that took place in the body. And those days are not over. Those days are still coming. God wants to manifest those times, but there is a certain type of person out there whose foundation has been destroyed or wounded or torn up or faulty at this point. And God revealed to me that is why we're here. It's of no consequence that my wife and I are in the remodeling business. We take what is broken down, torn up, and defunct and make it new. We change the lives of people by what we do. And God's calling a people today to reach, to reach into people's lives, reach down to their foundation and rebuild it. And my wife is more of a teacher. She loves to dissect the word. She spends hours reading and dissecting the word. And it just blows me away sometimes. In my gifting, I just like to sit and listen to the Lord. I like to sit and listen to what He has for me. Where am I going? What am I doing today, Lord? Who am I reaching? Who am I touching? What is it that you want me to do? And my heart is for people, and I reach out to Him. But you know, there's a difference between my wife's calling and my calling. My wife sees things black and white. She sees things that are line upon line, precept upon precept. And the way I am, I see I see people who need grace and love and encouragement and so forth. And I'm not saying my wife can't do that. She's very administrative, where I'm more fly by the sea of my pants and move into the uh the realm of see if I can help someone. And as I pondered this, I'm thinking, no wonder there is friction at times in our lives, because we are constantly trying to operate in our gifting and not really understanding the gifting of our partners. As I was reading over this book, there's a question here. He says, what would you say is the most important secret to developing world-class leaders? And he says, it's not a course, it's not a program. He says the best way to develop leaders is to take people out of their safe environments and away from the people they know and throw them into new arenas that they know little about, that is way over their heads, and preferably, in fact, the most demanding in their challenge, and the more pressure and risk they face, the more likely a dynamic leader will emerge. So, what God is showing me through this time that we are in right now, and I talked to a lot of people during the week, there are a lot of people who are struggling. There are a lot of people who are slow in business, there are a lot of people who are disillusioned by life right now. They're going through a very tough time. And likewise, my wife and I, we've been on a very long soul-searching trip ourselves as far as what exactly are you saying to us, Lord? What are we to do? Where are we to go? How are we going to do this thing called rebuilding the ancient foundations and redigging the wells? How are we going to do that? And Lord was telling us that during your journey that you're on, he says, I am teaching you all kinds of things that you will use in the future. There are people that I put in your path that may seem to be the hardest person in the world to get to know or get to work with or use or whatever, however you want to pin it, okay? Those people are teaching you things that you need to know. And so I said, so that's why we're in this season. Because it would seem like our foundation needs to be rebuilt. Our wells need to be redug. And the Lord says, You're right, that's exactly the season you're in. And the reason why is because you can't rebuild someone else's foundation and redig the wells that were in their lives without knowing how to handle the shovel and the trowel, without knowing how to frame up the structure. So I can apply that because of the business that I'm in, because of the foreknowledge of construction and the foreknowledge of machine work and the foreknowledge of underground work. There are a lot of things that go before us that are well, let me put it this way, there are things ahead of us that require a little bit of knowledge. Now, in our past, in our past ministry life, we have been through multiple challenges, if you will. Multiple challenges. Not only in the time we spent serving under Pastor Tom's ministry, but also when we were serving and met and pastoring our own church in Tennessee, there were many challenging times that we had faced. A lot of things that we learned. We kind of jokingly said, yeah, this is our wilderness walk. And not knowing the actual truth to that is, yes, it is our wilderness walk. And we are coming out of that wilderness. We are coming out. Why? Because we have a vision now. We have a destiny before us, we have a purpose set before us. And so today, our discussion is how do we reach these people? How do we reach those whose foundations have been damaged? How do we reach those people whose wells seem to be dried up? How do we reach them? And so we don't know all the answers to all those questions. We do know that we have to invite people. We do know that we have an open door here at the Father's House. Father's House is a community of believers. Interestingly, in both of our lives, we do not want a church setting. We do not want the traditional church at this time, and I'll just say it for myself, the thought of a traditional Western church, American church, is repulsive to me in many ways. I'm not saying it's bad. Don't take it wrong. It's not bad. It's just not my assignment. It's not our assignment. It's not what God's called us to do. We're in the restoration business. And God says to restore those ancient foundations. So I'm speaking to you today, and if you're hearing this podcast, if you're hearing our voice, and you're saying, yeah, church life sucks. I really could care less if I go back to church. I understand. There are many times in the past that my wife and I were like, I don't feel like going to church today. We're just gonna sit back and watch TV. We'll pray and then we'll just move on with our day. And we're not proud of that, but it's where we were at. It's it's life. It's being in the wilderness. You know, we're not sitting here cursing the Holy Spirit and telling God to take a long walk off a short pier. We're just saying we're tired. We were at the place where we're just like, I don't care. But the problem is if you were to say that to someone in the American Church today, they would say, Oh, you're a you're a sinner and you're going to hell. Well, no, that's not the case. Because God's right there alongside you. He hasn't moved, he's walking with you, and all he's waiting for is for you to ask him for help. So, what is our mission here at the Father's house? To stand alongside of you, to walk with you, and to help you when you ask, and to point you towards Jesus, so that your walk with him and your ancient foundations and your wells are redug. Because in the end, you and I are winners. And the kingdom that we're to produce and to rebuild is waiting for us. So there is a time and a season to sit, and there's a time and a season to stand. And that time to stand is coming. That time to get up and move is coming. If you don't move, you will never accomplish what God has called you to do. It doesn't matter where you're at today, doesn't matter what you've been doing, doesn't matter what you think right this second. But if there's something in you that's saying, yes, I need to have my foundation rebuilt, yes, I need some encouragement, yes, I need to hear truth. Not some inflated little um program, I need to hear truth. I need to hear the words where the rubber meets the road. I need that. If that's you, we welcome you to come to the Father's house. We welcome you to join us. There is no perfect place, but there is a perfect place for you. And so this morning, if you're out there, you're listening to this, you're in Martin St. Lucie counties, or you're close by, maybe you're in Okachobe County, wherever you are, we're here for you. You can find us on uh Facebook and you can find us on the website. I just encourage you to give us a call or stop by on Sunday mornings. We have a gathering, we have a fellowship here, and so I want to encourage you today, join us, call us. If you need prayer, definitely call us. We're here for you. We love you. Amen. God bless y'all. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, be sure to subscribe. Click the share button, and take a screenshot and share it on your social media pages. Tag us at the Father's House TC and visit us at tfhtc.org for more information. God bless you.