He is now recognised by the South African Department of Justice as a viable option to Pollsmoor Prison, so that if people commit crimes, and we're going to send them to Pollsmoor Prison, instead of sending them to prison, they can have the option of going with him. If they complete his program, it counts as their prison time; but if they do not, they go to prison - so far 100 percent success rate!
When you hear that, don't you go: YES! Go Brandon! When people unbury their talent, it's so moving.
All of us know the famous ones like Heidi Baker, and taking care of orphans in Mozambique. You look at these stories, these incredible stories: Mother Theresa, what she did for lepers. This lady, she's going to shave her head for lepers. If a woman's willing to shave her head for lepers, give her $10 - flip! There are several hundred of us here. Why couldn't she raise $3,000 for lepers today? She's shaving her head, for lepers, and we're going to go: oh, well good you. I mean what! No! Come on. Unbury - you mean you'll miss $10? Come on, no!
We hear stories like this, and something in us goes: YES! And my question to you is: why not you? What does your refrigerator look like? What could you do? Where have you sat on your laurels; and the truth is, there are a lot of great people who don't do anything for anybody else, and it's not because they're not good people. It's because they don't intentionally set out to do it.
You're not going to wake up in the morning, and accidentally do this. You have to wake up in the morning with full intention to make someone else's life better.
Here's my question: whose life is better, in the last 30 days, because you were in it? If you can't think of anybody - and right now, if you're a narcissist, you're thinking: well my wife's life is better, because I'm in it! No, that's not what I'm talking about. She would likely disagree with that. I'm talking about outside of your family, outside of your four walls - whose life is better because you're in it?
All of us would know that Jesus honours this sort of behaviour, but how many of us are actually doing it; and it's not because we're bad people, it's because we think it's going to happen accidentally.
It will not happen accidentally. You have to, with intention and focus, unbury your talent. Bay City Outreach Centre is one of the greatest churches I go to in the whole world, and I've travelled the lot of it, okay. You have an incredible opportunity, but Bay City Outreach Centre cannot keep on existing, with people burying their talent.
There's so much talent in this room that God has given this place. God has entrusted this place to be a part of the redemption process of the whole city. What are you doing sitting on the fence? What are your options?
Well, I need - I can't miss NCIS. Are you kidding me? Get a DVR, watch it without commercials later. It's better that way anyway, plus it comes out in America first. Let me ruin it for you. Gibbs gets the bad guy! He's amazing!
Bay City Outreach Centre is going through transition as an organisation. Now, more than ever, it needs its people to stand up and unite, and unbury their talent, and say: let's go do what God asked us to do in this city!
Let's establish: may we never be people waiting to go to heaven someday; but may we be people determined to bring heaven to every place we see hell on this earth!
The quality of what you're living for is only determined by what you're willing to die for.
What does your life revolve around - temporary pleasure; or God's redemptive will for all of creation?
What's the last thing that made you angry enough to get your shovel out, and unbury your talent? Or maybe a better question would be: what's the last thing that just made you angry, period?
You know what I find, is that Kyla Alexander doesn't get angry over road works. I know, I know, that they're still fixing the same road. I know. I've been coming here seven years; they're still fixing the same exact road. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, Nigeria has changed empires seven times; New Zealand is still fixing the same flippin' road. I know, I know, it's so annoying. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable.