This is the Truth Network. This is the Truth Network. I'm sitting at coffee with a man who ministers at nursing homes, who ministers under the bridge. He is Pastor Jeff Johnson. He is a member of the Global Methodist Church.
He used to be a member of the other one. But God has works and revival is happening. Pastor Johnson, how do you describe all this, man? You're showing me these pictures. It is absolute mood.
The Global Methodist Church is exploding all over the world. It is a fresh movement of the Methodist. Dating all the way back to John Wesley, and I am a presiding elder in Greensboro, and it is amazing what God's doing. And you're out leading people to Christ, you're having baptisms, you're inviting people, you have people from Ghana, people from the Philippines. Coming to your church, how do you describe that?
I mean, I thought the church should just look like just one ethnicity of people. What are you doing having all these other folks in? I wouldn't really say Philippines, but we've had quite a bit from other countries and it is becoming more of a global church. But God draws people. God draws people.
And for a lot of the ethnic people, it is an absolute joy and privilege when they want you to be their pastor. And The Methodist, when we reclaim what John Wesley said the most important task of a Methodist pastor. is the salvation of souls. Mm. Wow, we're in Green Joe's Coffee in Greensboro, one of my favorite little stops here.
Pastor Jeff Johnson, your church is right up the street. You've been through a lot. Talk about the importance of growing Moving your congregation closer to Christ, even in tough times. Even when people are out there saying, Man, the church has let me down, the church is. There's no good churches anymore.
What do you say to those folks? If you're looking for a perfect church, you'll never find it. To me, it is an absolute miracle that every single Sunday that we can come together with three different services that we all can get along. the way we do. Our church is my is not political, our church is biblical, and we try to stick to the teachings of Jesus.
And when we do that, it's amazing how God grows the church. You're doing stuff with Samaritans Purse, you're doing stuff, you're on your way to go over to Asia on a church yell plan over there. Pastor Jeff, you also love working with other churches. You're meeting with pastors all the time. They're asking you what you're doing.
You're asking them what they're doing. Why is it important that we pull together, the good guys pull together, that really believe the Bible in these last times when there's a whole world out there that needs Jesus? Satan does not want strong evangelical leaders together. He wants to keep us separated. We need each other.
We're going to spend eternity with each other, and we're all through the common cause. I believe, and I've always said this over and over and over, America is only as strong as our churches. What would you say? Stimulated or challenged you, sparked your fire and your love for Jesus and the ministry? What really early on in your life.
got you going in this direction now that you're doing what you're doing today. To me, it all starts with a call. And in 1989, I went on a mission trip to Quito, Ecuador with Winget College down Winget University, and it changed my life. And when I think about the things that I'm doing right now, And the things that we're involved in, from recovery ministries to just reaching people and blessing people all over Greensboro. To me, it all goes back to a call.
God called me to do all this, and all I am is asking Him to let me be His hands and feet and emoting people to live for the Lord. What do you challenge people out there about plugging into a church, getting in discipleship, getting in relationship, going on missions trips? What do you say to someone out there that's just kind of been sitting around? Maybe they're listening to Christian radio, just kind of checking it out. Maybe they're spectator Americans, Christians, and not really involved.
I believe. All over the country. In especially North Carolina, and I live in Greensboro, that there are thousands of people. that used to go to the United Methodist Church. that are now sitting at home.
I want to encourage you. to go to a global Methodist church. And remember that the Methodists were started out of a revival movement. And I want to think that the global church, if I had one word to describe it, is holiness. He calls us to be holy.
We want to be A denomination focused on reaching people for Jesus Christ. I want you to re-engage in the game. Quit sitting on the sidelines, be used by God. You are not gonna fulfill your purpose on earth. by not being involved in a local church.
Every believer has a spiritual gift. How are you using that gift? How are you helping others use their gifts? How are you cultivating that? Or are you neglecting the gift God's put in you?
Dr. Jeff Johnson, adjunct professor at the Christian University at Liberty. You're doing a lot of missions. What's it like going to the bridge? Under the bridge, the down and outers.
I mean, how do you even have time for that? You're supposed to be preaching the word every week and you're doing that, but I mean, how do you squeeze that in, and why is that important? You know, to me, ministry is all about people. It's not about programs. It's about people.
Jesus died for people. He did not die for church programs, he died for people. And we know That when we serve those That are forgotten. Those who have no hope. We're going to feel close to Christ.
Christ had a mission statement in Luke 19:10. He says that he came to seek and save the lost. And I think for the church to recover, we must go after the lost. We're one of the fastest growing demographics in our country, in our world. Are folks that are getting older and they're populating these retirement homes.
You're also going there every week. In fact, I've tried to meet with you a couple times and I can't, Stu, I can't meet. I've got to go over to this home. Tell us what happens there and why that's so important to touch those folks. You know, I'm actually going there today, and last week I went to a place called Harmony in Greensboro, and we had 17 people there.
And one of the things that they like me to do, they don't really like me to do a Bible study, they want me to take one of my previous sermons that I preached in the last two weeks. And when we had the snow this past year that kind of knocked out the snow and ice, we did some Friday nights instead of Sunday mornings.
So it put me about two Sundays and they love it.
So today I'm preaching my Ash Wednesday service and they like to see the fire. They like to see me get fired up and they love it when I preach a full sermon. And what I really realize is if you can preach a full message and get into it with 10, 12, 15 people. That's what he wants.
Well, because I believe that if things grow, it's only because of God. It's only because of God. He just wants us to be faithful. Every week he brings a sermon on the mount because he's at Mount Pisca Church in Greensboro on Battleground Avenue, Pastor Jeff Johnson. Pastor, your final challenge to someone out there who's maybe they've drifted.
Maybe they're lonely, maybe they're struggling, maybe they just kind of feel empty, maybe their fuel tank is on super low, they got 1% battery life. What do you say to them? about God and about Christ and what his message is to that person right now out there listening. We serve an awesome God. And I always like.
The Billy Graham organization, because every email you get from them, it says always good news. I have a professor at Liberty University, Claudia Dempsey, in every one of her emails. His grace is still amazing. He loves you so much, and there's nothing you can do for the rest of your lives that he would love you any more than hearing this come out of my mouth. We must realize how much he loves us.
And realize that we are in his hands and we always have he. He is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and forever and ever. And when you believe that, you can move forward. If you don't, you're gonna look back. When you spend your time in misery and having a pity party, you know what happens?
We trip over things. We always say in the Global Methodist Church, we are forward-leaning. We don't need to look back. I want to encourage you, put your hope and your faith in the Lord. You don't know how much time you have left, but God does.
Use. Your life to serve him to your last breath, and you will never be disappointed. I love what Tim Tebow said when I was with him last year in January in California. He says, when I go in front of the Lord, I don't want to tell the Lord I'm well rested. I want to go in front of the Lord and say, Lord, I am worn out serving you.
And ever since she said that, that's my goal. And I hope it is yours too. To talk about.
