KNOXVILLE, TN (July 15, 2009) – Steve Furtick was living a life that was anything but godly when he was 16 years old, but then one sentence from page 23 of Jim Cymbala’s book, Fresh Wind Fresh Fire, changed his life and later the lives of thousands.
He quoted the line that he has quoted so many times to the 5,500 students gathered for CHIC2009 Tuesday night in the Thompson Boling Arena: “I despaired at the thought of my life passing me by without seeing God move greatly on my behalf.”
“God really undid me,” Furtick said. “He started to unravel my motivations.”
Furtick told the crowd that, although there was no logical explanation, he suddenly knew he wanted to start a church that would reach thousands of people. He could not have foreseen that he would start Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina that has grown from seven families to more than 5,000 people in less than four years.
He shared the growth story with those gathered in the event God was speaking another “audacious vision” to any of the teens in the arena.
Furtick spoke on 1 Samuel 14:1-7, when Jonathan “was trying to get someone to go on what basically was a suicide mission.” The son of Saul was enlisting his unarmed armor-bearer to fight with just him against the Philistines.
Furtick’s title of the sermon, “The Perhaps Paradox,” was drawn from verse six: “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” He noted that “perhaps” was far from a confidence-building statement, especially when enlisting people to risk their lives.
He shared several personal experiences, including attempts to evangelize his dormitory hall, noting that God moved in ways Furtick could not have imagined.
“I want you to know that God’s promise is bigger than your ‘perhaps,’ ” he declared.
Israel Houghton and New Breed opened the worship service.
Information and photos of CHIC are being regularly updated on the event website.
