Gateway Franklin Church

When God Chooses You 

(Point 1) Called from the Common and Unexpected 

1 Samuel 9:1-3 

The Unexpected 

1. He's a Benjamite 

2. He's a Farmer 

The common 

1. Miracle in the Mundane 

1 Samuel 9:15-17 

(Point 2) The Wrestling Heart 

1 Samuel 9:18-21 

Why Me? 

When we ask Why me: 

1. God reveals His Perspective 

2. God reveals His Perspective 

3. Exposes our need for dependence 

4. God reveals His Perspective 

5. Exposes our need for dependence 

6. Turns insecurity into Glory 

I am not enough → I am with you 

I’m afraid → Be strong and courageous 

I dont understand → Trust me 

Im too broken→ My grace is sufficient 

I’m alone → You are not alone 

I feel Small → you were made for this 

(Point 3) God’s Gentle Confirmation 

1 Samuel 10:1-10 

Gods Confirmation 

1. Identity 

2. Provision 

3. Renewal 

1 Samuel 10: 17, 20-27 

4. By a Village 

(Point 4) Faithful Response 

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Wins fuel wins! 

Everyday Evangelists leverage everyday opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations. Over time, conversational wins lead to conversion wins.

Your perception of sin will impact your practice of evangelism. 

The Big Why of evangelism is the damning impact of sin.

The Powerful Who of evangelism is the Holy Spirit.

Everyday Evangelism is critical because the life and death consequences of sin are real. 

Jesus does make your life better but only if you leave a life outside of Jesus. 

Sin is “missing of the mark”

1 John 3:4-5 (NIV) 4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 

Sin is universal. 

Romans 3:23-24 (NIV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Sin is damning. 

Romans 6:22-23 (NIV) 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin is separating. 

Colossians 1:21-23 (NIV) 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

In week 5 of the Talking Jesus series, Pastor Torry Sheppard brings a timely and tender word for those who’ve been faithfully sharing their faith—but are still waiting to see results. This message encourages believers to persevere when the work of evangelism feels slow, discouraging, or seemingly unfruitful—especially when it involves someone they love. 

Pastor Torry opens by acknowledging a common, heartfelt question: What do I do when I’ve done everything I know to do? Whether it’s a child, a spouse, or a close friend, long-game evangelism often means walking with people for years without visible progress. And that can be exhausting. This message is a reminder that although the journey is slow, it’s sacred—and that God is still working. 

A Hiking Story with a Spiritual Twist 

To illustrate this, Pastor Torry tells a humorous and revealing story from a college trip to Utah, where he and a group of friends mistakenly knocked over the very rock stacks—called cairns—meant to guide their hike through the desert. After getting lost, they realized they had been dismantling the very markers that were supposed to help them get to their destination and return home. 

The story sets up the central theme: in the long, dry stretches of spiritual influence, we need markers of faith to keep us grounded and encouraged. Without them, it’s easy to lose our way. Evangelism is rarely instant. It’s a journey—and one that often requires more endurance than enthusiasm. 

Part 1: Stacking Stones – Keeping Your Faith Alive 

Drawing from Joshua 4, Pastor Torry reflects on Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. After God parted the Jordan River, Joshua instructed the people to gather twelve stones as a memorial. These stones weren’t just for celebration—they were for remembrance. They told future generations: God was here. He moved. He delivered. 

What’s striking is that Joshua also set up a private altar in the riverbed—stones no one else would see once the water returned. Pastor Torry suggests these hidden stones were personal—a reminder for Joshua himself. Because even the strongest leaders are prone to forget God’s faithfulness. 

Like Joshua, we need to “stack stones” along our spiritual journey—moments of answered prayer, miracles, or breakthroughs that we can return to when doubt creeps in. Sometimes the best way to encourage our soul is to remember what God has already done. 

Part 2: Spiritual Influence Over the Long Haul 

With our personal faith fortified, Pastor Torry shifts focus to how we can maintain spiritual influence when nothing seems to be changing. He outlines three key commitments that keep us in the game: 

1. Prayer 

Prayer isn’t passive—it’s powerful. It’s not just something we do while we wait; it’s part of the work itself. Citing James 5, Pastor Torry remind

In Week 4 of the Talking Jesus series, Pastor Torry encourages believers to recognize the power of their personal story as a tool for evangelism. Titled “Your Story, God’s Glory,” the message aims to demystify evangelism by reminding us that you don’t need a seminary degree or dramatic backstory to share Jesus—just a willingness to be honest about what He’s done in your life. 

The message opens with a humorous story about a push mower that Pastor Torry inherited when living in Florida. Unbeknownst to him, it had a self-propel feature that he never used—making the task far harder than it needed to be. That illustration becomes a spiritual metaphor: evangelism feels difficult when we’re trying to do it in our own strength. But God has already built in the power—we just need to engage it. 

The Blueprint for Evangelism 

Revelation 12:11 offers a simple but profound formula for kingdom advancement: 
“They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” 

Jesus does the saving—that’s the “blood of the Lamb.” But we have a role too—the “word of our testimony.” God’s strategy has always involved partnership with people. We don’t save, but we point. We reflect. We witness. And every believer has a story that can do just that. 

Why Your Testimony Matters 

Pastor Torry outlines five reasons why our personal stories carry spiritual weight: 

Testimonies Are Evidence (Ps 19:1, Rom 1:20) 
Creation bears the fingerprints of God, and so do changed lives. When grace rewrites your story, it leaves a mark—proof that God is real and good. 

Testimonies Are Hard to Argue With (John 9) 
Debates can spark defensiveness. But a changed life? That’s hard to refute. Like the blind man in John 9, you don’t have to explain everything. “I was blind, but now I see” is enough. 

Testimonies Build Bridges (1 Thes 2:8) 
Stories connect in a way arguments can’t. They invite vulnerability and relationship. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, we’re called to share the gospel—and our lives. 

Testimonies Point to Jesus (Gal 2:20) 
Your story isn’t about you—it’s about Christ in you. The messier your past, the more glory God gets for what He’s redeemed. 

Testimonies Offer Hope (Titus 3:3-5) 
People are always looking for meaning. Your story might be what helps them imagine a future touched by grace. 

How to Share Your Story Naturally 

Pastor Torry then shares four practical principles for weaving your testimony into everyday life: 

Look for Open Doors 
Conversations about stress, pain, or purpose are often invitations.

1Peter 3:15, Colossians 4:4-7, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

May 18th, 2025

There is a finite number of people who can talk Jesus to a crowd. There is an infinite number of people who can talk Jesus to a person. The key to being an effective Everyday Evangelist is seeing the person apart from their crowd and believing that God is orchestrating the conversation. 

Every Day Evangelism is… 

Going public with a positive review on Jesus.

Touting Jesus as the person you can’t live without.

Being clothed in Christ. Following Jesus so closely that you live like, act like and talk like Him. 

The key to effective evangelism is to shift your focus from conversions to conversations. Everyday evangelism (spiritual influence) is the act of leading someone one step closer to Jesus than they were before our interaction. 

Why aren’t more Christians engaged in everyday evangelism? 

We underestimate our calling/identity as everyday evangelists. When you embrace a calling/identity, you chase proficiency and look for opportunities.

We over-compartmentalize our lives. When you integrate your life, you are the same person in every compartment.

Everyday Evangelists… sit on go, carrying hope with humility.

1 Peter 3:15b (NIV) 15 … Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 

To sit on go is to be ready for the ask prepared with the answer. 

Hope-filled people always peaks people’s curiosity. Hope is in short supply.

Humility doesn’t correct people, it directs peoples. I am not better than the next person because of my Jesus story, but I am better off than the next person. 

Everyday Evangelists… pray for open doors &

Chapter 1 Focused Nurturer

Chapter 2 Reluctant Leader

Chapter 3 Exhausted Fighter

Chapter 4 Resurrected Hoper

Chapter 5 Generation Advancer

Motherhood Chapter 1 Focused Nurturer

The keys to thriving in this chapter is to understand that… 

1) this is a relatively short chapter in the scope of your whole story 

2) you will get better at “mothering” as you go 

3) live in the moment more than you long for the next moment 

Husbands/Father’s it’s not that you don’t have a hand in the nurturing chapter it’s just that what your family really needs is for you to Cover Spiritually, Lead Faithfully and Work Diligently. 

Motherhood Chapter 2 Reluctant Leader

Life has a way of making demands for which we aren’t ready. 

“Where you go, I will go and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” 

When you find yourself in the reluctant leader chapter, God will lead you out but you have to walk out. 

Motherhood Chapter 3 Exhausted Fighter

No one is the same after a hard life/spiritual fight and you’re not supposed to be, you’re are supposed to be wiser and stronger – “battle tested” – this is a good thing but it is an exhausting thing.

Your next life chapter is interconnected to your past chapters but your future is not dictated by those chapters – your future is 100% dependent on God.

God never wastes our hard, He uses it to glorify Him and strengthen us. Remember, this chapter isn’t a dead end, it’s a new life beginning. 

Motherhood Chapter 4 Resurrected Hoper

Biblical hope

John 4, Matthew 9, Colossians 4

Society can only exist without God for so long before a critical mass of people longing for identity and purpose intersect with a critical mass of people who have found identity and purpose in a relationship with Christ. These intersections change the course of history.

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” 

4 Truths from Matthew 9 

Crowds of people live without the shepherd covering of Jesus.

A lack of Jesus covering results in harassment and helplessness.

Uncovered crowds are ripe and ready for what Jesus offers.

Jesus ready crowds need more Jesus talking people. 

People are missing pieces. Missing pieces is frustrating and defeating. 

A person can know something is missing without knowing what is missing. 

A person can know what’s missing without knowing where to find what’s missing.

People can tell you that they… 

Are sad and depressed

Are bound up and held back

Are helpless to find a way forward 

Want to be free and favored

Here’s the hope…

People are missing pieces. 

Jesus is the missing piece. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sen

Summary of Sermon: The Everyday Evangelist 

Series: Talking Jesus – Week 1 | Pastor Torry Sheppard 

Introduction Pastor Torry Sheppard launches a new series at Gateway Church titled Talking Jesus, addressing the call for every believer to step into the role of an everyday evangelist. He begins by acknowledging the cultural uncertainty and spiritual fatigue of our time—pandemics, polarization, and digital overload. Yet, he proposes that this cultural low point may actually be the perfect moment for spiritual awakening. Drawing from historical revivals such as the First Great Awakening and the Jesus Movement of the 1960s, Pastor Torry emphasizes that God often breathes life into the Church during moments of apathy and unrest. His central question: If the Spirit is blowing, will we lift our sails? 

Evangelism as an Overflow of Identity Pastor Torry challenges the modern view of evangelism as something reserved for professionals, instead grounding it in the biblical identity of every believer. Referencing 1 Peter 2:9, he reminds the congregation that Christians are a “chosen people, a royal priesthood,” called to proclaim the praises of God. Evangelism, then, is not a task but a byproduct of who we are in Christ. The early Church modeled this identity-based ministry, where pastors and teachers equipped everyday believers to carry the message of the gospel in their ordinary lives. 

Evangelism in Modern Tension Acknowledging the discomfort many feel around evangelism, Pastor Torry addresses common fears—being rejected, saying the wrong thing, or being labeled. Many Christians, he says, avoid sharing their faith due to insecurity or cultural pressure. However, he warns against outsourcing evangelism to pastors or influencers, reminding the Church that spiritual impact belongs to every believer. He encourages the Gateway family to shift their mindset from fear and hesitation to identity and calling. 

Four Marks of an Everyday Evangelist Pastor Torry distills the message into four key qualities—postures of the heart that enable believers to carry the gospel naturally and powerfully in daily life. These are not about personality, skill, or charisma, but spiritual posture and openness to God. 

1. Spirit-Led 

Evangelists must be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Pastor Torry highlights Romans 8 and the story of Philip in Acts 8. Philip leaves a fruitful revival to follow the Spirit’s call to a desert road, ultimately leading to the conversion of an Ethiopian 

official. This obedience births an entire faith movement. The point: being Spirit-led requires spiritual sensitivity, even in inconvenient moments. Evangelism happens when we say yes to divine detours. 

2. Personal Holiness 

Holiness, Pastor Torry explains, is not perfection or legalism but closeness to God. It’s about living a life set apart, one that radiates the presence of Jesus. Drawing from 1 Peter 1:15–16 and Isaiah 43:19, he emphasizes that personal transformation i

John 3, 19 Luke 23

Easter, April 20th, 2025

Christmas celebrates God coming down in the flesh as the baby Jesus. The God of the Bible says you can’t reach me so I will come down to you. 

Easter is a 2-part celebration. Part 1: Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to break the power of sin in our lives. Part 2: Jesus resurrects from the dead to break the power of death and to unite us with God our Father, now and later. 

All resurrections are personal. The life story of each resurrected person is unique… and yet each story has some universal characteristics. 

Here are my 3 presuppositions for today’s message…

Everyone lives and makes decisions based on their personal faith system. 

Any honest interaction with Jesus will cause you to reevaluate what you believe and how you live. 

Jesus makes a way for all of us to experience a resurrection but He leaves the decision to us. 

Nicodemus

John 3:16 (NIV)For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Nicodemus came as a curious skeptic. Jesus can work with that.

Christianity isn’t a religion to adhere to but a person to know and follow. Until you see Jesus as a person, you won’t find Jesus as the answer. Jesus doesn’t mind curious skeptics because they end up believers and followers!

You can’t find the answer to life until you realize you don’t have one; an answer or a life. 

Luke 23:39 (NIV)39 One of the criminals who hung there, hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 

Luke 23:40-43 (NIV)40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42