Acts 17:26-28
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “In him we live and move and have our being…”
Core Texts: Mark 12:30, Mark 16:15-18, Acts 17:26-28
Context: This is the first meeting of Encounter Jesus Fellowship, a informal parachurch gathering Ray launched after stepping away from church planting in November 2025. No offering, no video recording — intentionally designed as a safe space for organic prayer and expectation of signs and wonders.
Main Thesis: God has sovereignly placed every person exactly where they are so they might seek Him — and those who seek will find He was never far away.
Key Points:
- Every detail of your life — timing, location, background — was ordained by God to bring you to a place of seeking Him (Acts 17:26-28).
- Ray shares personal transparency: after 30+ years in ministry, he lost his first love for Jesus, replacing it with pursuit of impact and church growth. The sabbatical is God stripping away distractions.
- True Christians are all seekers — seeking Jesus must remain the primary pursuit above accomplishment, validation, or ministry activity.
- The gathering closes with open invitation for prayer in three categories: salvation, physical healing, and deliverance.
Tone: Highly personal, raw, and expectant rather than formally structured.
Transcribed by Beluga AI.
Hello, everybody. It is good to see you. Some of you I haven’t seen for a few months. Some of you I’ve met for the first time. I am very excited about what God will do.
And this is not a church. This is a parachurch. This is a fellowship of believers. No one here is going to ask for your money because this is just a gathering of believers in God’s universal church. And we are regardless of your theology.
I just know that everything in this book is for us today. Every sign, every wonder, every miracle is here in this book. And it did not stop in the first century.
So I’m here, coming with expectation. And I was a church planter, me and my wife, for 15 years. We dragged our boys through many different locations throughout Southern California, ended up here two years ago. And about three months ago, God told us to ask the church to release us.
So since the end of November, for the last three months, I have been unemployed.
You could say I am seeking the Lord’s instruction. And it’s not easy for someone who has been in ministry for officially 15 years, but unofficially since 1993. It’s really weird that I am kind of sidelined and so searching and seeking. I feel frustrated at times, to be honest.
But I’m thankful that God has given a green light to gather here every end of every Saturday to encounter Jesus. And that’s why we call it Encounter Jesus Fellowship.
And this is not going to be your typical service, because in a typical service, you would maybe hear me for 15 or 20 minutes, and then we have refreshments and everybody goes home.
We really want to create an atmosphere or environment where we can meet the Lord. So I might say a few words, and we’ll just open it up for prayer for a minute or two and then come back. I hope we can just do it organically. Nothing is scripted, but I think when man is in charge, we want things very tight.
But when we leave things in the Lord’s hands, things can happen rather unexpectedly.
So I want to first ground what we’re about here. First. And the first passage, and you can see this on our website, is Mark 12:30.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30, ESV)
That can mean something different depending on who you are and God might seem very far.
So let’s replace it with love the Lord Jesus, our God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Whether you’ve been a believer for a long time or you’ve never stepped foot in a church, all that matters is that you’re here. We are wrestling with the truth of God’s word, that this is not ink on paper. We are trying to meet and love the risen Lord Jesus who walked this earth 2,000 years ago, lived a sinless life, and now he is calling us all to follow him.
And the first requirement of the Christian life is that we love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And so, as you live out your days, your years as a Christian, is this verse more true today than it was last year, five years ago, 10 years ago? Can you point to times when you felt your heart growing for the Lord and your mind, your thoughts are fixed upon the Lord and your heart is for the Lord, and you’re putting all your Strength, all your emotion in loving the Lord Jesus?
Is that your growing testimony? That’s one text that I hope that we can anchor ourselves with as we go throughout these gatherings.
The other one is in Mark 16. And if you’ve been at a theologically conservative, conservative church, you may have never read this text, but this is a version of the Great Commission that I want to share with you today.
Mark 16:15:
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18, ESV)
There’s a lot of craziness that, if you’re on Instagram or if you’re on YouTube, there’s a lot of craziness in some churches that are off-putting. And then you don’t even know these people, and you wonder, are they for real? Are they putting on a show?
Are they just scamming people to get their money? And I understand why there’s a reluctance to wrestling with verses like this in Scripture. But there’s a reason why at this monthly gathering, there’s no video.
We want to make this a safe place where we see signs and wonders. We’re going to pray throughout these services, and we are going to believe that the same Jesus who throughout Scripture laid hands on people and they got healed.
And you may say, okay, only Jesus does that.
And then you look at the apostles in the book of Acts. They did the same thing, and people were healed; demons were driven out. Paul had a snake bite him on the island of Malta. He just shakes it off. He just knows. Supernaturally protected by the Lord.
And I want to give space for that as we pray, as we. As there is faith in this room that people will get healed, people will get delivered. So those are some of the anchor texts.
And so I just want to spend a minute, and if you can all join me.
It says in Psalm 100:4,
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! (Psalms 100:4, ESV)
So, let’s spend a minute thanking the Lord for bringing you here, thanking the Lord for salvation, thanking the Lord that he is as real as he was in Scripture.
So let’s spend a minute entering his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Bless his name, Father. We just bless you, Lord.
You’re worthy, Father. We bless your holy name. We invite you into this place. We invite you into this place, Lord. We invite you. We praise your holy name.
May you speak, may you minister amongst us, Lord. you’re welcome in this place, Holy Spirit, Jesus, where two or three are gathered, where there’s faith, Lord, we expect healings and deliverance and signs and wonders.
The same Jesus who walked this earth, performed all these miracles and gave power and authority to his church. We expect the same things, Lord.
We enter your presence thanking you for who you are, thanking you for salvation. We thank you. We praise you, Lord. We praise you, Lord. We praise.
We bless your holy name. We bless your holy name. We bless your holy name. We bless your holy name, Father. We bless your holy name.
We lift up the Name of Jesus, whose name is high above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
All creation, all demons.
Everyone bows the knee to King Jesus, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We invite you to rule and reign in this place. This is your house. This is a house of prayer. We invite you to come and minister amongst us.
We pray for sickness to leave this place. We pray everything that torments us mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
We come in the power and authority of Jesus Christ. We bind and rebuke every unclean spirit, spirit that causes us to stay as an unbeliever.
We bind and rebuke you, and we cast you into the abyss in Jesus’ Name.
Come, Holy Spirit. Empower us, Lord, so that when we lay hands, things will happen, things will shift. We enter your presence with Thanksgiving and praise. We bless your holy name. We bless you, Lord. We invite you here. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
All right, I’m just going to read one text. It’s going to be Acts 17. Please turn your Bible with me there. Acts 17.
Is anyone feeling uncomfortable? Are you guys okay?
We are going to give room for God to move in this place.
Acts 17:26. This is Paul preaching. He says in verse 26,
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’… (Acts 17:26-28, ESV)
I’m not sure with what heart you came into this place.
I’m not sure how your year has been going so far, or how last year was, or how the last decade was for you. But according to God’s word, you are exactly where you need to be.
Out of all the people before the foundation of the world, he predestined you to be alive today, the year 2026. Out of all the places you could have grown up and now live, you are here in America. Nothing is by accident. Even your family background, which maybe was great, maybe it was terrible.
Everything in your life has led up to this moment. God is in control. He works for good, even. And through your mistakes, even through other people’s sins, everything in your life has culminated in this moment.
And what is God up to? Before? I want to ask, are you a seeker? If you are a seeker, raise your hand. Are you a seeker? Okay, I see some hands, yes. And the hands that were raised, I know who they are. And you understand what I’m asking? I ask some difficult questions at times in a church setting.
If you raise your hand, you say you’re a seeker. That means you don’t know anything about the Bible. You don’t know anything about Christianity. And so you’re checking it out. you’re seeking for truth.
But the true definition of a Christian is we are seekers. We’re all seekers. From Jeremiah 29:13, he promises that if you seek God with all of your heart, you will find Him.
And then in the New Testament, he says, before you chase after money, before you worry about food and clothing and drink, let all the world chase after these things.
That’s all in Matthew 6. But he says in verse 33,
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, ESV)
So if you raised your hand at the beginning when I asked that question, you’re right on the money. And I pray that before we leave, all of us will raise our hand. We are all seekers, seekers of God.
For me, I grew up seeking the world. For me, it was academic achievement. It was for me to validate my worth before my parents, because I’m an Asian.
And that’s how Asian families determine worth in the next generation, oftentimes, sadly. And I was chasing money and accomplishment and validation through the work of my hands.
And then I met Jesus. And then everything shifted for a season. And I sought the Lord with all my heart. I loved him. I loved Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
For my early years of me falling in love with Jesus, and what happens all too often is churches get in the way.
And churches take people who are in love with Jesus and put them to work. And then people like me, we go into this full time and we say, okay, I’m going to work for the Lord.
And along the way, I lost my way. And since 1993, I don’t remember a Sunday when I had off, just serving every week, going on missions, and I’ll do anything for the Lord. I’m ready to serve.
And then I’m doing it full time for the last 15 years, trying to plant a church and trying to love some of the saints gathered around.
And then now, for the last three months, I’m on a sabbatical.
And the Lord, he is reminding me of the critical things that I’ve lost along the way.
When did you stop loving me with all of your heart, Ray? When did you stop loving me less and less with your mind and with your soul and less with your Strength?
When did you become more excited about impact and church growth and these kinds of things, which are not bad in themselves, but when did that capture your heart?
And then this book became boring and familiar, and prayer became shorter and less intense, and it’s just routine and autopilot. And that’s why the Lord, three months ago, says, stop everything you’re doing and just get alone with me.
And it is a humbling time, especially maybe it’s a male problem. We want to have something to show with the work of our hands. We want to produce.
We don’t want people to ask, what do you do? And you say, I’m just at home. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m unemployed, I’m searching. But the Lord, he knows exactly where I need to be to reach me, to take away all the distractions, just learning to be at Jesus’ feet.
And so for each of us, before the foundation of the world, he predestined you to be alive in this year. And of all the places you could have lived, he picked, handpicked you for California.
And of all the places you could be on a Saturday evening, the Father drew you to this place. Why? So that you may seek him. And when you seek him, you will discover he’s not far off. He’s been right there. How did I miss it? He’s been right there waiting. The Lord’s invitation to all of us is, let’s become seekers.
Everything in your life, all the disappointments, all the frustration, all the trauma, all the hurt, is so that in this place, in this time of your life, you may seek Him, and you will find out He’s been here all along.
He’s never left you, never forsaken you. You thought you were on your own. You thought He abandoned you. But as soon as you open your eyes, you’ll see He’s been right there for you.
Okay, let’s pray. I don’t assume that everybody here is comfortable in praying by themselves.
So as much as possible during this time, I want to guide us in prayer.
First of all, just open up your heart to the Lord. Open up your heart to the Lord. James 4 says it is the worldliness in us that causes us to become an enemy of God. Our friendship with the world causes enmity with God. So we open up our heart to the Lord. But even before that, we shut our heart to the world.
So let’s just make a quick prayer. Lord, I shut my heart to the world.
I open and avail myself to you. I open my heart to you. Just spend a minute on your own praying that prayer. Father, I shut my heart to the world. I open my heart wide to you. I want to become a friend of yours and not a friend of this world. I am here to make a choice. I exercise my free will. I exercise it and I say, close my heart to the world. I open my heart to you. I want to be a friend of yours. Help me, Lord.
Lord, help me. Lord, help me. Lord, meet me. Lord, meet me. Lord, meet me. Lord, meet me.
Our Father loves us. And while we were still enemies of God, he sent his son to die for you and me. Jesus came. He took on flesh, even though he was fully God. He endured everything that a man could, all the temptations. And he lived a perfect, sinless life.
And all of us are sinners. We deserve death. We deserve the wrath of God. But Jesus took it upon himself on Calvary as he bled on that cross.
And he did this for you and me. Even if you are the only person in this world, because God is love and you are the object of that love, he would have done it for you.
So this Jesus, who not only died for you, but three days later rose from the grave. He seeks you out. He has been seeking you out all of your life. There’s never been a day that he hasn’t prayed for you. He’s been seeking you all of your days to do you know Him. Open your heart to Jesus.
And it’s just a simple prayer. Lord, I repent of my sins. Please meet me so that I can put my full trust in you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sins. That is the ministry that he does. Invite him to search your heart for any worldliness, any idolatry, any friendship with this world, any selfish ambition, any pride, any fears, any lesser loves and idols. We lay at the feet of Jesus and say, Lord, I love you more. I repent of all of that waywardness and I turn to you.
Let’s spend a time repenting of our sins and availing and opening up our heart to Jesus and asking him to meet you.
Let’s pray for salvation to come to hearts of people in this place.
Let’s pray. Help us, Lord Jesus. Meet us, Lord Jesus. Meet us, Lord Jesus. Meet us, Lord Jesus. Meet us, Lord Jesus.
I repent of my sins. I surrender in your presence. Please meet us, Lord Jesus. Please meet us, O Lord Jesus. Please meet us, O Lord Jesus. Please meet and save us, O Lord Jesus.
Every single person in this place, Lord, we know that you don’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Please, Lord, seek after the lost sheep. Please seek after the lost sheep. Please save every man, woman, and child in this place. Please, Lord, save your people. Please save your people. Please save your people. Please save your people. Please save your people.
Help us, oh Lord, help us, oh, that we are Holy Spirit. Search my heart to see if there’s any offensive way in me.
Forgive me of all my sins. Lord, I plead the blood of Jesus over every person in this place. Please cover, cleanse, and sanctify us by the blood of Jesus.
Please meet us, O Lord. Please meet us, O Lord. Please meet us, O Lord. Please meet us, O Lord. Please.
Feel free to keep praying on your own at your seats, but if you would like to receive prayer, I’d like to invite you to come forward. And the categories of prayer are prayer for salvation, to meet Jesus. Second, a prayer of healing.
If you have any pain, sickness in your body, we’re believing that as we lay hands, people will be healed.
If you’ve been tormented by thoughts and strongholds have come up in your life, emotional, mental, spiritual turmoil, and you can’t stop the accusations of the enemy, and you need prayers for deliverance, please come forward. We’d like to pray over you as well.
And for the rest, feel free to pray at your seats. But if you’d like to come and receive prayer, please come forward.
Help us, O Lord Jesus. Help us. So, Lord Jesus. Healing, deliverance, salvation.
Please, Lord. Please, Lord. Please, Lord. Help us. Please help us, O Lord. Please help us, oh Lord. Please help us, O Lord. Please help us, oh Lord. Please help us, oh Lord. Please help us, oh Lord.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Please meet us where we are. Please meet each person where they are. Please meet each person where they are. Be soften hearts, Lord. Be soften hearts. Lord, we worship you. Lord.
Father, we thank you for this time where we can be reminded that we’re all seekers of the kingdom. We’re all seekers of the King.
We confess again that we love you, Lord Jesus, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Forgive us, Lord, for being so easily distracted from this greatest commandment, that the high standard of a true disciple, a lover of Jesus.
We want to love you more, Lord. Thank you for seeking after us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for pursuing us.
Even if today is not the day of salvation, you have not given up. You will pursue your lost sheep until they are found.
Lord, we want to humble ourselves in your presence. And we trust that these prayers that we’ve prayed to you, they will be answered in your time and in your way. Please receive our worship as we close out this service. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
So, just take a couple more moments praying.
I think the only thing on my heart right now is, as I was praying and as we were all preparing for tonight’s gathering, the one thing on my heart was that we only live this one life. So many life again.
Wherever we are in our walks with God, I believe God has gathered us all here for a reason tonight, whether we don’t know God and whether we’ve never met him or whether we grew up in the church.
And so during this time, we could just pray for whatever is on your heart for God to meet you where you are.
The beautiful thing about the love God has given us is that it’s nothing that we have done to earn. It’s nothing we could ever. There’s nothing we could ever earn for ourselves. But it’s a gift that God gives to all of us.
And whether we turn away from God in sin or whatever choices we make, the table is always set. God is always waiting for us to turn to him and to come there.
So just take this time, just a couple moments, to pray for whatever is on our heart for God.