[MUSIC]
Welcome to this edition of
the 700 Club Canada.
We're glad that you've
joined us today because we
have a special guest on the
show, and I just know that
he is going to inspire you.
Pastor Robin Wallar from
Lift Church is here. His
passion is contagious as he
talks about reaching young
people on the university campus
and impacting their lives for
God.
You know, that is such an
important time in a young
person's life when they're
on the campus. And so much
is being done to take away
faith these days.
Well, you know, the beautiful
thing about Robin, I mean he
looks so young, but he actually
is so mature. And at the same
time, the same fervor that
caused Campus Crusade and
also Navigators and Varsity is
now resurging itself. So
there's a revival taking place
right on the campuses. And
I'm looking forward to sitting
down with him.
I sure am too, Brian. But
up first, Geoff started using
opiates as a teen. By college,
he was a full-blown heroin
addict. Find out how he was
able to surrender his life
of addiction next.
[MUSIC]
I thought that as a Christian
I could not have fun. Like
I-I saw Christians as these
stuffy like stuck-up people,
and I decided that the
Christian lifestyle was this
boring life, and I didn't want
that. I-I didn't want that
at all.
Geoff Banks was raised in the
church and was even baptized
as a boy. But as he got older,
he chose another direction.
In Durham where I grew up
at that time was-was very much
saturated with-with drugs
and-and partying, and that was
like the cool thing to do.
And I-I surrounded myself with
people who did that. And I
got so much of my value and so
much of my identity from the
people that were around me.
I was such a follower.
In middle school, Geoff
started smoking marijuana.
I remember like loving it
and thinking man like if-if
this can make me feel like
this good and like this great,
like I wonder what all these
other drugs can make me feel
like. And that started my
obsession with-with just
drugs in general.
When a friend's mom died of
cancer, Geoff convinced the
friend to give him her leftover
medication.
I ended up having all these
pain medications, and I
remember taking them for the
first time and just like loving
the way it made me feel. And
I blew through this pretty
quickly. I started to try to
find them on the streets and--
and find them wherever I could.
You know, I was what, fourteen
years old. I didn't have a
job. I couldn't afford stuff.
So the natural next step was
to start selling stuff and
stealing stuff. My parents
didn't know for a little bit.
They caught on after a while.
They got me in counseling and
tried to get me to go to
different groups and-and get
help in different-different
manners. But I really didn't
care. I really thought that
they-they didn't get it.
After getting kicked out of
several high schools, Geoff
finished school online. He
went on to college but had no
interest in studying.
I look at college as kind of
a turning point where it
stopped being fun, ha-ha,
doing drugs and partying,
and started to become really
dark. It wasn't really like
getting high anymore. It was
just I have to do this to feel
normal. And if I don't do it,
then I feel horrible.
Geoff dropped out of college
but graduated to heroin.
I had used a needle for the
first time and remember
thinking like wow, that was
incredible. And from then
on I-I needed it. Like I
really did need it. I was no
longer like this happy go lucky
party guy. I was doping.
Essentially, I was a heroin
addict, and that was all I
cared about.
Over the next five years, he
was arrested several times.
Geoff made numerous attempts
at rehab but always relapsed.
He never thought how his
actions were affecting others,
especially his parents.
I was so selfish at that
point in time that I didn't
really care what they felt.
I know that they were
constantly praying. But they
weren't sure what call they
were going to get, whether it
was going to be a call from
the hospital, whether it was
going to be a call from jail,
or a call from the morgue.
Like they really-they didn't
know. All I was worried about
was my-myself.
He still believed in God,
but drugs had a stronger hold
on him.
I couldn't imagine a life for
myself where I would be
happy sober. I never tried
a Christian rehab at this
point. I didn't really want
too much to do with God.
If God was real which I was
pretty sure He was, I didn't
think that He was going to step
into my life and help me stop
doing drugs. He was still this
far-off distant God.
One of his relapses came
after nine months of sobriety.
Geoff borrowed his girlfriend's
car one morning to score some
heroin. On his way back home,
he pulled off the road to shoot
up.
I just wanted to get high.
I didn't want to feel sick
anymore. So I, you know,
fixed up my-my shot in a
spoon. And I put the needle
in my arm and-and did it,
and I pulled off kind of as
it was hitting me and I sped
up to about fifty, sixty miles
per hour. And I had done too
much and I passed out behind
the wheel over this.
Geoff's next memory was
waking up in the hospital. He
learned the car hit a light
pole, and the police had found
him with a needle still in his
arm. Finally, he realized the
gravity of his addiction.
I just hurt everyone that I
loved. And I remember again
feeling like, man, what am I
doing?
The court ordered Geoff to
another rehab program. His
girlfriend left him. So with
nowhere else to turn, Geoff
called his parents for help.
Regardless of how many
times I messed up, they still
loved me. But this time they
were like we've tried your ways
and we tried it like eleven
times and it's not working.
So-so if we're going to help
you again, you're going to do,
you're going to do it our way
and we don't care what you
think about it.
That meant going to a
Christian rehab program. It
didn't turn out like Geoff
expected.
I was either expecting like
really uptight like tuck in
your shirt, make your bed, and
that sort of thing, and a bunch
of people who didn't get it.
But instead they loved me.
And it was like the most eye-
opening experience ever.
Through the program,
reading the Bible, and praying,
Jeff discovered a new identity
in Jesus.
I always really struggled
with calling myself an addict
or calling myself an alcoholic.
They started to point me there
versus like, you know, the-the
old creation is gone. The new
has come, you know, and-and
things like that that I started
to realize that I wasn't the
person I was before, and I
didn't have to live in the
identity of being an addict or
a-a crackhead or a-or a
dope fiend anymore. Like I
wasn't me.
Jeff found the key to
overcoming his addictions by
surrendering his life to Jesus.
I surrendered, you know, this
part of my life and then this
part and then this part. And
really what it was is, it was a
growth of faith because it was
like, okay, if I can trust you
with this, God, then I can
trust you with this. If I can
trust you that you're going to
give me freedom from drugs,
then I can trust that-that you
want what's best for me when
it comes to my relationships.
God definitely became personal
to me in that time period. He
stopped being this far off
stoic God. But I had seen Him
step into the mess that was
my life and fix it.
Today, Jeff is a youth pastor
and loves to encourage kids
that Jesus is the only solution
to deal with the problems they
will face.
But everyone has something
in their life that they
struggle with. Everyone has
something in their life that's
difficult that they have to
walk through. And the biggest
thing that I hope people hear
from my story is that is that
there's hope and there's hope
in Christ and that-that God has
a plan for you and that Christ
came to set you free and give
you a new identity and that
He knows what's best for you
because He made you. The
biggest thing that-that I hope
people get is-is hope.
[MUSIC]
You know, Laura-Lynn, Jeff
is not unlike so many people
who have this stoic
understanding of God being
God the judge.
Yes.
That He's going to take away
their fun somehow and lick
their lollipop and cause them
to go into this world of just
absolute pain.
Yeah. Or-or boredom. You
know, they think that serving
God will be bored, so I'm going
to go and find this excitement
somewhere.
Yeah. But I think that's the
lie that always comes up
because what we wrestle not
against is flesh and blood.
But the Bible says against
principalities and powers and
spirits-spirits of-of-of power
Wickedness.
Wickedness, right?
I've been there.
And what Jeff found out is
that's what drugs became in
his life because it now began
to control him.
Yes. And, you know, the
beautiful part was that when
he came through all of that
and he found out that God was
the answer, one of the things
was he was trying to say like
so I'm-am I still the addict?
And, you know, some of you
out there, am I still the
alcoholic? For me, it was like
am I still that broken, fallen,
sinful woman? Am I still her?
And there was a-a point as
he experienced where God
literally gave him a new
identity. His identity came
back to being in Christ. And
even in-in Isaiah 62 it-it
talks about Zion's new name.
And God says, "I will give you
a new name and bestow to you
a new crown." And that is a
beautiful thing that God does.
Like He brings us out of that
place. The old thing has
passed away. We become this
new creation. Now, look at
him. You'd never know he was
a heroin addict.
And that's why we are here
every day. And I believe it's
so important for you to get
ahold of this right now. If
you're on that other side,
1-855-759-0700. Prayer
partners are standing by.
But you don't want to miss
this opportunity. The new
identity is who you have been
meant to be. Call the number
right now.
Coming up next, Calvin had
an abusive and violent
childhood. He was determined
to not let it affect him as an
adult. Stay with us.
[MUSIC]
I heard a guy say one time
that anger is fear under
pressure. When I was growing
up, fear was prevalent in my
life growing up in the-in the
way that I did with the sexual
abuse and all the domestic
violence. And, you know, you-
you get used to it, and that's
the thing. And then-and then
it starts driving your life
without you and really knowing,
you know, you start structuring
your life around-around that
fear.
Calvin Wooten's childhood
nightmares often came at the
hands of his own family
members.
I remember it being
overwhelming, you know, to the
point where I would try to stay
outside so much, you know,
until I absolutely had to come
in the house. I was just too
little to fight back. You just
don't fight when you're-when
you're six. You just submit,
and that's what I did.
When a school principal
threatened to paddle him for
misbehavior in the sixth grade,
something in Calvin snapped.
The day before I was-I was
right and then I was beaten
shortly after that. And I went
to school, you know, like
everything was normal. That's
how it was and-and when I grew
up. But something was
happening inside of me, and I
went into what I believe was
anger blackout. Then I grabbed
the rails and kicked him to the
bottom of the steps and I-and
I followed him down and I
just kind of started stomping
on him. I left the school that
day and-and shut it in my
head. That's it. You know,
that's it, man. I'm going to
fight back.
Calvin was sent to juvenile
detention for a year, but says
it was still better than being
at home.
And I could take care of
myself with-with kids being
locked up my age. But, you
know, at home, it wasn't like
that. So I just felt so-safe
being locked up.
Once released, he turned to
drugs to further escape his
home life. Calvin also broke
into houses to support his
habit.
The first time I smoked
marijuana, it was like poosh,
man, my problems went away.
And I was-I don't know that
I was able to function normally
but I was able to function
without the anxiety and the
fear, you know, that was so
prevalent.
While the drugs relaxed him,
alcohol fueled his anger.
Anytime I was-I wanted
to do something to somebody
in a violent way, I always
drank on it. Always. You
know, I knew that if I drank
then it was game on.
His addiction escalated to
cocaine and meth. For years,
he was in and out of jail and
left two broken families in
his wake.
Really, I-it wasn't just two
failed marriages, it was every
relationship I've ever had has
failed. You know, I just-I
was a violent person to every
woman I was ever with. I was
that way with my kids. You
know, I mean I just-the anger
that I carried was-it didn't
discriminate.
Calvin continued his downward
spiral, stealing over ten
thousand dollars' worth of
construction equipment and
selling it for drug money.
When he woke up from his
binge, he was under an
interstate bridge.
I was done. Life had become
unbearable. But in the end,
it wasn't what was done to me,
it was what I had done to
people. And that-and I
couldn't escape the guilt and
shame of-of what I had done.
I wanted to stop hurting
people.
He learned that The Healing
Place, a faith-based rehab
facility, would give him a
place to sleep.
I climbed in my bunk and,
man, I just started crying.
The only words I could utter
was God, please help me.
And-and He did. And God
showed up in my life that day
in the form of a whisper.
And-and what He said to me
is Calvin, I love you. And I
don't care about what you've
done. And I care about what
you're going to do. And that
was it for me. I mean I-up
to that point in my life, I
don't think I recognized
anything that would resemble
love.
Calvin surrendered his life
to Christ and woke up the next
morning a free man.
I slept better that night
than I had slept in years.
But I didn't go to bed thinking
about using and I didn't wake
up that way. And I knew when
I woke up that next day that
God had took-He had taken
it. But I also knew that there
was work to be done.
Delivered of his addiction
and his anger, Calvin continued
to grow in his faith. He
completed rehab and was able
to forgive the family members
who abused him.
I finally got to a spot where
I knew in my heart that I
could say I love the men that
molested me. And so much
changed in that-in that moment.
And this may sound kind of
crazy, but all my life I never
wanted to be me. As a kid,
I always imagined myself
being someone else. But on
the day that I realized I loved
the men that had molested
me, I've never ever wanted to
be anybody but Calvin Wooten
since that day. If you really
dig into-into that message
that Christ is pouring out
there about love, it-it opens
the door for forgiveness and
it stays open. So I'd like to
love them out of the love for
them. I-I just intuitively
forgave them. And that was big
for me. The freedom that came
from simply loving.
Today, he runs the Love
Transformation Project, a
ministry to the homeless in
Louisville, Kentucky. And for
the first time in his life,
Calvin has a real family.
I feel like the-the guys
under the bridges are our
family. You know, the kids
we minister to in the parks
are-are now our family. I
never felt like I had a father,
never felt like I had brothers
and sisters. And I remember
on night I got on my knees
and I said, "God, please, will
you adopt me?" And I know
that's a crazy prayer for a
grown man. But-but I felt
say, "It's done." And I-I felt
the love of a Father in a way
that I had never felt and
something that wasn't going to
hurt me but would-would
inevitably protect me. I don't
think there's been a time in my
life since that day that I've
not felt that sense of family.
[MUSIC]
Wow. What a beautiful story.
I was just looking up a
scripture that talks about
how we are adopted into the
family of God. And I'm going
to read that for you in a
moment. But I'm wondering if
you're sitting there and you're
saying, you know what? I-I'm
just like Calvin. I have never
felt part of something. I-I
didn't feel that I had a
family. The Word of God says
that He is a Father to the
fatherless, and that when we
receive Christ, we are
literally adopted into His
family, and we become brothers
and sisters. And I needed that
in my life. And I had a great
Mom and Dad. But I needed
to know that I belonged to God,
that He would be my Abba
Father. Listen to what this
scripture says. You can find
this in Romans 8. It's
powerful. It's so powerful.
It says, "The spirit you
received does not-does not
make you slaves so that you
live in fear again. Rather
the spirit you received brought
about your adoption to sonship.
And by Him we cry Abba Father."
If you need a father today,
you're not too old to need
something like that. God is
your Father. He loves you.
He's waiting. He's always just
a prayer away. You know, we're
excited here at the 700 Club
Canada to offer you a brand-new
premium. If you enjoy what
you hear every day on the show
and you like the inspiration
and the guidance that you
receive, would you consider
becoming a monthly partner?
It would bless us so much. All
you have to do is give us a
call. 1-855-759-0700. We'll
get this to you.
[MUSIC]
Out boat was being pulled
without us knowing. The boat
just smashed into the concrete
wall. And the force of this
water was so strong. I put my
arms around my daughter, and
she was ripped away from my
arms. I was just screaming,
"Where is my daughter?"
Suddenly, a man walked up and
he said, "Ma'am, I think we
have your daughter."
He came with a sense of
peace. I felt like he was an
angel.
[MUSIC]
Welcome back. I have a
wonderful privilege and a-a
dear friend of the 700 Club
Canada and Pastor Robin Wallar
from Lift Church is with us.
Robin, man, you know what?
You-I just get so in-
encouraged when I see a young
man like you that is just on
fire for-for the kingdom of
God. You know, when-when
we look at lead pastor of Lift
Church in Hamilton, Ontario,
at McMaster University, did you
ever think that you'd be that
guy?
You know, for-when I was
a kid growing up, I wanted to
be an engineer and I wanted to
be a pastor. I didn't know
what the road I was going to
take was going to look like.
And when I was a student, I
actually helped start a church
and it was awesome while I
was studying engineering. And
through a whole sequence of
crazy unbelievable just God-
ordained moments, I ended up
stepping into leadership. And
ultimately fulfilling a-a what
at that time been probably ten
years of praying and dreaming,
and God said-and opened up
a door and said, "Hey, go-go
and pastor this church. Go and
lead this church. Be-be a
pastor. Be somebody that is
going to lead and shepherd a
generation that is unreached
to know Jesus." And so here
I am doing it with-we've
launched at McMaster. We're
in St. Catharines as well and
launching new sites in the
future.
Multiple locations.
Yeah.
I mean this guy is a man
on the move. You know, how
did-how did God get ahold
of your-your heart? Cause I-I
kind of see you a Lego guy,
you know, an engineer, just
building the world around
you, Pinky and the Brain.
I'm going to take over the
world.
Yeah.
But-but how did Jesus capture
your heart?
It's actually crazy. I grew
up with parents that loved
the Lord. And I mean I-I am
so blessed. And I have no
regret about that in any way.
When I was nine, I felt a call
from the Lord. I cannot
explain it. I cannot
rationalize it. But I knew
the Lord was calling me and
saying, "You are mine and
I want you to follow me."
Wow.
And I can remember making
a decision at nine. It was my
own. My parents had really
no part of it. And I came to
them and I said, "I want to be
baptized."
Yeah.
And they said this is-you're
nine. This is just too early.
And I said, "No. Like Jesus
has asked me and instructed
me to be baptized." And from
that point on, I was in South
Africa. We moved to Canada
and I've just faithfully just
chased after the Lord my whole
life. His grace, His love, the
truth that He offers is worth
knowing. And-and not just
for me, but has been as I've
experienced it, it's
impassioned me to-to lead
others to know Him as well.
Yeah. You know, it-it's
such a precious call that's
on your life as well. You
know, my-my cohost always
says that she's my African
sister and more African than
me. But I think she met her
match with you.
That's awesome.
You know. When-when-when
you think about Lift Church,
what was the vision of-of
really having a-a church within
a church or even a society?
I mean you shouldn't exist to
be honest with you.
That's right. Yeah, you
know, we-we looked at the
universities of our nation, and
they're kind of like-like
cities within cities.
Yes.
But the big difference is
they're cities with walls
around them.
Okay.
And they're massive.
McMaster University is down
the road is reaching well over
thirty-thousand people every
year. And yet when you're in
the university, the outside
world doesn't exist.
Right.
It's only within the walls of
the university. And we looked
at it and we realized the
church for decades had been
sitting outside the walls of
the university. Trying to-
trying to invite people to our
party, trying to reach people.
But we were fundamentally
outside of the city walls. We
were outside of the culture.
And so we looked at it and
said what if we could plant
churches within the city walls
of the university? To reach a
people that at that point were
totally unreached. And what
it means is that we're not
fighting for people's
attention. We're not fighting
to get them to leave their
context. We've gone into their
context. We've brought Jesus
to the universities directly.
And so very simply we've said
that our vision, our hope is to
see fully realized churches
established on the university
and college campuses all of
our nation. And through that
to see cities transformed.
Wow.
But that means going into
places where churches
historically haven't really
existed. It's very hard to
plant churches in universities.
It's different context. It's
very fast-changing demographic.
It's very multicultural.
Yeah.
And so we've-we've
entered into that place and
said let's-let's rethink how we
do church, but let's do church
in all of its glory in the
context of the university.
My goodness. You know, you
remind me of a Joshua. My
servant, Moses, is-is gone.
Now Joshua is here. When you
think about the-the people
groups and the-the nations
that you have, you really have
all the nations of the world.
And-and you gave me a
statistic a little bit earlier.
I thought it was pretty
staggering.
Yeah. It's unbelievable.
At McMaster, we have over
a hundred and twenty active
nations that are a part of
the McMaster community. In
Canada right now, ten percent
of the one point seven million
students in Canada are
international students
traveling from all over the
world. Virtually every country
is represented. The beautiful
thing for us is that we have
those students that we're able
to reach with the hope of Jesus
and they become part of our
community. But the most
incredible part is that-that
we get to send them out,
that they don't stay with us.
They-they go back home to-to
China or the Middle East or
to Nigeria or wherever home is
for them. And so if they can
discover the hope of Jesus in
the context that-that they're
in at the university, but then
be sent, it's not just a-a
regional or even a national
influence that we have. It's
an international influence
where we're training people
that have never heard the
Gospel.
Yeah.
One-third of the
international students of
Canada are from China. Most
of them never had any exposure
to Jesus.
Yeah.
So what an opportunity that
we have.
Tell us about some stories
of people that are just coming
to-to know Jesus that you've
seen recently.
Yeah. I could tell stories
all day. I think of one-one
girl in particular. She was a
varsity athlete, and she was
just struggling. She had never
known Jesus. She didn't grow
up with any faith exposure
at all. And she came to
university and her hope and her
identity was really-was really
in athletics. And she
ultimately was found-found
herself very alone. And really
at the-the end of her road.
And a friend from the-the-the
team invited her to church that
day. And as she stepped into
church, while she was
struggling to fit in, she was
struggling to feel like she
belonged, she was struggling
to have hope, she was
struggling to wrestle through
the existential questions of
life, whether it was through
her social group with her
education. She steps into
church, and Jesus met her in
that moment.
Amen.
And she has actually said
publicly in her testimony when
she was baptized, she said,
"You know, I don't know if I
would even be here today if
it wasn't for Lift Church.
Wow.
Those-I mean those are the
moments that we live for.
You know what? You know,
I-I know there are some people
listening right now, and they
want to know a bit more about
Lift Church and-and how does
it function. What type of
messages are you preaching
in-in the college context?
What's-what's right now
getting traction?
Yeah. I think it's actually
would be a little bit
counterintuitive. We're very
simple. I'm an old school
Bible preacher. I-I believe
that the message of Jesus is
the only message we have.
Yeah.
So we don't play with it.
We don't-we don't try and get
a creative angle. We just
teach and introduce people to
Jesus as revealed in the
scriptures.
Come on.
I think there's four things
that are incredibly powerfully
connecting with this
generation. And that would be
a-a-a Biblical teaching on
vocation,
Yeah.
On justice and
reconciliation, on sexuality,
and on finances.
Yeah.
I think those four areas,
the-the millennial generation,
they're asking questions.
Yeah.
And the questions found in
the scriptures are-are life
giving. And rather than
skirting around those
questions, we embrace them
head on. And we say, hey,
let's-let's introduce you to
Jesus.
You know, somebody's
listening right now. They need
to be introduced to Jesus.
But a-a parent needs to know
that my kid, there is hope for
that millennial. Could you
speak to them right now as
we close out?
You know, I think the
millennial generation has been
seen as a lost generation.
They are not. They are hungry
for truth. They are hungry for
purpose. And if we can instead
of looking down on them, see
them as a generation that we
can engage and lift up, lift
out of the pit and point them
to Jesus, they will respond.
Yeah.
We just go to keep being
faithful with the message of
the Gospel.
Wow.
And pointing people to Jesus.
And they will respond. It is a
hungry and an open generation.
Well, Father, we pray even
now with Robin that you would
not only bless Lift Church but
you would cause this generation
that has been by many targeted
as a generation that cannot
find its way now to become the
path--oh, God, I feel your
Spirit, that they would be the
pathfinders and they would be
the world changers
Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.
Of this next move of God.
Come on.
Thank you for Robin. Thank
you for the power of the Holy
Ghost and the scriptures to
change lives both now and
forever. In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Amen.
Wow. Lead pastor, Robin
Wallar, Lift Church. Thank
you, brother. And I'm
excited about what God is
doing. I pray you're excited
as well because the good news
is Jesus is speaking today.
If you need a little bit more
prayer after we're off the air,
1-855-759-0700. Prayer
partners will be there. Until
next time. God bless.
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