There's More Room on the Map

It's an honor to be here on the Louisiana campgrounds, to feel the presence of God that is in this special place. There are some places that are special. There are some geographical locations that are special. And I believe that this is one of those places. And my family and I are honored to be here. Thank you, Brother Weber, Brother [Stroud], District Board, for the opportunity to be here on missions night. And so thankful for the Louisiana District. Thank you for all that you have done and are doing for the cause of missions around the world. What a beautiful outpouring of love here tonight, in your giving. Thank you for giving. Thank you for supporting my family and I, other missionaries that are here as well. I'm so glad for Tanya, Elena, Lincoln, that are here. And my parents that are here as well. I'm so glad that they're here. My mother — it's her birthday today. My parents taught me to love preachers and preaching. They didn't prop up sports stars; they pointed out men of God. And if there would have been baseball cards of preachers, my brother and I probably would have had them, and traded them. And so it's such an honor to be on these campgrounds with so many of my heroes, who I would have traded for your baseball cards. Mighty men of God that are here. I give honor to all of our speakers. Brother Huntley, it's an honor to be with you. Brother Klinedinst, Brother Collins — every one of you. It's an honor to share this pulpit with you.

I want us to go to the word of the Lord. We're going to go to Acts chapter 1. So glad our missionaries are here. We have two missionaries that are here. Sister P, the country of [Lesotho] — who, her and her husband were missionaries for many years. When her husband passed away, she came back to the Global Missions Board and said, "I want to go back to Africa." And the Global Missions Board said, "Okay, you can go back." And she's doing a wonderful job. We have another missionary who is here. He did not have a mask on because he's scared of COVID; it's because he is in an access-challenged nation and cannot be on camera. And so I know the Lord is going to move on some of you here before we're ended. And so, Brother Tilly, if you could get a stack of each of their PIMs and just put them here on the front — I know that before we're done, there will be people that want to support them. They are not here just to attend Louisiana camp meeting, though I'm sure they're enjoying it. They're here in the States raising funds, so they can get back to the land of their calling. And these are both missionaries that are doing a tremendous job overseas. And so I ask that you would pray for them, and consider partnering with them, to get back to the field as soon as possible.

Acts chapter 1, verse 8 says: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." I want us to pray — ask that the Lord would speak to us individually; He would speak to us collectively. I understand my assignment tonight. And I do feel that I have direction, clear direction from the Lord. And I'm going to ask that you would open up your hearts and your spirits to receive whatever the Lord would speak to you. So if we could, one more time, let's lift our hands toward heaven and ask that He would speak to us. Lord Jesus, I thank You for what You're going to do in this place. Lord, we open up our hearts, our minds, to receive Your word. Lord, I take dominion and authority over every doubt, every fear. I loose faith in this place. We thank You in advance for what You are going to do. I thank You, Jesus, for the word that You are going to speak to us. Speak to us individually. Speak to us collectively. Lord, I thank You, Lord, in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. You may be seated.

For the next few moments, I want to speak to us on this subject: There's more room on the map. There's more room on the map. The map has been one of mankind's greatest inventions. It has helped people understand the world around them, find their way, and discover places that they have never been before. No one knows exactly when the very first map was drawn, but historians believe civilizations all over the world independently began creating maps of the land around them. The earliest known maps were not world maps. They were practical. They showed village layouts, fields, rivers, and trade routes. They answered the simple question: "Where am I? And where do I need to go?" The oldest known world map is the Babylonian map of the world, believed to have been created in the seventh century BC. Then the Greeks transformed mapmaking from practical drawings into a science. They introduced longitude and latitude. They developed mathematical projections that forever changed the way that people viewed the world. And as time went on, maps became more detailed. They charted Roman roads. They recorded Viking voyages. They guided explorers across oceans. They looked much different than the maps we use today. But every map has always answered one fundamental question: How do I get from where I am to where I need to be? Most of us did not arrive in Tioga without a map. Today, almost everyone carries a map in their pocket, on their smartphone. And many of us remember keeping a Rand McNally map, or road atlas, under the seat or in the glove compartment. Then came MapQuest, where we would print out pages of turn-by-turn directions before leaving home. Then, in the early 2000s, the TomTom revolutionized travel for deputizing missionaries and traveling evangelists who spent countless miles traveling across America. And today we simply open up — within seconds, a map tells us exactly where we are, and where we need to go, and the best route to get there. Yet, even with modern technology and digital maps, we are reminded time and again that maps are always incomplete. Countless stories exist of navigation apps leading drivers into lakes and harbors. And one of the most famous incidents occurred in Ontario, Canada, when a woman, following her GPS into Lake Huron on a dark, foggy night, believing the road continued, drove down a boat launch, sinking her car into the lake. She managed to roll down the windows of the car, grab her purse, and swim to shore. And from there she went to a nearby hotel and phoned the authorities and asked for help. She explained that she was very embarrassed by the situation, but expected her GPS unit to guide her the right way. And this reminds us that maps are wonderful tools, but they are only as good as the information that they contain. It's the same problem that people have found from the beginning of time. It's the problem that the ancient maps had: eventually, the map simply ended.

A few years ago, we drove to the southernmost tip of Spain, about a fourteen-hour drive from where we lived in Barcelona, where stands what is known as the Rock of Gibraltar. However, in ancient history, it is known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, and also known as the end of the map. Standing on the rock, I could look across the strait and see the coast of Africa. It was there that the ancient maps eventually reached the edge, where people believed there was nothing more. It was in Roman and Greek antiquity that it was said that there was nothing beyond this point — that these pillars were known as the western edge of the known world. The Latin phrase non plus ultra appears to have developed as a literary way of expressing an ancient belief. Literally, it meant "nothing further beyond." It is said that these words of warning, non plus ultra, were carved into stone, into these pillars, or natural rock formation. The phrase non plus ultra became such an effective symbol. This simple phrase, repeated over and over, created a mindset that there was nothing beyond these pillars. It created the mindset that if you go in this direction, you're leaving everything that is familiar. Non plus ultra let everyone know that it couldn't be done. Non plus ultra said, "Beyond this point is the unknown." Non plus ultra said, "Turn back while you still can." And as the ships would approach the Strait of Gibraltar, two towering landforms formed the narrow passage: the Rock of Gibraltar to the north, Jebel Musa to the south. And beyond these pillars lay the immense Atlantic Ocean. They were leaving the known trade routes and entering waters that few people had explored. Stories circulated about sea monsters and endless oceans and impassable waters and violent storms and the possibility of never returning. For most of them, the map ended right there. For the great majority, there was no desire to see beyond the strait. It was the line where the map ended. But the day would come when a man named Christopher Columbus asked the king and queen for the funds to sail from Spain, to go beyond the map. He would reject the prevailing belief that there wasn't anything beyond, and would eventually discover the Americas. Now, we know that in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And twenty-four years later, Spain would adopt a new motto, in direct contrast to non plus ultra — "nothing further beyond." They would remove the word "nothing" and adopt simply the words plus ultra — "further beyond." Columbus would prove that there was more beyond that map. It changed history. It opened the minds to a generation that would eventually go even further. They would expand the map even more. They would reach further. They would redraw the old maps. And today there's even a statue in Spain dedicated to Christopher Columbus, with a lion that is ripping the word "nothing" from that saying that described that nothing was beyond. But I've come tonight to preach to a people that are willing to push beyond the limits of what the map says, and know there are more things that are beyond than what I have seen and what I have experienced before. I know that people say that certain things cannot be done. But just because the map doesn't show it doesn't mean we can't push the limits and see where God can take us. The map may not show you a new daughter church just yet. The map may not show a new open city. The map may not show the next Bible study. The map may not show the next missionary. The map you have may not show the next harvest. But just because it isn't on your map doesn't mean it isn't God's plan for you to look a little further than you've ever looked before, and say, "I believe that just beyond the horizon, God has something more." So tonight, on missions night, let us dare to allow God to show us beyond what we can see in the natural, and push the limits of what our current experiences are, and believe that God wants to go beyond what we can see on the map.

The ancient world drew maps that marked the limits of where people believed they could go. But at the close of His earthly ministry, Jesus laid out a map that would define the mission of His church. We find the foundation of missions. After His resurrection, Jesus repeatedly emphasized the same mission: go into all the world and preach the gospel — not only to the people that you know, but go to the furthest places. And Mark 16:15 says: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." And He tells them that they are to go and to preach. But He does not send them out by themselves. But He says in Acts 1:8: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." The church was never intended to accomplish its mission through human talent. But He tells them that the first thing that they are going to need is power — that they would receive power. There would be a power for the journey. The journey to the uttermost begins with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The disciples couldn't fulfill the commission until they received power. And we must remember why it is that God filled us with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He didn't fill you with the Holy Ghost so that you could make it to church on Sunday. He didn't fill you with the Holy Ghost so that you could make it to midweek Bible study. You didn't receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost just so that you could speak in other tongues. But Jesus said, "You're going to start in Jerusalem. Then you're going to go out to reach Samaria, and then you're going to go to a place that you have never seen before. You're going to get that call into the uttermost part of the earth." Without the infilling of the Holy Ghost, there are places that I cannot go. When Jesus said, "Ye shall receive power, and ye shall be witnesses unto Me, unto the uttermost part of the earth," He laid the foundation for missions. Because missions begins with Pentecost. Could it be that our lack of vision for the lost, and for missions at times, is that there's a lack of power operating in our lives? Because Jesus said, "I'm going to empower you, and I'm going to make such a difference in your life that it will compel you to reach for the lost. It will compel you to reach for those that are around you. It will compel you to preach to everyone around you." And if I am not compelled, maybe I need another baptism of the Holy Ghost tonight. The elders used to call it "praying through." Maybe I need to pray through again tonight. If there isn't enough power within me that is compelling me to reach everybody — there's a reason that the Pentecostal movement is reaching into every corner of the world faster than any denomination. And it's because the Holy Ghost power is what makes the difference. The same Holy Ghost power that empowered the 120 in the upper room is still reaching the uttermost parts of the earth today. The power of the Holy Ghost is what causes the map to expand. The foundation of missions wasn't a better education — and I'm for education. It was an outpouring of power. The foundation of missions wasn't a better strategy — and I'm all for strategy — but it was an outpouring of power. It did not begin with a Bible college. It did not begin with a sending agency. It did not even begin with an offering, but it began with an outpouring of the Holy Ghost and power. Before Jesus ever said "go," He said, "Ye shall receive power." And if we claim to have received the same Spirit that fell in the upper room, then we should have that same burden that sent them to nations. There should be something that is within me that's compelling me to reach everyone that is around me — the power of the Holy Ghost working within me. I know that the map might say that not everyone wants what we have. The map of tradition might say that what we have received may not work everywhere. But if we could begin to dream, to go off the map, and realize that just because we have not seen it done before does not mean it cannot be done. Because when there is a power working in it, it does not matter what the map says. The power working within you says, "I don't know how we're going to get there, according to what I see in the natural, but I refuse to believe that the map of revival ends here. I believe that there is something beyond what I have experienced. I have not had the best church service yet. We haven't broken the record of how many received the Holy Ghost in our service yet. I know what the boundaries are, but I believe that God wants to take us further."

A few years ago, when my responsibility expanded to all of Europe, I began to tell our missionary team and our national pastors — I told them, I said, "I never want to hear anyone say again that Europe is hard." I don't know who first said those words, but it seemed to me to be just as powerful as those words non plus ultra — "nothing further beyond." You can have revival in Africa, but the map of revival ends at the border of Europe. You can have revival in Central America, but the map of revival ends before you cross the Atlantic. You can have revival in Asia, but the map of revival ends before you get to Europe. But the Holy Ghost power within me said, I know that there is more out there than what we have experienced in the past. And I began to talk to our team. I said, "We have got to change our language." I don't know who said it first. I don't know who said, you know, "Europe is hard." But then it was repeated to somebody else. And they would say, you know, "Europe is hard." And then the new person who felt the call to Europe would hear the elder say, "We're glad you're on the team. Just so you know, Europe's hard. It's not like it is other places. And so just be prepared. We need to realize that Europe is hard." And something about that just disturbed me. And I told our team a few years ago, I said, "We're going to change our language. I never again want to hear 'Europe is hard.' I said, let's make up some other describing word of what is going on in your country. Let's make up some other describing word to try to tell what you're facing. But we've got to change our mentality, because when we begin to say 'Europe is hard,' it's like standing there at the edge of the map and saying, you know, 'Well, there's really not anything further beyond this.' But if we can begin to say, 'You know what? We may not have seen everything we want to see yet, but we believe that on the other side of this is the greatest revival that Europe has ever seen. We believe that on the other side of this, we're about to see an outpouring of the Holy Ghost.'"

In 2024, in our missionary team in Spain, we decided that we would try to break the Holy Ghost record in Europe. We talked to Brother Dross to come and to preach our conference. We held our conference in Madrid, where we had a record of 667 people receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost in our conference. That might seem something small to some of you, but when Europe had never seen it before — all of a sudden, the map just got a little bigger, and some eyes began to open, saying, "Wow, if they can see over 600 receive the Holy Ghost there, then maybe we can have 600 receive the Holy Ghost where we are." One of the countries under my responsibility is Vatican City. It's on our list of a place that needs a church. Yeah, I hear your laughter. I hear your jeers. That's off the map. I know it seems to be far off the map. "Nathan, how are you going to get a church there?" I don't know. "But Nathan, that could never happen." Warning: non plus ultra. Nothing further beyond this. There's no way that you could get there. Warning: the map doesn't go that far. But the Lord didn't fill us with the Holy Ghost and power to stand on the edge of the map and say, "We can't go any further." A few years ago, my dad started traveling to Rome, to walk and to pray around the city, and pray and walk in that area. He's gone back time and again — sometimes alone, sometimes with other men who've joined him — walking and praying around Rome and Vatican City. "Why waste your time? That's too far off the map." But there's a power that compels me to make sure that this gospel is preached everywhere. I don't care what the walls of Vatican City say, or what it looks like. Something tells me, on the other side, there might be somebody that's hungry for an experience of God. Just on the other side — I just happen to believe that just — maybe. Two months ago, one of our pastors from Indiana was visiting Rome with his family, and he and his son felt to pray in some of the Catholic churches around Vatican City. And he told me something. He said, "Something has shifted in this city. Something has shifted in Rome. There's a different atmosphere than where I have been here before." And in one of the churches that he went into — one of those Catholic churches there — there was a priest that was there, and he was standing there, had been praying at one of the stations of the resurrection. It's the station of Mary waiting on the Spirit. Pastor Lane began to talk to the priest who had been praying there, and talked to him about the power of the Holy Ghost. And he explained to him that, you know what, "You're standing here praying at the station of Mary receiving the Holy Ghost. Do you know that you could receive the Holy Ghost, just like Mary received the Holy Ghost? That it wasn't just for those in the Bible?" And you're sitting here praying. And he asked Father Nicholas if he would like to receive the Holy Ghost. Father Nicholas said he would love to do that. And so they stepped over to the side just a little bit, and right there in the Catholic church, in the shadow of the Vatican, Father Nicholas lifted up his hands, and God filled him with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. We may not have been there before. It might look like the map ends at Vatican City, but there is nowhere that the Holy Ghost can't go. It doesn't matter how bad it looks. If we'll look beyond the map and realize that God wants us to have a revival like we've never had before — how's it going to happen? I don't know how God's going to do it, but I know that God can do it.

We see the progression of the gospel: Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Jerusalem. Judea. Samaria. Uttermost. Jesus — He gave them a strategy. Notice the movement. The gospel is always moving outward. Jerusalem — home. Judea — the surrounding region. Samaria — uncomfortable places. The uttermost — places that nobody has reached. And I don't believe that in this Scripture, Jesus was giving them four options. I don't believe that Jesus was saying, "You can pick which one you'd like." I don't believe that Jesus was saying, "As long as you're preaching in Jerusalem, you don't need to worry about Samaria; someone else can worry about that. The map doesn't go that far." I think we should read Acts 1:8 from where we are: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Tioga, and in all Louisiana, and in the United States, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." And like the early church, we have at times focused only on our city. But the gospel is progressive. I know that the Lord called you to your city, but when He called you to your city, He didn't give you an exemption from worrying about the surrounding areas. And if we're going to be a book of Acts church, we're going to have to broaden our map, and realize: I have been called more than just to my city. I've been called not only to Jerusalem, my home city. I've been called to Judea, my surrounding region. And I've been called to Samaria, those uncomfortable places. I've been called as well to the uttermost, those places that no one has reached. The Holy Ghost has sent me to tell you to broaden your horizons. Don't let the map end at the city where you pastor. But there's a pastor that needs to look at the next town. There's a daughter church that needs to be planted. I'm not just called to reach Jerusalem. I'm called to reach Samaria. Samaria is an uncomfortable place. It was a different culture. It's a place where people don't look like me. They don't talk like me. Samaria represented people that naturally they would not have chosen. So don't let your map end with the people that look like you. Because in Samaria, they don't think like me. They may not worship like me. They may not share my background. But if I'm going to follow Jesus, I have to be willing to cross the boundaries that He crossed. The same Spirit that filled the upper room sent the church beyond its walls. The foundation of the church was never preservation. It was always progression. Samaria, yes, at times is uncomfortable, but I've been called to go there as well. And God did not give me one of the four options. He said, "The power that I'm filling you with is going to send you beyond the map."

When Jesus said, "Unto the uttermost part of the earth," Paul didn't treat it as poetry. He looked at the map, and Paul understood the progression of the gospel. And he kept moving west, until there was nowhere further west for him to preach within the Roman world. And then he wrote in Romans 15:24: "Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you." Because the ancient world looked towards Spain and saw the edge of the map. And there was something that was in Paul. And when Paul looked at Spain, he said, "That uttermost part of the earth — I've been called to go there as well." And the tragedy is that it is possible to love Jerusalem so much that we forget that Jesus said Judea, and Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth. And sometimes we celebrate what God is doing at home, while forgetting that He has also called us to the nations. The progression of the gospel was never meant to stop at Jerusalem. Jesus never intended for His church to become stationary. He intended it to keep moving. Interesting statistic that I looked up last night: according to our global mission statistics, 42% of our churches do not personally support a single missionary through Partners in Missions. 42% of our churches do not personally support a single missionary through Partners in Missions. That doesn't mean they don't love God. It doesn't mean they don't love souls. But it does mean that somewhere along the way, the progression of the gospel has stopped, and we become passionate about Jerusalem. But we forget that Jesus also said Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth. Every church may not send a missionary, but every church can help send a missionary. That's the whole purpose that we're here together tonight. That's the whole purpose of this mission service: that we can't do a lot by ourselves, but together we can send many people into the harvest. We may not be able to do it all by ourselves, but together — however, there are churches that faithfully support global missionaries around the world, yet have never developed a burden for the town fifteen miles down the road. At times, we have unintentionally drawn lines that Jesus never drew. Some have become passionate about North American missions. Others have become passionate about global missions. But Jesus never divided His commission. There aren't two great commissions. There's only one. He didn't say, "Choose Jerusalem." He didn't say, "Choose the uttermost." He said, "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." And the heart of God has always been both. The church that reaches their city but ignores the nations has only embraced part of the commission. And the church that reaches the nations but neglects its own community has also only embraced part of the commission. And a biblical church doesn't choose between North American missions and global missions. It embraces the entire progression of the gospel, because there is one mission. There is one church. There is one gospel. There is one great commission. There's one. We've got to understand the purpose of the church that we're a part of. What's the purpose of what we're doing? What's the purpose of the church? The purpose is not to have weekly meetings. The purpose of the church is not merely to maintain a schedule. It's not to preserve an organization. And it's not to keep the lights on. It's not to fill a calendar. Jesus never said, "Go and hold services." He said, "Go." He never said, "Go and fill buildings." He said, "Go make disciples." The church does not invent its purpose. It inherits His purpose. And what is His purpose? The Bible said in Luke 19:10 — a purpose statement here — "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The Bible also tells us in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." So the purpose of Jesus was to seek and to save that which was lost. And He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the Bible says that when I receive the Holy Ghost, I receive the Spirit of Christ. Romans 8:9: "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." So the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And when I receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, I receive the Spirit of Christ. Colossians 1:27 says, "It's Christ in you, the hope of glory." So that must mean that my number one focus of life should also be seeking and saving the lost. And if that is not my number one focus in life, then maybe I have no enduring evidence that Christ is in me. So my purpose, or the purpose of the church, is the same as Jesus, because I have Christ in me. And what we do in Louisiana camp this week — it's not just to have a yearly get-together. It's a preparation for our mission. It's to equip us for our mission. Because everything the church does should point towards the purpose that Jesus gave us: to seek and to save that which was lost. The church has never been called to settle where the map ends.

Maps are always incomplete. This is historically true. No generation has ever produced the final map. Generation after generation has continued to extend the map. I was able to obtain a 1970 missionary map. There's some people on there that you might recognize. Up there in the right top corner, Brother Elton Bernard. It's interesting to note the vastness of the map, and this elder generation that was there. There's people on there like Elton and Loretta Bernard — Brother David Bernard's father. Brother Elton Bernard was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Now, after receiving their call to missions, in preparation, they each received their ministerial license and started a church in Hammond, Louisiana, then left for Korea in 1965. Another couple on the map you might see, in the bottom right corner, is E. L. and Nona Freeman — pastor right here in Louisiana — waiting for the Global Missions Board to meet them. They would go on eventually to open the country of South Africa with the gospel, and ultimately impact the entire continent of Africa. It's on that map. You'll see a young T. F. Tenney is the director of the foreign missions board. The map is interesting to me. You'll notice there, that in this map, we have the places where we were not yet. We were in South America. There's a little gap there. Bolivia wasn't there yet. Paraguay. Europe — there were three countries in Europe where we were. There was three: Great Britain, and the Netherlands, Germany. That was it. That was on the map. And I've heard stories of missionaries looking at the map and seeing the vastness of the map. One of those was my wife's grandfather. He told me the story before he passed. He went to Bolivia in 1972. But he said, "I remember looking at the map hanging on the wall," and he said, "There on the map, there was no one that was in the country of Bolivia." He said, "So I called my friend, Brother Jud. And I said — 'Why is there no one in Bolivia?' He said, 'If no one's going to go to Bolivia, then I'll go to Bolivia.' He eventually arrived in 1974, not knowing anyone. He didn't even speak Spanish yet. But he went there because he saw a place on the map that someone hadn't reached yet." I was able to travel to Bolivia for their fiftieth anniversary in 2024. Now with over 20,000 constituents that worship the Lord together in the United Pentecostal Church of Bolivia — because one man looked at the map and said, "There's someone that needs to go there. There's a blank space on the map." And over the years, we've celebrated when we have filled the missionary map, and the number of missionaries has grown, and more countries have opened. And we celebrate that now, where the United Pentecostal Church is now in 203 countries and territories, and over 5 million constituents, over 40,000 churches. So, just this last year, 230,780 baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Just this last year, 290,113 filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Just this last year. And we celebrate what God has done. We celebrate how the map has expanded. We can celebrate, and think that we have done what we need to do, and at times even think that there's no more places to go — there's no more room on the map. But if we're going to have Pentecost every day, we're going to have to have more people that answer the call to go into uncharted areas, and go off the map. I celebrate that we are now in 203 countries. But what does that mean, when I look at the map and I see countries like Poland — yes, we are in Poland, but we have one church with almost 40 million people? When I look at the map and I see other nations that have one church. When I look at the map and I see the different areas that — yes, we do have a presence, and I celebrate that we have a presence, but there are many nations that are still with no church. There are places like Afghanistan, Algeria, and Armenia, and Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland that has one church. Slovenia — I was just there three weeks ago. No church. I was in Russia just a couple of months ago, in Moscow, in one of our churches there in Moscow. Thankful for what God did: we had three that received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And the brethren there that hugged me, they said, "Could you stay just a little longer? Could you stay just a little bit longer?" It almost happened, because a snowstorm came in the next day. I was trying to fly out, and as I had made the mistake of listening to an old cassette tape of Brother Ian, who went to Russia, and he talked about the great revival that he had seen in Russia, and how he got stuck there for six months — and as they canceled my flight, I said, "Lord, I'll come back, but don't make me stay here right now for six months." But the reality is, just in Europe, over 700 million people, and we have less than 500 churches in an area of over 700 million people. Louisiana — what a great state. What an amazing thing that God has done. Over 300 churches, 800 ministers. But I would submit to you that there is still room on the map. 4.6 million residents in the state of Louisiana. Target cities like Covington, Slidell, Mandeville metro; Lafayette metro, 478,000; Shreveport metro, 393,000; Baton Rouge metro, 875,000; New Orleans metro, 1.2 million. We can celebrate how the map has begun to grow, but the reality is, there's more room on the map.

Brother Tilly can bring those. Brother Alman — as I look at the map of Louisiana, I know we have 300 churches, but there's still room for more. Brother Tilly, I'm thankful for the thousands of churches that we have around the world, but there's still room on the map. And I want to encourage someone tonight. Maybe you've looked at the most recent map of global missions and said, "Man, look at all those missionaries. There's not any room for me. I don't know if there's room for me on that map." But let me tell you, there is still a world that is searching. If there's someone who'd say, "There's a place I'd like to go" — there is still room on the map for revival. I know what the map looks like. I know there are places that we've never been before. But is there a pastor in Louisiana that's here, and you've thought about starting a daughter church, but you just quite haven't done it yet? But let me tell you, there's another place here in Louisiana. You can — there's still room on the map for another church. I know we've got 300 churches, but there's still room on that map. I know we've had great revival, and we're celebrating camp meeting this week, but is there a pastor who'd say, you know, "There's a community about fifteen minutes from where I am, and maybe we could start a place right there, on that map"? Is there someone that would feel a hunger and say, "I've never thought about going overseas before. I'm just here from rural Louisiana"? There's a lot of people from rural Louisiana who looked at a map and said, "If God will open the door, I will go there." And they went, not knowing the language. They went, not knowing the country. But a map — they looked at a map, and the Lord said, "If you'll go, and you'll go to another place, I'll open the doors, and the map will begin to grow." I don't know if there's somebody here in Louisiana camp meeting who could say, "I'm tired of living right on the edge of the map." But is there somebody who'd say, "I need to go to Europe — and if I can't go, I'm going to help someone go. I need to go to Africa — and if I can't go, then there's someone I'll help send to Africa"? We've got missionaries here in places that have never received the gospel. I may not be able to go, but if there's someone that could say, "You know what? I can take on another PIM. Or maybe my church isn't yet supporting anybody in missions" — let me tell you here tonight, that the map is still wide open, and the revival that we have waited for is just on the other side of the horizon. If we as a church could say, "God — Lord, help us to reach the other side of the map." We could all stand, and our musicians come. I celebrate 300 churches — almost 400 churches. Man, that's amazing. But there's still room on the map, pastor.

When we went to Barcelona, the Lord allowed us to pastor a wonderful church in downtown. But we didn't just stay there. With the help of the Lord, we started twelve other daughter churches. I encouraged our churches — within a five-year period, I told our pastors (we had less than 50 churches at the time), I said, "I believe it's the will of God that we double the number of churches in our nation." I said, "If every church could start a daughter church within five years..." Said, "If every church could start one daughter church in five years." And I told them, I said, "I know there's new churches; they may not have the strength to be able to do that. But there's other churches that could start two. There's other churches that could start three." And as we launched the vision of doubling the number of churches, then all of a sudden COVID hit, and there was still churches going on. We were off the map. I remember that first Pentecost Sunday that came around — we were shut down. And I said, "You know what? We're going to try to go a place we've never gone before. I know they've shut us down." And I called Brother Dross. I said, "Brother Dross, I need you to do altar-working training online for me. So we're going to try something new." And the week before Pentecost Sunday — the week before Pentecost Sunday, we had training online, and we told our people, we said, "On Pentecost Sunday, you're going to go and sit in someone's apartment with them, and you're going to watch the service online. And when we give the altar call, you're going to lay hands on them, and you're going to believe that God's going to fill them with the Holy Ghost." Said, "We're not going to let COVID stop us. We're not going to. This is off-the-map thinking, but we're going to try it out." And we got up. We preached to a camera, an empty church, that the fire of the Holy Ghost was going to fall. Then we gave instructions over online and said, "All right, if you want the Holy Ghost, if you'll lift up your hands in your living room, there's someone beside you that will lay hands on you, and you're going to begin to speak in other tongues." And as we spoke the word of faith across that nation, we had over 60 that received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Don't tell me that it's hard. We may not have been there before, but the Spirit of God has given us the power to go to places we have never gone before. I don't want to go back to COVID, but I know that the Lord is going to give us strength and direction for whatever we may face in the future. We might have to go off the map for a little bit. God's given us a window of time, and a little bit of grace, to have revival. Who knows what the church is going to face in the future? But when we face whatever it is that we face, and we have no map — just know, if we will keep our faith high and say, "God, You're going to take us. We haven't been on this part. We don't have a map to take us." But there's more room on the map. God has more revival. He has more room on the map for your city.

I want you to lift your hands across this place. Lord Jesus, I pray that Your Spirit would begin to confirm and to call ministers, men and women of God, to answer the call to go off the map. I pray that as Your Spirit, Lord, right now would begin to bring direction, Lord, that a spirit of faith begin to flow, where we believe that anything can happen. Lord, I loose faith right now for us to step into the unknown. I loose faith right now for us to step into a place and to answer the call. If it's to start a daughter church, if it's to consider going overseas on this missions night, Lord, I pray, God, that You would call someone to the mission field. I pray, God, that You would call someone to start a church. I pray, God, that You would call someone to leave their place of comfort — to leave Jerusalem, and to go to Judea, to go to Samaria, to go to the uttermost parts of the earth. I want to open this altar first to every pastor, every minister, every person with a call of God on your life. I want to open this altar first, and I want us to begin to come around the front, because we're going to pray that the Lord will give us a vision for a place we've never gone before. There's still room on the map, sir. There's still room on the map, ma'am. Churches — yeah, we've got churches in Louisiana, but we still need more. Help me pass out some of these. Just begin to tear them out. Some of you have maps in your offices with your city, but you need to get another map, and broaden your horizon, and let there be another place that you begin to put out. We're going to pray that God will give us direction. We're going to bind all fear that would come against us, that would try to keep us on the map. We're going to pray that God would give us direction on this missions night. If you would lift up your hands right where you're at, in the name of Jesus. Lord, I pray right now, in Jesus' name. I pray, God, let there be direction that is given to every pastor, to every minister, to every person that has a call of God on their life. We're going to start more churches in Louisiana. We're going to send more missionaries from Louisiana. Oh, we're going to look at that next town right down the road. Lord, I pray right now, in the name of Jesus, that You would give us the faith to leave the map. Give us the faith, in the name of Jesus. That's it. In the name of Jesus, Lord, I pray, God, for conviction of the Holy Ghost to fall on every minister, on every pastor. Lord, give us boldness to stretch out and go in places that we have never gone before, in the name of Jesus. Let a faith be released right now to step into the unknown, and to see things that we have never seen before. How are we going to get there? I don't know. We're going to go beyond the map. We're going to go further than we've ever gone before, right now, in the name of Jesus. That's it. That's it. That's it, on this missions night. Someone pray for Louisiana. Someone pray for that city without a church. Someone pray for that nation that needs to hear the gospel. Someone pray for Russia. Someone pray for [Belarus]. Someone pray for Slidell. Someone pray for Baton Rouge metro. We're going to pray for a spirit of boldness to fall on every one of us, to step into uncharted territory. You might never have gone there before, but a spirit of boldness is going to come over you by the power of the Holy Ghost, right now, by the power and the authority of the word of God. Let a spirit of boldness fall on every pastor, every minister. I bind every spirit of fear. I bind every spirit of doubt. Let boldness begin to fall upon the people of God. You're going to take us into uncharted territory, in the name of Jesus.