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Live Your Purpose: Take Bold Steps of Faith | Neil Smith | July19, 2026

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Neil Smith Sermon Summary (2 Kings 7)

Neil Smith delivers a sermon framed around 2 Kings 7, using the story of four lepers as a spiritual metaphor for people who feel rejected, trapped by famine, and unsure what to do next. His central claim is that in “mission month,” believers are called to live with purpose and take bold steps of faith, trusting God to make a way when outcomes are uncertain.

Core theme: Bold steps of faith—choosing faith over fear, and acting even when the next outcome is unclear.

Core message: bold steps of faith

  • Smith argues that every believer has an ongoing choice between fear or faith, and that faith (not fear) is the believer’s “trading tool.”
  • The lepers’ situation represents believers living in spiritual famine—a world in need of Jesus—and seasons when God often moves powerfully (he references biblical seasons of famine connected to major breakthroughs).
  • He emphasizes that taking a faith step may feel like “die, die, or maybe live,” but faith is still required because without it God’s purposes can’t be fulfilled.

Examples of “bold steps” producing outcomes

  1. Pastor’s PNG (Papua New Guinea) story (2015 onward)

    • Smith recounts writing to the prime minister of PNG after recognizing that privilege requires responsibility (echoing “freely received, freely give”).
    • Although political turmoil initially prevented access to the prime minister, Smith met the finance minister, building a relationship for years.
    • When the finance minister later became prime minister, Smith’s team was positioned to help bring national prayer and influence—Smith presents this as God “meeting him in God’s time,” not his timing.
    • A video montage highlights large-scale evangelism and social impact across PNG (leadership, education, prisons, hospitals, rallies), with reported numbers of attendance, decisions for Christ, and claims of healings/deliverance.

  2. Stadium cancellation resolved by prayer

    • Smith tells of a planned event being blocked due to FIFA control of stadiums, creating an “empty stadium” situation.
    • He says he responded by mobilizing prayer (and even depicts unusual access to the stadium for a photo), after which the sports minister allowed the event.
    • According to Smith, the result was a filled stadium and a major wave of salvation decisions.

  3. Thailand outreach after a program collapse

    • On a trip to Bangkok, an orchestrated plan was canceled, and Smith improvised by taking musicians to a major university.
    • When a crowd gathered, Smith preached with an interpreter, despite fear about legality and public preaching.
    • He reports that hands went up for Jesus and that the outreach later contributed to ongoing partnerships and churches in Thailand.

  4. Personal giving test involving “obedience”

    • Smith shares an early ministry story where he felt prompted by God to give away his last $50 during a camp/offering moment.
    • He describes giving in parts (two 20s and a 10), feeling anxiety and imagining consequences for his wife.
    • Afterward, unexpected provision came:
      • a young man returned $50 to him, and
      • later, a committee added a much larger envelope—turning his $50 into $350 (as presented in the narrative).
    • Smith uses this to argue that God rewards obedience and faith.

Biblical interpretation: unity and “delegated authority”

Smith moves from the lepers’ story to Matthew 18:18–20, emphasizing:

  • Power in agreement: when two or three agree in Jesus’ name, heaven “acts.”
  • He frames this as more than comfort (“Jesus is in our midst”); it’s spiritual authority—a delegated authority where agreements on earth are carried into heaven for implementation.
  • He connects it to church life, including D-groups, satellite communities, and standing together worldwide.

The lepers’ “strategy” in the text

Smith stresses that the lepers:

  • still walk even when no one is there,
  • respond to the enemy’s camp despite it being dangerous and not “safe,”
  • and interpret God’s intervention as removing the enemy’s ability to harm them.

He argues that God can create a scenario where the enemy flees and believers receive what they had no right or ability to claim—positioning “hope” and “good news” as the outcome.

Practical call to action

Smith repeatedly challenges listeners to ask: What is God asking you to do?

Examples include:

  • calling a family member to share Jesus,
  • praying for someone sick,
  • acting in generosity where prompted,
  • and not staying paralyzed by fear or disappointment.

He closes with prayer and a “declaration” exercise (raising hands, closing eyes, asking God what step to take).

Q&A Segment: faith and trust after disappointment (Sunday Fastrack)

After the sermon, Sunday Fastrack hosts a Q&A:

  1. What does taking a step of faith look like when you feel stuck?

    • Smith quotes Hebrews 11 (faith as substance of things hoped for).
    • He says believers must act even when outcomes aren’t known; God will “come through.”

  2. If someone feels disappointed or hurt by unanswered prayers or other Christians, what simple step should they take?

    • He advises taking a step again rather than letting fear/delusion of disappointment trap you.
    • He emphasizes that weakness can become the place where God strengthens.

  3. If following Jesus doesn’t make life easier, why follow/trust Him?

    • Smith frames it as an “adventure,” arguing partnering with God enables outcomes and influence beyond what self-driven living can achieve.

Presenters/Contributors

  • Neil Smith (main speaker)
  • Edward Paharilio (host / regional coordinator, CCFUSA East Coast and Midwest)

Original video