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Hello and welcome to the
Middletown Baptist Church Podcast,

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where we are proclaiming the
truth to the world.

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My name is Pastor Josh, and I
want to thank you for listening to

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this podcast.

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I hope that this podcast can
be a blessing to you and strengthen

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you in the word of God.

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Now come along, let's look
into the Bible and see what God has

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for us here today.

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We're going to be learning
about Jesus in here as well and appreciate

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you being here today for our
Vision Sunday.

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And typically, what happens is
that as as a pastor, I pray a lot

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about where God would have us
to go in the next year.

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And the reality is, is that to
reduce it down to one sermon would

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not do it justice because I
believe the Lord has a lot of plans

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for Middletown Baptist Church
in 2026.

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And what I would like to do
here for the next foreseeable future,

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it's become one sermon to a
sermon series, is look at what God

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has for us as a church.

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The last two weeks, we've been
looking at biblical church culture

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because it's one thing to say
I go to church.

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It's another thing to be the church.

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It's one thing to say that,
hey, I'm part of a church.

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But what does a church
actually mean?

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What.

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What does a church actually do?

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And what we've been doing is
we've been looking at Ephesians,

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chapter four, and we've been
looking at what God has to say about

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a church.

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What God has had to say about
a church is that we're to walk worthy.

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We're.

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We're to walk a certain way in
the path that God has called us.

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So it starts with faith.

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It starts with belief in Jesus Christ.

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And in that salvation, in that
transformation now we are new creatures.

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In him, we are born again.

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And as we are born again, yes,
we are born again as children of

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God.

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But as children of God, we are
planted in the body of Christ.

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The church is the body of Christ.

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There isn't a passage in
scripture that says the church is

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like the body of Christ.

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The Bible says that the church
is the body of Christ.

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And the reality of that means this.

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As we work out in our lives
what God has for us, we're essentially

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working with him and working
under him to do the work of the ministry.

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Now, the Bible says in that
body model that Christianity, Christ

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is the head.

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He's the one in charge.

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He's the one that's guiding us.

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And the other model is that
the church is a building.

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It's a spiritual house, not a
physical Building as much as a spiritual

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building.

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The Bible says that we're
living stones that are built upon

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the chief cornerstone, which
is Jesus Christ.

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But in Ephesians chapter four,
it says, okay, we start with Christ,

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but where do we go?

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Well, we walk with him.

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But walking with him looks
like this.

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It looks like lowliness of
mind, humility.

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It looks like patience and,
and meekness and unity and peace.

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And ultimately to live Christ
like with other people.

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To live Christ like
individually and to live Christ like

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corporate.

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And so when we think about
that, we think about, okay, so, so

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we're to be unified.

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That means that we're all
supposed to believe exactly the same

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things in every single element
of our lives.

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We're all to look exactly the same.

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We're all to, all to dress the same.

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We're all to talk the same.

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No, the Bible says that unity
is not uniformity.

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Uniformity is we all look the same.

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And most of the time it's
pastor comes and says, this is the

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list of rules and you've got
to be this way.

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No, the Bible gives us the
guidebook to life.

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I'm happy and I am relieved
that not everyone is like me here.

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Not, not everyone is called to
specific, exact ministries now.

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We all are called to the
ministry of service.

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We, we're all called to the
ministry of proclamation of the Gospel

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of Jesus Christ.

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We're all called to the
ministry of glorifying God.

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But we're called, as Ephesians
chapter 4 says, in different areas,

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we're different parts of the
body coming together in unity.

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So how do we do that?

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Well, we do that by walking in
the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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We do that by walking in the
truth of the word of God.

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And that's what all Ephesians
4 is all about.

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It's all about walking with
Christ in a certain way, walking

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with him individually and
walking with him corporately as the

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body of believers.

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And so thinking about where we
wanted to go this year, thinking

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about what we wanted to
emphasize as a church, we could emphasize

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a ton of different things.

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Last year we emphasized going right.

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We, we, we, we wanted to go
and, and not just physically go,

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but spiritually go into the
world and, and share the gospel and,

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and to share the love of Christ.

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And I believe through various
avenues that we grew in that area

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and ultimately built upon that
as possibly some of, you know, we're

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going on a missions trip this
year and, and obviously our missions

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program is, is adding more
missionaries and we're growing and

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we're, and we're serving and
those are wonderful things.

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But at the same time, we have
to think about it from the bigger

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perspective.

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Yes, God calls us to go, but
God also calls us to be the church

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here.

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And so what I would like us to
do this year is to.

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We're going to think about
three different words.

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We're going to talk about
these three words a lot this year.

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And these three words are not
only a challenge, even though they

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are a challenge, they're not
only an evaluation of where we are

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through the year, but also
what I want us to think about is

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many commentators call these
the rhythms of the church.

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Essentially, this is the
culture of the church.

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This is the lifestyle of the church.

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This is not just what we do,
but who we are and allows us to check

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ourselves in our spiritual walk.

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And so if you could throw up
on the screen, the, the presentation

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there, I'm going to show you
the three words here this morning,

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and I'm going to build off of
each one of these words according

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to scripture.

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And essentially the three
words are this up, in and out.

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I want us to think about these
three words and what they mean for

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us as a church, what, what
they mean for us as individual Christians,

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what they mean for us as we
deal with other people in our midst,

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as we deal with people in our community.

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It really starts with this.

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It starts with our
relationship with God.

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It, it starts with where we
stand individually before Him.

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There's a lot of people in
this world that say, you know what?

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I'm a religious person.

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I, I'm a, I'm a person of faith.

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I, I go to church.

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But really, we understand that
every one of those statements don't

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necessarily equate a true salvation.

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What brings us salvation?

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Not religion, not going to
church, but faith in Jesus Christ

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alone.

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And having that relationship
with God shows us that we are now

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his children and we can walk
in faith.

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And so for us to be the type
of church that we need to be, for

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us to serve, for us to go, for
us to see fruit in our midst, we

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must all realize that we all
have a responsibility to have our

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relationship with God and to
stand in that relationship and to

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grow in that relationship.

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And so for the first
challenge, the first test, the first

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evaluation, the first rhythm
or culture of the church will be

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this.

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Individually, where do we all
stand before God?

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Am I walking with him in faith?

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And it's not just a matter of
being, being saved and having faith,

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but is it a matter of me
trusting him in the day to day?

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Is it a matter of me communing
with Him.

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Because if I believe in him
and if I trust in his way in my life,

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I will live in his word.

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I will live in communication
with Him.

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And the Bible says that the
word of God is how he speaks to us.

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And, and how we speak to him
is through a life of prayer.

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And how we grow with him is a
lifestyle of obedience and yielding

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ourselves to the Spirit.

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And so the first step is, is up.

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The first check is up.

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But then after that, we know
that in the book of First John, it

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tells us that if we're right
with God, we will be right with others.

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You know, we, we can't say,
you know what?

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I love God.

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I'm walking with God.

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I'm serving God.

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I'm reading my Bible.

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I'm.

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I'm growing in Him.

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But I don't like to be around
other Christians.

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I can't stand other Christians.

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I'm.

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I'm an individualistic Christian.

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That's, that's an oxymoron.

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That can't be.

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So the Bible says that if
we're walking with Christ, we are

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walking with others in the
body of Christ.

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You're not designed to be on
an island.

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You're not designed to be alone.

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Yes, we have the Lord with us
at all times.

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And I'm thankful.

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The book of Hebrews says that
he's never going to leave us nor

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forsake us.

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And so, yes, we have Him.

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But the Bible also tells us in
other passages which we're going

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to look at in the study, that
we need.

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We.

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It's a necessity for us to be
planted in a church and fellowshipping

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with within a church and
exhorting and challenging one another

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in the church and encouraging
one another and building one another

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up.

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We need that.

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We must have those connections inwardly.

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We have to find fellowship, we
have to find discipleship.

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We have to find growth in our
church family.

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Is the church family perfect?

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No.

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Is any family perfect?

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If you have a perfect family,
I'd love to meet with you after the

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service.

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And I want to know your secret.

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Because every family has its quirks.

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Every family has its struggles.

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And so the reality is, is that
we're not talking about having a

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perfect church and agreeing
with everybody on every single thing.

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But it's walking in unity,
knowing that, hey, that's my brother

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in Christ.

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Remember what Ephesians 4 said.

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One body, one spirit, one
baptism, one Lord, one faith.

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We're walking together.

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And so we're in this together.

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And the point is, is that
we're to have that relationship we

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see that up in, in the
relationship of, of John 15:5.

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Jesus says, I am the vine,
you're the branches.

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He that abideth in me and I in him.

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The same bringeth forth much
fruit, for without me you can do

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nothing.

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And so you might say here this
morning, well, Pastor, it's impossible

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for us as a church to walk in unity.

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And I would say it is
impossible in our own flesh, like,

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like to do church on our own,
with our own worldly wisdom, with

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our own mindset, with our own opinions.

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We can't walk in unity.

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So it's a supernatural thing
to walk in unity.

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As John 15:5 says, we trust
that he is the vine and we're the

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branches.

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And, and there's a statement
there at the end of verse five that

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is shocking.

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And it actually, it ruffles
our feathers.

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It makes us in the flesh get a
little uncomfortable.

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But in the Spirit, it should
help us and encourage us.

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Jesus says, for without me ye
can do nothing.

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Folks, as a church, we cannot
accomplish anything for the kingdom

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of God without Him.

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We can't leave him behind.

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We can't forget about Him.

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We can't think that our plans
and our vision and our opinions trump

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the power and the purpose and
the call of God in our lives.

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And so our connection to
Christ gives life and fruitfulness.

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But again, our connection with
Christ brings that personal relationship

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with not only God, but with others.

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I'm going to break off the
script a little bit, so, so don't

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jump around in the PowerPoint.

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Maybe you can just go back to
the, the, the front screen there.

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Up, in and out.

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But one of the aspects of
finding this rhythm in our church

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is following the example of
Christ, right?

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We're to be plugged into the
example of Christ.

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We're to be plugged into his
plan for our life.

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I want you to see in Luke
chapter six, Jesus living out, up,

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in and out, right here in one
small passage of scripture.

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We could go to so many places
in scripture to look at this model

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being lived out in the church.

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But the greatest example is
Jesus Christ.

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The greatest example is to see
what he deemed to be important and

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vital in his ministry.

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Because if we're a church and
we say anything is important as long

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as it's something that we like
to do, or as long as people will

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come to the church, or as long
as we've got enough money in the

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bank account, those are all,
like, in and of themselves, okay?

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Things like, I, I want our
church to be financially secure.

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I want our church to bring
People in from the community.

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I want us to enjoy what we're
doing in ministry.

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But if our priority is
anything outside of following the

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head, Jesus Christ, the chief
cornerstone, then we're missing the

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point.

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So we let's look at Luke
chapter 6 and I want you to see verse

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12.

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I believe this is a great
outline of how we can live the up,

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in and out model within the church.

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Jesus is going to start with
his relationship with the Father.

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Now, obviously, Jesus has a
unique relationship with the Father.

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He's the only begotten Son.

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And a lot of people struggle
with the concept of the Trinity.

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But we know in the New
Testament that Jesus spoke to the

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Father, Jesus prayed to the
Father, Jesus submitted to the Father.

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Here in his earthly ministry,
Jesus worshiped him.

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And so we look at the example
of Jesus and we say, okay, if Jesus

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does these things in his
relationship with the Father, so

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we need to understand that our
relationship with God is, is vital

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and our personal time with him
is vital.

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Look at verse number 12 with
me in Luke chapter 6.

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It says, and it came to pass
in those days that he went out into

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a mountain to pray and
continued all night in prayer to

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God.

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Right here we see that the
priority for Jesus, before he does

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anything in ministry, is to
align himself with the will of the

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Father.

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For him, in this moment, it
was a whole night of prayer.

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It was a time of communion
with Lord.

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It was a time of fellowship
with Him.

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Ultimately, we know that
through many other prayers in Scripture,

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that worship can be done
through that time of, of prayer.

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And so what we can see here is
that Jesus gives us the example that

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our personal, private time
with God, our personal time with

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him, through fellowship and
through prayer and through Bible

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study and, and through resting
in him and trusting in him, is vital

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to start what we want to do in
our ministries.

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Let's say, for example, this
year you say, you know, Pastor Josh,

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I really want to start a ministry.

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God's pressing this on my
heart in the church.

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And I would say, fantastic.

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That's wonderful.

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Have you sought the Lord in that?

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Have you prayed about it?

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Have you found passages of
scripture that align you to that

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message of the truth of the gospel?

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So often we get ahead of ourselves.

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So often we think, this is
what I want to do, this is what I

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have planned, and God, you
just bless it as I go.

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But ultimately, there's a time
and a place for us to say, lord,

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I need you first before I take
in anything else in the day, before

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I move forward in my vision,
before I move on in my path of service

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to the Lord, how I deal with
other people, how I deal with the

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world, I first must stop and
say, no, it's my time with God.

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And so that first step is up.

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But then we see verse 13.

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It says this.

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And when it was day, so he
prays through the night.

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And when it was day, he called
unto him his 12, excuse me, his disciples.

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And of them he chose 12, whom
also he named apostles.

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So here we see Jesus not only
concerned with his relationship with

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the Father, but also with the
relationship with others.

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And in this context, it's discipleship.

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Jesus is calling certain
individuals to come.

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And what does he do with his
disciples and specifically his apostles?

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He trains them for the work of
the ministry.

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But in the process of training
them, he fellowships with them.

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Jesus had meals with the disciples.

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Jesus spent time with the disciples.

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He traveled with the disciples.

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There was an intimate
relationship there in the body of

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Christ.

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There was a small group that
was happening right then and there.

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00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:38,840
Jesus leaves the time of
prayer and he goes and he focuses

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on those around him.

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00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:42,880
You know, I've heard sometimes the.

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The.

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00:15:43,580 --> 00:15:45,380
The idea of church is this.

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I come into church, I worship God.

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I get my shot in the arm for
the week, and I go home and I'm waiting

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for next week.

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And we forget that church is
not just an hour on Sunday mornings

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or an hour and a half if the
pastor is real excited, right?

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It's more than that.

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00:16:00,460 --> 00:16:02,980
Church is 24 7, 365.

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And it's not about just coming
in and receiving.

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We talked about this last week.

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The spirit of consumerism has
leaked into the church, and it's

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00:16:10,980 --> 00:16:12,870
about, what can I get now?

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00:16:12,870 --> 00:16:14,790
Certainly there is blessings
in being in church.

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I love being in church.

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00:16:17,190 --> 00:16:18,510
I love to hear the word of God.

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I love to worship God together
with other saints.

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But at the end of the day,
church is not just about what I receive

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when I come.

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00:16:25,350 --> 00:16:28,470
Church is about what I
receive, but also what I can bless

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00:16:28,470 --> 00:16:33,150
others with and how I can
reuse the blessings that God has

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given me and turn that out to others.

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That's called stewardship.

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It's stewarding our gifts.

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If you remember back in
Ephesians, chapter four, it says

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00:16:39,670 --> 00:16:42,830
that every one of us as
believers have received a gift.

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Not to exalt ourselves, but
what to edify the other saints, to

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build other people up, to lead
people to Christ.

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00:16:49,710 --> 00:16:51,270
And we talked about those four E's.

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We have evangelism.

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We're gifted to lead people to Christ.

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We're gifted to teach people
in education.

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00:16:57,230 --> 00:17:00,550
We're gifted to come to a
place of edification, to build them

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00:17:00,550 --> 00:17:00,750
up.

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00:17:00,750 --> 00:17:03,030
And we're called to exhort.

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00:17:03,030 --> 00:17:04,910
That's challenging and
encouraging others.

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That's what it means to be
part of the church.

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00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:09,080
So that's the end model.

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00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:11,040
Jesus comes and he lists these 12.

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00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:13,920
Simon, who was also named
Peter and Andrew, his brother James

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00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,920
and John, Philip and
Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas,

381
00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,720
James, the son of Alphaeus and
Simon, called zealots.

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00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,640
Judas, the brother of James,
and Judas Iscariot, which was, which

383
00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:25,000
also was the traitor.

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00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,680
And we see an interesting
element here where they're named.

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00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,240
And though we know that Jesus
had multiple disciple, multiple followers,

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00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:35,680
these are the inner circle.

387
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,240
These are the ones that he
highly invests.

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00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:40,480
And so that's a picture, I
think, within the church.

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00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,760
I mean, obviously we can't
invest into every single person in

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00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:44,040
the church.

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00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:44,800
It's impossible.

392
00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,760
It's impossible for you to
say, well, I'm going to disciple

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00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:48,480
every single person.

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00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:50,200
Even in my section.

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00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:51,440
That's not going to be possible.

396
00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,680
I can't disciple every person
for an hour a day.

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00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:57,360
There's not enough hours in
the day.

398
00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:00,360
But the Bible says, yes, we
have that kind of love for all the

399
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:02,680
believers around us and we
have that type of exhortation and

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00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,620
edification, but it's
perfectly appropriate to identify

401
00:18:05,700 --> 00:18:09,260
certain individuals in our
life that we can sow into, that we

402
00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:11,580
can invest into, and that we
can say, you know what?

403
00:18:11,580 --> 00:18:14,460
Because of what someone has
done for me, I want to turn around

404
00:18:14,460 --> 00:18:15,900
and invest into someone else's life.

405
00:18:15,900 --> 00:18:17,700
And that's exactly what we see
happening here.

406
00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:21,340
There's another passage of
Scripture In Hebrews chapter 10,

407
00:18:21,340 --> 00:18:22,980
if you want to reference that here.

408
00:18:22,980 --> 00:18:27,620
When it comes to the whole in
model, is, is the idea of not forsaking

409
00:18:27,620 --> 00:18:33,480
ourselves together and that
Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25 is a

410
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:33,760
verse.

411
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:34,640
It's a proof text.

412
00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:36,880
A lot of times for people to
talk about church attendance.

413
00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,040
So I could get here in Hebrews
chapter 10, verse 25.

414
00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:42,920
And I say, hey, brother, so
and so I haven't seen you in church

415
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:43,360
in three weeks.

416
00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:45,360
You're an open sin because
you're not coming to church.

417
00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,560
Well, we could argue that, you
know, a rejection of coming to church

418
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,080
is, is not a good thing, right?

419
00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,160
We would say that, yeah, you
should be in church.

420
00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:55,920
I, I'm all for church attendance.

421
00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:57,480
I'm all for it.

422
00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:58,960
I'm the biggest proponent of it.

423
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,080
But he says more here.

424
00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,840
He says it's not just about
being in church, even though that's

425
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:04,560
the first step.

426
00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,800
You got to be in church to do
what he's about to say.

427
00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,120
He says there's more to it
than just coming together, sitting

428
00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:11,280
in a pew and going home.

429
00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,040
That's really not the model of
church that was happening back at

430
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:14,480
that time.

431
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,200
So what Does Hebrews chapter
10, verse 25 say?

432
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,200
Well, let's just go back up to
verse 24 to get context.

433
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,840
He says, let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering.

434
00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,330
So he says, individually, hold fast.

435
00:19:26,330 --> 00:19:28,210
Hold on to what you believe in.

436
00:19:28,610 --> 00:19:31,330
And then he ultimately says,
how can you even do that?

437
00:19:31,330 --> 00:19:33,090
Well, for he is faithful.

438
00:19:33,330 --> 00:19:36,930
That promise, meaning we're
faithful because the one who we're

439
00:19:36,930 --> 00:19:38,010
being faithful to is faithful.

440
00:19:38,010 --> 00:19:41,090
So even when we're not
faithful, he keeps us and he holds

441
00:19:41,090 --> 00:19:41,330
us.

442
00:19:41,730 --> 00:19:47,330
But then he says in verse 24,
and let us consider one another to

443
00:19:47,330 --> 00:19:49,210
provoke unto love and to good works.

444
00:19:49,210 --> 00:19:52,870
And so the Bible says here as
a church, one of the elements of

445
00:19:52,870 --> 00:19:54,670
church culture is to provoke
one another.

446
00:19:55,230 --> 00:19:57,910
What I thought provoking one
another is a bad thing.

447
00:19:57,910 --> 00:20:01,870
All the word provoke means is
to stir somebody up, to encourage

448
00:20:01,870 --> 00:20:03,550
them to get them to go somewhere.

449
00:20:03,630 --> 00:20:07,790
Now, in our fleshly mindset,
when we talk about provoking, it's

450
00:20:07,790 --> 00:20:09,030
usually provoking for bad things.

451
00:20:09,030 --> 00:20:11,630
Like, and that person's
provoking me today, that person's

452
00:20:11,630 --> 00:20:13,790
stirring me up in a bad way in
my flesh.

453
00:20:13,790 --> 00:20:16,070
They're stirring me up in
anger, they're stirring me up in

454
00:20:16,070 --> 00:20:16,910
whatever it might be.

455
00:20:17,210 --> 00:20:19,970
But the Bible says that as
Christians, the church culture would

456
00:20:19,970 --> 00:20:23,090
be this, that we stir each
other up for what, as it says there

457
00:20:23,090 --> 00:20:26,730
in verse 24, love and good works.

458
00:20:28,090 --> 00:20:29,050
How do I do that?

459
00:20:30,010 --> 00:20:32,250
Well, I invest into the life
of others.

460
00:20:33,049 --> 00:20:35,210
I show them love and good works.

461
00:20:35,610 --> 00:20:39,570
I, I, I demonstrate what it
means in my life to show God that

462
00:20:39,570 --> 00:20:40,170
I love him.

463
00:20:40,170 --> 00:20:42,010
Therefore I'm stirring it up.

464
00:20:42,010 --> 00:20:43,530
And the co, it's culture, right?

465
00:20:44,110 --> 00:20:44,790
It's the norm.

466
00:20:44,790 --> 00:20:47,790
If the norm in the church is
to be selfish, guess what's going

467
00:20:47,790 --> 00:20:48,110
to happen?

468
00:20:48,430 --> 00:20:50,670
Eventually all of us are going
to learn how to be selfish.

469
00:20:50,670 --> 00:20:51,630
And it's what we do.

470
00:20:52,430 --> 00:20:55,790
If the norm is to be prideful,
like if, if, if I as the leader of

471
00:20:55,790 --> 00:20:59,070
the church go, hey, guys, it's
all about you, okay?

472
00:20:59,070 --> 00:21:02,990
Get what you can enjoy
yourself at the end of the day, that's

473
00:21:02,990 --> 00:21:06,030
eventually, if you guys don't
leave, which, if a pastor got up

474
00:21:06,030 --> 00:21:08,670
and preached that you should
leave, but, but if you didn't leave,

475
00:21:08,670 --> 00:21:09,310
what would happen?

476
00:21:09,700 --> 00:21:11,140
That would be the culture of
the church.

477
00:21:12,100 --> 00:21:13,580
So how do we, how do we flip this?

478
00:21:13,580 --> 00:21:16,900
How do, how do we become a
church if we're not already to be

479
00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:19,300
a church that's provoking to
love and good works, well, it starts

480
00:21:19,300 --> 00:21:20,180
with the individual.

481
00:21:20,500 --> 00:21:25,739
Like, what happens sometimes
is we want revival, the church needs

482
00:21:25,739 --> 00:21:26,260
revival.

483
00:21:26,340 --> 00:21:28,580
And so when the church starts
revival, that's when I'm going to

484
00:21:28,580 --> 00:21:29,300
jump on the ship.

485
00:21:29,620 --> 00:21:31,300
No, revival starts in my heart.

486
00:21:32,020 --> 00:21:34,820
Provoking to love and good
work starts with me.

487
00:21:34,820 --> 00:21:37,140
If I'm the first one to do it,
I'm going to start doing it.

488
00:21:37,980 --> 00:21:40,220
And the Lord willing, we see
that culture begin to grow.

489
00:21:40,220 --> 00:21:47,740
And then he says in verse 25,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves

490
00:21:47,740 --> 00:21:50,660
together as the manner of some
is meaning that there were some that

491
00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:54,220
were forsaking the assembly,
but exhorting one another.

492
00:21:54,300 --> 00:21:57,580
So we're back to what we're
supposed to do when we're there exhorting

493
00:21:57,580 --> 00:21:58,140
one another.

494
00:21:59,420 --> 00:22:02,020
And so much the more, as you
see the day approaching, exhorting,

495
00:22:02,020 --> 00:22:04,360
this challenging exhorting is encouraging.

496
00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:11,560
So it's an environment of
love, service and as it says there,

497
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:12,440
encouragement.

498
00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:19,000
Now you would say, okay,
Pastor, how am I supposed to love,

499
00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,200
encourage and provoke into
love and good works and all that

500
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:23,880
stuff during your preaching?

501
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:25,960
It would be really distracting
for you right now.

502
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,000
Let's just get like,
theoretically speaking here.

503
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,240
Let's say some of you say,
okay, Pastor, I'm gonna take it.

504
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:32,320
I'm gonna take it literally.

505
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:34,800
I'm gonna get up right now,
I'm gonna go try to encourage that

506
00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:35,280
person over there.

507
00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:36,560
And we start like that.

508
00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,920
I would, I would be like,
guys, okay, it's a little chaotic.

509
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:39,480
I can't focus.

510
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:40,240
You guys are talking.

511
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:41,040
Please don't do that.

512
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:42,560
Say, well then, Pastor, how am
I supp.

513
00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,400
I'm showing up at 10:30 on a
Sunday morning.

514
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:45,880
I leave at 12 o'.

515
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:46,000
Clock.

516
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,360
How am I supposed to do all this?

517
00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,120
The idea here is this.

518
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:54,200
The idea is that the actual
assembling is not just on the corporate

519
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:55,360
worship on Sunday mornings.

520
00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:58,480
Even though that's vital, we
should corporately worship.

521
00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:00,760
But what the Bible actually
tells us in the New Testament is

522
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,160
that church was happening
outside of the corporate worship

523
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:03,600
setting.

524
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:08,880
So, so the exhorting, the
love, the discipleship, the edification

525
00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:12,400
that's happening outside, they
would have these things called agape

526
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:13,680
feast, love feast.

527
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:15,800
So what are you talking about?

528
00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:16,880
They would actually get together.

529
00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:18,480
They would say, okay, we're
all going to come together.

530
00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:20,760
We're going to have food and
we're going to.

531
00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:21,240
And they.

532
00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,000
There was worship and all that
kind of stuff.

533
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,120
And that was a time for them
to get together and talk.

534
00:23:25,530 --> 00:23:26,850
Let's go to the Book of Acts
with me.

535
00:23:26,850 --> 00:23:27,850
Go to the Book of Acts.

536
00:23:28,170 --> 00:23:28,650
Okay.

537
00:23:28,650 --> 00:23:31,210
If we want to study early
church, what better place to go than

538
00:23:31,210 --> 00:23:31,530
Acts?

539
00:23:31,530 --> 00:23:32,490
Acts chapter two.

540
00:23:32,650 --> 00:23:36,090
Peter preaches, thousands are saved.

541
00:23:36,890 --> 00:23:40,570
They, they, they're baptized,
they're added to the local church.

542
00:23:40,650 --> 00:23:42,330
What did that look like at
that time?

543
00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:44,610
What did that, what did that
look like?

544
00:23:44,610 --> 00:23:48,810
Well, Acts chapter 2, verse 42
tells us what that looked like.

545
00:23:49,450 --> 00:23:54,180
It looked like this says, and
they continued steadfastly in the

546
00:23:54,180 --> 00:23:56,660
apostles doctrine, which means
they, they were, they were getting

547
00:23:56,660 --> 00:23:58,020
taught the word of God.

548
00:23:58,980 --> 00:24:03,660
Going back to church culture,
Teaching the word of God is vital

549
00:24:03,660 --> 00:24:04,900
for church culture.

550
00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:09,860
It might not be teaching that
we want to hear, might be tough teaching,

551
00:24:10,580 --> 00:24:14,260
but, but the, but the church,
through its leadership and through

552
00:24:14,260 --> 00:24:19,190
different avenues of, of
ministry should be, must be teaching

553
00:24:19,270 --> 00:24:23,550
the word of God and also, as
we see here, continuing steadfastly.

554
00:24:23,550 --> 00:24:26,470
So it's not just a matter of
teaching it because there's a lot

555
00:24:26,470 --> 00:24:28,670
of churches in America that
someone's teaching the word of God,

556
00:24:28,670 --> 00:24:31,470
but there's a lot of churches
that are not continuing steadfastly

557
00:24:31,470 --> 00:24:32,950
in the doctrine that's being taught.

558
00:24:33,590 --> 00:24:34,990
So it's a matter of being taught.

559
00:24:34,990 --> 00:24:39,110
It's a matter of being
listened and heeded and applied.

560
00:24:39,190 --> 00:24:40,310
But then we see more.

561
00:24:40,550 --> 00:24:43,520
It says that they were fellowshipping.

562
00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:45,040
That word fellowship means coin.

563
00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:46,720
It's the Greek word's koinonia.

564
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,480
And we have koinonia Sundays here.

565
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,280
And still some people are
like, what, what are we talking about?

566
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:53,200
Koinonia Sunday.

567
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,600
Okay, it's, it's the idea of
fellowshipping but being together

568
00:24:58,000 --> 00:24:59,280
with a purpose.

569
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,280
So it's fellowshipping, but
fellowshipping with unity, Fellowshipping

570
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,520
with the purpose of edifying,
fellowshipping with the purpose of

571
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,550
encouraging, fellowshipping
with the purpose of all of these

572
00:25:10,550 --> 00:25:11,950
things that are being
mentioned here.

573
00:25:12,430 --> 00:25:16,110
So they listened and applied teaching.

574
00:25:16,110 --> 00:25:18,350
They fellowshiped with a purpose.

575
00:25:18,430 --> 00:25:22,390
And then it says in breaking
of bread and all good Baptists said

576
00:25:22,390 --> 00:25:23,030
amen, right?

577
00:25:23,030 --> 00:25:25,030
We love to eat a good meal, right?

578
00:25:25,030 --> 00:25:26,190
A good potluck meal.

579
00:25:26,430 --> 00:25:27,750
It's a little bit more than that.

580
00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:30,910
Like most commentators
believe, that's speaking of observing

581
00:25:30,910 --> 00:25:31,870
the Lord's table.

582
00:25:31,950 --> 00:25:34,350
But at the same time, when
they observed the Lord's table, it

583
00:25:34,350 --> 00:25:36,970
wasn't just a little wafer and
a little cup of juice.

584
00:25:36,970 --> 00:25:38,570
They were having a full out meal.

585
00:25:38,890 --> 00:25:41,210
And so I think that's
perfectly biblical for us to come

586
00:25:41,210 --> 00:25:42,210
together and break some bread.

587
00:25:42,210 --> 00:25:43,370
That's, that's, that's great.

588
00:25:44,090 --> 00:25:45,170
And that's fellowship.

589
00:25:45,170 --> 00:25:48,130
That's where a lot of I, I,
one of the things I loved about coming

590
00:25:48,130 --> 00:25:51,250
to the church and getting to
know certain different cultures,

591
00:25:51,250 --> 00:25:51,610
right.

592
00:25:52,090 --> 00:25:54,770
One of the things that I
appreciated with hanging out with

593
00:25:54,770 --> 00:25:58,650
some of the folks with Pastor
Carlos and, and that ministry was

594
00:25:58,970 --> 00:26:00,130
they, they like to eat.

595
00:26:00,130 --> 00:26:02,330
All their fellowships had food
and I always enjoyed it.

596
00:26:02,330 --> 00:26:04,160
And, and I, I love that type of.

597
00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:05,080
I love spicy food.

598
00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:05,400
Okay.

599
00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:06,760
So I'm like, yes, this is awesome.

600
00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:08,720
So I would look for every
opportunity to go eat.

601
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,560
We know that sometimes food
can break some down some barriers.

602
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:12,760
That's a good thing.

603
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:13,800
Now, if all.

604
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:15,920
The only reason we get
together is to become food critics

605
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:16,240
and that's.

606
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:17,240
Then we're missing the point.

607
00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,560
The point is again,
fellowshipping with a purpose, breaking

608
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:21,360
bread with a purpose.

609
00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:23,840
And then we see more here it
says and in prayers.

610
00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:26,920
And so not only are they
praying individually, which is important,

611
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:28,240
but they're praying together.

612
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,680
There's corporate prayer and
there's times where we get together

613
00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:36,600
and we lift up our requests to
the Lord and we share, and with that

614
00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,800
comes sharing our needs.

615
00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:40,960
The book of James talks much
about this.

616
00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,040
It talks about confessing our
faults one to another so that we

617
00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:45,440
can lift up requests together.

618
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,640
Biblically speaking, a church
culture that's working properly in

619
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,200
the end stage is going to be a
church that prays for one another

620
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:58,170
and is concerned with one
another, with one of those needs,

621
00:26:58,170 --> 00:26:59,450
with one another's struggles.

622
00:26:59,690 --> 00:27:00,010
So.

623
00:27:00,010 --> 00:27:03,970
So we see there in Acts
chapter two, but we see more because

624
00:27:03,970 --> 00:27:07,450
again, we're talking about how
can we do this in the church context

625
00:27:07,450 --> 00:27:09,090
when we only meet for an hour
a week.

626
00:27:09,090 --> 00:27:11,930
Well, let's see more of what
it says later on down at the bottom,

627
00:27:12,329 --> 00:27:13,290
verse 46.

628
00:27:14,970 --> 00:27:17,290
And they continuing daily.

629
00:27:18,490 --> 00:27:21,170
So right then and there we see
that the church culture is not just

630
00:27:21,170 --> 00:27:23,400
a weekly thing, it's a daily thing.

631
00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:28,160
Now, this isn't to beat up on
anybody who isn't understanding this

632
00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:30,520
right at this point, but I
want you to see in scripture that,

633
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,040
that church, the church
family, the church culture is more

634
00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:35,480
than just a set time.

635
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:36,840
That's in my schedule.

636
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:37,640
It's my life.

637
00:27:38,279 --> 00:27:41,640
And so it's as they continuing
daily with one accord, that's unity

638
00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:46,600
in the temple, breaking bread
from house to house did eat their

639
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,400
meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, praising God

640
00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,080
and having favor with all people.

641
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:55,200
And the Lord added to the
church daily such as should be saved.

642
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:59,280
So with this model came
fruitfulness, came growth.

643
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:01,960
Everyone's looking for growth
within the church.

644
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:03,840
We talked about this another time.

645
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,639
You know, there's whole books
written and there's a whole library

646
00:28:07,639 --> 00:28:08,720
on how to grow a church.

647
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,160
But the greatest model is
following what the word of God says,

648
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:12,960
because that's true.

649
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:13,320
Fruit.

650
00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,080
And again, how do we see fruitfulness?

651
00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:19,610
Jesus says, if you want fruit,
abide in me, abide in my word.

652
00:28:20,090 --> 00:28:21,370
But we go to verse 46.

653
00:28:21,370 --> 00:28:23,130
It says, they went house to house.

654
00:28:25,290 --> 00:28:26,730
Some of you are like, house to house?

655
00:28:28,010 --> 00:28:29,370
No one's coming over to my house.

656
00:28:29,450 --> 00:28:30,570
That's my sanctuary.

657
00:28:31,290 --> 00:28:35,610
Well, the reality is, is that
biblically speaking, Biblically speaking,

658
00:28:36,330 --> 00:28:41,170
we are called to do church
outside of the four walls that are

659
00:28:41,170 --> 00:28:41,610
right here.

660
00:28:42,090 --> 00:28:44,560
I know this isn't necessarily
popular in today's teaching.

661
00:28:44,630 --> 00:28:44,950
Teaching.

662
00:28:44,950 --> 00:28:47,990
Today's teaching in American
culture is consumerism.

663
00:28:48,070 --> 00:28:49,190
Come to church, we go home.

664
00:28:49,190 --> 00:28:50,070
I have a life here.

665
00:28:50,070 --> 00:28:51,190
And I have a life here.

666
00:28:51,350 --> 00:28:53,870
But I want to challenge you
this morning and encourage you this

667
00:28:53,870 --> 00:28:55,590
morning that church is more
than that.

668
00:28:55,590 --> 00:28:57,910
Now, I'm not saying that every
one of you have to open up your homes

669
00:28:57,910 --> 00:28:58,470
tomorrow.

670
00:28:58,470 --> 00:28:59,030
All right?

671
00:28:59,190 --> 00:29:00,470
Some of you are like, I got to
get some.

672
00:29:00,550 --> 00:29:01,790
I know for us, we got to get.

673
00:29:01,790 --> 00:29:03,670
We got to make sure the toys
are out of the way so no one steps

674
00:29:03,670 --> 00:29:03,870
on it.

675
00:29:03,870 --> 00:29:06,670
We got to make sure it's not
about stressing you out and saying,

676
00:29:06,670 --> 00:29:09,150
okay, tomorrow you need to get
people in your homes.

677
00:29:09,150 --> 00:29:12,660
What it's saying is it's
living a lifestyle that means that,

678
00:29:12,660 --> 00:29:14,940
hey, I'm making connections
outside of the church.

679
00:29:15,020 --> 00:29:16,060
What does that look like?

680
00:29:16,460 --> 00:29:20,420
Can look as simple as, hey,
I'm grabbing coffee with a fellow

681
00:29:20,420 --> 00:29:23,020
in on Saturday morning, and
we're going to talk about a Bible

682
00:29:23,020 --> 00:29:23,260
study.

683
00:29:23,260 --> 00:29:24,380
We're going to pray together.

684
00:29:24,540 --> 00:29:27,380
Or it could be a larger
setting, a small group within a home

685
00:29:27,380 --> 00:29:29,180
that meets once a week or once
a month.

686
00:29:29,260 --> 00:29:32,780
But, folks, what we're talking
about is being creative but understanding

687
00:29:32,780 --> 00:29:38,700
that we must do this to
survive, to grow, to thrive in our

688
00:29:38,700 --> 00:29:39,940
culture today, we.

689
00:29:40,170 --> 00:29:43,490
We must understand that we got
to take the church and we've got

690
00:29:43,490 --> 00:29:46,810
to move it into the world,
because the world understands that

691
00:29:46,810 --> 00:29:48,330
they can invade the church.

692
00:29:49,610 --> 00:29:54,770
The enemy knows that he's not
playing by the rule of saying, well,

693
00:29:54,770 --> 00:29:56,010
we're not coming into the church.

694
00:29:57,210 --> 00:30:00,170
The idea for us as Christians
is to say, no, this is a daily thing.

695
00:30:00,570 --> 00:30:03,290
And we're going to talk more
about how we can adjust this and

696
00:30:03,290 --> 00:30:05,450
how we can put this to practice.

697
00:30:05,450 --> 00:30:09,810
And then ultimately, we see
the up in and out model.

698
00:30:09,810 --> 00:30:11,010
Out is what?

699
00:30:11,650 --> 00:30:16,490
Out is how we deal with people
outside of the church, people that

700
00:30:16,490 --> 00:30:18,210
are not part of the family of God.

701
00:30:18,290 --> 00:30:19,090
What do we do?

702
00:30:19,490 --> 00:30:21,610
Well, if they're not like us
and they don't believe what we believe.

703
00:30:21,610 --> 00:30:22,370
We're against them.

704
00:30:22,370 --> 00:30:23,170
We hate them.

705
00:30:23,170 --> 00:30:24,690
No, that's not what the Bible says.

706
00:30:25,090 --> 00:30:26,490
The Bible says to love your enemy.

707
00:30:26,490 --> 00:30:28,130
The Bible says to share the gospel.

708
00:30:28,450 --> 00:30:32,690
The Bible says in Matthew
chapter 28, Go ye therefore and teach

709
00:30:32,690 --> 00:30:35,820
all nations, teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever.

710
00:30:35,820 --> 00:30:36,820
I've commanded you.

711
00:30:36,980 --> 00:30:41,140
Our mission to go out is to go
out and make disciples.

712
00:30:41,620 --> 00:30:43,180
Well, how do we make a disciple?

713
00:30:43,180 --> 00:30:46,420
Well, first of all, it takes a
disciple to make a disciple.

714
00:30:47,220 --> 00:30:49,540
I can't go and lead someone to
Christ if I don't know Christ.

715
00:30:49,700 --> 00:30:52,740
I can't go teach someone how
to be a follower of Christ if I'm

716
00:30:52,740 --> 00:30:53,580
not a follower of Christ.

717
00:30:53,580 --> 00:30:56,900
And so it takes individuals to
have that up relationship with God

718
00:30:56,900 --> 00:30:59,940
where it needs to be, to have
the in relationship with other Christians

719
00:30:59,940 --> 00:31:01,640
within the church where, where
it needs to be.

720
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:03,320
And then ultimately we're able
to go.

721
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:04,600
So last year we said go.

722
00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,440
But if we're, we don't have
the upright and we don't have the

723
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:08,840
in right, how can we go?

724
00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:13,800
Because we're going divided,
we're going without a purpose, we're

725
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:17,520
going without unity, we're
going without passion, we're going

726
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:22,160
without the motivation of
loving God and ultimately sharing

727
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:22,800
him with others.

728
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,560
And so what we see is
something called the Great Commission.

729
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:29,170
Matthew, chapter 28, Go ye
therefore into all the world.

730
00:31:30,290 --> 00:31:33,490
The word there in the idea of
teaching, the first idea of teaching

731
00:31:33,490 --> 00:31:35,010
is, is making disciples.

732
00:31:36,050 --> 00:31:40,450
And so as a church, I believe
we should go as a church, we should

733
00:31:40,450 --> 00:31:44,930
have a relationship with the
unsaved community, particularly in

734
00:31:44,930 --> 00:31:47,970
the Middletown, Odessa,
Townsend, Newcastle area.

735
00:31:49,010 --> 00:31:53,870
People in our community should
know Middletown Baptist Church and

736
00:31:53,870 --> 00:31:55,830
they should know us for a
specific purpose.

737
00:31:57,030 --> 00:31:58,950
You know what a lot of times
churches are known for?

738
00:31:59,430 --> 00:32:00,550
You've heard me say this before.

739
00:32:00,790 --> 00:32:01,990
That's the church that's against.

740
00:32:02,470 --> 00:32:05,390
And then they list all the
things which we should be known for,

741
00:32:05,390 --> 00:32:05,990
what we're against.

742
00:32:06,070 --> 00:32:08,070
I understand that and I'm for that.

743
00:32:08,070 --> 00:32:11,750
As a Christian, as a believer,
as, as someone who follows the word

744
00:32:11,750 --> 00:32:15,990
of God, we should be against
things, particularly against sin

745
00:32:16,070 --> 00:32:17,510
of all shapes and sizes.

746
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,160
But at the same time, I think
another good thing that we should

747
00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:22,560
be known for is what we're for.

748
00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:26,480
We're for Jesus Christ, we're
for the gospel.

749
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:28,480
We're for his transforming power.

750
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:30,960
We're for taking care of those
folks in our community.

751
00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,920
Because if we say we love
somebody, I love you in Jesus Christ,

752
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,080
amen, and I'm going to give
you the gospel.

753
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,720
But if I love them enough to
give them the Gospel, I should love

754
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:44,000
them also to help them in
times of need, in times of struggle.

755
00:32:44,830 --> 00:32:46,190
What does the book of James say?

756
00:32:46,670 --> 00:32:48,830
Don't be the type of person
that sees someone come in and they

757
00:32:48,830 --> 00:32:49,950
don't have the proper clothes.

758
00:32:50,030 --> 00:32:50,710
They're hungry.

759
00:32:50,710 --> 00:32:53,350
And we say, okay, we'll pray
for you, Be warmed and filled.

760
00:32:53,350 --> 00:32:55,470
We're having one of our agape
feasts over here.

761
00:32:55,630 --> 00:32:56,870
We've got all the food we need.

762
00:32:56,870 --> 00:32:57,710
But hey, you know what?

763
00:32:57,950 --> 00:33:00,110
We love you and we send them
their way.

764
00:33:00,269 --> 00:33:01,470
That's not showing love.

765
00:33:01,630 --> 00:33:04,150
How we show the love of Christ
is by saying, this is something that

766
00:33:04,150 --> 00:33:05,230
God has blessed us with.

767
00:33:05,390 --> 00:33:06,510
We want to bless you.

768
00:33:06,670 --> 00:33:08,750
And in the same time, that's
not where we're going to leave it.

769
00:33:08,750 --> 00:33:10,750
Because some churches, I'm
going to speak real here.

770
00:33:10,750 --> 00:33:13,060
Some, some churches stop with
the social gospel.

771
00:33:13,380 --> 00:33:15,980
Some churches stop at just
feeding people and say, we're going

772
00:33:15,980 --> 00:33:16,460
to feed you.

773
00:33:16,460 --> 00:33:16,980
Amen.

774
00:33:16,980 --> 00:33:17,540
See ya.

775
00:33:18,100 --> 00:33:21,060
But at the end of the day, we
should feed people then physically,

776
00:33:21,060 --> 00:33:24,300
but then most importantly, we
should feed them with the word of

777
00:33:24,300 --> 00:33:24,980
the gospel.

778
00:33:25,220 --> 00:33:27,540
We should feed them with
spiritual food that will never leave

779
00:33:27,540 --> 00:33:28,340
them hungry again.

780
00:33:28,820 --> 00:33:32,580
And so in tandem, we show them
the love with the material, but at

781
00:33:32,580 --> 00:33:35,660
the same time, we show them
the love even more so by giving them

782
00:33:35,660 --> 00:33:36,020
the truth.

783
00:33:36,020 --> 00:33:39,340
If you remember one of the
principles in Ephesians 4, to speak

784
00:33:39,340 --> 00:33:40,580
the truth in love.

785
00:33:41,220 --> 00:33:44,260
We should love our community
enough to tell them the truth.

786
00:33:44,740 --> 00:33:48,740
We should love our families
that are unsaved enough to tell them

787
00:33:48,740 --> 00:33:49,300
the truth.

788
00:33:50,020 --> 00:33:53,740
We should love our co workers
enough to tell them the truth.

789
00:33:53,740 --> 00:33:58,300
Folks, you don't have to beat
them over the heads and be rude and

790
00:33:58,300 --> 00:34:02,020
be arrogant and be in a place
of anger constantly.

791
00:34:02,020 --> 00:34:05,650
But folks, if we don't share
what with the people that we love,

792
00:34:05,810 --> 00:34:07,090
the greatest news ever.

793
00:34:07,090 --> 00:34:08,090
Do we really love them?

794
00:34:08,090 --> 00:34:10,770
And that's the question that
we see throughout Scripture.

795
00:34:11,410 --> 00:34:15,530
And so the up in and out
rhythm, it's not something that's

796
00:34:15,530 --> 00:34:16,690
a magic formula.

797
00:34:16,850 --> 00:34:19,650
It's just helping us align
ourselves with the scriptural truths

798
00:34:19,650 --> 00:34:21,010
that are given to us in scripture.

799
00:34:22,050 --> 00:34:24,130
I can't be the right evangelist.

800
00:34:24,130 --> 00:34:27,290
Like, I can't share the gospel
with someone if I'm not where I need

801
00:34:27,290 --> 00:34:28,690
to be with my relationship
with God.

802
00:34:28,690 --> 00:34:31,850
If I'm walking in rebellion,
if I have no private time with Him.

803
00:34:32,570 --> 00:34:35,370
I can't love the unsaved if I
can't love the saved.

804
00:34:36,170 --> 00:34:39,650
And so it's a building model
that we get to a place where, yes,

805
00:34:39,650 --> 00:34:42,290
I'm walking with Christ, yes,
I'm walking with others.

806
00:34:42,290 --> 00:34:45,090
And now I can walk into the
world and reach people for the cause

807
00:34:45,090 --> 00:34:45,850
of the gospel.

808
00:34:46,970 --> 00:34:51,770
And so here in 2026, that's
going to be our goal.

809
00:34:52,650 --> 00:34:53,290
See, that's.

810
00:34:53,290 --> 00:34:55,370
Pastor, I thought you were
going to give us a vision of like,

811
00:34:55,700 --> 00:34:58,100
we're going to build buildings
and we're going to go here, folks,

812
00:34:58,100 --> 00:34:58,820
we'll get to that.

813
00:35:00,020 --> 00:35:01,140
It is my vision.

814
00:35:01,140 --> 00:35:02,140
It is my plan.

815
00:35:02,140 --> 00:35:04,220
Now, by the way, let me be
clear when I say vision, because

816
00:35:04,220 --> 00:35:05,540
some people were confused
about that.

817
00:35:05,540 --> 00:35:07,380
Like, Pastor, so when did you
get this vision?

818
00:35:07,380 --> 00:35:09,540
Were you in the middle of the
night and you saw it come up on the

819
00:35:09,540 --> 00:35:09,860
wall?

820
00:35:09,860 --> 00:35:11,899
But when we talk about vision,
we're talking about direction.

821
00:35:11,899 --> 00:35:13,860
We're talking about God's
leading in our life.

822
00:35:14,740 --> 00:35:16,300
And folks, it shouldn't just
be my vision.

823
00:35:16,300 --> 00:35:17,540
This isn't pastor's vision.

824
00:35:18,820 --> 00:35:21,020
If I get up here and tell you
all the things that I want, most

825
00:35:21,020 --> 00:35:23,110
of you are going to be like,
well, you know, I want the bucks

826
00:35:23,110 --> 00:35:23,910
to win the Super Bowl.

827
00:35:23,910 --> 00:35:24,910
None of you guys would want that.

828
00:35:24,910 --> 00:35:25,350
Okay?

829
00:35:25,510 --> 00:35:26,510
That's the reality.

830
00:35:26,510 --> 00:35:28,870
There's a lot of things in my
life that I want, but it's not, it's

831
00:35:28,870 --> 00:35:30,630
not God's will for it to come
to pass.

832
00:35:31,350 --> 00:35:34,750
So, so it's a following God's
will and then really it's God's plan.

833
00:35:34,750 --> 00:35:36,070
It's God's vision for the church.

834
00:35:36,550 --> 00:35:38,630
You know what, let me just
talk to you materially, just for

835
00:35:38,630 --> 00:35:39,110
a moment.

836
00:35:39,270 --> 00:35:42,950
Yes, it is my vision for this
church to be in a place where everything

837
00:35:43,030 --> 00:35:44,510
we got everything paid off.

838
00:35:44,510 --> 00:35:46,230
We're debt free and we're
building a new building.

839
00:35:46,470 --> 00:35:49,890
Folks, I believe in one day of expansion.

840
00:35:49,890 --> 00:35:51,410
Growth of physical expansion.

841
00:35:51,410 --> 00:35:53,370
If we have enough people, we
got to build it.

842
00:35:53,530 --> 00:35:54,370
There's was that.

843
00:35:54,370 --> 00:35:55,850
There's like, you know, if you
build it, they'll come.

844
00:35:55,850 --> 00:35:56,930
There's that philosophy.

845
00:35:56,930 --> 00:35:59,370
I'm not so much saying that,
but what I am saying is this.

846
00:35:59,850 --> 00:36:02,050
Some of you know, I'm just
going to speak in the practical here

847
00:36:02,050 --> 00:36:02,650
for a minute.

848
00:36:02,970 --> 00:36:05,610
On Sunday mornings, every
single room for our Sunday school

849
00:36:05,610 --> 00:36:06,490
classes are filled.

850
00:36:06,730 --> 00:36:09,130
Not, not the rooms aren't
filled, but we're using every room.

851
00:36:09,450 --> 00:36:09,730
Now.

852
00:36:09,730 --> 00:36:12,490
Let's fill up all of those
rooms and hey, that's great.

853
00:36:13,940 --> 00:36:16,340
I would love it for the fact
that like, we can't even fit everyone

854
00:36:16,340 --> 00:36:17,140
into this building.

855
00:36:18,260 --> 00:36:21,740
And so those, those material
things come, but those material things

856
00:36:21,740 --> 00:36:24,420
mean nothing unless we're
where we need to be.

857
00:36:24,740 --> 00:36:27,580
Unless we're aligned with
scripture, unless we're walking in

858
00:36:27,580 --> 00:36:28,020
unity.

859
00:36:28,180 --> 00:36:31,900
Folks, I'd rather have a
million miles deep and 2 inches wide

860
00:36:31,900 --> 00:36:34,620
than think that we're so wide
and we're not deep at all with.

861
00:36:34,620 --> 00:36:35,700
With spiritual things.

862
00:36:36,260 --> 00:36:38,620
What I would encourage you
guys to think about is this and encourage

863
00:36:38,620 --> 00:36:41,200
myself to think about is this
year my goal should be.

864
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,600
Our goal should be as a
church, not to just get things, even

865
00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,040
though getting things is a
great thing, but to say, where can

866
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:49,160
we grow in the Lord?

867
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:53,280
And that's why I put up there
growing together and then going together.

868
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:56,640
We can't go together unless
we're growing together in Christ.

869
00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,120
And so what I would like you
to think about here as we go through

870
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,880
this study is where am I at on
the model of where I'm at with my

871
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:05,410
relationship with God?

872
00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:05,640
God.

873
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:05,840
Where's.

874
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:06,520
Where's my up.

875
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:08,520
Where's my in.

876
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:10,640
You might say, well, I don't
know any.

877
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:12,680
I. I come to this church, I
don't know anybody else.

878
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,160
I come into my pew, I go home,
I don't know anybody.

879
00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:16,520
Let's change that, guys.

880
00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:18,680
Let's like, let that not be so.

881
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:24,600
The only person that should
not know anyone is someone who doesn't

882
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:25,480
want to know anyone.

883
00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:27,320
Like, let, let, let, let's.

884
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:28,520
I'm just going to be real here.

885
00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:28,880
Let's.

886
00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,160
Let's be kind and gracious to
people when they come in.

887
00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:33,040
Let's treat everyone like
they're our family.

888
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:36,320
Not some of us are more social
than others.

889
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:36,960
I get that.

890
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:40,800
So you guys know that I can
stand in front of a group of people

891
00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:43,720
and like, I'm okay, but you
put me on a one on one.

892
00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:43,960
I'm.

893
00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:45,440
I'm scared, I'm nervous.

894
00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:47,000
I don't know why.

895
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,280
That's the way that God wired me.

896
00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:49,880
I'm super nervous when it's
one on one.

897
00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:51,720
I understand there's a.

898
00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:51,960
There's.

899
00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,680
I'm not condemning being
introverted and extrovert.

900
00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:55,520
I'm not talking about that.

901
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:57,920
Talking about just living the
love of Christ out where God calls

902
00:37:57,920 --> 00:37:58,640
you to live it out.

903
00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:03,240
For some people that's in
certain capacities of greeting and

904
00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:04,720
some people that's behind the scenes.

905
00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,120
But everyone has the
opportunity to live that way and

906
00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:09,560
to live openly and boldly for
the love of Christ.

907
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:11,000
And so what I would say is this.

908
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,320
There shouldn't be an excuse
for anybody that comes to Middletown

909
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:17,800
Baptist Church to say, I don't
know anybody, or I can't find a place

910
00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:18,120
here.

911
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:18,560
Folks.

912
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:21,120
We've got so many
opportunities for service this year.

913
00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:23,640
We're going to be talking
about multiple small groups that

914
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,420
are going to be starting
within our church and not just small

915
00:38:26,420 --> 00:38:30,500
groups within the buildings,
but in homes and in, in the community.

916
00:38:30,580 --> 00:38:34,060
And what I would encourage you
to do is find some area, not all

917
00:38:34,060 --> 00:38:34,420
areas.

918
00:38:35,300 --> 00:38:36,660
We can't get into every area.

919
00:38:36,820 --> 00:38:39,900
But what I would encourage you
is to find at least one area for

920
00:38:39,900 --> 00:38:43,460
you to find connections within
the church outside of the Sunday

921
00:38:43,460 --> 00:38:44,180
morning service.

922
00:38:44,900 --> 00:38:47,620
It could be a small group, it
could be a Sunday school class, it

923
00:38:47,620 --> 00:38:48,980
could be a service ministry.

924
00:38:48,980 --> 00:38:52,670
But folks, I encourage you to,
and I'm encouraging myself to find

925
00:38:52,910 --> 00:38:55,390
relationships outside of the
Sunday morning.

926
00:38:55,550 --> 00:38:56,670
That's where it starts.

927
00:38:56,830 --> 00:38:58,590
Maybe that's where the
invitation comes.

928
00:38:58,670 --> 00:39:01,670
But I'm going to encourage you
and challenge you to get to that

929
00:39:01,670 --> 00:39:04,670
place where the inward
relationship is as vital as any other

930
00:39:04,670 --> 00:39:07,150
relationship that we have
within our Christian walk.

931
00:39:07,150 --> 00:39:09,990
And then, then we get to a
place where we're challenged to go

932
00:39:09,990 --> 00:39:14,190
out and, and, and then go and
serve to the community and how we're

933
00:39:14,190 --> 00:39:15,390
dealing with those around us.

934
00:39:15,390 --> 00:39:20,540
And so it's a time where the
mission of God can materialize and

935
00:39:20,540 --> 00:39:22,940
we can see folks coming to
Jesus Christ.

936
00:39:22,940 --> 00:39:25,300
And so that's a lot to be said.

937
00:39:25,700 --> 00:39:27,460
Next week, we're going to come
back in each.

938
00:39:27,460 --> 00:39:28,620
For the next three weeks.

939
00:39:28,620 --> 00:39:31,740
What we're going to do is
we're going to break down each one

940
00:39:31,740 --> 00:39:32,700
of these categories.

941
00:39:32,700 --> 00:39:36,820
And so next week we're going
to look at how we can grow in our

942
00:39:36,820 --> 00:39:38,580
personal relationship with Christ.

943
00:39:39,860 --> 00:39:42,660
What are some things,
scripturally speaking, that we can

944
00:39:42,660 --> 00:39:45,620
do to strengthen our walk with Him.

945
00:39:46,330 --> 00:39:48,490
Some of you might say, well,
Pastor, I'm not where I need to be.

946
00:39:48,730 --> 00:39:51,330
And I think that's a vague
statement, because really, are any

947
00:39:51,330 --> 00:39:52,450
of us where we need to be?

948
00:39:52,450 --> 00:39:55,130
Well, none of us are where we
need to be, because we all can grow.

949
00:39:55,370 --> 00:39:59,650
But there are some true tests
that we can take in our life scripturally

950
00:39:59,650 --> 00:40:00,530
to say, you know what?

951
00:40:00,530 --> 00:40:02,130
I'm at least on the right path.

952
00:40:02,130 --> 00:40:04,890
I'm at least walking worthy of
the vocation, which I'm called.

953
00:40:05,530 --> 00:40:08,370
But I can tell you this, and I
don't think this is taking too much

954
00:40:08,370 --> 00:40:12,010
of a risk, but the reality is
that if we are Christians, but we're

955
00:40:12,010 --> 00:40:15,380
not reading our Bibles, we're
not praying, we're not finding any

956
00:40:15,380 --> 00:40:16,420
private time with God.

957
00:40:16,420 --> 00:40:16,860
We're not.

958
00:40:16,860 --> 00:40:19,140
We're not talking about him,
we're not thinking about Him.

959
00:40:19,220 --> 00:40:22,460
I would venture to say that
we're not in a growing relationship

960
00:40:22,460 --> 00:40:22,980
with Him.

961
00:40:23,140 --> 00:40:25,220
What if I told you I love my wife?

962
00:40:25,300 --> 00:40:28,180
My wife and I are the closest
we've ever been.

963
00:40:28,420 --> 00:40:30,179
I. I love her to death.

964
00:40:30,179 --> 00:40:32,060
I'm I'm a wonderful husband.

965
00:40:32,060 --> 00:40:32,740
She loves me.

966
00:40:32,900 --> 00:40:33,300
And.

967
00:40:34,020 --> 00:40:35,180
But I was like, yeah, it's
been like.

968
00:40:35,180 --> 00:40:37,260
It's been like two or three
months since I've, like, talked to

969
00:40:37,260 --> 00:40:37,540
her.

970
00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:40,420
You know, we just have
different schedules and we just.

971
00:40:40,730 --> 00:40:41,570
I'm not worried about it.

972
00:40:41,570 --> 00:40:42,530
Well, what's going on in her life?

973
00:40:42,530 --> 00:40:43,290
I have no idea.

974
00:40:44,330 --> 00:40:45,210
She's great, though.

975
00:40:45,610 --> 00:40:48,170
Some of you would say, pastor,
we need to have some really serious

976
00:40:48,170 --> 00:40:49,410
conversations right now, right?

977
00:40:49,410 --> 00:40:50,450
Because that doesn't make sense.

978
00:40:50,450 --> 00:40:53,330
That doesn't even make sense
to the person who is unsaved.

979
00:40:53,330 --> 00:40:56,170
Like, how can you say you love
someone but not spend time with them?

980
00:40:56,329 --> 00:40:58,850
How can you say you love
somebody and not know anything about

981
00:40:58,850 --> 00:40:59,210
them?

982
00:41:00,010 --> 00:41:03,810
And I know that it's a little
bit pressing and stepping on toes

983
00:41:03,810 --> 00:41:04,490
to a degree.

984
00:41:04,890 --> 00:41:07,570
And so it's not a matter of
you being a bad Christian or a good

985
00:41:07,570 --> 00:41:07,890
Christian.

986
00:41:07,890 --> 00:41:09,850
It's just a matter of growing
in our relationship with him.

987
00:41:09,850 --> 00:41:12,800
So next week, what we're going
to do is we're going to isolate that

988
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:13,840
relationship of up.

989
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:15,760
How can I grow in that?

990
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:18,480
First of all, how can I be
initiated into the family of God?

991
00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:19,960
But then how can I grow in that?

992
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:22,720
And then next week after that,
we're going to look at the idea of

993
00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:23,760
that relationship within.

994
00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:27,840
How can we grow, like,
physically speaking, how can we get

995
00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:32,040
into a place where I'm meeting
and studying and discipling and being

996
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:33,160
a part of that relationship?

997
00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,880
And then ultimately, the third
week, we'll talk about how we can

998
00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:36,320
go out.

999
00:41:37,110 --> 00:41:40,350
And so it started with one
sermon, and it's now morphed into

1000
00:41:40,350 --> 00:41:41,590
four in a sermon series.

1001
00:41:41,750 --> 00:41:44,070
But I hope that it's something
that you come back for and you say,

1002
00:41:44,070 --> 00:41:44,550
you know what?

1003
00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:46,510
I want to be a part of this.

1004
00:41:46,510 --> 00:41:48,550
I want this to be the rhythm
of my life.

1005
00:41:48,710 --> 00:41:50,790
I want this to be the rhythm
of our church.

1006
00:41:51,110 --> 00:41:53,950
I. I know for me, this is
where I want us to be, because a

1007
00:41:53,950 --> 00:41:57,110
word that you're going to be
hearing a lot this year and to a

1008
00:41:57,110 --> 00:41:59,430
point where I, you know, if
you get sick of it, that's okay.

1009
00:41:59,510 --> 00:42:01,870
But it's going to happen is
you're going to hear the word discipleship

1010
00:42:01,870 --> 00:42:02,230
a lot.

1011
00:42:03,030 --> 00:42:05,510
Because discipleship is the
purpose of the church.

1012
00:42:05,510 --> 00:42:06,950
We need to disciple others.

1013
00:42:07,990 --> 00:42:11,670
Guess what's going to happen
if in 20, 30 years, we don't disciple

1014
00:42:12,630 --> 00:42:13,190
the church?

1015
00:42:13,190 --> 00:42:14,390
We're not going to have a church.

1016
00:42:16,790 --> 00:42:18,870
We're not going to have
ministry leaders.

1017
00:42:19,830 --> 00:42:22,790
And so I'm thankful for folks
in the past who have discipled people

1018
00:42:22,790 --> 00:42:26,150
here today, but we have to
Take the initiative to start discipling

1019
00:42:26,310 --> 00:42:27,190
the next generation.

1020
00:42:27,190 --> 00:42:28,350
We have to disciple Christians.

1021
00:42:28,350 --> 00:42:28,900
And so we.

1022
00:42:28,970 --> 00:42:31,170
We'll talk about what that
means in the discipleship model.

1023
00:42:31,170 --> 00:42:35,210
But what we need to do as a
church is we need to say, look, not

1024
00:42:35,450 --> 00:42:41,330
pastor, not deacons, but look
to the place where the Lord is our

1025
00:42:41,330 --> 00:42:41,690
guide.

1026
00:42:41,770 --> 00:42:44,290
And if we go to His Word, I
guarantee you you're going to see

1027
00:42:44,290 --> 00:42:47,770
these models over and over
again in the New Testament.

1028
00:42:47,850 --> 00:42:50,810
You're going to see it over
and over again in the early church.

1029
00:42:51,690 --> 00:42:54,370
And I would encourage you to
pray about this and to go through

1030
00:42:54,370 --> 00:42:54,770
this process.

1031
00:42:54,770 --> 00:42:57,400
If you're not a member of
Middletown Baptist Church, or maybe

1032
00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:00,160
you're coming today and you're
skeptical, maybe you've never trusted

1033
00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:01,400
in Jesus as your Savior.

1034
00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:05,280
The best decision that you can
ever make is to start the life of

1035
00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:06,360
being a child of God.

1036
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:10,200
The Bible says, for by grace
are you saved through faith and then

1037
00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:11,000
not of yourselves.

1038
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:13,800
It is a gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast.

1039
00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:20,160
It's such a freeing,
empowering feeling to know that I

1040
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:21,400
am not in control of my life.

1041
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:22,280
But God is a control.

1042
00:43:22,930 --> 00:43:23,810
I can't do enough.

1043
00:43:24,130 --> 00:43:25,650
I'll never be able to do enough.

1044
00:43:25,650 --> 00:43:29,330
But God has done everything
for me so that he's guiding my path.

1045
00:43:29,330 --> 00:43:32,050
Just as much as he saved me,
he's guiding me.

1046
00:43:32,210 --> 00:43:34,690
And then if I feel like I'm
out of control, if I feel like I'm

1047
00:43:34,690 --> 00:43:37,450
overwhelmed, the beauty is, is
that I don't have to bear those burdens.

1048
00:43:37,450 --> 00:43:39,730
The Bible says I can lay those
burdens at the foot of the cross

1049
00:43:39,970 --> 00:43:41,330
and say, lord, you take control.

1050
00:43:42,930 --> 00:43:44,770
And the Bible says we have victory.

1051
00:43:45,730 --> 00:43:47,810
And so if you're here today,
and that's something that you need,

1052
00:43:47,810 --> 00:43:50,130
we're going to have a few
moments of invitation here.

1053
00:43:50,770 --> 00:43:52,650
And I want you to think about that.

1054
00:43:52,650 --> 00:43:55,890
I want you to come forward and
know that the Bible says, for all

1055
00:43:55,890 --> 00:43:58,130
have sinned and come short of
the glory of God, we've all fallen

1056
00:43:58,130 --> 00:44:01,130
short and there's a price to
be paid for our sin.

1057
00:44:01,130 --> 00:44:04,090
There's a payment, the Bible
says, for the wages of sin is death.

1058
00:44:04,090 --> 00:44:06,850
But the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ.

1059
00:44:06,850 --> 00:44:08,850
Our Lord Jesus offered that
gift of grace.

1060
00:44:09,010 --> 00:44:10,930
Jesus died on the cross for
our sins.

1061
00:44:11,010 --> 00:44:14,530
And folks, I'm going to tell
you a church that is marked by the

1062
00:44:14,530 --> 00:44:15,410
fruitfulness of God.

1063
00:44:15,410 --> 00:44:19,680
As a church that rests in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, unapologetically,

1064
00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:25,200
we celebrate, we talk about,
we live in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1065
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:28,960
If we ever get afraid to
mention the Blood of Jesus Christ.

1066
00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:32,680
If we ever get afraid of
mentioning the sin that we are plagued

1067
00:44:32,680 --> 00:44:35,640
with, if we forget to mention
that it's only through Jesus Christ

1068
00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:40,640
that we can be saved, we've
missed the mark, we've lost the picture.

1069
00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:43,040
We have to go back to the gospel.

1070
00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:43,440
Always.

1071
00:44:43,850 --> 00:44:46,490
You say the gospel is for the
unsaved, the gospel's for the unsaved,

1072
00:44:46,490 --> 00:44:47,690
but the gospel is for the saved.

1073
00:44:47,850 --> 00:44:50,890
We need to be reminded every
single day because we're tempted

1074
00:44:50,890 --> 00:44:51,610
to drift back.

1075
00:44:51,930 --> 00:44:55,050
We're tempted to drift back
into that place of apathy, to that

1076
00:44:55,050 --> 00:44:57,890
place of bitterness, to that
place of loneliness.

1077
00:44:57,890 --> 00:45:00,850
And the Bible says that the
gospel is what drives us back to

1078
00:45:00,850 --> 00:45:01,690
the love of Christ.

1079
00:45:02,010 --> 00:45:04,810
And the love of Christ drives
us to the love of others.

1080
00:45:05,050 --> 00:45:07,970
The love of others drives us
to a place of ultimately walking

1081
00:45:07,970 --> 00:45:08,890
in the will of God.

1082
00:45:09,050 --> 00:45:11,660
And the so here this morning,
the gospel is not just for those

1083
00:45:11,660 --> 00:45:14,660
that are unsaved, even though
the gospel is what changes a life,

1084
00:45:14,820 --> 00:45:16,540
but also the gospel is for all
of us.

1085
00:45:16,540 --> 00:45:18,260
Sometimes we just need to be
reminded of that.

1086
00:45:18,740 --> 00:45:20,780
And so here for the next few
moments, I'm going to ask you to

1087
00:45:20,780 --> 00:45:23,780
if you're able to stand with
me, every head bowed, every eye closed.

1088
00:45:23,780 --> 00:45:26,500
The music's going to play here
for the next few minutes.

1089
00:45:26,900 --> 00:45:31,180
And what I'd like to do is
just send out an invitation, an invitation

1090
00:45:31,180 --> 00:45:34,340
for you to respond to the
preaching of the word of God here

1091
00:45:34,340 --> 00:45:41,020
this morning we talked a lot
about a lot, a lot of topics have

1092
00:45:41,020 --> 00:45:42,980
been brought up here this morning.

1093
00:45:44,180 --> 00:45:46,540
But here this morning, maybe
something spoke to you.

1094
00:45:46,540 --> 00:45:50,140
Maybe it was a matter of the
up relationship, my relationship

1095
00:45:50,140 --> 00:45:51,700
with God in an individual level.

1096
00:45:51,860 --> 00:45:55,700
Maybe you recognize my
spiritual walk has been lacking,

1097
00:45:56,020 --> 00:45:59,340
my personal prayer time has
been lacking, my Bible study's been

1098
00:45:59,340 --> 00:45:59,780
lacking.

1099
00:46:00,020 --> 00:46:02,020
I just really haven't had
those desires.

1100
00:46:02,300 --> 00:46:04,740
Maybe come back this morning
to rededicate yourself to the Lord.

1101
00:46:04,740 --> 00:46:08,260
The Bible says draw near to
the Lord or draw nigh to God and

1102
00:46:08,260 --> 00:46:09,860
what he will draw nigh to you.

1103
00:46:09,860 --> 00:46:11,100
He will draw near to you.

1104
00:46:12,620 --> 00:46:15,300
And so here this morning,
maybe it's that or maybe it's secondly,

1105
00:46:15,300 --> 00:46:18,539
I, I, I love God, but I'm
having a really hard time with my

1106
00:46:18,539 --> 00:46:21,500
relationship with others and
finding connections within the church.

1107
00:46:21,500 --> 00:46:25,140
Maybe come forward here this
morning and ask God to renew your

1108
00:46:25,140 --> 00:46:28,780
heart in that desire to make
connections with the family of God.

1109
00:46:30,300 --> 00:46:33,420
Maybe it's a challenge of
going and proclaiming publicly what

1110
00:46:33,420 --> 00:46:36,300
Jesus Christ has done for you
in, in the matter of going out.

1111
00:46:36,460 --> 00:46:39,100
I don't know what it is here
this morning, but come today.

1112
00:46:39,420 --> 00:46:40,420
Respond to Him.

1113
00:46:40,420 --> 00:46:41,820
Ask him for strength.

1114
00:46:41,820 --> 00:46:43,060
Ask him for clarity.

1115
00:46:43,060 --> 00:46:44,620
Ask him for purpose.

1116
00:46:44,620 --> 00:46:48,060
Ask him for you to be able to
be used by Him.

1117
00:46:48,060 --> 00:46:49,980
He's ready and willing to use you.

1118
00:46:49,980 --> 00:46:51,660
He's looking for willing vessels.

1119
00:46:51,660 --> 00:46:56,180
And here this morning, Nicole
this morning, the the Challenge of

1120
00:46:56,500 --> 00:46:59,980
the Gospel Are we willing to
follow and proclaim the Gospel in

1121
00:46:59,980 --> 00:47:00,420
our lives?

1122
00:47:01,940 --> 00:47:04,060
Lord, I pray that you be in
this time of invitation, working

1123
00:47:04,060 --> 00:47:04,700
hearts and lives.

1124
00:47:04,700 --> 00:47:08,060
I pray that things need to be
dealt with today that they can be

1125
00:47:08,060 --> 00:47:08,380
dealt with.

1126
00:47:08,380 --> 00:47:11,300
Lord, help us to get to where
we need to be this year.

1127
00:47:11,380 --> 00:47:13,420
The Rhythm of Up, in and out.

1128
00:47:13,420 --> 00:47:16,660
Lord, may we be the church
that follows the biblical culture

1129
00:47:16,660 --> 00:47:18,260
and not the culture of this world.

1130
00:47:18,580 --> 00:47:20,260
We ask all these things in
Jesus name.

1131
00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:20,600
Amen.

1132
00:47:20,600 --> 00:47:23,160
As the music plays, follow as
the Lord leads here this morning.

1133
00:48:46,790 --> 00:48:49,190
Thank you again for listening
to the Middletown Baptist Church

1134
00:48:49,190 --> 00:48:49,830
Podcast.

1135
00:48:50,070 --> 00:48:52,390
I hope that this sermon has
been a blessing for you.

1136
00:48:53,190 --> 00:48:55,390
You would like to find out
more information about our church

1137
00:48:55,390 --> 00:48:58,870
or this sermon, you can find
us at middletownbaptistchurch.org

1138
00:48:59,110 --> 00:49:01,670
or find us on Facebook or YouTube.

1139
00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:07,000
You could also email me
directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch.

1140
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:07,360
Com.

1141
00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:09,520
If you've enjoyed this podcast.

1142
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:14,160
Please subscribe and follow
along for future podcasts and updates.

1143
00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:15,760
Thank you so much.

1144
00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:16,720
God Bless.

1145
00:49:16,960 --> 00:49:18,240
Have a wonderful day.