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(upbeat music)

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- Well, good morning, Springhouse.

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It's a good morning.

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There's a lot of mothers here.

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Happy Mother's Day for the third,

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fourth, eighth time this morning.

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But wait, we can't celebrate moms enough.

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Is that true?

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That's very true.

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I am so grateful for the gift of moms.

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Welcome this morning.

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If you're joining us on live stream,

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thanks for joining us as well.

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A couple of announcements before we get rolling here.

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And rolling, I'm going to get going

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because I've got a lot to share this morning.

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So, first of all, this is actually for the men.

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Father's Day is not today,

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and we're not celebrating you today, dads.

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But June 15th is Father's Day weekend,

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and we're going white water rafting.

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And if you'd like to be a part of that,

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I need you to register in the app.

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We are only going to take the certain allotted amount

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that we have registered for this year.

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So be sure to register.

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This is for fathers and sons,

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but you only have to be a son to go, age 14 and up, okay?

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And then next week, Father Ray Cash is gonna be with us.

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Father Ray Cash will be with us.

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He is a faithful friend of Pastor Ronnie's

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for a very long time.

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And I heard Father Ray teach for the first time

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actually at Pastor Ronnie's retirement service.

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And one of the things that I appreciated about Father Ray

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when he brought the word that morning

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is that service that we had to honor Pastor Ronnie,

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during his retirement service,

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was really to honor Pastor Ronnie.

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But when Father Ray came, he really gave a message

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and he pointed it to the Lord.

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He pointed it to Jesus.

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And I was real excited to hear the words that he shared.

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And so I've been wanting him to come ever since then.

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That was over three years ago.

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And so next Sunday, he's gonna come and be with us.

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And I believe that he has a word from the Lord for us, okay?

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So be prepared for that and come and be a part of that.

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And then lastly, some of you know John O'Dea,

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but John O'Dea went home to be with the Lord this week.

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John is my uncle, it's Mary, Mary Weathers' father.

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And we're gonna have a celebration of life service here

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on Wednesday night at five o'clock.

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So if you have capacity in your schedule

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to come and be a part of that,

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we invite you to come and be a part of that.

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Pray for the Mary Weathers and the O'Dea family

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as people are traveling in and we prepare for that, okay?

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Sound good?

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All right, we're gonna continue in our series, his church,

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and we're gonna read the scripture

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and then I'm gonna kinda set you guys up

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for what we're gonna be doing for actually

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between now and June.

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So would you stand with me?

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And let's read from the book of Acts chapter two.

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"They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching

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"and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

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"Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders

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"and signs performed by the apostles.

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"All the believers were together

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"and had everything in common.

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"They sold property and possessions

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"to give to anyone who had need.

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"Every day they continued to meet together

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"in the temple courts.

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"They broke bread in their homes

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"and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

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"praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

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"And the Lord added to their number daily

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"those who are being saved."

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Father, I thank you for the transformative power

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of your word.

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I pray, Lord, that it would work in us today.

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I pray, Lord, that my meaningless stuff

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would fall to the ground and be forgotten,

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but everything you have for us would change us for eternity.

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We love you today.

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In Jesus' name, amen, amen.

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You may be seated.

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So I mentioned that Father Ray Cash is coming next week.

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We have been in this series, His Church,

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for a few weeks now,

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and we have looked at the history of the church.

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We've been looking, Pastor Justin talked about the church,

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the church, and the church, and we talked about that.

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We talked about the purpose of the church.

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Last week, Pastor Ronnie brought the mission of the church.

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Who is the mission of the church?

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You are, you're the mission of the church.

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And so we've been laying a foundation,

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but if you're anything like me,

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and I've been kind of dubbed the object lesson pastor

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here at Springhouse,

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if you're anything like me, I need a model.

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I need to see it kind of working out.

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I need to see it fleshed out.

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And guess what?

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He doesn't leave us high and dry.

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He gives us a model on how the church should operate

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and should look like, and it's here in Acts chapter two.

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And so over the next several weeks,

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between now and the end of June,

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we're actually gonna break this scripture down

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piece by piece, and we're gonna go through

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what it looked like in the early church,

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and we're gonna see what God would have for us today

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in his word through what is modeled

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in the early church in Acts chapter two.

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Now, I asked Father Ray to come and speak

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before I laid out this part of the sermon schedule.

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And so here's what's gonna happen.

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Originally, the process was going to be,

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I was gonna talk today about the apostles' teaching,

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and then next week, we're gonna talk about community,

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and the next week, talk about prayer.

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But Father Ray already has a word

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that I believe is an on-time word

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for our church for next week.

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So today, I'm gonna talk about the apostles' teaching

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and community, we're gonna hear from Father Ray

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the next week, and then the next week,

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we're gonna pick up with prayer and move forward.

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You got it?

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Okay, so that's what's going on,

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and so I'm gonna get on my horse and ride today,

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and I'm excited about what I believe the Lord has for us.

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My earliest church experience,

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my earliest church experience is actually

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when I was three years old.

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I lived in Hawaii.

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My brother, Joey, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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We lived on a base there,

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and my earliest church experience really

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was living on that base,

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because there was this bus ministry,

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this church bus ministry that came around

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and picked up people for church.

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Now, I was only three years old,

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and I saw this bright yellow bus,

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and I wanted to get on this bus and go to church.

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And of course, being three years old,

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my mom's kinda like, "I don't know about this.

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"I'm not gonna send my three-year-old

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"on the church bus to go to church."

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And so I was kinda, I believe I was kinda distraught

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and upset about that.

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Well, the next week comes along,

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and the bus comes, and the guy's got candy corn,

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and he begins to hand me candy corn,

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and I was in probably a pull-up,

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and my mom says a long, like a long t-shirt.

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I got on the bus, and I went to church.

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I went to church.

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I remember going to church.

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I remember sitting there in the back,

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and I remember being, at this point,

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of course, my mind has been developed,

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I was the only Caucasian in this place,

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and it was a happening church.

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I'm telling you, they were dancing and singing

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and praising the Lord, and I was just sitting in the back,

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just so happy, eating my candy corn, one at a time,

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just throwing back candy corn.

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And so I got back on the bus, got home,

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and guess who was waiting for me when I got off the bus?

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My mama, okay?

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You think my mama was happy that I got on the bus?

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I don't think so.

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How many of you all would've been kinda scared

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if your three-year-old disappeared

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for a couple hours on Sunday morning?

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At least I was going to the house of the Lord, okay?

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At least that's where I was.

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And I kinda believe it was prophetic in some way,

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because my wife and I run a school,

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and so there's the school bus.

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I feel like I've been devoted to the church

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since that age, and I like candy.

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So I mean, you can't go around.

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It's prophetic across the board.

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That's my earliest church experience,

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and I believe that for a majority of my life,

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I have been devoted to the church.

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The scripture that we read today,

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the Bible tells us that the early Christians,

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the disciples and the first group

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that would identify themselves as Christians,

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they were devoted, they devoted themselves, devoted.

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You know, we live in a culture that is anti-committal.

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We live in a culture, in a society, in a day and time,

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where yes doesn't necessarily mean yes, yes means maybe.

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Yes means, eh, I'm gonna tell you yes,

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I'm gonna let you plan for my yes,

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but whether I show up

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and whether I do what I said I'm gonna do,

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that's up for grabs.

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I may do it, I may not do it.

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We just live in a saturated society

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where our word isn't really our word,

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and that's a problem.

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That's a big problem.

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Aren't you glad that Jesus didn't roll like that,

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that you can only sorta believe what Jesus said,

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that he was fickle with his words?

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No, no, Jesus was very plain with what he said,

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and everything Jesus says comes to pass.

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But we live in this culture that says

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don't worry about actually doing

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what you say you're going to do.

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We often will devote ourselves

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to things that bring temporary pleasure but long-term pain.

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We will devote ourselves to temporary pleasure

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but things that bring long-term pain.

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Being devoted simply means to be loving, loyal,

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and faithful to something or someone.

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And of all the people groups on the planet

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that I can think of that carry and just rock devotion,

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and I know that there are some exceptions to this,

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but by and large the population on the planet

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who knows how to rock devotion is really moms.

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Moms know how to rock devotions.

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Moms are incredibly devoted individuals,

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incredibly, incredible devoted people

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when it comes to their children.

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Moms take care of their kids,

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and we have a lot of rock star moms here.

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This is my mom and my siblings,

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and my mom is an incredible mom.

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My mom is incredibly devoted.

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In fact, in this particular season of our life,

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my mom gets to serve over at the school

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with my brother and me,

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and I can just watch her as she's serving.

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You know what the fuel is

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that keeps her coming back to the school and serving?

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It's not the work that she does of her hands.

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It's not all of the things.

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She serves because, and she loves being there in the fuel,

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it's because we're there, and she wants to be with us.

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Moms are incredibly devoted.

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They are there when their kids need them.

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They're there in the midnight hour.

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They're there when a kid, their child breaks their arm.

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They're there when they need, when they fail,

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when they succeed, moms champion their kids.

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There's something special inside a mom

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where they package and embody devotion.

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Being devoted and having a devoted lifestyle

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conveys a sense of priority.

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It says you are a priority, or this thing is a priority.

262
00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:47,140
Let me ask you a question.

263
00:10:47,140 --> 00:10:49,640
What is your devotion to the Lord this morning?

264
00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:55,500
What type of priority have you placed in on your walk

265
00:10:55,500 --> 00:10:58,660
and in your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

266
00:10:58,660 --> 00:11:02,080
Is your relationship, is your devotion to the Lord

267
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:06,640
a sometimes when I get around to it type of walk,

268
00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,840
type of faith, type of lifestyle?

269
00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,840
Or is it day in, day out, 24/7, he's a part of my life,

270
00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,940
he is my life, he is my everything?

271
00:11:17,820 --> 00:11:20,940
Listen, there are people who will talk to you

272
00:11:20,940 --> 00:11:23,700
in their free time, and then there are people

273
00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:27,100
who will clear their schedule to talk to you.

274
00:11:27,100 --> 00:11:28,700
Those are two different things.

275
00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:32,280
There are people who will talk to you in their free time,

276
00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,620
and then there are people who will free their time

277
00:11:34,620 --> 00:11:35,460
to talk to you.

278
00:11:35,460 --> 00:11:36,500
Those are two different things,

279
00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:40,340
and one of those populations speaks to devotion.

280
00:11:40,340 --> 00:11:43,100
If you are devoted to someone, then you will move things.

281
00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:45,100
You know, I've got a friend right now in my life

282
00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:46,980
that I just literally, in preparing this message,

283
00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:48,340
it just kinda dawned on me,

284
00:11:48,340 --> 00:11:50,620
he's kinda moving mountains all the time

285
00:11:50,620 --> 00:11:52,780
to come and be with me when I need somebody,

286
00:11:52,780 --> 00:11:55,200
and I'm just like, man, Lord, help me to recognize

287
00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,620
and appreciate that so much, so much more.

288
00:11:57,620 --> 00:11:59,820
I have people in my life who are devoted to me.

289
00:11:59,820 --> 00:12:04,060
You have people in your life who are devoted to you,

290
00:12:04,060 --> 00:12:06,660
who are devoted to you.

291
00:12:06,660 --> 00:12:11,220
My mom is devoted to us kids, that's,

292
00:12:11,220 --> 00:12:14,660
I get my siblings there, and you know,

293
00:12:14,660 --> 00:12:18,820
we kids are devoted to our parents sometimes, aren't we?

294
00:12:18,820 --> 00:12:20,540
Right, just sometimes, you know,

295
00:12:20,540 --> 00:12:23,220
one of the things that, my mom loves the cicadas.

296
00:12:23,220 --> 00:12:26,720
I'm being sarcastic.

297
00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:27,900
My mom actually hates the cicada.

298
00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:30,500
In fact, the first time that they came,

299
00:12:30,500 --> 00:12:33,900
I remember I went to their house at the time,

300
00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:35,160
and the cicadas were here.

301
00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:36,220
My mom didn't wanna go outside.

302
00:12:36,220 --> 00:12:37,820
She just was not about to go outside

303
00:12:37,820 --> 00:12:39,660
with all of the flying cicadas and everything,

304
00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:41,380
but you know, when she had to go to her car,

305
00:12:41,380 --> 00:12:44,620
my brother and I repaid her loving, caring devotion

306
00:12:44,620 --> 00:12:47,380
by when she going to the car, we would grab the trees,

307
00:12:47,380 --> 00:12:49,700
and we would shake them as hard as we can,

308
00:12:49,700 --> 00:12:52,220
and the cicadas would fly all over her,

309
00:12:52,220 --> 00:12:54,920
and she would scream and be so excited.

310
00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,160
Mom, we should try that again today.

311
00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:58,580
Coming over to the house, we'll come over,

312
00:12:58,580 --> 00:13:01,260
we'll shake the trees and let the cicadas fly.

313
00:13:01,260 --> 00:13:03,260
Somebody actually grabbed the cicada this week,

314
00:13:03,260 --> 00:13:04,700
put honey on it and ate it and said this,

315
00:13:04,700 --> 00:13:07,900
I'm John the Baptist, and I said, no, that is not a locust.

316
00:13:07,900 --> 00:13:11,300
It's a cicada, you know, don't eat cicadas, guys.

317
00:13:11,300 --> 00:13:13,460
They're not good for you.

318
00:13:13,460 --> 00:13:16,820
But moms are extremely devoted,

319
00:13:16,820 --> 00:13:20,260
and I would even go as far to say

320
00:13:20,260 --> 00:13:23,980
that mothers are devoted despite how you treat them.

321
00:13:23,980 --> 00:13:30,480
And what a model of our Christ, Jesus, our Savior,

322
00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,540
how devoted He is to us despite our devotion to Him.

323
00:13:34,540 --> 00:13:41,200
He is extremely devoted to us to the point of death,

324
00:13:42,300 --> 00:13:44,120
to the point of death.

325
00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,540
Moms are extremely devoted people.

326
00:13:46,540 --> 00:13:48,320
I remember when I was seven or eight years old,

327
00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,660
I was at the swimming pool, and all of my friends

328
00:13:50,660 --> 00:13:52,680
were dumping into the deep end of the pool,

329
00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:56,000
and I wanted to also jump into the deep end of the pool,

330
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,940
and so I get out there to the edge,

331
00:13:57,940 --> 00:14:02,940
and I was like one, two, three, four, five, six,

332
00:14:02,940 --> 00:14:06,700
and I would go back and forth to the edge of the pool,

333
00:14:06,700 --> 00:14:08,660
and I would get ready to jump,

334
00:14:08,660 --> 00:14:10,320
and I so wanted to start to jump in,

335
00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:12,620
and one of those times after about 30 minutes

336
00:14:12,620 --> 00:14:14,300
probably of trying, going back and forth,

337
00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:16,700
chickening out, I went one, two,

338
00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:18,800
and my mom shoved me into the pool.

339
00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:23,780
My mom was devoted to teaching me,

340
00:14:23,780 --> 00:14:27,760
letting me experience things,

341
00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,160
and so I would experience it,

342
00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,600
and guess what happened when I got out of the pool?

343
00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:33,580
I got out, and I was able to jump in.

344
00:14:33,580 --> 00:14:35,440
I was able to jump in.

345
00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:39,720
Moms have a way of knowing what you need, right?

346
00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:44,340
They are devoted, and so these apostles,

347
00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:48,700
these disciples, these followers of Christ,

348
00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:51,540
it says they devoted themselves, they devoted themselves,

349
00:14:51,540 --> 00:14:54,920
they were loyal to, they were faithful to themselves

350
00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,520
to the apostles' teaching, to the apostles' teaching.

351
00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,460
Have you ever had a good teacher in your life?

352
00:15:02,460 --> 00:15:04,040
Who's had a good teacher in your life?

353
00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,440
Yeah, teachers really make impacts on our lives.

354
00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:09,360
You know, I had teachers, my favorite teachers

355
00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,180
when I was in school, my favorite teachers

356
00:15:11,180 --> 00:15:13,420
were the ones who didn't make us do any homework,

357
00:15:13,420 --> 00:15:15,240
who didn't make us do any work,

358
00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,080
who let us just talk in class

359
00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:18,700
and do whatever we wanted to do,

360
00:15:18,700 --> 00:15:20,880
but you know, as I lived my life and I go forward,

361
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:22,360
I realized that none of those people

362
00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:23,580
actually cared about me.

363
00:15:23,580 --> 00:15:30,180
They allowed me to lean into my temporary pleasure,

364
00:15:30,180 --> 00:15:35,100
but they caused for me a longevity of ignorance and pain,

365
00:15:35,100 --> 00:15:39,200
but the teacher that I respect, Miss Smith,

366
00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:40,920
Miss Coble, who's back there in the back,

367
00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:42,680
Bruce and Jill Coble are here today with us,

368
00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,940
Miss Coble was my teacher, there are teachers in my life

369
00:15:45,940 --> 00:15:49,060
who were not going to let me get away with anything,

370
00:15:49,060 --> 00:15:50,780
isn't that right, Miss Coble?

371
00:15:50,780 --> 00:15:53,400
Wasn't gonna let me get away with a thing.

372
00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,480
No matter how much I sweet-talked them,

373
00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,880
no matter how much presence I gave,

374
00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:00,080
it doesn't matter how cute I was,

375
00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:01,480
you're not getting away with this,

376
00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,280
you're gonna be held accountable for the expectation.

377
00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:06,900
I remember my senior English teacher,

378
00:16:06,900 --> 00:16:08,540
she would come around, there's a story she tells

379
00:16:08,540 --> 00:16:09,380
at the beginning of the year,

380
00:16:09,380 --> 00:16:10,240
I don't have time to share it,

381
00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:13,200
but she has this basket of lifesavers

382
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:14,880
and she would pass them around

383
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:16,440
whenever we were having a hard day,

384
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,840
but I tell you that midterm paper came around,

385
00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,100
I was having a rough season, a rough patch,

386
00:16:21,100 --> 00:16:22,560
and she came around with that lifesaver and she said,

387
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:23,860
"Get as many of those as you need

388
00:16:23,860 --> 00:16:24,940
"'cause you're gonna turn in this paper

389
00:16:24,940 --> 00:16:27,080
"and it's gonna be on time."

390
00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,680
She held me to the fire, but you know all these days,

391
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,620
all these years later, I look back and I realize,

392
00:16:33,620 --> 00:16:37,440
that teacher cared about me, that teacher loved me,

393
00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:42,440
that teacher was devoted to me, she was devoted to me.

394
00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:48,760
Sometimes we would rather be entertained than grow.

395
00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,860
Sometimes we would rather come in to the church

396
00:16:52,860 --> 00:16:56,120
and listen to a teacher who will entertain us

397
00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,400
with their big time personality than to be challenged

398
00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,580
to grow and become more like Jesus Christ.

399
00:17:03,580 --> 00:17:07,100
And I wanna tell you today that if you are here

400
00:17:07,100 --> 00:17:09,680
and all you do on Sunday morning here at Springhouse

401
00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:11,680
is that you're entertained, I wanna tell you

402
00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,120
as the lead pastor, I want you to go find another church.

403
00:17:15,120 --> 00:17:16,600
I want you to go find another church

404
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,880
if all your being is entertained because,

405
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,280
guys, I care about your soul and I care about your heart

406
00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,040
and here's not the place to be entertained.

407
00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,520
Here's the place to exalt Jesus Christ

408
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:29,220
and become more like him and to become more like him.

409
00:17:29,220 --> 00:17:36,040
And so the apostles, whenever they committed themselves,

410
00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,100
they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching,

411
00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:41,880
the conveying of the word, the instruction of the word,

412
00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,200
they conferred an authority to the apostles

413
00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,960
and they submitted themselves to the apostles' word.

414
00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:51,720
They showed up and they engaged.

415
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:56,560
They showed up and engaged and in addition to that,

416
00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,000
they understood that they were never finished learning.

417
00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,780
Guys, you are never finished learning.

418
00:18:03,780 --> 00:18:06,560
You're never finished learning.

419
00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:11,520
Ronnie, Pastor Ronnie, one time I was scheduled to speak,

420
00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,400
this was many, many, many years ago,

421
00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:14,380
I was scheduled to speak out here

422
00:18:14,380 --> 00:18:16,220
and I just started reading a book

423
00:18:16,220 --> 00:18:18,440
and I finished the book prior to speaking

424
00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:20,160
and it was a great, great read.

425
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:21,780
It was a Christian book and man,

426
00:18:21,780 --> 00:18:23,460
it was talking all types of things

427
00:18:23,460 --> 00:18:25,680
to get me hyped up about the things of the Lord

428
00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,800
and I wanted the church to be set on fire for this book

429
00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,620
and so I gave this entire message and I was excited

430
00:18:31,620 --> 00:18:35,120
and I was enthusiastic and everyone was responding

431
00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:37,520
kind of about how you guys are responding to me right now,

432
00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:38,960
just crickets, you know,

433
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,300
and I was kind of discouraged and distraught

434
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:43,740
and so that week, Pastor Ronnie,

435
00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:45,320
you know I learned with object lessons,

436
00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,080
so Pastor Ronnie pulled me in the backpack here

437
00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:50,360
and he grabbed a sheet of paper and a lighter

438
00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:52,840
and he grabbed a log and he took the lighter

439
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,800
and he lit the piece of paper and it went up in flames

440
00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,480
and then he took the lighter and he held it to the log

441
00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:03,700
and he talked to me as he was holding the fire to the log

442
00:19:03,700 --> 00:19:06,680
and he said, "How quickly did that paper disappear

443
00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:07,520
"when I lit it on fire?"

444
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,460
And I said, "Well, of course, it was immediate.

445
00:19:09,460 --> 00:19:10,580
"It went real fast."

446
00:19:10,580 --> 00:19:13,000
And he said, "And how quick do you think this log

447
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,480
"is gonna dissipate whenever I hold this fire?"

448
00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:16,720
I said, "Well, it's gonna take a while."

449
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:20,100
And I said, "It's gonna probably burn for a long, long time."

450
00:19:20,100 --> 00:19:22,540
And he said, "There are going to be many fads.

451
00:19:22,540 --> 00:19:23,580
"There are gonna be many books.

452
00:19:23,580 --> 00:19:24,640
"There are gonna be many billboards.

453
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,760
"There are gonna be a lot of flash and bang out there

454
00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:28,560
"that you can grab a hold to,

455
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:30,240
"but when you are leading people,

456
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,520
"never negate the power of a nudge.

457
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,700
"Never negate the power of a nudge."

458
00:19:35,700 --> 00:19:38,000
And it was transformative in my life

459
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,060
and you guys are benefactors of that object lesson

460
00:19:41,060 --> 00:19:43,280
because I realize that it is more important

461
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,320
with a group this size at all different points

462
00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,320
in their journey that we nudge along toward Christ,

463
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:52,280
that we nudge along becoming more and more like him,

464
00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,360
then we try to get somebody to jump over

465
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:55,960
all of the things that they need to grow from

466
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:56,920
because when you get over here,

467
00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:58,080
you don't know how to handle yourself

468
00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:59,320
and you end up retreating back

469
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:01,760
to all of the things that you missed.

470
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,560
So there is power in nudging along.

471
00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:05,580
I'm still learning.

472
00:20:05,580 --> 00:20:07,040
Guys, I'm learning from you.

473
00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,080
I have sat in your youth pastor's youth group

474
00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:12,980
for the last four months and I have listened to him speak.

475
00:20:12,980 --> 00:20:15,720
James Jansen is a phenomenal, phenomenal preacher.

476
00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:16,800
He's a phenomenal teacher

477
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:18,560
and over the last two times I was there,

478
00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:20,940
the Holy Spirit was so good in his teaching

479
00:20:20,940 --> 00:20:23,440
that I was weeping, I was crying in the message

480
00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:24,920
because the Lord was speaking to me.

481
00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,440
He was teaching me from what this man is saying.

482
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,000
There have been encounters that I've had in the hallway,

483
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,080
in the corridors with you where you will say something

484
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,620
and the Lord is teaching me, he's sharpening me.

485
00:20:34,620 --> 00:20:37,000
Guys, nobody is exempt from learning.

486
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:38,660
You are never done learning.

487
00:20:38,660 --> 00:20:40,160
Iron is sharpening iron.

488
00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:41,420
When we come into this place,

489
00:20:41,420 --> 00:20:43,520
when we're in our relationships with one another,

490
00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:45,920
we should be growing to become more and more

491
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,020
and more like Jesus, like Jesus.

492
00:20:49,020 --> 00:20:50,960
I cannot stand when people have said,

493
00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:52,560
people have, in the last three months,

494
00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,800
somebody said this to me, I've read the Bible.

495
00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,760
I've read the Bible.

496
00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:58,600
I know it back in front.

497
00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,480
I just, I don't know why God's not working in my life.

498
00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,140
I've read the Bible, I've done the stuff.

499
00:21:02,140 --> 00:21:03,400
Can you recommend a book?

500
00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:08,120
(congregation laughing)

501
00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:12,320
You are never finished reading the Bible.

502
00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,300
You are never finished reading the Bible.

503
00:21:14,300 --> 00:21:16,500
Guys, the word tells us in Hebrews,

504
00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:18,440
the word of God is active and alive.

505
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:19,280
It's alive and active.

506
00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:20,960
It's sharper than any double-edged sword.

507
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,820
That means that I can read a passage a thousand times

508
00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:27,220
and the Holy Spirit speak to me a thousand different ways.

509
00:21:27,220 --> 00:21:28,920
It is alive and active.

510
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:30,380
This book is the book of life.

511
00:21:30,380 --> 00:21:32,380
It is the foundation of our lives.

512
00:21:32,380 --> 00:21:33,880
We stand on this truth.

513
00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,060
This is how we know the very God that we proclaim

514
00:21:37,060 --> 00:21:39,460
in the streets and in our lives and how we live.

515
00:21:39,460 --> 00:21:42,020
It is because of the knowledge of his word.

516
00:21:42,020 --> 00:21:44,560
Guys, can I just add to that for just a second?

517
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:45,780
I think I said this earlier,

518
00:21:45,780 --> 00:21:48,100
but the sufficiency of the blood of Christ

519
00:21:48,100 --> 00:21:50,260
needs nothing added to it.

520
00:21:50,260 --> 00:21:52,440
The sufficiency of the blood of Christ

521
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,980
that covers you and gives you the remission of your sins,

522
00:21:55,980 --> 00:21:57,920
it needs nothing added to it.

523
00:21:57,920 --> 00:21:59,500
We have the word of God.

524
00:21:59,500 --> 00:22:03,080
We've been given the word of God, what a gift.

525
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,420
And the people of God in Acts

526
00:22:06,420 --> 00:22:08,840
were connected around the word of God.

527
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:12,000
The people of God were connected around the word of God.

528
00:22:12,260 --> 00:22:16,000
When we gather here and whenever we are in our life

529
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,440
walking this journey out with each other,

530
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,360
we should be connected by the word and the truth of God.

531
00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:26,340
The center of our relationship should be founded on him.

532
00:22:26,340 --> 00:22:30,420
We should be spurring one another on in the Lord.

533
00:22:30,420 --> 00:22:32,480
You know, there's these big things happening right now

534
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,520
in church world where churches are marketing

535
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,060
to bring people into the church.

536
00:22:37,060 --> 00:22:39,460
I read a story, I heard a story this past week

537
00:22:39,460 --> 00:22:42,860
how a preacher had a bull ride

538
00:22:42,860 --> 00:22:44,220
in the middle of the sanctuary.

539
00:22:44,220 --> 00:22:45,060
It was a big day.

540
00:22:45,060 --> 00:22:48,120
They invited everybody to come and he got on the bull

541
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:50,260
and he rode the bull until he fell off

542
00:22:50,260 --> 00:22:52,300
and then probably knocked some sense into his head

543
00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:53,380
when he fell off and then he came up

544
00:22:53,380 --> 00:22:54,940
and he preached the message.

545
00:22:54,940 --> 00:22:56,980
And it was all to get a draw

546
00:22:56,980 --> 00:22:59,200
for people to come into the church.

547
00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:02,280
Now I'm gonna tell you, I don't mind doing special events.

548
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,240
I think special things are fun and I think they're okay.

549
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:06,980
But let me tell you what the Bible tells us

550
00:23:06,980 --> 00:23:08,680
in John chapter 12.

551
00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,500
If Christ be lifted up, he will draw all men to himself.

552
00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:15,160
We are not here to grow a big great church

553
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:16,440
with a bunch of bodies.

554
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,700
We are here to exalt Jesus Christ.

555
00:23:18,700 --> 00:23:21,840
We are here to exalt the savior of the world

556
00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:26,120
and he will do the work of drawing all people to himself.

557
00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,560
There was another church that I read about

558
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:30,620
and the church was in massive decline.

559
00:23:30,620 --> 00:23:31,460
It was dying.

560
00:23:31,460 --> 00:23:33,400
It was just a rapid decline.

561
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,620
And so the pastor put up all around town

562
00:23:36,620 --> 00:23:39,360
that he said a flyer that says the church is dying

563
00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,100
and we're gonna have a funeral for the church.

564
00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:42,600
We want you to come next Sunday.

565
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,020
There's gonna be a church funeral

566
00:23:44,020 --> 00:23:45,940
because the church is dying.

567
00:23:45,940 --> 00:23:47,960
And so they put all the flyers out.

568
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,600
Do you know that Sunday the church was packed.

569
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:51,680
The church was packed out.

570
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,520
They didn't have any seats left

571
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,960
because everybody was there for the funeral

572
00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:57,080
of the church that was dying.

573
00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:58,860
And so they had a casket there in the church

574
00:23:58,860 --> 00:24:00,660
and they had flowers on it and all of this stuff.

575
00:24:00,660 --> 00:24:01,500
They did the whole thing.

576
00:24:01,500 --> 00:24:03,440
And he opened the casket and he said,

577
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,900
"I want everybody to come down to the casket

578
00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:09,680
and I want you to pay your respects to this dying church

579
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,220
that we are here to celebrate

580
00:24:13,220 --> 00:24:15,960
and to recognize the death of the church."

581
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:17,480
And so everybody started to get up

582
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,720
and as they came to the coffin and looked inside the coffin,

583
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,040
they were embarrassed and they were uneasy

584
00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,220
as they walked away.

585
00:24:26,220 --> 00:24:28,380
Because inside the coffin,

586
00:24:28,380 --> 00:24:34,040
mounted up on a slant, was a mirror

587
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,840
and a sign that read, "The church is dead because of this."

588
00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:43,900
The church is dead because of this.

589
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,860
Guys, the church is not a program.

590
00:24:47,860 --> 00:24:48,780
It's not the building.

591
00:24:48,780 --> 00:24:51,200
We are the church.

592
00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:52,640
We are the church.

593
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:57,840
The life of the church is in our interaction

594
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,740
and who we put at the center of our interaction.

595
00:25:00,740 --> 00:25:03,960
And the center of our interaction should be Jesus Christ.

596
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:05,720
At the center of what we are doing

597
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,560
and what we're about should be Jesus Christ.

598
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,480
And if he's not the center, then certainly the church,

599
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:14,200
well, you might have a good rally or a good time together,

600
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,440
but you're certainly not growing in the Lord.

601
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:21,260
We want to be about exalting Jesus Christ.

602
00:25:21,260 --> 00:25:24,120
Here's the thing, the early church, the disciples,

603
00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,560
the followers, the Christians at the time,

604
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,920
there was a hunger.

605
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,000
And I believe that hunger is the currency of the kingdom.

606
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,760
Hunger is the currency of the kingdom.

607
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:37,100
What are you hungry for?

608
00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:40,840
Who are you hungry for?

609
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,320
What is your spiritual diet?

610
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:44,960
What are you feasting off of?

611
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:49,600
Are you only eating 30 minutes a week on Sunday morning

612
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,160
and allowing that to sustain your spiritual journey

613
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,360
until you come back here the next week?

614
00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:56,220
That's not enough.

615
00:25:56,220 --> 00:25:57,400
That's not enough.

616
00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:01,080
The disciples, the Christians,

617
00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,360
they were hungry for his presence.

618
00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:05,160
They were hungry for his word.

619
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,200
They were hungry for deep relationship and connection.

620
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,260
And I believe that at times, friends,

621
00:26:11,260 --> 00:26:15,200
that we can curb our hunger with counterfeit food

622
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,040
that leaves us spiritually malnourished.

623
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:23,020
We begin to feed ourselves things that are not of the Lord,

624
00:26:23,020 --> 00:26:24,140
that are of the world.

625
00:26:24,140 --> 00:26:26,160
We begin to put the church in the context

626
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,880
and we view it through the world's lens.

627
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:31,440
And we begin to pick up junk food.

628
00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,260
We're on a Lay's potato chip diet.

629
00:26:33,260 --> 00:26:35,080
I need somebody to get me some broccoli

630
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,000
and some Brussels sprouts spiritually.

631
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,560
I need somebody to be dishing to me some things

632
00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:43,320
that will help me grow and help me develop in the Lord,

633
00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:45,900
that will help me grow to be more like him.

634
00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:48,300
But boys, those Lay's potato chips taste so good.

635
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:52,660
Lay's potato chips taste good for a moment,

636
00:26:52,660 --> 00:26:54,220
but you're gonna feel it later.

637
00:26:54,220 --> 00:26:57,220
You're gonna feel it later.

638
00:26:57,220 --> 00:27:02,720
We want to be a church that is mature.

639
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:06,520
We wanna be a church that graduates

640
00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,900
from drinking milk to eating meat.

641
00:27:09,540 --> 00:27:14,540
To really diving into the deep truths of our God.

642
00:27:14,540 --> 00:27:18,660
So they weren't attached, the disciples,

643
00:27:18,660 --> 00:27:20,900
the Christians in the early church,

644
00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:23,580
they were not attached to personalities

645
00:27:23,580 --> 00:27:26,060
or platforms or performances.

646
00:27:26,060 --> 00:27:28,460
They were hungry for the word.

647
00:27:28,460 --> 00:27:29,860
They were hungry for the word

648
00:27:29,860 --> 00:27:32,100
and they showed up for church.

649
00:27:32,100 --> 00:27:33,420
They showed up and they engaged.

650
00:27:33,420 --> 00:27:36,300
Can I tell you guys, showing up for church is not a chore,

651
00:27:36,300 --> 00:27:37,740
it's a privilege.

652
00:27:37,740 --> 00:27:41,140
Showing up on Sunday morning, it should not be a chore,

653
00:27:41,140 --> 00:27:42,140
it should be a privilege.

654
00:27:42,140 --> 00:27:44,060
Now some of you made your mama

655
00:27:44,060 --> 00:27:46,020
feel like it was a chore this morning.

656
00:27:46,020 --> 00:27:49,260
(congregation murmurs)

657
00:27:49,260 --> 00:27:52,120
But can I tell you something?

658
00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:54,700
For the moms who are believers here,

659
00:27:54,700 --> 00:27:56,540
some of you are here for the very first time

660
00:27:56,540 --> 00:27:58,140
or very first time in a long time.

661
00:27:58,140 --> 00:28:00,020
Can I tell you that there is no greater gift

662
00:28:00,020 --> 00:28:01,100
that you could give your mama

663
00:28:01,100 --> 00:28:03,580
than to show up to church next week?

664
00:28:03,580 --> 00:28:05,220
Show up to church the next week?

665
00:28:06,220 --> 00:28:08,300
Because there are a lot of mamas who have been praying

666
00:28:08,300 --> 00:28:12,340
for their kids, asking the Lord to reveal himself

667
00:28:12,340 --> 00:28:17,020
in a very, very powerful, real, extraordinary way

668
00:28:17,020 --> 00:28:19,460
so that your life can be transformed.

669
00:28:19,460 --> 00:28:26,040
And so if Mother's Day is a reason to get you to come,

670
00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:27,640
then to your mama, so be it.

671
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,300
She's trusting the Holy Spirit to minister to you.

672
00:28:30,300 --> 00:28:34,940
Showing up for church is not a chore, it's a privilege.

673
00:28:34,940 --> 00:28:36,740
Hebrews 10, 24 says this,

674
00:28:36,740 --> 00:28:39,540
"Let us consider how we may spur one another on

675
00:28:39,540 --> 00:28:40,780
"toward love and good deeds,

676
00:28:40,780 --> 00:28:42,380
"not giving up meeting together

677
00:28:42,380 --> 00:28:44,060
"as some are in the habit of doing,

678
00:28:44,060 --> 00:28:45,980
"but encouraging one another.

679
00:28:45,980 --> 00:28:48,060
"And all the more as you see the day approaching."

680
00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:51,240
And guys, I believe that the day is approaching.

681
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,500
It is coming sooner and sooner, every hour.

682
00:28:53,500 --> 00:28:55,260
After we leave here and we go to lunch,

683
00:28:55,260 --> 00:28:58,020
we are that much closer to Jesus Christ splitting the sky.

684
00:28:58,020 --> 00:29:02,180
Glory, hallelujah, I cannot wait for him to split this sky.

685
00:29:02,180 --> 00:29:06,060
Guys, I want to be yoked with people who are like-minded.

686
00:29:06,060 --> 00:29:10,260
I wanna be yoked with believers who want to spur me on

687
00:29:10,260 --> 00:29:14,460
and are spurred on in growing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

688
00:29:14,460 --> 00:29:16,620
My family and I, when we plan a vacation,

689
00:29:16,620 --> 00:29:18,060
we don't miss Sundays.

690
00:29:18,060 --> 00:29:19,520
Now, that's not a pat on our back like,

691
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:21,380
"Oh, go O'Deas, you don't miss Sundays."

692
00:29:21,380 --> 00:29:23,180
You know, attendance record, no.

693
00:29:23,180 --> 00:29:25,620
I cannot stand missing being in the presence

694
00:29:25,620 --> 00:29:26,760
of God with you all.

695
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:28,660
I cannot stand it.

696
00:29:28,660 --> 00:29:33,180
I just, it is more desirous for me to be here

697
00:29:33,180 --> 00:29:34,180
on a Sunday morning with you

698
00:29:34,180 --> 00:29:36,580
than to be on a beach in Florida.

699
00:29:36,580 --> 00:29:38,620
To be at Disney, to be at a theme park.

700
00:29:38,620 --> 00:29:42,060
I want to be here and if for some reason we're not here,

701
00:29:42,060 --> 00:29:45,280
I guarantee you that we are in a church somewhere

702
00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:48,220
yoking with other believers and worshiping the Lord.

703
00:29:48,220 --> 00:29:49,540
I don't wanna miss out.

704
00:29:49,540 --> 00:29:51,100
I'm devoted to the Lord.

705
00:29:51,100 --> 00:29:53,380
I am devoted to church, I'm devoted.

706
00:29:53,380 --> 00:29:55,660
I want to be in the presence of the Lord.

707
00:29:55,660 --> 00:29:58,660
And I want to be worshiping the Lord.

708
00:29:58,660 --> 00:30:05,980
So, what is the litmus test for a sound teacher?

709
00:30:05,980 --> 00:30:09,220
I think this is important because if it's modeled

710
00:30:09,220 --> 00:30:14,220
that we engage and we show up to hear people teach the word,

711
00:30:14,220 --> 00:30:17,500
we need to know that what we're getting is right and true.

712
00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:18,580
So here's the litmus test.

713
00:30:18,580 --> 00:30:22,140
Number one, does it line up with God's word?

714
00:30:22,140 --> 00:30:23,340
Does it line up with God?

715
00:30:23,340 --> 00:30:25,220
Anything that comes from this platform,

716
00:30:25,220 --> 00:30:28,980
it should be lining up with the word of God.

717
00:30:28,980 --> 00:30:30,820
That is the place, that's the foundation.

718
00:30:30,820 --> 00:30:31,660
Now guess what?

719
00:30:31,660 --> 00:30:34,100
You don't know if it lines up with the word of God

720
00:30:34,100 --> 00:30:37,820
if you're not in the word of God, right?

721
00:30:37,820 --> 00:30:40,620
So you need an active relationship with the word.

722
00:30:40,620 --> 00:30:43,060
I don't wanna come up and give you mess

723
00:30:43,060 --> 00:30:45,800
and you not know it's mess, okay?

724
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,340
It's gotta line up with God's word.

725
00:30:47,340 --> 00:30:49,740
Number two, are you challenged more

726
00:30:49,740 --> 00:30:51,060
than you are entertained?

727
00:30:51,060 --> 00:30:53,780
I mentioned this earlier.

728
00:30:53,780 --> 00:30:56,260
Are you challenged more than you're entertained?

729
00:30:56,260 --> 00:30:59,180
I'm so grateful that we have, not me,

730
00:30:59,180 --> 00:31:01,300
but we have some people on staff that can come up

731
00:31:01,300 --> 00:31:03,780
and really get us really laughing and growing

732
00:31:03,780 --> 00:31:05,700
and laughing and going and all that stuff.

733
00:31:05,700 --> 00:31:06,940
And they bring truth though.

734
00:31:06,940 --> 00:31:10,200
They bring it down to a point of truth.

735
00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:11,620
It's okay to have some levity.

736
00:31:11,620 --> 00:31:14,140
It's okay for us to interact in that way.

737
00:31:14,140 --> 00:31:16,420
But if you are leaving here more entertained

738
00:31:16,420 --> 00:31:19,380
than you are challenged, then there is a problem.

739
00:31:19,380 --> 00:31:20,320
Then there is a problem.

740
00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,380
We should be growing in our walk.

741
00:31:23,380 --> 00:31:25,040
We should be growing in the Lord.

742
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:26,940
When you hear teaching, the last thing is,

743
00:31:26,940 --> 00:31:30,440
do you leave thinking about issues or thinking about Jesus?

744
00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:36,080
Do you leave thinking more about issues or Jesus?

745
00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:37,780
And as long as I'm in this position,

746
00:31:37,780 --> 00:31:39,680
I will not render this platform to somebody

747
00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,500
who wants to come out and talk all about issues.

748
00:31:42,500 --> 00:31:43,540
Why?

749
00:31:43,540 --> 00:31:45,180
Because Jesus Christ has the answer

750
00:31:45,180 --> 00:31:47,500
to every single issue you can bring to the stage.

751
00:31:47,500 --> 00:31:50,820
And if we will focus on him, he will fix all of it.

752
00:31:50,820 --> 00:31:53,360
He will save you from all of it.

753
00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:58,740
And so, does it line up with his word?

754
00:31:58,740 --> 00:32:00,740
Are you challenged or entertained?

755
00:32:00,740 --> 00:32:01,700
Which is it?

756
00:32:01,700 --> 00:32:04,240
And do you leave thinking about issues or Jesus?

757
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,380
My prayer is that when you leave Springhouse each Sunday,

758
00:32:06,380 --> 00:32:09,500
you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good

759
00:32:09,500 --> 00:32:12,460
and that you think about the Lord Jesus Christ.

760
00:32:12,460 --> 00:32:13,700
So the scripture continues.

761
00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:16,620
It says they devoted themselves to fellowship

762
00:32:16,620 --> 00:32:18,740
and the breaking of bread.

763
00:32:18,740 --> 00:32:22,580
Fellowship is actually becoming a antiquated word,

764
00:32:22,580 --> 00:32:24,660
like the fellowship hall, fellowship,

765
00:32:24,660 --> 00:32:26,920
I'm gonna fellowship, let's go fellowship together.

766
00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:28,960
But the meaning is still intact.

767
00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:31,740
I want you to understand that the fellowship

768
00:32:31,740 --> 00:32:34,020
of the believers back in the early church, guys,

769
00:32:34,020 --> 00:32:36,060
this was not normal.

770
00:32:36,060 --> 00:32:38,220
I want you to understand it was not a normal thing.

771
00:32:38,220 --> 00:32:39,700
Like we sometimes read it and we're like,

772
00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:41,260
okay, I can get behind it.

773
00:32:41,260 --> 00:32:43,120
They were getting together, they were going to church,

774
00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,100
basically listening to the apostles.

775
00:32:45,100 --> 00:32:46,840
They were getting together and hanging out together.

776
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,160
They were breaking bread and they were praying, right?

777
00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:50,000
All of these things.

778
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,420
I want you to understand culturally, this was not normal.

779
00:32:53,420 --> 00:32:56,440
Why would they write about it if it was normalized?

780
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:58,260
That's like me going up to James this morning,

781
00:32:58,260 --> 00:33:01,000
say, hey, James, I woke up this morning, came to church.

782
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:06,100
He'd be like, good story, great, appreciate it, yeah.

783
00:33:06,100 --> 00:33:10,100
Why would they write something that was normalized?

784
00:33:10,100 --> 00:33:13,640
They're writing to let us know the extraordinary things

785
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,240
that they were doing.

786
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,340
Being a Christian in the early church,

787
00:33:18,340 --> 00:33:20,560
there was no willy-nilly-ness about it

788
00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:22,900
because the minute they walked outside the doors,

789
00:33:22,900 --> 00:33:24,440
they were persecuted.

790
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:26,380
The minute they walked out of the church door,

791
00:33:26,380 --> 00:33:28,300
they were persecuted and here's the thing,

792
00:33:28,300 --> 00:33:31,140
the things that they were learning inside the context

793
00:33:31,140 --> 00:33:33,680
of the church, inside the context from the apostles

794
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,840
was how to react to the persecution

795
00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,700
that was about to happen and you know what it was?

796
00:33:38,700 --> 00:33:42,380
It wasn't get out your sword, it was turn the other cheek.

797
00:33:42,380 --> 00:33:45,280
It wasn't pull out your sword, it was love them anyway.

798
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,520
It wasn't pull out your sword, it was forgive them.

799
00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:51,540
And it was an honor, it was a badge of honor

800
00:33:51,540 --> 00:33:54,260
to be persecuted for the Lord Jesus Christ.

801
00:33:54,260 --> 00:34:00,360
I wonder how many of us have just willy-nilly

802
00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:02,720
gone about our faith because there's not any persecution

803
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:04,720
in our life so it doesn't really matter.

804
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:09,720
He gave his life.

805
00:34:11,380 --> 00:34:16,380
He gave his life for you to encounter a dying world

806
00:34:16,380 --> 00:34:19,320
and to convey and model to them

807
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,220
a Christ-like mentality and action

808
00:34:22,220 --> 00:34:24,220
so that the Holy Spirit would have an agent

809
00:34:24,220 --> 00:34:25,840
and a platform to work in their life

810
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:28,540
so that they could be grafted in for eternity as well.

811
00:34:28,540 --> 00:34:33,880
They devoted themselves to fellowship

812
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,360
in the breaking of bread despite the persecution

813
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,060
that was happening.

814
00:34:38,060 --> 00:34:40,960
Being a Christian, being a Christian,

815
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,220
to be Christ-like was not something

816
00:34:43,220 --> 00:34:46,460
that you proudly proclaimed just so that you could get

817
00:34:46,460 --> 00:34:48,200
a pat on the back.

818
00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:51,480
It was to say I am other than the world.

819
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,040
And it continues to be in a lot of areas

820
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:55,740
counter-cultural today.

821
00:34:55,740 --> 00:34:57,800
This is Alice Cooper.

822
00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:59,200
You guys know this guy?

823
00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:01,200
He says this, "Drinking beer is easy,

824
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:03,280
"trashing your hotel room is easy,

825
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,900
"but being a Christian, that's a tough call.

826
00:35:05,900 --> 00:35:07,780
"That's a real rebellion."

827
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:11,160
I'm here to tell you this morning

828
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:13,260
that if you are a believer and you're actually living

829
00:35:13,260 --> 00:35:15,200
a lifestyle of Christianity in this world,

830
00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:16,100
you are a rebel.

831
00:35:16,100 --> 00:35:19,720
You are a rebel against the world,

832
00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:21,280
against the world's vices,

833
00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:22,880
against the world's direction.

834
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,620
You are a rebel.

835
00:35:25,620 --> 00:35:27,120
And the world doesn't like it.

836
00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:29,600
The world doesn't like it,

837
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,700
nor does the world know how to handle it

838
00:35:32,700 --> 00:35:35,260
because they want you to fight back

839
00:35:35,260 --> 00:35:36,700
with the way they fight you.

840
00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:40,840
And if you are a believer and you are living

841
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:41,960
like the Lord tells you to live

842
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:44,560
and you're following instructions here,

843
00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:45,400
come at me.

844
00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:50,120
Come at me the way that you'll come at me.

845
00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,720
And it is an honor for me to be persecuted

846
00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:56,040
for loving you like Christ loved you.

847
00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,320
So what'd you learn in church today?

848
00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:00,580
I learned I was a rebel.

849
00:36:00,580 --> 00:36:05,080
What we're really talking about is community.

850
00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:06,780
When they get together and they fellowship

851
00:36:06,780 --> 00:36:07,620
and they break bread,

852
00:36:07,620 --> 00:36:09,040
you're talking about community.

853
00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:10,600
Who is your community?

854
00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:12,320
Who are you in relationship with?

855
00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:14,460
Who are you walking with?

856
00:36:14,460 --> 00:36:16,620
You should never have to convince,

857
00:36:16,620 --> 00:36:18,940
listen, we should never have to convince

858
00:36:18,940 --> 00:36:22,760
the people of God that they need to gather together.

859
00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:26,940
God created us for relationship.

860
00:36:26,940 --> 00:36:31,940
God created you to be in relationship with people.

861
00:36:31,940 --> 00:36:34,900
I remember my friend Ryan Davis,

862
00:36:34,900 --> 00:36:36,660
I remember going to his house as a young adult

863
00:36:36,660 --> 00:36:39,080
for the very first time and I was new to,

864
00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:40,960
fairly new to the church and I went over there

865
00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:42,720
and I was just an insecure teen

866
00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:47,200
and I walked into his house and I didn't have any friends.

867
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:48,040
And I remember walking in the house,

868
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:49,360
there were about 25 guys there.

869
00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,520
And when I walked in, all of these guys went,

870
00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:54,100
"Kevin, it's good to see you."

871
00:36:54,100 --> 00:36:56,380
They all came up and gave me hugs and things like that.

872
00:36:56,380 --> 00:36:59,160
I remember that moment

873
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:03,080
because I had never felt that way before.

874
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:07,600
And if you are walking in community with believers

875
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:11,080
who see Christ, then you will always be seen

876
00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:12,340
and you will be loved.

877
00:37:12,340 --> 00:37:15,140
You will be heard, you will have dignity conferred to you,

878
00:37:15,140 --> 00:37:18,480
not because they're so perfect, but because He's perfect

879
00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:20,880
and they complete and perfect through them.

880
00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:28,120
And so, we're not gonna like this next statement here,

881
00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:32,100
but God uses people to accomplish His plans.

882
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:37,780
I'm talking about the person you don't like.

883
00:37:37,780 --> 00:37:41,780
I'm talking about that boss that gets on your nerves.

884
00:37:41,780 --> 00:37:45,360
I'm talking about that person that just you can't stand.

885
00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,400
I'm talking about the one who gossips about you.

886
00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:50,480
I'm talking about God uses people.

887
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:52,100
Wait a minute, He doesn't just use Christians.

888
00:37:52,100 --> 00:37:54,640
Well, He sure used Pharaoh, didn't He?

889
00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:57,720
He will use people.

890
00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:00,040
You know, anybody in here like a planner?

891
00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:01,720
Who's like a good planner?

892
00:38:01,720 --> 00:38:03,980
Like you plan everything out and everything.

893
00:38:03,980 --> 00:38:06,280
I have grown to be a planner in my life.

894
00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:09,760
And in that, you know, you start to go and,

895
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,960
is there anybody who can't stand planners

896
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,080
like they get on your nerves 'cause they expose in you

897
00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:15,580
that you're not a good planner?

898
00:38:15,580 --> 00:38:18,320
Anybody?

899
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:20,760
Can I tell you that God has probably put that planner

900
00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:24,160
in your life to grow you, to become better at that

901
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:27,240
so that your yes can be yes and your no can be no?

902
00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:31,680
Listen, see, we have a tendency to shun the people

903
00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:33,840
who are put in our life that bring adversity

904
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:36,840
instead of recognizing God may be bringing this adversity,

905
00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,080
allowing it to happen in our lives

906
00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:41,560
to illuminate something that makes us better,

907
00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:45,760
that causes us to rise up and become more like Christ.

908
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:48,040
And especially if that somebody is somebody

909
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:52,680
who actually loves you, surely God's put them in your life.

910
00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:53,880
What a different perspective.

911
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:55,440
We try to kick, get out of my life.

912
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:57,680
Stop illuminating my faults.

913
00:38:57,680 --> 00:38:59,440
Right?

914
00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:05,600
God uses people to accomplish his plans

915
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:09,640
and guys in the middle of that, people are people.

916
00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:13,280
And we know how to people really well.

917
00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,620
We are people, people, people.

918
00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:23,080
We tend to take this concept of fellowship and community

919
00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:27,080
and we view it through a worldly lens.

920
00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:31,200
In other words, God has created for us a kingdom

921
00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:34,320
where we can actually have God-given,

922
00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:36,360
God-centered relationships,

923
00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:38,680
meaningful relationships with one another.

924
00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:41,640
And what we do is we take our worldly lens

925
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:42,480
and we put it on and we say,

926
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,320
I'm gonna navigate this through the world's perspective.

927
00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:46,560
But can I tell you that the culture

928
00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:50,440
has so perverted relationship.

929
00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:54,740
The world has so got its claws in how community is done

930
00:39:54,740 --> 00:39:57,700
that if we're looking at it through a worldly lens,

931
00:39:57,700 --> 00:39:59,360
then we're not going to grow together

932
00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:01,060
the way that God intends us to grow.

933
00:40:01,060 --> 00:40:05,380
In fact, in fact, I would argue if we model community

934
00:40:05,380 --> 00:40:08,180
the way God intends us to model community,

935
00:40:08,180 --> 00:40:10,520
then the world will find that to be infectious

936
00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:12,580
and they will be drawn in.

937
00:40:12,580 --> 00:40:14,660
They will be drawn in.

938
00:40:14,660 --> 00:40:16,900
We belong to a kingdom

939
00:40:16,900 --> 00:40:20,020
and this kingdom is other than this world.

940
00:40:20,020 --> 00:40:22,720
We have a king and he loves you.

941
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,260
He loves you and he's given us everything we need

942
00:40:25,260 --> 00:40:28,380
in terms of how to live our lives.

943
00:40:28,380 --> 00:40:30,380
And so you might have somebody in your life,

944
00:40:30,380 --> 00:40:31,260
if you have somebody in your life,

945
00:40:31,260 --> 00:40:32,960
you might have somebody in your life who is insecure.

946
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,300
I can't stand their insecurity.

947
00:40:35,300 --> 00:40:37,100
I can't stand the way that they act.

948
00:40:37,100 --> 00:40:38,600
I can't stand how needy they are.

949
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:42,100
Or maybe you have somebody in your life that's prideful.

950
00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:43,480
They don't ever ask for help.

951
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:46,020
It just seems like every time I'm there,

952
00:40:46,020 --> 00:40:48,400
they just, they don't need help.

953
00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:49,240
They can do it all this stuff.

954
00:40:49,240 --> 00:40:50,700
Or maybe you have somebody that's self-centered

955
00:40:50,700 --> 00:40:53,640
and every action, everything that they choose to do

956
00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,020
on their day to day is really,

957
00:40:55,020 --> 00:40:56,620
they think of themselves first.

958
00:40:56,620 --> 00:40:59,660
Any of those things relate to anybody here?

959
00:40:59,660 --> 00:41:04,420
Here's what the God of the Bible would tell us to do

960
00:41:04,420 --> 00:41:05,400
in those situations.

961
00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:08,580
For the insecure person, he would say,

962
00:41:08,580 --> 00:41:11,580
love them above their insecurity.

963
00:41:11,580 --> 00:41:13,760
Love them above anything that they need.

964
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:16,500
Show them that you're not going anywhere

965
00:41:16,500 --> 00:41:18,200
so that the Holy Spirit can get in

966
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:19,640
and shore up that insecurity

967
00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:22,880
because you are modeling the love of Jesus Christ.

968
00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:25,820
For the prideful person who doesn't need any help,

969
00:41:25,820 --> 00:41:28,160
guess what, you show up joyfully and help

970
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:29,520
no matter what they say.

971
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:31,040
You continue to offer your help.

972
00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:32,020
You continue to show up.

973
00:41:32,020 --> 00:41:33,200
You continue to help.

974
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:34,720
And whenever they don't thank you,

975
00:41:34,720 --> 00:41:36,880
whenever they look at you and say, I don't need it,

976
00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:39,100
when they get upset because you've offered your,

977
00:41:39,100 --> 00:41:40,920
you've offered your help or whatever,

978
00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:44,220
you continue to show up because the Bible says

979
00:41:44,220 --> 00:41:46,560
pride comes before the fall.

980
00:41:46,560 --> 00:41:48,980
And what's gonna happen is eventually they're gonna fall

981
00:41:48,980 --> 00:41:50,840
and guess who's gonna be there to catch them?

982
00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:51,680
You are.

983
00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:52,640
And whenever you catch them,

984
00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:54,680
you're not gonna be there to say, oh, I told you so,

985
00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:56,060
you should have let me help all along.

986
00:41:56,060 --> 00:41:59,480
No, you catch them and you don't even mention the fact

987
00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:00,880
that they were doing that themselves

988
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:02,080
and you say, I love you so much,

989
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:03,980
let me help you get up from this mess.

990
00:42:03,980 --> 00:42:06,720
But what if they continue to be prideful?

991
00:42:06,720 --> 00:42:09,600
Guess what, there's gonna be another fall for you to catch.

992
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:12,800
What about that self-centered person who just,

993
00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:14,000
man, they just always,

994
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:15,720
everything that they do in their life,

995
00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:17,440
it's like them first, it's them first, them first,

996
00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:18,540
then everybody else, them first,

997
00:42:18,540 --> 00:42:20,440
and it just seems like they're just so self-centered

998
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:21,280
or whatnot.

999
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:24,440
Love them above that.

1000
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:29,000
Let them know, most self-centered people

1001
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,520
who organize their entire life based on them,

1002
00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:33,960
somebody's walked out on their life.

1003
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:36,260
Somebody has shaken the foundation,

1004
00:42:36,260 --> 00:42:38,980
but you can continue to show up and be a constant.

1005
00:42:38,980 --> 00:42:40,760
You can show up and love them through that

1006
00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:44,000
and eventually the Lord begins to break that down.

1007
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:47,120
The world would say to insecure people,

1008
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:48,860
get out of here, you're too needy.

1009
00:42:48,860 --> 00:42:50,220
The world would say to prideful people,

1010
00:42:50,220 --> 00:42:52,260
go ahead and do it yourself, I'll watch you fall.

1011
00:42:52,260 --> 00:42:54,400
The world would say to the self-centered person,

1012
00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:55,520
let's see how that works out for you,

1013
00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:56,480
I don't want anything to do with you,

1014
00:42:56,480 --> 00:42:58,260
I don't want him to be your friend

1015
00:42:58,260 --> 00:43:01,400
because you don't think about me.

1016
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:04,820
So how in the world as Christians, as believers,

1017
00:43:04,820 --> 00:43:07,820
where do we derive the power to do these things?

1018
00:43:07,820 --> 00:43:09,980
Because it's hard, do you know in relationships,

1019
00:43:09,980 --> 00:43:14,980
you get about 80% in a relationship of what you want or need?

1020
00:43:14,980 --> 00:43:19,960
And what happens is, is you look at somebody else

1021
00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:22,560
and you see the 20% you're missing.

1022
00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:26,300
And we will so quickly divorce ourselves from the 80%

1023
00:43:26,300 --> 00:43:28,280
to go after the 20%.

1024
00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:30,640
And after we walk with the 20% for a while,

1025
00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,960
we realize we're missing the 80%.

1026
00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:36,240
And the 80% is gone.

1027
00:43:36,240 --> 00:43:41,800
What gives us the power to stay

1028
00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:44,840
when we're operating and looking at this deficiency of 20%?

1029
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,720
Let me tell you something, every one of us has deficiencies.

1030
00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:50,560
Every one of us is broken, every one of us is human.

1031
00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:54,120
What gives us the power in the 20%?

1032
00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:56,340
It's the Holy Spirit.

1033
00:43:56,340 --> 00:43:58,440
You will receive power

1034
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,480
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

1035
00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:02,920
We're gonna be dissecting this verse later in the year,

1036
00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:05,120
but we need the power of the Holy Spirit

1037
00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:08,520
to do this life-giving thing in community.

1038
00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:10,000
We need the power of the Holy Spirit.

1039
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,880
I can't do it without the Holy Spirit's help.

1040
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:15,040
And you can't do it either.

1041
00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:22,040
And so I want to be surrounded with like-minded people.

1042
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:23,520
Who are you rolling with?

1043
00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:27,680
Who are you walking with?

1044
00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:29,540
Are they other-minded?

1045
00:44:29,540 --> 00:44:34,200
Is it foreign for you to be here in the mindset

1046
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:37,800
that you carry on Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning?

1047
00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:42,020
Or are you surrounded with like-minded people

1048
00:44:42,020 --> 00:44:47,020
who spur you on to be like Christ Jesus?

1049
00:44:47,020 --> 00:44:48,040
Worship team, you can come out

1050
00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:49,940
'cause these people are getting antsy.

1051
00:44:49,940 --> 00:44:53,280
(congregation laughs)

1052
00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:55,840
Feelings are fickle, people.

1053
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,540
Your feelings change, truth never changes.

1054
00:44:59,540 --> 00:45:02,720
Truth never changes.

1055
00:45:02,720 --> 00:45:05,160
And when you're around like-minded people,

1056
00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:09,120
you don't have to worry about what they say about you

1057
00:45:09,120 --> 00:45:11,740
because you've been given the mind of Christ.

1058
00:45:11,740 --> 00:45:15,280
When you're with people who are like-minded

1059
00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:16,560
and they're focused on Christ,

1060
00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:19,360
so many of us will alter the whole course of our day,

1061
00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:20,560
the whole course of our action

1062
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,980
because we're so afraid of what they might think about us.

1063
00:45:23,980 --> 00:45:28,880
But Jesus Christ has some truth to say about you.

1064
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:30,080
And it's in his word.

1065
00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:31,920
And if you're around like-minded people,

1066
00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:33,720
then when they say something to you, they look at you

1067
00:45:33,720 --> 00:45:36,100
and they call out the things that they see in you

1068
00:45:36,100 --> 00:45:37,460
that are Christ-like.

1069
00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:42,980
They call out the truth in you about who God's created you

1070
00:45:42,980 --> 00:45:43,820
to be.

1071
00:45:43,820 --> 00:45:49,860
It was really hard, it's still hard for me today

1072
00:45:49,860 --> 00:45:50,900
to be around people.

1073
00:45:50,900 --> 00:45:54,620
And I get it, don't hear something I'm not saying.

1074
00:45:54,620 --> 00:45:57,380
I mean, I get jabbing and being around the guys

1075
00:45:57,380 --> 00:45:58,900
and people jabbing.

1076
00:45:58,900 --> 00:46:02,400
I can't take put-downs, it's hard for me

1077
00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:04,040
because I come from a whole,

1078
00:46:04,040 --> 00:46:05,900
there's a whole part of my story

1079
00:46:05,900 --> 00:46:08,420
where all I felt was a big put-down and let-down

1080
00:46:08,420 --> 00:46:13,180
and judged and walked on and hurt.

1081
00:46:13,180 --> 00:46:17,180
And that's a part of my story.

1082
00:46:17,180 --> 00:46:18,640
How do you know when you're in a group

1083
00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:19,560
of three or four people

1084
00:46:19,560 --> 00:46:21,220
and they're just jabbing just for Jess

1085
00:46:21,220 --> 00:46:24,620
that you don't know that that's a part of their story

1086
00:46:24,620 --> 00:46:28,060
and they start to step on some wounds from the past?

1087
00:46:28,060 --> 00:46:31,620
This is why the word tells us,

1088
00:46:31,620 --> 00:46:34,920
let nothing unwholesome come out of your mouth, right?

1089
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:37,060
That then strike, he gives us,

1090
00:46:37,060 --> 00:46:40,200
he instructs us because he cares about us.

1091
00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:43,200
He tells us what we should and shouldn't do,

1092
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:45,660
not because he's out to control our lives,

1093
00:46:45,660 --> 00:46:47,540
because he knows what's best.

1094
00:46:47,540 --> 00:46:52,020
I want to live in that weird community,

1095
00:46:52,020 --> 00:46:54,300
that other-minded community.

1096
00:46:54,300 --> 00:46:55,740
I don't wanna look like the world.

1097
00:46:55,740 --> 00:46:56,580
I want the world to go,

1098
00:46:56,580 --> 00:46:58,320
what in the world are those people doing?

1099
00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:00,460
That is, that's weird.

1100
00:47:00,460 --> 00:47:03,060
That's a group of people

1101
00:47:03,060 --> 00:47:04,480
that really actually love each other

1102
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:07,420
and they're actually more liberated than anything you have.

1103
00:47:07,420 --> 00:47:12,500
And that's the community and the fellowship

1104
00:47:12,500 --> 00:47:14,500
that we're striving after,

1105
00:47:14,500 --> 00:47:17,440
bathed in the word, foundation in the truth.

1106
00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:21,100
Over in the book of James, it says,

1107
00:47:21,100 --> 00:47:24,660
"A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways."

1108
00:47:24,660 --> 00:47:26,860
And guys, if you're linking arms with people

1109
00:47:26,860 --> 00:47:28,640
who are not like-minded,

1110
00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:32,220
I don't wanna be yoked to instability.

1111
00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,740
I wanna be yoked to stability, some stable things.

1112
00:47:35,740 --> 00:47:37,940
There's enough instability around me.

1113
00:47:37,940 --> 00:47:41,580
I don't need to be unstable myself, right?

1114
00:47:41,580 --> 00:47:46,660
And so they were together.

1115
00:47:46,660 --> 00:47:48,300
They broke bread together.

1116
00:47:48,300 --> 00:47:50,760
They went to the table together.

1117
00:47:50,760 --> 00:47:52,900
Why did they go to the table?

1118
00:47:52,900 --> 00:47:54,280
To remember Jesus.

1119
00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:56,900
You think they have problems?

1120
00:47:56,900 --> 00:47:58,120
Do you think these were perfect people

1121
00:47:58,120 --> 00:48:00,380
getting together all the time, just perfect?

1122
00:48:00,380 --> 00:48:01,740
No, but here's the thing.

1123
00:48:01,740 --> 00:48:05,760
If you're married, you live with your spouse,

1124
00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:07,320
maybe some of you live in houses,

1125
00:48:07,320 --> 00:48:08,560
where when you live with someone,

1126
00:48:08,560 --> 00:48:11,320
when you spend a lot of time with someone,

1127
00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:13,800
it gets hard to hide.

1128
00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:16,280
You see the flaws real fast.

1129
00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:17,920
This is what they were doing.

1130
00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:21,880
They spent so much time together with one another

1131
00:48:21,880 --> 00:48:24,760
that you couldn't fake your way out of it.

1132
00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:27,520
I've got people in my life that can walk right into my house,

1133
00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:28,480
literally just walk in.

1134
00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:30,200
They can go to the cupboard, they can go to the freezer,

1135
00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:31,040
whatever they wanna do,

1136
00:48:31,040 --> 00:48:32,580
and I wouldn't even bat an eye

1137
00:48:32,580 --> 00:48:35,740
because I'm in such tight community with them.

1138
00:48:35,740 --> 00:48:37,700
That's the type of fellowship.

1139
00:48:37,700 --> 00:48:40,480
That's the type of community, the intimate connections

1140
00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:42,580
that we're asked to have with one another,

1141
00:48:42,580 --> 00:48:45,220
that we would be in each other's lives so much

1142
00:48:45,220 --> 00:48:46,300
that you can't hide.

1143
00:48:46,300 --> 00:48:47,140
Why?

1144
00:48:47,140 --> 00:48:48,460
So that they can call you out on a 20?

1145
00:48:48,460 --> 00:48:50,840
No, so that they can take you to the Lord

1146
00:48:50,840 --> 00:48:53,900
to get the healing you need, the correction you need,

1147
00:48:53,900 --> 00:48:56,180
to teach you what you need to do, because guess what?

1148
00:48:56,180 --> 00:48:58,800
They've also got a 20% that they need stuff with.

1149
00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:02,500
And you're speaking to each other's lives.

1150
00:49:02,500 --> 00:49:06,820
And so, guys, they gather together,

1151
00:49:06,820 --> 00:49:10,140
not because they were devoted to just the apostles teaching

1152
00:49:10,140 --> 00:49:12,200
or the breaking of bread or fellowship.

1153
00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:13,820
The main reason that they gather together

1154
00:49:13,820 --> 00:49:15,780
is 'cause they were devoted to Jesus.

1155
00:49:15,780 --> 00:49:19,900
Are you devoted to Jesus?

1156
00:49:19,900 --> 00:49:25,980
And if you're devoted to Jesus, I encourage you to show up

1157
00:49:25,980 --> 00:49:29,920
because there's some real good stuff when you do.

1158
00:49:30,780 --> 00:49:35,100
You are seen, you are loved, you are heard,

1159
00:49:35,100 --> 00:49:39,260
and it's not because of the broken people sitting next to you

1160
00:49:39,260 --> 00:49:40,820
it's because of this Christ Jesus

1161
00:49:40,820 --> 00:49:43,680
who's perfect in all of his ways.

1162
00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:44,920
Would you stand with me this morning

1163
00:49:44,920 --> 00:49:47,280
with those who are gonna minister, come forward?

1164
00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:49,120
We're gonna be talking about prayer in two weeks,

1165
00:49:49,120 --> 00:49:53,860
but I can't tell you the importance and the power of prayer.

1166
00:49:53,860 --> 00:49:55,900
If you've got a prayer need this morning,

1167
00:49:55,900 --> 00:49:58,520
you better bet you those apostles are in that room

1168
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:00,260
praying to this almighty God

1169
00:50:00,260 --> 00:50:04,060
who hears every single prayer that you pray,

1170
00:50:04,060 --> 00:50:06,580
who cares about your needs.

1171
00:50:06,580 --> 00:50:09,460
And so if you've got a prayer request this morning,

1172
00:50:09,460 --> 00:50:11,540
you need God to do something in your life,

1173
00:50:11,540 --> 00:50:13,780
it's your choice to walk out of here carrying that.

1174
00:50:13,780 --> 00:50:15,580
Guys, I walked in here with a weight this morning.

1175
00:50:15,580 --> 00:50:16,960
I'm liberated this morning.

1176
00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:19,720
Come and pray and be set free

1177
00:50:19,720 --> 00:50:21,180
from the things that you're holding onto.

1178
00:50:21,180 --> 00:50:22,180
God wants to meet with you.

1179
00:50:22,180 --> 00:50:23,020
Let's worship.

1180
00:50:23,020 --> 00:50:25,420
(soft music)