WEBVTT 00:00:04.220 --> 00:00:06.419 That's the third time I've been called lovely 00:00:06.419 --> 00:00:13.820 today believe it or not Okay, it's the first 00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:21.940 Good morning It's great to see you today. We've 00:00:21.940 --> 00:00:24.719 got we've got somebody at every table and even 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:28.120 a few people at every table So that's fantastic 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:32.539 good to see a crowd I didn't realize that Barb 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:35.359 was going to be praying today, so it wasn't in 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:38.740 the notes, but got to give Barb a shout out. 00:00:39.060 --> 00:00:41.340 Because if there wasn't a Barb, I don't know 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:45.840 if there'd be a Scott and Tashiana. Tashiana 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:50.679 was roommates with Barb in college. And I knew 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:54.880 Barb, though I don't think real well. But Barb 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:57.600 knew that Tashiana and I liked each other, and 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:02.820 she also knew that we needed some help. We had 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:05.920 never dated before, so we were pretty shy, and 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:09.040 I think our idea of getting to know someone better 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.920 was inviting them to a Bible study or a prayer 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:14.840 meeting. We didn't really know how to go past 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:19.219 that, so she invited me to their apartment, but 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:21.299 there was something a little barb about it. We 00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:24.700 watched The Ten Commandments with Charles Hesterton. 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:30.840 It is her favorite movie. Yeah, that guy, is 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:34.989 that his name? All right, I went to Charles Hesterton. 00:01:35.230 --> 00:01:41.109 But yeah, that guy, that guy, it's old. It's 00:01:41.109 --> 00:01:45.109 really long. But we watched it for a while, and 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:51.450 that's one way to get started. So she definitely 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:53.909 helped us out and filled in some of the gaps 00:01:53.909 --> 00:01:57.189 in conversation because we weren't really sure 00:01:57.189 --> 00:02:01.310 what to do when a boy and a girl liked each other. 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:15.479 So thank you, Barb. So for Valentine's Day, I 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:17.780 used to take Tatiana to Wendy's because that 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:22.819 was the nice fast food restaurant. And I asked 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:24.680 her out in Denny's because it was a sit -down 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:47.120 restaurant. There was root to grow And still 00:02:47.120 --> 00:03:01.919 is In today's about fellowship, so I mean it 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:07.520 all ties together Fellowship, we're going to 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:11.860 do a what, why, and how, which is appropriate. 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:14.659 And after we do what, why, and how, we get to 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:19.159 eat. We get to fellowship together. So it's a 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:23.620 good Sunday. Hopefully I don't ruin it. And we 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:27.139 get through. First of all, fellowship, what is 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:30.419 it? The definition that we're going to use today, 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:34.000 and it's not the only definition that could be 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.430 given, but I think it's a solid one. is coming 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:42.229 together in the same place for a similar purpose. 00:03:43.449 --> 00:03:46.030 So fellowship is a little bit older word. It's 00:03:46.030 --> 00:03:48.150 one that Christians still use sometimes, but 00:03:48.150 --> 00:03:52.430 coming together in a similar place for a similar 00:03:52.430 --> 00:03:55.789 purpose. And a lot of times our interests can 00:03:55.789 --> 00:03:58.870 guide what we get together to fellowship for. 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:04.460 Got together with my friend Tim on Friday, which 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:07.199 means we got together for lunch. And we talked 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:09.539 about family and we talked about faith and we 00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:12.759 talked about other interests that we share. And 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:15.439 so it was a time of fellowship and it was a good 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:20.339 time. When I was growing up, we had special Sundays 00:04:20.339 --> 00:04:23.500 where we had potlucks and we would gather together 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:27.079 in a big room with tables and chairs. And there 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.100 was a kitchenette off to the side. And can anybody 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:35.100 guess what we called that big area? It was the 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:38.500 fellowship hall. So that area where we got together 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:41.300 and we ate food and spent time together, we called 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:43.720 the fellowship hall because that's what we did 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:47.259 there. We fellowshiped. We covered the what? 00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:51.980 The why and who aren't going to be quite so fast. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:05:00.920 But here we go. Why? Now. Fellowship is a good 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.720 thing to do. It doesn't have to be a faith thing 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:08.360 to do. But why we fellowship in the church is 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:11.120 important. It's a little bit more than just a 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:12.939 group of people that want to get together and 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:16.120 be nice to each other. It's a little bit more 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:18.699 than people just who have a common interest, 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:24.939 such as the Bible or even positive things like 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:28.160 that, making a difference in the community. It 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.800 goes deeper. And Paul was writing about that. 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:38.420 Paul was someone in the Bible who at first persecuted 00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:44.180 Christians. He was a Pharisee. He felt that the 00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:48.060 Christians were leading people astray. And so 00:05:48.060 --> 00:05:50.819 the best way that he knew how to deal with people 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:54.699 who were leading others astray was to imprison 00:05:54.699 --> 00:05:57.889 them and kill them. He took it seriously because 00:05:57.889 --> 00:06:00.949 he took his faith really seriously. And he felt 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:06.970 like that's what the right thing to do was. Jesus 00:06:06.970 --> 00:06:10.230 met him on the road through a vision on his way 00:06:10.230 --> 00:06:13.449 to persecute Christians. And after he met Jesus, 00:06:13.550 --> 00:06:16.990 he became a Christian himself. And he traveled 00:06:16.990 --> 00:06:20.310 preaching about Jesus. He preached in different 00:06:20.310 --> 00:06:23.689 cities and spread the news. He was as passionate 00:06:23.689 --> 00:06:26.550 about preaching about Jesus as he had been about 00:06:26.550 --> 00:06:30.490 fighting against Jesus before he met him on the 00:06:30.490 --> 00:06:45.509 road in that vision. Drink break. One of the 00:06:45.509 --> 00:06:54.360 places. That he preached was in a city called 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:58.980 Philippi. He loved the Philippians with a special 00:06:58.980 --> 00:07:02.040 love because they were nice people. They brought 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:03.899 him a lot of happiness. They brought him a lot 00:07:03.899 --> 00:07:06.420 of joy. They didn't fight as much as some of 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:09.319 the other churches. They didn't have as many 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:12.180 controversies. And so when he wrote to them, 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:15.680 it was a little bit more of a happy letter. But 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:17.860 he was still very concerned as a good father 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:20.899 is. And he considered himself their spiritual 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:25.779 father. He wanted to make sure that they stuck 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:29.300 together because he knew that fellowship was 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:36.100 the key to them staying united and them continuing 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:39.720 on the path. So I'd love for you to go to Philippians 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:44.079 chapter two. And we're going to read verses one 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:48.399 through four. There's Bibles on the table. There's 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.779 Bibles and apps. You may have brought your own 00:07:51.779 --> 00:08:03.100 Bible with you today. And I'm going to go ahead 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:10.459 and read that now. Philippians says in chapter 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:13.660 two, verses one through four. Therefore, if you 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:17.600 have any encouragement from being united with 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:22.870 Christ, if. any comfort from his love, if any 00:08:22.870 --> 00:08:26.970 common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness 00:08:26.970 --> 00:08:31.730 and compassion, then make my joy complete by 00:08:31.730 --> 00:08:36.710 being like -minded, having the same love, being 00:08:36.710 --> 00:08:42.049 one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out 00:08:42.049 --> 00:08:47.100 of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, 00:08:47.179 --> 00:08:52.700 in humility, value others above yourselves, not 00:08:52.700 --> 00:08:55.919 looking for your own interests, but each of you 00:08:55.919 --> 00:09:01.019 to the interests of the others. Now, the first 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:04.360 part in there, Paul gives us a why, and then 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:08.220 he gives us more of a how. And this gets to the 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:12.320 why we fellowship. Most of us are nice people, 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.759 and that's a good reason to get together. Most 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:18.039 of us have faith. Many of us have faith, and 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:21.340 that's a good reason to get together. But Paul 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:25.779 really zeroes in on encouragement from being 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:29.700 united with Christ and a common sharing in the 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:37.879 spirit. The thing that makes fellowship in the 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:42.120 church special is that for many of us, we've 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:47.740 experienced. Christ in a special way. We share 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:51.919 something in common to know what it is to have 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:55.480 been forgiven for the mistakes that we've made. 00:09:56.580 --> 00:10:00.559 We share in common that we know together what 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:05.159 it is to learn to forgive others. We are a forgiving 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:11.950 community. We share what it is to know the Holy 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:16.970 Spirit leading us in our lives, leading us in 00:10:16.970 --> 00:10:20.330 how we interact with our family and how we interact 00:10:20.330 --> 00:10:23.750 with our relationships and how we interact with 00:10:23.750 --> 00:10:29.590 others in church. We understand that there's 00:10:29.590 --> 00:10:32.370 something that binds us together in a special 00:10:32.370 --> 00:10:36.809 way that we don't find other places that we go. 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:42.659 Now, Tim and I talked about baseball. I only 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:45.039 watch baseball in October. Some of you probably 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:48.600 know it's the playoffs. And we had a fun conversation 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:51.799 about baseball. But if that was the limit of 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:57.120 that conversation, it would be just a nice conversation, 00:10:57.299 --> 00:11:00.960 a nice lunch. But we also shared about our faith, 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:06.600 what God was doing in our lives, how he was changing 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:10.580 us. And that brought us to a place that was deeper. 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:15.340 That gave us a bond in that conversation that 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:19.539 I'm not able to have with someone who isn't also 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:25.580 experiencing that. And so that is the why of 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:30.279 our fellowship. What makes it unique. Another 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:33.600 part of what makes it unique is Paul is talking 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:39.919 here is. that we do nothing out of selfish ambition 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:44.080 or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, we value 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:50.679 others above yourselves. We're able to value 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:54.659 others above ourselves in a special way. Humility 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:57.440 is valued as a whole. But when you understand 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:02.340 that someone gave their life so that you can 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:08.240 know them better. When you understand that someone 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:13.639 gave up their status, what they had and what 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:17.679 Jesus had as the son of God. To give you something 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:21.279 better, you're able to love one another in a 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:25.399 deeper way. You're able to give up selfishness 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:30.340 in a deeper way. And I want to give us an opportunity 00:12:30.340 --> 00:12:35.139 here to do something. I'm talking about something 00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:41.120 specific, but we're not all in the same place. 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.539 And that's one thing that I love about the house. 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:49.080 I know that there are people here who've not 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:52.259 made a step in their faith yet where they've 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:57.799 said, hey, my faith is in Jesus. I have a trusting 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:02.220 relationship with him. I know him in a special 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:06.389 way. And I experience the Holy Spirit in a way 00:13:06.389 --> 00:13:10.230 that he can only be experienced when we know 00:13:10.230 --> 00:13:14.269 him through Jesus. And so I want to take a moment 00:13:14.269 --> 00:13:18.730 and I want to say a prayer. Again, not in my 00:13:18.730 --> 00:13:22.470 notes, but if I'm inviting you to have fellowship 00:13:22.470 --> 00:13:27.470 in a special way. I should invite you to also 00:13:27.470 --> 00:13:32.750 have that relationship. And so let's go ahead 00:13:32.750 --> 00:13:40.509 and pray right now. Father, I pray that as people 00:13:40.509 --> 00:13:46.529 see the uniqueness of this community, the uniqueness 00:13:46.529 --> 00:13:50.809 of who we are, that they would recognize that 00:13:50.809 --> 00:13:57.179 it's more than nice people. It's something that 00:13:57.179 --> 00:14:02.100 you do in us. It's your Holy Spirit at work. 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:08.899 And I pray right now for anyone who's still making 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:12.460 that decision of what that looks like for them. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:17.340 And as we talk about sharing something in common. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:24.860 That has to do with you. I want to invite anyone. 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:29.289 Who desires right now to just pray where you 00:14:29.289 --> 00:14:36.649 are. And invite Christ to be. A part of your 00:14:36.649 --> 00:14:42.950 life more than a part. For him to become the 00:14:42.950 --> 00:14:49.129 person that you are focused on. For him to be 00:14:49.129 --> 00:14:55.690 the person that you trust. And that loves you. 00:14:56.110 --> 00:15:03.210 Deeper than any other love you've known. And 00:15:03.210 --> 00:15:08.450 as we accept that, as we believe that. We can 00:15:08.450 --> 00:15:11.110 sense God's spirit working in us in a special 00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:16.909 way. That we're connected with him in a special 00:15:16.909 --> 00:15:20.129 way. And that that connects us with other Christians 00:15:20.129 --> 00:15:26.799 in a special way. And God, I pray for anyone 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:29.879 here that wants to take that step in their faith. 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:37.379 That you would help them to do that now. And 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:44.600 it's in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Pastor Greg's 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:48.320 right here in front. Pastor Jane, can you wave 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:50.860 hi? I didn't know I'd get to see you today. It's 00:15:50.860 --> 00:15:56.519 good to see you. If you're still thinking more 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.679 about making that decision or you've made that 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:00.679 decision, I really encourage you. There's lots 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:03.100 of other people you can talk to. But those are 00:16:03.100 --> 00:16:05.240 two really special people who know a lot about 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:09.519 that. And that you can trust to have that conversation. 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:19.740 All right, we talked about what it is. We talked 00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:25.269 about some of the why of why we do it. Now I'd 00:16:25.269 --> 00:16:30.870 like to talk about the how. And if our fellowship 00:16:30.870 --> 00:16:34.169 is talking with each other and eating together, 00:16:34.330 --> 00:16:40.090 which is what it'll be today, then we should 00:16:40.090 --> 00:16:42.370 talk a little bit about how to talk to each other. 00:16:47.730 --> 00:16:50.230 It may seem like an obvious thing, but it's getting 00:16:50.230 --> 00:16:52.470 harder and harder for us to do. Have you noticed 00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:58.200 that? I went to the store not long ago, and it 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:01.299 was a perfect trip to the store. And I'll tell 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:05.519 you why it was in my mind. I went in, and I didn't 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:07.980 see a greeter. I didn't have to say hi to anybody. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.960 I went straight to the aisles I wanted. I found 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.380 exactly what I wanted. I didn't have to ask anybody 00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:20.059 any questions. And no one asked me, what are 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:24.200 you looking for? I didn't make eye contact with 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:26.579 anyone, so I didn't have to say hi or how are 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:30.940 you today. I went to the self -serve kiosk. I 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:35.319 went through. Again, for me, I'm always happy. 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:37.599 Sometimes I drop things or need to ask for help. 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:40.819 I didn't have to ask for help. And so I went 00:17:40.819 --> 00:17:42.700 through the self -service kiosk and I got straight 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:46.819 out to my car and I left. And it felt like a 00:17:46.819 --> 00:17:49.599 perfect trip to the store because. I went in 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:51.599 the store, I got things, and I didn't have to 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:55.819 speak to anyone. Will anyone else admit that 00:17:55.819 --> 00:17:59.640 that's a good trip to the store for you? Yes. 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:03.200 Now, well, that may be not as many people as 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:04.759 I thought. I guess I'm a little weirder than 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:12.460 I thought. That's okay. It's easier for us than 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:15.500 it's ever been before to not talk to people and 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:18.759 do things that we need to do. When you go into 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:22.019 Taco Bell now, there's the person at the counter, 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:24.700 but you can tell that rather than talking to 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:26.619 them, what would they rather you do? Turn around 00:18:26.619 --> 00:18:30.859 and what? Order on the kiosk, right? So even 00:18:30.859 --> 00:18:34.039 now when you go to eat, you order on the kiosk. 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:39.160 You can get DoorDash now. You can have any kind 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:42.099 of food that you can possibly imagine delivered 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:44.500 to your house, and they just leave it outside 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:46.779 the door, take it a picture, and send it to you. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:52.740 I always have in my notes, do not knock. Now, 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:56.160 granted, part of that is because my dog will 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.619 bark if they do knock. But part of it is, too, 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:01.380 is I just want to open my door, pick it up, and 00:19:01.380 --> 00:19:05.839 go back inside. It's easier to do than it's ever 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:10.140 been. And during the pandemic, we learned how 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:13.779 to live without conversation even more than we 00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:17.490 had before. I used to get out of my house every 00:19:17.490 --> 00:19:21.630 single day. That was my goal. I went days without 00:19:21.630 --> 00:19:25.589 leaving my house. And I kind of went insane, 00:19:25.730 --> 00:19:29.609 but not totally. And so I learned that I could 00:19:29.609 --> 00:19:32.190 be in my house for long periods of time and not 00:19:32.190 --> 00:19:35.769 have to talk to anybody and I'd survive. Except 00:19:35.769 --> 00:19:38.049 for the people that lived in my house. But the 00:19:38.049 --> 00:19:43.109 thing about that was it got us even further out 00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:47.349 of the habit of talking to people. And then we 00:19:47.349 --> 00:19:51.970 have the online influence now too. I can interact 00:19:51.970 --> 00:19:55.349 with people of any type of interest you can imagine. 00:19:56.289 --> 00:19:59.609 And I don't have to see anybody. And in some 00:19:59.609 --> 00:20:02.109 ways, it's even more convenient because I can 00:20:02.109 --> 00:20:04.750 have a conversation or read about things that 00:20:04.750 --> 00:20:07.289 interest just me. And I don't ever have to say, 00:20:07.309 --> 00:20:11.130 good morning. How are you? How's your family? 00:20:11.769 --> 00:20:14.250 Sometimes I love to do those things, but I admit 00:20:14.250 --> 00:20:18.130 sometimes I don't want to. And it can impact 00:20:18.130 --> 00:20:22.089 the rest of our lives, even when we're face -to 00:20:22.089 --> 00:20:24.369 -face when it comes to talking to each other. 00:20:24.549 --> 00:20:28.170 And when we do end up in a room, we always, and 00:20:28.170 --> 00:20:30.849 this is just human, we tend to go to the people 00:20:30.849 --> 00:20:32.970 that we know, that we're most comfortable with. 00:20:34.630 --> 00:20:37.450 But part of what makes our community unique, 00:20:37.589 --> 00:20:40.430 both as the house, I think we do a great job 00:20:40.430 --> 00:20:43.799 of doing this, We regularly see new faces, and 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:48.700 I think that's part of that. What churches are 00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:51.579 supposed to do in general is connect with people 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:54.339 other than just the people that we know. But 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:58.660 there's almost always room to grow in that. How 00:20:58.660 --> 00:21:01.500 many people can confidently say, I know everyone 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:07.940 in here's name? Yeah. I figured we'd get one 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:26.970 hand. I believe you. Dawn. Yeah. Yes. You've 00:21:26.970 --> 00:21:29.269 been in the front row and had like six lame jokes. 00:21:29.450 --> 00:21:32.109 You're loving it, aren't you? He is living his 00:21:32.109 --> 00:21:38.069 best life. You do not need a microphone to keep 00:21:38.069 --> 00:21:45.470 him rolling. You had one job, Andy, make him 00:21:45.470 --> 00:21:53.109 behave. But it's good for us to continue to work 00:21:53.109 --> 00:21:57.690 on that. And so I have an acronym for you, NP3. 00:21:59.369 --> 00:22:02.809 And it's one that, it's actually an amalgamation 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:06.230 of three other sermons I preached, or parts of 00:22:06.230 --> 00:22:11.240 them. But N, name. Asking someone's name that 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:13.880 you don't know. And while we do the fellowship, 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:17.440 I really encourage you to do that today. Even 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:20.559 if you've seen them at this church 10 times and 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:22.400 still don't know their name and feel really bad 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:27.200 about it. Guilty. Even if it's someone you've 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:29.720 talked to 10 times at this church and you really 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:31.059 feel like you should know their name and you 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:37.299 still don't. Guilty. I encourage you to do that. 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.900 It's okay. Lots of us feel that way, except Greg. 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:46.940 Because he's better at learning names. Do you 00:22:46.940 --> 00:22:49.099 think a lot of that comes naturally, or is it 00:22:49.099 --> 00:22:52.519 just like practice really hard? This is the only 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.519 place that works. Okay. For some reason, my brain 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:00.119 reserves y 'all to remember, and then I'll see 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.099 people out other places that I should remember 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:05.380 their names, and I don't. Yeah. That's a good 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:09.509 pastor. For real. That's a good pastor. And I'm 00:23:09.509 --> 00:23:11.910 quick to ask, when I see Pastor Greg, I'm quick 00:23:11.910 --> 00:23:14.349 to ask him, what's their name over there? I should 00:23:14.349 --> 00:23:20.069 know it. So he's very reliable for that. Ask 00:23:20.069 --> 00:23:21.890 someone their name. Again, we're having food 00:23:21.890 --> 00:23:23.849 out there today. It's a great opportunity to 00:23:23.849 --> 00:23:26.930 do it. The only person in here who can't learn 00:23:26.930 --> 00:23:31.690 someone's name is Pastor Greg. So everyone else, 00:23:31.849 --> 00:23:35.490 and feel free to test him. I would love that. 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.299 was at the door today, and I meant to text him 00:23:41.299 --> 00:23:43.380 for it to be a name tag Sunday, and I forgot. 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:47.839 I'm the guy who asks everybody to wear name tags 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:50.480 usually once a month, but I've been off my game 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:55.720 lately. So some of us have them, but would it 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:58.079 be possible to set those out, Pastor Greg? He's 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:04.359 on it. So that you can get a name tag. If you 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:07.039 would, that'd be super nice. It makes it a little 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:09.460 bit easier for us. Then you can just look and 00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:12.059 say the name's person and not feel as awkward 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:14.019 even though you're learning or remembering their 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:18.700 name. Hey there, Andy. Good to see you today. 00:24:20.460 --> 00:24:26.720 P stands for Pokemon. What were some of the interests 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:34.039 that people had? Bowling. Yes, love it. Movies. 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:44.930 Writing. Very good. This side? Biology? You like 00:24:44.930 --> 00:24:53.009 that? Or someone else did? Who likes that? I 00:24:53.009 --> 00:24:56.049 was listening to a podcast on biology on my way 00:24:56.049 --> 00:25:00.009 here today. So, yeah, if I can find that person. 00:25:01.890 --> 00:25:05.569 So the reason I say Pokemon is... A while ago 00:25:05.569 --> 00:25:08.470 in a sermon, I used an example where I think 00:25:08.470 --> 00:25:12.809 Jesus would know about Pokemon because Jesus 00:25:12.809 --> 00:25:17.309 loved kids. Jesus connected with them. And that's 00:25:17.309 --> 00:25:19.490 a great way for us to connect with the people 00:25:19.490 --> 00:25:22.109 around us is to learn what interests them and 00:25:22.109 --> 00:25:26.789 to learn about it. So if you see a kid running 00:25:26.789 --> 00:25:30.470 around with a transformer, is Archie here today? 00:25:30.950 --> 00:25:36.259 Does he have a transformer? Okay, he took his 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:41.440 transformer back. All right, there we go. Connor 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:44.319 brought his. Ask somebody what their transformer's 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:47.319 name is. You will get way more information than 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:52.619 you ever imagined. These kids are smart. Ask 00:25:52.619 --> 00:25:54.920 about writing. Ask someone what they like to 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.960 write. And that goes to three questions. I always 00:25:57.960 --> 00:26:00.079 like to say the first time you ask a person a 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:02.539 question, you might get a one -word answer. If 00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:04.910 you ask them another question. You might get 00:26:04.910 --> 00:26:07.789 a few more words. If you ask them a third question, 00:26:07.930 --> 00:26:09.410 they're going to realize that you really are 00:26:09.410 --> 00:26:11.950 interested and you'll get a little bit more out 00:26:11.950 --> 00:26:16.690 of them. What did you do this past week? I didn't 00:26:16.690 --> 00:26:20.210 really do anything. Did you spend time outside 00:26:20.210 --> 00:26:22.769 since it was nice? Yeah, I spent some time outside 00:26:22.769 --> 00:26:26.009 gardening. What do you like to garden? Okay, 00:26:26.089 --> 00:26:28.049 now we're getting somewhere, right? Three questions. 00:26:28.430 --> 00:26:31.710 So name, learn their name, learn what their interest 00:26:31.710 --> 00:26:35.019 is. Even if it's Pokemon and that's not really 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:38.599 your thing. And ask them three questions. It 00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:40.319 could be about that or it could be about something 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:46.559 else. So NP three. All right. I will say one 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:50.119 closing prayer. I think Pastor Greg's supposed 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:52.200 to close us and I think he's still doing name 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:56.359 tags. Would you be willing to do communion, Pastor 00:26:56.359 --> 00:27:08.420 Jen? If you want to go ahead and come up. Pastor 00:27:08.420 --> 00:27:11.000 Greg, I asked Pastor Jen to help with communion 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:13.099 since I wasn't exactly sure when you'd be back. 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:17.619 I could hear you out there. Awesome. All right, 00:27:17.619 --> 00:27:20.240 let's go ahead and say a prayer and then we'll 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:26.480 let them tag team. Heavenly Father, thank you 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:33.119 for today. Thank you for helping us to see what 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:40.039 fellowship looks like. In your community. Help 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:43.779 us not to take for granted. What that looks like. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:49.259 Help us to remember that it's more. Than just 00:27:49.259 --> 00:27:51.359 getting together and enjoying each other. As 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:56.079 important as that is. Help us to listen to your 00:27:56.079 --> 00:28:00.640 spirit. As you guide us. And how we speak to 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:04.220 one another. And the things that we talk about. 00:28:06.410 --> 00:28:11.049 Help us to be willing to put others above ourselves, 00:28:11.490 --> 00:28:16.569 which means sometimes something as simple as 00:28:16.569 --> 00:28:21.170 asking names and questions and interests to connect 00:28:21.170 --> 00:28:24.710 and show love with one another, even when it's 00:28:24.710 --> 00:28:28.730 not something that comes naturally to us. In 00:28:28.730 --> 00:28:29.990 Jesus' name, amen.