WEBVTT 00:00:01.290 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross -Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:17.390 here. Father, we thank you for this day. We celebrate 00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:20.089 it as a gift from you. We ask that you open our 00:00:20.089 --> 00:00:22.309 hearts and our minds to everything that you have 00:00:22.309 --> 00:00:24.210 to speak to us today, and that you place your 00:00:24.210 --> 00:00:26.769 healing hands over our loved ones who aren't 00:00:26.769 --> 00:00:29.109 with us and those who are hurting out in our 00:00:29.109 --> 00:00:32.079 community. In Jesus' name. Man, short and sweet, 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:34.899 right? Because I'm already long -winded. Move 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:36.939 this thing back. I didn't have to agree so fast. 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:40.460 My goodness, where's the love? No, facts are 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:43.240 facts, right? So again, welcome to our sanctuary. 00:00:44.219 --> 00:00:46.079 And welcome to those of you who are joining us 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.140 online. Today we're going to talk about something 00:00:48.140 --> 00:00:50.920 I've touched on before, but I've touched on it 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:55.560 very briefly. Matter of fact, I end up having 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:58.490 conversations with people. about this very topic 00:00:58.490 --> 00:01:01.649 a couple times a year. And it kind of struck 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:04.290 me because the other day I briefly touched on 00:01:04.290 --> 00:01:05.790 this and then I ended up having a conversation 00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:11.430 with somebody the very next day. We'll get to 00:01:11.430 --> 00:01:14.810 what it is here in just a second. But I have 00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:17.170 to tell you, this is something that some people 00:01:17.170 --> 00:01:20.150 tend to get a little fired up over. Some people 00:01:20.150 --> 00:01:24.180 get really hurt over it as well. Some people, 00:01:24.219 --> 00:01:26.219 they get the first piece that we're going to 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:28.739 go over here in a moment, and they get very gung 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:34.959 -ho. And unfortunately, sometimes it kind of 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:36.659 burns them. They get a little blowback on it. 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:39.799 And what we're talking about here is how we talk 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.260 to others about their salvation, specifically 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:46.879 when we're talking to a non -believer, which 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:48.000 is going to bring us to the first thing that 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.019 we're going to talk about, the Romans wrote. 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:53.819 Also referred to quite commonly as Salvation's 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:57.859 Freeway, or sometimes Salvation Highway, right? 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:01.680 Those are the most common names. Romans Road 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.500 and Christianese, that's the name that we really 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:06.799 have for it, though, most places, at least here 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:09.460 in the western part of the world, right? You 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:11.139 go back to the eastern side and other areas, 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.120 you're going to hear Salvation's Freeway a little 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:16.620 bit more often. As we get started here, I said, 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:18.300 we're going to take a look at this real quick. 00:02:19.319 --> 00:02:22.310 It's a tool, though. It is a tool and it's often 00:02:22.310 --> 00:02:26.949 employed, but it's employed without a proper 00:02:26.949 --> 00:02:31.110 understanding of what it actually is. So we're 00:02:31.110 --> 00:02:32.069 going to go ahead and we're going to open our 00:02:32.069 --> 00:02:34.930 Bibles as we get into it. So let's go ahead and 00:02:34.930 --> 00:02:36.689 open our Bibles with a Bible app. And we're going 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:40.750 to go to Romans chapter three to start specifically 00:02:40.750 --> 00:02:46.650 verse 23. So Romans three, verse 23. And while 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:48.949 everybody's turning there, you know, it's kind 00:02:48.949 --> 00:02:51.639 of interesting. Because for many of you, you 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:53.419 might actually have a section dedicated like 00:02:53.419 --> 00:02:55.479 in the back of your Bible to this specific thing. 00:02:55.900 --> 00:02:57.860 If you have one of the Gideon New Testaments, 00:02:58.020 --> 00:03:00.020 usually if you open up the cover, normally it's 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:02.500 in like the back of the cover, they have this 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:07.520 very thing right there. Right? And it is a great 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:11.259 tool. So a lot of us have probably seen it and 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:16.289 just kind of skimmed right past it too. But in 00:03:16.289 --> 00:03:19.389 Romans 3 .23, the word says, for all have sinned 00:03:19.389 --> 00:03:23.169 and fallen short of the glory of God. In short, 00:03:23.250 --> 00:03:26.150 we've all sinned, we've all messed up. Doesn't 00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:28.870 matter how big or how small the sin is, we've 00:03:28.870 --> 00:03:31.069 all sinned, and sin is what separates us from 00:03:31.069 --> 00:03:35.509 the Father. Pretty basic, right? We've all fallen 00:03:35.509 --> 00:03:38.129 short, we've all sinned, and we've all been separated 00:03:38.129 --> 00:03:43.349 from God. Next up on the hit list, Romans 6 .23. 00:03:44.470 --> 00:03:46.210 You know, in my head, I had myself sounding like 00:03:46.210 --> 00:03:47.909 Casey Kasem, and I hear it out loud, and I didn't 00:03:47.909 --> 00:03:52.250 sound like Casey at all, did I? Some of you might 00:03:52.250 --> 00:03:54.289 not understand that remark. That's okay. He's 00:03:54.289 --> 00:03:59.030 been dead a while. Romans 6, verse 23, the word 00:03:59.030 --> 00:04:01.849 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the 00:04:01.849 --> 00:04:05.349 gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:09.650 Lord. So there's two pieces here. The punishment 00:04:09.650 --> 00:04:13.330 of sin, no matter how big or how small, that's 00:04:13.330 --> 00:04:18.910 death. Right? What is that? Eternal separation 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:23.709 from the Father. Condemnation to hell. Hell's 00:04:23.709 --> 00:04:25.810 not a nice place to be. I don't care what ACDC 00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:33.790 says. Your sin leads to your death and your separation 00:04:33.790 --> 00:04:38.610 for eternity. However, through Jesus Christ, 00:04:38.889 --> 00:04:42.389 you can be reunited with the Father for eternity. 00:04:42.449 --> 00:04:47.810 Your sin forgiven. For eternity. It's a free 00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:53.709 gift from God. Free. Nobody can buy it. Nobody 00:04:53.709 --> 00:04:59.610 can earn it. Plain and simple. It's a gift for 00:04:59.610 --> 00:05:05.250 you. You just have to choose to accept it. We 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:07.810 turn back just slightly into chapter 5, verse 00:05:07.810 --> 00:05:12.490 8. So Romans 5, verse 8. Where it says, but God 00:05:12.490 --> 00:05:16.230 demonstrates his own love towards us. And that 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:20.069 while we were still sinners, Christ died for 00:05:20.069 --> 00:05:24.689 us. God loves you. God loves you. He loves you 00:05:24.689 --> 00:05:27.529 so much that he sent his son. He sent Jesus Christ 00:05:27.529 --> 00:05:31.050 to take on the cross and die for your sin. To 00:05:31.050 --> 00:05:33.509 take the punishment that you and I deserved. 00:05:34.629 --> 00:05:39.670 That we still deserve. He loves you that much, 00:05:39.670 --> 00:05:41.790 though, that he made the ultimate sacrifice for 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:50.470 you. And then the final stop, Romans 10, verses 00:05:50.470 --> 00:05:55.310 8 through 10. But what does it say? The word 00:05:55.310 --> 00:05:57.430 is near you in your mouth and in your heart. 00:05:57.670 --> 00:06:02.089 That is the word of faith which we preach. That 00:06:02.089 --> 00:06:05.170 if you confess with your mouth that the Lord 00:06:05.170 --> 00:06:24.740 Jesus, Meaning this is how you accept the gift. 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:29.040 This is how you show you want it. You confess 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.439 that Jesus Christ is Lord, that you believe he 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:34.319 died for your sin and was raised again on the 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:39.230 third day. For you. You repent of your sin and 00:06:39.230 --> 00:06:44.269 you accept him as your Lord and Savior. You repent 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:47.850 of your sin and you testify Jesus Christ is your 00:06:47.850 --> 00:06:55.310 Lord and Savior. Now, that's the tool. And the 00:06:55.310 --> 00:06:57.310 belief amongst way too many people is, boom, 00:06:57.329 --> 00:06:59.269 that's it. People are converted as soon as they've 00:06:59.269 --> 00:07:07.560 seen that. That's enough. That's it. People actually 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:09.360 believe that's enough to convert someone who 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:12.100 knows absolutely nothing about Jesus over to 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:17.319 Christianity. Why is it that people are so quick 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:20.279 and so easy to believe this, though? Because 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:25.019 they want the easiest, quickest way to talk to 00:07:25.019 --> 00:07:32.519 somebody and then be done. And it's simple. Quick 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:34.399 and easy. Easy peasy, live and squeezy, right? 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:36.920 Boom, out the door. It's like, hallelujah, they're 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:44.519 saved. See you, church. Does it work? Yes and 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:49.459 no. It delivers information to the nonbeliever, 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:55.980 right? It is the gospel in a nutshell, summed 00:07:55.980 --> 00:08:01.180 up all quick. But is that enough to convert somebody 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:05.959 in a very, very short period of time? The answer 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:10.600 to that is typically no. It's enough to introduce 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.420 them and that's really about it. A lot of times 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:15.720 you get a lot of lip service. Saying, yeah, yeah, 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:22.879 yeah, I believe, sure, sure. You think? You know, 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.600 and unfortunately, when that happens, sometimes 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:29.500 people do get the, I think, I don't know, I think 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:32.460 I need more information, I need more time. These 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:35.639 are answers people get. A friend of ours got 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.100 an answer like that not that long ago. It upset 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:43.480 him quite a bit. People get answers like this 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:45.320 way more often than they'd want to admit to. 00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:50.059 There are pastors, pastors out there, in fact, 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:54.679 some I've even served under, who will say, no, 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:58.220 this is all you need. And they will never admit 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:00.940 to the fact that there have been some people 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:03.419 that they haven't been able to win over for Christ. 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.059 using the Romans road, they will never admit 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:09.879 it. They're lying to themselves. They're lying 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:14.179 to everybody else when they deny that. They get 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:16.580 frustrated. People get very, very frustrated. 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:21.700 And when you ask one of these pastors, well, 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:23.820 what's up with that? Well, they're quick to point 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:27.460 the finger. They will say, it's typically one 00:09:27.460 --> 00:09:30.200 of two things. Either you didn't present it properly, 00:09:30.379 --> 00:09:34.440 or... Maybe you presented it properly, maybe 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.360 you didn't, but you don't have enough faith. 00:09:36.580 --> 00:09:38.539 And that's why they didn't believe, because they 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:42.080 didn't find your faith. Not actually the case, 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:44.679 though, is it? You can have all the faith in 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:46.620 the world, and we all know the phrase, you can 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:48.379 lead a horse to water, but you can't make him 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:51.899 drink, right? What did you do? You led the horse 00:09:51.899 --> 00:09:53.659 to water. It's up to them to choose if they want 00:09:53.659 --> 00:09:56.259 the eternal water or not. They want the water 00:09:56.259 --> 00:10:01.399 of life or not. You know, there's another way 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:05.460 I can summarize this. I can stand up here. I 00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:07.580 can give you all the stats and all the facts 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:11.000 showing that Lotter Burger is the most overrated 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:13.799 burger in this city. It is actually the worst 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:18.440 burger you can get. Right? And there will still 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:20.419 be people in this room lined up at that window 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:22.539 to get their Lotter Burger tomorrow. Whether 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:25.720 it's a burger or whatever. Right? Because like 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:27.080 I say, here's all the facts. Matter of fact, 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:31.539 I could sit here. I was already poking fun at 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:33.559 him this morning. I give you all the stats on 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:35.559 why the Dallas Cowboys are the worst football 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.779 team in the last 30 years. And you're still going 00:10:38.779 --> 00:10:42.220 to come in wearing that jacket for shame. Shame 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:47.620 on you. Just kidding. Your team is your team. 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:51.279 You pick it. It's not up to me, right? We all 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:53.220 know that there's far better teams, like all 00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:56.100 of them. And we know that there's much better 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:59.059 burgers, Twisters, for example. You know, I'd 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:00.480 be more than happy to go to County Line and sit 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:03.179 down and just, you know, get some ribs on the 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:10.179 side. It's part of why I got so fat. But still, 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:12.700 you know, I think that drives the point home. 00:11:13.299 --> 00:11:16.740 You know, the fact of the matter is, this is 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:21.039 a tool. It's a tool. That's all it is. That's 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:25.139 all it was meant to be, is a tool. Is it an end 00:11:25.139 --> 00:11:30.559 -all, be -all? No. There is absolutely nothing 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:34.940 in here. You will find nothing in the Bible that 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:36.419 says, hey, if you take someone down the Romans 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:38.500 road, guaranteed they're going to convert to 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:40.840 Christianity. They're going to believe. There's 00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:43.000 nothing there that guarantees that. And to believe 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:46.340 otherwise is just downright silly. Because the 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:47.759 word actually tells us that there's people who 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.360 no matter what, they just won't believe. Plain 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:56.720 and simple. What it is, though, it is a tool 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.000 to introduce people to the gospel, to introduce 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:02.120 people to Jesus. That's all it is. It's an introductory 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:09.440 tool. Does every tool do every job? No. I could 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.440 pull out a Leatherman. Is a Leatherman a hammer? 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:16.919 No. Do we eat cereal with a fork and spaghetti 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:23.590 with a spoon? No. I'd just be silly, right? And 00:12:23.590 --> 00:12:25.269 maybe if you have some Froot Loops or some Cheerios 00:12:25.269 --> 00:12:28.289 or something, but I mean, come on. Let's be real. 00:12:29.009 --> 00:12:31.269 You're going to have some Cap 'n Crunch or, you 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:32.690 know, some Cinnamon Toast Crunch or something. 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:34.629 You want a nice big spoon and a nice big bowl 00:12:34.629 --> 00:12:42.710 and just go to it. You know? We don't use a wrench 00:12:42.710 --> 00:12:49.909 in place of a measuring tape. We don't use a 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:57.590 wheelbarrow in place of a truck. I want to see 00:12:57.590 --> 00:13:02.169 the video on that, buddy. What was left of the 00:13:02.169 --> 00:13:10.029 truck afterwards? We don't plant a seed and immediately 00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:14.549 have a tree, though, do we? We don't use the 00:13:14.549 --> 00:13:20.509 rain as the only option to water our crops. No. 00:13:21.330 --> 00:13:27.039 In fact, It is our duty to introduce people to 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:29.840 Jesus, not to force him on anybody, not to chastise 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:32.000 them because of the way that they've lived their 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:34.419 life up until now or what they've known of religion 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:38.720 at this point, right? Let's face it, usually 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:46.539 that's what it is, it's religion. Instead, it's 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:49.179 the work of the Holy Ghost that changes them. 00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:52.539 We make the introduction, we make the handoff. 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:55.779 It's like, friend, this is Jesus. Jesus is my 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:59.519 friend. Let me go find another and bring him 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:05.580 in. You plant the seed. It takes time, love, 00:14:05.620 --> 00:14:07.600 and care, and a whole lot of patience before 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:17.240 that seed turns into an oak. So our task, we 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:18.860 like to say the Great Commission, right? Well, 00:14:18.899 --> 00:14:21.039 Christianese, let's break it down Barney style. 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:25.940 What does it mean? Leave no one behind. We do 00:14:25.940 --> 00:14:28.480 our best. Some people aren't willing to be spoken 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:30.899 to. We pray for them. But the ones that we speak 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:32.320 to, those are the ones that we're able to, that's 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:35.240 what we're talking about today. So instead of 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:38.340 the Roman's road, which is a tool, it is a great 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:40.379 tool, don't get me wrong. For some people, it's 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:44.120 enough. It's enough because it gets them thinking. 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:49.139 And it leads them to Jesus. Great. But the Bible 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:53.909 actually gives us another way. And some of us 00:14:53.909 --> 00:14:57.409 don't always recognize it for what it is. And 00:14:57.409 --> 00:14:59.250 personally, I believe there's a better example 00:14:59.250 --> 00:15:01.970 set here than there is in the Romans road because 00:15:01.970 --> 00:15:06.230 it goes into the personal touch. As opposed to 00:15:06.230 --> 00:15:09.990 just, do you believe? Sign your name here. I'll 00:15:09.990 --> 00:15:16.850 see you at church. Right? Matter of fact, it's 00:15:16.850 --> 00:15:18.629 a better way to introduce people to Jesus. It's 00:15:18.629 --> 00:15:21.940 a better way. to conduct ourselves when we interact 00:15:21.940 --> 00:15:23.519 with people and we talk to them about Jesus, 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:26.179 it is a better way to conduct a rescue mission. 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:28.820 Because when we look at the Great Commission, 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:31.559 when we look at how we talk to people about their 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:33.820 salvation, what is it? It is a rescue mission. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:35.879 It is the greatest rescue mission ever undertaken 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:42.440 with God at the top. And that rescue mission, 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:44.980 plain and simple, you leave no man behind. You 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:47.320 leave no one behind. We're in there to get everybody. 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:50.440 But the thing that we have to remember, People 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:51.759 look at the Roman's road and they look at it 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:54.980 as a quick fix. Sometimes down and dirty is the 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:56.779 way to get. Sometimes you only have a few seconds. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:15:59.259 Okay, cool. That tool doesn't work for everything. 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.000 Sometimes you have to slow down. We have to remember 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:07.440 slow is smooth and smooth is fast. We have to 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.200 be deliberate. We have to be consistent. We have 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:13.159 to take our time. As my grandfather would say, 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:15.220 nothing's so important you can't take the time 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:19.539 to do it right. The same thing pertains here. 00:16:22.539 --> 00:16:25.740 With that said, let's turn to John chapter 4. 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:32.200 John chapter 4. You're going to love this because 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:34.019 we're going to be looking at the woman at the 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:44.320 well. So John 4 verses 1 through 14. And the 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:48.179 word says, therefore, When the Lord knew that 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:51.720 the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:55.259 more disciples than John, though Jesus himself 00:16:55.259 --> 00:16:59.460 did not baptize but his disciples, he left Judea 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:02.539 and departed again to Galilee. But he needed 00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:06.500 to go through Samaria. So he came to a city of 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:10.920 Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the plot 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:13.500 of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:17.359 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:21.160 being wearied from his journey, sat thus by the 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:27.640 well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:30.059 Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:33.900 Give me a drink. For his disciples had gone away 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:37.700 into the city to buy food. When the woman of 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:40.799 Samaria said to him, How is it that you, being 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.440 a Jew, asked for a drink from me, a Samaritan 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:47.460 woman, for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans? 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:50.559 Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:53.960 gift of God and who it is who says to you, Give 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:57.900 me a drink, you would have asked him, and he 00:17:57.900 --> 00:18:02.799 would have given you living water. The woman 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:05.779 said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw with, 00:18:05.980 --> 00:18:09.740 and the well is deep. Where then do you get that 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:13.039 living water? Are you greater than our father 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:16.359 Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:19.140 himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? 00:18:20.339 --> 00:18:22.960 Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:25.880 of this water will thirst again. But whoever 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:29.640 drinks of the water that I shall give him will 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:34.819 never thirst. But the water that I shall give 00:18:34.819 --> 00:18:38.170 him will become in him a fountain, of water springing 00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:44.549 up into everlasting life. Again, this is the 00:18:44.549 --> 00:18:46.289 story of the woman at the well. Jesus is offering 00:18:46.289 --> 00:18:50.109 one of the greatest examples of how to create 00:18:50.109 --> 00:18:59.630 a disciple. It's simple, but powerful. Why is 00:18:59.630 --> 00:19:03.210 that? Because disciple, true discipleship, isn't 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:06.769 just pulling out a couple verses. It is relationship. 00:19:08.630 --> 00:19:13.309 It is patience and it is love. Some take longer 00:19:13.309 --> 00:19:18.569 than others. But it's meeting people where they 00:19:18.569 --> 00:19:21.269 are. Not where you want them to be. Not dressed 00:19:21.269 --> 00:19:23.230 the way you want them to be. Not in the job you 00:19:23.230 --> 00:19:24.609 want them to have or anything like that. You 00:19:24.609 --> 00:19:29.210 meet them where they are. On their path. Not 00:19:29.210 --> 00:19:34.349 your path. Their path. Jesus was always mindful. 00:19:35.509 --> 00:19:38.430 He knew who he was talking to. He knew where 00:19:38.430 --> 00:19:43.289 they were. And in this encounter, he expertly 00:19:43.289 --> 00:19:46.250 demonstrates how we should go about never leaving 00:19:46.250 --> 00:19:51.390 a man or woman behind. When he meets this woman, 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:55.009 he doesn't approach her with a theological lecture. 00:19:56.750 --> 00:20:03.160 He's not pulling out scrolls of scripture. He's 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:06.099 not giving her a list of commands to follow. 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:10.859 We see that one too, right? Oh, the Bible says 00:20:10.859 --> 00:20:12.059 this, and if you don't do this, you're going 00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:17.539 to hell. Right? He's not doing that. He's not 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:20.000 giving her a pathway that has to be adhered to 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:23.180 in a specific way. When the dog howls at midnight 00:20:23.180 --> 00:20:26.480 and the crow, you know, whatever, during the 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:27.960 blood moon and this, that, and the other. It's 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:33.730 not legalistic as we tend to be. The way the 00:20:33.730 --> 00:20:39.230 Roman's road often is implemented. Way too often, 00:20:39.309 --> 00:20:41.890 when people turn the Roman's road, they've turned 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:44.289 it into this legalistic thing. It's like you 00:20:44.289 --> 00:20:45.569 go through it, and if you don't believe, what 00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:47.250 is wrong with you? Aren't you afraid of going 00:20:47.250 --> 00:20:51.690 to hell? Right? It's not the way it's intended 00:20:51.690 --> 00:20:53.450 to be used. It's not the way it should be. And 00:20:53.450 --> 00:20:55.049 it's not the way we create disciples. It's not 00:20:55.049 --> 00:21:00.099 the way we bring people to Christ. Instead, Jesus 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:03.200 meets her where she's at. He meets her with love 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:08.700 and grace. And most importantly, a genuine connection. 00:21:10.099 --> 00:21:17.819 He talks to her. He talks to her. Plain and simple, 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:24.279 he struck up a conversation. You go out and you 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:26.640 sit down with somebody and you strike up a conversation. 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:31.730 You talk for a few minutes. How much more likely 00:21:31.730 --> 00:21:33.670 do you think that that person is going to be 00:21:33.670 --> 00:21:35.730 when you bring up the subject of Jesus to actually 00:21:35.730 --> 00:21:40.970 listen to what you have to say? A whole lot more, 00:21:41.089 --> 00:21:47.089 huh? Matter of fact, that's how I met Dale. We 00:21:47.089 --> 00:21:48.630 were right up the road at the post here one day. 00:21:48.769 --> 00:21:53.190 We struck up a conversation. And then the conversation 00:21:53.190 --> 00:21:58.230 turned into, where do you go to church? I'm a 00:21:58.230 --> 00:21:59.829 pastor. You should come and check us out sometime. 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:04.359 Now we see him all the time, right? Got another 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:06.799 brother in the house. He's not here today. That's 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.259 okay. He'll be here again. We know that. He's 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:14.019 still at home recovering nicely. But that's how 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:15.759 you do it. You strike up a conversation. You 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:19.180 talk to somebody. And then it leads to other 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:22.099 things. It leads to friendships, relationships, 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:27.180 family, extended family, right? People you know 00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:28.880 you can trust, people you can lean on, people 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:32.420 you can go to advice. Hopefully people that love 00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:33.420 you enough that are going to tell you when you're 00:22:33.420 --> 00:22:34.819 messing up that you need to pull your head out 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:38.339 of your fourth point of contact. Right? That's 00:22:38.339 --> 00:22:40.920 a nice way of saying it. You can use that. It's 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:46.559 not mine. I got that from the government. But 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:49.880 that's what relationship is. That's what love 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:54.579 is. This is where trust begins in a simple conversation. 00:22:55.480 --> 00:23:01.289 Hi, how you doing? Where are you from? Fortunately, 00:23:01.329 --> 00:23:02.690 this is one of those places where the military 00:23:02.690 --> 00:23:04.849 members have a really easy time striking up that 00:23:04.849 --> 00:23:06.670 conversation because as soon as you know somebody 00:23:06.670 --> 00:23:08.349 else served, really, what branch did you serve? 00:23:08.630 --> 00:23:12.609 When did you serve? What was your MOS? Maybe 00:23:12.609 --> 00:23:16.089 what was your rank, right? But instant connection, 00:23:16.250 --> 00:23:19.730 boom. Because just finding out somebody else 00:23:19.730 --> 00:23:22.309 has served tells you a whole lot about them if 00:23:22.309 --> 00:23:24.450 you've served. Even if you haven't served, it 00:23:24.450 --> 00:23:25.849 still tells you a lot about them, doesn't it? 00:23:28.790 --> 00:23:32.630 You have to find that connection, though. It's 00:23:32.630 --> 00:23:36.829 not that hard. But you can't be afraid. You have 00:23:36.829 --> 00:23:38.289 to actually open your mouth and talk to people. 00:23:39.390 --> 00:23:41.529 I don't care if there's a ballgame on TV. You 00:23:41.529 --> 00:23:48.170 use that. Well, how about that weather? Right? 00:23:48.890 --> 00:23:51.609 You've all heard that. That one's been around 00:23:51.609 --> 00:23:56.930 longer than any of us have been alive. Yes, longer 00:23:56.930 --> 00:24:07.170 than you. When it comes to conversation, conversation 00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:10.509 is what builds trust. Because without that trust, 00:24:10.750 --> 00:24:12.970 no one's going to listen to what you have to 00:24:12.970 --> 00:24:14.769 say about Jesus because that's way too heavy 00:24:14.769 --> 00:24:21.430 of a topic. Way too heavy. Why should they trust 00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:24.930 you to talk about Jesus if they don't even know 00:24:24.930 --> 00:24:27.650 you? They don't know anything about you, so they 00:24:27.650 --> 00:24:31.279 don't know if they can trust you or not. They 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:32.660 don't know if you're coming at them like a lawyer 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:37.440 or a politician. Nobody in here really cares 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:40.140 to talk to either of them. Because our blood 00:24:40.140 --> 00:24:42.980 starts boiling, doesn't it? I don't care which 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:45.119 side you sit on, your blood starts boiling when 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:49.200 you start talking about certain things. Instead, 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:52.660 you establish trust by establishing a relationship, 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:56.039 even if it's a new relationship. Because it's 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.000 through that bond, that connection, that true... 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:02.480 Spiritual growth begins. That's where the bond 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:04.220 comes in, and that's why trust is important, 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:07.539 because this is about spiritual growth. You're 00:25:07.539 --> 00:25:09.940 talking to somebody who's about to be born again, 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:14.079 hopefully. We like to say baby Christian, right? 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:16.500 Because they are. They're a baby. They're a baby 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:18.819 in Christ. They're nowhere near as far along 00:25:18.819 --> 00:25:24.220 the path as you are. The key in learning about 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:27.960 this, the key learning moment, is how we're leading 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:30.059 people to the cross. how we're leading people 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:32.319 to Jesus. Because before we can truly partner 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:36.259 with the Holy Spirit and empower somebody's growth, 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:40.380 we have to learn how to earn that person's trust. 00:25:40.619 --> 00:25:44.940 We have to get that buy -in from them. That's 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:46.859 really what it is. They have to buy into it. 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:48.880 Because without that, we're talking on deaf ears. 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:50.880 You might as well be talking to the wall or your 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:55.720 imaginary pet bunny, Harvey. That's really all 00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:58.960 it is. And trust is not something you can demand. 00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:07.279 Right? Respect. Really? Demand it all you want. 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:08.859 The fact you had to demand it says something's 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:12.339 wrong here. Right? You can't demand it. And it's 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:14.420 not something you can expect to immediately get 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:17.500 from somebody either. Now, somebody may be respectful 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:19.759 out the gate, sure. But to have their trust? 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.319 No, no, no. Some people's lives have been so 00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:26.440 hard and filled with so much pain, that is the 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:28.460 last thing that they're willing to give to anybody. 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:32.220 Has anybody been following the news lately with 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:35.180 this whole punch the monkey thing? Over in Japan, 00:26:35.259 --> 00:26:37.339 a little baby monkey, its name is Punch. Yeah, 00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:38.420 first time I heard punch the monkey, I'm like, 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:39.940 who's punching the monkey? What's going on? No! 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:44.480 It's a little baby monkey. No, its name is Punch. 00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:49.019 This baby monkey was abandoned by its mother 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:50.539 not long after it was born. Just push to the 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:53.720 side. The rest of the, I forget what they call 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:55.519 it, but there's the pack or whatever. They were 00:26:55.519 --> 00:27:01.240 shunning him away. Little baby monkey. It's only 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:08.000 a couple months old. Ikea stepped in. They took 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:11.400 a stuffed animal orangutan. They gave it to this 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:13.180 little monkey. He's used it for a surrogate mom. 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:15.740 He's slowly but surely been learning the rules. 00:27:15.819 --> 00:27:18.460 The first monkey that took him in and showed 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:22.980 him any kindness. was an older monkey who knew 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:24.940 the same, well, not the same kind, but understood 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:27.339 the pain that he was going through and the hardship 00:27:27.339 --> 00:27:29.220 he was going through because he was raised and 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:32.380 abused as a circus monkey. I forget that one's 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:35.619 name. That was the first monkey to actually take 00:27:35.619 --> 00:27:37.480 him in and start teaching him the things that 00:27:37.480 --> 00:27:39.759 he needed to learn so that the other monkeys 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:41.839 wouldn't keep abusing him and wouldn't keep bullying 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.680 him. And here's the thing, though. This is a 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:47.390 young monkey. That is hardship. We're looking 00:27:47.390 --> 00:27:49.450 at another animal, right? Another species. But 00:27:49.450 --> 00:27:51.289 it still sets the precedent because those other 00:27:51.289 --> 00:27:53.269 monkeys would come through and they bullied him 00:27:53.269 --> 00:27:55.750 so much. They were so mean to him. They would 00:27:55.750 --> 00:27:57.569 push him. They would throw him. They would try 00:27:57.569 --> 00:28:01.990 to take his surrogate mother away from him. To 00:28:01.990 --> 00:28:03.869 the fact that one of the first things that little 00:28:03.869 --> 00:28:06.210 Punch learned how to do was defend his surrogate 00:28:06.210 --> 00:28:07.930 mother. His mother might have abandoned him, 00:28:07.970 --> 00:28:09.809 but he was not going to abandon his surrogate. 00:28:09.869 --> 00:28:11.390 That was the first time he would actually stand 00:28:11.390 --> 00:28:14.390 up to anybody. Like, no, you're not getting her. 00:28:14.410 --> 00:28:18.970 Get away. He loved his surrogate so much because 00:28:18.970 --> 00:28:20.650 that was the one place of comfort that he had. 00:28:23.509 --> 00:28:28.410 Secondly, anytime any of the other monkeys would 00:28:28.410 --> 00:28:29.970 come over, now that they're starting to warm 00:28:29.970 --> 00:28:33.589 up to him, right? They start to extend that paw, 00:28:33.730 --> 00:28:36.029 maybe to groom him or something. He's been so 00:28:36.029 --> 00:28:40.049 traumatized. They reached that paw out and he 00:28:40.049 --> 00:28:42.529 was in fear. He thought he was going to be attacked 00:28:42.529 --> 00:28:46.789 or bullied again. People are no different. So 00:28:46.789 --> 00:28:49.009 much bad has happened to them. Those walls have 00:28:49.009 --> 00:28:51.529 come up. And somebody reaching out in kindness, 00:28:51.789 --> 00:28:55.890 seeing his pain. They don't know it's coming. 00:28:56.769 --> 00:29:01.809 So they're keeping you at bay. So we just expect 00:29:01.809 --> 00:29:03.329 people to give us trust right away. It's not 00:29:03.329 --> 00:29:05.829 going to happen. Because that's not what their 00:29:05.829 --> 00:29:09.329 life has taught them. Their life has taught them 00:29:09.329 --> 00:29:14.349 pain, suffering, hate, and discontent, sorrow. 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:20.119 And unfortunately, we as a church, we fall into 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:21.680 that same thing. It's like, hey, aren't you afraid 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:24.440 of this? You're going to go to hell. And we start 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:26.519 slamming them. We're not showing them love. We're 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:30.279 not showing them compassion. We forget Jesus 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:32.359 went and ate with the sinners, the tax collectors 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:35.440 and everybody, right? To show them the way. He 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:39.619 went to show them kindness. Not to go in there 00:29:39.619 --> 00:29:44.740 and be like, you're going to hell. I flipped 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:49.140 tables for lesser. evil person, son of a gun, 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:52.599 right? No, it's not what he did. It's not how 00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:54.779 he treated people. He went in, he sat down, he 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:58.039 shared a meal, spoke to him in love. He said, 00:29:58.079 --> 00:29:59.420 hey, guess what? These are the facts. Let me 00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:01.819 lay them out for you. You choose for yourself. 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:04.960 That's the way, that's the example we should 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:07.200 be following. But where does it start? It starts 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:09.720 with relationship. You have to build that trust. 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:17.740 The simple act of kindness can feel very unsafe 00:30:17.740 --> 00:30:21.299 to others. We've seen it with the monkey. We're 00:30:21.299 --> 00:30:22.779 honest with ourselves. We've seen it with people. 00:30:22.980 --> 00:30:24.599 Matter of fact, some of us in this room have 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:33.079 probably experienced that ourselves. Anybody 00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:40.859 ever felt like the fifth wheel in the room? Had 00:30:40.859 --> 00:30:43.960 comments made because of your race, your gender? 00:30:45.009 --> 00:30:50.710 Maybe your physical condition. There's a lot 00:30:50.710 --> 00:30:52.710 of hateful things out there. What happens? We 00:30:52.710 --> 00:30:55.890 build up walls. So when somebody does come along, 00:30:56.130 --> 00:30:58.430 we're going to trust them right out the gate. 00:30:59.509 --> 00:31:03.890 It takes a lot. It takes a lot on their part 00:31:03.890 --> 00:31:08.130 and it takes a lot on our part. Because people 00:31:08.130 --> 00:31:12.150 have to relearn that not every hand that's reaching 00:31:12.150 --> 00:31:19.480 out is pain. And until you learn that, you're 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:21.240 not going to trust people. And we have to remember, 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:23.759 we're trying to be kind. We're reaching out in 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:26.420 love. Not everybody's going to see it that way. 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:29.480 Some people are going to be looking, others should 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:31.700 have dropped. Like, what's this person really 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:34.480 after? What's their agenda? How is this going 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:43.039 to hurt me this time? It takes time. Return. 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:45.539 Flip back just a little bit here, still in John 00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:51.440 4, verses 21 through 24. So John 4, 21 through 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:55.779 24, the word says, Jesus said to her, well, I 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:59.279 should just say Jesus said, Jesus said, woman, 00:31:59.339 --> 00:32:02.500 believe me, the hour is coming when you will 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:05.539 neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:10.160 the Father. You worship what you do not know. 00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:14.119 We know what we worship for salvation is of the 00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:18.720 Jews, but the hour is coming. And now is when 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:21.880 the true worshipers will worship the father in 00:32:21.880 --> 00:32:26.900 spirit and truth. For the father is seeking such 00:32:26.900 --> 00:32:30.900 to worship him. God is spirit. And those who 00:32:30.900 --> 00:32:34.380 worship him must worship in spirit and truth. 00:32:36.220 --> 00:32:38.140 It's like, it's not just the God of the Jews. 00:32:38.220 --> 00:32:47.420 He's the God of all. He loves all. Which brings 00:32:47.420 --> 00:32:50.440 us to the problem that we typically have. It's 00:32:50.440 --> 00:32:55.579 the problem of do as I say, not do as I do. We've 00:32:55.579 --> 00:32:57.940 all heard this. We've all worked with people 00:32:57.940 --> 00:32:59.400 like this. As a matter of fact, some of us have 00:32:59.400 --> 00:33:03.420 probably said this a time or two ourselves. Right? 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:08.910 It's that attitude. Do as I say, not as I do. 00:33:09.029 --> 00:33:12.130 And the problem is it rarely works. It's a bad 00:33:12.130 --> 00:33:16.690 habit. We're teaching bad habits. You know, and 00:33:16.690 --> 00:33:18.509 sometimes it's not even those exact words. It's 00:33:18.509 --> 00:33:21.470 like, hey, we're not really supposed to do this, 00:33:21.509 --> 00:33:23.609 so just kind of turn your eye for a second. You 00:33:23.609 --> 00:33:25.309 didn't see this. Or, hey, I'm going to do this 00:33:25.309 --> 00:33:27.549 to save us some time. You really shouldn't do 00:33:27.549 --> 00:33:29.210 it, but we're falling behind and we need to catch 00:33:29.210 --> 00:33:32.869 up. So, yeah, right? Little things like that, 00:33:32.930 --> 00:33:34.369 but it's still the same thing. Do as I say, not 00:33:34.369 --> 00:33:37.200 do as I do. You know, there's a certain hypocrisy 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:41.500 that falls in along those lines. And when it 00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:43.599 happens, especially when you're the one who's 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:46.019 getting told this, it leaves that funny feeling, 00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:49.160 doesn't it? Like, ah, something's not right here. 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:52.099 I don't know if this was the best choice. Is 00:33:52.099 --> 00:33:53.759 this the best way to do it? Is this the best 00:33:53.759 --> 00:34:01.950 thing that we could have done? And the point 00:34:01.950 --> 00:34:04.170 is, we have to ensure that all of our actions 00:34:04.170 --> 00:34:06.450 actually align with the life that we're living, 00:34:06.529 --> 00:34:08.670 that all of our words align with the things that 00:34:08.670 --> 00:34:12.289 we are doing, that we're living a life that we're 00:34:12.289 --> 00:34:14.449 preaching, not preaching one life and living 00:34:14.449 --> 00:34:20.289 another. Right? I cannot stand up here and say, 00:34:20.389 --> 00:34:23.989 drugs are bad, and then go home and start, you 00:34:23.989 --> 00:34:30.960 know, doing crack. You know, doing meth. I cannot 00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:33.619 sit here and tell you, hey, drunkenness is a 00:34:33.619 --> 00:34:36.519 sin, and then go home and get plastered every 00:34:36.519 --> 00:34:42.760 night. None of us can do that to other people 00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:45.340 either. Like, hey, what you're doing is bad. 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:49.139 It's okay for me to do it, but not for you. Right? 00:34:50.440 --> 00:34:52.119 That's the life that we should be living. And 00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:54.280 we can't expect others to follow us or to trust 00:34:54.280 --> 00:34:56.980 us if they're not seeing us living out what we're 00:34:56.980 --> 00:35:00.789 telling them. We have to live in a way that reflects 00:35:00.789 --> 00:35:05.170 the same thing that we're teaching. Because that's 00:35:05.170 --> 00:35:07.050 how we are in trust or we break trust. That is 00:35:07.050 --> 00:35:10.090 our make or break it. Are they able to see in 00:35:10.090 --> 00:35:18.469 you that you are genuine? Jesus demonstrated 00:35:18.469 --> 00:35:22.730 integrity and love through his actions. And it's 00:35:22.730 --> 00:35:24.789 the same example that we need to live by. The 00:35:24.789 --> 00:35:30.519 Great Commission tells us to teach. Go into the 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:34.300 world and tell them all. Right? Cliff notes, 00:35:34.340 --> 00:35:39.659 of course. It's not exactly how it says it. But 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:41.659 teaching isn't about issuing demands. It's not 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:45.500 about issuing ultimatums. It's not giving orders. 00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:51.460 It's building a trusting relationship with somebody. 00:35:54.039 --> 00:35:57.199 A trusting relationship. A trusting relationship 00:35:57.199 --> 00:36:00.860 in which spiritual growth It can happen naturally. 00:36:02.219 --> 00:36:03.880 You don't want to force it along. You don't want 00:36:03.880 --> 00:36:08.619 to pump steroids into it. You don't want to do 00:36:08.619 --> 00:36:11.639 any of this other stuff. You want a natural spiritual 00:36:11.639 --> 00:36:14.000 growth. And for some, spiritual growth happens 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:16.639 a lot easier than for others. For some, it goes 00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:20.400 in spurts. For some, it's just steady along the 00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:26.820 way. It's different from everybody. But you won't 00:36:26.820 --> 00:36:28.960 lead anybody to Jesus while you're bashing them, 00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:31.260 while you're bashing their life, what they've 00:36:31.260 --> 00:36:35.059 known of whatever religion it is or not that 00:36:35.059 --> 00:36:38.039 they follow, whether atheist, a Buddhist, a Taoist, 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:45.679 you know, Muslim, whatever. Maybe even a denomination 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:49.639 that you don't agree with. That's a battle fought 00:36:49.639 --> 00:36:54.420 between Protestants and Catholics a lot. You 00:36:54.420 --> 00:36:55.900 can't get someone to listen to you if you're 00:36:55.900 --> 00:36:58.440 busy bashing them. It's kind of like politics. 00:37:01.179 --> 00:37:04.480 I walk in the room and I got somebody over here 00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:06.039 and I know they're a Democrat and the first thing 00:37:06.039 --> 00:37:07.579 they hear out of my mouth is I'm calling them 00:37:07.579 --> 00:37:09.340 a libtard. You think they're going to listen 00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:12.780 to me? Right? Or same thing, I come in and I 00:37:12.780 --> 00:37:14.659 got my friend over here who's a Republican and 00:37:14.659 --> 00:37:18.500 I'm like, ah, maggot. Think they're going to 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:23.800 listen to me? Mm -mm. That's how everybody wants 00:37:23.800 --> 00:37:26.219 to talk to each other about politicians and politics. 00:37:28.539 --> 00:37:35.099 They charge you at each other. Like a couple 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:36.940 of nights jousting, may the better night win. 00:37:40.260 --> 00:37:41.920 That's how it's taught. That's how it's treated. 00:37:42.179 --> 00:37:44.099 It's not the way it's supposed to be. There's 00:37:44.099 --> 00:37:45.920 no love. There's no patience. There's no kindness. 00:37:47.820 --> 00:37:50.510 You have to set the example. We've all heard 00:37:50.510 --> 00:37:52.869 the term, if you can't find someone nice in the 00:37:52.869 --> 00:38:02.630 world, be nice. Sometimes that's hard. But be 00:38:02.630 --> 00:38:06.829 the example. For example, I walk into the post. 00:38:08.630 --> 00:38:10.429 Usually it's Jean who's working the bar, and 00:38:10.429 --> 00:38:12.949 she knows as soon as she sees me. A couple of 00:38:12.949 --> 00:38:15.110 root beers, just the cans. No cup, no ice, nothing. 00:38:15.269 --> 00:38:18.159 Just a couple of A &Ws, and I'm good to go. Well, 00:38:18.239 --> 00:38:20.420 it was a couple weeks ago they had mug. That 00:38:20.420 --> 00:38:21.659 was nice, too. That's a nice change of pace. 00:38:21.739 --> 00:38:25.480 I like my root beer. But they know. And other 00:38:25.480 --> 00:38:26.860 people are like, really? That's what you're drinking? 00:38:28.079 --> 00:38:31.639 I don't even have to say anything anymore. My 00:38:31.639 --> 00:38:35.059 friends there will stick up for me right away. 00:38:35.780 --> 00:38:39.840 Even the bartender. That's our chaplain. He's 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:42.840 also a pastor at a church down the road. Hmm. 00:38:43.839 --> 00:38:45.679 They know me. They trust me. They will come to 00:38:45.679 --> 00:38:48.780 me with things. They will message me. Earlier 00:38:48.780 --> 00:38:51.980 I said pray for Frank and his family. He doesn't 00:38:51.980 --> 00:38:56.460 come here. He's at the post. Fellow vet. But 00:38:56.460 --> 00:39:00.460 that's what it is. It's that relationship. I 00:39:00.460 --> 00:39:03.820 go in there. They know I'm not drinking. Other 00:39:03.820 --> 00:39:07.599 than hard root beer. I'm indulging on hard sugars. 00:39:12.389 --> 00:39:15.670 Not rum. Yes, that's right. Every so often, Brian 00:39:15.670 --> 00:39:18.190 goes and joins me, too. Well, I'm not going to 00:39:18.190 --> 00:39:19.650 say all, but I think he joined me on a root beer 00:39:19.650 --> 00:39:20.889 once, and it's only because you're out of that 00:39:20.889 --> 00:39:24.590 nasty Pepsi stuff. I failed the Pepsi challenge. 00:39:27.230 --> 00:39:31.909 I'm more of a Coke guy. It's okay. I like ribbon 00:39:31.909 --> 00:39:34.309 on him. We all know this. That's what family's 00:39:34.309 --> 00:39:40.289 for, sometimes. But that's the thing. People... 00:39:41.019 --> 00:39:42.420 They've gotten to know me there, so they open 00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:45.219 up to me. People know. It wasn't that long ago. 00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:46.719 I was in there. I was taking pictures for the 00:39:46.719 --> 00:39:49.880 post -Facebook page. We had a live band and everything. 00:39:50.119 --> 00:39:52.099 And the guy over there, he sees me. And what 00:39:52.099 --> 00:39:53.880 does he do? He's not in the frame or anything. 00:39:53.940 --> 00:39:55.539 I'm all the way over here, but he still sees 00:39:55.539 --> 00:39:58.139 me, and he flips me the finger. No, not that 00:39:58.139 --> 00:40:03.059 one. That one. Right? And I just say, okay, whatever. 00:40:03.800 --> 00:40:07.019 I ignored him. I don't know him. He's out there 00:40:07.019 --> 00:40:08.559 dancing with this lady. I'm not going to interrupt. 00:40:09.550 --> 00:40:11.789 A few minutes later, we're sitting there, because 00:40:11.789 --> 00:40:13.809 it's our veterans night, we were sitting there, 00:40:13.889 --> 00:40:17.590 and he comes over and he apologizes, right? He 00:40:17.590 --> 00:40:19.869 apologizes like, I'm sorry, I didn't know who 00:40:19.869 --> 00:40:22.309 you were. My friends over here just told me who 00:40:22.309 --> 00:40:27.389 you are. I'm so sorry, Pastor. It's okay, I forgive. 00:40:27.969 --> 00:40:31.230 It's not a big deal. It's the way it should be, 00:40:31.269 --> 00:40:37.239 though. You have to build relationships. You 00:40:37.239 --> 00:40:38.820 have to build rapport. You have to build trust. 00:40:41.039 --> 00:40:44.099 Turning to Galatians chapter 5, verses 25 through 00:40:44.099 --> 00:40:53.780 26. Galatians 5, 25 through 26. The word says, 00:40:53.980 --> 00:40:57.079 if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in 00:40:57.079 --> 00:41:00.139 the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking 00:41:00.139 --> 00:41:04.719 one another, envying one another. As we go about 00:41:04.719 --> 00:41:07.199 making disciples, it's paramount that we remember 00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:12.039 we're not called to make exceptions. We aren't 00:41:12.039 --> 00:41:19.599 to leave anyone. We are to try to reach everybody. 00:41:19.659 --> 00:41:21.860 There's no ifs, there's no ands, and there's 00:41:21.860 --> 00:41:27.000 no buts. You have to make the attempt. Are you 00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:30.460 going to get everybody? No. But you're supposed 00:41:30.460 --> 00:41:33.570 to try. And for those people who are especially 00:41:33.570 --> 00:41:35.909 hardened or don't care what you had to say or 00:41:35.909 --> 00:41:37.250 just plain don't want to listen to what you had 00:41:37.250 --> 00:41:40.050 to say, pray for them. That's the best thing 00:41:40.050 --> 00:41:44.369 that you can do is pray for them. Everyone needs 00:41:44.369 --> 00:41:49.570 to be saved, right? John 3 .16 says what? I also 00:41:49.570 --> 00:41:51.409 love the world that he says, only begotten son. 00:41:55.070 --> 00:42:00.429 That's right. There's no ifs in there. There's 00:42:00.429 --> 00:42:03.280 no ifs in there. There's no ands and there's 00:42:03.280 --> 00:42:10.460 no buts. God loved the world so much that he 00:42:10.460 --> 00:42:14.760 sent his only begotten son. The world. The Jews. 00:42:15.019 --> 00:42:18.019 Not the Gentiles. Not this group. Not that group. 00:42:18.139 --> 00:42:23.440 The world. He loves everybody. So he made the 00:42:23.440 --> 00:42:29.699 attempt. He set the example for us all. And it 00:42:29.699 --> 00:42:31.760 doesn't matter. if somebody's in the highest 00:42:31.760 --> 00:42:34.119 office in the land, or they're living in a royal 00:42:34.119 --> 00:42:38.900 down the road here. Everybody deserves to hear 00:42:38.900 --> 00:42:41.380 about the love of Jesus Christ and to be introduced 00:42:41.380 --> 00:42:46.320 to him. Every single person. It's not enough 00:42:46.320 --> 00:42:50.960 that you have good intentions. It's not enough 00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:55.199 that you're like, oh, I'll pray for you. We see 00:42:55.199 --> 00:42:57.880 that a lot, especially on social media. Oh, sending 00:42:57.880 --> 00:43:01.300 prayers and good vibes. What are your vibes? 00:43:01.380 --> 00:43:03.880 No, get out of here with that stuff. You're going 00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:05.800 to pray? Come pray. Let's pray. Let's do it. 00:43:09.219 --> 00:43:16.940 Plain and simple. Let's pray. You have to have 00:43:16.940 --> 00:43:18.559 more than good intention. You have to have action. 00:43:19.599 --> 00:43:23.739 You have to move on it. It's not just talking 00:43:23.739 --> 00:43:26.460 the talk. You have to walk the walk. You have 00:43:26.460 --> 00:43:29.679 to show your commitment. Every day. You have 00:43:29.679 --> 00:43:32.500 to show your faith every day. That trust in Jesus. 00:43:33.219 --> 00:43:36.619 Every single day. You have to show that you're 00:43:36.619 --> 00:43:41.119 willing to walk with others. Let's face it. Sometimes 00:43:41.119 --> 00:43:42.639 there's times when people, someone wants to come 00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:46.460 and talk to you. Are you in the mood? No. You 00:43:46.460 --> 00:43:48.699 kind of want to be left alone? It happens. That 00:43:48.699 --> 00:43:50.780 happens to us all. But you know what? They're 00:43:50.780 --> 00:43:53.139 coming to you. Sit down, shut up, and listen. 00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:56.900 That is an act of kindness. That is an act of 00:43:56.900 --> 00:44:00.300 love. And later on, when you think back on it, 00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:03.199 you're like, you know what? I'm glad I did that. 00:44:03.239 --> 00:44:04.760 I'm glad I shut my mouth. I'm glad I listened 00:44:04.760 --> 00:44:08.820 to that person. Maybe you were able to offer 00:44:08.820 --> 00:44:11.940 them some kind of advice even. Maybe the Holy 00:44:11.940 --> 00:44:13.199 Spirit put something on your heart that you're 00:44:13.199 --> 00:44:16.280 able to share. Who knows? But it never would 00:44:16.280 --> 00:44:18.039 have happened if you just walked away and be 00:44:18.039 --> 00:44:20.219 like, you know what? I don't have time for this 00:44:20.219 --> 00:44:29.019 right now. Make time. Make time. It speaks volumes 00:44:29.019 --> 00:44:30.699 about you. It speaks volumes about your character. 00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:32.599 It speaks volumes about your relationship with 00:44:32.599 --> 00:44:41.440 Jesus. This is especially important when you're 00:44:41.440 --> 00:44:43.360 talking to somebody who's new in their walk with 00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:47.440 Christ. Going back to our baby Christians, right? 00:44:48.260 --> 00:44:50.679 One of the biggest failures we have as a church 00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:55.400 is that once somebody steps out and makes a profession 00:44:55.400 --> 00:44:59.780 of faith, all of a sudden, We look at them like 00:44:59.780 --> 00:45:01.860 they suddenly know everything that's in the Bible. 00:45:04.559 --> 00:45:07.099 We laugh, but it's true, right? It's kind of 00:45:07.099 --> 00:45:09.460 a nervous laugh I'm hearing over there. Because 00:45:09.460 --> 00:45:12.719 it's true. That is our biggest failure as the 00:45:12.719 --> 00:45:15.579 church. We get somebody there. Oh, they made 00:45:15.579 --> 00:45:17.159 their profession of faith. They're getting baptized. 00:45:17.199 --> 00:45:23.179 Great. Moving on. And then we speak to them in 00:45:23.179 --> 00:45:27.219 Christianese. Talk about things like the Great 00:45:27.219 --> 00:45:30.880 Commission. And then we ridicule them when they 00:45:30.880 --> 00:45:35.440 come up and ask, what is that? Really? You don't 00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:39.760 know? I thought you were a Christian, dude. Right? 00:45:40.440 --> 00:45:43.300 That's how we treat people. In our own house. 00:45:43.440 --> 00:45:46.440 In God's house. It's not the way we should. Like, 00:45:46.500 --> 00:45:48.420 you know what? That's okay. Let me tell you about 00:45:48.420 --> 00:45:50.300 the Great Commission. Matter of fact, do you 00:45:50.300 --> 00:45:52.119 have your Bible with you? Let's open it up. I 00:45:52.119 --> 00:45:53.860 can show you where it is too so you can study 00:45:53.860 --> 00:45:58.230 it. That's what we should be doing. Not just 00:45:58.230 --> 00:46:01.269 telling them, but showing them. Showing them. 00:46:03.309 --> 00:46:08.409 Explaining it. Answering questions. That's trust. 00:46:09.010 --> 00:46:13.389 That's relationship. Because now they're seeing, 00:46:13.489 --> 00:46:17.789 okay, hey, there's concrete evidence here. And 00:46:17.789 --> 00:46:22.289 so the growth starts to happen. You think martial 00:46:22.289 --> 00:46:25.010 arts might be a bad example for some people, 00:46:25.030 --> 00:46:26.889 but I'm going to use it anyway. I know Darren 00:46:26.889 --> 00:46:28.469 for sure and Brian will know for sure what I'm 00:46:28.469 --> 00:46:30.769 talking about. You get someone brand new or even 00:46:30.769 --> 00:46:32.769 maybe you get someone who's been away for a really 00:46:32.769 --> 00:46:34.929 long time and they're just now coming back in, 00:46:34.989 --> 00:46:38.889 right? Is the right thing to do to take them 00:46:38.889 --> 00:46:41.030 out on the mat and just beat the snot out of 00:46:41.030 --> 00:46:42.570 them right away? Like, hey, why aren't you blocking? 00:46:43.409 --> 00:46:46.170 Why aren't you striking? Why aren't you parrying? 00:46:47.449 --> 00:46:51.579 No, that's not the right answer. Even for somebody 00:46:51.579 --> 00:46:53.860 who's had some formal training, but they've been 00:46:53.860 --> 00:46:57.000 gone for a while. If you don't use it, you lose 00:46:57.000 --> 00:46:59.760 it. I'll tell you that. You don't use it, you 00:46:59.760 --> 00:47:03.219 lose it. You forget things, right? You don't 00:47:03.219 --> 00:47:06.320 move the way you used to. So that muscle memory's 00:47:06.320 --> 00:47:09.340 faded. If you're brand new, you don't have it 00:47:09.340 --> 00:47:16.400 at all. Instead, you go out and you teach them. 00:47:18.239 --> 00:47:20.860 Because the first thing we had to do, And the 00:47:20.860 --> 00:47:23.739 same thing is when we bring somebody and we introduce 00:47:23.739 --> 00:47:27.420 them to Jesus, we have to recognize the fact 00:47:27.420 --> 00:47:30.500 that they have the fortitude to step out of their 00:47:30.500 --> 00:47:34.380 comfort zone to begin with. And we have to see 00:47:34.380 --> 00:47:36.780 that that is a victory for them. We should be 00:47:36.780 --> 00:47:41.639 celebrating that victory for them. But we forget 00:47:41.639 --> 00:47:45.500 to. But that can be a huge thing for some people. 00:47:48.119 --> 00:47:49.800 For some people, just getting out of the house 00:47:49.800 --> 00:47:52.139 is big. For some people, depending on what they're 00:47:52.139 --> 00:47:53.880 going through, getting out of bed is a big deal. 00:47:55.119 --> 00:47:57.099 So the fact that they're willing to go into this 00:47:57.099 --> 00:47:59.119 uncomfortable environment with people that they 00:47:59.119 --> 00:48:02.940 don't know and say, teach me. That is a tremendous 00:48:02.940 --> 00:48:07.860 victory. We need to celebrate it with them. We 00:48:07.860 --> 00:48:10.380 need to congratulate them. And then we need to 00:48:10.380 --> 00:48:14.440 go into the basics. Like the prodigal who returned. 00:48:17.289 --> 00:48:19.130 They've gone for a while, they came back. Maybe 00:48:19.130 --> 00:48:20.449 they're brand new, so they're just learning from 00:48:20.449 --> 00:48:22.389 scratch. But you know what? You still go back 00:48:22.389 --> 00:48:27.809 to the basics. This is a punch, right? Or this 00:48:27.809 --> 00:48:29.449 is how you punch. This is a jab. This is a hook. 00:48:29.469 --> 00:48:32.750 This is an uppercut. This is the Bible. This 00:48:32.750 --> 00:48:36.210 is what Jesus did for you. This is the gospel. 00:48:38.409 --> 00:48:41.550 The basics. This is the most important part that 00:48:41.550 --> 00:48:43.969 you need to know. Everything else builds upon 00:48:43.969 --> 00:48:47.670 that. This is the foundation of our faith. This 00:48:47.670 --> 00:48:51.090 is why we believe what we believe. This is the 00:48:51.090 --> 00:49:01.269 evidence to back it up. We work on their form. 00:49:01.610 --> 00:49:05.289 We work on their understanding. We build them 00:49:05.289 --> 00:49:10.539 up. We build them up, right? Skyscrapers didn't 00:49:10.539 --> 00:49:12.300 start as a skyscraper. They started with a foundation 00:49:12.300 --> 00:49:14.519 and were built up. We do the same thing. Somebody 00:49:14.519 --> 00:49:16.880 who's new to Christ or new to Christianity, we 00:49:16.880 --> 00:49:21.059 build them up. And we have to understand, everybody 00:49:21.059 --> 00:49:24.760 is at a different place. They're at a different 00:49:24.760 --> 00:49:27.159 level. They have a different level of understanding. 00:49:28.199 --> 00:49:30.340 Some people will catch on faster than you. Some 00:49:30.340 --> 00:49:35.199 people will be much slower than you. We have 00:49:35.199 --> 00:49:37.239 to meet them where they are and walk with them. 00:49:39.530 --> 00:49:42.010 We don't leave them behind. We don't leave anybody 00:49:42.010 --> 00:49:46.030 behind. That's discipleship broken down in its 00:49:46.030 --> 00:49:52.730 simplest form. Last verse of the day. 1 Thessalonians 00:49:52.730 --> 00:50:00.829 5, verse 11. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 11. The 00:50:00.829 --> 00:50:04.369 word says, therefore, comfort each other and 00:50:04.369 --> 00:50:08.469 edify one another, just as you also are doing. 00:50:11.460 --> 00:50:15.800 You have to humble yourself. Sometimes our pride 00:50:15.800 --> 00:50:17.820 builds up a little bit. Our egos build up a little 00:50:17.820 --> 00:50:19.239 much. We need to humble ourselves. We need to 00:50:19.239 --> 00:50:22.179 break ourselves down. We need to remember we 00:50:22.179 --> 00:50:23.739 didn't start with it all pulled together. Matter 00:50:23.739 --> 00:50:25.579 of fact, if we're honest with ourselves, we're 00:50:25.579 --> 00:50:27.139 still learning. We're still growing ourselves. 00:50:28.920 --> 00:50:30.719 There's not anybody in here who knows it all. 00:50:31.440 --> 00:50:33.059 There's people in here who know things I don't. 00:50:33.059 --> 00:50:34.420 There's three things I know that other people 00:50:34.420 --> 00:50:38.280 don't. Plain and simple. That's just the way 00:50:38.280 --> 00:50:42.360 it works. So humble yourself and understand that 00:50:42.360 --> 00:50:47.820 everybody is on a unique journey. And those journeys, 00:50:47.920 --> 00:50:50.260 those paths, they're not always going to look 00:50:50.260 --> 00:50:52.039 the same. They're not always going to be like 00:50:52.039 --> 00:50:54.719 yours. As a matter of fact, some of them will 00:50:54.719 --> 00:51:02.539 diverge greatly. Maybe your paths are only going 00:51:02.539 --> 00:51:04.579 to be conjoined for a small period of time and 00:51:04.579 --> 00:51:06.780 you're going to break off again. Who knows? Maybe 00:51:06.780 --> 00:51:08.000 you're going to be on that path together for 00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:10.710 a long, long time. And they're doing this number, 00:51:10.809 --> 00:51:15.969 right? A couple train tracks running semi -parallel 00:51:15.969 --> 00:51:20.730 to each other. It happens. We never know. And 00:51:20.730 --> 00:51:25.210 we can't assume that anyone is willing to take 00:51:25.210 --> 00:51:28.630 a leap of faith without first learning to take 00:51:28.630 --> 00:51:30.610 a few steps up to the edge of that diving board. 00:51:35.550 --> 00:51:41.269 Most everybody in here knows how to swim. A couple 00:51:41.269 --> 00:51:49.289 people. You sink, yeah? So does she. But for 00:51:49.289 --> 00:51:52.670 the rest of us, let's think about swimming for 00:51:52.670 --> 00:51:55.130 a second. The first time you got up to that diving 00:51:55.130 --> 00:51:56.869 board, did you just run and jump off of that 00:51:56.869 --> 00:52:04.070 thing? No. Some of us, as a matter of fact, it 00:52:04.070 --> 00:52:06.429 took us a minute just to be able to walk to the 00:52:06.429 --> 00:52:08.570 end of that diving board. And we were doing okay 00:52:08.570 --> 00:52:10.210 until we looked down and all of a sudden we saw 00:52:10.210 --> 00:52:15.949 the bottom of that pool like, oh no. We had that 00:52:15.949 --> 00:52:18.329 diving instructor or that friend or that relative, 00:52:18.409 --> 00:52:20.329 come on, I got you, I got you, just jump, just 00:52:20.329 --> 00:52:23.349 jump, right? And that's how we're treating people. 00:52:23.429 --> 00:52:24.809 Take that leap of faith, come on, I got you, 00:52:24.829 --> 00:52:27.030 just jump, just jump, I got you, let's do this, 00:52:27.170 --> 00:52:31.409 right? Some people have to learn to walk before 00:52:31.409 --> 00:52:35.019 they learn to jump. For some of us, we did okay 00:52:35.019 --> 00:52:36.659 on that first diving board, but then we got to 00:52:36.659 --> 00:52:42.119 the high dive and we froze. But I'll tell you 00:52:42.119 --> 00:52:43.760 what, when we finally built up to that place 00:52:43.760 --> 00:52:47.420 where we were running down that thing, like Bolt, 00:52:47.519 --> 00:52:52.980 who's the sprinter? Usain Bolt? There we go. 00:52:54.019 --> 00:52:55.860 We go running down that thing like him, like 00:52:55.860 --> 00:53:00.199 the Flash. Maybe do a back flip or a somersault 00:53:00.199 --> 00:53:03.480 or something. Not that thing. It took time. It 00:53:03.480 --> 00:53:09.099 took work. Sometimes you have to learn to walk 00:53:09.099 --> 00:53:11.320 and get to the edge of that board before you're 00:53:11.320 --> 00:53:15.119 willing to take that leap. And when it comes 00:53:15.119 --> 00:53:18.179 to our faith, it is no different. We have to 00:53:18.179 --> 00:53:22.960 let people walk. Let them take the small steps 00:53:22.960 --> 00:53:26.119 to get where they need to be. And we give them 00:53:26.119 --> 00:53:28.909 the time. We give them the resources. We give 00:53:28.909 --> 00:53:33.150 them the encouragement. Bless you. We give them 00:53:33.150 --> 00:53:36.670 the encouragement. We love on them just as Jesus 00:53:36.670 --> 00:53:42.210 loved on us. Right? Did Jesus demand that overnight 00:53:42.210 --> 00:53:46.610 we just boom and we're following him? No. He 00:53:46.610 --> 00:53:48.289 gave us the resources. He gave us the love. He 00:53:48.289 --> 00:53:52.030 gave us the time. He gave us the patience. And 00:53:52.030 --> 00:53:55.659 in doing things like this, You'll find the tools 00:53:55.659 --> 00:53:57.239 that we've been given, things like the Romans 00:53:57.239 --> 00:54:02.119 Road, things like your own testimony, probably 00:54:02.119 --> 00:54:04.119 the most important tool that you've been given 00:54:04.119 --> 00:54:06.739 because each and every single one of us has a 00:54:06.739 --> 00:54:13.500 testimony. But these tools will work when they're 00:54:13.500 --> 00:54:15.820 used properly and with proper understanding. 00:54:17.519 --> 00:54:19.679 They'll lead people to Christ, but you can't 00:54:19.679 --> 00:54:22.840 rush them and you can't force them. You can't 00:54:22.840 --> 00:54:25.230 press in hard on them. Instead, you lead with 00:54:25.230 --> 00:54:29.670 love, compassion, and patience. And don't ever 00:54:29.670 --> 00:54:33.570 forget your testimony. Because we all came from 00:54:33.570 --> 00:54:36.769 somewhere. We were all somewhere hurting when 00:54:36.769 --> 00:54:40.329 Jesus found us. Whether it was somebody taking 00:54:40.329 --> 00:54:42.510 us to a place where we could be found by him 00:54:42.510 --> 00:54:44.989 or he found us all alone sitting in a corner. 00:54:47.130 --> 00:54:49.710 And we can take that testimony and we can use 00:54:49.710 --> 00:54:51.650 that as a guide because we've seen how it's worked 00:54:51.650 --> 00:54:55.769 in our lives. And we can use that to teach and 00:54:55.769 --> 00:55:03.530 lead others. Discipleship is a journey. And it's 00:55:03.530 --> 00:55:05.949 a journey that's meant to be shared together. 00:55:07.230 --> 00:55:12.489 It's a gift. Gifts are meant to be shared. It's 00:55:12.489 --> 00:55:15.909 not a destination to reach and then part ways 00:55:15.909 --> 00:55:20.530 once you're done with it. So build those relationships. 00:55:22.010 --> 00:55:26.679 Celebrate. each other's victories. And don't 00:55:26.679 --> 00:55:30.900 let anybody stay in a position where they can 00:55:30.900 --> 00:55:35.219 fall prey to the enemy. The 99 are safer together. 00:55:36.380 --> 00:55:38.780 That's why Jesus left the 99 to find the one, 00:55:38.900 --> 00:55:40.800 because the one was the one who was in danger. 00:55:44.480 --> 00:55:53.079 The 99 can work together. We support Jesus. Right 00:55:53.079 --> 00:55:58.940 here. By supporting each other. By having that 00:55:58.940 --> 00:56:02.400 relationship with each other. By building that 00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:06.320 trust with each other. And then doing the same 00:56:06.320 --> 00:56:09.059 when we go out that door and we're in the world. 00:56:13.599 --> 00:56:16.159 Just because one tool doesn't work at that moment 00:56:16.159 --> 00:56:18.599 doesn't mean it's necessarily broken. Maybe you 00:56:18.599 --> 00:56:23.579 just need to change out the tool. Like using 00:56:23.579 --> 00:56:29.539 a 10 millimeter socket. He laughs because he 00:56:29.539 --> 00:56:32.300 understood the joke. That's the one that usually 00:56:32.300 --> 00:56:44.519 disappears. It always disappears. Yes. We're 00:56:44.519 --> 00:56:49.199 all there, brother. We're all there. On that 00:56:49.199 --> 00:56:54.860 note, let us pray. Father, we thank you for your 00:56:54.860 --> 00:56:56.800 love and your patience with us every single day. 00:56:58.420 --> 00:57:01.119 Matter of fact, we know that we all too often 00:57:01.119 --> 00:57:05.739 test that patience. Part of being human, I guess. 00:57:06.920 --> 00:57:08.940 We know sometimes we pick the wrong tool for 00:57:08.940 --> 00:57:12.719 the job. But we thank you for your gentleness 00:57:12.719 --> 00:57:15.179 and helping us to learn the right one that we 00:57:15.179 --> 00:57:20.260 should be using and how to wield it. At the same 00:57:20.260 --> 00:57:22.000 time, we ask you to help us to remain humble. 00:57:22.619 --> 00:57:25.460 not to get too full of ourselves or too far ahead 00:57:25.460 --> 00:57:29.940 of ourselves. Our ego and our pride that lead 00:57:29.940 --> 00:57:32.599 us into sin and away from the path, we want to 00:57:32.599 --> 00:57:36.139 make sure that not only are we on the path towards 00:57:36.139 --> 00:57:41.039 you, but we're that tool that you can use to 00:57:41.039 --> 00:57:42.760 guide others towards you in your light as well. 00:57:44.079 --> 00:57:46.960 We thank you for reminding us how we should be 00:57:46.960 --> 00:57:49.900 leading the lost towards you by building each 00:57:49.900 --> 00:57:51.679 other up, by building trust with one another, 00:57:54.189 --> 00:57:56.289 by having a relationship with others just as 00:57:56.289 --> 00:58:01.150 you have a relationship with us. We thank you 00:58:01.150 --> 00:58:04.670 for illuminating all this so that we're not just 00:58:04.670 --> 00:58:07.570 wandering off the path like the one sheep ourself. 00:58:10.710 --> 00:58:13.969 All of his people said, amen and amen. Remember, 00:58:14.170 --> 00:58:15.710 as you leave here, you're loved and you're blessed, 00:58:15.909 --> 00:58:43.300 so go and be the church. Until next time, take 00:58:43.300 --> 00:58:44.860 care and God bless.