WEBVTT

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So I want you to think back in your mind with

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me to the 1980s Now some of our younger crowd

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can't do that. They like my kids like to remind

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me I was born in the 1900s. So it's often a topic

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But the 1980s was a time when calls had to be

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made from landlines Living room televisions were

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these big bulky boxes on the floor and Children

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knew when to come home when the streetlights

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came on or at least in my neighborhood Our world

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wasn't as connected as we are now We didn't learn

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about world events on social media But waiting

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for the nightly news or maybe a missionary traveling

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through our church telling their own stories

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of their travel to distant places So it was 1986

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and my father was a preacher at a very small

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church in a small town We woke up Oklahoma. You

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may have heard of it. We had just moved there

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not long before from Mississippi, and we were

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still getting established as a family in this

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small town. And one night, he decided to watch

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an old movie based on a novel that was set in

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the time period of Imperial Russia, the Russian

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Revolution, and their civil war that followed.

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And God used this movie to stir something in

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my father's heart and change the trajectory of

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his life. He began to study and learn about the

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Russian people and at that time their oppression

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under the communist rule. And in this time of

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studying and praying, he felt God calling him

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to do something, to help a people that he had

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never met or a country he had never been to.

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He didn't know how but he knew he was supposed

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to serve in some way so he remember very small

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Church pastor had no global connections. No networking,

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but he began to research and seek out and he

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found a Tour group that was for clergy that he

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joined without knowing anyone and took his first

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trip and then after that The passion stayed and

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he worked diligently on the side when he wasn't

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dealing with church work. And he took his first

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group back in about two short years. And they

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were smuggling Bibles written in the Russian

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language. I remember stapling the little tracks

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together myself. And he was asked to speak at

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the First Baptist Church of Leningrad, the second

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American pastor following Billy Graham. But that

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trip was a catalyst that led him to stepping

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out and developing an entire separate ministry

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that led to facilitating orphanages in countries

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and taking medical mission trips and countless

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other outreach trips. That was a time he had

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to stand on faith without any direction. And

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I share that with you today. To explain to you

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what informs my understanding of faith So we

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are going to talk about faith today and how it

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isn't just a belief that it is a spiritual practice

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that we're invited to live out in our everyday

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lives The everyday ordinary can be the catalyst

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to enlarge your vision and enlarge your faith

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Often we dismiss faith as a descriptor of our

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religious views or why it outsources our part

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in it. But faith, surprising to some, requires

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action. It's not simply there to just be held

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in our minds. It is a process of co -creation

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with God. And that's what James is talking about

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when he says faith without works is dead. So

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depending on your background, maybe you've heard

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a lot about faith growing up. Maybe you've heard

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harmful teachings on faith. Or maybe your background

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really didn't talk about faith beyond faith in

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Jesus for afterlife salvation. But we're going

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to look at ways that we can implement living

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out the spiritual practice in our lives. Have

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you ever encountered a time when you felt prompted

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to maybe act in faith or make a decision without

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what you knew would happen next? I have examples.

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when I know that God was calling me to do something

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and I stood in faith. A couple of those things

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actually brought me to this position here. Because

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this was not in my plan. Or at least in my plan

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that I allowed the world to condition. When I

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look back, I see moments where it was there.

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Like when I was three and I would line all my

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stuffed animals up and preach to them about Jonah

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and the whale. Or in middle school, I would be

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dissecting verses and my mom would comment, that

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looks like sermon prep. But I had been around

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church work my entire life and I thought, well,

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I'm gonna take an easier route. And I enjoyed

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children, so I went into education. And I quickly

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realized I wasn't to stay there. I began searching

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and found a job that allowed me to teach in different

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avenues. And there I grew in organizational knowledge

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and grant work. I went back and earned my masters.

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And I had a boss that I loved who had created

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a position specifically for me. And one year

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into that position, I felt God tugging at my

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heart, hey, check into opportunities at your

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church. I was not excited to feel that. I tried

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to ignore it. I tried to explain it away, but

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after a couple of weeks of it not going away,

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I made an appointment with Artie. And it's important

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to note, I did not know Artie well at this time.

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I had been a volunteer in his youth ministry,

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but that was the extent of our connection. And

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I remember it well. I came in, I sat down, said,

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I really don't know why I'm here, except I'm

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supposed to tell you I'd be interested in working

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here somehow if it ever comes about. And here

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we are 10 years later. So that was a time that

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I had to listen and step out in complete faith.

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No one could tell me what laid ahead because

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they didn't know. I remember a conversation with

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my dad when I was moving from teaching to my

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former position and he was trying to encourage

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me to stick it out because parents don't like

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when their kids change careers one year after

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college. And I said, Dad, I have no idea what's

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to come, but I know it's going to be great. And

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I didn't. Sometimes the people who are examples

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of faith may not understand the path that God's

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calling us to. That's why we cannot depend on

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the opinions and the perceptions of others. That's

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why we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, that

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only God can see what we can't. So let's explore

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this idea a little deeper that faith is not passive.

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It's not just intention But that it is a practice

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of that co -creation with God walking with him

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listening responding Too often we treat it like

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a wish. Oh, I have faith that I'll get a better

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job But we don't do our part to grow ourselves

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and prepare for that or we may say that we have

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faith God will cover situation, but we don't

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open our hands and our hearts with how we may

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help with that provision. So, how are we working

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with God to move in faith each day? Well, let's

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begin with scripture. In the New Testament, we

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see Jesus heal time and time again, and he says,

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it is your faith that has healed you. Faith wasn't

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something that they held privately. It moved

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them to act, to reach out, to see beyond their

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current circumstances. And there are only two

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times in the Gospels where Jesus is described

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as being astonished. Do we know? One time is

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the centurion's faith in Jesus' authority to

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heal from afar. The other time, is he's astonished

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by his hometown's lack of faith in him. The people

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who couldn't see beyond what they thought they

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knew about him. So the question becomes, which

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kind of faith astonishes Jesus in us today? Are

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we living in ways that reflect a deep trust in

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him, or staying safely in what we know? If you'll

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turn to me, with me, If you have your Bibles

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or your Bible app, to Hebrews 11 .1. And I'm

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reading from the Passion Translation. It says,

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now faith brings our hope into reality, our hopes,

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and becomes the foundation needed to acquire

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the things that we long for. It is all the evidence

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required to prove what is still unseen. If you'll

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turn to verse six. And without faith living within

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us, it would be impossible to please him. For

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we come to God in faith knowing that he is real

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and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately

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seek him. I decided to add one more. It's not

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on the slides, but it's in Ephesians three. I

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have this verse on my whiteboard in my office

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and I look at it every day. It says, then by

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constantly using your faith, the life of Christ

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will be released deep inside of you and the resting

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place of his love will become the very source

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and root of your life. These verses remind us

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that faith isn't just about eternity. It's about

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now. So how do we begin to live out that kind

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of faith? It starts with a vision. Faith begins

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with a vision. Before we can step forward in

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faith, we need to be able to see beyond what's

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currently in front of us. In Proverbs 29, 18,

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it says, where there is no vision, the people

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perish. But vision, it doesn't mean having every

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detail mapped out. It often begins with a spark,

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a burden, a curiosity. When my father felt the

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burden to serve people that he didn't know, he

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didn't have a complete roadmap. He simply had

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a small vision, and he held it with an open hand.

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That posture of surrender, It allowed God to

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fill in the gaps that only he could see from

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above. Here at Christ Community, we talk often

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about living in the kingdom of God now, not just

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waiting for afterlife salvation. So ask yourself,

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when we pray on earth as it is in heaven, do

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you have a picture in your mind of what you envision

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that to be? Maybe it looks like peace, peace

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within yourself, with others at work. Maybe you

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envision joy, a deep contentment radiating outwards.

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Maybe when you hear those and pray those words,

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you imagine justice and provision, ensuring that

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everyone has everything that they need to survive

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and thrive. Whatever your vision is when you

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pray that prayer, Hold to it in your mind, see

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it, and then do your part every day to live that

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out. If you envision a more peaceful, interacting

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world, start with peace within yourself and those

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that you interact with. What do you long for?

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Do you have a vision for your life? Scripture

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speaks of the new self. We hear about this often.

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Every day, Every day we are made new in Christ,

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but do you believe that today sitting there?

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Do we live as though that's true? Maybe there's

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a habit or a mindset that you're trying to move

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past First you have to begin to imagine and envision

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what you would be like without that mindset or

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habit Well, what does the new version of you

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look like without that pattern And then you speak

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that vision over yourself and see it, and then

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take the daily steps towards it. Have faith that

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you are becoming the new version, even when your

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eyes see the fruit of the past, because you are

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becoming. This is where the transformation happens.

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It's not in the dramatic moments, it's in the

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mundane. everyday choices where faith is quietly

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formed. Our world is a world of resistance, but

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it's in that resistance, the space of who we

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are and who we're becoming is where faith is

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working. It's that same tension between the brokenness

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that we see in the world around us to the healing

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that we hope for. Faith is the ability to see

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restoration before there's evidence of it. And

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Jesus modeled this for us. He saw people whole,

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healed, set free before anyone else did. And

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that's how he sees you today. Sometimes faith

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isn't about big bold decisions. Sometimes it's...

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Being present to see the extraordinary in the

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ordinary. Maybe it's a simple conversation you

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have, a book you read, a song you hear, maybe

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a prompting at the store. When you feel that,

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don't brush it off. Listen, respond. That is

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faith at work. And in these moments when we feel

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it and we feel kind of odd, And we kind of get

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stuck and freeze. It's so important to remember

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that our God is a God of abundance, not of scarcity.

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When we get stuck in our scarcity mindset, we

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forget that he sees enough, he is enough, and

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he will provide. Romans 8 28 says, we know that

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in all things, God works for the good for those

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who love him. But do we live this out each day

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in the everyday moments? It's really easy to

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forget. So today we are going to compare the

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process of faith to a seed. And in your notes,

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there's a small comparison chart. Jesus gave

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us agricultural metaphors in the New Testament

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because it gives us such rich, relatable visuals.

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Life reflects nature, and nothing in nature is

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in a hurry or forces growth. Think about when

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you plant a seed. You dig your hole, you put

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the seed in, you cover it back up. You don't

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come back every day to check if it's growing,

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right? You trust that it will grow. You don't

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dig it up to see are the roots forming. Somehow

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we understand how to apply that to farming and

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agriculture. But when it comes to less tangible

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ideas like a dream, a new habit, we often lose

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patience. We don't trust the process, as they

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say. Mark 11, 24 says, believe you have received

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it and it will be yours. But that kind of belief

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means Seeing before it is there when the seed

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is still in the soil So when you have a seed

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Look into my it's been in a dormant state a resting

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or a sleep state Now this represents the hidden

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potentials within us maybe that we aren't even

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aware of yet And then the seed with the right

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conditions wakes up with oxygen and water and

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warmth So that is when God stirs something within

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us and wakes it up. The next step is when the

00:18:02.849 --> 00:18:07.650
seed coat breaks. This is often a painful looking

00:18:07.650 --> 00:18:12.250
process. But this is where the life happens,

00:18:12.670 --> 00:18:15.910
the life from the brokenness, the letting go

00:18:15.910 --> 00:18:18.809
of the old identity. To become the plant, it

00:18:18.809 --> 00:18:23.890
can no longer be the seed. Then the root emerges.

00:18:25.130 --> 00:18:29.269
It goes down into the soil, begins to absorb

00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:33.509
the nutrients and anchor the plant to the ground.

00:18:34.450 --> 00:18:37.190
This is the deep spiritual work that happens

00:18:37.190 --> 00:18:41.130
within us in our private lives, in the times

00:18:41.130 --> 00:18:44.609
in the dark where we don't feel like it's happening.

00:18:45.329 --> 00:18:49.430
Our prayer life, our studying, it's the trust

00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:55.079
in the dark. Then the shoot pushes through the

00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:59.119
soil. We reach towards Christ. We continue to

00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:05.559
pursue even through the resistance. And then

00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:09.839
finally, leaves grow and the plant begins to

00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:16.839
form. Now, I added the apple tree stages and

00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:20.440
this was very interesting. I knew I was going

00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:24.779
to talk about If we stop, maybe even at the green

00:19:24.779 --> 00:19:29.220
cluster, if you were planting an apple tree thousands

00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:31.259
of years ago, you're told this will give you

00:19:31.259 --> 00:19:33.359
an apple tree, but you're told nothing about

00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:36.660
timelines or anything else, and that happens,

00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:39.539
what are you going to think? It's not working.

00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:43.200
You gave me the wrong seed. If you stop at the

00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:46.880
green cluster, and even with fruit trees, almost

00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:51.160
every fruit tree blooms flowers first. Once again,

00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:54.880
you're gonna think what in the world? This isn't

00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:00.859
it Too often when we have a burden or an idea

00:20:00.859 --> 00:20:04.960
and we start to work on it And then we stop at

00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:08.660
one of the beginning stages and we give up When

00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:12.940
God's saying it's not finished Keep working at

00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:18.680
it patience and faith because then You get to

00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:23.470
the fruit And this is not just for yourself.

00:20:23.730 --> 00:20:26.750
An apple tree doesn't eat apples. It's to bless

00:20:26.750 --> 00:20:38.809
others. So, we know we should work to live lives

00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:43.230
of faith, but we also know it is so hard. So

00:20:43.230 --> 00:20:46.450
we're gonna look at a few barriers to living

00:20:46.450 --> 00:20:50.680
lives of faith. When we think about what gets

00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:54.440
in the way of a life of faith doubt is obviously

00:20:54.440 --> 00:21:00.980
a major one and it is real James 1 6 says When

00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:03.740
you ask you must believe and not doubt or else

00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:05.980
you're like the waves of the sea being tossed

00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:10.059
and blown away But I want to look at some more

00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:13.339
or less obvious but equally powerful barriers

00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:18.019
to faith today one major barrier especially in

00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:23.579
modern life, is over controlled lives. We know

00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:28.900
our whole life's map. In fact, we have like our

00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:31.759
career plans, our financial goals, you know,

00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:34.400
retirement timeline, and these things obviously

00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:38.900
are not bad. They are wise. But do we hold them

00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:42.859
with an open hand? Do we allow room for the spirit

00:21:42.859 --> 00:21:48.240
to interrupt our plans and say, Look over here.

00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:53.200
Why don't you help in this situation? Take a

00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:58.900
step there. Sometimes abundance can disguise

00:21:58.900 --> 00:22:02.400
our need for faith. We think we have every angle

00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:05.880
covered. We're tempted to rely only on ourselves

00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:10.079
instead of walking in step with the Spirit. The

00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:13.019
more that we've been given, the more important

00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:16.299
it is for us to practice faith. because it's

00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:20.579
easy to forget that we need it. Another barrier,

00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:25.559
resistance to change. Even those of us who like

00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:30.180
change find it hard when it's personal or uncomfortable

00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:35.160
or uncertain. So if you have a personality that

00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:38.440
craves predictability, it's even more important

00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:41.319
that you listen and become aware when the spirit

00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:45.519
nudges you towards something new. Growth always

00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:49.279
requires change. And faith means trusting God

00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:52.539
enough to step into that unfamiliar, even when

00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:56.160
you don't have the full picture. And finally,

00:22:56.220 --> 00:23:00.759
fear. Fear of disappointment, of the unknown,

00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:05.720
of what others will think. Fear keeps us small

00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:09.880
and from stepping out. But here's the thing.

00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:15.630
Both fear and faith They ask us to believe in

00:23:15.630 --> 00:23:20.470
something that we can't see. The difference is

00:23:20.470 --> 00:23:23.549
what are we choosing to believe? What do we choose

00:23:23.549 --> 00:23:28.549
each day? So how do we practice living lives

00:23:28.549 --> 00:23:34.529
of faith? It starts with our identity. What do

00:23:34.529 --> 00:23:38.670
you believe deep down about yourself? Do you

00:23:38.670 --> 00:23:41.529
believe that you're accepted, that you're loved,

00:23:42.029 --> 00:23:48.849
forgiven? what we focus on grows. And if we dwell

00:23:48.849 --> 00:23:52.589
on our mistakes of the past and our failures,

00:23:53.410 --> 00:23:55.750
we're more likely to keep repeating that pattern.

00:23:55.789 --> 00:23:59.690
Why? Because our attention is here. What we resist

00:23:59.690 --> 00:24:02.509
persists, because when you're resisting something,

00:24:02.910 --> 00:24:06.950
you're giving it your attention. But instead,

00:24:07.650 --> 00:24:11.910
you shift your focus. So my example is when you

00:24:11.910 --> 00:24:14.859
change your diet, your way of eating. If you

00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:16.660
think about all the foods that you're not allowing

00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:18.740
yourself to have all day long, what do you think

00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:23.940
about? Or what do you want? Those foods. Pop

00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:28.299
in a piece of candy. But if you change your identity

00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:31.619
to, I am someone who eats nourishing foods, I

00:24:31.619 --> 00:24:35.160
am someone who moves regularly, you begin to

00:24:35.160 --> 00:24:38.539
live out that identity because your focus and

00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:43.049
energy changes. That old pattern? it falls away,

00:24:43.130 --> 00:24:45.150
not because you're resisting it, you're no longer

00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:49.630
giving it the attention. You are focused on who

00:24:49.630 --> 00:24:54.069
you are becoming. So maybe a daily practice for

00:24:54.069 --> 00:24:58.809
this might be daily remind yourself of who you

00:24:58.809 --> 00:25:02.329
are in God's eyes through scripture and affirmation

00:25:02.329 --> 00:25:07.549
and prayer. The next step is living a life of

00:25:07.549 --> 00:25:10.799
surrender. If you've been in church long, you've

00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:13.660
heard this term. So often it feels like it loses

00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:18.140
its meaning. But what does it really mean to

00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:21.900
surrender? It doesn't mean to sit back passively,

00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:26.460
waiting for God to do something. It does mean

00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:32.259
releasing control. It means relaxing in to hear

00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:36.819
the present moment. Not striving, not forcing.

00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:40.980
But walking in step with the spirit with open

00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:46.480
hands and a willing heart Something you could

00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:51.440
try daily is reflect what am I trying to control

00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:56.599
today and then pray a prayer of surrender and

00:25:56.599 --> 00:26:02.039
finally Authenticity living as the person God

00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:07.019
created you to be uniquely without comparison

00:26:07.019 --> 00:26:10.680
or apology. We all get caught up in trying to

00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:12.700
fit into these other boxes that weren't made

00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:17.539
for us. Living a life of faith, it isn't about

00:26:17.539 --> 00:26:21.200
having all the answers, not struggling, but it

00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:27.539
is about showing up fully known, fully surrendered,

00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:34.910
and fully yourself. Maybe a way to practice that

00:26:34.910 --> 00:26:37.849
is look for opportunities where you could act

00:26:37.849 --> 00:26:41.829
honestly and really show What it is that maybe

00:26:41.829 --> 00:26:44.569
that you feel about something or act in a way

00:26:44.569 --> 00:26:47.250
that is true to you without being uncomfortable

00:26:47.250 --> 00:26:54.630
So as the worship team comes forward I want us

00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:59.069
to take a minute and think about An area that

00:26:59.069 --> 00:27:03.599
maybe God is calling us to practice faith Maybe

00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:07.000
for you, it's choosing to believe in His goodness

00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:12.640
during a very difficult situation. Maybe you're

00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:15.559
starting a new career path with uncertainty that

00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:20.440
lies ahead. Maybe you have a situation with your

00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:24.519
child that you need to surrender to God and have

00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:29.380
faith that it will be okay. Lastly, how are we

00:27:29.380 --> 00:27:32.440
practicing faith together as a community? What

00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:36.539
does it look like to do this? We carry faith

00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:41.440
for others in their seasons of trial. We speak

00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:47.559
hope and vision and truth into each other. Our

00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:51.299
words shape how we live and what we believe about

00:27:51.299 --> 00:27:54.900
ourselves. So are your interactions speaking

00:27:54.900 --> 00:27:59.880
life and truth into each other? As we come to

00:27:59.880 --> 00:28:03.180
the communion portion of our service, if you're

00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:05.059
visiting, you're welcome to partake with us.

00:28:05.319 --> 00:28:08.079
We start at the front, we come down, and then

00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:15.980
follow the line back to our seat. And during

00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:21.420
this time, we remember, he had given thanks,

00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:25.079
and he broke it and said, this is my body, which

00:28:25.079 --> 00:28:30.140
is for you. Do this in remembrance of me in the

00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:33.099
same way He took the cup after supper and said

00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:36.440
this cup is the cup of the new covenant of my

00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:40.759
blood Do it as often as you drink in remembrance

00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:41.380
of me