Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:01]:
Pastor Glenn and pastor Landon Mauricio of Call Church, and I will be going to Fiji, leaving not Wednesday night as, pastor Glenn was planning to be at Honolulu International Airport, but Thursday night. So and, we'll hit the ground running, and we'll be doing some work out in the capital of, Suva, working with, you know, a church there and the youth. And then we'll be doing some teaching of church leaders. And, again, for the first time, as you may have seen some blurbs with the Indian population primarily from Muslim and Hindu background. So it's kind of a new type of, work for us. And then we'll be then jumping on a car again and heading backwards for 4 and a half, 5 hours to do something similar with another Indian church leader leaders population. And then we'll work with a startup church. So it's gonna be a fun filled fast week and couple days.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:01:09]:
So we, we really covet your your prayers as as your gifts have already been received and will go forward to, minister to the people and especially to the children there. So thank you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:25]:
K. Hey. We're just gonna take a a minute to pray. And, you know, like, when we talk about admissions often, it's there's often an away team, but to be honest it's not like the mission team is Hale and I and Landon. It's that we're the away team, but there's also the home team. And without a home team, that there's nothing that could ever be accomplished. And so the team is everybody, and so as a church that we feel the honor, the privilege to represent you, to represent Jesus. And so, hey, would you do me a favor? Would you just extend the hand? We're gonna pray actually for myself.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:58]:
No, but for and and heal, Lord, and for the team. Father, we're so thankful when we think about our brothers and sisters in Fiji, Lord, that there are people all around the world, Lord, men, women who are raised, feel the call of God to to love their neighbor, to reach their community, to win over their nation, and yet, Lord, that that they're affected just like us. All the cultural changes, all the difficulties, and, Father, the changes that they see, see, they're just really rapidly assaulting their culture much like we have experienced over the last years. But, Father, in the midst of that, Lord, they want to hear, they want to be equipped, and so, Father, that as we go forward, Lord, would you give us a wisdom that's more than our experience? Lord, that would you give us a wisdom and an empowerment that's more than our gifts? Father, we need you, Father, to manifest in these meetings of pastors, father, in the meeting of leaders, father, in some of these churches that are pioneers, pioneering churches, and some of them that are, long time partners with us. And and so, father, we're asking we're not going in our own strength. God, we need yours. And so would you cover us from beginning to end? And we're thankful for the partnership of our brothers and sisters. We're part we're thankful for the prayers of the saints, because, lord, we know it's by the prayers of the saints that the hand of God is moved.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:23]:
Father, would you touch and go before us, in those churches, in those pastors, in those leaders, Lord, that more people will come to Christ as a result, that more Thank you guys. Thanks, Hale. I I just really I feel it's a privilege. I haven't gone in, since 2018, I think, on one of those trips. I've been there a number of times. It's always a great opportunity to to share such hospitable, host churches and and things, when we go. But, yeah. But, hey, this this evening, I wanted to, jump in on, the fact that we started this series, Imua, to move forward, a few weeks ago, and we talked about, like, sometimes and and I'm sure you've felt it where you wanted to go forward, but maybe didn't feel like you had the power to do that, and maybe sometimes you see challenges that are before you that you you may be intimidated by, but the the the call is not just simply to go forward, but sometimes it's to grow forward.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:38]:
And I see that even tonight, I saw Charice, did can we just say thank you, congratulations, we're proud of you. She stepped up on a weekend to join us. I mean, she's still in high school, but how many of you guys, when you were in high school, that you would have got up and stood in front of a group of mixed adults and whatever the crowd and helped and led worship. I mean, I wouldn't do that now. No, but that whole thing, and so, but she's growing forward and we just see that in her, and Jo Mei, just seeing these young ladies, seeing some of our teens and really in young adults moving forward. But we also don't wanna just be kinda running only to the beat of our own drum and that we need to align ourselves. Last week we talked about with moving forward with unity. And we we in that message, we also talked about the fact that we learn from Jesus, right, that we that we learn to to imitate because we all learn from imitation.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:40]:
And do you guys ever see like an animal, like usually like a cat, like climb up like a tree and cannot get down or climb up on the roof of the house or something like that, and it's a weird thing because you think, you got up there. How come you can't get down? But, that the people who study these things have said that it's often a sign, they think, that this is the theory now that when you have cats that, you know, they climb up a tree or or what have you, but they cannot get down, is that they were probably adopted or separated from their parent way before that they could be taught that skill. Because that, that animals like wolves and cheetahs and birds and lizards and fish, even ants that says, studies show that animals learn a particular behavior, a particular ability by watching, a particular ability by watching, observing, and imitating their moms and their dads. And so, and so they're saying that, you know, cats and all these different animals learn like that, and as people, we're no different, that we learn by the things that we see, that we we can learn how to do different things. And so the fact that sometimes that we want to move forward, despite opposition, despite, maybe, kind of barriers that we have that we need to be able to move forward, but the question becomes sometimes it's where are we going, right? Because, I love the fact that that all of us that we're all going somewhere. Do me a favor. Turn to your neighbor that says, we're all going somewhere. Right? But the question is, where are you going? Right? Because sometimes we can go forward and sometimes we can go backward.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:24]:
You know, the old book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People drew an important distinction, between efficiency and effectiveness, and they say efficiency is the ability to to do something really well and to do it with the least amount of, scattered energy and time and, resource, and effectiveness is making sure that you're doing the right thing. And so they liken that that that you could be building a road. Right? If you're building a road, you could be, like, making great progress. Like, man, we're making, like, miles every day. That's efficiency. Right? But effectiveness is where is the road going? Right? Is the road moving in the right direction? And so sometimes we need to make sure not only that we're going forward or we're going forward with unity, but are we going forward in the right direction? And this evening, we're picking up where we talked about last week when we talked about the kingdom of God unfolding and and that the rule and reign of God on this plane and as well as in heaven is moving forward, and we talked about how Jesus was an example. Right? That he he humbled himself. He didn't He emptied himself from all of his rights, and he was willing to come and, b, take on the form of a servant.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:45]:
And so when we move forward, we want to remember that we need to move forward in doing several things. This evening, we want to look at 3 things that as we're moving forward, how will it help us to understand where we're going? And the first one is this, is that we need to lead people to Christ who is king. We need to lead people to Christ who is king. Sometimes we lead people to Jesus as the one who kind of just loves us as we are. Sometimes we lead people to a Jesus that was a good man. Sometimes we can lead the people to a Jesus that is or to church, and we can lead people to a kind of an environment. We can lead people to have friends. We can lead people to do all kinds of things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:31]:
We can be the social church. We can be the church that makes a difference in all these kind of areas, but we need to be leading people to Christ, who is King. It says it like this in Philippians 2, verses 9 to 11. Would you be kind enough to stand? Let's stand in reverence for God and reverence for His word as we read together, these verses. Ready? This is what it says. Let's begin. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that the name at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the father. And when we read this, this you might have read this before.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:23]:
You might have heard people say it before. You might have heard me say this before, and and we say it so often in the kind of a spiritual declaration, but as we look at this, it's really proclaiming that Jesus is not just savior. You know, somebody asked me recently, why is it that some churches have a a Jesus on the cross? If you ever seen the a crucifix, they call that, right, where Jesus is crucified on the cross, and that why is it that, like, Christian churches that they have a cross, but there's no Jesus on the cross? And I said, union rules. No. I was kidding. That's not the reason, but the and I said, it's because sometimes that what we see is that that that we were thankful that Jesus died on the cross, but that often that we'll say protestant churches or churches that are, Christian churches that are not Catholic because Catholics are Christians as well and they're good, solid brothers and sisters in in in Catholicism. But the reason why we do it is because Jesus is no longer on the cross. Right? He's been raised from the grave.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:37]:
He's resurrected. He's seated at the heavenly father. And what we have read about here is that right now God has given him all the honor above every name. And that if we were to hear what it says in heaven, when they're talking about the Father, talking about the Son, talking about the Holy Spirit, they say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come. And so we need to be reminded that Jesus that we serve, he he did suffer. He did die on the cross, but he's not dead no more. Right? He's alive. He rules and reigns in the heavenly realm.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:16]:
And so aren't you glad for that? Let's give him some praise. You guys can have a seat. He's still alive. Tell him tell your neighbor. Aren't you glad he's still alive? He's still alive. And it talks about this aspect that that he says that that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow. And what does that mean to bow like that? That you you're you're on your knee. It's a sense of humility.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:40]:
Right? There's a there's a spirit of humility and and and that we come before the god of heaven and on earth, and he says that, but who will who will bend their knee? And it says that 3 different places that in heaven and what does that speak of? That that the host of heaven, the angels, right, the the the sons of God in heaven that It says they proclaim that Jesus is lord. Right? They will bow and there is worship and and the the scriptures talk about and, like, we see in the book of Revelation that before the sea of glass, it says like in the sea of humanity that has already preceded us, that the the the angelic host that we see them magnifying the name of the lord, that that he is the one that says who who worthy are you, oh, lord, to receive glory and honor and power for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. We see these things and, they they declare God's praise. But then it says it's not just on heaven, but also on earth. Right? And and who is that? That's that's people like us. Right? That's people who are alive today. And, and so that we will have an opportunity that one day everybody, it says, on earth will bow their knee before Jesus. And and then it says, and those under the earth.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:05]:
And what is it talking about, and those under the earth? It's really a reference to those who have died and kind of are awaiting judgment. Now, the thing is that the reality is that not everybody that you know and not everybody I know, not everybody is a follower of Jesus. Am I right? Right? And we all know and people that we love and people that we care about. So what does it mean that every knee will bow and every tongue confess? And what we're really talking about is that this aspect that when you get to heaven, when you get to heaven how many of us, you struggle with something in life right now? Right? Everybody. Right? That's the reality of life, that we all have something that we're facing. There's always something that we work against, but it says that the the scripture uses this term, the day of the Lord. That the day of the Lord is on one hand a day of great rejoicing, and then sometimes you're gonna read in the scriptures that the day of the Lord is a terrible and a fearsome thing. And so you go, what is the day of the Lord then? Like, I don't understand this aspect.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:16]:
In the book of Thessalonians, it talks about this, the day of the Lord as well, even in the New Testament, but but what it's saying is that the day of the Lord will be a day of deliverance for some and the day of the Lord will be a day of judgment for others. It's two sides of the same coin. Right? And so what determines that? It depends on your response. Right? It depends on your response in this life. And so what it is saying is that although God loves everybody do me a favor. Turn to your neighbor who says, God loves everybody, even you. No. I was kidding.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:58]:
But you can say, especially you. Right? Maybe the word is better is to say, especially you. But we know not everybody not everybody willingly responds, receives, honors, submits to God. Right? We know that. Right? And and that maybe you've been that person at a different season in your life. Maybe you know others right now that you care about, but but this is saying that Christ is King is that at one point that how many of us have ever heard that somebody you know, I I talked to somebody says that, hey, if you were to die today, how sure that you'd go to heaven? You know, you're having a conversation and we talk about that like, oh, would you like to go to heaven? And I did talk to one guy who says, no, I'd rather go to And I go, what? Really? Are you serious? Why would you wanna go to hell? Because all my friends gonna be over there anyway, so we might as well like party out when we're in hell. And I said, you know, I know that's a kind of a thing you can say now, but don't think that's a place that you really wanna go because the description of that place, that place of judgment, is not a place that where to go to party. Right? It's not that when you go it's like you might have been a partier today, but that's not what you're gonna do in a place of judgment.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:17]:
And so what it's saying is that that even the most ardent atheist one day, one day, the most ardent atheist will bow their knee and confess, Lord, You really are God. One day. Right? You know, that one day that the most ardent Satanist, one day the most ardent, you know, partier, one day the most ardent, crazy, you know, person who's in rebellion against God. They're gonna bow their knee before Jesus and they're gonna confess, I was wrong, Lord. You are God. Right? And nobody's gonna be telling him like, Who are you to judge me? Nobody's gonna be saying that. Right? What they're gonna say is they're gonna say, Jesus, you really are Lord. Jesus, You really are who You said You were.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:15]:
And you know when that becomes that, I think it should remind us that that one day whoever stands before Jesus will one day be rejoicing and vindicated and delivered and all of the things that you struggle with and all of the things that have been difficult in your life, one day it says it will be all wiped away. And every tear that you've ever cried, right, this is the promise in Revelation. It says that He will wipe away every single one of your heartaches and your disappointments and your failures and your guilt, and your shame, and all of that will be gone. And all of your struggle in life, and all of the things that you felt have over him. He said one day all of that will be gone and you'll be made new. Right? What a wonderful does that sound good? Right? That's a promise. That's God's promise. But on the other hand, the people who don't respond, right, right, that the people who reject the message, who have said, God, I don't wanna be a part.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:24]:
If that's if you're a God I've heard some people say, like, my God wouldn't be like that. My God wouldn't judge anybody. My God wouldn't be and that the reality is, well, that your God wasn't God. And so it says for them, one day they will bow their knee and they will confess, but it will not be a pleasant thing for them. Right? And so with that in mind that we need to be reminded that when we tell people about Jesus, when we bring them, it's it's not because their lives are a mess. It's not because that they are the worst of the worst. It's not because that they they, they just need friends. It's not because that, they're sad and we need to make them happy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:09]:
It's because, spiritually, they're dead to God and they will face judgment. That's that's the reason we reach out to people. That's the reason we don't wish this on our worst enemy. This is the reason why we we do what we can to to let someone know that the God that made them, that God loves them and He cares for them, and we say even, maybe like on that card, that you matter. You matter to God. Your life matters to Him. There's a lot of us that we don't think our life matters at times. Maybe you feel like, you know, I'm an extra piece, like, in the in in the puzzle.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:52]:
You know, maybe I'm the extra piece in the model set. You guys ever, like, build a model or do a thing and it does an extra piece, and you go, like, oh, I don't know if this was an extra piece. You're not an extra piece. Do me a favor. Turn to your neighbors and say, you're not an extra piece. You were made by design and God says, everyone made in my image is is is of value. Right? You're of value. And, you know, one of the reasons one of the reasons why we have those cards in your, bulletin is that, recently I went to, you know, I went to go cut my hair, and, and we were just talking.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:31]:
I was talking with a gal who cut my hair, and I don't know how it turned out for something, and I just she asked me what I did, and I said, oh, I'm a pastor, and then she said where? And I said, New Hope Kapolei. She goes, oh, you know, I used to go to New Hope Pearl Community, and I go, oh really? Then you know we started talking about people and some people on that table over there, she knows you, right, and she knows people. And I go, oh, there's a lot of people, and she knows some other friends of mine and all these kind of things, and and I said, oh, where where are you going now? She said, oh, I haven't gone to church in years years years. Right? And so I I just said, hey. You know, we'd love for you to come join us. We're gonna have an anniversary next week and, you know, this coming weekend, and, like, we'd love to you can see some of the people that, you know, that you that you know actually. You'll you'll see people like that. And, you know, she said, well, you know, yeah, I'll I'll think about it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:28]:
And and I wanted to give her a card, and you know what I noticed is that I don't have a card that gave the address for where we are in Kapolei now. Like, it I might have something that has this address. I might have something that, has, like, about the the the previous services and and all that kind of stuff, but we didn't have anything that wasn't specific. Like, we did have an Easter card, and we did have a, a Christmas invitation, but we just didn't have anything that we could give somebody. Right? And and so I said, you know what? Like, I invited her and I texted her and, you know, did all those things, and then, you know, like, she said, I'll try my best. How many of you guys invited somebody and they say, I'll try to make it, and then you kinda know, like, well, maybe not that hard. They might not try that hard. Right? You guys but she actually showed up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:14]:
Right? She actually showed up, and she knew a lot of people, and she knew people. And and Tim was walking by and says, hey. You work at a place where I cut my hair. She goes, like, I recognize you, Taohao Lee, man. No. But she so but she had a great time. She hung out till the end. Right? And and the thing is that, you know what, that each of us, to be honest, that that you were made to influence somebody.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:40]:
Right? I didn't have a long relationship with this this gal. She's a great, you know, young lady too, but the thing is that I just invited her. And you know the thing is that God believes that not only that they matter, but you matter and that, to be honest, that you can actually reach people. You can actually reach people because there's people I'm gonna reach out to. They're not gonna respond to me, but they might respond to you. Right? There's some people you might reach out to that they might not respond to you, but they might respond respond to to Ben or they might respond to to to Rica, whoever that somebody we all can reach somebody. Amen. So who do we reach? You know, I I believe this, that, you know, it would be helpful for us to think in terms of a goal.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:27]:
Right? Because how many of you have ever tried to do something and you you say, this is a good idea. I wanna lose weight. And then what happens? You say the same thing, right, like I'm £15. I got £15 more to lose. I had £10 in the beginning. But, you know, like, because I didn't have a goal, I just gained £5. But here's the thing is that let's set a goal that I believe this is true for everybody, that each one can reach 1. Amen.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:53]:
Right? Each one can reach 1. There's somebody that that God has placed in your life that you can reach. And if you were to reach just that one person, you know, and and you were to invite them and let let's say that, you know, you might pray for them, they might give their heart to Jesus without coming to church, but each one reached 1, you know what would happen? This room would not be big enough. You just look at this room right now. If each one reached 1, this room wouldn't be big enough. And you know what that would be? A great problem to have, right? If everybody on Sunday that that they come in on Sunday, each one reached 1. You know what? That that room, we would have to probably go do another service. And you know what that would be? That would be a great problem.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:38]:
But the church would would literally double, and our influence corporately would double if just each one reached 1. How often? Well, once every 50 years? Well, that's a little bit too little bit too little. Right? Let's just say this. Each one reach 1 each year, and you know what? Our influence will continue to grow. Right? We'll double. And and to be honest, I'm not saying we gotta double every year or do all, but I'm just saying this, that would you set that as a goal? I think every Christian can say that. Each one can reach 1 at least, right, every year. Yes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:17]:
Amen. Because different seasons, different places that you'll go, some of them you'll be you'll meet at work. Some of them you'll meet in school. Some of them it's just your family. Some of them it's people that you live next to. Some of it is just when you're walking down the street, you're gonna see somebody. And one of the reasons why we have on that card just a little blank is that that sometimes you wanna give your phone number. Right? You wanna say, hey.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:38]:
You know what? Like, if you if you have anything, just call me. You right? You prayed for that person and, like, hey. You you like, and there's just a little spot. And you don't have to, but it's it's an opportunity. Right? So you say, hey. When you come, look for me. Right? And then you say, I usually go to Saturday night. I usually go to Sunday morning or whatever the case.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:58]:
And so that's one of the reasons why we we put that in for you because I believe each one can reach 1. Let's say that. Each one can reach 1 can reach 1 every year. Right? And that's me. No, no, no. Like, how come we got silent all of a sudden? Right? Let's say that. That's me. That's Right? I every one of us can reach 1.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:20]:
Yes. Amen. And, you know, as we we look at this because we need to be telling our friends and I I understand that that sometimes you tell your friends and then they they haven't responded. And you pray for your family and and they haven't come. But you know what? Maybe that's not the one this year. But keep praying for them. Keep reaching out for them. Right? Because my mom came to Christ.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:46]:
My brother came to Christ. My dad came to Christ. But did they all come on my timing? No. Right? My brother told me to my face. You're kind of nuts, right, when I became a Christian. Right? My dad thought, like, you know, like, you know, like who are you to tell me about God and stuff like that? Right? And my mom was the only one who didn't kinda say something like that, but they all came. Right? But you know what? I don't stop reaching out to people because just as they came to Christ. But it also I didn't stop praying for them when it took 18 years for my dad to come to Christ.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:29]:
So we don't know the timing that God has for people, but we can love people. We can reach people. We can share the gospel. We can pray for people. Right? We can we can ask them to come join us at some like a party with different things. Right? We can use these things because each one can reach 1. And let's go on. Here's the second thing I think that when we're moving forward, because it's it's not about having service every week.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:58]:
Although we do have service every week, Right? But it's about extending God's kingdom. And sometimes the extension of God's kingdom happens through you and sometimes it happens in you. And that brings me to the second point. You gotta work out what God is working in. You gotta work out what God is working in. You might be wondering what does that even mean? Well, let's read together in Philippians 2 verses 12 to 13. I think this will make more sense when we once we read the verse. Ready? Let's read what it says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:31]:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. And so this is one of the things it's saying is that you work out your salvation you work out your salvation. And the fact is that God is working even in you at times to change your heart, working in you to do the things that motivate, that that please Him, that that move you to reach out to people who are far away from God. And and so what we see is that you gotta work out what God is working in you. Now the appeal that Paul says when he when he shares this part in the letter of Philippians is the reason is he's a trusted spiritual father to these people, right? He's the founder of the church. He's stayed in contact with them. He's mentored them. He's encouraged them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:41]:
He's modeled it. He's been a friend. And so he says to them that, you know, for many of them, he led them to Christ personally, but because they knew nothing about God prior to Paul's coming. And so Paul leans into that. Right? And he says, hey, you know, you guys have been great that when I was there, you guys listened and we saw your lives change. That's amazing. But saying this is that, but you know I need you to follow through in the things that I'm saying even when I'm not there. Now Paul, when he's writing this to be honest, he doesn't really know for sure if he's gonna be able to see them again, Right? He doesn't know for sure.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:21]:
He actually gets to see them again, but he didn't know that at this time. And so he's saying, if this is the last time that you get to hear from me, if this is the last time, because I don't know what the future holds, would you still would you follow it through? Because this stuff is not something I say, this is not just something for the moment. This is something that we need to be committed to as followers of Jesus. And so he's saying this aspect that, hey, I need you to work on this. And what does he say? He's saying work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Now that some people confuse when they read this, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Is it saying it's not saying we don't work for our salvation. Right? Because you don't work for your salvation.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:12]:
Let's say this. We don't work for salvation. Right? You don't do something to please God. You don't have to, you know, give so much money. You don't have to, you know, go on a mission trip. You don't have to you don't have to prove anything. Right? You don't have to go and invite, you know, 10, you know, people on the street. That's not what salvation is that's not how it works.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:34]:
Salvation is a gift from God. Right? He gives it to you. It's a free gift. Let's say free gift. Free gift. You could never earn it. You could never deserve it. Right? And so when we're forgiven of our sin it's not because I outbalanced my sin by doing good things and walking 10,000 old ladies across the street in my lifetime.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:54]:
It's not like that, right? So we we receive it. Right? But he's saying once you have your salvation, he wants you to live it out. Right? He says he wants you to live out and work out what he worked in you. When he forgives you, when he brings new life, when he gives you a joy, when he gives you forgiveness, when he gives you peace, when he gives you his power, he's saying now once I he's invested this in you, let it not just be in you so we feel good and we're happy and we're safe, but we spread that. We work it out. And where do we work it out? Like, and part of it is he's saying I believe what he's saying in this part is just that you do this together as a community. Right? You do this together as a community. And that what we see is that then even in the things that you can see, the things that you can't see, God will be using this aspect to bring expand His kingdom because you're letting that kingdom be expanded in you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:04]:
Now how do you do this? He's saying what you find is that this Holy Spirit that's in you, the Holy Spirit that's in you is the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, so he gives you a power that's beyond your own. Because all of us have felt that I don't I don't have the power to do x. Right? Fill in the thing. Right? I don't have the power to change my circumstances. I don't have the power to go forward. I don't have the power to quit this habit. I don't have the power to, you know, attend to my health. I don't have the power to change, my friends.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:36]:
Everybody feel like that at one time? I don't have the power to change my past. You may not on your own, but this is what God says. But this is why I came so that your past can be forgiven and your present can be changed. Right? Yeah. Now that's why He came. Yeah. And so His his empowering presence doesn't make you not human. It makes you more human.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:04]:
But what do I mean by that? It's sometimes that people, like, they have an impression that when you become a Christian that, you know, you're supposed to be perfect. You guys ever had that feeling, right? I cannot mess up, I cannot have a, you know, I cannot do mistakes and all those things, and I you know, the scripture is clear is that it's not that he wants us to do those things, but maybe, I read this one guy who wrote that it's like if we think in terms of the Marvel world and the DC world, that the Marvel in cartoons, right, in comic land, right, that there's different superheroes, like let's say one is Batman and one is Spider Man. And so Batman is rich. Right? You guys know that in in the movies and the comics, Batman is like a multi billionaire guy. Right? He's rich. He's strong. Right? He's handsome. He has all these cool gadgets that all this kind of a CIA, James Bond, whatever.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:09]:
Right? He has all this stuff and so his superpowers stem from his external possessions. Right? He has this car that can drive up the wall. He has this thing that can shoot across a, you know, a building, and then, like, he can do all these things because he has all this extra stuff. Spider man is another guy in the Marvel Universe. Right? What happened to Spider man? He got bit by a spider. Right? He got bit by this, like, weird radioactive spider, and and all of a sudden something in him changes. Something in him changes. He doesn't know he didn't understand the changes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:51]:
He starts feeling stronger. He starts getting abilities that he never had in the past. And so all of a sudden that instead of just being the Peter Parker who was this goofy teenage boy, that all of a sudden now he's given some power and strength and abilities that makes him like a superhero. Right? Now here's what it's like. It's like we're supposed to be more like Spiderman than Batman. Right? When you get bit by the bug of the gospel, right, when it infects you, you start feeling the change. Right? You start if you start growing in that, you start getting stronger. All of a sudden that we all have things that have held us back, but you start getting abilities that you never had before.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:46]:
Right? We were talking in LifeGroup, recently, and and somebody we were talking about just that sometimes we all wanna reach out. You guys all everybody wanna reach out to somebody at some point, but what do you do when you reach out and it goes badly? You guys don't know what I mean? Like, you reach out to somebody and let's just say this, it's the person that you're reaching out to them not because they're nice, but it takes a lot from you to reach out to them because they're not nice. Amen. Right? You guys know what I'm talking about. Right? So sometimes we and and so I just was sharing this story about what had happened. I reached out to this I needed to talk to this person, but it it took me a while because I needed to make sure that if I reach out to this person and they take it really badly and they come across a different way, that I wouldn't, like, lose my cool. You guys know what I mean? Right? Because I want to reach out to this person. I need to have this conversation with this person.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:46]:
But if they start coming at me this way, I don't wanna be, like, full on, like, what? Right? Like, then all of a sudden, I ruin the message. Right? And so I I was just we were just talking and I said I said it took me a while because I needed to pray for this, needed to pray for them. And and we talked about, like, in that kind of a case, sometimes to do nothing in the immediate is better than doing the wrong thing. Right? And so we just wait I just waited, and then I talked to him. And then he started powering up, and he started making some threats and some accusations, and that's when I just felt like my fist going no. I was kidding. I'm joking. I didn't, like, I I didn't.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:28]:
But, like, I felt, like, God's presence. And I could say not fall into that trap, and I could speak with sense of calmness but a sense of authority, right, about, like, you know, about some limits that he I needed to place on this person and and this this kind of a situation. And at the end, it ended well. I would say this. I don't normally naturally have that ability. That's not me. That was Jesus in me. Because normally if somebody raises their voice to me, if I'm not watching and I'm not careful and somebody's yelling at me or coming at me aggressively, I I've seen myself.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:17]:
I know myself. Kind of that local boy thing come up too. Right? You know, that that stiffen up a little bit. And so but the Spirit of God is working through that. Same Spirit of God lives in you. Same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead is giving power to you. And so we live out our salvation. Right? We we say, god, I receive grace so I can give grace.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:48]:
And you know where that should start? It should start, like, in this room. It should start in the church. It should start in your family. Now for some of you, it's more challenging to reach out to your family because of all the kind of things that's gone on in the past. Right? So for some of you, and that's why it starts in the church sometimes, because you don't have that history. Right? So practice, sometimes encouraging. Practice speaking truth. Practice reaching out in love.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:23]:
Practice standing with something because you don't have history. They didn't stab you in the back. They didn't have, like, all this thing. They didn't criticize everything. And then you know what happens? You practice doing that, and then you realize, like, that's who I am too. I'm growing. I'm changing. And then you know what happens? Then you can do it to somebody who's a little tougher.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:42]:
And sometimes that's that person that you go home to. Right? Sometimes that's that person who lives next that kind of a thing. But we're working it out. So it's not just me, but I get to share that. Make sense?

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:58]:
Yes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:59]:
And so, you know, it's funny that I that I I've seen a lot of us change. I was talking with some folks about food pantry. Next week, we're gonna have food pantry, I think. Right? It's food next week. Right? Food pantry? Sue Delaney and the team, they do such a great job that feeding in this room just turned into totally something different, right? And guys like Karen and Derwin and a bunch of you guys are there every month and I see you guys and we're really proud of you and we're really grateful for you. But I remember talking to some guys once and I said, and we all became believers later, right? Like we weren't raised in the church. And so I asked them, I said, how many of you guys that before you were Christians you ever did anything like that? Like go to food pantry, go do something serving the community like that. And it's like with like 100%, like just a bunch of the guys being like, nope, nope, never did nothing like, oh, my wife went I think one time.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:08]:
Or like, you know, they kinda go, but I ain't, no, no, I'm not doing that. What happened? God started changing their hearts, their desires, the way they see people, the way they see their community, the way they see opportunities. And and so this is the thing. Sometimes there's things you and I, we don't wanna do. Right? You you have stuff that you don't wanna do Yeah. But you know you should do. Right? And and so this is what you can you can ask, you know, Lord, just tell the Lord that if there's something you don't wanna do, just tell him, Lord, I don't really don't wanna do it, but if you want me to, I'm willing. Just say, Lord, I really don't wanna do it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:54]:
Be honest with God. You can be honest with God. Turn to your neighbor and say, you can be honest with God. But being honest means this, if you're saying, God, I don't really don't wanna do it, but if you tell me, I'll do do it, then be willing for him to change you. Because the promise is this, that he is working to will your in your will and the way that He's working, giving you the ability to do things that sometimes you wouldn't do naturally, you cannot do naturally, you know, or you just don't want to. Right? And so I do wanna ask this, that's what working out your salvation is, like, working out what God is working in. Because I'll bet this, God's working on some of us in an attitude. God's working out in some of us in a habit.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:52]:
God's working out in some of us in some relational kind of a conflict or or impasse that you have, that He's working out in some of us maybe a financial thing that God that He's saying this, you know, you it might not make sense to other people, but this is what I'm doing. I'm working in you. And so, you guys ever been driving down the road and you see somebody singing in the car next to you? Anybody ever see that? Like, they just look kinda weird or crazy. Right? Or you ever see you ever watch a music video but like the music is not on because the volume is all the way down? Like, I've seen that some places in the gym, whatever, like, the TV's on and people dancing, and they're all doing these like weird moves that you would never do in like real life. Right. And it doesn't make any sense when you cannot hear the music, And but when you hear the music, sometimes you get, like, oh, that that makes sense. And, you know, sometimes the reason why people and the world doesn't understand the church is they don't always hear Father. We hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:13]:
And so when we move in that direction, that's okay if they don't understand. Because you know what? Do you remember when you didn't understand? Right? I remember when I didn't understand. I remember when I mocked the people that reached out to me. I remember when I made fun of Christians. I said, I don't care so much. I mean, I'm a human being so I might care a little bit. I don't care that much because I go like, why why should I get a bent out of shape? I did the exact same thing. They just don't hear the music yet.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:44]:
But we reach out because it's in that moment that at times the music is extended and played in their frequency. We're asking God, would you open up their eyes? God, would you open up their hearts? God, would you open up their ears so they can hear what you're saying? So that make sense? Yes. This is the last one. This is the last one. Well, let's read what it says first in in in Philippians 2:9 through 16. It says it like this. Do all things without grumbling or disputing. Right? That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God, without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ, I I may be proud that I did not run-in vain or labor in vain.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:43]:
And so, I think, you know, all of us that that if you look around at the world that at times you you we notice the changes, right, that have happened. We don't like I'm guessing many of us, we see the crime that has risen up in our, in our communities that we we don't recognize. It wasn't like that when when you were growing up. It wasn't like that a few years ago. It's different now. Right? There's different things that are happening in, like, different things are happening in the schools, different things that are happening in a community, different things that are happening in families, right, that that we see these things. And you might recognize that, yeah, it's gotten worse. I don't know anybody who has said that in the last few years, culture's gotten better.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:33]:
Anybody know anybody like that? Right? What do you think? In the last few years, has culture gotten worse or better? What do you guys say? Worse. Worse? Okay. And so just that it's not just me. Right? So the thing is that the good news is that in as dark as it is, right, as dark as it can be, that that that he's saying that that you are not called to be a light in that world. And the the picture is almost like when you look at the night sky, right, that if you ever go out to the north shore, if you ever go out to some place where there's away from the city, then what happened? What do you you actually see there's what? There's stars in the sky. And the black drop may be black as night, but the light shining gives it orientation. Right? The moon shines actually, you can you guys ever been in a place? I've been in a place times where you can actually read at night because the moonshine is so strong. And He's called us to be lights in this world's darkness.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:44]:
Right? Because if if what if we work out what God is working in, then you and I, we can be lights in the world's darkness even when even when people don't treat you well. Right? Even when the world is is harder, even when the world is more difficult. I read this story about, this lady who worked at a cafeteria called Luby's Cafeteria. It's in the mainland. And and there was a, what was that? Like a patron of that restaurant who would come every day for 7 years. His name was Walter Buck Swords, and, he went he ate every day at this cafe, and he had a favorite waitress. Her name is Melina Salazar, and, you know that he, Buck was actually a hard guy. He cursed a lot, he swore a lot, he complained a lot, stomped his feet, but that still this was his favorite restaurant.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:54]:
And every day for about 7 years, right, the preferred waitress, Melina, would wait on him and she would smile and she did whatever she could to help like, kind of like the most obstinate customer that she had. And after years of thankless service, something changed. Buck died and he never came back again, right? But later, a few days later, Salazar received a check for $50,000 and 2,000 Buick. And this this happened in 2,007. And and she asked like, where did like what happened? And she says, she was the recipient of Buck's will. So he gave to her $50,000 in the car that was like 7 years old at the time. And she says, I still I can't believe it. Right? Because you know, in reality, he was kind of mean.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:01]:
But he might have been mean, but she gave kindness. And we don't know what happened to Buck and what what his what happened to him eternally, but I do think this, is that when you show light in darkened times and that you were kind, where sometimes kindness is not deserved, but it's given. Where grace is not deserved, but it's given. Where faithfulness is not deserved, but it's given. You see people change. You see hearts change. You know, I had a conversation at our anniversary with some of our friends that I've known for quite a long time, and fellowshipping, with their family in another church now. And so, we're just catching up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:01]:
And we're talking, and we have a mutual friend, and he had come back, to Hawaii for a funeral, and so we were talking about all that stuff. And he said, you know, like it reminds me, I have a friend too, that he came now with cancer, and and it was real serious. And and I realized that even though we've been friends since high school, I never told him about Jesus. And he felt this conviction from the Spirit of God that like, you need to tell him. And he didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to do, but he called his friend who was sick and dying of cancer and he says, hey, you know what, I know you know I'm Christian and you know that I go to church and all that stuff, but I gotta say, I gotta apologize because all these years I never told you about Jesus. And he said, would it be okay if I told you about Jesus? And his friend said, yeah. And so he told them about how God loved him and God made him, and and that, you know, like with this life at times there's different things that happen, and some things are bad and some things are good, but, like, to be honest, all of us, none of us are really good. Right? We all make our mistakes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:54:18]:
We all have this thing. Bible calls that sin, and there's a price for that. We don't always see it, but Bible says price of death is death. But but that Jesus came to pay a price we could never pay. Right? So that we wouldn't have to face the day of the Lord as a day of devastation, but it can be a day of rejoicing if you respond to Jesus and you accept what he what He's done for us. And he was able to pray with his friend over the phone, and and he says, hey, would you like to come to church with me? And and he said, yeah, I I would. And then you know he had my friend had something so he couldn't go that week and the whole thing. And then the next week he called, or he got a call, I'm sorry, the next week before he was gonna call his friend.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:55:12]:
And he said, hey, you know I'm sorry, but dad died. And so his friend never had a chance to go to church, but he had a chance to hear the gospel, and he had a chance to respond. In an hour, he did. And so my friend said, you know what I started realizing? There's all these friends that I had, all my high school friends, I never told any of them about Jesus. So he called 4 of his friends, and 2 of them received Christ, and one of them goes to church with him now. Right? And, you know, in terms of of each one reaching 1, like, Dwayne's batting, 400. I mean, he's like like 4 times over. But here's the thing is that each one, we can reach 1.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:07]:
Right? Each one, we can make a difference. Because it doesn't matter how hard the situation is. It doesn't matter how hard their hearts are. It doesn't matter how hard the the circumstances of your life. You were made for more. But I wanna close with this this last story, and and I hope it makes sense. I mean, because I understand that the culture is different. It's like not as open seemingly as it used to be, but that's not really always true.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:41]:
But in the eighties, I don't know if you guys remember when, on the big island that the lava flow started happening, and it was moving down towards Kalapana in the eighties, and kind of culminated in the nineties where it it wiped out all of Kalapana, like about 180 some odd homes, and the Christian church, the Catholic church, the painted church was spared because it was put on a trailer and actually moved. Calipana store and drive in. Now that that store and drive in, that was my uncle's store. And my dad, went to go work with his brother, after our family business, burned to the ground in the eighties. And, so he went and he was working there. And, but everything. I grew up going to, Kaimu Beach and swimming, and you know, that was beautiful. Right? It was really nice, and sounds like Ben, like a bunch of us, we know what it was like.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:57:49]:
But since the nineties, since the eighties, like that place got totally covered over. The store still stands under 50 feet of lava. And in all these places in Kapoho and other places that were beautiful just looked like a moon landscape. Right? Just ruined it. Right? It's like it's just but 30 years later 30 years later, this barren lava rock, there's there's bits of grass that grow, there's bits of fern that grow, there's thousands now of coconut trees that are growing in the lava, in stone, in rock. Now the reality is what's stronger, grass or lava? Lava is stronger. Right? Except grass is alive. What's stronger, a fern or lava? Lava.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:58:58]:
Only thing that fern is alive. What's stronger, coconut tree or lava? Lava. Right? But here's the thing, when something's alive, no matter how hard it is, it has the capacity to break it down. It'll find a crack, it'll find a crevice, Like and some of you guys, you you're gonna walk out and go to your car after this, and you're gonna see on the side on the sidewalk, in the cement, there's a little crack. And what happens in that place? A little plant growing up. Why? Because it's alive. When Jesus is alive in us, it doesn't matter how dark the world, it doesn't how hard the turf, if there's an opening, what can happen? Life can sprout. Right? And the hardness can be broken.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:48]:
That's the sign. That's the lesson for us that our call, it says, yeah, the world might be dark, but our call's to reach the world. Right? Proclaim that Christ is King. To declare that that you know what? You might be your life might be a 1000000 miles away from God, but if you surrender that life to Jesus, he's gonna take it. He's gonna change it. He's gonna love you. He's gonna bless you. You're gonna change.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:00:16]:
Right? And the thing is that when we we work in the thing that God is we work out the thing that God is working in us, then there's gonna be a great capacity for us to be lights in a world of darkness. That make sense? Yes. Because that's where we're headed. Let's bow our heads, close in the word prayer. Father, this evening, we're here and to be honest, all of us we have we know that You're alive in us. But Lord we can't say there's no darkness in any part of our heart. We can't none of us can say that everything is perfect in our lives. Lord, there's some place that I'm sure that you wanna work in my life, and I might not know what it is, but would you just tell the Lord, you may know what it is, but you may feel its power, you may feel its pressure, but would you say, God, if you wanna work in that area, God, I'm willing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:01:20]:
It might be an attitude. It might be a it might be a relationship. It might be a direction, But would you say, saved, that's you, Lord, would you would you show me the place that you're working in right now in me? Could be a habit. And it's not just you gonna do it. You're gonna it's gonna require some of your effort, but if you're willing to work in the work out in that area that God is working in, it'll change. Lord, would you work out? Would you work in those areas so that we might work out the things that you're working in us? That we might become a little bit more like you. That we would be changed from the inside out. And that where we could say, Lord, that when we move into those areas and we do it differently, we'll say, God, that's you and me, that's not me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:02:25]:
But Lord, I thank you. We get to cooperate and by little by little, we're changed, we're transformed. Yes. And would Lord your light shine through us in a greater degree, Lord, that each one, including me, can reach 1 each year. Would you bless us today? In Jesus name, God's people say, amen. Amen. Amen. Thanks guys, God bless you.