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Have you ever been so overwhelmed with things to do that in your

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overwhelm you just like I got to sit down and write a list.

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Anybody ever did that?

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Who are my list people?

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Who makes lists?

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You are my people.

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I am a list maker myself.

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You get and when you made the list, did you ever feel at least a

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little bit better once you made the list?

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I do that all the time.

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There's just things going on in my brain and you don't want to

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know all that goes on in my brain.

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But anyway, you get to the point where you are overwhelmed and

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write down a list and you say, I got to do this and that.

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And much of the time, who has ever done this, once you wrote it

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down, you felt better and why did you feel better?

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One of the reasons you felt better was because what came was

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clarity.

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You didn't get anything more done.

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But you felt better because when you made the list, you got a

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little bit more clear.

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Some of you guys, this is like new revelation.

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You need to write this down and this is how you need to do life.

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Put it down on paper, externalize your thinking.

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It's not rocket surgery.

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Knowing what you need to do, yeah, I know, rocket, science,

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brain surgery, I put it together.

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Knowing what you need to do step by step helps, doesn't it?

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First do step A, then B, and then C.

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And that's exactly how so much of life works, isn't it?

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You have to crawl before you walk and you walk before you run

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and you have to run in order to play basketball well.

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You can't start.

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I was talking to a guy yesterday.

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I got to know a little bit.

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And he's around my age.

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He's in his 30s and his 40s.

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And he said he just took up hockey.

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And I said, wow, hockey, that's like taking up golf, right?

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Who here knows how to walk?

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Okay, and swing things.

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Right, so skating is a big part of what it means to play hockey.

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And he was saying that's the toughest part.

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There has to be a progression.

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You have to do one thing before you can do another.

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The Bible speaks a lot about progression as well.

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It talks about progression spiritually.

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It uses physical maturity as a metaphor for spiritual maturity.

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What do I mean?

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Jesus referred to being saved as being born again.

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Who knows what I'm talking about?

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That when you come to know Christ as your savior, the Bible says

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that that's like being born again or born from above.

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Paul tells us that know Christ as newborn babes desire the

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sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

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The Bible, the word of God speaks about spiritual babes, people

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who are growing, people who aren't growing.

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They talk about young men, about spiritual adults, and then

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talks about spiritual elders.

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All of those words are used, all of those kinds of concepts are

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used in the word of God, and they're pointing to a spiritual

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reality called spiritual maturity.

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Spiritual maturity.

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The Bible speaks of milk and then bread and then strong meat.

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And babies drink milk, and then they lead to eating bread,

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and eventually they eat meat.

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They go from being fed to learning how to feed themselves.

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And then to even paying for their own food.

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Now when I go home and I hang out with my parents, like when you

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go to the restaurants there's always a fight over who's going

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to pay for the bill.

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One day I'm going to pay for my bill when I go out to eat with

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my dad.

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It's going to happen.

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But children then, once they get to adulthood, then they have

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their own kids and the process starts over.

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You have children and you feed them milk and then bread and

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then meat, and hopefully you get them off the payroll and

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eventually they pay for themselves.

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And then they have grandparent.

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Then you become a grandparent.

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And the same is true spiritually.

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God wants, here's what I want you to know today.

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God wants us to grow spiritually.

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God wants you to grow spiritually.

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There are spiritually dead people.

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The spiritually dead people don't grow.

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They need spiritual life, amen?

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And the Bible talks about that.

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That you have to be quickened who are dead and trespasses and

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sins.

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So there's that spiritual life.

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But once you get saved, that's not the finish line.

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Becoming born again isn't the finish line.

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Baptism isn't the finish line.

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It's the starting line.

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God wants you to grow spiritually.

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Point to who God wants to grow spiritually.

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That's right.

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All of us including ourselves.

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And the point of growing spiritually is not just to be

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some specimen of God's grace.

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God wants to use us then to help other people to come to

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spiritual life and to grow spiritually.

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This is God's desire.

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Now, in the last couple of sermons, we've been in a series

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that is a little bit different from me.

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I'm used to being in a book of the Bible and we go verse by

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verse through the Bible.

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We just finished the ninth chapter of Hebrews and we started

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that back in the fall of last year.

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And I am still studying in Hebrews chapter 10 and I cannot

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wait to share with you.

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Like I'm so pumped about sharing that with you and we're going

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to do that in the month.

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We're going to restart that again in the month of August.

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But this series has been so important because it's sharing

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with you and the purpose of the series is to share with you

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what I believe is God's vision for our church and it's what

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we're trying to accomplish, what we're trying to do.

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And I said in the first week at the beginning of July that

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we have a problem.

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Who agrees that our country, there's a lot of problems in

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our country.

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There are all kinds of problems in our country.

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And that although they manifest themselves sometimes as

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political problems and economic problems and financial

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problems and that's how they manifest the fundamental issue

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in our country is a spiritual problem.

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That we have a spiritual problem.

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And the solution to spiritual problems are spiritual solutions

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that we need people to get saved.

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We need people to repent of their sins and turn to Christ by

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faith.

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And God's called us as a church to help solve those problems.

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And sometimes when you solve spiritual problems it does help

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out with financial and economic and political issues.

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But even if it doesn't, God's called us to do this mission

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that we're on.

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And that's what we talked about in week number two.

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That the solution to our problems is this.

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Our mission is the Great Commission.

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And that's why we call it our co-mission vision.

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We do this together.

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The Great Commission is found in five places in the Scripture

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although I believe it speaks of the whole of Scripture.

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And it gives us a robust view of our mission as a church.

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We reach people for Jesus by preaching the gospel of Jesus

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Christ to the lost.

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What is the gospel?

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The gospel is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became flesh.

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That he spent his life never doing wrong, always doing exactly

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right.

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He had no sin of his own to pay for.

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And he died on the cross for our sins according to the Scriptures.

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That he was buried and that he rose again on the third day for

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our sins according to the Scriptures.

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That God predicted what would happen.

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That Jesus would come, that he would die and rise again.

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And that's exactly what happened.

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And that the purpose of that is for us to be forgiven of our sins

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and have everlasting life.

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Who agrees?

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That's the gospel.

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That's what I need as a safe person.

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That's what the lost need.

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That's how we have any kind of hope.

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And when people believe the gospel, Jesus not only taught that

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gospel, not only lived that gospel, he then had people that he

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poured his life into, people that he discipled, and then commissioned

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to go baptize people in his name.

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And then to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded

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them with the goal of helping everyone who is reached, say

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everyone, everybody who is reached to join in that same mission.

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The Great Commission is bigger than just pastors.

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The Great Commission is bigger than just missionaries.

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It's bigger than just deacons and Sunday school teachers.

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Who are you with me?

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The gospel to follow Jesus Christ is to become a fissure of men.

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That's what God's called us to.

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And so we help people believe, we help them be baptized, we teach

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them to observe everything that God's commanded us.

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And that process needs to happen in every corner of the world,

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starting locally and then going to regionally and then nationally

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and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

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Who agrees?

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Not only does the United States need this, but every part of the

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world needs this.

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Paul said there's not Jew or Greek, male or female.

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There's one Lord overall and this is for everybody.

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That it's to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

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So the Great Commission is a process.

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And so last week we said, hey, if the Great Commission is a

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process and if everybody needs the gospel because there's a

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problem that everyone's sinned and we need to help not just

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people know Christ but become disciples of Jesus Christ, if

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that is our mission, we better have a process, a strategy for

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seeing that mission come about.

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And what we said last week just to review is that if we are

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going to do that, one of the best people we can imitate in that

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is who?

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Jesus.

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Not only was Jesus' words inspired, not only were they

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inspired, but his methods were inspired too.

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And we said since the Great Commission is a process, our

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church's strategy should reflect that process.

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And so we think at Trinity Baptist Church we think steps more

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than we think programs.

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We have a pathway that follows Jesus' method of ministry and

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making disciples.

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Jesus ministered to crowds.

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Our crowds are the people that we have an opportunity with.

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Amen.

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Who believes that Hancock County needs to be reached with the

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gospel?

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And everywhere we can touch we need to do that.

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But not just Hancock County, the state of Ohio and our country

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and then into the undermost part of the earth.

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Last week on Sunday night you got to meet Zeke Jezek who is a

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missionary who's going to Vietnam.

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This is a young man who, I probably shouldn't talk about this

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on the Internet because it's a closed country.

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But what we heard last week is that God has been working on

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this kid's life for years to send him back to make disciples of

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the nation there.

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Isn't that amazing?

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And so we get to interact with God with that.

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So we're trying to reach the world and we're trying to reach

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crowds.

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And so there's a process.

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We want people to go from crowds into our congregation.

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They get saved.

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They get baptized from our worship services into our

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community and to Sunday school classes where they get to know

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each other and love each other.

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And where people, guess what we teach in the Sunday school

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classes?

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We teach the Bible.

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We have a nine-year plan to go through every book of the Bible.

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And then from the Sunday school classes there's going to be

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people.

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We have people that are starting discipleship groups.

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And in those discipleship groups, men with men, women with

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women, we're teaching people to feed themselves with the word of

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God, to pray and to have a daily walk with the Lord and to know

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how to share the gospel with people and all those things that

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we're trying to do to help them to grow.

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And then it's out of those, all of those environments that we're

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saying we go from crowd to congregation to community to

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core and then to commission.

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And the commission is this, we're going to the neighborhoods

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and the nations.

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That's what we're doing, to reach people with the gospel of

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Jesus Christ.

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So I just preached the whole series to you up until now.

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If our problem is fundamentally spiritual, do you believe that?

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And if our mission is to share the message that opens people to

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conversion and to growth, to sanctification.

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And our church has a process to help us accomplish that mission.

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Who agrees?

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That's an important thing.

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To help people go from not believing to believing to then

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obeying everything God commanded and send out to make

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disciples of all nations.

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If that's what we're supposed to be doing, here's a question.

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How will we know?

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How will we know when our mission is being accomplished in

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someone's life?

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Remember I talked about steps?

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What are the indications that this process is working?

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Who wants the process to work?

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How do we know that this is actually happening in someone's

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life?

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What's the target?

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What do we think God will accomplish in someone's life once

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they've been saved and once they've been, once they are being

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sanctified?

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Well the short answer is this.

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The short answer to that question is spiritual maturity.

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Romans 828 says this.

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It will be on the screen.

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that

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love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.

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Now in Romans chapter 8, Paul's been talking about all the

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difficulty that people who know Jesus could experience,

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persecution, all that.

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And what he's saying to the Romans is God's going to work out

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all this difficulty.

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We know that those who know Jesus and are called to His

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purpose, God's going to use all of these difficulties for good.

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Is that exciting to anybody?

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So what is His purpose in bringing about that good?

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Verse 29, for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate

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to be conformed to the image of His Son that He, the Son,

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might be the firstborn among many brethren.

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You know what that means?

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God's plan for your life is this.

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He wants to make you like Jesus.

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You're like, ah, that's great.

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Are you kidding me?

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God wants to make you like His Son.

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And He wants to make you, you're in His family if you're saying,

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you're in His family if you're saved.

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And He's the firstborn among how many?

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Many brethren, right?

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Brothers and sisters.

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God's plan for all who would believe in Him is to make them

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like Jesus.

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That Christ would be the prototype of a whole bunch of people.

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And what did Jesus do?

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He was on the same mission with the same character that He has.

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Paul said it this way in Philippians.

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This is so exciting.

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He said, I thank my God.

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Paul is writing to the Philippian church.

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He says, I'm so thankful and I want to tell you what I've been

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thanking God for.

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That He which began a good work in you, He's talking to

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Christians, this God who began this work of salvation in you

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will complete it, sorry, always in every prayer of mine making

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mention of a request by joy.

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He says, from the fellowship in the gospel, from the first day

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of salvation, now, being confident in this very thing that He

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which began a good work in you will perform it in the day of

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Christ Jesus.

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Between the day of your salvation, here's what's cool, when you

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get to heaven you are going to be ultimately like Jesus.

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Who's excited about that?

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Like, I can't wait to get to heaven and to be exactly who God's

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made me to be.

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So why am I still on this planet?

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There's some things we can do here that we can't do there.

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There's some people, you know, the one thing you can't do in

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heaven is win sinners to the Savior.

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There are people here, you know what you can't do in heaven that

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you can do here?

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Our commission vision.

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There are people that, who is glad that someone gave you the

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gospel?

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I'm so glad that that happened.

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And what Paul tells us and what God tells us is, and what's

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clear is God's plan for us is that we would be saved.

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If you're here today and you don't know for sure that when you

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die you're going to heaven, I want you to know there is a

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heaven and there's a hell.

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Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven.

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It's not a fun reality.

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And if we were to just have a glimpse of what heaven would

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look like or hell would look like, I think we would live

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differently.

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God's plan for us is that we would be saved and that once we

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are saved we would grow to be like his son.

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And so here's the truth.

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This side of heaven we cannot be perfect, but we can be

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perfected.

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Let me say that again.

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On this side of heaven we will not be perfect, but we can be

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perfected.

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On this side of heaven we cannot be sinless, but we can

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sin less.

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Are you with me?

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We can't be sinless, but we can be sanctified, right?

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We can become sinless.

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And God's desire is for us to be growing, to be growing in our

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walk with him.

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It's part of the great commission.

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What is it?

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Make disciples of all nations.

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Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy

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Ghost.

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What is it?

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Teaching them to observe or to obey all that I've commanded

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you.

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These are the areas.

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This is what God wants us to do.

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So as we grow this will show up in our lives.

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Here's the point of today's sermon.

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The life of a mature disciple of Jesus Christ.

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What's God's will for your life?

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If you're not saved, God's will for your life, he is not

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willing that any should perish but that all should come to

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repentance.

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God wants you to be saved.

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Once you get saved, he wants you to be baptized, to go public

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with what he's done inside of you.

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And then he wants to grow you into maturity and get you on to

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the same mission that found you to help you get saved.

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That's what he wants.

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So he wants you to grow in maturity.

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The life of a mature disciple of Jesus, what did I ask the

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question?

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What will it look like if that mission is being accomplished?

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Will it look like spiritual maturity?

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What does that look like?

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The life of a mature disciple of Jesus Christ is characterized by

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continued growth in these five disciplines.

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I'm going to talk about the first three disciplines this week

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and then the last two next week.

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Now, I've reflected for a long time, I've thought about what

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these disciplines should be for like the last six months and

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even further back in my life.

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And I want you to know that as I present these to you, these

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disciplines are not what we do in order to be saved.

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Okay?

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You don't grow in spiritual maturity to be saved.

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You grow in spiritual maturity because you've been saved.

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That's really important because there's whole systems of

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theology that get that completely backward.

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That the way you have spiritual life is by doing a bunch of

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good stuff.

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And what I can tell you is this, you can't do enough good to

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transform yourself fundamentally.

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That's what's called conversion.

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That's what's called regeneration.

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That's what Jesus has to do in you first.

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Are you with me?

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These disciplines are what happen when God gets his Holy Spirit

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to live inside of you.

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That's called conversion.

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And then he grows you and as he grows, what is it that's going

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to grow?

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Well, that's what these five disciplines are talking about.

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These are areas that God will grow in us as we walk with him.

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And I also want to say that I believe that there's an order

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here that's typical.

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Each of these disciplines affect all of the other ones and are

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used as a part of the whole to get the great commission

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accomplished in the world.

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Are you with me?

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That was a long introduction.

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Here are the five disciplines.

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Number one, a spiritually matured disciple of Jesus Christ has

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these five disciplines.

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Number one, the discipline of faithfully assembling.

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Faithfully assembling.

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The word that's translated in the New Testament church, whenever

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you read in the New Testament and it says church, that word, you

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know, the Bible wasn't written in English.

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Okay.

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There's Hebrew in the Old Testament, Greek in the New Testament.

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We, we, and we translate and that's how we got the translation

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that we're reading today.

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The word for assembly is the word for church is the word

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assembly.

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It's the New Testament Greek word eklasea and most literally

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means assembly.

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Here are just a few clear teachings about someone being a

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disciple of Jesus and faithfully assembling.

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If you look here, Bible, it'll be up on the screen.

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You can write these verses down.

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Ephesians 522, the Bible says this, wives submit yourselves

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unto your own husbands as unto the Lord.

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For as the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ, for

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the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head

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of the church and he is the savior of the body.

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Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let wives

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be to their own husbands and everything.

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Here we go husbands.

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Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the

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assembly, the church, and gave himself for it.

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Now that passage says a lot about husbands and wives.

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And it uses this metaphor of Christ in his assembly.

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Here's the point I want to make.

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Christ loves the assembly.

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Who agrees?

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Christ loves the church.

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He loves the assembly.

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But he loves it so much he gave himself for it.

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The word assembly speaks of people.

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Baptized here, baptized believers in Jesus Christ, those who

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have been saved and baptized in part of that local church.

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It's not a building.

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This is not the church.

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Okay?

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This building is not a location.

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This location is not the church.

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Christ's assembly is a people.

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The people gather and go.

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That's what we do.

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They worship, then they serve.

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That's what an assembly does.

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They gather for equipping, and then they live out in the

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world on mission.

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You're not dismissed.

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You're sent.

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That's what we do.

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This was the pattern of the early church's discipleship.

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In Acts chapter 2 verse 41, it says this, then they that

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gladly received His word were baptized and the same day were

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added unto them, added unto the assembly, about 3,000 souls,

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and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and

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fellowship and breaking of bread and in prayers, and fear came

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upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the

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apostles, and all that believed were... where were they?

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What constituted them being apart, believing in baptism?

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Right?

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All that believed were together.

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They had all things in common.

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They cared about each other.

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They sold their possessions and good and parted them to all men.

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Every man had need, and they continued daily in one accord in

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the temple and from house to house to eat their meat with

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gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor

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with all the people, and the Lord added to the assembly, the

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church, daily, such as should be saved.

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So do you see the pattern in the early church?

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Once people became disciples of Jesus Christ, they were added

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to the assembly.

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A lone ranger Christian is not a biblical Christian.

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A Christian is one who loves what Jesus loved and Jesus

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gave himself for the assembly for the church.

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And when Jesus sent his disciples out to make disciples of all

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nations to observe all the things that he taught them to do,

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what did they do?

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Fundamentally, this assembly that he had brought together then

516
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:11,000
did that and added people to that assembly.

517
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:15,000
Are you seeing what I'm talking about?

518
00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:19,000
That's why, like, we have the streaming online, and I'm glad

519
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,000
people get to kind of see what's going on here.

520
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,000
And if the gospel can get out of this building through a camera

521
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,000
and an internet connection, that's awesome.

522
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,000
And I want to say to you, if you're watching online, we're so

523
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,000
grateful that you can get something out of this, but it's

524
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,000
not the same as assembly.

525
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,000
You need to be with God's people.

526
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:40,000
They need to know you.

527
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,000
You need to know them.

528
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,000
That's what it means to be a part of an assembly.

529
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,000
That's why the author of Hebrews commanded us this way in

530
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,000
Hebrews 10, 23 to 25.

531
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,000
He says this, let us hold fast the profession of our faith

532
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,000
without wavering for he is faithful, that promise.

533
00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:03,000
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to

534
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:10,000
good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together

535
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,000
as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another.

536
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,000
And so much the more as you see the day approaching.

537
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,000
When we assemble, it ought not to be that we come just to consume

538
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,000
a product of some kind of entertainment.

539
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:25,000
That's not the point.

540
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,000
I don't want to make you guys go to sleep.

541
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,000
I want to keep your attention.

542
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:32,000
I hope you enjoy this.

543
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:37,000
I hope that this isn't difficult to listen to, but my goal is not

544
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,000
to entertain you.

545
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,000
I want the word of God to transform you.

546
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,000
And if the word of God is transforming you, you won't get

547
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:47,000
bored.

548
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,000
It's going to be awesome.

549
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,000
But the point of assembling is not to consume a product.

550
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,000
He says here, it's to provoke unto love and good works.

551
00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:00,000
Anybody here need encouragement sometimes?

552
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,000
Is it hard out there?

553
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,000
Man, sometimes it is.

554
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,000
I have people this week.

555
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:11,000
I got phone calls this week where people's lives are going to

556
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,000
never be the same because of what they're going through.

557
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,000
You know people are icebergs, right?

558
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:22,000
There's a part you see that's called social media.

559
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,000
And there's a whole bunch that you don't see.

560
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,000
And what you don't see often doesn't match what you do see.

561
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:30,000
Are you with me?

562
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,000
And that's for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

563
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,000
We need people to know us and to love us.

564
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:41,000
And people need us to love them and know them and encourage them.

565
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,000
In Colossians chapter, so when we come together, part of what we

566
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:49,000
do is not just sit and listen to a sermon or sing a song and

567
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:50,000
worship, we do that.

568
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:54,000
But part of what we do is provoke one another to love into good

569
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:55,000
works.

570
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,000
We need to know each other and care about each other and love

571
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,000
each other.

572
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,000
That's what an assembly does when it comes together.

573
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:05,000
In Colossians 3 we are told that even our music, songs and hymns

574
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,000
and spiritual songs, that even that ought to teach and

575
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,000
admonish us who are being controlled by the spirit.

576
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,000
So what the writer of Hebrews is saying, and I'm going to get to

577
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,000
it in the next month, but here's what he's saying.

578
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,000
Hey assembly, don't stop assembling.

579
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:23,000
Don't stop assembling.

580
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:27,000
As the day of the Lord approaches, you need more teaching,

581
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,000
not less.

582
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,000
You need more provoking, not less.

583
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,000
You need more exhorting and admonishment, not less.

584
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,000
In fact, this is the biblical pattern of what ought to happen

585
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,000
in the context of the body.

586
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:41,000
In Ephesians 411 he says this, and he gave some apostles and

587
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,000
prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for

588
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:51,000
the perfecting or the equipping or the growing of the saints.

589
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,000
Now let me ask you a question.

590
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:54,000
Who's a saint?

591
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:55,000
Yeah.

592
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,000
There are some systems of theology that teach that a saint is

593
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,000
someone that does enough good work so that they reach some kind

594
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,000
of status as a super good Christian.

595
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,000
How many of you have ever heard saint use that way?

596
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:09,000
Right?

597
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:10,000
That's not a saint.

598
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,000
In fact, some systems of theology, they just took the old pagan

599
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:14,000
gods and made them saints.

600
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,000
That's a whole other thing.

601
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,000
Okay.

602
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:19,000
So not everybody, even in that system, that was a saint, it's

603
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,000
even a Christian.

604
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:22,000
That was free.

605
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,000
Okay.

606
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,000
That's not what a saint is.

607
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,000
The saint, biblically speaking, is a sanctified one or a

608
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:30,000
set-apart one.

609
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,000
And so those who have been saved are saints.

610
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,000
We've been set apart unto salvation.

611
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,000
What don't you know that your bodies are the temple of the

612
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,000
Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you're

613
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,000
not your own, you're bought with a price, therefore glorify God in

614
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,000
your body and in your spirit which are God's.

615
00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,000
You've been sanctified, set apart.

616
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:53,000
And God gave leaders in the church to help equip those of us who

617
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,000
are in the church to do what?

618
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,000
The work of the ministry so that the body of Christ, the

619
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:03,000
assembly, can be built up, edified, encouraged.

620
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:04,000
How's it built up?

621
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,000
That people are grown in discipleship and people who are

622
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:11,000
lost get saved and are added to the body.

623
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:16,000
That's the plan.

624
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:20,000
And so the point of assembling is that the saints or the

625
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,000
sanctified ones would be equipped.

626
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:25,000
So if I were to sum up this discipline of the life of a

627
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:28,000
disciple, here's what I would say and I put it on the screen.

628
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:33,000
A disciple, a Christ follower, the first discipline of his

629
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,000
life, the first kind of mark of he's growing in his life is

630
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:41,000
this, a Christ follower prioritizes being part of a

631
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,000
local New Testament body of believers.

632
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:48,000
They are a baptized member of their local church and they

633
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:52,000
make it their priority to attend the services.

634
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:58,000
When they are there, they worship the Lord, who agrees.

635
00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:06,000
When we sing, we sing to the Lord.

636
00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:11,000
There is a vertical and upward direction.

637
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,000
We also, there's a man-word direction.

638
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,000
He says teaching to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and

639
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,000
spiritual songs, singing and making melody.

640
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,000
There's also an inward direction, singing and making melody

641
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,000
in your hearts to the Lord.

642
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:29,000
So we worship God, but they also edify fellow members and

643
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,000
seek to grow in their relationship with God and other

644
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,000
believers.

645
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,000
You need the Lord.

646
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:42,000
You need to be equipped and you need to be edified and you

647
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,000
need to do that with other people too.

648
00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:48,000
So the first discipline, not only is it growing in the

649
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:51,000
sense that you're, I'm actually attending, but when you

650
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,000
come, you're coming for the right reason.

651
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:59,000
It's the Lord's day I'm going to do, spend time with my fellow

652
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:00,000
believers.

653
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,000
So here are some application questions.

654
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:06,000
Are you prioritizing assembling with your local church?

655
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,000
Is your motive for attending to worship God and grow from

656
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:10,000
his word?

657
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,000
Is your motive for attending also to encourage and build up

658
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,000
others in the body?

659
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:19,000
Here's number two.

660
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,000
The second discipline that I want to talk about of a growing

661
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,000
spiritually mature person is this, obediently walking,

662
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:31,000
faithfully assembling, obediently walking.

663
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,000
Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to have a

664
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:39,000
relationship with God.

665
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:42,000
Now that might sound like, I've heard that a hundred times,

666
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,000
think about what I just said.

667
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:49,000
Jesus Christ has made it possible for you and I to

668
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,000
commune with the God of the universe.

669
00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:56,000
To have an actual relationship with God.

670
00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,000
He saved us and he sanctifies us and now we have the

671
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:03,000
opportunity to commune with him.

672
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:07,000
His spirit lives inside of us and indwells us.

673
00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,000
And as we've learned from the book of Hebrews, Jesus is our

674
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:14,000
high priest representing us before God and interceding on

675
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:15,000
our behalf.

676
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:23,000
Not only can we know about God, we can know God.

677
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,000
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man

678
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:30,000
coming to the Father but by me.

679
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:35,000
Relationship then happens through communication.

680
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,000
Pretty basic.

681
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,000
No communication leads to little relationship.

682
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,000
Now when you get saved, the Bible calls that being born

683
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,000
again, right?

684
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:52,000
I am Dennis Jennings son because I've been born.

685
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,000
So there's a positional relationship.

686
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,000
Who agrees?

687
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,000
No matter what I do, I'm always going to be Dennis Jennings

688
00:34:58,000 --> 00:34:59,000
son.

689
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,000
That's because of a birth.

690
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,000
When it comes to your spiritual life, when you get saved,

691
00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,000
you become a part of God's family because there's a birth.

692
00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:12,000
But to have a relationship with him, to get close to him,

693
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,000
right?

694
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,000
It takes communication.

695
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,000
How does that happen?

696
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:18,000
It happens number one through his word.

697
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,000
God speaks to us through his word.

698
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:23,000
Second Timothy 3.16 says this, all Scripture is given by

699
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:27,000
inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for

700
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,000
reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness

701
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:36,000
that the man of God may be perfect, perfected, mature,

702
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:40,000
growing, growing spiritually.

703
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:43,000
The man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished

704
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:44,000
unto all good works.

705
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:48,000
God gives us his word to help us understand what we,

706
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,000
what to know and how to behave.

707
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,000
It corrects the way we're thinking that's wrong and how

708
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,000
we're behaving that's wrong.

709
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,000
And when we think the way God thinks, we begin to behave

710
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,000
the way that God wants us to behave.

711
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,000
When the word gets into us, then the word of God is what's

712
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:06,000
going to come out of us.

713
00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,000
That's the plan.

714
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:11,000
The word, the spirit that wrote the word of God controls us

715
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,000
as we submit to him.

716
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,000
The goal of Scripture is the goal of the spirit to equip us

717
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:16,000
for every good work.

718
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,000
Second Timothy 2.15 says this, study to show

719
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:23,000
thyself approved unto God a workman that needs not to be

720
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:27,000
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

721
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:32,000
When we commune with God through his word, he uses his word

722
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:36,000
to speak to us.

723
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:38,000
God wants to speak to you.

724
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:40,000
Here's how he does it.

725
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000
He wrote a book.

726
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,000
And the author of this book, when you get saved, comes and

727
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:48,000
lives inside of you.

728
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,000
And so God wants to help you to learn and to grow through

729
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:52,000
his word.

730
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,000
He speaks to us through his word.

731
00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,000
We speak to him through prayer.

732
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,000
The disciples came to Jesus and what do they say?

733
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,000
Lord, teach us to pray.

734
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:06,000
I believe that a distinguishing mark of the ministry of Jesus

735
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,000
was his prayer life.

736
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,000
Christ gave himself to prayer.

737
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:15,000
Before he did ministry, he spent 40 days in the wilderness.

738
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:16,000
What was he doing?

739
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,000
He was praying.

740
00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:21,000
Before he chose the 12 disciples, he stayed up all night.

741
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:22,000
What did he do?

742
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,000
He prayed.

743
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,000
As he did ministry all the time, what would he do?

744
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:28,000
He would pray.

745
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,000
In times of solitude, he would send away his disciples and he

746
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,000
would go be with his father and he would pray.

747
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,000
And Jesus did teach them to pray and it was present, these

748
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:42,000
disciples, it was present from day one of the church being

749
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,000
empowered by the Holy Spirit.

750
00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,000
Acts 2.41 says, then they that gladly received his word were

751
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:50,000
baptized, the same day they were added into about 3,000 souls

752
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,000
and they continued steadfastly in the apostles, doctrine,

753
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:58,000
fellowship, breaking of bread and in, and in what?

754
00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:01,000
Prayer.

755
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:06,000
I believe church will only get as far as our prayer life.

756
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:10,000
I believe God wants us to pray.

757
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,000
That's why the apostle Paul told the church in Thessalonica,

758
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:16,000
pray without ceasing.

759
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,000
Don't stop.

760
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,000
When we get into God's word and spend time with the Lord in

761
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,000
prayer, we can be transformed from the inside out.

762
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,000
This is how we walk with the Lord.

763
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,000
And as we abide in Jesus, he transforms us.

764
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:32,000
Jesus himself put it this way.

765
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:36,000
Now church, you're saying something and you're like, man,

766
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,000
I hope they're getting it.

767
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,000
That's where I feel like I'm at right now.

768
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,000
I'm sweating.

769
00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,000
I'm chubby.

770
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:50,000
I'm chubby.

771
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:57,000
I'm so passionate about this.

772
00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:04,000
The God of the universe wants to hear from you.

773
00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:08,000
And he wants to speak to you.

774
00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:12,000
And he says he wants to transform you and fundamentally he's

775
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,000
going to do that in the time that he spends with you and in the

776
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,000
time that you spend with him.

777
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,000
You're like, really, Ben, you're just talking about devotions.

778
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,000
Yeah.

779
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:30,000
You need more Bible than I can give you.

780
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:34,000
Because you're not going to grow because of me.

781
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:38,000
You're going to grow because of God.

782
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,000
And why is that so important?

783
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,000
Because God's got a mission for you to be on.

784
00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,000
It's called parenting your kids.

785
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:51,000
It's talking about being a neighbor in your neighborhood.

786
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:54,000
And he loves you so much.

787
00:39:54,000 --> 00:40:01,000
Like your relationship with God is so much better than NFL football.

788
00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:06,000
It's so much, there's so much pleasure and satisfaction.

789
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,000
So much better than athletics.

790
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:13,000
So much better than entertainment.

791
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,000
Jesus said this, now are ye clean through the word which I have

792
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:18,000
spoken unto you.

793
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,000
Abide in me.

794
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,000
Remain in me.

795
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,000
And I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except

796
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,000
to abide in the vine.

797
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:30,000
No more can ye accept ye abide in me.

798
00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:32,000
I am the vine.

799
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,000
And ye are the branches.

800
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:39,000
He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much

801
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,000
fruit.

802
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:47,000
For without me ye can do nothing.

803
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,000
I believe this is such a key.

804
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:54,000
You can't eat once a week and be spiritually nourished enough to

805
00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:58,000
do anything for the Lord of any eternal substance.

806
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,000
You need more than that.

807
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,000
I'm not saying that you can't do anything for the Lord if you don't

808
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:04,000
do your worship.

809
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,000
That's not what I'm saying.

810
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,000
I'm saying the long-term health of your spiritual life is connected

811
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:16,000
to your walk with the Lord in His word and praying for Him.

812
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:20,000
So if I were to sum up this discipline in the life of the

813
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,000
disciple, I would say this.

814
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:26,000
A Christ follower stays in communication with God daily.

815
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:30,000
They do this through a consistent and close prayer life.

816
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,000
They also study God's word to hear from God to understand what

817
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:38,000
He's taught and to obey what He has said.

818
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:42,000
The word of God is used by the Holy Spirit to equip them for

819
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:46,000
every good work.

820
00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:49,000
Do you get it?

821
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:52,000
So here's some questions.

822
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,000
Are you growing daily in your relationship with God through

823
00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:59,000
prayer?

824
00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:03,000
Are you growing daily in your relationship with God through

825
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,000
hearing and obeying His word?

826
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:10,000
Is your life becoming more like Christ through consistent

827
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:15,000
repentance and faith?

828
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:19,000
The life of a mature disciple of Jesus Christ is characterized

829
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:23,000
by faithful assembling, by obedient walking.

830
00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:25,000
Here's the third one.

831
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:29,000
By generously serving.

832
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,000
Last one for today.

833
00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:36,000
As people get saved and added to the church, the goal is to help

834
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:40,000
to continue steadfastly, help them to continue steadfastly in

835
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:43,000
the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread

836
00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:44,000
and prayer.

837
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:47,000
We help them faithfully assemble so that then they can walk with

838
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:48,000
the Lord.

839
00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:51,000
Do you get the pattern?

840
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:53,000
They're coming here to be equipped.

841
00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:56,000
They're sitting out and equipped to do that.

842
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,000
I've seen those who get into God's word and spend time with God

843
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:05,000
in prayer growing away as it becomes a consistent part of

844
00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:09,000
their life that God grows them in a way that they could not

845
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:10,000
have otherwise.

846
00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:13,000
What seems to follow is not just incredible transformation of

847
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:19,000
their life, but incredible ministry from their life.

848
00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:21,000
Do you get it?

849
00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:25,000
The best ministry that I get to do comes out of the overflow of

850
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:29,000
what God's already doing in me.

851
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,000
Are you with me?

852
00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:35,000
The best ministry that I'm able to do in the life of people comes

853
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:40,000
out of what God's already doing in me.

854
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:45,000
I want God to work in me so that when God uses me, it's really

855
00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:47,000
me doing what God wants me to do.

856
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:50,000
I've done enough ministry in the flesh to know that I mess it up.

857
00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:52,000
Right?

858
00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:58,000
Every person, here's the thing, every person is gifted by God

859
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:03,000
with talents and abilities and spiritual gifts and resources

860
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:05,000
and opportunities.

861
00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:06,000
Are you with me?

862
00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:07,000
Everybody.

863
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:09,000
If you're saved, you have all those things.

864
00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,000
And all these things came from God.

865
00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:14,000
Every person is uniquely and especially gifted by God with

866
00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:15,000
spiritual gifts.

867
00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:19,000
Paul referred to this in Romans 12.5 when he said this.

868
00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:24,000
So we being many are one body in Christ and every member,

869
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,000
everyone members one of another.

870
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,000
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that has

871
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:33,000
given us, whether prophecy let us prophesy according to the

872
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:37,000
proportion of faith or ministry let us wait on our ministry,

873
00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,000
ministering or he that teaches on teaching or he that exhortes

874
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:44,000
on exhortation, he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.

875
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:49,000
He that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy with

876
00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:50,000
cheerfulness.

877
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:52,000
Here's what I want you to get from that text.

878
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:56,000
God places people in the body of Christ and I believe in their

879
00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:59,000
entire sphere of influence, why?

880
00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:04,000
To use their gifting to serve him and to make him known.

881
00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:09,000
God has gifted you with talents and abilities and resources

882
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:13,000
and opportunities and he wants you to use those things for him.

883
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:18,000
In Ephesians 2.8 it says this...

884
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:23,000
And that salvation, not of yourselves, it's a gift of God.

885
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:26,000
Not of works lest any man should boast.

886
00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:29,000
You're not saved because of any good works, amen?

887
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,000
But then he says this...

888
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:44,000
That word workmanship is the word poema.

889
00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:47,000
It's where we get the word poem from.

890
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:52,000
It's this idea that we are God's work of art.

891
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,000
We are God's craft.

892
00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:58,000
God's working on you, Cheryl White.

893
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:00,000
You need some work.

894
00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:02,000
You need some work.

895
00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:03,000
Amen.

896
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:09,000
And he's gifted you with abilities and talents and time.

897
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:14,000
And he's placed you in this body and he wants, he's molding you

898
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:18,000
and making you by being equipped as you faithfully assemble, by

899
00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:22,000
helping you grow in him and abiding him and bear fruit as

900
00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:24,000
you're obediently walking with him.

901
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:29,000
And as you grow and as you are, as God does that in your life,

902
00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:34,000
what's amazing is that God puts you in places, you in places in

903
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:39,000
the body where you can edify and help and build up and minister

904
00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:41,000
to the rest of the body.

905
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:44,000
And what he's doing in Cheryl's life, he's doing in Dave Fawcett's

906
00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:45,000
life.

907
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:48,000
And Dave Fawcett and Cheryl White are not alike.

908
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:50,000
Who's glad?

909
00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:56,000
They're not the same person.

910
00:46:56,000 --> 00:46:59,000
And Dave's different than Jeff back there and Jeff's different

911
00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:03,000
than Chris and Chris different than Rob.

912
00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:04,000
Right?

913
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:06,000
Rob's got a long beard, man.

914
00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:07,000
That's awesome.

915
00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,000
God's made him different.

916
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:11,000
Who's glad for that?

917
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:13,000
Does God know what he's doing?

918
00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:14,000
He does.

919
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,000
He does.

920
00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:19,000
And he wants to grow us as we abide in him so that then we can

921
00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:23,000
be used inside the body and outside the body to accomplish

922
00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:28,000
what he wants us to accomplish.

923
00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:32,000
I'm so excited about this.

924
00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:34,000
God has gifted us for service.

925
00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:36,000
That was Jesus' mentality himself.

926
00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:40,000
And Matthew, it says, Jesus called unto them and said, you know

927
00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:44,000
that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and

928
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,000
they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall

929
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:51,000
not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you, let

930
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:56,000
him be your minister and whoever will be chief among you, let him

931
00:47:56,000 --> 00:48:01,000
be your servant even as the son of man came not to be ministered

932
00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:08,000
to but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

933
00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:13,000
Who agrees that Jesus deserved to be served?

934
00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:15,000
But he said, I didn't come to be served.

935
00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,000
I came to serve.

936
00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:19,000
What's the best way to serve?

937
00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:21,000
He gave his life a ransom for many.

938
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:24,000
And so God equips people to serve.

939
00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:27,000
He equips people to do music.

940
00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:29,000
If you're equipped to do music and you're not doing it in the

941
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:33,000
body, shame on you.

942
00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:40,000
It's not your gift to play with.

943
00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:43,000
It's your gift to use to glorify him.

944
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:45,000
Christ loved and gave himself for the church.

945
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:46,000
You're making me feel guilty.

946
00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:50,000
Good.

947
00:48:50,000 --> 00:48:52,000
Time to grow up.

948
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:54,000
It ain't about you.

949
00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,000
Amen.

950
00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:00,000
I'll amen myself.

951
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:05,000
If God wants to use you to teach, the body will understand that

952
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:08,000
and know that and you learn that as you serve.

953
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:10,000
Go serve and we'll figure out what you're good at and trust me,

954
00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:12,000
we need people, we need people.

955
00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:14,000
We got Hancock County to reach.

956
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:18,000
I was told recently, your church is so big, you got plenty of people to

957
00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:19,000
serve.

958
00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:23,000
I was going, it's not about having enough people to serve ourselves.

959
00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:28,000
That's a country club.

960
00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:31,000
We're trying to reach the world.

961
00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:37,000
Are you with me?

962
00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:39,000
Let's be used in the body.

963
00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:42,000
Second Corinthians 9-6.

964
00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:46,000
Let's be servants to each other and care for each other and

965
00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:48,000
administering the world.

966
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:52,000
Not only are we to steward our gifts and abilities well, our

967
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:53,000
resources too.

968
00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,000
Second Corinthians 9-6 says,

969
00:49:56,000 --> 00:50:00,000
he which sowed bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

970
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,000
Every man according to his purpose in his heart, so let him give,

971
00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:07,000
not grudgingly or of necessity for God love it, the cheerful

972
00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:12,000
giver and God is able, this is amazing, to make all grace abound to

973
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:16,000
you, that ye always having all sufficiency and all things may

974
00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:20,000
abound to every good work.

975
00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:24,000
The things you have aren't actually yours.

976
00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:26,000
They're God's.

977
00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:29,000
He's given to them to you for a time to steward.

978
00:50:29,000 --> 00:50:33,000
So the question is not how much should I give, the question is how

979
00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:35,000
much should I give to you.

980
00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:39,000
How much should I give, the question is how much should I keep.

981
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:44,000
How do I use what God has given me to rightfully steward what he's

982
00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:48,000
given me to do the most good, to abound unto every good work.

983
00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:51,000
That's why Paul told Timothy, hey Timothy you have some rich

984
00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:54,000
people in your church, people that have more than they need.

985
00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:56,000
Here's what you need to tell them.

986
00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,000
Charge them that are rich in this world and in that time it meant

987
00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:02,000
anybody that had more than today.

988
00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:06,000
Rich, rich historically speaking is that I have more than I need

989
00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:08,000
for today.

990
00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:12,000
Folks, we're rich.

991
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,000
We're rich.

992
00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:17,000
A lot of people don't have cars.

993
00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,000
We have a house for our cars.

994
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:23,000
Sometimes we can't get our car into our house for our cars because

995
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:26,000
we have too much stuff.

996
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:28,000
You ever know anybody like that?

997
00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:30,000
We're rich.

998
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,000
We're rich.

999
00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:36,000
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded.

1000
00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:39,000
Don't be prideful because you think that because you have a lot

1001
00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:41,000
then you go worth a lot.

1002
00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:43,000
You're better than everybody else.

1003
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:45,000
Nor trust in uncertain riches.

1004
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,000
Who agrees that riches are uncertain?

1005
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:52,000
They come and they go.

1006
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:57,000
But in the living God who give with all things richly to destroy,

1007
00:51:57,000 --> 00:52:01,000
to enjoy, that they do good, that they be rich in good works,

1008
00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:05,000
ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store

1009
00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:09,000
for themselves a good foundation against the time to come,

1010
00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:13,000
that they may lay hold on eternal life.

1011
00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:15,000
You know what he's saying?

1012
00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:18,000
Tell those rich people, he's not saying to do a bunch of good

1013
00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:21,000
work so that if they do enough good work, it's got to let them into

1014
00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:23,000
heaven.

1015
00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:25,000
And they lay hold on their own eternal life.

1016
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:28,000
And he is telling them that they have an opportunity to use the

1017
00:52:28,000 --> 00:52:31,000
temporary stuff that's going away to make an eternal difference in

1018
00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:34,000
the lives of people.

1019
00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:36,000
That's what he's saying.

1020
00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:40,000
You can get rewarded with what won't corrupt, what won't rust,

1021
00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:45,000
won't go away, Jesus said, by investing in eternity because

1022
00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:48,000
in eternity there is no rust.

1023
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:50,000
There is no corruption.

1024
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:53,000
When someone gets saved, they can't not be saved.

1025
00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:56,000
They can't lose that salvation, right?

1026
00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:59,000
So when we support a missionary to go overseas to share the gospel

1027
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:02,000
with somebody and they get saved, that was money that is eternally

1028
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:04,000
invested.

1029
00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:08,000
Are you with me?

1030
00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,000
It makes the case for giving.

1031
00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:13,000
It's not to lay hold on eternal life through good works for the

1032
00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:15,000
giver.

1033
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:18,000
It's using the temporary resources I have now that are going away to

1034
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,000
make an eternal difference and that which is going to last

1035
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:25,000
beyond this life.

1036
00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:29,000
And so, if I were to sum up this discipline, this is what I would

1037
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:31,000
say.

1038
00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:35,000
A Christ follower, a mature believer in Jesus, is growing in this

1039
00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,000
discipline.

1040
00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:42,000
They see themselves as a steward of all that God has given to them.

1041
00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:44,000
All of it.

1042
00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:49,000
Time, talent, treasure, opportunity, resources.

1043
00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:53,000
As a result of this perspective, they see their talents and

1044
00:53:53,000 --> 00:54:00,000
spiritual gifts as given to them by God to serve Him and others,

1045
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:05,000
both inside and outside the assembly.

1046
00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:10,000
They give cheerfully, proportionally, and sacrificially

1047
00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:18,000
of the money and resources that God has given to them.

1048
00:54:18,000 --> 00:54:21,000
Here's some questions.

1049
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:25,000
Am I using my God-given talent and spiritual gifts inside and

1050
00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:30,000
outside of the body of Christ?

1051
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:33,000
Am I giving to the Lord through my local church cheerfully,

1052
00:54:33,000 --> 00:54:36,000
proportionally, and sacrificially?

1053
00:54:36,000 --> 00:54:43,000
And is my motive for giving and serving not for men but for

1054
00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:55,000
God?

1055
00:54:55,000 --> 00:55:09,000
Our mission that was handed to us with nail-scarred hands is to

1056
00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:18,000
make disciples of all nations in Jerusalem and in Judea and in

1057
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:23,000
Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

1058
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:30,000
That mission is to win people who don't know Jesus, help them put

1059
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:35,000
their faith and trust in Jesus so that they don't go to hell but

1060
00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:40,000
they go to heaven.

1061
00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:43,000
But that mission doesn't stop there.

1062
00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:46,000
We help them go public with their faith through baptism.

1063
00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:50,000
And then God has called us to teach them to observe all things

1064
00:55:50,000 --> 00:55:51,000
that God commanded us.

1065
00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:53,000
And that means they are transformed.

1066
00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:54,000
They are growing.

1067
00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:55,000
How does that happen?

1068
00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:56,000
What does that look like?

1069
00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,000
It looks like they are part of the body.

1070
00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:04,000
They come and are equipped here for all kinds of good works.

1071
00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:11,000
They are equipped to minister that same great commission wherever

1072
00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:13,000
God has placed them.

1073
00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:18,000
It means that they recognize that the way that they are going to

1074
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:22,000
grow is through abiding in Christ, through spending time with

1075
00:56:22,000 --> 00:56:26,000
Him, not just at church when we assemble but on a daily basis as

1076
00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:30,000
they feast on God's word and as they spend time with God and as

1077
00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:31,000
they talk to God.

1078
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:36,000
God pours His life into them and transforms them and convicts them

1079
00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:39,000
of sin and equips them for service.

1080
00:56:39,000 --> 00:56:44,000
And as they walk with the Lord, then you can't read this book

1081
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:48,000
and not realize that what God wants to do with us is not just

1082
00:56:48,000 --> 00:56:54,000
to be a bunch of monks, navel gazing about how good we are in

1083
00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:56,000
Jesus.

1084
00:56:56,000 --> 00:56:57,000
We would be like Jesus.

1085
00:56:57,000 --> 00:56:58,000
And what did Jesus do?

1086
00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:02,000
He says he came to seek and to save that which was lost.

1087
00:57:02,000 --> 00:57:07,000
He came not to be served but to serve.

1088
00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:11,000
And we start with our service here in the body.

1089
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:14,000
But if we stop there, we make this thing a country club and

1090
00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:16,000
that's not the point.

1091
00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:21,000
We serve to help other people grow in that same process so that

1092
00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:25,000
God can use them who have different gifts than me, but God

1093
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:31,000
can use them to go do the same thing to make disciples of all

1094
00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:32,000
nations.

1095
00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:35,000
Does that make sense?

1096
00:57:35,000 --> 00:57:38,000
So how are you growing?

1097
00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,000
How is your assembling?

1098
00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:43,000
Are you here for the right reason?

1099
00:57:43,000 --> 00:57:46,000
When you're here, are you just here to consume or are you here

1100
00:57:46,000 --> 00:57:48,000
to minister?

1101
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:50,000
How's your walk with the Lord?

1102
00:57:50,000 --> 00:57:54,000
Was the last time you read the Bible last Sunday?

1103
00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:56,000
Now here's what's cool.

1104
00:57:56,000 --> 00:58:00,000
What we want to do with this discipleship pathway is to help

1105
00:58:00,000 --> 00:58:04,000
those of you who don't have a daily walk with the Lord, have a

1106
00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:06,000
daily walk with the Lord.

1107
00:58:06,000 --> 00:58:09,000
That you can get with other people and say, hey, if you've

1108
00:58:09,000 --> 00:58:11,000
never done this before, let's do it together.

1109
00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:15,000
Let's be in God's word every day together.

1110
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:18,000
And if you go from spending zero time with the Lord to spending

1111
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:22,000
a little bit of time with the Lord from week zero to week one,

1112
00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:24,000
guess what that's called?

1113
00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:27,000
Growth.

1114
00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:30,000
You're not perfect, but you'll be perfected.

1115
00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:33,000
Are you with me?

1116
00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:35,000
Yeah.

1117
00:58:35,000 --> 00:58:37,000
And if you mess up one week, you come back the next week,

1118
00:58:37,000 --> 00:58:39,000
because we're not doing this so we'll be saved.

1119
00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:45,000
We're doing this because we are saved.

1120
00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:48,000
He deserves it, doesn't he?

1121
00:58:48,000 --> 00:58:50,000
And it's what's best for us.

1122
00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:52,000
Let's assemble.

1123
00:58:52,000 --> 00:58:54,000
Let's walk with the Lord.

1124
00:58:54,000 --> 00:58:58,000
And as he grows us, let's start serving each other.

1125
00:58:58,000 --> 00:59:02,000
You know what, you know how awesome it would be to be in a

1126
00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:05,000
relationship with a bunch of people who are just like, you first,

1127
00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:10,000
not me first, him first, then you, then me.

1128
00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:13,000
Who wants to be a part of a church like that?

1129
00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:15,000
Yeah.

1130
00:59:15,000 --> 00:59:18,000
I believe God will use a bunch of people like that, because

1131
00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:21,000
that's exactly how Jesus was.

1132
00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:23,000
It's who Jesus is calling us to be.

1133
00:59:23,000 --> 00:59:52,000
Would you buy your heads and close your eyes with us?