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Good morning.

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Good morning.

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The other Bibles will be in chapter four of Ephesians

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as we finish up this one part of this chapter.

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Here in chapter four, Paul has been writing about

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the unity of the church through these first 16 verses.

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He's doing this after three chapters of doctrine,

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after three chapters of explaining exactly who God is

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and what he has done for us.

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In the first three chapters, he completely takes

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out of our hands the work of salvation

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and he puts it in God's.

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God is the one who chose us.

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He is the one who provided a way for us to have

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a relationship with him.

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Then because he is God and because he is generous,

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we then get to partake in the spiritual blessings

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that are offered in Jesus.

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I had three boys as most of you know

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and we give them gifts every so often

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and we have countless, through the years,

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have had countless balls and bats

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and they have been used well.

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The problem with giving boys balls and bats

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is that they get used for a short time

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for what they were created for.

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They baseball bat is used for hitting baseballs.

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A basketball is used for shooting into a basket

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but within less than a day of having those things,

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the basketball then becomes a dodge ball

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where we're hitting each other with it.

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The baseball bat is used for anything else

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besides hitting baseballs.

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It's hitting rocks or used as a weapon

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or is used as a sword.

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They get left out in the yard and they get rained on

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and then they get another one.

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As they've gotten older and the baseball bats

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have gotten more expensive,

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we've gone from plastic bats that you can use inside

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to the metal bats that they have now.

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When they give the expensive stuff,

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we make sure that they understand the value of them

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so that they don't treat them

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like they've done everything else.

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So we're replacing them every month.

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I give them warnings, I tell them

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that if they treat that bat like they have everything else,

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it's mine and we'll give it to somebody else

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that'll appreciate it or I'm not buying the next one.

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If I see them hitting rocks with it,

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then that bat is now mine.

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So after, for three chapters,

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Paul has been describing this gift

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that has incredible value.

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And here in chapter four,

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he's telling us the proper way to use the gift.

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Several years ago, someone gave me a cast iron Dutch oven

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and I'd never had one before.

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We take it camping.

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Well, we use it the first time

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and like a good responsible husband,

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I take it and I clean it out

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and I throw it in the dishwasher.

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Yeah, all your faces is exactly what.

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You get that thing out and it looked pretty bad.

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It's all rusty and I didn't know

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that's not how you clean a cast iron, anything.

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So maybe you believe everything that Paul has said

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about God in the first three chapters,

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but you've never understood how to use the gift

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that he has given you.

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You've never understood how to use the gift

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of your salvation.

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This chapter and the next two

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are Paul carefully outlining how to use your gift

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in a way that's honoring to the Lord

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so that you can get the most out of it.

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So this morning, let's look at the last couple

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verses of this section and then we'll break it down.

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Starting in verse 15.

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Paul says, rather speaking the truth in love,

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we are to grow up in every way into him

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who is the head into Christ.

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From whom the whole body joined and held together

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by every joint with which it is equipped

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when each part is working properly,

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makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

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So last week, we looked at the gifts

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that Jesus is able to give us and we ended with us,

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we ended with making sure we're not divided,

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that we're not deceived by false teaching or by Satan.

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This week, Paul gives us a way to make sure

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that doesn't happen.

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So instead of being thrown around

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by every wind of doctrine that comes our way,

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we are to grow up in Christ who is the head of the church.

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So we begin to grow when we understand

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that Jesus is both the source and the point

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or goal of our growth.

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Like babies have this giant head, right?

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And they have to grow into it.

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We as believers, we start out as infants

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and need to grow into the head which is Jesus.

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Babies can't support their head on their own.

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New believers can't fight off bad doctrine on their own.

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It takes the process of maturity to get there.

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As believers, Jesus is our standard

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by which we should measure our growth.

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When I was in college, I had these phenomenal professors

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and I remember sitting in my chair,

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listening to them speak, thinking,

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man, I hope one day that I can know the Bible

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as well as they do.

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But that shouldn't be the standard.

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Dr. Heflin, as much as I love him, is not the standard.

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We should desire to know God like Jesus does.

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So we don't compare ourselves to other believers

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because we compare our growth to Jesus who is the head.

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I've known a lot of believers who seem to be great

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on the outside.

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They're walking with the Lord on the outside

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but their lives are a train wreck.

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We've all heard of pastors who have these churches

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with lots of people coming to their church.

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They seem to be doing great things in the community

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and we begin to think that there's something special

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about them but it ended badly

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because they weren't dealing with some sort of sin.

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Our goal is not another believer.

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Our goal is Jesus.

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Now, verse 15 is one of those verses

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that's taken out of context all the time

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and people misuse it.

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People use it to justify their critical tone

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when speaking to others.

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Most of the time when I hear somebody say,

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they're just speaking the truth in love,

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very rarely is there any truth to it or is there any love in it?

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They just want to let you know how they feel

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about a certain situation

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and they make it spiritual by quoting this text.

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The word Paul uses here could literally be translated

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truthing.

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It is the idea of a person who continually and consistently

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not only speaks the truth but lives the truth.

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Now, the truth that Paul is referring to here

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is the same truth he spoke about in chapter one.

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It is the gospel of salvation

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and the gospel is centered on Jesus.

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It is only in Jesus that we can find truth.

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Jesus described himself as the truth in John 14.6

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when he was speaking with Thomas.

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So, speaking the truth in love is simply another way

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of Paul describing the importance of making Jesus

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the very center of everything that we do.

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Because if you notice without Jesus,

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the body doesn't grow, the body doesn't mature.

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He is the source.

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If you do not have Jesus as the center

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of everything you do,

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your spiritual growth is going to be stunted.

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If you think that by reading books and coming to church,

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you will grow in your maturity.

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That's like getting into your car with no gas

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and then expecting it to get home.

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Now, I'm all about reading books

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and I'm all about coming to church.

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But the reason is because you want to have more knowledge

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or the reason is because you want to have a good standing

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in the community, then what's going to end up happening

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is you're not going to grow spiritually,

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you're going to grow intellectually

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and you're going to have a good reputation.

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If we as a church think that by doing a bunch of programs,

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that we are going to grow,

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our church growth is going to be stunted.

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The purpose of everything that we do here

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from programs and Bible studies has to be centered on Jesus.

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Or we're just going to be another statistic of closed churches.

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Jesus has to be the source

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and has to be the goal of everything that we do.

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We also grow when we are connected to others.

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Now, Paul says that every joint holds together

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the body.

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The Greek word comes from a word that means to connect.

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I actually prefer the word ligament.

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Some of your translations might say ligament here

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because the ligament is actually what holds the body together.

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If you don't have a ligament, you're not going to function correctly.

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I mean, we all know athletes that have torn a ligament

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and their season is over, right?

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It takes surgery, it takes a lot of rehab

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to get their knee or whatever ligament they have torn

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back into working order.

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When we are not connected to others,

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we are not going to function the way that God created us to as a body.

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The body can no longer function properly,

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and the body is unable to mature as Jesus intends.

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So we need to make sure that we maintain those connections within the body.

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I can give you an example after an example of why being connected to the body

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is vital to our spiritual growth.

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I've said it many times, because I know it to be true,

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I don't know how people survive without the church.

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As many of you know, last Sunday,

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Sina and my son River stayed home

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because we thought he had the stomach bug.

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We didn't want to be spreading that all over the place.

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By early evening, we began to be concerned that he was dehydrated

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because he wasn't taking on fluids,

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so Sina took him up to the hospital to get some fluids.

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I stayed home with the rest of the kids.

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I was concerned, but I kept going about my day.

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I got the kids fed, I was watching a football game,

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just kind of going through the day, waiting for them to get home.

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Long story short, River had DKA, Diabetic Keto Acidosis.

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They were going to have to airlift him to Iowa City.

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Now, when you get helicopters involved,

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the seriousness of the situation really begins to set in.

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I texted our staff, I texted our prayer team and our family

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to please, please, please be praying for River.

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In a few moments, all of our needs were met.

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My other three kids were taken care of.

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Pastor Mark had met us in the hospital in DeWitt.

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Sina got on a helicopter with River,

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and I got in the car to head to Iowa City.

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I hated that Sina was going to be there all alone

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before I could get to her.

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As I rounded the corner in the ICU,

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I see that Pastor Drew's there, Pastor Paul's there,

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and they're with her.

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I had Bible verses being texted to me like Psalm 91.

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He shall call upon me and I will answer him.

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For an hour in the car, that's all I could do.

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That's all I could do.

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I needed that reminder.

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I needed the truth of God's word to be prayed over my family.

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I needed it to be reminded to me,

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because in that moment, all I could think about was the worst.

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Don't ever underestimate,

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don't ever underestimate the power of God's word

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from someone who was praying for you.

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This week has been hard,

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but it would have been so much harder without this church,

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without people praying for us, feeding us,

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picking up my slack, and allowing us to focus all of our attention on River.

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I was in a desperate situation,

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and God has grown me through it.

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I have a terrible time asking for help.

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I don't know if any of you are like that.

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I have a terrible time asking for help,

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because I can do it on my own.

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I can handle the situation on my own.

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I finally sent a message that said,

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I'll take any help I can get.

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Any help I can get, I'll take it,

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because I was desperate,

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and God's people stepped up to show me that I couldn't do it on my own.

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I could give you a bunch more examples of how

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being connected to the church has gotten us through some hard times.

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I'm sure that many of us have stories

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about how God has used His people

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to carry the load

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and how we have grown through that.

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If you are living in a bubble,

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and you are not doing life with other believers,

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you're missing out.

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If you are unable to show vulnerability,

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if you are unable to be real when you are down,

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you aren't using the gift of your salvation correctly.

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Jesus didn't save us when we were at our best.

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He saved us while we were still sinners and at our worst.

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Why do we think that changes once we become a believer?

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We don't have to put on a show.

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We don't have to pretend.

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I need Him just as much today as I did the day He saved me.

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Because in my weakness,

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He has proven strong through His people.

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Get connected to other believers

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who will care for you

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and support you and walk with you.

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I will tell you, and so will Sina,

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being connected here,

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being connected to the church

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is one of the most valuable things in our lives.

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I can give you example after example where that proves the case.

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How do we get connected?

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Thankfully, Paul tells us how to do that in this passage.

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We grow when each one does their work.

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You have to do the work to which you are equipped.

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We talked about the importance of every member and minister,

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and we should all know that Christianity is not a spectator sport.

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But Paul is emphasizing here,

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the body can only grow as God intended

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when each part effectively carries out the purpose for which it was created.

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This is going to be determined by how we use the gifts that God has given each and every one of us.

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This is connected to Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents.

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Jesus said in Luke chapter 12 that everyone who has been given much

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much will be demanded.

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And the ones who have been entrusted with much,

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much more will be asked.

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Jesus has entrusted some of you in this church with five talents.

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Some of you with three talents, and some of you with one.

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What he is asking from each of us is that we be faithful

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with whatever he has given us.

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He will never compare you to someone else.

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His only measuring stick will be what you did with what he entrusted you with.

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We see this throughout the Old Testament.

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In the building of the Tabernacle, everyone brought what they had,

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whether that be money, whether that be a skill,

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they all contributed to the building up of God's house.

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In Joshua chapter 6, everyone marched and shouted for the walls to come down in Jericho.

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In Nehemiah, each family was given a responsibility of building a section of the wall.

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Some built, some kept guard, some blew trumpets of warning.

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In all of those examples, every part was important for God to carry out his purposes.

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As a believer, we should feel that connection with one another.

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If not, maybe you need to begin asking the question,

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why do I not feel connected?

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Why do I feel isolated?

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Maybe it's because you don't know who you can trust.

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Maybe it's because we've been burned in the past.

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Maybe it's because we don't think we have time.

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Whatever the reason is, take this text as a challenge to take a step.

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I mean, this is the heart of discipleship right here.

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You should never feel alone.

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You should never feel isolated because you are doing life with people who care for you.

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I mean, a lot of people knew who Jesus was, but very few knew his heart.

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He had his 12, right?

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And even inside his 12, he had his three.

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If you are not in a discipleship relationship, whether that be a degroup,

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whether that be a life group, whether that just be a relationship where you can be who you are,

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share your struggles, share those places where you're vulnerable,

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you are never going to know how you fit into this body.

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Now, last week we said that it is our job as a staff, as pastors to create these opportunities for you,

335
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but it's your job to take advantage of those.

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Last week we collected a bunch of needs, right?

337
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We've made those public.

338
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We'll send an email out with the link.

339
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We got the QR code, and we are asking you.

340
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That once you see those needs to jump on those.

341
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Maybe you've been waiting for an opportunity like this to come your way

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00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,840
because you don't know how God wants to use you.

343
00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:25,840
And now we have a list.

344
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Maybe it's on that list.

345
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Jump in and try it.

346
00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:33,840
Maybe you feel isolated, and you need a place to connect to others.

347
00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:37,840
Pastor Paul would love nothing more.

348
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Pastor Paul would love nothing more to help make that connection for you.

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We will continue to provide ways for you to be connected,

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but you have to be the one to take the step.

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Have you ever seen one of those pictures, or probably on some medical show,

352
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where they take a part of the body and they graft it into another part of the body

353
00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,840
in order to maintain blood flow and eventually save it.

354
00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:08,840
Have you seen those pictures or seen those stories?

355
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,840
I heard a story of a man who had his hand cut off,

356
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:18,840
and they saved his hand by attaching it to his leg until they could reattach it to his arm.

357
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:21,840
I saw a picture of it. It's kind of gross and weird looking.

358
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:28,840
Some of you might be a hand, but you are attached to the leg.

359
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,840
You're surviving, but you're not functioning properly.

360
00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:38,840
If you aren't connected to the point where people know you,

361
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where they know your heart, they know your strengths and your weaknesses,

362
00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:48,840
then you are going to continue to not function correctly in this body.

363
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We need people around us to say, hey, you belong on the arm, not the leg.

364
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:58,840
That looks funny. This doesn't fit at the last church.

365
00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:00,840
I was at, we had this lady, she's awesome.

366
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:05,840
She was always willing to serve, always willing to do whatever needed to be done.

367
00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:10,840
She was just one of those, always around the church, always doing something.

368
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,840
She tried to do a women's conference because she thought we needed one.

369
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,840
She would try to lead women's Bible studies.

370
00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:23,840
She was doing all of this really great stuff, but nothing would ever gain traction.

371
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As I got to know her better, I realized that she was not a woman.

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I realized that she was not functioning in the right area.

373
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She was trying to be a leg when she really was a hand.

374
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Now she loved to cook and she was phenomenal, where she still is, phenomenal at it.

375
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She found joy in it.

376
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,840
At this time, we're doing a Bible study on Tuesday nights,

377
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and for some reason I was putting the meals together every Tuesday night for a Bible study.

378
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I hated it.

379
00:21:54,840 --> 00:22:01,840
It stressed me out, it made me miserable, it probably wasn't that good.

380
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,840
One week I simply asked her if she would take that job from me.

381
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:14,840
Now that might seem like a small thing, but when I wasn't doing it,

382
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and she was, our Bible study doubled.

383
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I had more time to prepare.

384
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She was making phenomenal meals, and people looked forward to it.

385
00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,840
But if we didn't have a relationship where I knew her strings, it never would have happened.

386
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,840
And when she stopped trying to do everything else,

387
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it gave others the opportunity to function like God created them.

388
00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,840
Other women stepped up to lead Bible studies.

389
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And the church as a whole got stronger because of it.

390
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:59,840
We need every person functioning in the way that God created them.

391
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:05,840
If you are in ministry and doing things because no one else will do them,

392
00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,840
and it is making you miserable, you're probably in the wrong place.

393
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:13,840
You're probably in the wrong ministry.

394
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:18,840
You might be keeping someone else from filling that role.

395
00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,840
Which means to me to my last point.

396
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:26,840
When we are connected to Jesus and others,

397
00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,840
and we're all functioning the way God created us, growth will be automatic.

398
00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:41,840
For those of you that have children, you understand this, but those of you that don't,

399
00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,840
there's this weird thing that happens, this weird phenomenon that happens when you have children.

400
00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,840
They come out of these little things, right?

401
00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:53,840
And you feed them and you nurture them,

402
00:23:55,840 --> 00:24:04,840
and then you blink, and they're walking, or driving, making their own decisions.

403
00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,840
It happens so quickly, you don't even realize it, am I right?

404
00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:11,840
This is a weird thing that happens.

405
00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,840
The same is true for the church.

406
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:22,840
As you were being cared for, and learning to use the gifts that God has given you,

407
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:28,840
you're going to blink and realize that we have grown immensely.

408
00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:35,840
I'm not talking about numerical growth, but growth in our spiritual walk with the Lord.

409
00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:41,840
It took me failing at a lot of things before I truly understood the gifts that God has given me.

410
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,840
I tried children's ministry, I was a children's pastor.

411
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,840
I tried youth ministry, I was a youth pastor.

412
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,840
I have been the janitor, I have been the church administrator.

413
00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,840
Before I realized that none of those roles were for me,

414
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,840
but I had to try other things to figure that out.

415
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,840
I didn't just wake up one day and have it all figured out.

416
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:12,840
I needed others in my life that knew me well enough to see me function in those places and say,

417
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,840
yeah, that role is not for you.

418
00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:17,840
Probably shouldn't put you in charge of children.

419
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:27,840
I needed others in my life to see me in different roles and say, that's it, that's where I see you come alive.

420
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:30,840
That's where I see God using you.

421
00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:36,840
So don't wait until you, what you think is the right opportunity comes along.

422
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,840
Jump in and try things even though they might not work out.

423
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,840
Be okay with failing and give something else a try.

424
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:48,840
So let me leave you with a few challenges this morning.

425
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:54,840
Potentially, potentially, there are some of you in this room

426
00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,840
that have never connected to the head, which is Jesus.

427
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:04,840
You've been coming to church for a long time or a short time and you're going through the motions,

428
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,840
but you've never placed your faith in Him alone and surrendered to Him.

429
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:12,840
That's your first step.

430
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:16,840
You don't need me to say a prayer for you.

431
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:19,840
He can save you right there in your seat.

432
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:25,840
If you feel in your gut that something needs to change.

433
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:32,840
If you feel like you need a fresh start, call upon the name of the Lord.

434
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,840
Admit and understand that you are a sinner.

435
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:44,840
Put your faith in the fact that He died for you and be willing to submit to Him.

436
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:50,840
If that's you this morning, I would love to talk to you after our service or during our response time.

437
00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,840
Don't leave here with doubts about your salvation.

438
00:26:55,840 --> 00:27:00,840
There are some of you here this morning who have never made the commitment to become a member of this church.

439
00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:04,840
Maybe you haven't done that because you want to keep your operation.

440
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:07,840
You're not going to be able to do that.

441
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:13,840
Maybe you need to begin to ask why.

442
00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:16,840
There are some of you that have been coming here a long time.

443
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:22,840
You're a member, but if you're real honest with yourself, you haven't been doing your job.

444
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:25,840
You're not going to be able to do your job.

445
00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:28,840
You're not going to be able to do your job.

446
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:31,840
You're not going to be able to do your job.

447
00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:37,840
You're a member, but if you're real honest with yourself, you haven't been doing your part.

448
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,840
And maybe the reason is you don't know what your part is.

449
00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:45,840
That's where me and the rest of the pastors come in.

450
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:57,840
If we need to start a ministry, if you need to know where the needs are, if you need guidance, we will help you.

451
00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:01,840
Listen, I've taken a bunch of spiritual gifts inventories before.

452
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:07,840
I've taken those tests and they're useful, but the best way that I've found to figure out what my gifts are,

453
00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:11,840
is just by jumping in and serving where there's a need.

454
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:17,840
When that didn't work out, I would try something else, but it always helped me gain clarity.

455
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:19,840
It helped me feel connected to the church.

456
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:22,840
Now, if you hear anything today,

457
00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:28,840
I hope that it is that you need to be connected to Jesus and to the church.

458
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,840
If that's all you hear today, hear that.

459
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:37,840
Your walk with the Lord is personal, but it's not private.

460
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:45,840
I want people to know when I am struggling, when I'm doubting.

461
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,840
I want people to know when my kids are wearing me out.

462
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:55,840
I want people to know when my wife and I are just not seeing eye to eye.

463
00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,840
Because I want people to be praying for us.

464
00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,840
I want people to come alongside me and say, yeah, my kid went through that. Here's how I got through it.

465
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:06,840
Yeah, my wife and I, we've had that argument. This is how we got through it.

466
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:14,840
I want their perspective because there's times in my life where I have these blind spots

467
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:17,840
and I need somebody else to point them out to me.

468
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,840
I have that because I'm connected to the church.

469
00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:26,840
So if you're not connected, man, please take that step today.

470
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:32,840
If it is surrendering your life to Jesus today, let me celebrate with you.

471
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:36,840
Let's celebrate that fact.

472
00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:40,840
If it's baptism, then let's get you in the water.

473
00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,840
If it's membership, let me answer any questions that you might have.

474
00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:51,840
If it's being isolated, if you're isolated, let us help you make some connections.

475
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:57,840
And finally, if it is figuring out a way to function correctly in this body, let us equip you.

476
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:02,840
So as we respond, we'll sing one more song.

477
00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:06,840
As we respond, I would love for you to answer the question,

478
00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:12,840
am I connected to the body in a way that's going to help me grow?

479
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,840
Am I connected to the body in a way that's going to help me grow?

480
00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,840
And if the answer is no, please let us help you take the next step.

481
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:23,840
Let's pray.

482
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:32,840
Father, thank you.

483
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:38,840
Thank you for this church.

484
00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,840
Thank you for the people that you bring here.

485
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:43,840
Thank you for Jesus.

486
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,840
Thank you for the gifts that you've given each and every one of us.

487
00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:51,840
God, I pray that you will, as we respond, as we sing, that you will speak to our hearts

488
00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,840
so we understand how we are to function in this place.

489
00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:58,840
How we are to function in your kingdom here on this earth.

490
00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,840
And so Father, we ask you to guide us as we speak.

491
00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:09,840
And so Father, we ask you to guide us as we take steps this morning.

492
00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:16,840
I pray for the individual that might be in this room that has never surrendered their life to you, God.

493
00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:21,840
I pray that you speak to their heart right now and help them know without a doubt that you are calling them.

494
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:25,840
We pray for salvation to come to this place today.

495
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:31,840
And we pray for those that are on the outside looking in, God.

496
00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:36,840
We pray that we will be able to connect in a way where they can function properly.

497
00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:43,840
God, I pray that you will reveal to us your giftings that you've placed in us.

498
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:47,840
And help us use those things in this place.

499
00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:51,840
God, help us be a body that functions correctly.

500
00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:59,840
Help us be a body that sees you as the source and the goal of our growth.

501
00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:06,840
God, I pray that you make us healthy.

502
00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:09,840
I pray that you use us.

503
00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:12,840
So as we sing, Father, I pray that you'll speak.

504
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:15,840
Fill this place with your presence.

505
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:22,840
Help there be no doubt in any of our minds that you are speaking to us.

506
00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,840
Help us not be distracted by the lies the enemy throws at us.

507
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:28,840
Help us not be distracted by every wind of doctrine.

508
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,840
But God, I pray that you will help us focus on you and your voice as you speak.

509
00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:45,840
Ask all these things in your name. Amen.