1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,100 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 2 00:00:16,100 --> 00:00:22,720 To get connected or to give online, go to hcv.church or give.htv.church. 3 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,960 If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text 4 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,200 change me to 970-00. 5 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,040 Thank you and enjoy the message. 6 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:37,880 Welcome back to Summer Jams and today we be jamming man! 7 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:44,200 Bob Marley and the Whalers, the pioneers of the reggae genre, wrote and released Jamming, 8 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:51,480 one of their most celebrated album Exodus in 1977 to encourage togetherness, the Jamaican 9 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:54,040 celebratory get together song. 10 00:00:54,040 --> 00:01:01,040 Now get up, stand up as Hub City Worship performs Jamming. 11 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:31,040 I want to jam it with you. 12 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:36,040 Jamming, jamming, and I hope you like jamming too. 13 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:41,040 Ain't no row, ain't no bow, we'll do it anyhow. 14 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,040 I and I will see you through. 15 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:49,040 Cause everyday we pay the price, you're the living sacrifice. 16 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,040 Jam until the jam is through. 17 00:01:53,040 --> 00:02:01,040 Jamming, jamming, jamming, think that jamming was a thing of the past. 18 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:09,040 Jamming, jamming, jamming, I hope this jam is gonna last. 19 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:17,040 No one can stop us now, we need no beg, no beg, no beg, neither can we part nor sow. 20 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:21,040 We all defend the right, we charge our children, must unite. 21 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,040 Life is worth more than gold. 22 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:32,040 We're jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, and we're jamming in the name of the Lord. 23 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:39,040 We're jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, and we're jamming right straight from your 24 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:53,040 heart, looking out, out, out. Holy Mount Zion, Holy Mount Zion, just sit in the Mount Zion. 25 00:02:53,040 --> 00:03:09,040 And rules all creation yet. Watch, watch, I want a jamming way. 26 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:17,040 Jam down, open a jamming tube. God knows how hard I try, but the truth I cannot lie to 27 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:28,040 keep you satisfied. True love, I know it is, is the love I can't do it, jammed by my side. 28 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:36,040 We're jamming, jamming, jamming, and we're jamming in the name of the Lord. 29 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:41,040 We're jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, 30 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:53,040 and we're jamming with you. And I want a jamming way. 31 00:03:53,040 --> 00:04:03,040 I want a jamming way. And I want a jamming way. 32 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:08,040 Like jammin', I wanna jammin' with you 33 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:13,040 And I said, like jammin', like jammin' 34 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,040 I wanna jammin' with you 35 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:37,040 And I said, like jammin' with you 36 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,040 Oh, that's it 37 00:04:48,040 --> 00:05:10,040 That's it 38 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:26,040 Exeter, moving on your people 39 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,040 And we're talking about exeter 40 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,040 Moving on your people 41 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,040 If I may die, let me tell you this sound 42 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,040 Many people will fight you down 43 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,040 When you see God like you 44 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,040 Let me know if you are wrong 45 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:57,040 That everything is alright 46 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,040 Cause we're gonna walk 47 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:05,040 Through the road of creation 48 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,040 We're the generation 49 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,040 Tried to break tribulation 50 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:15,040 Talking about exeter 51 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,040 Moving on your people 52 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:28,040 And we're talking about exeter 53 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:38,040 Moving on your people 54 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:46,040 Open your eyes and look within 55 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:53,040 Are you satisfied with the life you're living? 56 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,040 We know where we're going 57 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,040 We know where we're from 58 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:03,040 We're leaving by the lawn 59 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:06,040 We're going to the promised land 60 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,040 We're talking about exeter 61 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,040 Moving on your people 62 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:22,040 And we're talking about exeter 63 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:28,040 Moving on your people 64 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:37,040 Moving on your people 65 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,040 Moving on your people 66 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,040 Moving on your people 67 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:49,040 Moving on your people 68 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:53,040 Moving on your people 69 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,040 Moving on your people 70 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,040 Moving on your people 71 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,040 Moving on your people 72 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,040 Moving on your people 73 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:10,040 Moving on your people 74 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,040 Who made such a people? 75 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,040 Who made such a people? 76 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,040 You know we're talking X-rated. 77 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,040 Who made such a people? 78 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,040 My house, my house. 79 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,040 X-rated. 80 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,040 Who made such a people? 81 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,040 My house, my house. 82 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,040 We're talking X-rated. 83 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,040 Who made such a people? 84 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:59,040 X-rated. 85 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:05,040 Who made such a people? 86 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:26,040 My house, my house. 87 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,040 Hey good morning everyone. 88 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:41,040 What a great way to start church. 89 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:49,040 Nothing like a little Bob Marley to get the morning started. 90 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,040 Welcome to HCV for joining us from home. 91 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,040 Thank you for welcoming us into your space. 92 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:58,040 We are now in week four of our annual series Summer Jams. 93 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:10,040 And on December 3rd, 1976 an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley's life in which his chest was grazed and his arm was struck with a bullet but he survived. 94 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:17,040 Although Marley was not badly injured his wife and his manager were just fortunate enough to survive. 95 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:23,040 Undeterred Marley played at the Jamaican Peace Concert just two days later famously saying, 96 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:28,040 The people who are trying to make this world worse aren't taking a day off. 97 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,040 How can I? 98 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:38,040 And I felt that was interesting because after the attack Marley then left Jamaica. 99 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:43,040 He relocated to London where he then recorded Exodus. 100 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:47,040 Exodus of course was the album that sent him to international stardom. 101 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:55,040 It was critically and commercially acclaimed receiving gold certifications in the US, UK and Canada. 102 00:10:55,040 --> 00:11:04,040 There's actually more tracks from the album of Exodus on Marley's greatest hits compilation Legend than from any of his other records. 103 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:11,040 And in 1999 Time Magazine named Exodus the best album of the 20th century. 104 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:18,040 Jamming, the song that you just heard was a major international hit reaching number 10 on the British music charts 105 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:24,040 and number one for several consecutive weeks in Marley's home country of Jamaica. 106 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:32,040 Bob Marley's Jamming is a song that encapsulates the spirit of unity, resistance and the celebration of life through music. 107 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:41,040 The lyrics convey a sense of togetherness, hope, enjoyment as Marley invites the listener to jam with him. 108 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:46,040 Using the term jamming to describe not just a musical act, not just a performance, 109 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:51,040 but a communal experience that transcends the everyday struggles. 110 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,040 And I thought man what a connection. 111 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,040 Why we gather on Sunday mornings here at HTV. 112 00:11:56,040 --> 00:12:03,040 You know it's not about us but why we worship, why we connect to God because it's a communal experience. 113 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:10,040 Vivian Goldman in her book, the book of Exodus, the making and meaning of Bob Marley and the Whalers, 114 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:18,040 recalled seeing Marley perform jamming live at his first concert back in Jamaica following his sojourn in London. 115 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:26,040 She would go on to say the tune had yet another edge in addition to praising and dancing, survival. 116 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:32,040 Jamming became the life force, the very breath and pulse of existence for Bob Marley. 117 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:41,040 It literally became a declaration of who he was and this was all happening because Cuba was then on the front lines of a cold war. 118 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:52,040 You had a pro-Cuban socialist government led by Prime Minister Michael Manley clashing against a fiercely anti-communist right wing opposition led by Edward Seagal. 119 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,040 So Jamaica was in just chaos. 120 00:12:55,040 --> 00:13:07,040 They were literally having a civil war but only Bob Marley could have convinced Manley and Seagal to join their hands together in a show of unity under the banner of God. 121 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:13,040 Right? On stage at that celebration, at that concert for freedom. 122 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:22,040 Although after the event there was more bloodshed, reggae set the stage for being able to change the world. 123 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:30,040 For a momentary moment of time they were able to bring people together and it's just interesting that Marley just points to you and me. 124 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:34,040 He points to his audience when he wrote the song Exodus. 125 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:39,040 What did he say? He says, are you satisfied with the way you're living? 126 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:45,040 Right? Are you satisfied with it? Look inside and discover what it is that you need to change. 127 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:47,040 What it is that you need to work on. 128 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:52,040 Right? The song Exodus is a call to arms for the disenfranchised people. 129 00:13:52,040 --> 00:14:00,040 Right? Those forgotten, those left out to unite and make changes in their own lives which can then impact the world. 130 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:07,040 And as I listen to these words of these two songs over and over and over again over the last few weeks, 131 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:11,040 God led me to a specific section of scripture that I want to read for you right now. 132 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:17,040 What I want to invite you to do is, as I read, I want to invite you to please close your eyes. 133 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,040 Just remove any distractions. 134 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:27,040 And as you hear these words, right, just allow them to speak to your heart. 135 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:36,040 All the believers devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to sharing in meals, including the Lord's Supper, into prayer. 136 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:44,040 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the Apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 137 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:49,040 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 138 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:53,040 They sold their property and possessions and shared their money with those in need. 139 00:14:53,040 --> 00:15:01,040 They worshiped together at the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity, 140 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:05,040 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. 141 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:11,040 And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. 142 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:16,040 Acts chapter 2 verses 42 to 47. 143 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:30,040 A very familiar section of the Bible that is often referenced as a picture of what the church looked like after Jesus ascended and went back to heaven. 144 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:39,040 And as you read those words, it turns out when God said in Genesis 2, 18, it is not good that man should be alone. 145 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:46,040 He was telling us something about a fundamental truth that he put inside of us. 146 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,040 We are designed for community. 147 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:53,040 And so many people, they point to that scripture, a man should not be alone. 148 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,040 It's a marriage scripture. But here's the reality. 149 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:03,040 It's not a marriage scripture. It's a scripture about community, because he was saying that before the fall. 150 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,040 Since the fall, since then entered the world. 151 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:12,040 Envy, malice, bitterness, pride, dishonesty, and disloyalty. 152 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:17,040 Sin is antisocial. Sin is anti-community. 153 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:24,040 It separates people. It complicates things. It distorts things. It damages relationships. 154 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:30,040 But Jesus, Jesus came to redeem humanity completely. 155 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:40,040 Which means that every aspect of our human nature, including our social and our relational beings, is to come together and build community. 156 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:47,040 Acts 2, 42 to 47, describes the result of God bringing people together. 157 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,040 All genres of people. All classes of people. 158 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:58,040 And when people trust in Jesus, right? When they're forgiven of their sins, when they're filled with the Spirit, what happens? 159 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:02,040 What are the results? People build community. 160 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,040 They come together and share their lives. 161 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:17,040 God's saving work produces a dynamic community in which all of us share in the spiritual life of Jesus, while also sharing all that we have with each other. 162 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:26,040 And this is important, right? Because our common faith, our common belief in Jesus, produces our common life together. 163 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:32,040 Fellowship with God is the foundation of our fellowship with one another. 164 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:40,040 And for so many people, right, they read this section in the book of Acts and they tab it as just a cool story. 165 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:44,040 They tab it as a model of what the church used to look like. 166 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,040 Right? But I believe there's so much more. 167 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:56,040 Bob Marley was inviting people to jam with him, to come together, to unite so that they can impact and change the world. 168 00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:02,040 Friends, God is calling us to the very same reality, which leads us to our first thought. 169 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:10,040 See, the book of Acts is not a description, but a prescription for the local church. 170 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:14,040 Right? It's a prescription. It's how we should be living. 171 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:21,040 The book of Acts finds a group of people that are excited about this new life that they are living. 172 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:25,040 Jesus, now think about it, let's rewind just a little bit. 173 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:33,040 Jesus had just imparted fresh vision to his disciples and we read this in Acts chapter 1 verses 7 through 8. 174 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:34,040 Jesus spoke to them. He says, 175 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:39,040 The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times and they are not for you to know. 176 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,040 The disciples are like, well, when are you coming back? 177 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,040 When are you going to set it right? When are you going to set the world right? 178 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,040 And he says, that's not for you to know. 179 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,040 You don't know when I'm coming back. Just be ready. 180 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:56,040 But then he goes on to say, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. 181 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:03,040 You will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 182 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:11,040 And then the disciples, they take this mission and they listen to Jesus and they gather in an upper room. 183 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,040 And then in chapter 2 of Acts verses 1 through 3 we read this, 184 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:19,040 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 185 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:23,040 Suddenly there was a sound from heaven like a roaring of a mighty windstorm. 186 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,040 It filled the house where they were sitting. 187 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:30,040 Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 188 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:34,040 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit. 189 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:40,040 So then after being filled with the Spirit, the people gathered, the disciples gathered. 190 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:46,040 They spill out into the streets where people were gathering in Jerusalem for a festival. 191 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:51,040 And they're hearing all these stories about the goodness of God in their native languages. 192 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:55,040 And the people were amazed. But some were very skeptical. 193 00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:02,040 There was other people that gathered said, they're just drunk. That's all they are. 194 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:04,040 Don't listen to them. 195 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:12,040 But when Peter hears that, he stands up, he shares the good news about Jesus and 3000 people believe. 196 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:16,040 And are added to the church that very day. 197 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:21,040 Then we get to Acts 2, 42 and it says, 198 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:29,040 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, and to sharing the meals, including Lord's Supper, and to prayer. 199 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,040 And what if church? 200 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:36,040 What if we begin to shift our thinking from a once was, 201 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:40,040 Oh that's just the story of the past, to a could be. 202 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:45,040 To a growth mindset that can change the way we read the words in this passage. 203 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:49,040 This wasn't just a description of the early church. 204 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:57,040 This is the purest, simplest, most beautiful form of community of people together in relationship with Jesus. 205 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:03,040 These people, they devoted themselves to two things, going in two directions with one goal. 206 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,040 Everyone say two things. 207 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,040 And see I wanted all of us to say two things. 208 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:15,040 Because I believe there are times that we, the church, we make this thing too complicated. 209 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:19,040 Right? We overthink what it means to be the church. 210 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:23,040 What it means to be in a relationship with Jesus. To live in community. 211 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,040 And this is not what God intended. 212 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,040 God intended it to be simple. 213 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,040 Right? As Bob Marley sings in the song, Jammin'. 214 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,040 To think that jammin' was a thing of the past. 215 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,040 No! We're jammin' right now. 216 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:41,040 And I hope this jam is gonna last. 217 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:45,040 And it's my prayer that as I share these words, 218 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:51,040 we're all convicted to move toward community, not away from it, 219 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:55,040 so that we can impact and change the world. 220 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,040 Which leads us to our next thought. 221 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:01,040 See the church first devoted themselves to the gospel. 222 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:03,040 Notice Acts 2, 42 to 43. 223 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,040 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings. 224 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,040 So there they have the word devoted. 225 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,040 And first it was to the apostles' teaching. 226 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:16,040 Then to fellowship and the sharing and meals, including the Lord's Supper, and to prayer. 227 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,040 And notice what happened to all the people that were gathered. 228 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,040 A deep sense of awe came over them. 229 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,040 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 230 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:29,040 So what we see here is a group of people that went all in. 231 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:33,040 Right? They let the good news of Jesus radically change their lives 232 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:35,040 and change the way they lived. 233 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:40,040 And I wonder, church, if for some of us, sometimes our biggest hurdle 234 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,040 is not our knowledge of the Bible. 235 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:44,040 We read the Bible. 236 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,040 It's not our lack of spiritual discipline. 237 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,040 Many of us pray. Many of us meditate. 238 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,040 It's not even our lack of interest in the church. 239 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,040 We love to gather together. We worship together. 240 00:22:54,040 --> 00:23:00,040 I wonder if our biggest hurdle is that we overcomplicate it. 241 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,040 Is that we overcomplicate what Jesus calls us to do. 242 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,040 Leaving so many people feeling stuck and then I'm sure, well, Chris, where do I put my energy? 243 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,040 What do I do? Right? 244 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,040 And I've done that at times. Right? 245 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,040 We overthink this whole church thing. 246 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:19,040 But in these verses, we see a group of people, they're devoted to the gospel. 247 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,040 Which means they were living out the good news that they had just experienced. 248 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:28,040 And when they did this, when they were devoted to the gospel, notice, God moved. 249 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:33,040 Right? We read that there was a sense of awe that came over these people. 250 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:38,040 And when it says a sense of awe, it's just not saying, well, Jesus is cool. 251 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,040 Jesus is my homeboy. 252 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,040 Jesus is awesome. 253 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,040 That's not a sense of awe. Right? 254 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:52,040 A sense of awe is when we're standing on a beach, staring out at the vastness of the ocean before us. 255 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:58,040 And realizing how very small we are when it comes to this world. 256 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:06,040 Or when we decide to see a sunrise and we travel up to High Rock and we look out over the valley where we live. 257 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:14,040 And we see the beautiful sun setting only to realize how big and vast God really is. 258 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:22,040 And when we come to those places and we experience that, we literally stand in awe of God's creation. 259 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,040 How majestic it is. 260 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,040 How incredible it is. 261 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:30,040 And then we develop a sense of gratefulness for who God is. 262 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,040 But not only did God move in the community when the people gathered, but we read, 263 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:38,040 many miraculous signs and wonders were performed. 264 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:39,040 Well, what does that mean? 265 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:43,040 Well, this is the biblical way of saying crazy stuff was happening. 266 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,040 The same miracles that Jesus did. 267 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,040 Those that were blind could now see. 268 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,040 Those that were lame could now walk. 269 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,040 Those that were sick were healed. 270 00:24:53,040 --> 00:25:00,040 These regular, ordinary, everyday people, they were doing the stuff and they were seeing the kingdom of God break in. 271 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,040 And change lives. 272 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,040 And I don't know about you, but I want that. 273 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,040 And I want to see it happen right here today. 274 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:13,040 I want to be a part of a move of God just like that. 275 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:21,040 And I think this call, a moving from Acts, right, is a simple call to devotion. 276 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:24,040 It's a simple call to focus on what is important. 277 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:29,040 Right? Bob Marley sings, for life is worth much more than gold. 278 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,040 Right? You heard those lyrics in his song. 279 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:37,040 What's interesting, on a flight home to Jamaica in May 1981, Marley became seriously ill. 280 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:42,040 And six months previously, he had learned that his melanoma had metastasized. 281 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:50,040 On landing, the 36-year-old was rushed to a Miami hospital where he died not long after telling his son, 282 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,040 money can't buy happiness. 283 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:56,040 Money is not life. 284 00:25:56,040 --> 00:26:04,040 But yet within our culture, friends, our minds get so clouded and busy going 100 miles an hour all the time, 285 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:08,040 making life feel so, what, complex. 286 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,040 But what if we just slow down and focus? 287 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:14,040 What if we just focus on what's important? 288 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:22,040 Now that we're devoted, right, it literally means to attend constantly, to persist, to persevere, to continue steadfast. 289 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:30,040 And when these people devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching, it means they remained steadfast to the Gospel, to Jesus. 290 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,040 And this makes sense. 291 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:36,040 Because this group of people, they had lived for centuries under strict religion. 292 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:41,040 It was a sacrificial and ceremonial law, what they had to do and what they couldn't do. 293 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:48,040 But it failed to produce in these people what Jesus and the Holy Spirit was doing right in this very second. 294 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:55,040 I mean, think about Peter, right, we know Peter, the guy that denied Jesus three times, even though he said he wouldn't. 295 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,040 The guy that was angry and cut off an ear. 296 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:00,040 He's loud and outspoken. 297 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,040 He's constantly doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. 298 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:09,040 But then you see him standing up and telling the story of Jesus in Acts 2, 41. 299 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:14,040 And 3,000 people give their life to Jesus, right? 300 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:19,040 These people heard the message of this God man who came to earth. 301 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:24,040 He put on our flesh and dwelled among the people that he created. 302 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:28,040 He lived with them, he loved them, and he ultimately died on their behalf. 303 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:32,040 Jesus died of hands that he created. 304 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:37,040 Jesus' hands were pierced with nails that he gave skills to create. 305 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:40,040 He died on a cross made of wood that he created. 306 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:42,040 But he didn't stay dead. 307 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:47,040 He came out of the grave three days later proving that this new way of life, this new way of living is what? 308 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:48,040 It's real. 309 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:53,040 He proved this new way of having a relationship with God, with people. 310 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:59,040 It was real and it proved that we could now connect to God and anything was possible. 311 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,040 People heard this news and they responded. 312 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:05,040 They could not resist it. 313 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:08,040 They were tired of religion and they went all in and believed. 314 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:14,040 And it was like this childlike innocence and faith that they were devoted to the gospel. 315 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,040 Fast forward to today. 316 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,040 How do we devote ourselves to the gospel? 317 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:24,040 Well, to answer that question, I want us all to ask a simple question of ourselves. 318 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:29,040 Do you believe the gospel is true? 319 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:35,040 Do you believe the gospel is true? 320 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:45,040 See, when we dare to believe that there is a God, when we dare to believe that this God has a love for us so big, so wide, so high, 321 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:53,040 that he crossed eternity to be in relationship with me, that every day we wake up we need to be grateful for the air that we breathe. 322 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:59,040 And then we seek Jesus taking seriously what he called us out of and now what he calls us to. 323 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:05,040 Friends, when we're in a relationship with Jesus, he now calls us sons and daughters. 324 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:12,040 Doesn't matter about our backgrounds or the things we've done or the voices that whisper that you're not good enough. 325 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:18,040 You are now full of the Spirit and you have the ability to say, no, God, I give you everything. 326 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:23,040 I want to step into this crazy adventure of living in abundance. 327 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:25,040 I want to go all in for you, Jesus. 328 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:31,040 Bob Marley sings, ain't no rules, ain't no vow, we can do it anyhow. 329 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:35,040 I and I will see you through because every day we pay the price. 330 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,040 We're a living sacrifice. 331 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,040 Now it's interesting, I did some research. 332 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:47,040 I and I is a complex term referring to the oneness of God in every human being. 333 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:51,040 In the words of Rastafari scholar E.E. Kashmore, he says this, 334 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:56,040 I and I is an expression to totalize the concept of oneness. 335 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:02,040 The term is often used in place of you and me or you and I or we among the Rastafari, 336 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:06,040 implying that both persons are united under the love of God. 337 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:11,040 And what if I was now to say, friends, when we're in a relationship with Jesus, 338 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:15,040 we're united under the words that Paul writes in Romans 1-16. 339 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:19,040 I am not ashamed of this good news about Christ. 340 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:23,040 It is the power of God at work saving everyone who believes. 341 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,040 Right? I am not ashamed. 342 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,040 I am a living sacrifice. 343 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:33,040 And when we say those things and we live this way, it allows God to change me 344 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,040 because Jesus doesn't want just half of us. 345 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,040 He wants all of us. 346 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,040 He wants all of our being. 347 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:42,040 He doesn't want to just be our Savior. 348 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,040 He wants to be our Lord. 349 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:49,040 And when we step out in faith and believe that this Jewish carpenter born of a virgin 350 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:55,040 really was who he says who he was and did what he did when we read about these things, 351 00:30:55,040 --> 00:31:04,040 friends, it unleashes a lion within us to become more and more like him every single day. 352 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:07,040 This is what it means to be devoted to the gospel. 353 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,040 Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15. 354 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:15,040 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the good news I preached to you before. 355 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,040 You welcomed it then and you still stand firm in it. 356 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:23,040 It is this good news that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you 357 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:27,040 unless, of course, you believe something that was never true in the first place. 358 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:31,040 I passed on to you what was most important, what has also been passed on to me. 359 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:34,040 Christ died for our sins. 360 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:39,040 Just as the scripture said, he was buried, he was raised from the dead on the third day. 361 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,040 Just as the scripture said. 362 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:46,040 See, friends, the goal of life is not simply to show up to a Sunday at church. 363 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:50,040 Because if we just show up and church becomes a spectacle, 364 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:57,040 church just becomes another place where we're just an audience, that's just playing church games. 365 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:00,040 And God doesn't want us to play church games. 366 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:06,040 The goal of all this, the goal of this place that we're sitting in is not to build a bigger building. 367 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:10,040 The goal of this place is not to have a larger online community. 368 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:14,040 The goal of HCV is to build an army. 369 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:18,040 I believe we are called to build an army and you are a part of that army. 370 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:24,040 And we are called to go out into this world and change it and make it a better place. 371 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:26,040 Because you know why? 372 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,040 Evil doesn't take a day off. 373 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:30,040 Just like Bob Marley said. 374 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,040 Evil does not take a day off. 375 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,040 And the church can't take a day off. 376 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:40,040 Because if you take a day off, then that could be one person, right, 377 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:46,040 that misses the opportunity to hear the good news and ends up in hell. 378 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:50,040 And we don't want that. 379 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:57,040 As a community of faith, we want to use every resource at our disposal to move this gospel forward. 380 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,040 To reach the ends of the earth. 381 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,040 To see people changed and transformed. 382 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:06,040 And you are called to be a part of that which leads us to our next talk. 383 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:08,040 First we devote to the gospel. 384 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,040 Then we devote to one another. 385 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,040 The church devoted themselves to one another. 386 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:17,040 Notice Acts 2, 44-47. 387 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:20,040 And all the believers met together in one place. 388 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,040 And they shared everything they had. 389 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:27,040 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 390 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,040 They worshiped together at the temple each day. 391 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:31,040 Met in homes for the Lord's Supper. 392 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:35,040 And shared their meals with great joy and generosity. 393 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:39,040 All the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. 394 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:43,040 And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. 395 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:51,040 This is simply a zoomed in picture of what this group of people actually look like. 396 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:54,040 When the Bible says they devoted themselves to fellowship, 397 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:57,040 it just simply means they participated together. 398 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,040 They devoted themselves to contributing. 399 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:02,040 They devoted themselves to sharing. 400 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,040 They devoted themselves to be with one another. 401 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:06,040 And it means why? 402 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,040 So the gospel can be furthered. 403 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,040 And think about it. These people didn't have to do it. 404 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:14,040 Many of these people were facing persecution. 405 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:19,040 Death. They were being exiled for their families for believing in it. 406 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:24,040 But they were so compelled and overwhelmed by the goodness of Jesus they were experiencing. 407 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:26,040 That they wanted to be in. 408 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:28,040 Yet within our culture, 409 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:32,040 we get a taste of this on Sunday mornings. 410 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:34,040 I hear it all the time from people. 411 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,040 It's like I can feel God here. 412 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:38,040 I experience God here. 413 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:41,040 I love being around the people and being encouraged. 414 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:44,040 And then so quick we run out these doors. 415 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:49,040 And then we return to our daily lives of hurry and work and family and chores and sports. 416 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:51,040 And all those things which are important. 417 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,040 I'm not negating them. 418 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:57,040 I understand that we have to pay our bills and be responsible. 419 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:02,040 But I also believe this allows for us to make excuses of why we don't gather with other people. 420 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,040 Why we don't commit to other people. 421 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,040 Well, Chris, I don't have time to be in a group. 422 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,040 Well, Chris, I don't have time to get prayer. 423 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,040 Well, we aren't ready to get counseling. 424 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,040 We're too busy. 425 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:13,040 Right? 426 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:17,040 When in reality, change happens in community. 427 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:20,040 When we gather together, change happens. 428 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:23,040 This prescription, remember it's a prescription, not a description. 429 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:27,040 That God has written for us in the book of Acts challenges us to go all in. 430 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:28,040 Right? 431 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,040 To go all in for the gospel and to go all in with one another. 432 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,040 Why? 433 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:34,040 Because that's when God uses us. 434 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:35,040 2 Corinthians 5 20. 435 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,040 We are Christ's ambassadors. 436 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:39,040 God is making his appeal through us. 437 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:40,040 Think about that. 438 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,040 God's making his appeal through you. 439 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:47,040 Even though all the things you've done in your past that you don't want anybody to know about. 440 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:50,040 If you're in a relationship with Jesus, you're forgiven. 441 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:55,040 And he's saying, let me use you to invite people to come back to me. 442 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:57,040 He's inviting us to that. 443 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:04,040 What if gathering together is a simple reminder that we're called to live on mission for others? 444 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:05,040 Right? 445 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:08,040 To see other people come into a loving relationship with God. 446 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:10,040 And we are called to be a part of this. 447 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:12,040 It's not my job. 448 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:14,040 So many people, that's your job, Chris. 449 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,040 You save people. 450 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:17,040 No, I don't save anybody. 451 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:19,040 God saves them. 452 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:21,040 And it's not just me. 453 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:22,040 It's the church. 454 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,040 It's all of us. 455 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:27,040 We are all called to be a part of this. 456 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:28,040 Right? 457 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:32,040 We are all called to see God's kingdom break in. 458 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:33,040 Right? 459 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,040 And it's nerve-racking and it's overwhelming and it can be scary. 460 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,040 Let me just share an example. 461 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:40,040 You know, I've been pastoring this church for 18 years. 462 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,040 For 18 years I've been pastoring this church. 463 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:44,040 It started in my house. 464 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:45,040 Right? 465 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:47,040 And then it went to the Red Cross Community Room. 466 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:48,040 Then it went to a middle school. 467 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,040 And then it went to Bauer Avenue. 468 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:53,040 And then it went to South High. 469 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:55,040 And now it's Oak Ridge Drive. 470 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,040 But oh, COVID showed up. 471 00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:58,040 And then we went to the outlets. 472 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:00,040 And now we're back at a... 473 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,040 It's been a crazy journey. 474 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:04,040 It's been a crazy journey. 475 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:09,040 And I share all that to say, a part of that journey was stretching me. 476 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:10,040 Right? 477 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:14,040 To challenge people to come into a relationship with Jesus. 478 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:15,040 Right? 479 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,040 And then the salvation invitation was intimidating. 480 00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:19,040 Right? 481 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,040 I was nerve-racked about inviting people into a relationship with Jesus. 482 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,040 I didn't want to offend anyone. 483 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,040 Well, what if no one responds? 484 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:31,040 Well, what if people, you know, come forward but they don't get healed? 485 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:37,040 And I was always intimidated in my head, right, about what would happen if I gave a salvation call. 486 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:39,040 Or I invited people to get prayer. 487 00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:41,040 I was worried about me. 488 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:42,040 I was selfish. 489 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:43,040 I was worried about my image. 490 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:44,040 I was afraid of man. 491 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:48,040 And then in my quiet time, God challenged me and said, Chris, you've got to start stepping out. 492 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:54,040 You've got to begin to pray the salvation prayer with other people and invite people into my relationship. 493 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:55,040 That's what your mission is. 494 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,040 That's what the church's mission is. 495 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:01,040 And he assured me, he said, you don't have to save anyone. 496 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:02,040 Right? 497 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,040 Get out of the way and let me do it. 498 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:07,040 Invite people to experience life change. 499 00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:08,040 Be bold. 500 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:09,040 Right? 501 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:10,040 So I took a step of faith. 502 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,040 And I still remember the Sunday I stepped out. 503 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:14,040 And I was nervous and sweating. 504 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,040 And my palms were sweaty. 505 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:18,040 And I just gave, and this was back on Bauer Avenue. 506 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:20,040 I just gave a salvation call. 507 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:21,040 Right? 508 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:24,040 And one or two people said, yeah, I want to give my life to Jesus. 509 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:25,040 And it was great. 510 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:26,040 And I celebrated it. 511 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:28,040 And then I stopped. 512 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:30,040 I didn't do it again. 513 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:33,040 I didn't, I didn't step out. 514 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:37,040 And then God challenged me when we moved from Bauer Avenue to South High. 515 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:41,040 And then when we bought this place at the height of COVID. 516 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:42,040 Right? 517 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:43,040 I was talking to a camera. 518 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:45,040 And we couldn't meet together. 519 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,040 And God challenged me. 520 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:51,040 He said, when we open back up, when you open the doors of this new building. 521 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:56,040 I want you to give a salvation call every single gathering. 522 00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:58,040 No, don't clap. 523 00:38:58,040 --> 00:38:59,040 No, no, listen. 524 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:00,040 I'm not done the story. 525 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:05,040 You guys are clapping like, yeah, good job, Chris. 526 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:08,040 No, he told me to do that. 527 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:09,040 You know what I did? 528 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:10,040 I wrestled with God. 529 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:11,040 What Jess talked about last night. 530 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:12,040 I was like, no, I'm not doing that. 531 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,040 I was like, headbutting. 532 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,040 I was hitting God in the face. 533 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,040 I'm not doing that. 534 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:19,040 Every single gathering. 535 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:23,040 Are you crazy? 536 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:28,040 And then you know what he said? 537 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:35,040 He said, if you aren't obedient, no one's going to come. 538 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:39,040 If you aren't obedient, no one's going to come. 539 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:44,040 And through all this, I realized, you know, when I challenge all of you to share your 540 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:51,040 story, to invite people over to tell people about Jesus and how he's changed your life, 541 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:52,040 it's intimidating. 542 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:53,040 Right? 543 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:54,040 It's intimidating. 544 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:55,040 It's hard. 545 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:59,040 And we can get overwhelmed and we put pressure on ourselves to perform. 546 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:04,040 But God never intended for us to carry the burden of seeing other people saved, set free, 547 00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:06,040 and experience new life. 548 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:08,040 Because we can't save anyone. 549 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,040 Chris can't save anyone. 550 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:11,040 Right? 551 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:14,040 Tom can't save anyone. 552 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:16,040 God does the saving. 553 00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:17,040 We just participate in it. 554 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:19,040 We can't change someone's life. 555 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:22,040 But God wants us to be a part of changing someone's life. 556 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:23,040 Right? 557 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:26,040 We can't heal the hurt, the trauma, the pain, and the abuse. 558 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,040 But God can. 559 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:34,040 And God wants us to be a part of a relationship with people so that we're encouraged to go 560 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:39,040 out and do these things because he partners with us to see people healed. 561 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:45,040 I mean, all of us have a friend in our mind, a family member in our mind that we, our heart 562 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:48,040 breaks for them and we want to see their life changed. 563 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:49,040 We want to see them set free. 564 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,040 We want to see them in a relationship with God. 565 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:53,040 But we do nothing. 566 00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:56,040 And God says, no more. 567 00:40:56,040 --> 00:41:04,040 If you have that burden, step out in faith because I will change them. 568 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,040 Which leads us to another question. 569 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:10,040 Do we simply complicate the mission of the church? 570 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:13,040 Because I believe we do. 571 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:18,040 You and me feeling this burden to see others experience life change and transformation 572 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:26,040 is similar to my son Phoenix packing for a trip that he was about to go on. 573 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:31,040 So a few months ago, Jess was going to visit my daughter Trinity in Florida and Phoenix 574 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:33,040 was going along because Trinity missed Phoenix. 575 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:39,040 So we empowered Phoenix to pack a bag. 576 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:41,040 Phoenix returned after a long while. 577 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:45,040 We were wondering where he was and how he got lost. 578 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:49,040 And when we asked him, hey, Phoenix, can we see what you packed? 579 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:50,040 This is what we found. 580 00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:58,040 Do you want to see it? 581 00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:02,040 A big truck. 582 00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:06,040 Markers with no paper. 583 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:09,040 A Thor hammer. 584 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:13,040 Can't go anywhere without a Thor hammer, right? 585 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:16,040 One shoe. 586 00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:20,040 One pair of underwear. 587 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,040 A bunch of monster trucks. 588 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:28,040 And a Nerf gun. 589 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,040 So, right? 590 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:33,040 So we laugh. 591 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:40,040 So when he brings this to you as a parent, right, in this moment and you see this, 592 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:41,040 do I get upset? 593 00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:46,040 Do I get frustrated and begin to lecture him on the essentials of travel? 594 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:47,040 You know? 595 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:49,040 Well, Phoenix, what about socks? 596 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:50,040 What about underwear? 597 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:52,040 What about a toothbrush? 598 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:54,040 You know, didn't you check the weather? 599 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:56,040 It's going to rain. 600 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:57,040 No. 601 00:42:57,040 --> 00:43:00,040 Like, that's not how we respond to our child. 602 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:05,040 I'm excited that he joined in the process of packing a bag. 603 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:07,040 Like he did something. 604 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:12,040 And at the end of the day, even though the real packing needs to happen, 605 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:16,040 Phoenix gets to celebrate because he was a part of it. 606 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:17,040 Right? 607 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:19,040 Phoenix can't pack without me. 608 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:23,040 Phoenix can't pack without Jess, but I can pack without him. 609 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:31,040 So the burden of the invite, the burden of living for Jesus, right? 610 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:32,040 It's not on me. 611 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:35,040 It's on God. 612 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:39,040 Did you know that God has invited you to be a part of a work? 613 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:41,040 He's already doing it. 614 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:42,040 Do you believe that? 615 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:48,040 He's already doing a work in people's lives that you know all you have to do is join in. 616 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:52,040 Do you think Phoenix felt a burden or pressure when he was packing? 617 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:53,040 No, he was having fun. 618 00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:56,040 He was like, man, it's going to be great. 619 00:43:56,040 --> 00:44:04,040 I'm going to play with all these toys on the beach. 620 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:05,040 He felt nothing. 621 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:13,040 He felt excitement because he knew his dad would take care of everything else. 622 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:22,040 So as crazy as this example is, I look at the early church as like a child packing for a trip with their parents. 623 00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:24,040 They were just having fun. 624 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:27,040 They were just living with passion for Jesus. 625 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:30,040 They were carefree, right? 626 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:31,040 Phoenix wanted a bigger suitcase. 627 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:35,040 I believe the early church, they had a big vision, right? 628 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:39,040 They wanted to fill it with just people's lives. 629 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:41,040 And I don't know your story. 630 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:42,040 I don't know where you came from. 631 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:47,040 I don't even know what you're currently struggling with or the mistakes that you've made. 632 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:51,040 But if you're in a relationship with Jesus, I want you to hear this. 633 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:55,040 God wants to partner with you. 634 00:44:55,040 --> 00:45:01,040 God wants to partner with you to see other people come into his kingdom. 635 00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:04,040 You are not disqualified. 636 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:08,040 You are not about the sin that's in your life. 637 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:11,040 You are not needed to save people. 638 00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:18,040 You join with God and allow him to save people through you. 639 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:23,040 We weren't supposed to have pressure on us when it comes to sharing Jesus. 640 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:25,040 Right? Next week you heard Rudy. 641 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:27,040 We want to give out thousands of glow. 642 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:32,040 I'm already wearing one glow bracelets for you to give away at the July 4th giveaway. 643 00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:34,040 Why? 644 00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:38,040 Because Jesus communicates to us, church, be simple. 645 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:40,040 There's two things you have to do when you follow me. 646 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,040 Matthew 22. 647 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:48,040 Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love others. 648 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:51,040 Love God. 649 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:56,040 Take a collection of glow bracelets and love others. 650 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:58,040 Give them away. 651 00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:02,040 Well, Chris, how does that change lives? 652 00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:05,040 Well, it opens the door to a conversation. 653 00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:07,040 It opens the door to an invite. 654 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,040 It makes people smile. 655 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:10,040 Right? 656 00:46:10,040 --> 00:46:12,040 And when we do these things, look what happens. 657 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:14,040 Acts 2, 43 and 47. 658 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:16,040 A deep sense of awe came over them. 659 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:20,040 And the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 660 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:23,040 And each day the Lord added to the fellowship those who are being saved. 661 00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:28,040 If you devote yourself to Jesus, change happens. 662 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:32,040 See, the early church, they weren't living a convenient life. 663 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:36,040 They were living a life of conviction. 664 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:39,040 They chose to do what was hard. 665 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:44,040 And when we do this, when we choose to go against the grain, when we choose to go against culture, 666 00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:46,040 friends, that's when God moves. 667 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:52,040 Bob Marley, he sings, true love that now exists is the love I can't resist. 668 00:46:52,040 --> 00:46:56,040 True love, Jesus, I can't resist it. 669 00:46:56,040 --> 00:46:59,040 And I want to give it away. 670 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:01,040 So let's jam together. 671 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:04,040 He wants people to come together to celebrate oneness. 672 00:47:04,040 --> 00:47:05,040 Right? 673 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:06,040 To celebrate uniqueness. 674 00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:09,040 But more importantly, to point people to God. 675 00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:12,040 That is being the church. 676 00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:13,040 Right? 677 00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:15,040 It's a movement of the people. 678 00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:20,040 When Dan was singing Exodus, you know, movement of the people. 679 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:22,040 It's so beautiful, isn't it? 680 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:24,040 We are called to move. 681 00:47:24,040 --> 00:47:27,040 We're not called to sit and watch and spectate. 682 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:29,040 We're called to move and make a difference. 683 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:30,040 We're called to be the church. 684 00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:32,040 Five simple things to be the church. 685 00:47:32,040 --> 00:47:35,040 Number one, show up. 686 00:47:35,040 --> 00:47:36,040 Show up, church. 687 00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:40,040 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching in the fellowship. 688 00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:43,040 When we ask you to gather here on a Sunday morning, 689 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:45,040 when we ask you to make this a priority, 690 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:50,040 it's because we believe that you being here on a Sunday can move you closer to Jesus. 691 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:53,040 We believe that. 692 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:55,040 Hebrews 10. 693 00:47:55,040 --> 00:48:00,040 And then when we gather, let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of good love and good works. 694 00:48:00,040 --> 00:48:03,040 And let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, 695 00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:07,040 but encourage one another, especially now the day of His return is drawing near. 696 00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:12,040 And notice these verses, they encourage us to motivate one another. 697 00:48:12,040 --> 00:48:15,040 We motivate one another by asking questions. 698 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:16,040 Hey, how are you doing? 699 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:18,040 Hey, my name's Chris. 700 00:48:18,040 --> 00:48:20,040 What's your name? 701 00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:23,040 And then when they say, when you ask them the question, how are they doing? 702 00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:25,040 And you say, well, I'm okay. 703 00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:28,040 How are you really doing? 704 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:32,040 It's okay to ask a deeper question. 705 00:48:32,040 --> 00:48:34,040 And if they're struggling, pray for them. 706 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:36,040 You heard Stacy challenge you. 707 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:38,040 Hey, if you're struggling, put your hand up. 708 00:48:38,040 --> 00:48:40,040 Someone will pray for you because that will happen. 709 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:43,040 In fact, we're going to do that at the end of this gathering. 710 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:44,040 Is that okay? 711 00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:46,040 Are you sure? 712 00:48:46,040 --> 00:48:47,040 Okay. 713 00:48:47,040 --> 00:48:53,040 Well, then I shouldn't have to yell at people to go and pray for people then. 714 00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:55,040 We're going to pray for one another. 715 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:57,040 We accept one another. 716 00:48:57,040 --> 00:48:58,040 We challenge one another. 717 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:01,040 Live out this mission, church. 718 00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:02,040 Right? 719 00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:06,040 For some of you, listen, if you have kids, sign your kids up for kids camp. 720 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:10,040 It's not that hard. 721 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:12,040 There's a, what's it called? 722 00:49:12,040 --> 00:49:14,040 QR code. 723 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:16,040 Scan it and sign your kids up. 724 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:19,040 You're like, well, Chris, why would I sign my kids up for kids camp? 725 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:22,040 So they show up to learn about Jesus. 726 00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:24,040 It's an important part. 727 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:29,040 And for some of you, you need to show up and teach these kids about Jesus. 728 00:49:29,040 --> 00:49:30,040 Right? 729 00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:33,040 This is an opportunity for lives to be changed. 730 00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:34,040 Now I want to pause. 731 00:49:34,040 --> 00:49:37,040 Those of you gathered here, I'm going to look at the camera. 732 00:49:37,040 --> 00:49:47,040 There's a lot of you that are watching online and you think, well, Chris, I can't show up to HTV because I live in Kansas or I live in Florida or I live in Germany. 733 00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:51,040 Yes, we have all those places watching our sermons. 734 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:52,040 Okay? 735 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:53,040 I have no idea why, but they are. 736 00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:54,040 God bless them. 737 00:49:54,040 --> 00:49:55,040 I love you. 738 00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:56,040 Okay? 739 00:49:56,040 --> 00:50:03,040 But those of you that are far away and you can't gather or you're not physically able to gather, I want to challenge you to do something. 740 00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:05,040 Don't watch alone. 741 00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:07,040 Have a watch party. 742 00:50:07,040 --> 00:50:10,040 There's people in your sphere of influence that are struggling. 743 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:11,040 They need help. 744 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:12,040 They need hope. 745 00:50:12,040 --> 00:50:15,040 Invite them to watch these talks with you. 746 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:23,040 And then suddenly you become a little community right there where you are and you have the opportunity to change lives. 747 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:25,040 God even uses technology. 748 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:26,040 Right? 749 00:50:26,040 --> 00:50:32,040 And for those of you here, if you're going to take a couple of weeks off and you need a break, that's a bad excuse. 750 00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:36,040 But if you do, you better have a watch party. 751 00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:38,040 Don't watch it alone. 752 00:50:38,040 --> 00:50:43,040 Gather with others and see life change. 753 00:50:43,040 --> 00:50:44,040 Right? 754 00:50:44,040 --> 00:50:47,040 Because there's people in this world that are struggling. 755 00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:49,040 They are struggling with life. 756 00:50:49,040 --> 00:50:51,040 They don't fit in anywhere. 757 00:50:51,040 --> 00:50:52,040 And guess what? 758 00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:54,040 Anybody can fit in this place. 759 00:50:54,040 --> 00:50:55,040 Right? 760 00:50:55,040 --> 00:50:59,040 Look around. 761 00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:02,040 We take and accept everyone. 762 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:06,040 Which is good because that's why we have the tagline, come as you are. 763 00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:07,040 Right? 764 00:51:07,040 --> 00:51:08,040 We want to be authentic. 765 00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:09,040 We want to be genuine. 766 00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:11,040 And we want to share life together. 767 00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:17,040 Now unfortunately, I received this email last week. 768 00:51:17,040 --> 00:51:19,040 I've been to church four times. 769 00:51:19,040 --> 00:51:22,040 I'm an outgoing person and enjoy interacting with others. 770 00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:24,040 I was hoping to meet like-minded people. 771 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:27,040 I spoke to several people on the occasion that I was there. 772 00:51:27,040 --> 00:51:31,040 The people I met were not friendly and appeared to not want to interact with me. 773 00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:35,040 One was a couple and the others were women about my age 55. 774 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:40,040 I wasn't pushy so I sat by myself and decided that maybe this wasn't the church for me. 775 00:51:40,040 --> 00:51:42,040 I went up for prayer when the pastor announced. 776 00:51:42,040 --> 00:51:47,040 While the others had people pray over them, I just stood there feeling like a jerk. 777 00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:54,040 No more tries for this church. 778 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:55,040 Okay. 779 00:51:55,040 --> 00:51:58,040 And you say, well Chris, why did you share that? 780 00:51:58,040 --> 00:52:00,040 Because that's that person's opinion. 781 00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:02,040 Am I saying everything that she wrote is justified? 782 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:04,040 I don't know. 783 00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:06,040 I didn't meet her. 784 00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:10,040 But what I am saying is that's how she felt when she came here. 785 00:52:10,040 --> 00:52:13,040 And I want to say church, we need to be better. 786 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:14,040 Amen? 787 00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:16,040 We need to be better. 788 00:52:16,040 --> 00:52:19,040 We need to be better to see people that are new, that aren't a part of this church. 789 00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:23,040 If you're new here, this is your first time here this morning, we're glad you're here. 790 00:52:23,040 --> 00:52:24,040 God bless you. 791 00:52:24,040 --> 00:52:25,040 Come back. 792 00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:30,040 We want you to be a part of our gathering. 793 00:52:30,040 --> 00:52:35,040 In no way do we want anybody to feel like that. 794 00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:37,040 Because we are called to show up. 795 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:39,040 We are called to be the church. 796 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:44,040 We are called to be a group of people that loves on others. 797 00:52:44,040 --> 00:52:45,040 So number one, show up. 798 00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:49,040 Whether you're at home, show up with others, or you're here. 799 00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:50,040 Number two, pray. 800 00:52:50,040 --> 00:52:58,040 Acts 2, 42, all the believers have added themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, and to sharing of meals, including the Lord's Supper, and to prayer. 801 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:06,040 And you know we encourage you to pray every day, to read your Bible every day, because we believe that's the tools that God has given us to grow closer to Him. 802 00:53:06,040 --> 00:53:10,040 There's nothing more important in this life than to know God more. 803 00:53:10,040 --> 00:53:12,040 And to allow Him to change us. 804 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:14,040 To know how much He loves us. 805 00:53:14,040 --> 00:53:15,040 Right? 806 00:53:15,040 --> 00:53:18,040 And when we pray, when we read the Bible, we are different. 807 00:53:18,040 --> 00:53:19,040 We think different. 808 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:20,040 We act different. 809 00:53:20,040 --> 00:53:21,040 We look different. 810 00:53:21,040 --> 00:53:22,040 Right? 811 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:31,040 We're gathered here today in Hagerstown, Maryland, because a group of people gathered more than 2,000 years ago and took seriously the call to the Gospel. 812 00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:33,040 To live out the good news. 813 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:35,040 And friends, the world has never been the same. 814 00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:41,040 And that's why Paul challenges us in 1 Thessalonians 5, never stop praying. 815 00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:44,040 Never stop praying. 816 00:53:44,040 --> 00:53:51,040 Because when you're devoted to the Gospel and you're praying, that's when God will lead us to share with others, which is the third step. 817 00:53:51,040 --> 00:53:54,040 You've got to show up, pray, number three, share. 818 00:53:54,040 --> 00:53:57,040 All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 819 00:53:57,040 --> 00:54:01,040 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 820 00:54:01,040 --> 00:54:02,040 Right? 821 00:54:02,040 --> 00:54:07,040 When we ask you to give to this house, to our community of faith, we believe that God changes your heart. 822 00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:08,040 Right? 823 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:10,040 We're not asking you to give to the church to be selfish. 824 00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:12,040 We're saying no. 825 00:54:12,040 --> 00:54:17,040 Give to the church as a means of setting the example that the first 10% goes back to him. 826 00:54:17,040 --> 00:54:20,040 And we get out of the way. 827 00:54:20,040 --> 00:54:26,040 Because we really believe that every single dollar spent in this place can further the kingdom of God. 828 00:54:26,040 --> 00:54:30,040 And more importantly, move our hearts closer to his heart. 829 00:54:30,040 --> 00:54:31,040 Right? 830 00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:35,040 For example, last year we gave away a Christmas gift, right? 831 00:54:35,040 --> 00:54:37,040 To build wells in Africa. 832 00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:38,040 You guys remember that? 833 00:54:38,040 --> 00:54:47,040 Well, when we shared about our trip to Kenya, many of you learned that I didn't get an opportunity to visit a well in Kenya because of the flooding. 834 00:54:47,040 --> 00:54:50,040 There was an opportunity for me to get on a plane and go out and see it. 835 00:54:50,040 --> 00:54:59,040 So while I was sharing about that, on June 2nd, a couple of people were like, well, can we just get some images of the wells that we built? 836 00:54:59,040 --> 00:55:01,040 Well, can I show you some images? 837 00:55:01,040 --> 00:55:05,040 So I reached out to Blood Water Mission and they sent me these images this week. 838 00:55:05,040 --> 00:55:06,040 So check this out. 839 00:55:06,040 --> 00:55:15,040 There's a well that you built in Kenya. 840 00:55:15,040 --> 00:55:17,040 And look at the difference that it's making. 841 00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:19,040 Look at the next slide. 842 00:55:19,040 --> 00:55:20,040 Look at that smile. 843 00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:21,040 Right? 844 00:55:21,040 --> 00:55:23,040 Now here's the crazy thing. 845 00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:24,040 Here's the crazy thing. 846 00:55:24,040 --> 00:55:27,040 The images that you're seeing, that's just one well. 847 00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:30,040 We built six. 848 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:32,040 So there's six wells in Africa now. 849 00:55:32,040 --> 00:55:33,040 Go to the next slide. 850 00:55:33,040 --> 00:55:40,040 Yep, that look just like that because of your faithfulness and sharing out of the abundance of your heart. 851 00:55:40,040 --> 00:55:41,040 Right? 852 00:55:41,040 --> 00:55:43,040 That's why we challenge you to give. 853 00:55:43,040 --> 00:55:44,040 Right? 854 00:55:44,040 --> 00:55:45,040 It's not for us to be selfish. 855 00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:47,040 It's not for the church to get bigger. 856 00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:48,040 It's because God tells us to. 857 00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:49,040 Right? 858 00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:50,040 God tells us to. 859 00:55:50,040 --> 00:55:51,040 He says, test me. 860 00:55:51,040 --> 00:55:52,040 God says, test me. 861 00:55:52,040 --> 00:55:58,040 Give the first 10 percent and you'll realize that you'll be blessed beyond your wildest dreams. 862 00:55:58,040 --> 00:56:04,040 Now many of you know that Jess and I went to Kenya and we shared about this on June 2nd. 863 00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:08,040 And while I was sharing on June 2nd, I showed everyone these images. 864 00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:10,040 Go to the next slide. 865 00:56:10,040 --> 00:56:13,040 This here is a school that we visited in Kenya. 866 00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:17,040 It was out in the kind of the mountainous areas. 867 00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:20,040 It was very remote and out in the middle of nowhere. 868 00:56:20,040 --> 00:56:22,040 And notice their kitchen. 869 00:56:22,040 --> 00:56:23,040 It's all outside. 870 00:56:23,040 --> 00:56:26,040 It's all done over fire. 871 00:56:26,040 --> 00:56:30,040 And if it rains or it floods or it's anything, their whole kitchen gets washed away. 872 00:56:30,040 --> 00:56:33,040 Here's a picture of Jess with all the cooks. 873 00:56:33,040 --> 00:56:37,040 And the cooks, they're actually just moms of the kids that go to the school. 874 00:56:37,040 --> 00:56:39,040 You guys want to see a picture of the kids? 875 00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:40,040 Check out these kids. 876 00:56:40,040 --> 00:56:48,040 So all these kids, there's 120, no actually there's over 200, there's 220 kids that go to this school. 877 00:56:48,040 --> 00:56:53,040 And when I saw that they didn't have a kitchen, like Jess was sharing this during our testimony, 878 00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:55,040 when I saw they didn't have a kitchen, my heart broke. 879 00:56:55,040 --> 00:56:58,040 And I thought, why doesn't this place have a kitchen? 880 00:56:58,040 --> 00:57:00,040 I want to build a kitchen for them. 881 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:01,040 Right? That's what I said to myself. 882 00:57:01,040 --> 00:57:06,040 Of course, Jess shared it with the group that we met with on June 2nd. 883 00:57:06,040 --> 00:57:07,040 Those of you who are here know this. 884 00:57:07,040 --> 00:57:12,040 And then Luke Zimmerman goes, well how much does it cost to build a kitchen? 885 00:57:12,040 --> 00:57:14,040 I said, I don't know Luke, let me find out. 886 00:57:14,040 --> 00:57:19,040 So I reached out to Convoy of Hope, who was a part of the trip that we went on. 887 00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:24,040 And Brian called me back this week and he said, Chris, it's going to cost about $10,000. 888 00:57:24,040 --> 00:57:28,040 I was like, I think we can do that. 889 00:57:28,040 --> 00:57:30,040 Do you think we can do that? 890 00:57:30,040 --> 00:57:40,040 Alright, so I've already had from the first gathering, people come up to me and just hand me money. 891 00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:44,040 And saying, put it towards that kitchen because we want to build that kitchen. 892 00:57:44,040 --> 00:57:45,040 Right? 893 00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:51,040 So if you want to help, okay, build the kitchen, go to the Welcome Hub, let them know. 894 00:57:51,040 --> 00:57:57,040 And we're going to create a giving opportunity for you to give to the kitchen. 895 00:57:57,040 --> 00:57:59,040 And we're going to try to build a kitchen over the next month. 896 00:57:59,040 --> 00:58:00,040 Is that fair enough? 897 00:58:00,040 --> 00:58:01,040 Okay. 898 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:04,040 And if you want to write a $10,000 check, that's cool too. 899 00:58:04,040 --> 00:58:05,040 We'll take that. 900 00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:07,040 That'll be an easy way to do it. 901 00:58:07,040 --> 00:58:08,040 Just saying, right? 902 00:58:08,040 --> 00:58:10,040 Just do it easy. 903 00:58:10,040 --> 00:58:13,040 But the point is, now listen, the point is this. 904 00:58:13,040 --> 00:58:19,040 It just so happens that I'm doing a giving series over the next three weeks, starting next week with Bruno Mars. 905 00:58:19,040 --> 00:58:21,040 So we get to listen to Bruno Mars. 906 00:58:21,040 --> 00:58:25,040 And then I'm going to kick off a giving series called Generous. 907 00:58:25,040 --> 00:58:32,040 Because I believe when we live with generous hearts, and we give out of the abundance of focusing on God, that's when lives were changed. 908 00:58:32,040 --> 00:58:33,040 Amen? 909 00:58:33,040 --> 00:58:36,040 So we show up, we pray, we share. 910 00:58:36,040 --> 00:58:37,040 Number four, we serve. 911 00:58:37,040 --> 00:58:44,040 They worship together at the temple each day, met in the homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity. 912 00:58:44,040 --> 00:58:46,040 You know, we challenge you to get in groups. 913 00:58:46,040 --> 00:58:50,040 This summer, we don't really have groups meetings, so I'm going to challenge you with this. 914 00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:54,040 Invite someone over this week or next week for a cookout. 915 00:58:54,040 --> 00:58:55,040 Okay? 916 00:58:55,040 --> 00:59:00,040 I want you to invite someone to your house. 917 00:59:00,040 --> 00:59:01,040 Not me. 918 00:59:01,040 --> 00:59:02,040 Okay? 919 00:59:02,040 --> 00:59:04,040 Don't invite the pastor. 920 00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:09,040 Invite someone to your house for a cookout either this week or next week. 921 00:59:09,040 --> 00:59:10,040 Can you do that? 922 00:59:10,040 --> 00:59:13,040 And I want it to be people not just that you're friends with. 923 00:59:13,040 --> 00:59:17,040 Invite a few friends, invite a few people that are new to our community of faith. 924 00:59:17,040 --> 00:59:20,040 And don't cook hot dogs and hamburgers, cook grilled chicken and salad. 925 00:59:20,040 --> 00:59:21,040 Okay? 926 00:59:21,040 --> 00:59:23,040 Get rid of those nitrates. 927 00:59:23,040 --> 00:59:27,040 I just did a health series, or a health sermon a couple weeks ago. 928 00:59:27,040 --> 00:59:28,040 All right? 929 00:59:28,040 --> 00:59:29,040 But the point is this. 930 00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:32,040 You say, well, Chris, what's that have to do with serving? 931 00:59:32,040 --> 00:59:34,040 Well, to cook dinner, you've got to serve. 932 00:59:34,040 --> 00:59:40,040 And it's a great way to get over yourself and do something that's not about you. 933 00:59:40,040 --> 00:59:44,040 Serve others, which leads us to our final step, invite. 934 00:59:44,040 --> 00:59:45,040 Acts 2, 42 to 47. 935 00:59:45,040 --> 00:59:50,040 A deep sense of awe came over them and all the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 936 00:59:50,040 --> 00:59:52,040 That's an in-breaking of the kingdom. 937 00:59:52,040 --> 00:59:55,040 And each day the Lord added to the fellowship those who are being saved. 938 00:59:55,040 --> 00:59:58,040 Who are you inviting to experience life change? 939 00:59:58,040 --> 01:00:00,040 Matthew 16, 18 says this. 940 01:00:00,040 --> 01:00:11,040 Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates and powers of hell will not conquer. 941 01:00:30,040 --> 01:00:32,040 You