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Welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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To get connected or to give online go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church.

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If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text

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change me to 970-00.

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Thank you and enjoy the message.

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Thank you so much for tuning in to our live stream whether in your living room, your bedroom

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or listening in your car.

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Thank you for just inviting us into your space.

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And just as John shared we are believing that we're going to get the Fire Marshall in here.

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We are coming to you live from the Heger's Tom Premium outlets.

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We are believing he's going to be in this week.

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And if he does and he gives us a thumbs up then we will open our doors next Sunday July

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19th for our in-person gatherings where we will once again gather as a church, as a community

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of faith.

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Our two morning times will be at 9 and 11.

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So I want to encourage you to stay tuned in to my emails, to our social media pages and

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we will be announcing what we're learning and what he's sharing with us.

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But we're just believing that next Sunday will be the Sunday that we're all able to

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gather together.

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And also I want to encourage you, I will be sending out a list of the different precautions

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and the different steps that we're taking to keep everyone safe with cleaning and social

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distancing and all the different necessary steps to just be healthy and to gather together

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in a way where we're caring for one another and loving one another.

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And again those details will be coming out in an email this week.

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So John opened in prayer and I just believe that the Holy Spirit is here this morning.

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There's a few of us gathered here and I know he's going to speak to our hearts but more

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importantly he's going to come through your computer screens, your TV or whatever you're

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watching on to challenge you because we are launching a new series this morning called

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X Marks the Spod.

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And I just know that God is going to use this series to change our lives.

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Isn't it true that our world is just full of different treasure maps if you will pointing

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us to the different treasures that are all throughout this world.

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Treasures that many people speak of lead us to happiness.

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When you're online you know that marketers and advertisers are constantly getting you

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to click on different links that we can buy things or read different self help websites

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that tell us how to improve ourselves.

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There's of course the political circus that's all around us.

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Vote for me, vote for me.

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I will make everything right.

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There's different scholars and educators that tell us if we do this or do that your life

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will end up happy.

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Well Jesus if you don't know and had something more important to say then buy this car, read

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my book or vote for me and you'll be happy.

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He actually calls us in a better direction which does not leave us empty but actually

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leaves us passionately following him.

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In one of Jesus's most famous teachings the one that's called the Sermon on the Mount

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we encounter a command if you will that's very clear about our treasures.

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In Matthew 6 verses 19 through 21 we read this, don't store up treasures here on earth

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where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal.

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Instead store up treasures in heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves

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do not break in and steal.

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Wherever your treasure is there the desires of your heart will also be.

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Now we can all acknowledge that there's many earthly treasures that people passionately

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seek after.

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Jesus would have us know that they are in fact temporary and not only are temporary

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but they will decay and they ultimately don't bring meaning to life.

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Now all these things that we put our energy into think about it making money, taking care

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of ourselves, having long term security when we're at an older age, relationships with

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other people they're all good things I'm not in any way saying that they're not good things

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but they can't be our treasures.

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They can't be those things where we hope to find meaning of life because all those things

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are going to end up disappointing us.

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Jesus clearly said that the only treasure that can be found was in a relationship with

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Him that when we're in a relationship with Him our treasure is in fact heaven and when

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we're passionately pursuing heaven the things of the kingdom then our heart is flooded with

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peace.

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You see the problem is too often Jesus followers they get distracted by the cares of this world

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and they get distracted by the different material possessions and the educational achievement

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and professional success.

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He said security to make sure that we won't have to work again or maybe it's a new house

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or a new phone or some new gadget that's going to make our life better and we can find ourselves

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looking to those things if you will as that X in our life that if we pursue those things

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we're going to be happy and at peace but in doing so we lose the real value and meaning

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of life.

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See to balance these distractions I really felt God challenged me to simply look at an

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ordinary day in the lives of the early church.

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So this morning we're going to go into Acts 3, 4 and 5 and we're just going to look at

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an ordinary day at one day in the life of Jesus followers in the early church and I

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firmly believe that if we pattern our lives after these early believers then the treasures

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that we seek will be God's kingdom that we will be putting Him first in our lives and

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that each and every day we'll be focused on filling up our treasures in heaven which leads

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us to our first thought this morning.

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Friends one day that's right one day can change a life.

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Listen to these words from Acts chapter 3 verses 1 through 8 here it is one day everyone

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say one day at 3 o'clock in the afternoon Peter and John were on their way into the

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temple for a prayer meeting.

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At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up.

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Every day he was sat down at the temple gate the one named Beautiful to beg from those

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who were going into the temple.

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When he saw Peter and John about to enter he asked for a hand out.

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Peter with John at his side looked at him straight in the eye and said look here.

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He looked up expecting to get something from them.

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Peter said I don't have a nickel to my name but what I do have I give you in the name

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of Jesus of Nazareth walk.

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He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up and in an instant his feet and his

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ankles became firm.

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He jumped to his feet and walked.

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Now what an incredible story.

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It's one of those things where when you read that you can't help but bubble with excitement

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and did everyone hear the two words at the beginning of the text?

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One day and see one day is kind of like a chemical reaction that you learned about in

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middle school.

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You took these two chemicals and you mixed them together and what happened when two chemicals

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came together they weren't supposed to be together.

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There was this explosion and this bubbling out of these two chemicals and in an instant

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that's what these two words are like.

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One day.

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See one day is a place of potential and possibility and when we read those two words you need

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to pay attention to what happens next.

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One day is a game changer if you will and it's funny I think about that word game changer

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and immediately I went back to Jess and I when we announced that we were going to have

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a new baby and now Phoenix is six months old.

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We took a picture on the pool with a onesie and on that onesie it said game changer and

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why did we use those two words?

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Because we knew that our lives were going to be completely turned upside down because

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our youngest was nine at the time.

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So suddenly here we are we're going to have an infant in the midst of five older siblings.

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Oh yeah throw in a coronavirus and all the other things that were happening and literally

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our lives are going to be turned upside down.

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Well when one day happens in your life when one day becomes a reality in Jesus followers

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hearts then everything changes.

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Everything changes and I firmly believe that God wants to do that in your life this morning.

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One day encounters happen through ordinary people believing that all things are possible.

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Look at Philippians 4 13 I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength and notice

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when we read the word everything I'm pretty sure that that encompasses all of life.

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When we view every day of our lives as one day full of possibility and meaning life change

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can happen in our life and more importantly in the lives of others that we come in contact

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with.

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When you look at these verses there's another view of life that's illustrated directly in

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the text that can get us off course real easy when it comes to treasure and it's called

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another day.

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Everyone say another day.

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So we got one day and then another day and the amazing thing is we get to decide what

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type of day we want to live.

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One day is full of potential and possibility another day which you know like well Chris

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what does that mean?

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Well it kind of sounds like this I walk into the door after a long day at the office and

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just looks at me and says hey Chris how was your work today?

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How was your day at the office?

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And I say it was just another day.

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It was just another day.

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And see if we're not careful friends another day becomes another week and another week

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becomes another month and another month becomes another year and suddenly you can find yourself

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trapped in another day that's lasted 20 years and you're trying to figure out where did

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the time go?

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Life can quickly slip away when we're living for another day.

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See another day mentality is when people give up believing in God's promises and God's call

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on their life that they won't come to pass and I'm here to challenge you this morning

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stop settling for comfortability for the average to just kind of coast through life expecting

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that God won't change you.

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No God wants to use you each and every day for his kingdom.

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See this view of life is seen in the crippled band remember one day Peter and John were

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on their way to the temple full of possibility at the same time we read there was a crippled

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band from birth being carried up.

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Every day he was set down at the temple gate.

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See every day what was he he was placed at the gate of the temple to do what to beg for

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money.

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So every day equals another day and another day means that we find ourselves begging for

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money for stuff for the careers for our relationships for drugs for alcohol whatever it may be that

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we're pursuing to find happiness one day full of possibility another day full of emptiness

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and probability coasting through life hoping that the world satisfies our needs which it

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never will.

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Now both of these perspectives on life are ordinary because you're ordinary is how you

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choose to live and God gives you a choice.

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What will you choose today?

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Will you choose one day or will you choose another day which leads us to our next thought

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you see an ordinary day in the church was all about new life.

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An ordinary day in the church was all about new life.

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Look at Acts 2 43 through 47 a deep sense of awe came over them all and the apostles

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performed many miraculous signs and wonders and all the believers met together in one

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place and shared everything they had.

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They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

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They worshiped together at the temple each day met in homes for the Lord's Supper and

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shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

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All the while while praising God and enjoying goodwill of all the people each day the Lord

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added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

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Friends the church that we read about in the book of Acts was living for one day.

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They were experiencing signs and wonders.

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They were gathering together and what were they doing?

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They were sacrificing all that they had and why were they sacrificing?

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Why were they giving it to the church so that people could experience new life?

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Their treasure was the kingdom of God.

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They were focused on God's kingdom and seeing it forcefully advance throughout the world.

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Listen again to verse 47.

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Each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

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Each day added those who were being saved.

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You see it's almost like that word who.

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Who makes it personal.

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Who is not a large group of people.

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Who makes it personal.

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And friends if we're going to live this way if we're going to live with this one day mentality

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allowing God to use us to change our priorities then we have to make it personal.

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Who close to you is far from God?

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Who is it that is within your sphere of influence but is not in a relationship with Jesus?

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Who is it?

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I guarantee you all of you gathered here and all of you watching online if you drew a line

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on a piece of paper or on your phone or in your iPad or across your TV it doesn't make

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any difference.

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Drew a line.

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You could write one, two, three, five names on that blank of people that are far from

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God that have walked away from God that aren't in a relationship with Jesus.

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I don't want to challenge you right now.

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Stop.

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Think about that one person or that two people or those three people and write down their

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names.

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And if that person that if their life was to end today they would be eternally separated

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from God.

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I mean when we begin to look at it in that perspective then suddenly our priorities change.

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And you say okay Chris I wrote that person.

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Now what do you pray for that person?

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Believe that God is going to intervene in their life and then pray for yourself.

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God give me an opportunity to share the good news to smile to pray for whatever it may

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be.

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Give me an opportunity to speak life into that person's life into their struggles whatever

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it may be so that one day they find Jesus.

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And see friends when we make it personal the church which is you and me we should expect

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our friends our family our co-workers our classmates to experience new life each and

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every day.

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You heard John share that we have scheduled our summer baptism for Sunday August 9th and

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I want to challenge you that blank that person that you wrote down I want you to pray a bold

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prayer.

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I mean I don't know about you but my phone still goes off at 8.05 every morning to pray

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bold prayers.

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I want you to pray a bold prayer this week to focus on the kingdom to focus on one day

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and pray that that person in that blank would get baptized on August 9th.

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That's a bold prayer.

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I mean that person may not even live around here but you're praying for an opportunity

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for a life to be changed which moves us to our next thought our third thought this morning.

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Jesus is preached every day by ordinary people.

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Look at Acts chapter 5 verse 42.

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Every day they were in the temple in homes teaching and preaching Christ Jesus not letting

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up for a minute.

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And notice that does not say Sunday that does not say once a month that says every day not

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letting up for a minute.

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They were preaching and sharing the good news.

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Friends too many Jesus followers simply disqualify themselves thinking they're not called to

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share the good news.

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Well that's reserved for you Chris or John or a leader in the church the one that leads

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my growth group.

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They can teach people about Jesus.

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I can't know.

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Remember who Jesus called to be his disciples.

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Fishermen, tax collectors, the forgotten, the outcast of society.

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He said hey come and follow me change the world.

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I mean look at Acts 4 13 the members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness

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of Peter and John for they could see that they were ordinary men.

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And remember a few months back I did a teaching on that ordinary men that ordinary in the

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Greek is idiotos which means those idiots they had been with Jesus.

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They recognized that they had been with Jesus.

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And friends one day mentality is what brings about that change that you live one day for

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God's kingdom that your priority your focus your treasure is God's kingdom and then everything

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else slowly goes away.

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Who in your sphere of influence?

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Who is it?

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That God is calling you to serve to encourage to send a text to send a note to invite to

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our community of faith.

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Because see back in Acts chapter 3 Peter and John they were simply living their lives one

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day and they came across a man that was living another day and what happened?

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God's kingdom just exploded into that man's life and God used Peter and John to change

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that man.

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Friends the same can happen with you and me.

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The same can happen when our X when our treasure is God's kingdom and we're putting that first

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living every day as one day the miraculous can happen.

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Now what does this look like?

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You say well okay Chris this all sounds good I can I see in Acts the early church I see

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these incredible things happening.

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How does it work in my life?

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How is it that people will recognize that I had been with Jesus?

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Well first simply stated you got to make it a priority.

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You got to make it a priority within your life.

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Have you ever thought?

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Now just stop and think about it for a second.

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So many people they they look at success as well I'm a doctor or I'm a nurse or I'm a

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teacher or whatever it may be that they define success.

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I'm successful in life.

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Have you ever thought for a second that if you're in a relationship with Jesus oh yeah

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you're called to evangelize the world before the second coming of Jesus before he returns.

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That's a pretty important calling and see so many so many followers of Jesus they don't

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recognize that or realize that and they don't understand they have the greatest purpose

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ever given to mankind and we just let it slide away and coast away because we don't focus

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on that call in our life and in the Old Testament in Judges 2 10 we read these words.

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After that generation died another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or

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remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.

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Now in verse 8 of Judges 2 it says Joshua son of none the servant of the Lord died at

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age 110 and see back Joshua took over from Moses and led the people into the promised

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land and Joshua is recognized as one of the greatest leaders in the entire Old Testament.

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I mean you learn to lead from Moses he experienced firsthand the miracles of God the literally

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the parting of the Red Sea the Manta from heaven you say well it's Manta from heaven

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it means that God fed them daily from heaven he sent the Israelites food while they were

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in the wilderness they marched around Jericho oh yeah and the walls fell down he hung out

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with Moses on the mountain experiencing God's presence he walked into the promised land

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of God but yet the next generation the next generation after Joshua did not know God and

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people you know look around it's like how do they not know God well Joshua and his generation

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you know what happened they became comfortable in the promised land they became comfortable

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they made it to the promised land they they all we made it this is what God gave to us

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they became comfortable and they didn't pass it on and friends the same can happen to us

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our promised land is called the USA we can slowly find ourselves coasting through life

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and God is challenging us if you want to live for God's kingdom if you want your priority

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your focus to be eternal you got to live one day one day believing that God is going to

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use you which leads us to our first action step and we're going to dive into Hebrews

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chapter 12 for action steps and the first is this you got to remove the weight Hebrews

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12 1 says since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith

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let us strip off every weight that slows us down the church of acts I want to encourage

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you the church of acts that we read about in in two in Acts 2 3 4 & 5 they're cheering

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us on they're saying go allow the the different people that are that are in your sphere of

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influence to hear about the good news to experience new life they're cheering us on and they're

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surrounding us it says and they're encouraging us daily and what does it say we have to do

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the writer of Hebrews says you got to strip off every weight and what is a weight you

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know first I want to say this a weight is not a sin because the sin is next a weight

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is anything that is slowing us down from running the race that God has called us to and he

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said well what could that be it could be a friendship it could be a relationship it could

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be a job it could be a hobby it could be a sport it could be a cell phone it could be

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an app on that cell phone it could be a car it could be a house it could be jet skis I

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have no idea is there something in your life that's slowing you down and again it's not

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necessarily a sin and you say well if it's not a sin what is it it's a distraction it's

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a distraction that keeps us from focusing on the X from the kingdom from God's call

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on our life James 1 22 says don't just listen to God's word you must do what it says otherwise

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you're only fooling yourselves friends let's not be fools for this world and all the entertainment

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and fun it offers let's be fools for Jesus because our life will never be the same which

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moves us to our next section and here it is remove the sin see it's remove the weight

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and then remove the sin therefore since we are surrounded by that early church a huge

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crowd of witnesses to the life of faith let us strip off every weight that slows us down

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notice especially the sin that so easily trips us up and hear me out friends it's my responsibility

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as your pastor as a pastor as a leader in the church that Jesus built that we read about

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to challenge you to remove any sin that is currently in your life now I know hear me

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out it's not politically correct I to call people out on an issue to hold them accountable

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on a sin that's in their life to to challenge them that God can change them I've heard it

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all don't judge me worry about yourself well what about grace Chris oh friends hear me

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out I'm not judging when I'm talking about sin I'm simply pointing out what the Bible

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says I do focus on myself and believe that God changes me every day and I do believe

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in grace because that's how all of us ended up here by God's grace however if there's

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something in your life a sin that is negatively affecting your connection with the Holy Spirit

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it's my responsibility to challenge you to change don't allow that sin to remain between

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you and God and you say well Chris what's a sin well Paul lists a few in Galatians 5

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this is what he said in Galatians 5 when you follow the desires of your sinful nature the

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results are very clear sexual immorality impurity lustful pleasures idolatry sorcery hostility

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quarreling jealousy outbursts of anger selfish ambition dissension division envy drunkenness

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wild parties and other sins like these let me tell you again as I have before anyone

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living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God friends if you are in a

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relationship with Jesus the Holy Spirit is convicting you right now of anything that

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is between you and God all we have to do is experience God's grace and go to Him for forgiveness

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1 John 1 9 says if we confess our sins to Him He is faithful and just to forgive us

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our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness friends you have to remove the weights you

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have to remove the sins which moves us to our third step you have to run your race since

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we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith let us strip

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off every weight that slows us down especially the sin that easily trips us up and let us

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run with endurance the race God has set before us notice friends that it is your race not

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someone else's it is your race that God has called you to to live every day passionately

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pursuing Him we all have a race to run in stop looking at everybody else's race stop

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liking and thumbs upping everybody else's race and focus on what God is doing in yours

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every day look for opportunities to smile to be kind to encourage to pray for to invite

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you got to get involved friends we are planning on gathering again next Sunday we need people

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to serve we are challenging you to become a part of a team it is going to be so exciting

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just to see people again coming up next month we are doing a back to school drive through

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giveaway that is right normally we do a back to school backpack giveaway and we invite

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people to our building this year because of the coronavirus we are going to do a drive

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through giveaway and it is our goal friends to give away a thousand backpacks again this

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year we are going to have people drive through the parking lot and we are going to put them

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in their cars and we are going to hang them bags of food so that we can serve our community

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and say well Chris why are you sharing that now because we need your help you know to

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get a thousand backpacks we need backpacks donated or we need funds given to the backpack

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giveaway so that we can buy bulk backpacks to be given away the point is take action

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the point is that God is calling us to so much more to run the race to make a difference

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in our community Philippians 3 tells us this I don't mean to say that I have already achieved

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these things that I have already reached perfection but I press on to possess that perfection

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for which Christ Jesus first possessed me dear brothers and sisters I have not achieved

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this but I have focused on this one thing for getting the past and looking forward to

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what lies ahead God is challenging us to press on come along be a part of the team which

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leads us to our final step and our fourth and final step is you have got to focus on

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Jesus Hebrews 12 2 we do this we press on by keeping our eyes on Jesus the champion

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initiates and perfects our faith because of the joy awaiting him he endured the cross

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disregarded his shame now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne you

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know just this week if you haven't been by our Oak Ridge Drive location the outline of

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the building is there there is these huge trucks on the property they are digging holes

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they are getting ready to lay footers and I recorded my Friday video from the site this

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week and I tell you what I was just thinking back you know to 14 years ago here we are

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fast forward today we are getting ready to build a new complex build a new building believing

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that God is going to change lives in our community I thought back to 14 years ago when 12 people

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you know my family literally sold everything we had including our house and we moved from

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Syracuse to come back to Hagerstown to come back to the tri-state area believe that God

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is going to supernaturally change lives believe that God was going to use us and to many people

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I am just being honest here it was foolish what do you mean you are selling everything

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that you have to invest it in a church that doesn't exist believing that God is going

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to use you to transform your community fast forward 14 years don't get me wrong I am happy

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that we are successful and that we are building a building but it is amazing how God uses

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foolish things and just ordinary people to change lives and this is not new you see in

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God's kingdom if you are reading Hebrews 12 go back to the previous chapter there is this

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list of these different heroes of the faith and each of them had to take a step of faith

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look foolish doing it they were just ordinary people like you and me and some of the lists

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included like for example Noah God called Noah to build an ark in a desert because it

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was going to rain and God said you just build it and Noah was asked questions well what

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is an ark I don't know what an ark is well what is rain I don't know what rain is but

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he just trusted God Moses stood in front of Pharaoh and he stood in front of a red sea

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with a stick and that is it and you think about Sarah and Sarah was promised that she

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was going to become pregnant did anybody know she was 90 right Joshua and the Israelites

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already mentioned that they marched around Jericho seven times with no weapons they had

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no army they just marched around singing songs David many of you know David he stood

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in front of a Goliath a giant David being a kid with five stones Mary was a virgin teen

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Peter was sitting in a perfectly good boat Paul and Silas were locked in prison and simply

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began to sing a child offered his lunch to feed a gathering of people Jesus hung on an

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ordinary cross meant for thieves and villains each and every one of them when the time came

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and God called them to step out to live one day they looked foolish but because of an

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extraordinary God God used those ordinary people to do incredible things Noah and his

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family was saved humanity started over Moses saw the plagues happen in the Red Sea part

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Sarah gave birth to Isaac the walls of Jericho came what tumbling down David killed Goliath

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Jesus was born to Mary Peter walked on water Paul and Silas walked out of prison because

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an angel set them free over five thousand men women and children were fed Jesus hung

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on a cross but on the third day was raised to life new life that is promised for you

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and me look at Romans 8 the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you

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and just as God raised Jesus from the dead he will give life to your mortal bodies by

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the same spirit living inside of you if you're here will you stand with me friends will you

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join me those of you at home will you join me in daily focusing on God's kingdom in your

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life one day making that one day a priority each and every day that acts in your life

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that as you live for one day you don't coast you don't lean back or away from God's kingdom

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you lean into it believing that God is going to use you and I want to pray for anyone that

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is coasting through life and I hear me out on the other side of that camera I know there's

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many of you just coasting through life you know as I was praying about starting this

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series I was one of them I was coasting you know this pandemic and and and and just being

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at home and trying to get the church open don't get me wrong I've been working hard but I

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haven't been focused on the eternal I've been working to get our doors open and to get gathering

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together again but I've been focused on the eternal I haven't been focused on people's

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souls and their lives that there's people that are separated and that's got to be our

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priority because that's when abundance happens in our life so if you're if that's you this

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morning acknowledge it like me say God forgive me for coasting forgive me for taking my priority

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off of you for the X in my life being these worldly temptations and sins the weights that

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separate us from you draw me back to your spirit Jesus draw me back draw me back to

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focus on the people around me that need your love your grace your mercy your hope your

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joy challenge me God to pray bold prayers that people will see their life changed and

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want to be baptized want to make that public commitment allow me to be passionately pursuing

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you this week and for the rest of my life in Jesus name we all say amen so if you you

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know the drill if you prayed that prayer this morning and I prayed it I guess I got a text

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it too I don't have my phone though we want to help you we want to walk with you in it

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text change me to 97 000 text change me to 97 000 and now let's focus on Jesus you know

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I asked Rhett to lead us in a song so we can worship together to close and this is my prayer

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for you on through the videos on your screens my prayer is that people will recognize that

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you are with Jesus today tomorrow when you go to work when you go to school when you're

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hanging out with your family your friends your neighbors they will recognize that you

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spent time with Jesus today and they'll see it and want a piece of it that's it that's

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why we worship so I'm going to challenge you worship and all abandon if you're here with

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me give it all back to Jesus