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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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So let's just open in prayer this morning.

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God, we just thank you for a place where we can meet.

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And even though this may not be a permanent place where we're called to be, we know that

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you meet us here.

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That God, your presence is just so rich and evident as we sing and we're just surrounded

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by your peace and your love and your joy.

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And I just pray an increase in that as we talk and share about what you consider to

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be probably the most important thing that we could ever do in our life.

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So I just pray that including in my own heart that light bulbs go off and that we begin

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to value truly what it means to be connected and to be a neighbor to people in Jesus' name.

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And we all said, amen.

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So last week we did begin a new series for the next four weeks that we were calling Won't

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You Be My Neighbor?

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And together with 20 plus other churches in the tri-state area, our goal is simple, to

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become better neighbors.

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We discussed that Jesus says the whole law of God, and remember I highlighted that at

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the time that Jesus was teaching, there were 613 laws.

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And he said all of those laws are summarized by two great commands and that's love the

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Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, your mind, and your strength, and then

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to what?

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Love your neighbor as yourself.

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And we just really pinpointed that Jesus clearly said, do this and you will live.

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Do this and you will live.

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And basically he's saying that our entire lives are wrapped up in those two important

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thoughts.

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Our entire lives.

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And I think quite often if you're anything like me, it's like we separate them.

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Yeah, we love God and we want to talk to him and we pray and we read our Bible, but then

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Jesus says, well it's just as important to love people and to be connected and it's almost,

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we've lost that sense of what it means to be a good neighbor.

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But yet it's just as important.

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And the challenge naturally begins with just getting to know people.

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According to a new study in Pew Research, only 31% of Americans say they know their

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neighbors.

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31%.

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That's nothing.

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That means 69% of the rest of America, they don't know their neighbors nor do they want

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to know them.

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And just like I shared last week, it's as if there's a separation within our culture

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and within our communities and we're trying to figure out, well how do we bring this separation

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back together?

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And the thing is God has already given it to us and it's this simple word called hospitality.

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And let me just point out to you that hospitality is not about throwing good parties.

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That's a part of it, but it's not the most important.

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What really is hospitality if we look to Jesus' life and his example?

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The hospitality was gatherings, many of which of course were meals, but it wasn't about

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the meals.

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Jesus' focus wasn't on the menu, it was on the guest list.

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It was on the people that were involved with him and around him and engaged in conversation

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and it wasn't about the stuff they were eating, it was about getting people together.

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The different people, the outsiders, the lonely, the forgotten.

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And reality is if we begin to look at Jesus' example of hospitality, then we would really

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see that we're called to be the same.

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Jesus used homes and meals to define and declare where God was.

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He used homes and meals to define and declare, hey, God is here.

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God is a part of what we're doing.

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And we've lost that concept.

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You know, within our culture, our concept is churches on Sundays, we gather together.

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Yes, God is here, but Jesus paints a totally different picture in that, no, he's in everything

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we do everywhere we go.

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And more importantly, in those small gatherings, inviting people in, our neighbors, if you

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will, that's the most important thing in terms of relationships.

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And we've turned our homes, America has turned their homes from a haven for guests into what?

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A haven from guests.

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We've turned our homes into, well, that's where I need to go to get away from people,

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to escape the job, to escape the pressure, to escape the drive home.

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You know, I need to sit down, I need to unwind.

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It's as if we get off of work, we drive home as fast as we possibly can.

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And as soon as we get home, it's like we draw up the drawbridge, make sure the piranhas

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are fed and the water is surrounding our house, and we don't want anybody in.

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True or false?

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It's true.

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It's as if we escaped to a place that was once a haven for guests, where people wanted

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to come in and be a part of your life and other people's lives, and now we've just closed

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those doors.

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But their simple statement is this, in science, in science, scientists speak of a host environment

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as friendly and hospitable.

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And a friendly and hospitable environment sustains life and promotes life to others.

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We have got to learn to create an environment within our homes where people are coming in

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and being a part of who we are so that we are growing as much as the people that are

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coming in.

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And that leads us to our first thought this morning and the simple truth that everyone

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has the power of hospitality within them.

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So many of us think that we have to be Martha Stewart in order to have people over.

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That's just a lie.

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Right?

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I don't even know who Martha Stewart is.

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I just know that she's this person that makes really good food and her stuff that you buy

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online is really expensive.

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And she's known as a hospitable person, but it's not just her, it's all of us.

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And how do I know that?

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Well, Ecclesiastes 3 tells us, God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

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He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so people cannot see the whole scope

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of God's work from beginning to end.

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God has placed eternity in your heart, even if you're not in a relationship with him.

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Entity is placed in every person's heart and because God is the example of hospitality

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that we're called to follow, we all have that within us.

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We all have that quality of life.

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The Bible tells us that some people though have an extra gifting, if you will, in hospitality,

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but it's those people that we need to learn from as well because God's nature is gifted

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in every person.

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I firmly believe that, that all of us have God's giftings within us and God is the example

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of hospitality just like Jesus that we're called to follow.

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Okay, that God's heart is expressed in hospitality.

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Romans 12-13 tells us this, always be eager to practice hospitality.

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And hear me out, that's a command.

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Like always be eager to practice hospitality, just when you get around to it.

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No, it's always be eager to look to have people into your life.

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And the Greek word that's used there for hospitality is philosenia and it actually is a combination

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of two words, philos, which means affection, and xenos, meaning stranger.

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So hospitality, when you really break it down in its definition, is showing affection towards

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strangers.

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And we learned last week in Luke 10 that of course the Samaritan as he journeyed came

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to where he was and when he saw him he had compassion and he went to him.

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We saw that example of the Samaritan having that godly compassion in his heart, that godly

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hospitality in his heart.

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Think about it.

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That isn't an example of hospitality.

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That's not an example of helping someone, that's hospitality.

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Going to a stranger, helping them, having compassion, and when we open our hearts and

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our homes, then we begin to practice God's hospitality when we see strangers as people

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that want to and be engaged in our life.

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But the good news is this, we don't have to do it in our own strength because our second

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thought, hospitality flows from God.

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We don't have to try to be someone we're not.

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We don't have to have this perfect dinner plan and games and icebreakers.

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We don't have to do anything.

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We just have to allow God to use us.

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Then a despised Samaritan came along, and I really wanted to emphasize that word despised.

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Last week we referenced how when Jesus was telling that story the crowd would have booed

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and would have said, no, we don't want to hear about that man.

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The despised Samaritan though allowed God to use him.

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The entire Bible, think about this, is the story of divine hospitality.

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The entire Bible.

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Read it from beginning to end and what are you going to find?

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You're going to find the story of God's invitation to inclusion.

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That Jesus had to face loneliness, shame, insult, ridicule, just like I shared earlier,

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and had to be turned his back.

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God had to turn his back on Jesus in order for us to be included.

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That friends is hospitality.

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And our tendency is to think of in terms of what we must do in order to be hospitable.

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What we must do, what meal we have to make, the words that we have to say.

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But that's the furthest from the truth.

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Jesus was so clear that hospitality flows from God when he shared his parable of the

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kingdom and the feasts.

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And when we read this in Luke 15, the host of course is God.

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And that triggered a response, Luke 15 verse 15, it says, from one of the guests, how fortunate

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the one who gets to eat dinner in God's kingdom.

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Jesus followed up, yes.

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For there was once a man who through a great dinner party invited many and when it's time

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for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guest saying, come on in, the food's

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on the table.

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Then they all began to beg off one after another making excuses.

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Right?

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Our lives are full of excuses.

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You know, we're too busy for Sundays, we're too busy for growth groups, we're too busy

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to invite people to our house for dinner, we're too busy to have coffee with someone,

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we're too busy to have relationships.

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The servant went back and told the master what had happened and he was outraged and

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told the servant, quickly get out into the city streets and alleys, collect all who look

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like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless, the wretched that you can lay

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your hands on and bring them here.

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The servant reported back, master, I did what you commanded and there's still room.

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The master said, then go to the country roads, whoever you find, drag them in, I want my

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house full.

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Think about this.

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When we begin a relationship with Jesus, we enter into that household.

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Right?

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And the host, God is challenging you this morning.

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The host is challenging you gathered here this morning.

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Look around, there's empty seats.

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Is there an empty seat around you?

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God doesn't want those seats empty.

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He wants those seats full of people and even said to go out in the country roads.

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We have plenty of country roads here.

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Right?

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Drag them in.

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Pull them in if you have to.

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Make it an effort that you want to extend God's hospitality that was given you with

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everyone.

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As we give it away, then suddenly that open door begins to happen.

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William Barclay said that true Christianity was and still should be about the open door.

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Allowing your doors to be open and allowing people to come in.

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Which moves us to our third thought.

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Hospitality happens in places of living.

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Luke 10, 34 to 35, going over to him, the Samaritan soothes his wounds with olive oil

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and wine and bandaged them and then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to

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an inn where he took care of him.

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The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, take care of this man if

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his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.

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Now the very nature of hospitality places a huge significance on our homes.

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You know the places that we live because our homes are the definition or the expression

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if you will of being a family.

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Because you break bread together it means that you're included at the dinner table,

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that you're sharing a meal with another.

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But it's not just your home.

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You know notice the Samaritan, he took him to the inn and he bandaged him at the inn.

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He was in the inn engaging life with the stranger if you will.

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Helping him, serving him, including him in his life.

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And we have to realize that the Samaritan's actions were ones that we are to follow.

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Because some of us, you have limitations in your homes.

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Or maybe you don't have a place where you can host people over for a meal.

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But there's many other options that you can get involved with being a neighbor with person.

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Think about it, there's not a weekend that goes by that there's not a community event

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in the tri-state area, true or false?

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What if that on the weekends instead of just packing our schedules or our time full of

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the to do list around the house that we took an hour or two and just went to a community

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event and engaged people and showed support.

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You know consider life events and family and friends that people go through on a daily

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basis in terms of some people move in and move out other people are getting married

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or having children or they're starting a new job.

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All opportunities to what?

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Be hospitable to them.

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Encourage people to share with them.

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You can simply take someone to lunch or coffee.

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Simply choosing a person at work that you know is new or struggling or left out.

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You know being hospitable is the most important thing we could ever do because look what we

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read in Hebrews 13.

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Keep on loving each other's brothers and sisters.

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Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers for some who have done this have entertained

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angels without realizing it.

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You know what an incredible invitation for all of us.

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Let me be honest with you, you got to put down the draw bridges.

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You know you got to stop feeding the piranhas.

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You got to open your doors.

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You got to invite people in because that's just the true nature of God's heart and God's

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desire for us to engage other people which leads us to our fourth thought.

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Hospitality is centered in the simple.

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And don't overwhelm yourself that you need to have this four or five course meal to have

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people into your house.

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It's just not true.

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First Peter 4, above all keep loving one another earnestly.

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Since love covers a multitude of sins, practice hospitality to one another without grumbling.

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And I think it's amazing it's another command.

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There it is.

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Practice hospitality.

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It's another command for the church to follow and then it says don't fight about it or don't

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complain about it.

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Because isn't it true that if you're going to invite someone into your house or invite

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someone over you feel this pressure to perform, true or false?

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You want the house to be clean, the bathroom's got to be perfect.

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Heck you even clean your showers for people to come over.

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Have you ever had a guest come over and take a shower in your house?

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Like you clean things when people are coming over that you haven't cleaned in like a month.

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And then there's all this pressure to get it done and to make it look right and it's

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got to smell right and then what does it cause?

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Fighting and arguing and grumbling.

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No wonder we have people, I don't want people to come over.

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Look what happens.

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Now think about this.

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The Greek word for grumbling that's used there in First Peter is the same Greek word that

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was used when the Israelites were grumbling about the promised land.

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Same grumbling.

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And those Israelites missed out on 40 years, a whole generation.

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See God doesn't want us to miss out on His blessing.

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You know God doesn't want us to miss out on the importance of what it means to gather together

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to share.

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And remember Jesus tells us about banquets but He also tells us about basics.

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Luke 10.35 the next day He handed the innkeeper two silver coins and says take care of him.

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We see that from the Samaritan.

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Just a simple gesture.

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Take care of this man.

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Mark 25.35 I was hungry, you fed me, I was thirsty, you gave me water.

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Jesus says it doesn't have to be a grand feast.

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It can be a cup of water that you share with somebody.

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And don't ever think your house is too messy.

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Because to show hospitality means that you include people in your life.

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And people are going to feel comfortable.

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Think about it.

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You invite someone in.

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You welcome them at the door.

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You open your door as you're walking in your living room.

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You're kicking toys to a side or dog toys in your.

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Who cares?

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Right?

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But to us we think everything's got to be perfect and spotless.

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But in reality God isn't talking to.

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God won't ask you the simple question about how big your house is.

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He's not going to say well what's the square footage of your house, Chris?

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No, he's going to say how many people did you welcome into your house?

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God don't care how big your house is.

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You don't care how nice it is, how good it smells.

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I mean it's fall, right?

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Everybody wants pumpkin spice.

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Candles and you know all those scents are everywhere.

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Oh I don't have pumpkin spice.

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I can't have people over.

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It's just a lie.

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It's just a lie.

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So challenge yourself.

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Hospitality is being you and it's being real.

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People feel comfortable when they're just simply invited in.

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It's not an art.

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It's not this exclusive club that you have to prepare the perfect meal and it's got a

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taste right.

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It's not about that.

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It's just about being simple and being you.

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But what we have to realize in order to be a good neighbor, number five about hospitality.

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Hospitality involves initiative.

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You know we just sung that song about getting out and getting moving.

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Getting out on the waves, making it happen.

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God is calling us out people.

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Because our church is a church about open doors, about welcoming, about reaching those

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that are on the fringes, that are left out, that are forgotten.

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But if we're not action oriented, if we're not making a priority in our life then we're

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not following God's call.

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You know the Samaritan is he journeyed out compassion and he went to him.

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The rich man and again before Jesus told the story he knew it, he knew the command.

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Oh yeah love the Lord God for your heart.

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So mind and strength.

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Love your neighbor yourself.

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And it wasn't that he didn't know it, he wasn't doing it because Jesus said we'll do this

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and you'll live.

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It wasn't that he didn't know it, it wasn't that he can get an A for the answer.

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It was that he wasn't living it.

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And see Jesus was intentional and he calls us to be intentional.

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And hear me out, this goes for me as much as it is for you, the primary roadblock for

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most of us is that we just simply feel too busy, too overwhelmed.

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Hospitality takes time.

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And let's be honest, life's just not going to hand you a bunch of extra time.

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Now some of you may have it, great God bless you, fill your houses.

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But I don't have a lot of extra time.

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So when you don't have a lot of extra time it draws you out of your comfort zone.

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You got to push out of your comfort zone to want to invite people into it.

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And it's just not easy.

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But the greater value that we have to place on our lives is not privacy, it's people.

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It's focusing only outward.

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And I want to challenge you to stop and look face to face with that feeling this morning.

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That your home is a place where you escape, it's for nobody else.

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It's my mansion, it's my man cave, it's my castle, whatever you want to consider.

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I want to challenge you.

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God's not looking at how nice it looks from the outside or what type of furniture you

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have or how big your TV is or what neighborhood you live in.

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He doesn't care about any of that.

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He only cares about the people you're bringing into it because guess what?

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If we believe that God's given us everything, He's given us our houses.

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He's given us our homes.

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And if He's given us our homes then we're held accountable to do something with it.

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We are held accountable to a higher standard to use it for His glory and His glory means

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that people are in it.

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And if we're not inviting people in, if we're not inviting people over, if we're not providing

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a place for hospitality, forgive us God because we are living in sin.

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Let me call you what it is.

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That's a sin.

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You say, well Chris, how's that a sin?

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I just read scripture after scripture that hospitality is what?

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It's a command, it's not a choice.

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That if you're in a relationship with Jesus, you're called to do this.

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So did just about all of you get a bulletin this morning?

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Put your hand up if you got a bulletin.

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Okay, it's just about all of you.

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Okay, in your bulletin I want you to take out the little insert that I put in there.

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It was supposed to be a part of your bulletin but I forgot to put it in so I printed it

359
00:24:05,220 --> 00:24:07,540
last night just for you.

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Okay, so you have a little insert in there and that's called the neighbor challenge.

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Right?

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And within that little insert, there's a bunch of blocks.

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And there's eight blocks around you.

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You're at the center.

365
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You're the center block.

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So you can write your name in there if you got a pen.

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And then all around you are your neighbors.

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Now hear me out.

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They could be your neighbors as in your physical neighbors in your neighborhood.

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You know, maybe you don't know them by name.

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Maybe you know a few but maybe you don't know all nine.

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They could be coworkers.

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They could be classmates.

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This tool was a tool for you to use in terms of where you're racking up in terms of your

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hospitality.

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You know, are you knowing people?

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Do you know people?

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And it's a tool for you to begin to write names in.

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And so if it's your physical neighbors, begin to write in who your physical neighbors are.

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Some of you may know all of them.

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God bless you.

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I need to follow your example.

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I know two.

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Okay?

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And that's great if you know them or you invite them in.

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So Romans 12-13 says, practice hospitality, make an effort, be intentional.

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The message paraphrase says, be inventive in hospitality.

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You know, and why did I put that in there?

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So of course, why is this so important?

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Why are these churches gathering together to do it?

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Why is this important?

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And it's because of two words.

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And those two words are relational poverty.

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Our country is in the midst of a crisis and it's called relational poverty.

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People not being connected in meaningful relationships, therefore a meaningful life is not being produced.

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That people don't see any point or purpose for their life.

397
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And when people don't have a point or a purpose for their life, what do they run to?

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They run to drugs, they run to alcohol, they run to football, they run to whatever in order

399
00:26:11,940 --> 00:26:17,220
to just dumb down their mind, dumb down their lives, and make them feel like, oh, okay,

400
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I don't have to think about that.

401
00:26:21,380 --> 00:26:27,220
Now social scientists and experts have labeled four reasons that people feel that America's

402
00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:30,660
in this crisis of relational poverty.

403
00:26:30,660 --> 00:26:33,580
And the first is this, it's the breakdown of families.

404
00:26:33,580 --> 00:26:39,660
That people are growing up in single family homes or divorced situations and step moms

405
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and step dads or grandparents raising.

406
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And because of that, our society is missing out on what it truly means to be in relationship.

407
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The second is the increased mobility, the automobile.

408
00:26:52,180 --> 00:26:57,420
I shared that last week that people don't feel like they're tied down to a location.

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They can move to and fro, they can go to the store and go home and there's not that connectedness.

410
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,040
The third is the busy workloads and the schedules.

411
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People are worn out and tired and overburdened with work and they don't want to spend time

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with other people.

413
00:27:12,540 --> 00:27:15,540
And the fourth, of course, is social media.

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But social media is the fourth on the list after the first three.

415
00:27:20,140 --> 00:27:24,620
And of course social media is that lack of deep intimacy with people.

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That people realize that if they get likes, that's great, but they're really not talking

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to a person.

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God is challenging our community of faith to say, let's change those trends.

419
00:27:36,780 --> 00:27:38,260
Right?

420
00:27:38,260 --> 00:27:44,980
Let's break that relational poverty, let's destroy it and let's begin to be an example

421
00:27:44,980 --> 00:27:50,060
of what it means to be in relationship with others, to be in relationship with God, to

422
00:27:50,060 --> 00:27:55,480
love God, but to be good neighbors and to love others as ourselves.

423
00:27:55,480 --> 00:28:01,340
So three simple steps in how Jesus set the example for us to follow in terms of breaking

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00:28:01,340 --> 00:28:06,180
this pattern of relational intimacy.

425
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And the first is this.

426
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:11,100
God's love is shared through touch.

427
00:28:11,100 --> 00:28:15,580
Matthew 8,2, suddenly a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him and Lord, the man

428
00:28:15,580 --> 00:28:19,580
said, if you're willing, you can heal me and make me clean.

429
00:28:19,580 --> 00:28:21,140
Now here he does not ask a question.

430
00:28:21,140 --> 00:28:22,540
This man is not asking a question.

431
00:28:22,540 --> 00:28:23,540
He makes a statement.

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Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean.

433
00:28:26,700 --> 00:28:29,500
He had no question that Jesus could heal him.

434
00:28:29,500 --> 00:28:32,820
He knew God could do it.

435
00:28:32,820 --> 00:28:36,660
And he made the statement in faith and in belief.

436
00:28:36,660 --> 00:28:40,960
And of course that man had leprosy, a disease that's not known to us.

437
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:45,420
We have no idea what leprosy is, but if you pulled up images, you wouldn't even be able

438
00:28:45,420 --> 00:28:47,180
to look at them.

439
00:28:47,180 --> 00:28:49,140
That's how bad it is.

440
00:28:49,140 --> 00:28:53,540
But it was rampant in Jesus's time throughout the Old Testament.

441
00:28:53,540 --> 00:28:55,640
Of course, there are Levitical laws that were written.

442
00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,460
If you're a leper, here are the rules that you're to follow.

443
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You can't be around people.

444
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:01,520
You're an outcast.

445
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:02,860
You're forgotten.

446
00:29:02,860 --> 00:29:09,220
If people without leprosy got near you, they had to run literally to the other side of

447
00:29:09,220 --> 00:29:11,580
the road.

448
00:29:11,580 --> 00:29:17,620
Leprosy starts with muscle aches, then turns to joint pain and extreme fatigue.

449
00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:22,920
A person with leprosy lives for about 10 years and literally what happens is their flesh

450
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:27,580
decomposes while they're alive.

451
00:29:27,580 --> 00:29:33,620
And the smell and the view is just completely unbearable.

452
00:29:33,620 --> 00:29:37,100
But yet we read in Matthew 8.3.

453
00:29:37,100 --> 00:29:41,140
Jesus reached out and touched him.

454
00:29:41,140 --> 00:29:47,620
I am willing, he said, be healed and instantly the leprosy disappeared.

455
00:29:47,620 --> 00:29:52,380
And if we're honest, if you're anything like me, like if I'm out at Walmart or a store

456
00:29:52,380 --> 00:30:00,340
or something and I see a person walking around with one of those white hospital masks on,

457
00:30:00,340 --> 00:30:01,340
like I go the other way.

458
00:30:01,340 --> 00:30:02,340
Do you?

459
00:30:02,340 --> 00:30:07,620
I mean, you're thinking, man, if they're walking around with a mask on, they're sick.

460
00:30:07,620 --> 00:30:12,380
And I don't want to be around that sickness because I don't want to get sick.

461
00:30:12,380 --> 00:30:17,980
And in our nature of mind, natural mindset that if this person was sitting before us,

462
00:30:17,980 --> 00:30:24,660
flesh decomposing, looking to us for prayer, I guarantee you, you wouldn't lay hands on

463
00:30:24,660 --> 00:30:26,660
him.

464
00:30:26,660 --> 00:30:31,620
But yet Jesus touched him.

465
00:30:31,620 --> 00:30:35,380
And what blows my mind, think about this.

466
00:30:35,380 --> 00:30:39,220
All throughout the four gospels, we read of multiple accounts of Jesus healing people

467
00:30:39,220 --> 00:30:41,540
without touch, true or false.

468
00:30:41,540 --> 00:30:49,140
He told Lazarus to get up who was dead and come out and he didn't touch him.

469
00:30:49,140 --> 00:30:53,720
So why did Jesus touch this man?

470
00:30:53,720 --> 00:31:01,540
Why did Jesus suddenly feel compelled to touch this man that was full of disease?

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00:31:01,540 --> 00:31:07,580
Could it be that he was showing us the answer to relational poverty?

472
00:31:07,580 --> 00:31:13,260
That important part of ending relational poverty, of the feeling of rejection and shame and

473
00:31:13,260 --> 00:31:16,020
left out as to what?

474
00:31:16,020 --> 00:31:18,580
Simply touch somebody.

475
00:31:18,580 --> 00:31:20,740
High five somebody.

476
00:31:20,740 --> 00:31:25,220
I guarantee you, there's some of you that come here on a regular basis.

477
00:31:25,220 --> 00:31:26,900
You may come to hear me talk.

478
00:31:26,900 --> 00:31:27,940
You love the worship.

479
00:31:27,940 --> 00:31:28,940
It's incredible.

480
00:31:28,940 --> 00:31:29,940
It's awesome.

481
00:31:29,940 --> 00:31:34,380
But it's more important for you to get a high five than it is for any of that.

482
00:31:34,380 --> 00:31:38,380
I guarantee you, there's some of you here like that.

483
00:31:38,380 --> 00:31:41,900
And if it's in our own community of faith, think about how important it is outside of

484
00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:42,900
this.

485
00:31:42,900 --> 00:31:48,140
A loving touch and a hug can change people.

486
00:31:48,140 --> 00:31:50,020
Luke 18.

487
00:31:50,020 --> 00:31:55,300
And Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, let the children come to

488
00:31:55,300 --> 00:31:56,860
me.

489
00:31:56,860 --> 00:32:00,940
Don't stop them for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

490
00:32:00,940 --> 00:32:05,980
You know, and thinking about the parents wanted the children to be touched by Jesus, to engage

491
00:32:05,980 --> 00:32:07,620
his life.

492
00:32:07,620 --> 00:32:10,260
And as adults, oh no, don't let them come.

493
00:32:10,260 --> 00:32:13,620
They're a distraction.

494
00:32:13,620 --> 00:32:17,520
That's the way our minds work.

495
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:21,740
Don't allow what the experts have labeled, right, the way you were brought up in your

496
00:32:21,740 --> 00:32:27,140
home, the, the, the, the, the, your car that you have that you can go for a drive in or

497
00:32:27,140 --> 00:32:33,140
your motorcycle or, or, or the truth is that you're too busy, you work too hard.

498
00:32:33,140 --> 00:32:34,140
Right?

499
00:32:34,140 --> 00:32:37,860
They're all just excuses.

500
00:32:37,860 --> 00:32:40,180
Think about it in the parable of the great feast.

501
00:32:40,180 --> 00:32:43,180
They had a lot of excuses.

502
00:32:43,180 --> 00:32:48,420
But yet God told all the servants to go and get them.

503
00:32:48,420 --> 00:32:55,900
So we have to learn to share love through touch, to encourage people, to high five people,

504
00:32:55,900 --> 00:33:00,900
to shake someone's hand, which moves us to our next thing.

505
00:33:00,900 --> 00:33:04,860
Our next step is God's love is shared by listening.

506
00:33:04,860 --> 00:33:07,520
People need to be loved by listening.

507
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:09,580
Jesus was a great listener.

508
00:33:09,580 --> 00:33:15,460
There's this amazing story that, that there was two men walking down the street and it

509
00:33:15,460 --> 00:33:17,460
has been, Jesus had just been crucified.

510
00:33:17,460 --> 00:33:22,340
He died, but, but they didn't know that he had risen and they had put their entire hopes,

511
00:33:22,340 --> 00:33:26,780
their dreams, their lives in the following Jesus, the Messiah.

512
00:33:26,780 --> 00:33:30,780
And they felt again that he was going to build this kingdom here on earth and they weren't

513
00:33:30,780 --> 00:33:34,740
focused on the kingdom of heaven, the eternal kingdom.

514
00:33:34,740 --> 00:33:38,620
And they're depressed walking down the road and Jesus comes up and walks alongside them.

515
00:33:38,620 --> 00:33:44,780
And Luke 24 verse 17, it says, Jesus asked them a question.

516
00:33:44,780 --> 00:33:48,900
What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?

517
00:33:48,900 --> 00:33:52,060
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.

518
00:33:52,060 --> 00:33:57,880
Then one of them, Cleopas replied, you must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn't

519
00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:02,980
heard all about the things that have happened here the last few days.

520
00:34:02,980 --> 00:34:07,700
Now be honest at that very moment, Jesus could have responded very differently.

521
00:34:07,700 --> 00:34:11,980
He could have said, he could have said, I'm here.

522
00:34:11,980 --> 00:34:12,980
Ta-da.

523
00:34:12,980 --> 00:34:17,980
I'm alive.

524
00:34:17,980 --> 00:34:20,860
It would have made their day.

525
00:34:20,860 --> 00:34:23,620
They would have been excited.

526
00:34:23,620 --> 00:34:25,820
You know, he could have looked at them and said, don't be depressed.

527
00:34:25,820 --> 00:34:27,180
I'm here.

528
00:34:27,180 --> 00:34:29,740
But he didn't do that.

529
00:34:29,740 --> 00:34:32,720
He just asked them another question.

530
00:34:32,720 --> 00:34:36,680
What things?

531
00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:40,380
Why do you think Jesus didn't reveal himself in that situation?

532
00:34:40,380 --> 00:34:42,940
Think about that.

533
00:34:42,940 --> 00:34:48,680
Maybe just maybe he was modeling what it meant to listen.

534
00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:51,780
To hear their heart.

535
00:34:51,780 --> 00:34:54,380
You know, because a lot of people, they grieve by what?

536
00:34:54,380 --> 00:34:57,560
Sharing what's on their heart.

537
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,860
And we're too quick to want to fix people's problems rather than just listening to the

538
00:35:01,860 --> 00:35:03,700
problems of their heart.

539
00:35:03,700 --> 00:35:06,300
They're grieving, they're suffering, they're going through pain.

540
00:35:06,300 --> 00:35:07,860
Maybe they just needed to work through it.

541
00:35:07,860 --> 00:35:16,900
Those two men, they just needed to work through it.

542
00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:22,740
You know, how do we not know the importance of listening to someone's story or problem

543
00:35:22,740 --> 00:35:30,200
or situation and just say, well, can I pray with you about that?

544
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:32,440
You know, after this gathering, you may be out in the lobby there.

545
00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:36,940
You may, you may need to go and find someone you don't know and just introduce yourself

546
00:35:36,940 --> 00:35:40,700
and ask that person, how are you doing?

547
00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:43,980
Because there's a lot of you that don't know each other.

548
00:35:43,980 --> 00:35:47,860
But how easy is it just to simply walk up to somebody, introduce yourself and say, hey,

549
00:35:47,860 --> 00:35:48,860
how you doing?

550
00:35:48,860 --> 00:35:51,740
Is there anything I can pray for this week?

551
00:35:51,740 --> 00:35:55,620
Let's be honest.

552
00:35:55,620 --> 00:35:58,660
We're all lonely.

553
00:35:58,660 --> 00:36:00,620
All of us.

554
00:36:00,620 --> 00:36:04,700
Our busy schedules, our broken past.

555
00:36:04,700 --> 00:36:08,540
Our desperate situations that are in front of us.

556
00:36:08,540 --> 00:36:10,700
We're all lonely.

557
00:36:10,700 --> 00:36:13,700
And sometimes we just need someone to listen.

558
00:36:13,700 --> 00:36:16,740
James 1 19.

559
00:36:16,740 --> 00:36:21,060
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak

560
00:36:21,060 --> 00:36:25,060
and slow to get angry.

561
00:36:25,060 --> 00:36:27,820
Quick to listen.

562
00:36:27,820 --> 00:36:29,220
Slow to speak, slow to get angry.

563
00:36:29,220 --> 00:36:32,660
I mean, that's an important trait that all of us have lost.

564
00:36:32,660 --> 00:36:40,620
Proverbs 18 answering before listening is both stupid and rude.

565
00:36:40,620 --> 00:36:44,340
You know, Jesus modeled this for us.

566
00:36:44,340 --> 00:36:46,700
We love with touch.

567
00:36:46,700 --> 00:36:48,640
We love by listening.

568
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:53,580
And finally, God's love is shared with time.

569
00:36:53,580 --> 00:36:56,740
We got to learn to give our time.

570
00:36:56,740 --> 00:37:02,780
Jesus had three and a half years of ministry and he jammed a lot into those three and a

571
00:37:02,780 --> 00:37:03,780
half years.

572
00:37:03,780 --> 00:37:07,820
He was always on the move going to and from cities.

573
00:37:07,820 --> 00:37:10,260
He was always going to heal someone.

574
00:37:10,260 --> 00:37:14,360
He was teaching and sharing and preaching to crowds.

575
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:18,500
He was multiplying loaves and fishes for 5000 people.

576
00:37:18,500 --> 00:37:21,500
He was always on the move, always going to and fro.

577
00:37:21,500 --> 00:37:29,060
That the one thing we know about Jesus, he allowed himself to be interrupted.

578
00:37:29,060 --> 00:37:32,060
He allowed his life to be interrupted.

579
00:37:32,060 --> 00:37:34,820
His schedule to change.

580
00:37:34,820 --> 00:37:41,700
For 30 minutes to fit in that broken neighbor or that co-worker that is crying and weeping

581
00:37:41,700 --> 00:37:45,980
because of a divorce or a separation.

582
00:37:45,980 --> 00:37:47,720
Found the 30 minutes.

583
00:37:47,720 --> 00:37:53,740
In Luke chapter 5, Jesus is teaching in a town that he hadn't been in up to that point.

584
00:37:53,740 --> 00:37:57,180
He's in this house and people are jammed in from all over.

585
00:37:57,180 --> 00:37:59,660
They're in the windows, in the doors.

586
00:37:59,660 --> 00:38:02,860
There's no way to get more people into the house.

587
00:38:02,860 --> 00:38:07,900
There's these four men and they hear about Jesus being in town and they knew, oh, we

588
00:38:07,900 --> 00:38:09,380
have a friend that's paralyzed.

589
00:38:09,380 --> 00:38:13,860
He can get healed if he just gets near Jesus.

590
00:38:13,860 --> 00:38:17,100
So they pick up his mat and they go to them, make their way to the house and they can't

591
00:38:17,100 --> 00:38:19,100
get in.

592
00:38:19,100 --> 00:38:23,660
And in Luke 5 we read one day while Jesus was teaching, some men carrying a paralyzed

593
00:38:23,660 --> 00:38:29,140
man on a sleeping mat, they tried to take him inside but they couldn't reach him because

594
00:38:29,140 --> 00:38:30,960
of the crowd.

595
00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:34,540
So they went up on the roof and took off some tiles.

596
00:38:34,540 --> 00:38:39,340
Then they lowered a sick man on his mat down into the crowd right in front of Jesus.

597
00:38:39,340 --> 00:38:42,940
I got to thinking this week, isn't it amazing?

598
00:38:42,940 --> 00:38:50,220
Like when we do growth groups, we try to provide people with childcare so that their kids can

599
00:38:50,220 --> 00:38:54,540
watch, can get watched and there's no interruptions.

600
00:38:54,540 --> 00:38:58,780
You know, they're discussing Jesus as adults and their kids are being taken care of and

601
00:38:58,780 --> 00:39:01,100
there's no interruptions or babies crying.

602
00:39:01,100 --> 00:39:08,020
Dude, Jesus here teaching essentially in like a growth group setting and suddenly this,

603
00:39:08,020 --> 00:39:14,580
whoever's house it is, the roof gets ripped off.

604
00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:20,100
Like we're worried about crying kids and babies being upset and Jesus here teaching, the roof

605
00:39:20,100 --> 00:39:21,660
gets ripped off.

606
00:39:21,660 --> 00:39:27,140
So you're thinking, insurance claims and who is doing this to my house?

607
00:39:27,140 --> 00:39:33,620
Jesus just like, then they lowered a sick man on his mat into the crowd right in front

608
00:39:33,620 --> 00:39:34,620
of Jesus.

609
00:39:34,620 --> 00:39:38,220
And in that case, Jesus says, young man, your sins are forgiven.

610
00:39:38,220 --> 00:39:39,220
You're healed.

611
00:39:39,220 --> 00:39:42,220
Isn't that amazing?

612
00:39:42,220 --> 00:39:55,020
They just completely interrupted, just saw that the man needed healing.

613
00:39:55,020 --> 00:39:59,260
But that's got to be our heart, friends.

614
00:39:59,260 --> 00:40:02,220
We can't be like the Pharisees.

615
00:40:02,220 --> 00:40:03,340
Who does he think he is?

616
00:40:03,340 --> 00:40:07,460
Just blasphemy, only God can forgive sins.

617
00:40:07,460 --> 00:40:14,540
We can't be like the religious.

618
00:40:14,540 --> 00:40:17,760
Simple truth we need to learn to live by.

619
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:23,060
Whoever God puts in front of you is God's assignment for you.

620
00:40:23,060 --> 00:40:29,660
And I don't care if you know him or not.

621
00:40:29,660 --> 00:40:35,740
Whoever God puts in front of you is God's assignment for you.

622
00:40:35,740 --> 00:40:42,300
And see, I firmly believe that if we all stepped into God's assignment, the needs of our community

623
00:40:42,300 --> 00:40:49,340
would be completely met.

624
00:40:49,340 --> 00:40:52,820
That if we all stepped into our assignment and believed that the Holy Spirit was leading

625
00:40:52,820 --> 00:40:59,580
and guiding us everywhere we went, that we wouldn't hold on to property and possessions

626
00:40:59,580 --> 00:41:00,580
and things.

627
00:41:00,580 --> 00:41:02,180
I mean, yesterday we did a yard sale, right?

628
00:41:02,180 --> 00:41:03,180
We did a yard sale.

629
00:41:03,180 --> 00:41:04,980
We're fixing our house up a little bit.

630
00:41:04,980 --> 00:41:07,300
We did a yard sale.

631
00:41:07,300 --> 00:41:10,700
And we're not like yard sale people, but we just set stuff out in the yard.

632
00:41:10,700 --> 00:41:12,020
And if people show up and buy it, great.

633
00:41:12,020 --> 00:41:14,700
If they don't, we don't care either.

634
00:41:14,700 --> 00:41:22,900
I mean, Jess started bringing stuff out, like our whole front first floor is empty.

635
00:41:22,900 --> 00:41:28,100
Like we used to have an island in our kitchen where I made lunches and breakfast on and

636
00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:29,100
stuff.

637
00:41:29,100 --> 00:41:32,100
It's gone.

638
00:41:32,100 --> 00:41:38,620
Like I'm gonna have to make breakfast on the floor.

639
00:41:38,620 --> 00:41:43,100
I mean, she was taking stuff off the walls and you know, I was like, man, I like that

640
00:41:43,100 --> 00:41:44,100
coffee mug.

641
00:41:44,100 --> 00:41:49,940
It's in the quarter container.

642
00:41:49,940 --> 00:41:52,060
I remember why I'm like, what are you doing?

643
00:41:52,060 --> 00:41:53,380
She goes, we're starting over.

644
00:41:53,380 --> 00:41:56,140
She goes, you're painting the walls anyway.

645
00:41:56,140 --> 00:41:57,140
It doesn't matter.

646
00:41:57,140 --> 00:42:01,820
I said, oh man.

647
00:42:01,820 --> 00:42:05,660
You know, and I say all that, that's how we have to view our stuff.

648
00:42:05,660 --> 00:42:07,260
Who cares?

649
00:42:07,260 --> 00:42:11,420
Just stuff.

650
00:42:11,420 --> 00:42:19,220
Like who are you bringing into your house to change, to impact, to love on?

651
00:42:19,220 --> 00:42:22,540
I just share with you, there's empty seats everywhere now.

652
00:42:22,540 --> 00:42:25,420
It's not busy at this high school.

653
00:42:25,420 --> 00:42:27,820
There's plenty of parking.

654
00:42:27,820 --> 00:42:30,700
Who are you bringing in to fill these seats?

655
00:42:30,700 --> 00:42:32,620
And hear me out.

656
00:42:32,620 --> 00:42:36,540
It's not about Chris.

657
00:42:36,540 --> 00:42:38,860
It's not about me.

658
00:42:38,860 --> 00:42:42,580
It's not, oh, Chris is pastor in this large church and he's out.

659
00:42:42,580 --> 00:42:45,580
I don't care.

660
00:42:45,580 --> 00:42:49,780
I'm just doing what God called me to do.

661
00:42:49,780 --> 00:42:59,180
But God called me to challenge you to fill these seats because people will meet Jesus

662
00:42:59,180 --> 00:43:00,180
in your homes.

663
00:43:00,180 --> 00:43:01,660
They'll meet Jesus here.

664
00:43:01,660 --> 00:43:03,860
They'll meet Jesus in our backpack giveaways.

665
00:43:03,860 --> 00:43:05,300
They meet Jesus everywhere.

666
00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:10,660
So we got to be willing to begin to practice hospitality.

667
00:43:10,660 --> 00:43:16,300
We got to begin to be willing to see our community for what it is.

668
00:43:16,300 --> 00:43:19,540
They're in relational poverty.

669
00:43:19,540 --> 00:43:21,180
They're broken.

670
00:43:21,180 --> 00:43:28,620
They're in needing relationships and just we need to stop making excuses.

671
00:43:28,620 --> 00:43:34,260
God is challenging us with that parable of the feast.

672
00:43:34,260 --> 00:43:37,140
Go out and get them.

673
00:43:37,140 --> 00:43:41,180
You have a tool in your outline of names that you can write down.

674
00:43:41,180 --> 00:43:43,500
Go and get them.

675
00:43:43,500 --> 00:43:48,140
And if you don't write names in those boxes, that just means you don't want to be held

676
00:43:48,140 --> 00:43:51,260
accountable.

677
00:43:51,260 --> 00:43:54,220
Because when you write names in those boxes, God is going to hold you accountable to pray

678
00:43:54,220 --> 00:43:58,220
for them, talk to them, and reach out to them.

679
00:43:58,220 --> 00:44:04,180
So if you say, oh, Chris, that's a fruitless exercise, then you're just making an excuse.

680
00:44:04,180 --> 00:44:12,940
God says, no, I want you to change our culture.

681
00:44:12,940 --> 00:44:20,020
I want you to be active and be a person that is following the commandment that, yeah, love

682
00:44:20,020 --> 00:44:21,020
God with all your heart.

683
00:44:21,020 --> 00:44:22,020
Put him first.

684
00:44:22,020 --> 00:44:23,780
But the second is equally important.

685
00:44:23,780 --> 00:44:28,340
Just be a good neighbor.

686
00:44:28,340 --> 00:44:33,340
Be a good neighbor to the neighbors around you, to your coworkers, to your classmates,

687
00:44:33,340 --> 00:44:35,140
wherever you go.

688
00:44:35,140 --> 00:44:38,020
Because our world needs it.

689
00:44:38,020 --> 00:44:43,900
Will you stand with me?

690
00:44:43,900 --> 00:44:51,140
Look, I just want to encourage all of you with this simple statement.

691
00:44:51,140 --> 00:44:55,060
I view every one of you as my family.

692
00:44:55,060 --> 00:44:57,540
And I mean that.

693
00:44:57,540 --> 00:45:01,060
I view each and every one of you as my family.

694
00:45:01,060 --> 00:45:07,060
And God prompted my heart, and I believe it was a part of what I was sharing during worship

695
00:45:07,060 --> 00:45:12,700
there, that there was going to be people here this morning that simply stated, you're just

696
00:45:12,700 --> 00:45:15,620
lonely.

697
00:45:15,620 --> 00:45:17,620
You're lonely.

698
00:45:17,620 --> 00:45:20,620
And God is after your heart this morning.

699
00:45:20,620 --> 00:45:24,740
He wants to overwhelm you with his peace, with his love, with his joy.

700
00:45:24,740 --> 00:45:31,700
And he wants to just invade you so that you can then get outside of your boxes.

701
00:45:31,700 --> 00:45:33,380
If you're feeling lonely, guess what?

702
00:45:33,380 --> 00:45:36,380
You're not going to invite anybody over.

703
00:45:36,380 --> 00:45:41,780
Because you don't want to be around anyone.

704
00:45:41,780 --> 00:45:45,300
So if that's you this morning, you're here and you're like, Chris, I'm just, I've been

705
00:45:45,300 --> 00:45:47,220
feeling lonely this week, this month.

706
00:45:47,220 --> 00:45:48,220
Just put your hand up.

707
00:45:48,220 --> 00:45:49,680
I just want to pray for you.

708
00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:50,680
Feeling lonely.

709
00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:51,680
Is anybody feeling lonely?

710
00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:52,680
Two people?

711
00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:53,680
Three?

712
00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:54,680
Four?

713
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:55,680
Five?

714
00:45:55,680 --> 00:45:56,680
Six?

715
00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:57,680
Seven?

716
00:45:57,680 --> 00:45:58,680
Eight?

717
00:45:58,680 --> 00:45:59,680
Nine?

718
00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:00,680
Ten?

719
00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:01,680
Ten?

720
00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:02,680
Ten?

721
00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:03,680
Ten?

722
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:04,680
Ten?

723
00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:05,680
I'm in the loneliest job there is.

724
00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:07,740
I'm always lonely.

725
00:46:07,740 --> 00:46:09,300
Right?

726
00:46:09,300 --> 00:46:15,140
I send texts out to people every day encouraging them with Scripture and how great they are

727
00:46:15,140 --> 00:46:16,740
and God loves them and this and that.

728
00:46:16,740 --> 00:46:19,620
I never hear anything back.

729
00:46:19,620 --> 00:46:22,020
Nothing.

730
00:46:22,020 --> 00:46:23,100
No one invites me over.

731
00:46:23,100 --> 00:46:24,100
You know why?

732
00:46:24,100 --> 00:46:25,100
Because you're busy, I know.

733
00:46:25,100 --> 00:46:26,100
Too busy.

734
00:46:26,100 --> 00:46:32,620
You're too busy.

735
00:46:32,620 --> 00:46:37,140
I'm lonelier than all of you.

736
00:46:37,140 --> 00:46:41,740
So I'm lonely.

737
00:46:41,740 --> 00:46:42,740
Anybody else?

738
00:46:42,740 --> 00:46:49,380
All right, if you're around a person with their hand up, can you, men with men, women

739
00:46:49,380 --> 00:46:53,260
with women, let's jump on them.

740
00:46:53,260 --> 00:47:02,700
Got a guy over here, guy back there, lady over there on the right.

741
00:47:02,700 --> 00:47:03,700
Come Holy Spirit.

742
00:47:03,700 --> 00:47:06,620
Yes, God.

743
00:47:06,620 --> 00:47:12,260
God, we just invite your presence and your peace into this place.

744
00:47:12,260 --> 00:47:14,300
Come now.

745
00:47:14,300 --> 00:47:18,380
Move.

746
00:47:18,380 --> 00:47:22,140
I just pray for each and every person that were honest, God, and I just pray that you

747
00:47:22,140 --> 00:47:25,140
would invade their hearts right now in Jesus' name.

748
00:47:25,140 --> 00:47:31,180
You would overwhelm them with your love, your mercy, your grace, your peace, God.

749
00:47:31,180 --> 00:47:34,540
God, I just pray that your joy would come forth.

750
00:47:34,540 --> 00:47:40,580
God, that a spirit of laughter would just be downloaded into them in Jesus' name.

751
00:47:40,580 --> 00:47:49,180
God, that they would just sense and know that you are walking with them hand in hand.

752
00:47:49,180 --> 00:47:53,860
And that lives would be changed here this morning in Jesus' name.

753
00:47:53,860 --> 00:47:55,860
And we all say, amen.

754
00:47:55,860 --> 00:47:58,340
Hey, I love you guys.

755
00:47:58,340 --> 00:48:00,380
Have an incredible week.

756
00:48:00,380 --> 00:48:04,620
Be a people that is active and being a neighbor to one another.

757
00:48:04,620 --> 00:48:07,620
There's no impossible.

758
00:48:07,620 --> 00:48:13,580
I believe that you are working now.

759
00:48:13,580 --> 00:48:17,540
So pour it out.

760
00:48:17,540 --> 00:48:19,540
Oh, pour it out.