WEBVTT 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:16.019 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:20.059 or to give online, go to connect .hcv .church 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:23.839 or give .hcv .church. If at any point during 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.000 this message you feel called to make a change 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.920 in your life, text CHANGEME to 9700. Thank you 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:33.340 and enjoy the message. Hey, good morning everyone. 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:37.939 How we doing? So good to see you. It feels like 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:41.259 spring's right around the corner. I tell you, 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.829 it's just special. when our community of faith 00:00:44.829 --> 00:00:48.929 gathers and we sing in unison and worship together. 00:00:49.350 --> 00:00:51.390 I mean, I was kind of standing in the back just 00:00:51.390 --> 00:00:54.549 listening to the voices. And it's like you guys 00:00:54.549 --> 00:00:57.369 are a choir just singing back to God. And it 00:00:57.369 --> 00:01:00.109 literally brings chills to me and brings tears 00:01:00.109 --> 00:01:02.909 to my eyes. And it's just a powerful time of 00:01:02.909 --> 00:01:07.370 coming together and worshiping. So I was pondering 00:01:07.370 --> 00:01:11.510 this week, what brings people together? And quite 00:01:11.510 --> 00:01:13.909 often when people come to gather together, it's 00:01:13.909 --> 00:01:16.510 with a shared interest. For example, people gather 00:01:16.510 --> 00:01:19.310 for birthday parties and they celebrate when 00:01:19.310 --> 00:01:22.950 we turn another year or celebrate going around 00:01:22.950 --> 00:01:26.569 the sun another time. Anniversary celebrations 00:01:26.569 --> 00:01:29.269 are big ones that people get together. Social 00:01:29.269 --> 00:01:32.170 events to raise money for charity, you know, 00:01:32.189 --> 00:01:35.269 or just couples going out to have dinner together. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:38.280 In our society, though, I've found that sporting 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.420 events really bring people together. I'm not 00:01:41.420 --> 00:01:44.219 really sure why that is, but whether it be baseball 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:46.859 or basketball or football, people love to gather 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:49.640 and watch the different games. And, of course, 00:01:49.659 --> 00:01:52.439 there's no greater game to watch than the Super 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:55.620 Bowl that just passed a few weeks ago. And this 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:58.700 year was kind of unique for me in that I actually 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:02.560 watched the Super Bowl by myself. My son decided 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:04.540 to go to youth group. The rest of the family 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:07.780 was away visiting my daughters in Florida. And 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:11.379 I was sitting there watching the game all by 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:14.780 myself. And it's one of those unique things where 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:17.219 I've never done that before. It's been over 20 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:19.860 years that I haven't had people with me, whether 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:22.139 it was just family members or friends coming 00:02:22.139 --> 00:02:26.520 over or a party here at HTV, that I've watched 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.400 the game with other people. And it just made 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:32.180 it kind of boring. I actually turned it off halfway 00:02:32.180 --> 00:02:33.860 through the game, didn't even finish the game, 00:02:33.939 --> 00:02:36.860 and began reading or doing something different 00:02:36.860 --> 00:02:40.080 because there was nothing to bring me closer 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:44.599 together or draw me in. So current research shows 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:48.300 that people living in the United States are more 00:02:48.300 --> 00:02:51.979 isolated than ever before. And it's actually 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:54.639 becoming increasingly rare within our culture 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:58.060 that people gather together in growing authentic 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.080 community. And I tell you, just like me watching 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:04.419 the game without others, you're at a loss and 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:07.460 you want to be with other people. And see, I 00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:10.800 believe the reason for that is this loneliness. 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:14.219 pandemic that is sweeping across our country 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:17.300 is actually the exact opposite of what was happening 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:19.300 in the early church that we read about in the 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:22.500 book of Acts. See, Jesus followers pioneered 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:25.159 a completely different way of life, which of 00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:28.180 course is called the way. And we are in week 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:31.319 two of our series, Rooted, practicing the way 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.199 of Jesus. And for the month of March, we're simply 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:37.800 going to be discussing the practices that lead 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:40.969 us to experience an abundant life. See, Jesus 00:03:40.969 --> 00:03:44.409 daily invites us into a flourishing, life -giving 00:03:44.409 --> 00:03:48.409 relationship with God, our creator, who we can 00:03:48.409 --> 00:03:52.430 know on a personal level. And in John 10 .10, 00:03:52.509 --> 00:03:54.889 Jesus makes this statement. Listen, he says, 00:03:54.969 --> 00:03:58.669 my purpose, my mission in coming to earth is 00:03:58.669 --> 00:04:01.870 to give them, which is you and me, a rich and 00:04:01.870 --> 00:04:05.699 satisfying life. I mean, that's why Jesus came 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:08.379 to walk on this earth. And this morning, just 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:12.939 simply ask yourself, are you living a rich, meaningful 00:04:12.939 --> 00:04:16.600 life that overflows with joy, meaning, purpose, 00:04:17.060 --> 00:04:22.040 and love? Because see, quite often, for the average 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:27.300 person, the answer is no. I'm not living an abundant 00:04:27.300 --> 00:04:30.660 life. I want more. I desire more from this life. 00:04:31.149 --> 00:04:33.670 That I'm living. And I want you to know that 00:04:33.670 --> 00:04:37.970 God's desire for you and me is to flourish. That 00:04:37.970 --> 00:04:41.769 Jesus is saying to us, I came so that you can 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:44.329 flourish in this life. Living with meaning and 00:04:44.329 --> 00:04:47.670 purpose and joy and freedom. And I believe everyone 00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:49.990 wants to live in abundance. I really believe 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:52.810 that. I believe people are searching for abundance. 00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:56.110 But the problem, not everyone knows the way to 00:04:56.110 --> 00:04:59.370 experience this life. And Jesus, he actually 00:04:59.370 --> 00:05:01.730 gives us directions in Matthew chapter 7, verses 00:05:01.730 --> 00:05:04.670 13 to 14. And let me read these words for you. 00:05:05.410 --> 00:05:08.990 You can enter God's kingdom only through the 00:05:08.990 --> 00:05:12.069 narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad and 00:05:12.069 --> 00:05:14.589 its gate is wide for the many who choose that 00:05:14.589 --> 00:05:18.490 way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and 00:05:18.490 --> 00:05:21.750 the road is difficult and only a few will ever 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:25.730 find it. And see, Jesus is saying to us this 00:05:25.730 --> 00:05:30.430 morning. Church, you can't experience the promises 00:05:30.430 --> 00:05:34.750 of God without putting into practice those things 00:05:34.750 --> 00:05:38.509 that Jesus did. Not only following his way, but 00:05:38.509 --> 00:05:41.750 applying his way to our life. If we want to live 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:44.990 the life that Jesus lived, a life of flourishing 00:05:44.990 --> 00:05:48.089 abundance, you know, just being led by the Spirit, 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:50.790 then we have to do what Jesus did. We have to 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:54.790 follow the way. And last week, we discussed being 00:05:54.790 --> 00:05:57.910 devoted to the way. And this morning, we will 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:02.610 look at how we are created for community. Intentional 00:06:02.610 --> 00:06:05.889 community, a way of doing life together with 00:06:05.889 --> 00:06:08.529 other Jesus followers is a spiritual discipline 00:06:08.529 --> 00:06:11.990 that Jesus modeled for us. And why do Jesus live 00:06:11.990 --> 00:06:14.149 in community? Well, that answer, it leads us 00:06:14.149 --> 00:06:17.230 directly to our first thought. See, God lives 00:06:17.230 --> 00:06:22.730 in community. God lives. In community. Now, a 00:06:22.730 --> 00:06:26.029 few weeks ago, I began a Sunday talk with A .W. 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:29.029 Tozer's powerful quote that reads, What comes 00:06:29.029 --> 00:06:32.550 into your minds when we think about God is the 00:06:32.550 --> 00:06:35.550 most important thing about us. Whatever comes 00:06:35.550 --> 00:06:38.709 into your mind when we think about God is the 00:06:38.709 --> 00:06:42.649 most important thing about us. And what is that 00:06:42.649 --> 00:06:45.069 statement? It's a wake -up call for us to examine 00:06:45.069 --> 00:06:47.990 the connection between our relationship with 00:06:47.990 --> 00:06:52.300 God and everything else. in our life. It literally 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:54.600 helps us to take a step back and reflect on the 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:57.720 connection, the relationship. What kind of God 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.040 do I believe in? What kind of God don't I believe 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:05.220 in? How might that belief shape my worldview 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.399 and how I live my life? Now, it's a powerful 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:11.860 quote that many people use all the time in sermons, 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.620 but as I continued reading, Tozerling is on the 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:18.449 right. The history of humankind will probably 00:07:18.449 --> 00:07:21.089 show that no people has ever risen above its 00:07:21.089 --> 00:07:24.209 religion. And our spiritual history will positively 00:07:24.209 --> 00:07:27.310 demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater 00:07:27.310 --> 00:07:30.949 than its idea of God. In other words, our view 00:07:30.949 --> 00:07:34.870 of God has consequences not simply on the individual 00:07:34.870 --> 00:07:38.949 level, but also for us at a level that is society, 00:07:39.290 --> 00:07:42.930 cultural, and full of community. And why is that? 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:47.199 Because God lives in community. See, before the 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:49.459 creation of the world, God the Father, the Son, 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:51.680 and the Holy Spirit, they shared this dynamic 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:56.279 love and fellowship that exists only in community. 00:07:56.660 --> 00:08:00.500 In Genesis 1 verse 26, notice, as God was creating 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:04.259 human beings, then God said, let us make human 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:10.589 beings in our image. To be like us. So God created 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:13.689 human beings in our image. In the image of God, 00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:15.990 he created them male and female. He created them. 00:08:16.149 --> 00:08:18.829 And notice that God uses this plural language 00:08:18.829 --> 00:08:22.310 to refer to himself. Let us make human beings 00:08:22.310 --> 00:08:26.930 in our image. And who is us? Well, it's the Trinity 00:08:26.930 --> 00:08:31.370 that we read about in Matthew 3, 16 -17. After 00:08:31.370 --> 00:08:34.210 his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, 00:08:34.269 --> 00:08:36.490 the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit 00:08:36.490 --> 00:08:38.970 of God descending like a dove and settling on 00:08:38.970 --> 00:08:42.419 him. And a voice from heaven said, this is my 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:47.240 dearly loved son who brings me great joy. A beautiful 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.919 picture of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:54.740 active and present in our world during Jesus' 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.820 baptism. And see, that provides a picture of 00:08:57.820 --> 00:09:02.080 us of a loving community that they spend together. 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:05.919 Their early church fathers called this perichoresis. 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:09.399 And that word is defined as three persons of 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:12.799 the Trinity in a circle dance. Now, some of you 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:14.059 are thinking, what does that even mean? Well, 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:16.879 Meister Eckert, the 13th century German theologian 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:19.639 and philosopher, wrote these words speaking to 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:21.820 the Trinity. Do you want to know what goes on 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:24.100 in the core of the Trinity? I will tell you. 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:26.679 In the core of the Trinity, the father laughs 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.769 and gives birth to the son. The Son laughs back 00:09:29.769 --> 00:09:31.629 at the Father and gives birth to the Spirit. 00:09:31.809 --> 00:09:34.870 The whole Trinity laughs and gives birth to us. 00:09:35.070 --> 00:09:38.509 The Trinity laughs and the result is creation. 00:09:39.429 --> 00:09:43.470 I mean, a beautiful rendering of God creating 00:09:43.470 --> 00:09:46.389 the world that we live in. Three persons, God 00:09:46.389 --> 00:09:49.990 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living in unity, 00:09:50.129 --> 00:09:53.850 right? One God, Father, and all dancing together 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:58.419 in love. God lives in community. And if we were 00:09:58.419 --> 00:10:01.860 formed in the image of God, we were created for 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:04.500 community with one another and with God, which 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:07.379 leads us to our next thought. See, humanity was 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:11.899 created for community. We were created to live 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:15.200 in relationship with God, but we're also created 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:18.240 to live in relationship with one another. But 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:21.759 something always gets in its way, and it's our 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:27.240 own pride, ego, selfishness, and sin. As people, 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:30.320 we put walls up to barricade ourselves in so 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:33.559 that we won't allow others to hurt us. Yet we 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:36.740 read in Genesis 1, 27, so God created human beings 00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:39.580 in his own image. In the image of God, he created 00:10:39.580 --> 00:10:42.559 them male and female. He created them. See, all 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:47.799 people are different, but we're equal in dignity, 00:10:47.899 --> 00:10:50.480 value, love, and more importantly, divine worth. 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:54.019 In fact, every time God created something in 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.720 the book of Genesis, the Trinity literally steps 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:00.179 back from their creation and they say, that is 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:04.779 good. God says that five times in the book of 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:08.679 Genesis, chapter 1, verse 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:12.799 these words are written. God saw that it was 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:16.840 good. Now, the Hebrew word for good is the word 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:19.960 tov. I mean, it's a really cool sounding word. 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:23.200 Everyone say tov. And it's like we can picture 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:26.279 God the Father, Son, and Spirit. They separate 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:28.899 the sea from the sky. And together they step 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:33.200 back and they say, man, that is tov. Right? However, 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:35.679 now it's interesting. When they created human 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.440 beings, their language suddenly changes. Genesis 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:43.120 1 .31. Then God looked over all he had made. 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:49.590 And he saw and said that it was very. In other 00:11:49.590 --> 00:11:53.190 words, God looks down and he sees us, right? 00:11:53.269 --> 00:11:56.529 He looks at Jim and he looks at Zoe and he says, 00:11:56.549 --> 00:12:02.429 no, no, no, you, you are very good. You, you 00:12:02.429 --> 00:12:08.009 are my best. See, men and women are the pinnacle 00:12:08.009 --> 00:12:12.529 of God's creation. So entertain me, look at your 00:12:12.529 --> 00:12:19.320 neighbor and say, you are Tove. Now, all of you 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:22.399 have a new vocabulary word that you can use this 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:26.000 week to reach out to your co -workers or classmates. 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:29.899 Right? Imagine looking at one of your co -workers 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:31.799 this week and be like, hey, you're Tove. Give 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:33.860 me a high five. They're going to be like, Tove, 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:36.440 what is that? You are great. You are special. 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:43.299 Why? Because loneliness is not good. It's not 00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:47.360 Tove. It's not good. Because see, the only time 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.860 that we find God saying something is not good 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:53.259 is in Genesis 2 verse 18. Then the Lord said, 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:56.299 it is not good for the man to be alone. I will 00:12:56.299 --> 00:12:58.620 make him a helper who is just right for him. 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.620 And see, up to this point, Adam was the only 00:13:01.620 --> 00:13:05.000 human being created. Adam, he had companionship. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.279 Think about it. He had all of creation. And he 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:09.519 had the animals. And he was naming the animals. 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:12.460 He had tons of companionship. But he did not 00:13:12.460 --> 00:13:15.539 have community. And there's a reason God said 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:18.799 it's not good for man to be alone. Because loneliness 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.720 leads to negative mental and physical health 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.659 conditions, which include stress, negative life 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:28.679 outlook, hypertension, stroke, and can even cause 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:33.759 heart attacks. And in 2023, the U .S. Surgeon 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:37.460 General declared loneliness is now a public health 00:13:37.460 --> 00:13:40.840 epidemic in the United States of America. Just 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:45.919 two years ago. About half of all American adults 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:50.840 report feeling lonely every single day. While 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:53.080 it only gets worse for the younger people, especially 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:56.620 those ages 18 to 24, despite being the most digitally 00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:00.019 connected generation ever, nearly 8 out of 10 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:03.840 people in that age range recorded feeling lonely 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:08.149 daily every single day. And to take it a step 00:14:08.149 --> 00:14:10.590 further, only one -third of young adults in that 00:14:10.590 --> 00:14:14.529 same age bracket feels cared for by others. And 00:14:14.529 --> 00:14:16.129 this is what I want to say to you this morning. 00:14:16.710 --> 00:14:20.590 If that's you and you feel that way, welcome 00:14:20.590 --> 00:14:25.470 home. Because God loves you, we love you, and 00:14:25.470 --> 00:14:28.370 we desire for you to connect and be transformed. 00:14:29.179 --> 00:14:31.779 Now, see, that word community is always thrown 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:34.159 around as this theological statement. But it 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:36.840 isn't just that. It's not just for the church. 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:39.779 There's now scientific research that supports 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:43.320 the value of connecting together with others 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:45.879 in relationship. Why? Because we were created 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:50.679 in the image of a triune relational God who encourages 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:54.460 community. He says, get together with other people 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:57.259 and celebrate all that I'm doing. We read this 00:14:57.259 --> 00:15:00.399 in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, 9 through 12. Two 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.980 people are better off than one, for they can 00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:05.779 help each other succeed. If one person falls, 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:08.279 the other can reach out and help. But someone 00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:10.480 who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:13.019 two people lying close together can keep each 00:15:13.019 --> 00:15:16.450 other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A 00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:18.789 person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, 00:15:18.970 --> 00:15:22.470 but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three 00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:25.210 are even better for a triple braided cord is 00:15:25.210 --> 00:15:28.470 not easily broken. And some of you sitting there 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:30.210 thinking, well, Chris, this isn't a wedding ceremony. 00:15:30.269 --> 00:15:32.429 Why are you reading that? It's the only time 00:15:32.429 --> 00:15:34.629 I've ever heard it read because those words, 00:15:34.669 --> 00:15:38.090 those verses speak more directly to our Sunday 00:15:38.090 --> 00:15:41.049 gatherings than a wedding ceremony. We actually 00:15:41.049 --> 00:15:43.549 take them out of context to fit in a wedding 00:15:43.549 --> 00:15:45.730 ceremony, which is okay because we want to celebrate 00:15:45.730 --> 00:15:48.129 husband and wife and challenge them to be in 00:15:48.129 --> 00:15:50.470 community and live in community. But those words 00:15:50.470 --> 00:15:52.350 are for you and I more than they are for them 00:15:52.350 --> 00:15:56.350 because God desires that we come together, which 00:15:56.350 --> 00:15:59.149 leads us to our next thought. See, Jesus chose 00:15:59.149 --> 00:16:02.629 intentional community. Jesus was intentional. 00:16:03.230 --> 00:16:06.350 God the Father desired connection and community 00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:09.909 with his creation. But sin had cut off that connection, 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:12.490 that relationship. So he sent his one and only 00:16:12.490 --> 00:16:15.909 son on a rescue mission on giving him his purpose 00:16:15.909 --> 00:16:19.169 to restore humanity. And what is the very first 00:16:19.169 --> 00:16:21.990 thing that Jesus does is he begins his earthly 00:16:21.990 --> 00:16:25.830 ministry. He creates a new community right here 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:29.570 on earth. Jesus starts a small group. by inviting 00:16:29.570 --> 00:16:33.690 12 young adults to follow the way that will eventually 00:16:33.690 --> 00:16:36.730 change the world. We read this in Mark 1, verses 00:16:36.730 --> 00:16:39.889 16 through 20. One day, as Jesus was walking 00:16:39.889 --> 00:16:42.330 along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw 00:16:42.330 --> 00:16:44.649 Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into 00:16:44.649 --> 00:16:47.370 the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus 00:16:47.370 --> 00:16:50.210 called out to them, Come, follow me, and I will 00:16:50.210 --> 00:16:52.629 show you how to fish for people. and they left 00:16:52.629 --> 00:16:54.870 their nets at once and followed him. A little 00:16:54.870 --> 00:16:57.429 further up the shore, Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, 00:16:57.570 --> 00:17:00.309 James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. 00:17:00.529 --> 00:17:03.129 He called them at once, and they also followed 00:17:03.129 --> 00:17:05.369 him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat 00:17:05.369 --> 00:17:10.029 with the hired men. See, those first four followers 00:17:10.029 --> 00:17:13.329 of the way were likely, according to many scholars, 00:17:13.690 --> 00:17:17.650 teenagers or at the best, young adults. And notice, 00:17:17.750 --> 00:17:20.529 they were blue -collar working -class fishermen. 00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:24.220 And why did Jesus choose these men? Because all 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:26.779 the best and brightest, they were memorizing 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:29.440 the Torah to become future priests and leaders 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:32.119 in the community. But you see, Jesus here, he 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:35.539 invites the leftovers, the forgotten, the outcast 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:39.099 into his group of followers. Can I get an amen, 00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:43.220 please? Because we all fit into that category. 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.460 And let's see his next invitation, Matthew 9 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:49.259 .9. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:51.839 named Matthew. sitting at his tax collector's 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:56.119 booth. Follow me and be my disciple, Jesus said 00:17:56.119 --> 00:18:00.000 to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Now 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:02.799 we must remember, Matthew, he was a tax collector. 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:07.660 He was very wealthy. And since he was a tax collector, 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.460 he was working for Rome. And Rome, of course, 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:13.599 was the oppressive occupiers who all the Jews 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:17.160 hated. So Matthew was a complete outcast from 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.920 his people. And see, this invite, it did not 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:24.500 go over well with this newly found small group. 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:27.359 So I want to show you just a small excerpt of 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:29.799 what it may have looked like in this short clip 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:41.579 from the series, The Chosen. I love how he ends 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:44.700 there. Get used to different. That should become 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:48.019 our motto. Just get used to different. See, Jesus 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:52.079 intentionally chose diversity for his first small 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:55.279 group. An authentic biblical community doesn't 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:57.200 mean that we simply surround ourselves with people 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:59.940 that are just like us. You see here, he chose 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:03.460 blue -collar fishermen, a rich tax collector. 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.940 And you can see even from the clip, the fishermen 00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:09.900 are like, what are you thinking? No one likes 00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:13.220 this guy. Everyone hates him. And to take it 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:18.039 a step further, Jesus even chose a trained assassin. 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:21.960 I mean, I've never heard a sermon preached about 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:25.119 one of Jesus' first followers named Simon the 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.299 Zealot that was a trained assassin that we read 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:31.299 in Matthew 10 .4. Simon the Zealot and Judas 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:34.880 Iscariot when he was listing out the 12 in the 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:37.539 small group. Now, Simon belonged to a Jewish 00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:39.680 sect known as the Zealots who wanted to violently 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:43.220 overthrow the Romans. And they were waiting for 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:46.740 the Messiah who would lead the Jewish insurrection 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:49.759 over Rome. They were wanting a war. And every 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:53.380 zealot would carry a hidden knife. He was literally 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:55.900 a trained assassin ready to kill a Roman at the 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:59.460 right moment. And when we read those words, suddenly 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:01.339 we have a different picture of this small group 00:20:01.339 --> 00:20:04.660 of followers. Right, Simon. would have wanted 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:06.940 nothing to do with Matthew. In fact, Simon would 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:09.839 want to kill Matthew because Matthew gave in 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:12.599 to Rome and occupation was collecting the taxes. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:15.619 He was working for Rome. The guys that Jesus 00:20:15.619 --> 00:20:18.700 brought together, they had no earthly business 00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:22.119 being together. And yet Jesus chose each one 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:25.500 to come together in unity to form what? Community. 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:28.759 They were a band of brothers. And this is the 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:32.480 power of God's love. When we spend time together 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:35.059 with people who don't necessarily look like us, 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:40.180 think like us, or even act like us, that is the 00:20:40.180 --> 00:20:43.880 church, right? The church is a gathering of Jesus 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:46.980 followers who are called to reflect the image 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:49.900 of God. And we know in the book of Revelation 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:54.380 that we're going to at some point worship God 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:58.660 with every tribe. tongue and nation coming together 00:20:58.660 --> 00:21:02.119 as one family for all of eternity. So Sunday 00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:05.400 morning should not be the most segregated hour 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:08.980 of the week that Martin Luther King Jr. said. 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:12.920 It should, in fact, reflect the diversity of 00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:15.359 what it looks like to follow God, which leads 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:18.839 to our final thought. See, the church is the 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:21.680 new community of Jesus. In the New Testament, 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:23.680 the church What is it called? It's called the 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:27.160 body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12, 27. All of 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:29.500 you together are Christ's body, and each of you 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:33.279 is a part of it. See, the church is a new, living, 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.460 breathing family of God. Now that Jesus came 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:39.799 and lived amongst the people, he died on the 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:42.839 cross, he conquered sin, hell, and death by being 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:46.119 raised from the dead. You and I, we're no longer 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:49.940 strangers. We are now brothers and sisters in 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:52.750 Christ. and we read that in Romans chapter 12. 00:21:53.049 --> 00:21:55.549 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part 00:21:55.549 --> 00:21:57.970 is a special function, so it is with Christ's 00:21:57.970 --> 00:22:00.849 body. We are many parts of one body and we all 00:22:00.849 --> 00:22:05.309 belong to each other. See, we now have the power 00:22:05.309 --> 00:22:08.109 of God, right? The same power that rose Jesus 00:22:08.109 --> 00:22:10.490 from the dead, the Holy Spirit living within 00:22:10.490 --> 00:22:14.309 us, uniting us as one family. And Jesus made 00:22:14.309 --> 00:22:17.289 us this promise in Matthew 18. I also tell you 00:22:17.289 --> 00:22:19.839 this. If two of you agree here on earth concerning 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.299 anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:25.500 it for you. For where two or three gather together 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:30.460 as my followers, I am there amongst you. I mean, 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:34.599 it's amazing. Like Jesus promises to be present 00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:37.400 with us when we gather together during a Sunday 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:40.779 morning. Like he's here walking amongst us. It's 00:22:40.779 --> 00:22:43.539 evident when we are convicted of sin, when we 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:47.039 are worshiping and we sense and feel the tangible 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:49.740 presence of God, when we weep, when we cry, when 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:51.660 we want to kneel, when we want to move and dance. 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:55.599 That's God's presence. Jesus is present with 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:57.759 us when we gather together in small group, praying 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:59.700 for one another, encouraging one another, and 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:02.079 reading the Bible together. Jesus is present 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.920 with us when we gather together over a meal with 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:07.420 other believers, sharing stories about God's 00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:10.839 transformation. I mean, Jesus had a small group 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:13.579 of people that he poured into and encouraged. 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:19.660 Do you? Because see, quite often within the church 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:24.720 of America, people feel alone. And left out. 00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:28.420 And God is calling us out of isolation into authentic 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:30.759 loving community. Which means you've got to let 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:33.319 down the walls and begin to invite people in. 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:37.200 God gives us a seat at the table as we practice 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:41.180 life together. Not alone, but together. And there's 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:45.000 so many. There's so many people within the church 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:46.900 who now believe that gathering together is not 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:49.480 important. With the rise of the live stream, 00:23:49.539 --> 00:23:53.259 we love you. We bless you. We do it. It's a tool. 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:55.539 We want people to be able to watch when they're 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:57.500 away, when they can't eat, when they're not feeling 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:00.299 well. But it's also comfortable sitting on your 00:24:00.299 --> 00:24:04.900 couch. And that's not God's best. Following Jesus 00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:08.200 is not individualistic. All throughout the Bible, 00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:10.619 we read about God. What's he establish? Community 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:13.740 after community after community. And community 00:24:13.740 --> 00:24:17.339 is one of Jesus' essential practices. And he's 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:20.680 now calling us to follow. This is a place where 00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:23.119 we can welcome others, be honest with others, 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:25.579 and challenge one another to grow and change. 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:30.559 To practice the way of Jesus, we have to practice 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.259 community church. And we read this in Hebrews 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:37.460 10, 25. Let us not neglect our meeting together 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:39.460 as some people do, but encourage one another, 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:42.079 especially now that the day of his return is 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:44.839 drawing near. And some of you need to be encouraged, 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:47.119 especially you watching online, don't give up. 00:24:47.950 --> 00:24:50.630 Be a part of what is happening here in our community 00:24:50.630 --> 00:24:54.029 of faith and look to develop authentic community. 00:24:54.130 --> 00:24:57.970 Walk away from isolation. Walk away from loneliness 00:24:57.970 --> 00:25:01.250 and be around people and be encouraged, which 00:25:01.250 --> 00:25:04.869 leads us to our action steps. Practice the way 00:25:04.869 --> 00:25:08.180 of community. Now, in Acts chapter 2, we find 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:11.460 an illustration for us to follow in the early 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:14.019 church. And so many people, though, they question 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:16.960 it. They say, well, Chris, Acts 2, 42 to 47, 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.680 it's great when I read it, but how does it apply 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:22.420 to us today? Well, it's really simple. When you 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:24.980 break it down and look at what Jesus is challenging 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:27.420 us to, which leads us to our first action step, 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:30.619 we learn together. Acts 2, 42, all the believers 00:25:30.619 --> 00:25:32.380 devoted themselves, there's that word devoted 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:36.380 again, to the apostles' teaching. And what does 00:25:36.380 --> 00:25:38.539 that mean? That means we read the Bible. Like 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:40.440 right now, there's hundreds of you going through 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:43.579 the book of Matthew for the month of March. And 00:25:43.579 --> 00:25:46.759 I love reading through the Bible with you. I 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:49.420 mean, my phone is constantly going off with alerts 00:25:49.420 --> 00:25:52.740 of you posting what you feel about what you're 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:54.480 reading as you go through the book of Matthew. 00:25:54.839 --> 00:25:57.420 God bless you. If you're not reading it with 00:25:57.420 --> 00:26:00.039 us, start tomorrow, start today. We can share 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:03.740 the links with you. Because it's beautiful when 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:06.299 the church gathers to read about the Bible and 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:08.759 discuss it. And it doesn't just happen on Sunday 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:12.019 morning. That's why we have groups. So that we 00:26:12.019 --> 00:26:14.339 work through the scriptures and understand how 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:17.200 they apply to our lives. Some groups read books 00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:20.200 together. And we apply those principles to life. 00:26:20.829 --> 00:26:23.529 The point is, we have to learn from one another. 00:26:23.730 --> 00:26:26.029 All of us bring different experiences, encounters, 00:26:26.430 --> 00:26:29.210 and ways of life to the table together, and it 00:26:29.210 --> 00:26:31.750 causes us to move forward in our relationship 00:26:31.750 --> 00:26:35.609 with God. If you're not in a growth group, I 00:26:35.609 --> 00:26:38.150 challenge you, be a part of one. You know, we 00:26:38.150 --> 00:26:40.230 have a whole list of growth groups that you can 00:26:40.230 --> 00:26:43.210 go to on our website, and there's probably like 00:26:43.210 --> 00:26:46.630 20 or 25 on there, maybe 30 at the most. We need 00:26:46.630 --> 00:26:49.480 more. And some of you, you can start, you say, 00:26:49.579 --> 00:26:51.559 Chris, I can start a growth group. Yeah, just 00:26:51.559 --> 00:26:53.619 gather four of your friends and start reading 00:26:53.619 --> 00:26:56.019 the Bible together. And we'll give you a plan 00:26:56.019 --> 00:26:59.880 to follow. The point is, when you're in a group, 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:03.259 you are learning about God together, which is 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:05.099 so important, which leads us to our next step. 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.940 Not only do you learn about God together, you 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:09.319 spend time together. All the believers devoted 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.480 themselves to the apostles' teaching, their learning, 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:15.079 and to fellowship. Now, some of you are sitting 00:27:15.079 --> 00:27:16.319 there thinking, well, Chris, that's obvious. 00:27:17.099 --> 00:27:19.920 Well, yeah, but it's so obvious that we often 00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:23.160 forget about it and overlook it. When in reality, 00:27:23.220 --> 00:27:25.920 intimacy can only grow when we spend time together. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:29.019 Right? When we share life together. When we cook 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:31.200 together. When we clean together. When we play 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:34.119 together. Softball. Right? When we serve together 00:27:34.119 --> 00:27:37.140 on a team. When we get to know one another's 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:39.539 families and are able to pray for them. Right? 00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:42.619 Today is Team Up Sunday. And it literally takes 00:27:42.619 --> 00:27:46.160 you 10 to 15 minutes to gather with my wife, 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:48.440 Jess, and learn about the different teams in 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:50.720 our community of faith. If you're not on a team, 00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:53.880 we want you on a team. Why? Because it encourages 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:55.740 you to be around people, to meet people. When 00:27:55.740 --> 00:27:58.579 you're serving cups of coffee, you know people 00:27:58.579 --> 00:28:00.700 and their faces, and you can learn their names. 00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:02.779 So I want to challenge you. Go to the Welcome 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:05.220 Hub directly after this. Be a part of Team Up 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:08.380 and get on a team, which leads us to our next 00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:11.599 step. We learn together, right? We spend time 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:14.900 together. We eat together, right? Who doesn't 00:28:14.900 --> 00:28:17.539 like that? All the believers devoted themselves 00:28:17.539 --> 00:28:20.059 to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, and 00:28:20.059 --> 00:28:22.420 to the sharing in meals. Now notice, including 00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:25.619 the Lord's Supper. Right? Apparently, eating 00:28:25.619 --> 00:28:27.799 together is so important it gets mentioned twice. 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:31.000 Right? You eat food together and you celebrate 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:33.740 communion together. And that might sound funny, 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:36.279 but there's a reason that so many people, when 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:38.740 they gather together, it's often around food. 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:41.500 And when you read through the Bible, Jesus was 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:45.079 always hosting parties, having dinner, meeting 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:47.980 with people, gathering with people, because that's 00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:50.880 how they grow. That's how relationship happens. 00:28:51.460 --> 00:28:55.119 It's so much better, right, when you eat together 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:59.920 in your homes, right? But unfortunately, hospitality. 00:29:01.130 --> 00:29:04.190 It's a lost art these days. So many people don't 00:29:04.190 --> 00:29:06.410 know how to host people in their homes. And you 00:29:06.410 --> 00:29:09.230 want to know what I believe the reason is? HGTV. 00:29:10.289 --> 00:29:14.089 I blame it on HGTV. Because so many people, they 00:29:14.089 --> 00:29:16.589 watch HGTV and they think, wow, that's a beautiful 00:29:16.589 --> 00:29:20.369 house. Oh, I love that kitchen. Oh, this living 00:29:20.369 --> 00:29:21.950 room, this dining room. And then they look at 00:29:21.950 --> 00:29:26.740 theirs and they think, oh, that's rough. And 00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:29.380 we're so insecure to invite people over into 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:31.819 our own homes. And we're worried about what our 00:29:31.819 --> 00:29:34.720 house looks like. Here's the reality. Everybody 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:39.480 has a dirty house. I promise you. All of you 00:29:39.480 --> 00:29:43.240 have mice in your house. I know. This morning 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:45.680 I was preparing and getting my outline ready. 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:48.940 I hear mice running in my cabinets. Right? I 00:29:48.940 --> 00:29:51.779 hear them. They're there. That's why there's 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:54.200 poison there. Now, some people challenge me on 00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:55.880 the way out, get a snake, it'll take care of 00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:57.119 them. I'm like, bro, I'm not putting a snake 00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:03.579 in my house. Like, what? Now, some of you are 00:30:03.579 --> 00:30:05.180 there sitting there thinking, well, Chris, what's 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:07.079 this have to do with community? What's it have 00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:09.579 to do with eating together? The point is, listen, 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:14.059 I told you all that about my house. Right? I 00:30:14.059 --> 00:30:16.720 spent yesterday hours making candles. There's 00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:18.859 wax on our kitchen floor. There's wax on our, 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:21.240 on our, but if I invited 10 of you over to my 00:30:21.240 --> 00:30:24.119 house for lunch after this, you would come. True 00:30:24.119 --> 00:30:27.859 or false? I knew you would. You would come. Even 00:30:27.859 --> 00:30:29.279 though I told you there's mice in my cabinets, 00:30:29.380 --> 00:30:30.920 you would come and you'd have dinner at my house. 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:35.359 Right? I knew you would. So why won't you invite 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:38.500 someone to your house? Right? Here's the reality. 00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:40.420 Your bathroom's always going to be dirty. Clean 00:30:40.420 --> 00:30:42.930 it before they come. It's fine. It's no big deal. 00:30:43.670 --> 00:30:46.710 Like we need to learn the practice of eating 00:30:46.710 --> 00:30:50.950 together and spending time together. And I want 00:30:50.950 --> 00:30:52.829 to challenge you. This is my challenge for you 00:30:52.829 --> 00:30:56.390 this week. Have someone over for dinner in your 00:30:56.390 --> 00:30:59.630 house. Or after this gathering, go out to lunch 00:30:59.630 --> 00:31:03.299 with someone. Right? Take someone to lunch. Wouldn't 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:05.900 it be powerful if as a community of faith, we 00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:08.819 began to establish that Sunday was a time where 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:11.920 we just, after we gather, we go out and we eat 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:14.859 together somewhere. I mean, that would be powerful 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:16.579 because you'd be creating community, you would 00:31:16.579 --> 00:31:18.640 meet people, you'd meet families, and you would 00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:21.500 understand the power of coming together as one, 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:27.180 as one church. So do it. And some of you, come 00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:29.099 to Thursday night, you get a free dinner. You 00:31:29.099 --> 00:31:31.740 don't even have to cook. Right? Every other Thursday, 00:31:31.880 --> 00:31:34.039 Jess and I, we realize we have this community 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:38.160 dinner in our cafe that's beautiful. Right? There's 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:40.220 100 people there every Thursday eating together. 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:42.940 Why are we going to that? So now we've established 00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:44.299 that every other week we're going to the community 00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:47.500 dinner. Why? To meet people, to hang out with 00:31:47.500 --> 00:31:49.460 people, to spend time together because that creates 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:53.599 community. So do it. Invite people over. Go out 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:56.119 to lunch. Whatever it takes so that community 00:31:56.119 --> 00:31:59.019 is established, which leads us to our next step. 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:01.569 We pray together. So we learn together, spend 00:32:01.569 --> 00:32:04.230 time together, we eat together, we pray together. 00:32:04.309 --> 00:32:06.930 Acts 2, 42, all the believers voted themselves 00:32:06.930 --> 00:32:08.750 to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to 00:32:08.750 --> 00:32:10.609 sharing in meals, including the Lord's Supper, 00:32:10.630 --> 00:32:15.349 and to prayer. Prayer is carrying one another's 00:32:15.349 --> 00:32:18.710 burdens. We pray for each other, right, when 00:32:18.710 --> 00:32:21.390 we're together and we're apart. That's the point 00:32:21.390 --> 00:32:23.750 of these crosses, right? These four crosses, 00:32:23.809 --> 00:32:25.670 if you don't know, this got post -its on it. 00:32:25.730 --> 00:32:27.849 If you have a prayer request and you have to 00:32:27.849 --> 00:32:30.569 go, put the prayer request on the cross and someone's 00:32:30.569 --> 00:32:32.430 going to take it and pray for that request, I 00:32:32.430 --> 00:32:34.670 promise. How do I know that? Because I have four 00:32:34.670 --> 00:32:36.890 post -its that I'm praying for now. I didn't 00:32:36.890 --> 00:32:39.509 want four, I only had two. But then my wife took 00:32:39.509 --> 00:32:42.609 her two and put them on our bathroom mirror. 00:32:42.750 --> 00:32:44.910 So now I'm praying for her two and my two. I 00:32:44.910 --> 00:32:49.250 didn't even want to pray for her two. But the 00:32:49.250 --> 00:32:54.079 point is, we pray together. We believe in miracles. 00:32:54.180 --> 00:32:56.579 We believe that God's going to move. And the 00:32:56.579 --> 00:33:00.200 point of prayer is to not grow community. It's 00:33:00.200 --> 00:33:02.579 to obey God and to communicate to God. But the 00:33:02.579 --> 00:33:06.299 growth of community is often a byproduct of our 00:33:06.299 --> 00:33:09.299 shared prayers. I believe that God is moving 00:33:09.299 --> 00:33:10.880 in our community of faith. And the people are 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:13.220 coming here because we've been praying for years 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:16.240 for God to break in and move. And now he's doing 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:18.900 it. And how is he breaking in and moving? Well, 00:33:18.980 --> 00:33:21.859 it's funny, Steve, right? He's one of our, he's 00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:24.200 on our greeting team, our welcome team. He stopped 00:33:24.200 --> 00:33:26.519 me this morning when I first got here before 00:33:26.519 --> 00:33:28.019 our first gathering. I was getting ready to go 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:31.079 into a little office to pray and to get ready 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:33.460 and to pray for all of you. And he goes, hey, 00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:34.980 Chris, can I have a minute? And I looked back 00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:38.349 at him and I said, yeah, sure. Even though when 00:33:38.349 --> 00:33:39.609 I looked in his eyes, I was thinking, I really 00:33:39.609 --> 00:33:41.210 don't have a minute, but I'm going to listen 00:33:41.210 --> 00:33:43.549 because I'm supposed to listen. And sure enough, 00:33:43.609 --> 00:33:45.890 I was because he goes, I just got to share this 00:33:45.890 --> 00:33:47.930 story with you. He goes, at the beginning of 00:33:47.930 --> 00:33:50.569 the week, I saw my doctor and the report that 00:33:50.569 --> 00:33:53.250 my doctor gave me that I had an enlarged heart 00:33:53.250 --> 00:33:56.710 valve, that it enlarged to a 4 .1. I have no 00:33:56.710 --> 00:33:58.269 idea what that means, but I'm just sharing what 00:33:58.269 --> 00:34:01.079 he told me. And he said, I was a little concerned 00:34:01.079 --> 00:34:02.660 about it and a little overwhelmed about what 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:05.759 that could mean. And every Thursday I go to the 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:07.740 6 a .m. morning prayer. So I was a part of that 00:34:07.740 --> 00:34:09.500 group and I went to that group like I usually 00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:11.880 do every Thursday. And when I went there, they 00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:13.619 were all praying for one another, getting requests 00:34:13.619 --> 00:34:15.320 from one another. And then they got to me and 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:17.960 they said, do you have anything, Steve? And he 00:34:17.960 --> 00:34:19.719 goes, yeah, well, I went to see the doctor and 00:34:19.719 --> 00:34:22.219 I have this enlarged heart valve and I've been 00:34:22.219 --> 00:34:23.860 a little worried about it all week. And they 00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:25.880 looked back at him and said, Steve, why didn't 00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:29.760 you tell us when you got here? That's the point 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:33.119 of this group. So they stopped, put their hands 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:35.960 on his heart and prayed. They prayed for that 00:34:35.960 --> 00:34:39.760 heart to be healed. As they were praying, they 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:41.639 finished and prayed for their other requests. 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:44.019 And as Steve was leaving and going out the parking 00:34:44.019 --> 00:34:46.039 lot, suddenly he had these sharp pains in his 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:49.760 heart. Pains like he's never felt before. He 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:51.820 actually became more concerned because now he 00:34:51.820 --> 00:34:54.199 had this pain in his heart. All the way home 00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:56.079 until he got home and then the pain left him. 00:34:56.980 --> 00:35:00.639 He went to the doctor the next day and the doctor's 00:35:00.639 --> 00:35:03.400 report after again examining his heart was, oh, 00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:05.320 your heart valve is fine. It's now down to a 00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:12.619 3 .8. And I look back at him and I was just like, 00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:15.699 Steve, God healed your heart. He's like, yeah, 00:35:15.719 --> 00:35:16.840 I know. That's why I was supposed to share it 00:35:16.840 --> 00:35:20.880 with you. I was like, I was like, well, thank 00:35:20.880 --> 00:35:25.199 you, Steve. I'm glad I listened. So now I can 00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:28.320 share it with all you because when we come together, 00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:31.159 the early church came together and they prayed 00:35:31.159 --> 00:35:34.400 for each other. And that's what we do here, right? 00:35:35.559 --> 00:35:37.639 Which leads us to our final step, you share with 00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:40.219 one another. They sold their property and possessions 00:35:40.219 --> 00:35:43.519 and shared the money with those in need, right? 00:35:43.579 --> 00:35:46.760 Caring for others through generosity builds community. 00:35:47.449 --> 00:35:49.550 It heightens our awareness of others' needs and 00:35:49.550 --> 00:35:52.369 takes our focus off ourselves. And being others' 00:35:52.489 --> 00:35:54.710 focus is an essential building block of community. 00:35:54.849 --> 00:35:56.690 I want to encourage you, if you're not a part 00:35:56.690 --> 00:35:59.809 of our Facebook community page, try to join it. 00:35:59.849 --> 00:36:01.610 Rudy will let you in or someone who ever sees 00:36:01.610 --> 00:36:04.530 the page will let you in. And that page is for 00:36:04.530 --> 00:36:07.980 sharing stuff. Like I promise if you put on there 00:36:07.980 --> 00:36:10.340 that you need a bed, you'll have a bed. I promise 00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:12.019 if you put on there you need a dresser, chances 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:14.219 are you'll have a dresser, you'll have a, heck, 00:36:14.320 --> 00:36:16.199 you can get a TV. There's all kinds of things 00:36:16.199 --> 00:36:17.960 that people have that they would share with you 00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:19.960 if you post it and that's what that community 00:36:19.960 --> 00:36:22.460 page is for so that we share our needs. Now, 00:36:22.579 --> 00:36:25.340 I'm not promising a car if you need a car, okay? 00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:27.820 You can put it on there, but not everybody is 00:36:27.820 --> 00:36:30.380 just. Blessed with a second car that they can 00:36:30.380 --> 00:36:33.139 give you. But the point is, when we're with others 00:36:33.139 --> 00:36:36.280 and we're building community, when we're giving 00:36:36.280 --> 00:36:40.079 and receiving both prayer and stuff and needs 00:36:40.079 --> 00:36:43.039 that we may have, it gets us out of the way. 00:36:43.320 --> 00:36:46.599 It breaks us down so that we don't have these 00:36:46.599 --> 00:36:48.599 walls anymore and we begin to build connections 00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:52.000 with one another. When we put into practice the 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:55.619 way of Jesus, listen to the results. Acts 2 .47. 00:36:56.309 --> 00:36:58.849 All the while, praising God and enjoying the 00:36:58.849 --> 00:37:01.130 goodwill of all people. And each day the Lord 00:37:01.130 --> 00:37:03.190 added to their fellowship those who are being 00:37:03.190 --> 00:37:08.110 saved. And here's the crazy thing. So many people, 00:37:08.150 --> 00:37:09.829 they want purpose, they want meaning, they want 00:37:09.829 --> 00:37:13.710 connection in this life. This is it. This is 00:37:13.710 --> 00:37:15.550 the connection and the purpose, the meaning that 00:37:15.550 --> 00:37:18.030 so many people are looking for. And as we put 00:37:18.030 --> 00:37:20.489 into practice, right, this whole series rooted, 00:37:20.809 --> 00:37:25.010 practicing the way, is elementary. And I mean 00:37:25.010 --> 00:37:27.929 that. It's elementary. It's like Jesus for dummies, 00:37:28.090 --> 00:37:30.309 right? And you say, well, Chris, why do you say 00:37:30.309 --> 00:37:32.269 that? Because we're all dummies. And we need 00:37:32.269 --> 00:37:34.710 reminded of what it looks like to put into practice 00:37:34.710 --> 00:37:37.230 the ways of Jesus. But if we put these simple 00:37:37.230 --> 00:37:40.289 steps into practice, then suddenly our entire 00:37:40.289 --> 00:37:42.809 tri -state area is being transformed and impacted 00:37:42.809 --> 00:37:45.570 through this community that is gathering here 00:37:45.570 --> 00:37:48.090 because we're reaching out and we're seeing people's 00:37:48.090 --> 00:37:52.150 lives saved and transformed. Amen? Will you stand 00:37:52.150 --> 00:37:59.360 with me? So before we pray a simple prayer, which 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:01.599 many of you know that we pray every week, I want 00:38:01.599 --> 00:38:05.000 to challenge you with homework. Your homework 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:07.400 this week is to have someone over for dinner. 00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:10.980 Invite someone into your dirty house. Clean it 00:38:10.980 --> 00:38:14.340 if you want. I don't really care. And have dinner 00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:17.400 together. Break bread together. And have a conversation. 00:38:17.820 --> 00:38:20.119 And if you don't want to do that, fine. Invite 00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:23.519 someone out after this gathering to lunch. And 00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:25.860 share a meal together. That's your homework. 00:38:26.119 --> 00:38:30.539 Why? Because that's what God wants for us. Amen? 00:38:32.719 --> 00:38:35.099 Now Rhett shared earlier about a lost sheep. 00:38:36.340 --> 00:38:39.840 I believe that God brings lost sheeps into our 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:43.320 gatherings every single Sunday. And we pray simple 00:38:43.320 --> 00:38:46.119 prayers because we believe that God wants to 00:38:46.119 --> 00:38:49.219 bring them home. And if that's you, I invite 00:38:49.219 --> 00:38:51.300 you to pray that prayer with all of us this morning. 00:38:51.619 --> 00:38:56.179 Jesus. I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, shame, 00:38:56.519 --> 00:39:02.500 regret, sin. Change me. I believe you're God's 00:39:02.500 --> 00:39:06.940 son. I believe you died for me. Make me new. 00:39:07.219 --> 00:39:12.019 Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, 00:39:12.039 --> 00:39:17.510 God, to serve others. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, 00:39:17.510 --> 00:39:19.090 there's four words of knowledge I want to share 00:39:19.090 --> 00:39:20.849 with you. You have a muscle or tendon on the 00:39:20.849 --> 00:39:24.369 outer right side of your knee. You have left 00:39:24.369 --> 00:39:28.750 hip pain. The second finger next to the pinky 00:39:28.750 --> 00:39:32.210 finger has sharp pain, possibly from a recent 00:39:32.210 --> 00:39:35.969 accident. That's pretty specific. And also, I 00:39:35.969 --> 00:39:38.329 want to add to that list, if you have any heart 00:39:38.329 --> 00:39:42.269 issues, I believe God's in the healing business. 00:39:43.030 --> 00:39:44.650 So if any of those of you or you have any other 00:39:44.650 --> 00:39:46.070 need, our prayer team will be here on the right 00:39:46.070 --> 00:39:47.309 to pray for you and meet with you.