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 change me to 9700. Thank you 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:33.200 and enjoy the message. Hey, good morning everyone. 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:37.729 How's everybody doing? You know, it's not a coincidence 00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:40.030 that when I take a Sunday off and let someone 00:00:40.030 --> 00:00:42.850 else share, that I got to bring something out 00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:46.549 to make you think, what is he going to be talking 00:00:46.549 --> 00:00:49.549 about today? If you're joining us from home, 00:00:49.649 --> 00:00:51.969 thanks for welcoming us into your space. We're 00:00:51.969 --> 00:00:55.250 so glad to have you joining us. I want to start 00:00:55.250 --> 00:00:58.649 this morning. I received an email testimony a 00:00:58.649 --> 00:01:01.490 few weeks ago that I just want to share with 00:01:01.490 --> 00:01:04.030 all of you because it was so encouraging to me. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.280 Hi, Pastor Chris. I just wanted to thank you 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:10.420 for the post -its for prayer on the cross idea. 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:13.579 In other words, the four crosses that are around 00:01:13.579 --> 00:01:16.180 the room. I have an answered prayer request that 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:18.620 I would like to share with you. A few weeks ago, 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:21.000 I placed a posted prayer request on the cross 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.400 asking for people to pray for my little four 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:27.079 -year -old niece and my little three -year -old 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:29.599 nephew. They were homeless and living on the 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.379 streets. Unfortunately, their mother was in deep 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:34.939 drug addiction and her children had be taken 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:38.500 from her. I began to pray bold and specific prayers 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:42.219 asking God if it would be his will that a loving 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:44.400 and godly family would be able to take these 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:46.659 children and give them a life that they deserve. 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:49.719 Shortly after placing that post -it note on the 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.500 cross, I would like to give all God glory and 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:57.500 praise because he answered that prayer. A very 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.719 loving, let me continue, a very loving young 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:02.780 couple from our church came to the children's 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:05.019 rescue. They shared with me that they wanted 00:02:05.019 --> 00:02:07.659 more children but were unable to have their own. 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:10.099 They also shared with me that God laid it on 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:12.139 their hearts to take both of these two young 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:16.319 children, give them a good and godly life. I 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:18.740 would like to thank everyone that prayed for 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:21.280 my niece and nephew, and most of all, I would 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:24.860 like to thank God for answered prayer. So in 00:02:24.860 --> 00:02:29.520 other words, Hey, keep putting post -it notes 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:32.340 on those crosses because there's not a Sunday 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:34.800 that goes by that those post -it notes aren't 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:37.840 taken and people are praying over them every 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:41.280 single week. Amen? One other quick announcement 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:42.960 I want to share with everyone. This was given 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:46.080 to me on Friday. We are, if you would like to 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:54.599 know, Tri -State's best church. And here's the 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:56.439 crazy thing. I didn't even know we were in the 00:02:56.439 --> 00:02:59.300 running. So I didn't even know we were in the 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:03.099 running, but we won it. And thank you to everyone 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:06.400 that voted for us. And I just want to give all 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:10.159 glory back to God, just like Linda did, because, 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:12.750 you know. Here's the reality. If it wasn't for 00:03:12.750 --> 00:03:14.710 what he's doing in our community of faith, then 00:03:14.710 --> 00:03:18.569 we wouldn't be voted anything. So God, thank 00:03:18.569 --> 00:03:21.210 you for moving in our community of faith. Thank 00:03:21.210 --> 00:03:23.689 you for all that you're doing. And we're just 00:03:23.689 --> 00:03:26.370 humbled by receiving an award like that. So let's 00:03:26.370 --> 00:03:28.810 open in prayer this morning. God, I'm just thankful 00:03:28.810 --> 00:03:31.930 for each and every person that's here. God, that 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:34.909 you brought them here for a purpose, for just 00:03:34.909 --> 00:03:39.110 to experience you and to be changed. Open our 00:03:39.110 --> 00:03:41.629 hearts, God. to receive all that you have for 00:03:41.629 --> 00:03:45.349 us. God, open our minds, unplug our ears, remove 00:03:45.349 --> 00:03:48.909 distractions, and move in this place. In Jesus' 00:03:49.009 --> 00:03:52.949 name, amen. Now, Mother Teresa gave an interview 00:03:52.949 --> 00:03:55.330 to Lowe Magazine, and she was asked a simple 00:03:55.330 --> 00:04:00.289 question. Is it only the affluent who give? Is 00:04:00.289 --> 00:04:03.250 it only the affluent who give? She replied, no, 00:04:03.409 --> 00:04:07.409 even the poorest of the poor give. For example, 00:04:07.409 --> 00:04:10.150 the other day, a very poor beggar came to me 00:04:10.150 --> 00:04:13.310 and said, everyone gives to you, and I also want 00:04:13.310 --> 00:04:17.269 to give you 20 pesai, which is about two pence. 00:04:17.410 --> 00:04:20.430 I thought to myself, what do I do? If I take 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:23.769 it, he won't have anything to eat. But if I don't 00:04:23.769 --> 00:04:27.370 take it, it would hurt him so much more. So I 00:04:27.370 --> 00:04:30.889 took his offering, and he was so happy because 00:04:30.889 --> 00:04:33.990 he had given to Mother Teresa of Calcutta to 00:04:33.990 --> 00:04:37.350 help the poor. Mother Teresa would go on to say, 00:04:37.449 --> 00:04:40.449 giving cleans the heart and helps you to get 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:44.649 closer to God. You get so much back in return. 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:48.709 Generosity, see, is not just a nice character 00:04:48.709 --> 00:04:52.470 trait that people have. It's right at the heart 00:04:52.470 --> 00:04:55.709 of God. Author C .S. Lewis defined Christianity 00:04:55.709 --> 00:04:59.550 as a kind of giving. And he said this because 00:04:59.550 --> 00:05:03.610 God poured out his generosity on you and me through 00:05:03.610 --> 00:05:09.300 Jesus. 316, for God so loved the world, he gave. 00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:13.339 And you and I are called to respond in faith 00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:17.379 and generosity toward others. See, the key to 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:20.540 the fullness of the blessing from God, to walk 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:24.500 in that fullness, is generosity. Psalm 37, 21 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:28.779 says, the righteous give generously. And here's 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:32.459 the reality. We don't ever graduate from generosity. 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:36.300 This is a quality that we will continue to grow 00:05:36.300 --> 00:05:40.100 in for our entire lives. It's hard to grow in 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:44.079 generosity because our default settings are not 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:47.500 generosity. Our default setting is stinginess. 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:52.420 And it's not just me. All of us. All of us know 00:05:52.420 --> 00:05:55.600 what it means to be stingy. It's wired within 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:59.180 us. It's called our sin nature, right? People 00:05:59.180 --> 00:06:03.000 are out to gain all that we can to achieve more. 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:06.360 But this morning, I'm believing God is going 00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:10.040 to do something supernatural as we conclude our 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:14.339 series, Rooted, practicing the way of Jesus with 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:18.439 a talk on how to grow in generosity. And listen, 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:22.339 this has been a great, simple series, right? 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:25.779 A reminder that Jesus was simple. And if you 00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:27.800 miss any of the talks, you can go back and listen 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:30.759 to them on our YouTube page. But I want to encourage 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:34.680 you, simplicity is the way of life. And this 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:36.480 morning, we're going to learn how to live an 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:39.600 abundant life, which is not a life of bless me, 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:42.259 bless me, bless me, but more like the prayer, 00:06:42.339 --> 00:06:46.860 God, use me. To let your love and your life flow 00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:50.680 through me and into others. Right? Followers 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:54.000 of Jesus are not supposed to die full. We're 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:57.600 supposed to die empty. Which leads us to our 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:01.199 first thought. See, humanity's hearts are connected 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:05.170 to money. Humanity's hearts are connected to 00:07:05.170 --> 00:07:07.170 money. And how do I know this? Well, every time 00:07:07.170 --> 00:07:10.649 that we get paid, every time that I receive our 00:07:10.649 --> 00:07:15.430 paycheck, this becomes a check. A check to see, 00:07:15.610 --> 00:07:19.470 am I going to master this, or is this going to 00:07:19.470 --> 00:07:23.990 master me? Am I going to serve this, or is this 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:28.610 going to serve me? It's a check to see, whose 00:07:28.610 --> 00:07:32.339 is this really? Just because I'm putting it into 00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:35.879 my bank account doesn't mean it's mine. And please 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:38.399 understand that this journey toward generosity, 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:42.540 it's way deeper than money, but we have to talk 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:45.420 about money and generosity because Jesus talked 00:07:45.420 --> 00:07:49.040 about it, right? He talked about it. Jesus taught 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:53.439 on stewardship more than any other topic. Speaking 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:56.360 words like this in Matthew 6, 21, wherever your 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:00.000 treasure is, there. the desires of your hearts 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.240 will also be. See, God does not need our money, 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:07.259 but money can be a gauge that measures our spiritual 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:10.120 health. You know, where we are in our relationship 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:13.379 with God. Because when it comes to money, our 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:17.279 hearts are inextricably connected to it. It's 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:20.240 just a part of it. In verse 24, Jesus says, no 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:22.829 one can serve two masters. For you will hate 00:08:22.829 --> 00:08:24.829 one and love the other. You will be devoted to 00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:27.410 one and despise the other. You cannot serve God 00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:30.110 and be enslaved to money. Now think about that 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:34.610 for a moment. God says, my number one competitor, 00:08:34.929 --> 00:08:39.049 right? It's not football. It's not sex. It's 00:08:39.049 --> 00:08:44.070 what? It's money. You cannot serve both. And 00:08:44.070 --> 00:08:46.690 why would God put money on the same scale as 00:08:46.690 --> 00:08:50.570 himself? Because money will say things to us 00:08:50.570 --> 00:08:53.629 that God is supposed to say. Money will say things 00:08:53.629 --> 00:08:58.649 like, let me open those doors for you. Money 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:03.389 will say, let me make a way for you. Money whispers 00:09:03.389 --> 00:09:06.409 in our ear, let me show you where your value 00:09:06.409 --> 00:09:09.629 and your significance really are. See, money 00:09:09.629 --> 00:09:13.070 will say things to us that only God is supposed 00:09:13.070 --> 00:09:16.279 to provide for us. And to take it a step further, 00:09:16.340 --> 00:09:19.460 studies have now shown that when we start to 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:23.740 make more money, when we grow in our income, 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:26.840 it's interesting what happens to a person's psychology. 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:29.820 See, whenever people start making more money 00:09:29.820 --> 00:09:33.179 and start climbing the economic ladder, we don't 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:37.039 usually think, well, now I have more responsibility 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.980 to be generous. Right? That's not the first thing 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:41.620 that goes through our mind. We don't even think, 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.929 I make more money than other people. See, psychologists 00:09:44.929 --> 00:09:48.690 have now found that humanity tends to think, 00:09:48.750 --> 00:09:51.889 I'm now better than other people because I make 00:09:51.889 --> 00:09:56.690 more than you. Look at what I drive. Look at 00:09:56.690 --> 00:10:01.070 what I wear. I'm better than you, which is a 00:10:01.070 --> 00:10:04.230 strange thought to have. To think that you are 00:10:04.230 --> 00:10:06.789 better than anybody else, especially because 00:10:06.789 --> 00:10:11.250 the Bible lets us know in Genesis 2 -7 that God 00:10:11.250 --> 00:10:15.769 created man and woman from the very dirt of the 00:10:15.769 --> 00:10:20.169 earth. Let me say that again. The dirt of the 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:22.289 earth, which leads us to our next thought. See, 00:10:22.389 --> 00:10:27.610 all of humanity came from dirt. We come from 00:10:27.610 --> 00:10:31.090 dirt. Genesis 2 -7, then the Lord God formed 00:10:31.090 --> 00:10:33.629 the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed 00:10:33.629 --> 00:10:36.509 the breath of life into the man's nostrils and 00:10:36.509 --> 00:10:39.730 the man became a living person. Now, if there 00:10:39.730 --> 00:10:43.570 was ever a Bible verse that would stop us in 00:10:43.570 --> 00:10:46.250 our tracks and keep us from becoming arrogant, 00:10:46.470 --> 00:10:50.169 right? If you're struggling with any type of 00:10:50.169 --> 00:10:55.029 pride, please turn to or memorize Genesis 2 -7 00:10:55.029 --> 00:10:59.720 from the message. God formed man out of dirt 00:10:59.720 --> 00:11:02.820 from the ground and blew into his nostrils the 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:06.059 breath of life. The man came alive, a living 00:11:06.059 --> 00:11:09.000 soul. That should get rid of your pride right 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:15.039 there. The Bible is clear that none of us came 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:19.559 from some amazing celestial substance or angelic 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:22.639 creation. All of us came from, let's say it together, 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:28.620 dirt. Dirt. Now do me a favor. Look at the person 00:11:28.620 --> 00:11:31.279 to your left. Now look at the person to your 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:34.960 right. Now look at the person behind you. Now 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:38.600 look at the person in front of you. According 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:44.080 to Genesis 2 -7, every person you looked at is 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:48.440 a dirt bag. Now look at your neighbor and say, 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:53.200 you're just the dirt bag. Doesn't that feel good? 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:59.779 Because all of us came from nothing. We came 00:11:59.779 --> 00:12:04.059 from nothing. Right? So let me, I know all of 00:12:04.059 --> 00:12:07.259 you, some of you, I'm sorry, most of you, you 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:09.139 need a little help. So let me give you a visual. 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:13.659 Okay? Let me give you a little visual. Humanity 00:12:13.659 --> 00:12:21.740 came from dirt. Dirt. How many of you know this 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:27.600 didn't mess up our budget? Right? It's just dirt. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:32.980 And every single person came from nothing but 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:37.720 dirt. And it's funny to think about all the things 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:41.179 we do with our dirt. Many of you got up this 00:12:41.179 --> 00:12:45.320 morning and washed your dirt. At least I hope 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:51.740 you did. You put deodorant on your dirt. The 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:54.850 amount of money we spend on our dirt. We get 00:12:54.850 --> 00:12:58.789 dirt manicured. We get dirt pedicured. We work 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:04.769 out our dirt at the gym. People spend billions 00:13:04.769 --> 00:13:07.190 of dollars around the world on dirt surgery. 00:13:08.909 --> 00:13:12.929 We have dirt suction, dirt lift, dirt tucks, 00:13:12.970 --> 00:13:18.429 and all the other things we do to our dirt. But 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:22.419 here's the crazy thing. Of all the things, that 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:25.559 God could have used to create us, why did he 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:32.960 use dirt? Why did he use dirt? Because if you 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:37.620 think about it, God created everything with beauty 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:41.259 and splendor. I mean, the last time you saw a 00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:44.519 sunrise or a sunset, it's the handiwork of God. 00:13:46.570 --> 00:13:49.870 I was away last week spending time with my daughters 00:13:49.870 --> 00:13:52.590 in Florida. And when I walk along the beach and 00:13:52.590 --> 00:13:56.250 see the vastness of the ocean, my heart leaps. 00:13:57.409 --> 00:14:00.190 Did you know that God's the interior designer 00:14:00.190 --> 00:14:04.370 of heaven? And he designed streets with gold. 00:14:04.950 --> 00:14:08.990 And the gates are made of pearl. But when he 00:14:08.990 --> 00:14:13.389 got ready to create you and me, his prized possession. 00:14:14.570 --> 00:14:18.490 The one he sent his only son to die for on a 00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:21.509 cross. Of all the things he could have used, 00:14:21.710 --> 00:14:29.669 he used dirt. Since the beginning of time. Here's 00:14:29.669 --> 00:14:32.049 the crazy thing. God has actually been trying 00:14:32.049 --> 00:14:35.389 to teach us something about who he is and about 00:14:35.389 --> 00:14:40.029 how he works. God is holy, but he's not afraid 00:14:40.029 --> 00:14:44.970 to work with things that are dirty. See, we serve 00:14:44.970 --> 00:14:48.789 a God who is awesome, but is not afraid to work 00:14:48.789 --> 00:14:52.470 with things that are awful. We serve a God who 00:14:52.470 --> 00:14:55.809 is magnificent, but he is not intimidated by 00:14:55.809 --> 00:14:58.409 the things that are ordinary, dirty, or mundane. 00:14:59.309 --> 00:15:01.830 When all of humanity is trying to keep dirty 00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:05.149 situations and people from them, God says, no, 00:15:05.330 --> 00:15:11.210 bring me that dirt. I want that dirt. That dirt 00:15:11.210 --> 00:15:14.399 that you think is insignificant, that person 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.779 you think I cannot use, I will put my hands on 00:15:17.779 --> 00:15:21.559 that dirt and I will shape that dirt. I will 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:25.039 work with that dirt and I will use that dirt 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:31.179 to further my kingdom. Church, that's good news. 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:36.360 And we need to thank God that he doesn't need 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:42.220 photoshopped Pinterest perfect people to change 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:46.299 his kingdom. God is showing us that he can work 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:50.480 with dirt. He can work with all our messed up, 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:54.940 God issues, dirty situations. And not only does 00:15:54.940 --> 00:15:57.100 he show us this, but in the creation narrative, 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:01.759 we, you and I, are the only thing that God put 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:06.200 his hands on. He reached down and he what? He 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:12.440 touched the dirt. We're the only thing he put 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:16.269 his hands on. And not only did he touch the dirt, 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:20.169 but he breathed into the dirt and it came alive 00:16:20.169 --> 00:16:22.629 and became a living soul, which leads us to our 00:16:22.629 --> 00:16:26.590 next thought. The breath of God is inside each 00:16:26.590 --> 00:16:31.389 of us. God formed man out of dirt from the ground 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:34.929 and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life. 00:16:35.070 --> 00:16:39.169 The man came alive, a living soul. I want you 00:16:39.169 --> 00:16:41.950 to pause and think about that for a second. The 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:46.820 breath. of God is on the inside of every one 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:53.279 of you, whether you believe in God or not. And 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.200 do you know what your most valuable asset is? 00:16:56.019 --> 00:16:59.759 It's not your house. It's not your boat. It's 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.620 not your car or your jewelry. It's not even your 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:06.420 financial portfolio. The most valuable asset 00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:09.380 you have is that the breath of God is inside 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:15.230 each of you. A generous God put his breath in 00:17:15.230 --> 00:17:18.069 humanity and then gives us the opportunity to 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:21.930 be generous in our life and give it back to him. 00:17:24.049 --> 00:17:28.569 So this morning, ask yourself, what are you doing 00:17:28.569 --> 00:17:32.990 with that breath? What are you doing with the 00:17:32.990 --> 00:17:37.289 borrowed breath that God gave you? Because not 00:17:37.289 --> 00:17:42.200 only that, God sent his son to earth in the person 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:46.140 of Jesus who points us back to the father and 00:17:46.140 --> 00:17:48.480 then through his death, burial and resurrection 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:53.559 connects us to the father and now inhabits our 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:58.039 lives for those that believe. Romans 8, 11, the 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:00.160 spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:06.079 lives in you. And just as God raised Christ from 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:07.900 the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:11.059 by the same spirit living in you. See, God works 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:16.279 with dirt, lives in dirt. And did you know dirt 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:20.180 is the only environment that is conducive for 00:18:20.180 --> 00:18:25.019 a seed to grow? Can you put seed in a diamond? 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:30.619 Can you put seed in gold? But if you get some 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:33.940 dirt. and you put a little seed in this dirt, 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:40.519 what happens? It grows. It grows, and it blossoms 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:44.940 into something beautiful and powerful. Just another 00:18:44.940 --> 00:18:48.720 reminder that we follow a good, good father. 00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:51.500 And not only is he a good, good father, but he's 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:55.279 a good, good gardener. And although we come from 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:59.279 dirt, there's a seed inside of you, and that 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.950 seed is a gift. And this morning, God is ready 00:19:02.950 --> 00:19:06.789 for you to stir it up. Someone say stir it up. 00:19:08.109 --> 00:19:13.490 See, generosity starts with somebody who's not 00:19:13.490 --> 00:19:17.490 stored up the gift of God, but has made a decision 00:19:17.490 --> 00:19:21.250 to stir up the gift of God, which leads to our 00:19:21.250 --> 00:19:25.589 final thought. See, our generous God placed good 00:19:25.589 --> 00:19:31.509 gifts inside of us. 2 Timothy 1, verses 3 -7. 00:19:31.990 --> 00:19:36.650 Timothy, I thank God for you, the God I serve 00:19:36.650 --> 00:19:39.529 with a clear conscience just as my ancestors 00:19:39.529 --> 00:19:43.369 did. Night and day, I constantly remember you 00:19:43.369 --> 00:19:46.410 in my prayers. I long to see you again, for I 00:19:46.410 --> 00:19:50.109 remember your tears as we parted. And I will 00:19:50.109 --> 00:19:52.829 be filled with joy when we are together again. 00:19:53.569 --> 00:19:56.309 I remember your genuine faith, for you share 00:19:56.309 --> 00:19:58.109 the faith that first filled your grandmother 00:19:58.109 --> 00:20:01.220 Lois. and your mother Eunice. And I know that 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:05.019 same faith continues strong in you. This is why 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:08.660 I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:11.599 gift God gave you when I laid hands on you. For 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:14.400 God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:19.859 but of power, love, and self -discipline. Now 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:22.400 from 2 Timothy 1 .6, from the New King James 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:28.200 Version, Therefore, Timothy, I remind you to 00:20:28.730 --> 00:20:32.690 Stir up the gift of God which is in you through 00:20:32.690 --> 00:20:36.890 the laying on of my hands. So Paul, he's writing 00:20:36.890 --> 00:20:39.829 to his spiritual son, Timothy. And he's letting 00:20:39.829 --> 00:20:42.769 him know about the gift that God has placed on 00:20:42.769 --> 00:20:45.869 the inside of him. But you can't really appreciate 00:20:45.869 --> 00:20:50.190 what Paul is writing to Timothy until you understand 00:20:50.190 --> 00:20:52.250 the context from which Paul is writing from. 00:20:52.730 --> 00:20:58.099 Paul is writing 2 Timothy from a jail cell. So 00:20:58.099 --> 00:21:01.319 he's in jail, and whenever you read 2 Timothy, 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:04.720 you're hearing the psychology of somebody who 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:08.700 knows they're about to die. Paul is given a death 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:12.039 sentence. He knows his life is coming to an end, 00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:16.039 and when you know you're about to die, the words 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:20.200 that you speak, they're powerful, and they mean 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:26.079 something. I mean, if you're about to die, You 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:29.559 don't have time to waste. If I was to tell you 00:21:29.559 --> 00:21:34.259 you only had 24 hours to live, binge -watching 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:38.779 Netflix is not important. If you only had 24 00:21:38.779 --> 00:21:40.880 hours to live scrolling through social media 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:42.700 and posting on Instagram, it's not a priority. 00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:46.759 So I find it interesting in the last moments 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:51.240 of Paul's life, of all the things he could have 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:54.849 written about, He feels the need to tell his 00:21:54.849 --> 00:21:59.609 spiritual son, Timothy, whatever you do, whatever 00:21:59.609 --> 00:22:05.589 you do, stir up the gift of God on the inside 00:22:05.589 --> 00:22:11.910 of you. Paul is saying, Timothy, Paul is saying, 00:22:12.009 --> 00:22:18.289 church, God gave you a direct deposit. And Paul 00:22:18.289 --> 00:22:23.490 feels the need to tell Timothy, Stir it up. Stir 00:22:23.490 --> 00:22:28.650 it up. Why? Why would he be writing these words? 00:22:28.690 --> 00:22:30.910 Because church, that's what life is all about. 00:22:32.109 --> 00:22:35.009 That's what life's all about. What did you do 00:22:35.009 --> 00:22:39.450 with what God put in you? See, when we get to 00:22:39.450 --> 00:22:42.670 heaven, God's not going to ask you how many times 00:22:42.670 --> 00:22:47.390 you read the Bible. He's not. Should we read 00:22:47.390 --> 00:22:51.779 the Bible? Yes. Yes, we should. But he's not 00:22:51.779 --> 00:22:54.900 going to ask you that question. He's not going 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:57.599 to ask you how many times you jumped up and down 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:01.680 or wept during your favorite worship song. He's 00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:04.440 not going to ask you. God's not going to look 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:08.000 at you and say, you were such a success on your 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:17.000 job. See, God, he's going to want to know, what 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:21.640 did you do with that deposit? What did you do 00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:24.299 with the opportunities that I put on the inside 00:23:24.299 --> 00:23:29.619 of you? Are you breathing out what I breathed 00:23:29.619 --> 00:23:36.720 into you? Since the beginning of time. See, we 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:40.579 are living our entire lives on this earth to 00:23:40.579 --> 00:23:48.779 hear two words. Two words. Matthew 25, 23. The 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:55.779 master said. God said, well done, my good and 00:23:55.779 --> 00:24:01.299 faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:04.619 this small amount. And so now I will give you 00:24:04.619 --> 00:24:09.799 many more responsibilities. And when we are using 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.759 our gifts, notice what God does. Let's celebrate 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:20.000 together. And notice God didn't say. Well posted, 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:24.160 my good and faithful servant. God didn't say, 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:27.759 well fought, my good and faithful servant. Well 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:30.119 dreamed, my good and faithful servant. What did 00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:36.279 God say? Well done. And that is why Paul says 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:40.019 in 2 Corinthians 4 -7, we now have this light 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:43.019 shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:47.859 fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. 00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:52.000 This makes it clear that our great power is from 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:57.019 God, not from ourselves. Paul writes in the book 00:24:57.019 --> 00:25:00.319 of Romans, Romans 12, 6 -8, he says, In his grace, 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:02.940 God has given us different gifts for doing certain 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:06.099 things well. So if God has given you the ability 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:09.619 to prophesy, speak out as much faith as God has 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:12.880 given you. If your gift is serving others, serve 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:17.410 them well. If you're a teacher, teach well. If 00:25:17.410 --> 00:25:19.869 your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. 00:25:20.130 --> 00:25:24.130 If it is giving, give generously. If God is giving 00:25:24.130 --> 00:25:26.430 you leadership ability, take the responsibility 00:25:26.430 --> 00:25:29.150 seriously. And if you have the gift of showing 00:25:29.150 --> 00:25:34.470 kindness to others, do it gladly. Notice what 00:25:34.470 --> 00:25:39.710 Paul is writing to us. Do something with the 00:25:39.710 --> 00:25:44.349 gift that is inside of you. He's waiting on all 00:25:44.349 --> 00:25:52.740 of us to do something. Stir up the gift that's 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:56.099 inside of you. Church, I gave you a deposit. 00:25:56.900 --> 00:26:02.799 You got to stir it up. I mean, Bob Marley's song 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:07.339 just took on a whole new meaning. That's got 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:12.180 to become a playlist for all of us. Stir it up. 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:18.009 Stir it up. Can I just share with you what blesses 00:26:18.009 --> 00:26:21.450 my heart? So I was walking out through the kids' 00:26:21.529 --> 00:26:25.029 hallway, right, on the way here to share with 00:26:25.029 --> 00:26:29.450 you. And I high -fived a guy named Alva on the 00:26:29.450 --> 00:26:32.009 way towards. He was going towards the kids' room, 00:26:32.089 --> 00:26:36.269 and I was coming towards you. And Alva, okay, 00:26:36.529 --> 00:26:41.150 and please understand, face tattoos, former addict, 00:26:41.410 --> 00:26:47.140 strung out, on. His deathbed, literally. But 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:50.940 God saved him. I'm not making it up. He'll tell 00:26:50.940 --> 00:26:55.500 you his story. He smiled at me and high -fived 00:26:55.500 --> 00:27:05.380 me and said, I'm going to teach the kids. You 00:27:05.380 --> 00:27:09.640 know what I thought on the way out here? I wonder 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:15.150 how many parents are going to be concerned. When 00:27:15.150 --> 00:27:20.329 they see Alva teaching their kids. But I shouldn't 00:27:20.329 --> 00:27:23.170 have that thought. You know why? Because Alva 00:27:23.170 --> 00:27:30.890 is using his what? His gifts. You want to know 00:27:30.890 --> 00:27:36.349 how to experience abundant life? Living an abundant 00:27:36.349 --> 00:27:40.750 life is the day we realize the gift that's inside 00:27:40.750 --> 00:27:45.099 of us. That's when it all changes. Because inside 00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:54.279 every one of you is what? A gift. All of you 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:59.599 have this inside of you. But I'd be willing to 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:02.279 say three quarters of you haven't even opened 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:07.640 it. And that's the sad part about the American 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:14.670 church. You're afraid to open your gift. One 00:28:14.670 --> 00:28:18.309 author says it this way, and it's not Mark Twain. 00:28:19.670 --> 00:28:22.730 There's two important days in your life. Not 00:28:22.730 --> 00:28:25.170 the day you're born and the day you die, but 00:28:25.170 --> 00:28:27.690 the day you're born and the day you find out 00:28:27.690 --> 00:28:34.109 why you were born. Stir up the gift. See, generosity, 00:28:34.390 --> 00:28:35.890 because some of you there are thinking, Chris, 00:28:36.049 --> 00:28:40.029 what in the world does dirt and gifts have to 00:28:40.029 --> 00:28:47.440 do with generosity? For a generous God put that 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:53.720 gift inside of you, inside of me. And now he's 00:28:53.720 --> 00:28:56.980 saying, will you use it for me to further my 00:28:56.980 --> 00:29:01.099 kingdom? But so many of you, you sit here, you 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.740 don't even know what your gifts are. Well, Chris, 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:05.799 I don't even know where to start. I don't even 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:08.099 know what to do. Well, let's quickly go through 00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:10.940 a few action steps of what it means to stir up 00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:14.569 the gifts. And notice 2 Timothy 1 .6, Therefore 00:29:14.569 --> 00:29:18.089 I remind you to stir up the gift of God which 00:29:18.089 --> 00:29:20.230 is in you through the laying on of hands. Peter 00:29:20.230 --> 00:29:23.769 wrote the same words in 2 Peter 1 .3, I think 00:29:23.769 --> 00:29:27.750 it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir 00:29:27.750 --> 00:29:32.210 up by the way of reminder. See, when we remember 00:29:32.210 --> 00:29:36.329 something, we bring to our conscious minds something 00:29:36.329 --> 00:29:39.720 we've already learned or experienced. The Bible 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:44.140 references remember or remind over 200 different 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:48.440 times. In other words, intentionally bring truth 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:52.079 into your minds. Because when you bring truth 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:57.640 in your mind, you stir up the Spirit inside of 00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:00.480 you, and He then empowers you to use your gifts, 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:04.500 which moves us to step one. Remember your God 00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:08.500 -given gifts. This is why I remind you to fan 00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:12.359 into flames the spiritual gift God gave you. 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:15.000 And for those of you who say, well, Chris, I 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.880 don't know what my gifts are. Here's my response. 00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:25.660 Ask your spouse. Seriously. Ask your spouse. 00:30:26.299 --> 00:30:31.059 Well, I'm not married. Ask your friends. Ask 00:30:31.059 --> 00:30:36.920 a peer. Right? Ask your parents. And you say, 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:38.640 well, Chris, what do I ask him? What do you see 00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:42.599 in me? That's all you ask him. You go to somebody 00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:45.839 you trust and you say, what do you see in me? 00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:49.140 And they're going to share qualities about you 00:30:49.140 --> 00:30:51.779 that you may not even be able to acknowledge 00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:56.059 when you look in the mirror. And then when you 00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:59.880 hear those truths, you begin to do more of it. 00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:03.339 And you begin to love on people and extend grace 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:07.049 to people. Because not only do you remember your 00:31:07.049 --> 00:31:10.410 gifts, number two, remember you have to put your 00:31:10.410 --> 00:31:13.390 gifts into practice. This is why I remind you, 00:31:13.490 --> 00:31:17.930 fan into flames or stir up the gift that God 00:31:17.930 --> 00:31:22.309 has given you. And how are you using your gifts? 00:31:23.630 --> 00:31:26.609 You know, Easter's coming. You saw those announcements 00:31:26.609 --> 00:31:29.589 just block after block. Like, wow, we do a lot. 00:31:30.849 --> 00:31:33.109 No wonder I tell everyone, hey, Chris, can I 00:31:33.109 --> 00:31:36.400 meet with you after Easter? Chris, can we have 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:41.339 lunch after Easter? Easter's coming. Good Friday 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:43.299 giveaway, Easter egg hunt. There's all these 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:47.240 opportunities to serve, to bless kids, to be 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:52.099 like Alva, you know? And just extend love to 00:31:52.099 --> 00:31:56.420 the next generation. And the question is, are 00:31:56.420 --> 00:31:57.960 you willing to give up a little of your time? 00:31:58.819 --> 00:32:02.160 Are you willing to stir up the gifts? This is 00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:05.920 the, I'm making the initial announcement. HCV, 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:10.299 this May, will be doing our first annual, annual 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:14.000 bed build right here. I'm sorry, not here, but 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:18.579 somewhere. So listen, May 3rd, Saturday, May 00:32:18.579 --> 00:32:21.480 3rd, we're going to build a bunch of beds for 00:32:21.480 --> 00:32:25.819 people that don't have beds. Is that okay? Okay, 00:32:25.980 --> 00:32:29.799 but here's the deal. Only 60 people, that's it, 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:34.230 ages 8 and up. Even the kids can carry the wood 00:32:34.230 --> 00:32:37.109 and pack the bolts. And we're going to gather 00:32:37.109 --> 00:32:41.069 for four hours. Everyone say four hours. From 00:32:41.069 --> 00:32:44.670 8 to 12 on May 3rd. And we're going to build 00:32:44.670 --> 00:32:48.450 a whole bunch of beds. And all those beds are 00:32:48.450 --> 00:32:50.089 going to be given away to the tri -state area 00:32:50.089 --> 00:32:55.529 absolutely free. All you have to do. Yeah, it's 00:32:55.529 --> 00:32:58.049 a good thing. And notice I said first annual. 00:32:58.190 --> 00:33:00.420 This is going to become an annual thing. Because 00:33:00.420 --> 00:33:03.700 I believe that Jesus was simple and I believe 00:33:03.700 --> 00:33:06.940 Jesus was practical. And guess what? Lives are 00:33:06.940 --> 00:33:12.799 changed when they get a bed. Changed. You can 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:15.799 sign up at the Welcome Hub. Just mob them. You 00:33:15.799 --> 00:33:19.920 only get 60. That's it. Top. That's it. 60 people. 00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:24.259 Can we fill those spots? I think we can too. 00:33:24.759 --> 00:33:29.690 Now this is kind of a curveball. I'm the president 00:33:29.690 --> 00:33:33.109 of a local little league. And this year, we don't 00:33:33.109 --> 00:33:36.769 have enough umpires. And we even pay our umpires. 00:33:38.349 --> 00:33:42.269 Isn't that crazy? So if you like kids, young 00:33:42.269 --> 00:33:45.730 people, and you think you can call balls and 00:33:45.730 --> 00:33:50.150 strikes and outs, we need you. And we will pay 00:33:50.150 --> 00:33:54.390 you. Every game that you work as an umpire, you 00:33:54.390 --> 00:33:58.619 get paid to do it. So you can see Frank right 00:33:58.619 --> 00:34:01.180 after this if you would like to umpire. Frank 00:34:01.180 --> 00:34:03.839 is our umpire -in -chief at our Little League. 00:34:04.819 --> 00:34:07.720 And he would love to sign you up to get behind 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:10.199 the plate, wear a mask, and get yelled at by 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:14.860 parents. But do you know the exciting thing? 00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:17.099 You know the exciting thing about being an umpire? 00:34:17.559 --> 00:34:20.440 You can walk over to said parents and say, get 00:34:20.440 --> 00:34:25.659 out of here. And they have to leave. Because 00:34:25.659 --> 00:34:31.679 I'll make them leave. See? It's a win -win. The 00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:36.760 point? Use your gifts. You've got to use your 00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:40.099 gifts. If you're just sitting in here twiddling 00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:42.780 your thumbs, letting the time pass you by, you're 00:34:42.780 --> 00:34:44.380 missing out on all that God's given you. Number 00:34:44.380 --> 00:34:49.300 three, remember, there's nothing to fear. 2 Timothy 00:34:49.300 --> 00:34:51.599 1 .7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear 00:34:51.599 --> 00:34:56.550 and timidity. See, people, people in your sphere 00:34:56.550 --> 00:34:59.949 of influence, they can handle your gift. They 00:34:59.949 --> 00:35:02.670 like you being kind and generous and loving. 00:35:02.809 --> 00:35:05.650 But not a whole lot of people can handle your 00:35:05.650 --> 00:35:08.809 dirt. And you say, well, Chris, what's my dirt? 00:35:08.909 --> 00:35:12.010 Your dirt is your humanity. Your dirt is that 00:35:12.010 --> 00:35:15.030 part of you that you don't post on social media. 00:35:15.690 --> 00:35:18.949 Because you don't want anybody to see it. And 00:35:18.949 --> 00:35:21.869 so many people, they go through life showing 00:35:21.869 --> 00:35:26.429 their gifts but hiding their dirt. And if we're 00:35:26.429 --> 00:35:28.469 not careful, that's how you're going to start 00:35:28.469 --> 00:35:32.110 approaching God. You're going to show God all 00:35:32.110 --> 00:35:34.489 the good parts, but what are you going to hide? 00:35:34.650 --> 00:35:41.230 The mess. Hey, God, you can use this. This is 00:35:41.230 --> 00:35:47.110 me, but I'm going to hide this. But see, that's 00:35:47.110 --> 00:35:50.369 not freedom. You want to know what freedom is? 00:35:50.409 --> 00:35:53.849 Freedom and an abundant life is when we take 00:35:53.849 --> 00:35:56.349 all of our dirt, all of our flaws and all of 00:35:56.349 --> 00:36:00.449 our issues and our hangups, and we take our gift 00:36:00.449 --> 00:36:02.949 that God has put inside of it and we just give 00:36:02.949 --> 00:36:06.730 it back to God. And we say, God, you formed me, 00:36:06.889 --> 00:36:11.030 use me. Because when we get it out of our hands 00:36:11.030 --> 00:36:13.010 and into God's hands, that's when everything 00:36:13.010 --> 00:36:18.090 changes. Which leads us to our final step. Remember, 00:36:19.690 --> 00:36:22.190 And these are all good reminders. True or false? 00:36:23.570 --> 00:36:27.730 God's spirit empowers us. For God, he's not given 00:36:27.730 --> 00:36:30.570 us a spirit, a spirit, the Holy Spirit of fear 00:36:30.570 --> 00:36:34.530 and timidity, but of what? Power, love, and self 00:36:34.530 --> 00:36:37.090 -discipline. See, so many people, they try to 00:36:37.090 --> 00:36:39.849 live their life in their own limited power and 00:36:39.849 --> 00:36:42.679 their weakness. They want to hide from God. And 00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:44.619 then every time the enemy knocks them down and 00:36:44.619 --> 00:36:46.739 defeats them with guilt or bitterness or hatred 00:36:46.739 --> 00:36:49.480 or insecurities or doubts or busyness or distraction 00:36:49.480 --> 00:36:53.780 or pride or greed, they're knocked out for like 00:36:53.780 --> 00:36:57.679 six months or a year. But you don't have to live 00:36:57.679 --> 00:37:00.460 defeated lives. You don't have to be intimidated 00:37:00.460 --> 00:37:04.460 by our enemy and fall into sin. You can live 00:37:04.460 --> 00:37:08.400 victoriously when you just give it all back to 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:12.039 God. And you walk in his grace. And you tap into 00:37:12.039 --> 00:37:16.699 that limitless, that unlimited power of the Holy 00:37:16.699 --> 00:37:19.659 Spirit. When we're empowered by the Holy Spirit, 00:37:19.760 --> 00:37:22.840 that's when we're walking in fullness. And that 00:37:22.840 --> 00:37:28.179 power will never run dry. No matter how many 00:37:28.179 --> 00:37:33.340 times you connect to it, it's always on. And 00:37:33.340 --> 00:37:35.820 not only is it always on while we're alive here, 00:37:35.980 --> 00:37:42.849 but it's on for eternity. This week, God spoke 00:37:42.849 --> 00:37:46.449 to me, had a personal encounter through Phoenix. 00:37:46.929 --> 00:37:50.010 Everyone knows about Phoenix. Love my Phoenix. 00:37:50.469 --> 00:37:55.489 It's five years old, full of energy. If you've 00:37:55.489 --> 00:38:00.409 seen the Energizer Bunny commercial, okay, that's 00:38:00.409 --> 00:38:04.250 our Phoenix. Even at 9 .30 at night in bed, it's 00:38:04.250 --> 00:38:08.650 just never stops. It's just the Energizer Bunny. 00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:13.360 Anyway, so he's playing baseball. Five -year 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:15.119 -old playing baseball. He's learning the game. 00:38:16.099 --> 00:38:20.619 And he only had short socks, okay? He only had 00:38:20.619 --> 00:38:23.420 short socks. These are ankle socks. And he got 00:38:23.420 --> 00:38:26.900 cleats, first ever pair of cleats. So he wears 00:38:26.900 --> 00:38:29.380 his cleats all the time. Backyard, practice, 00:38:29.599 --> 00:38:33.300 all the time. Anyway, he told mom, he says, mom, 00:38:33.420 --> 00:38:38.579 I got a bee sting on my foot. Mom was like, what? 00:38:39.130 --> 00:38:42.610 There's no bees. So she took his sock off and 00:38:42.610 --> 00:38:46.690 looked at his foot, and he got a blister. He 00:38:46.690 --> 00:38:48.010 didn't know what a blister was, so he called 00:38:48.010 --> 00:38:52.230 it a bee sting. Bee got him. Hurts, Mom. He would 00:38:52.230 --> 00:38:54.369 be literally laying in a tub with his leg out 00:38:54.369 --> 00:39:01.130 like this. Hurts. Bee sting. I'm like, Phoenix, 00:39:01.190 --> 00:39:02.590 it's not a bee sting, it's a blister. It's a 00:39:02.590 --> 00:39:07.130 bee sting. Fine. It's a bee sting. So he took 00:39:07.130 --> 00:39:09.360 him to Walmart. Like, we're going to get you 00:39:09.360 --> 00:39:12.980 some socks. Took him to Walmart, and we spent 00:39:12.980 --> 00:39:19.059 $5 on three pairs of socks. Five bucks on three 00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:21.920 pairs of socks, right? Of course, he got the 00:39:21.920 --> 00:39:27.000 cool ones, seen the design. Five bucks! The next 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:31.760 morning, he's getting dressed, and he looked 00:39:31.760 --> 00:39:34.159 at Mom, Justin, and me, and he said, where's 00:39:34.159 --> 00:39:37.590 my new socks? Where's my new socks? I want to 00:39:37.590 --> 00:39:39.070 wear my new socks. Well, they're for practice. 00:39:39.389 --> 00:39:41.750 Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to wear 00:39:41.750 --> 00:39:47.289 my new socks. And he was more excited for a $5 00:39:47.289 --> 00:39:51.230 pair of socks than what he was for a $40 transformer 00:39:51.230 --> 00:39:57.250 a month ago. $5 pair of socks. And I was watching 00:39:57.250 --> 00:39:59.610 him in his excitement, you know, putting his 00:39:59.610 --> 00:40:05.800 socks on, pulling him up to his knees. And I 00:40:05.800 --> 00:40:13.980 thought, God, why am I not like that? $5 pair 00:40:13.980 --> 00:40:21.760 of socks. And God took me to Lamentations chapter 00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:26.719 3, and it reads this. The faithful love of the 00:40:26.719 --> 00:40:33.079 Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great. 00:40:34.639 --> 00:40:42.400 Is his faithfulness. His mercies are new. Everyone 00:40:42.400 --> 00:40:47.800 see that? His mercies are new and fresh. How 00:40:47.800 --> 00:40:54.699 often? Every morning. Does that make sense? There 00:40:54.699 --> 00:40:56.659 isn't a day that goes by if you're in a relationship 00:40:56.659 --> 00:41:00.800 with Jesus that you shouldn't be excited about 00:41:00.800 --> 00:41:06.289 a $5 pair of socks. Because guess what? God's 00:41:06.289 --> 00:41:14.289 mercies, joy, love, and grace are so much more 00:41:14.289 --> 00:41:19.289 important than a $5 pair of socks. But if we 00:41:19.289 --> 00:41:21.489 can learn anything from a five -year -old little 00:41:21.489 --> 00:41:28.349 boy, we should be excited about the gift that 00:41:28.349 --> 00:41:31.730 we're given every day. And I want to challenge 00:41:31.730 --> 00:41:38.119 you. as the church to stir up the gift that God 00:41:38.119 --> 00:41:41.079 has put in your life. Because when you stir up 00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:44.039 those gifts, guess what? Then that's when you 00:41:44.039 --> 00:41:47.440 become a generous person. That's when you serve 00:41:47.440 --> 00:41:49.739 others and love others and invite others. That's 00:41:49.739 --> 00:41:51.579 when you give to the church. So many of you are 00:41:51.579 --> 00:41:53.820 stingy with your money. You know what I mean? 00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:56.360 Oh, I can't tithe. I can't give. I can't do that. 00:41:58.760 --> 00:42:03.400 It's a gift. It's all a gift. And when you give, 00:42:03.480 --> 00:42:08.659 when you give that gift back to God, he radically 00:42:08.659 --> 00:42:12.340 changes your life. And he makes you a happy person 00:42:12.340 --> 00:42:16.199 and a joyful person and a person that other people 00:42:16.199 --> 00:42:19.340 want to be around. So if you look in the mirror 00:42:19.340 --> 00:42:20.780 and you think, people don't want to be around 00:42:20.780 --> 00:42:26.559 me, it's time to reopen that gift. Amen? Will 00:42:26.559 --> 00:42:33.329 you stand with me? So if you're here this morning, 00:42:33.349 --> 00:42:34.929 listen, I just want you to be honest. I want 00:42:34.929 --> 00:42:38.550 to pray for you. We're going to do our prayer 00:42:38.550 --> 00:42:40.610 that we always pray here in a minute, but I want 00:42:40.610 --> 00:42:43.530 to pray for you. If you're here this morning 00:42:43.530 --> 00:42:46.010 and you say, Chris, I need my gifts stirred up. 00:42:46.130 --> 00:42:49.510 Put both hands up. Put them up. I need my gifts 00:42:49.510 --> 00:42:53.909 stirred up. Holy Spirit, come. God, you see the 00:42:53.909 --> 00:42:58.530 hands. You know the hearts already that we try 00:42:58.530 --> 00:43:02.329 to hide our mess, but we can't. I just pray for 00:43:02.329 --> 00:43:06.349 each and every hand that's raised, God. Stir 00:43:06.349 --> 00:43:11.389 us up. Overwhelm us with your love. May each 00:43:11.389 --> 00:43:14.969 and every person that's sitting in these chairs 00:43:14.969 --> 00:43:17.429 be like Alva that passed me on the way to the 00:43:17.429 --> 00:43:22.730 kids. I'm going to serve. I'm going to serve. 00:43:23.610 --> 00:43:28.170 May we all be generous, God, and give back to 00:43:28.170 --> 00:43:32.489 you all that you've given us. In Jesus' name, 00:43:32.610 --> 00:43:36.190 amen. So we're going to pray a simple prayer. 00:43:36.349 --> 00:43:38.429 And all of you know that we do this every single 00:43:38.429 --> 00:43:41.150 Sunday because we believe God brings people in 00:43:41.150 --> 00:43:42.909 our midst that are distant and far from him. 00:43:43.809 --> 00:43:48.190 Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, 00:43:48.329 --> 00:43:55.070 shame, regret, sin. Change me. I believe you're 00:43:55.070 --> 00:43:59.730 God's son. I believe you died for me. Make me 00:43:59.730 --> 00:44:05.420 new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. Stir 00:44:05.420 --> 00:44:10.920 up my gifts so I can serve others. In Jesus' 00:44:10.940 --> 00:44:14.090 name. Amen. Listen, if you prayed that prayer, 00:44:14.269 --> 00:44:16.630 Good Friday is coming up. Get baptized. If you 00:44:16.630 --> 00:44:19.309 need to get baptized, Good Friday service. There 00:44:19.309 --> 00:44:20.829 were several words of knowledge I want to share 00:44:20.829 --> 00:44:23.489 with you before we go. Listen, inside of your 00:44:23.489 --> 00:44:26.250 left ankle, you're experiencing pain. You have 00:44:26.250 --> 00:44:29.349 a broken collarbone. You have a growth in your 00:44:29.349 --> 00:44:32.010 armpit, which is kind of gross, but we really 00:44:32.010 --> 00:44:37.090 need to pray for you. You have pain on the front 00:44:37.090 --> 00:44:40.369 of your left knee. you have pain on the right 00:44:40.369 --> 00:44:43.150 side of your rib cage, and you have discomfort 00:44:43.150 --> 00:44:46.489 in your right eye that's causing blurred vision 00:44:46.489 --> 00:44:49.130 and you need healing. So if you have any of those 00:44:49.130 --> 00:44:51.690 needs or you have other needs, our prayer team 00:44:51.690 --> 00:44:53.949 will be here on the right to pray for you. I 00:44:53.949 --> 00:44:56.269 love you guys. I don't know, am I going there? 00:44:56.829 --> 00:44:59.570 I'm going left today, so no one move on this 00:44:59.570 --> 00:45:02.110 side. God bless you guys. Thank you for joining 00:45:02.110 --> 00:45:04.590 us online. We look forward to our new series 00:45:04.590 --> 00:45:15.130 next month. that you are working now so pour 00:45:15.130 --> 00:45:19.510 it out oh pour it out