Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd
like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward
slash connect. If you feel called to give, go
to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at
any time you feel called to make a change in
your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the
message. How you guys doing today? Listen, when
the cat's away, the mice will play. You guys
ready to play? So let me just start by saying
that Chris and Jess are in Syracuse this weekend
with Mr. Rick and his wife, Ms. Lynn. They just
led a Holy Spirit weekend on Friday and Saturday
for the church in Syracuse. Chris is wrapping
up the weekend today, leading four gatherings.
I don't know what their parking situation looks
like, but he's leading four gatherings, bringing
the message to the church that started his vineyard
journey 25 years ago, which is cool because this
year we're celebrating our 20 -year anniversary.
Speaking of anniversaries, on Thursday, I will
celebrate 15 years of marriage to my beautiful
wife. Carrie and I have been together 18 years,
married for 15. If you see her this week, pray
for her. She's tired. In fact, let's just go
ahead and pray and bring the Holy Spirit into
our presence. Come Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit,
it's actually your presence that we need to enter
into right now. Holy Spirit, we come to you this
morning. We thank you for this building. We thank
you for everyone that we are able to reach in
the community each and every day, each and every
week. We thank you for Chris and Jess, that you
laid this on their heart over 20 years ago to
start a church in Hagerstown, the hub city. I
pray, God, that you just be with them this weekend
as Chris wraps up the message and you give them
safe travels back. And just thank you for the
word they were able to bring in Syracuse, but
the word that they've been able to bring to us
for two decades. God, I also pray for the staff
at Grow is at Ocean City for a weekend conference
learning all about how to take care of our kids.
Just give them all the tools that they need to
take care of our kids here at the preschool,
God, and bring them back safely today. And ultimately,
God, I just want to pray today for this message.
Take the words that you have given me and open
the minds and the hearts of everyone here. Soften
their hearts so that they can hear the word that
you have for us today. In Jesus' name. Amen.
All right. How many of you prefer to text rather
than make a phone call? How many of you would
just rather make a phone, have a phone conversation?
Okay. I could ask ages, but there's probably
a line of demarcation in there somewhere. I prefer
to text. Right? Because most of the time you
don't need a whole phone conversation to deliver
or receive the information that you need. So
it's just quicker to text. Right? In fact, sometimes
I hate to call so much that I'll actually use
talk to text all the time. Right? I think I actually
use speak to text, talk to text more often than
I actually type it out. Oddly, I have the same
amount of typos either way. But I often chat
with Mike Gamby through text. We'll text each
other. We'll chat with each other about things
around the church. Mike is the president of the
board. He leads our men's group. Mike also likes
to use talk to text. And often I read it and
I'm like, Gamby, what are you even trying to
say? It's like. Then he'll send a text and be
like, sorry, I forgot to proofread that. Sometimes
it's like playing Mad Gab, trying to figure out
what the text means. But it's funny because Mike
and I, we get in this rhythm. Well, he'll talk
to text. He'll send it to me. If I'm driving,
I just let my car play and read the text to talk,
right? And then I respond by talking the text
back. And then he gets it and he listens to the
text to talk. And it's like, we get in this rhythm
and we just continue talking to text and texting
to talk. And like, hmm, maybe we actually could
just say these words ourselves. Like, right to
each other. You know, the phone actually has
an original purpose, which was to talk. Then
there's Sherry. Sherry works in the office, right?
Sherry takes messages from me and Chris and the
other staff members throughout the week. She
has plenty of other jobs, but she's mostly responsible
for answering the phones during the week. So
if the phone rings and you don't get a hold of
someone, we blame Sherry. But Sherry, she doesn't
worry about typing or talk to text. My Siri is
coming up on my phone now because I keep saying
talk to text. Sherry doesn't worry about the
typing or the talk to text. She literally just
speaks an audio clip and sends me an audio clip,
which I found out from my 13 -year -old son last
night. That's actually called a voice note. So
if you're my age or older, you just learned something
new about technology. A voice note. Hey, I like
it. It's fast and it's efficient. So, each year,
the pastoral team gets together in November to
praise Storm and map out the serieses for the
upcoming year. Now, Rhett, he says he got the
word from Carl, but Rhett showed up and brought
this series text to talk. He brought that idea
to the table and I instantly loved it. I figured
I could speak to all the middle school and high
schoolers with text -to -talk, right? In fact,
I probably should just text them the message.
But as we praise -stormed, and Chris and Jess
and Stephen all added in their input, I secretly
prayed that Chris would assign one of the weeks
to me. And here we are. Today. I'm going to start
the series by laying the foundation. The next
two weeks, Chris will go deeper into how to read
the word, read the world, read the word, two
completely opposite things, and grow closer to
God while reading and studying. And in the last
two weeks, this is like a teaching series. Because
in the last two weeks, we'll pick a Bible, a
book of the Bible, or a section, and we'll preach
right from that exactly what we teach you the
first three weeks. Okay? Everyone with me? Some
of you are starting to look like by 7 a .m. class.
So, what we aim to do is read the Bible. And
allow the text to talk to us. Or rather, allow
the Holy Spirit to talk to us through the text.
So, today I want to lay the groundwork of what
we need to know about the Bible when we read
the Bible. So, let's start with point one. The
Bible is a source of truth. It is the source
of truth. For us as Christians, John 17, 17 tells
us, make them holy. This is Jesus talking to
God. Make them holy by your truth. Teach them
your word, Father, which is truth. This is Jesus
telling the disciples that Scripture is truth.
And Scripture is truth. It's a word that we can
count on. We can count on the Word of God. Why?
Because the Word of God has been inspired by
the Holy Spirit. Now, some of you may not understand
everything in the Bible. I know I don't always.
But it still speaks truth and life. You may not
believe everything, and the Bible is true. But
if you keep reading it and studying it, the Holy
Spirit will start to speak to you through the
words. Now, I know it can be confusing at times,
but so is the Internet, and you all keep going
back to the Internet every day. The other thing
is everything we know, almost everything we know
about Jesus comes right from the words of the
Bible. Now, there are historical documents that
back up what we know in the Bible. There are
parallel documents from those times that tell
us about a man who wandered into wilderness 2
,000 years ago. But the things we know about
how Jesus lived his life are found in the Bible.
Matthew 6, 33. Tells us this, but seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you. Truth
is found in the kingdom of God. And how do you
learn about the kingdom of God? By reading your
Bible. Which leads us to our next point. The
Bible was meant to be read in context. Let's
go back to Matthew 3 .33. In the ESV version,
the English Standard Version, this is how we
read it. But seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these things will
be added to you. But what are the things that
Jesus is talking about? Anyone know? Now, let's
look at the New Living Translation of the same
verse, Matthew 6 .33. Which rewords it a little
bit and it says it like this. Seek the kingdom
of God above all else and live righteously and
he will give you everything you need. Oh, so
these things he's talking about is not everything.
It's not everything we want. It's everything
we need. I like how you guys are interacting
with me today. So we need to understand the context.
of what we are reading. Do you know how many
verses in the Bible are taken out of context?
Some of you have them tattooed on your body.
Tell me it isn't so. Jeremiah 29 11, for I know
the plans I have for you, saith the Lord. Anyone
have that one tattooed? What do we do? We view
this as a promise of personal success and hope
and happiness, right? But if we go back to Jeremiah
and read in the context, did you know this was
actually meant for the Jews living under Babylonian
exile? Of course, some of you would, I'm not
going to make it political, some of you might
say, oh, well, we are, kind of. Those Jewish
people, Israel, they were promised hope. They
were promised that restoration would come in
70 years. We don't like to remember that part,
do we? How many of you would like to wait 70
years? I'm 51 years old. I don't think I would
see that promise. Philippians 4 .13. Who has
this one? I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me. No, you can't. Do you think
you could play forward for the WNBA? Do you think
you could pitch and win the World Series this
year? Can I jump out of an airplane with no parachute?
I mean, I can. It's funny because Philippians
4, if you read it through, I guarantee you'll
know at least four verses from that that you've
taken out of context. Reading in context of Philippians
4 shows Paul speaking and having the strength
to endure hardship and main contentment in all
circumstances, even prison. Sorry for pointing
some of you guys out. Now, what if we read other
books like this? Like, anyone, I've read Tale
of Two Cities. Anyone else ever read a Tale of
Two Cities? It's not an easy read. I read it,
okay? What if we did that same thing with other
books? I wish you to know that you have been
the last dream of my soul. Let me get a tattoo.
A Tale of Two Cities, chapter 13, paragraph 25.
Sam, where you at? It's a cool quote. Oh, man,
how romantic would it be to say that to your
wife? I wish you to know. Baby doll. I'm going
to use that Thursday. Who's dreaming? Who's he
dreaming about or she? Anyone know? I'm not going
to tell you. You're just going to have to go
to the library like I did. Listen, I only checked
this book out of the library for the message
because I'm not reading again. Maybe, just maybe,
we need to read a little bit more of the book
to get a better idea. Don't just read a verse
or two. Read the whole passage. In fact, I encourage
you each and every week you sit in here and Chris
will say some profound verse that he pulled out
of the Bible, right? If you circled that or starred
that in your notes ever, I implore you to go
home and take out that passage and read a couple
scriptures in front of it and a little bit of
the passage after it. Because there's meaning
in... One line. But there's so much deeper meaning.
Hence Jonah. Right? Jonah. I didn't know anything
more than the whale because he didn't want to
do what God told him. Here's another verse we
take out of context. Gentlemen. 1 Timothy 2 .12
I do not permit a woman to teach. or assume authority
over a man. She must be quiet. That's a line
I'm not using on Thursday. Now, understand, in
a cultural context, women were often, not always,
often less educated, and their participation
could disrupt the flow of the teaching. So oftentimes
we need to understand the context also of the
times that the book was written in. See, Jesus
spoke about seeds and farming and agricultural
allegories. But I'm not a farmer. So I need to
understand something about farming to get a better
picture of what he's talking about. Oh, and Jesus
didn't own an international harvester. So even
farming looked different in those times. So you
need to understand the context of the times.
And also know this. The Bible was not written
to us. It was written for us. The Bible was written,
breathed in by the Holy Spirit, for us to learn,
to rebuke, to do all those things. but it was
written to the people that were living in that
time and that area. When you know this, it changes
how you read the Scriptures. We have to understand
that that word that I just read you about woman,
shut up in church, you're going to get in trouble
for that. If we read the whole letter of Timothy,
We'll see that that letter was written by Peter
to Timothy about the church in Ephesus. Did you
know that there's more than one book of Ephesians?
So Peter's writing this letter to Timothy, and
if we know the context of what's happening, it
might make chapter 2, verse 12 shed a little
bit of a different light. In 1 Timothy 4 .1,
we read about doctrines of demons, which some
scholars identify with the watcher's tradition.
Didn't know about this. I didn't know it was
called watcher's tradition. In the watcher's
tradition, demons, like fallen angels, would
teach forbidden, magical, or heavenly secrets
to earthly women. Further in 1 Timothy in verse
4, or 4 verse 7, but stay away from worthless
stories that are typical of old woman or old
womanish myths. Now, in the first century Greek,
they used the word graodes. Say it, graodes.
Now you're bilingual. Some of you are trilingual.
Gaiotes was a phrase often used to describe superstitions.
It was specifically linked to magical practices
that were associated with the goddess Hecate.
I think I pronounced that right. And you know
what they referred to Hecate as? The old woman.
One more verse. 1 Timothy 5 .13. Paul mentions
young widows who are busybodies. Using the Greek
term periurgos. Sorry, man, I look these words
up for you guys all the time, and I can't ever
pronounce them. Periurgos. The word periurgo
is seen also in Acts 19 .19, and it refers to
magic, sorcery, or superstitious arts. So, in
the context of the whole letter of Timothy, I
believe it's more probable that Peter was speaking
to a specific church about a specific group of
women. This letter wasn't written to us. It was
written to the church in Ephesus. I read this
passage as you, Ephesian women, shouldn't speak.
I don't read it as no woman should ever speak.
It's like if it was the modern day, it would
be like Chris not allowing a former Wiccan practicing
woman to take the stage or lead a group until
we were sure that that person had given up their
old ways. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. You guys know
this verse. All scripture is inspired by God
and useful to teach us what is true. And to make
us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects
us when we are wrong and teaching us to do what
is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his
people to do every good work. How much scripture
is breathed by the Holy Spirit? All scripture.
Which means you have to read all of it. Now,
I don't mean you have to start today and start
reading the Bible in a year. Side note, I just
finished my fifth read -through of the Bible.
For five years I've been reading the Bible. Some
of it I understood about as much as I understood
this. You've got to read the whole passage. You've
got to put it in context, which leads us to our
next point. Point three, Scripture interprets
Scripture. What you find in one passage is almost
always backed up or further explained somewhere
else in the Bible. So, gentlemen, don't want
to hang on to woman, shut up. Let's go all the
way back to the Old Testament in Judges 4. In
verse 4 and 5, this is what it says. Now Deborah,
what kind of a name is Deborah? Male or female?
Okay. Now Deborah, a prophet. was leading Israel
at the time. She held court under the palm of
Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill
country of Ephraim. And the Israelites went up
to her to have their disputes decided. If women
aren't allowed to speak or have influence over
men, why did God anoint Deborah to be a judge?
Why did God anoint her to be an advisor to a
military general? Why was she anointed as a prophetess?
Then we have Miriam in Exodus, who was one of
the first up to pick up an instrument and lead
worship. Esther, who was Esther? A queen. In
fact, a queen who risked her life. To save her
people, the Jews. Mary Magdalene. She was the
first person to see the risen Lord. And some
say she was the first apostle sent one. Because
Jesus sent her to tell the rest of the men. Phoebe
was a deacon. Anyone else grow up in a Baptist
church? A woman deacon? Is this in the Bible?
Are you making this up? Priscilla was a teacher.
Lydia was the first European converted and baptized
and was an early leader of the church. Are women
allowed to have influence over me? At least Carrie.
And sometimes Jessica. Listen, if you need deeper
understanding for a passage or something just
doesn't seem right, check elsewhere in the Bible
because you're going to get back up. In fact,
find a good concordance Bible or a good study
Bible. You know those little things where there's
like a number and then it says, this is also
found in Genesis or this is also found in Isaiah.
It's found there because it's Scripture interpreting
Scripture. Don't just read what you want to read.
Luke 24, Then he said to them, These are my words
that I spoke to you while I was still with you.
Everything written about me, who is me? Jesus.
Everything written about me in the law of Moses
and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
Then he opened their minds to understand the
scriptures. Everything in the Bible points to
Jesus, which leads us to our last point. I hope
some of you have steel toe shoes on. The Bible
teaches one agenda, and it is not your agenda.
I did it, God. Listen, I prayed to God. Let's
just take this one out, God. I hesitated, and
he was like, nope. They need to hear it. Secretly,
he said, Rudy, you need to hear it. God, let
me just soften it a little bit. Why did he not
let me soften it? Because I am guilty of this.
I often read the Bible to back up my own agenda,
and I believe some of you do too. What is the
agenda of the Bible? Mark 1. Now, after John,
the Baptist, was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee,
proclaiming the gospel of God, saying, The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe the good news. What is the
good news? Jesus. What is the good news? Jesus.
If we keep saying it, more of you will understand.
Everything points to Jesus. Thank you. The Old
Testament, the stories, the prophecies, they
point forward to Jesus. The Gospels, Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, they speak about the life of
Jesus. The whole rest of the New Testament either
points back to the life of Jesus or to the second
coming of Jesus. The agenda of the Bible is the
kingdom of God. Now, remember the last words
Jonah said? What are the last words? Anyone listen
to Chris's message? What are the last words Jonah
said? God, I'm angry. How could you? Jonah had
his own agenda. And in the end, he was left bitter
and frustrated. With no shade. God was stowing
shade. Took it away. That wasn't in our notes.
That must have been God. Listen, you might want
to write this down. St. Augustine. You probably
haven't heard a message that hasn't quoted St.
Augustine. Here's one of my favorite quotes.
If you believe what you like in the gospel and
reject what you don't like, it's not the gospel
you believe. but yourself. You want me to put
that on Facebook later? Right, so you have Jonah,
then you have Ananias. When Saul, the persecutor
of the early Christians, was blinded by the light,
God sent Ananias. Did Ananias want to go? No.
Just like you and me, he was hesitant, right?
Acts 9, 13, and 14. Lord, Ananias answered, I
have heard many reports about this man. Saul,
and all the harm he has done to your holy people
in Jerusalem, overseeing murders of Christians.
Would you want to hang out with this dude as
a Christian? And he has come here with all authority
from the chief priest to arrest all who call
on your name. But God insists that he has chosen
Paul as a vessel to bear God's name. Ananias
trusts the process. He relents. He heals Saul's
eyes. He restores Saul's sight. And then what
does he do? He baptizes him. And if Ananias didn't
minister to Saul, we probably wouldn't have over
half of the New Testament. The last month series
was a challenge for me. I had to be vulnerable
myself because I have a whole list of people
that are living inside my personal It might even
be some of you. And I had to allow God to get
real with me. So here's my question. When walking
out God's calling in your life, do you get angry
and resentful like Jonah? Or do you relent, recognize
God's will, and make kingdom moves like Ananias?
Men, you want to be spiritual leaders in your
homes? You better start following the Holy Spirit
and allow him to lead you. Wives, often you listen
to the message and you think, man, my husband
really needs this message. Listen, I do the same
thing with my wife. Maybe, just maybe it's the
Holy Spirit checking my heart because it's something
that I need to work on myself. One last question
before I get into the action steps. How many
tables did Jesus flip? Two. How often did Jesus
flip a table? Once at the beginning of his ministry,
once at the end of his ministry, and how many
times in between? None. Most of us think we have
righteous anger. And we walk around flipping
tables every time we see somebody doing something
wrong. Flipping tables, pointing fingers, slicing
them down. How many times did Jesus flip a table?
Twice. Jesus chose wisely when to let anger show.
And all the other times, he was full of grace,
love, correction, and truth. Now, did he speak
truth? Yes. Did he do it with anger? He did it
with love. As I have loved you, so love one another.
What does it mean to see another person in need
and turn your back on them? If Jesus died for
them, at least you can love them. So, if any
of you have ever... paid attention to Chris and
I and how we present a message. Sometimes you'll
see us mess with each other on stage. So let's
lighten it up for a second. I don't know if you
remember, but last week Chris showed a whole
bunch of pictures of people that we need to love.
And he showed this beautiful picture of a bunch
of people. Don't put it up yet, Grace. Of a bunch
of people wearing this beautiful black and gold.
And he made eye contact with me all three services
because he knows who I like. Right? So I thought
all week, how do I get him back? What can I do
to get him back? Grace, will you put that picture
up? I'm going to take the high road. I'm not
going to steep to his level. These men just battled
hard for three hours against each other, hitting
each other hard, probably harder than they hit
any other NFL player because of the rivalry.
But at the end of the game, what did they do?
They formed a circle. This was on Instagram.
This was on the Steelers' page because how powerful
is that picture? The agenda is Jesus. The agenda
is the kingdom of God. God is love, love like
Jesus. Man, how beautiful is that? Make sure
you let Chris know that I won't stoop to his
level. Listen, the gospel isn't something you
just hear and believe. If it doesn't change your
life, it hasn't hit you yet. So, quickly, we're
going to go through these action steps. How do
we read the Bible then, Rudy, for a deeper understanding?
I want to give you three quick action steps to
reading and getting more from the Bible. The
first action step, just pick a section. Pick
a book and start reading. Start with the Gospel.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. That's literally
Jesus' life. Modern Bibles have headings over
sections. You're like, Rudy, I can't read a chapter
at a time. Read a section that has a heading,
Jesus Feeds the 5 ,000, right? But start reading.
Journal 1 -8, keep this book of law always on
your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that
you may be careful to do everything written in
it, everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. Now, I have a favorite.
One of my favorite authors, his name's Mark Batterson.
He wrote a book that I've read a couple times.
I've read a couple other books, but he has a
book called Draw the Circle, and in it he says
this. The goal isn't getting through Scripture.
The goal is getting Scripture through you. To
read it and keep reading it. I've read A Tale
of Two Cities, and guess what? I did not remember
that Carlton and Lucy are the ones that I read
about. That's the ones who are, and I didn't
even remember that there was a name carton and
used Lucy in it. Why? Because I wasn't reading.
I've read it once. Listened to it. Once. Read
the Bible and keep reading. If you don't stay
in the Word, you will forget what it says. If
you don't stay in the Word, you will make up
your own meaning. Which brings us to my second
action step. Hmm. When I'm reading the Bible,
maybe I'm going to invite along a friend. And
that friend's name is the Holy Spirit. Do you
ever think about asking the Holy Spirit to read
with you and help you understand? Rudy, I can't
read the Bible. I don't understand. Pray. Ask
the Holy Spirit to guide you. Hebrews 4. For
the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is
sharper than the sharpest two -edged sword. cutting
between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost feelings and desires.
Listen, Mark Batterson again. We cannot do something
for God if we aren't with God. Press into his
presence. Abide in his word. Read this again,
2 Timothy. Oh, another letter to Timothy. All
scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach
us what is true and make us realize what is wrong.
It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches
us what to do right. God uses us to prepare and
equip his people. To do what? Good. Listen, I
like to, when I'm reading, this is what I like
to do. I like to read the same passage a couple
times in a row. The first time I read, before
I read, I say, Holy Spirit, please highlight
parts of this Scripture that you need me to know.
Then I read. After that, I'll spend a few minutes
in prayer, just thanking God for His Word and
His Scripture and praising Him for His truth.
Then I read again, and this time I'm prayerfully
interacting with God about the text I'm reading.
And then I'll go back and read it at least one
more time. And in this last time, I will say,
God, show me what you wish for me to know in
this scripture. Is there something you would
have me start doing or stop doing or continue
to do? Which leads us to our last action step.
Sometimes you got to put down the Bible, put
that book down. and do something. The Bible is
a living, breathing text. Living means you're
doing something. James 1. But don't just listen
to God. Like God's telling us in our reading
not to just read. But don't just listen to God's
Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you
are only fooling yourself. People ask all the
time, Rudy, I think we need to have more theology
classes. You're not even doing the stuff. What
do you need to know from the Bible? You're not
doing the first thing it told you to do. For
if you listen to the word and don't obey, it's
like looking at your face in the mirror. You
see yourself walk away and forget what you look
like. I forget how handsome I am when I walk
away. But if you look carefully into the perfect
law that sets you free and you do what it says
and don't forget to do what you heard, then God
will bless you for doing it. Patterson, one last
time. What if we read the Bible until it told
us to do something? Then we put the book down
and did what we heard the Holy Spirit tell us.
We need to get more than passive consumption
of words in the Bible and shift into activated,
actionable faith. Quickly, a few years ago, I
was reading the Bible and praying. And I felt
convicted to speak the life into folks like my
mom who were living in a nursing home. At the
same time, there was this dude named Charlie
who was reading his Bible and praying. And the
Holy Spirit encouraged him to start a devotional
in the nursing home where he was the activities
director. He put his Bible down. and made a phone
call. Tracy answered the phone call and handed
the phone to me. So I talked to Charlie, and
I told him, listen, I'll chat with the staff,
and I'll tell them my vision, but at the very
least, I will commit to coming over and doing
a devotional once or twice a month. Chris prayed
about it. The staff prayed about it. God told
Chris to move. That January, we started going
to Hagerstown Health Care Center twice a month,
the first and third Wednesday. Completely, like,
changing their lives, but changing our lives.
That evolved into Sunday morning watch parties.
Then, an in -person speaker, Jeff France, speaks
there every single week. Takes Chris's notes
and speaks there every single week. It's beautiful.
Now, Check this out. Today, we are kicking off
the same thing at Julia Manor. Robert is headed
there after this message to bring the message
to the residents. This is the first Sunday that
we will be Hub City Vineyard at Julia Manor.
And then we're going to go there the second and
fourth Wednesday of the month. So if you want
to know where we are at 1030, we're not in the
office. We're at Julia Manor or Hagerstown Health
Care Center. Now listen, hopefully God's telling
you to move because we need people. We need people
sometimes to open communion elements. We need
people just to love and pray, not just for the
residents, but with the residents. We have another
group starting up. Kathy Miller has been praying
and reading her Bible, and God spoke. Kathy listened.
Kathy has a heart for retirees and other early
birders. Who may not want to drive after dark.
I'm speaking to a specific age group here. Without
calling you out. She's starting a morning afternoon
group this Thursday. Here in the conference room
up in the offices. The Earl Gray group. It's
a play on tea time. And folks that have earned
a badge of honor and wisdom that comes with gray
hair. So if you're interested, this is a daytime
thing so you don't have to drive after dark.
See Kathy. She's out in the cafe. So let's wrap
it up. Read your Bible. Invite the Holy Spirit
to read along with you. And then what? Do something.
If the only thing you hear from me today is do
something, we'll let Chris talk about read the
Bible the rest of the month. I said this a second
ago. I'm going to say it again. The gospel isn't
just something you hear and believe. If it doesn't
change your life, it hasn't hit you yet. Will
you stand with me? For some of you, you feel
like it's time to make a change. This is your
time. Some of you may feel the Holy Spirit tugging
at your heart. This is your time. If you feel
like it's time to ask Jesus into your heart,
this is the time. So church, if you'll go to
a place of prayer and connection with God, if
any of you have never said this prayer and asked
Jesus into your heart, we're going to say a sinner's
prayer, a salvation prayer. And as a church family,
we say this together every week. Are you ready?
Jesus. Without you, I am lost. I am broken. With
you, I am found. I am whole. I believe you are
the Son of God. I believe you died for my sins.
I believe you're alive and well. Jesus, I ask
you into my heart. Transform me. Make me new.
Give me your Holy Spirit. And allow me to take
action. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, if you said
that prayer for the first time, you've just dedicated
your life to Jesus, text the words CHANGEME to
97000. Somebody from the office, Chris or me,
or like Chris says, give me a hug, because I
love hugs. Now listen. The prayer team is going
to be up here. Hang tight for a second. I'm going
to that door. Hang tight for a second. There
are nine words of knowledge. So, if you have
Lyme disease or some other tick -borne pathogen,
specifically people suffering from unexplainable
joint stiffness, pain, weakness, fatigue, and
foggy mind. If you've ever been bitten by a tick,
you better get your butt up here. Multiple people
with anger issues. Sudden outbursts of anger.
Upper and inner part of the thigh has a muscle
injury. You have left ankle pain. You have neck
pain. Somebody here has right knee issues and
has also messed up their left hip. Left shoulder
pain in the joint. Right hip pain. Left ear.
Inside the ear. hurts. Listen, that's specific,
and if anything is even close, you better get
up here and let one of these people pray for
you, okay? If you've never done Start With Why,
I'm doing that. Meet me at the Welcome Hub. We're
going to go into the family room. We'll learn
all about how to get connected here at Hub City
Vineyard. Get out there and check out the motorcycles
that are parked out front because we're going
to bless the bikes after second service. Okay?
We'll see you guys next week for week two of
Talk to Text. Chris is going to take us deeper
into studying the Bible and how to get closer
to God. Thank you. Love you.