WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:34.000 message. How you guys doing today? Listen, when 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:39.619 the cat's away, the mice will play. You guys 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:43.740 ready to play? So let me just start by saying 00:00:43.740 --> 00:00:47.200 that Chris and Jess are in Syracuse this weekend 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:51.420 with Mr. Rick and his wife, Ms. Lynn. They just 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:54.259 led a Holy Spirit weekend on Friday and Saturday 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:58.399 for the church in Syracuse. Chris is wrapping 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:03.479 up the weekend today, leading four gatherings. 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:07.019 I don't know what their parking situation looks 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:10.579 like, but he's leading four gatherings, bringing 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:16.780 the message to the church that started his vineyard 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:21.540 journey 25 years ago, which is cool because this 00:01:21.540 --> 00:01:24.099 year we're celebrating our 20 -year anniversary. 00:01:25.870 --> 00:01:31.209 Speaking of anniversaries, on Thursday, I will 00:01:31.209 --> 00:01:36.730 celebrate 15 years of marriage to my beautiful 00:01:36.730 --> 00:01:44.969 wife. Carrie and I have been together 18 years, 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:48.969 married for 15. If you see her this week, pray 00:01:48.969 --> 00:01:57.209 for her. She's tired. In fact, let's just go 00:01:57.209 --> 00:02:00.329 ahead and pray and bring the Holy Spirit into 00:02:00.329 --> 00:02:04.370 our presence. Come Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, 00:02:04.510 --> 00:02:06.569 it's actually your presence that we need to enter 00:02:06.569 --> 00:02:10.930 into right now. Holy Spirit, we come to you this 00:02:10.930 --> 00:02:15.949 morning. We thank you for this building. We thank 00:02:15.949 --> 00:02:19.409 you for everyone that we are able to reach in 00:02:19.409 --> 00:02:21.509 the community each and every day, each and every 00:02:21.509 --> 00:02:25.460 week. We thank you for Chris and Jess, that you 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:29.219 laid this on their heart over 20 years ago to 00:02:29.219 --> 00:02:32.639 start a church in Hagerstown, the hub city. I 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:35.439 pray, God, that you just be with them this weekend 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:38.419 as Chris wraps up the message and you give them 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:41.240 safe travels back. And just thank you for the 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:43.719 word they were able to bring in Syracuse, but 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:45.460 the word that they've been able to bring to us 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:50.400 for two decades. God, I also pray for the staff 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:54.780 at Grow is at Ocean City for a weekend conference 00:02:54.780 --> 00:02:56.919 learning all about how to take care of our kids. 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:00.219 Just give them all the tools that they need to 00:03:00.219 --> 00:03:01.939 take care of our kids here at the preschool, 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:05.560 God, and bring them back safely today. And ultimately, 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.120 God, I just want to pray today for this message. 00:03:08.699 --> 00:03:11.860 Take the words that you have given me and open 00:03:11.860 --> 00:03:16.759 the minds and the hearts of everyone here. Soften 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:19.379 their hearts so that they can hear the word that 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:22.759 you have for us today. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:29.759 All right. How many of you prefer to text rather 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:33.900 than make a phone call? How many of you would 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:35.860 just rather make a phone, have a phone conversation? 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:43.479 Okay. I could ask ages, but there's probably 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:47.639 a line of demarcation in there somewhere. I prefer 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:51.110 to text. Right? Because most of the time you 00:03:51.110 --> 00:03:53.689 don't need a whole phone conversation to deliver 00:03:53.689 --> 00:03:57.050 or receive the information that you need. So 00:03:57.050 --> 00:04:01.150 it's just quicker to text. Right? In fact, sometimes 00:04:01.150 --> 00:04:04.229 I hate to call so much that I'll actually use 00:04:04.229 --> 00:04:09.830 talk to text all the time. Right? I think I actually 00:04:09.830 --> 00:04:13.889 use speak to text, talk to text more often than 00:04:13.889 --> 00:04:18.600 I actually type it out. Oddly, I have the same 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:25.920 amount of typos either way. But I often chat 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.279 with Mike Gamby through text. We'll text each 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:30.939 other. We'll chat with each other about things 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:32.519 around the church. Mike is the president of the 00:04:32.519 --> 00:04:35.560 board. He leads our men's group. Mike also likes 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:40.439 to use talk to text. And often I read it and 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.300 I'm like, Gamby, what are you even trying to 00:04:43.300 --> 00:04:48.860 say? It's like. Then he'll send a text and be 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:51.660 like, sorry, I forgot to proofread that. Sometimes 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:55.040 it's like playing Mad Gab, trying to figure out 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:59.120 what the text means. But it's funny because Mike 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:02.180 and I, we get in this rhythm. Well, he'll talk 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:05.839 to text. He'll send it to me. If I'm driving, 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:11.420 I just let my car play and read the text to talk, 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:15.639 right? And then I respond by talking the text 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.910 back. And then he gets it and he listens to the 00:05:19.910 --> 00:05:24.529 text to talk. And it's like, we get in this rhythm 00:05:24.529 --> 00:05:27.370 and we just continue talking to text and texting 00:05:27.370 --> 00:05:30.970 to talk. And like, hmm, maybe we actually could 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:34.370 just say these words ourselves. Like, right to 00:05:34.370 --> 00:05:39.829 each other. You know, the phone actually has 00:05:39.829 --> 00:05:46.660 an original purpose, which was to talk. Then 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:48.980 there's Sherry. Sherry works in the office, right? 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:52.959 Sherry takes messages from me and Chris and the 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:54.300 other staff members throughout the week. She 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:56.720 has plenty of other jobs, but she's mostly responsible 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:01.000 for answering the phones during the week. So 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:02.819 if the phone rings and you don't get a hold of 00:06:02.819 --> 00:06:07.180 someone, we blame Sherry. But Sherry, she doesn't 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:13.220 worry about typing or talk to text. My Siri is 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:14.920 coming up on my phone now because I keep saying 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:21.019 talk to text. Sherry doesn't worry about the 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:23.540 typing or the talk to text. She literally just 00:06:23.540 --> 00:06:27.259 speaks an audio clip and sends me an audio clip, 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.139 which I found out from my 13 -year -old son last 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:34.980 night. That's actually called a voice note. So 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:38.560 if you're my age or older, you just learned something 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.060 new about technology. A voice note. Hey, I like 00:06:42.060 --> 00:06:49.399 it. It's fast and it's efficient. So, each year, 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:52.759 the pastoral team gets together in November to 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:56.779 praise Storm and map out the serieses for the 00:06:56.779 --> 00:07:00.800 upcoming year. Now, Rhett, he says he got the 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:03.420 word from Carl, but Rhett showed up and brought 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:07.259 this series text to talk. He brought that idea 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:11.089 to the table and I instantly loved it. I figured 00:07:11.089 --> 00:07:13.089 I could speak to all the middle school and high 00:07:13.089 --> 00:07:16.689 schoolers with text -to -talk, right? In fact, 00:07:16.730 --> 00:07:19.310 I probably should just text them the message. 00:07:21.610 --> 00:07:25.230 But as we praise -stormed, and Chris and Jess 00:07:25.230 --> 00:07:29.769 and Stephen all added in their input, I secretly 00:07:29.769 --> 00:07:32.269 prayed that Chris would assign one of the weeks 00:07:32.269 --> 00:07:38.810 to me. And here we are. Today. I'm going to start 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:42.449 the series by laying the foundation. The next 00:07:42.449 --> 00:07:45.589 two weeks, Chris will go deeper into how to read 00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:49.250 the word, read the world, read the word, two 00:07:49.250 --> 00:07:53.410 completely opposite things, and grow closer to 00:07:53.410 --> 00:07:57.230 God while reading and studying. And in the last 00:07:57.230 --> 00:08:00.589 two weeks, this is like a teaching series. Because 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:03.029 in the last two weeks, we'll pick a Bible, a 00:08:03.029 --> 00:08:05.230 book of the Bible, or a section, and we'll preach 00:08:05.230 --> 00:08:07.569 right from that exactly what we teach you the 00:08:07.569 --> 00:08:13.629 first three weeks. Okay? Everyone with me? Some 00:08:13.629 --> 00:08:16.610 of you are starting to look like by 7 a .m. class. 00:08:19.410 --> 00:08:25.480 So, what we aim to do is read the Bible. And 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:30.899 allow the text to talk to us. Or rather, allow 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:34.580 the Holy Spirit to talk to us through the text. 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:40.179 So, today I want to lay the groundwork of what 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:43.039 we need to know about the Bible when we read 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:46.879 the Bible. So, let's start with point one. The 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:52.419 Bible is a source of truth. It is the source 00:08:52.419 --> 00:08:59.889 of truth. For us as Christians, John 17, 17 tells 00:08:59.889 --> 00:09:04.690 us, make them holy. This is Jesus talking to 00:09:04.690 --> 00:09:09.429 God. Make them holy by your truth. Teach them 00:09:09.429 --> 00:09:14.870 your word, Father, which is truth. This is Jesus 00:09:14.870 --> 00:09:19.009 telling the disciples that Scripture is truth. 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:23.750 And Scripture is truth. It's a word that we can 00:09:23.750 --> 00:09:29.129 count on. We can count on the Word of God. Why? 00:09:29.389 --> 00:09:32.289 Because the Word of God has been inspired by 00:09:32.289 --> 00:09:36.830 the Holy Spirit. Now, some of you may not understand 00:09:36.830 --> 00:09:40.549 everything in the Bible. I know I don't always. 00:09:41.230 --> 00:09:48.240 But it still speaks truth and life. You may not 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:53.019 believe everything, and the Bible is true. But 00:09:53.019 --> 00:09:56.259 if you keep reading it and studying it, the Holy 00:09:56.259 --> 00:09:59.679 Spirit will start to speak to you through the 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:03.679 words. Now, I know it can be confusing at times, 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.740 but so is the Internet, and you all keep going 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:15.340 back to the Internet every day. The other thing 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:17.600 is everything we know, almost everything we know 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:20.240 about Jesus comes right from the words of the 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.820 Bible. Now, there are historical documents that 00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:26.940 back up what we know in the Bible. There are 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:29.340 parallel documents from those times that tell 00:10:29.340 --> 00:10:32.120 us about a man who wandered into wilderness 2 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:35.080 ,000 years ago. But the things we know about 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:40.480 how Jesus lived his life are found in the Bible. 00:10:42.059 --> 00:10:46.210 Matthew 6, 33. Tells us this, but seek first 00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:49.570 the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and 00:10:49.570 --> 00:10:53.110 all these things will be added to you. Truth 00:10:53.110 --> 00:10:57.090 is found in the kingdom of God. And how do you 00:10:57.090 --> 00:11:00.870 learn about the kingdom of God? By reading your 00:11:00.870 --> 00:11:07.090 Bible. Which leads us to our next point. The 00:11:07.090 --> 00:11:15.539 Bible was meant to be read in context. Let's 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:19.419 go back to Matthew 3 .33. In the ESV version, 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:21.279 the English Standard Version, this is how we 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.919 read it. But seek first the kingdom of God and 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:26.299 His righteousness, and all these things will 00:11:26.299 --> 00:11:31.240 be added to you. But what are the things that 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:38.179 Jesus is talking about? Anyone know? Now, let's 00:11:38.179 --> 00:11:40.039 look at the New Living Translation of the same 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:43.659 verse, Matthew 6 .33. Which rewords it a little 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:45.799 bit and it says it like this. Seek the kingdom 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:49.159 of God above all else and live righteously and 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:54.620 he will give you everything you need. Oh, so 00:11:54.620 --> 00:11:56.500 these things he's talking about is not everything. 00:11:57.700 --> 00:12:00.480 It's not everything we want. It's everything 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:04.940 we need. I like how you guys are interacting 00:12:04.940 --> 00:12:11.000 with me today. So we need to understand the context. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:15.419 of what we are reading. Do you know how many 00:12:15.419 --> 00:12:18.259 verses in the Bible are taken out of context? 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:23.159 Some of you have them tattooed on your body. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:30.799 Tell me it isn't so. Jeremiah 29 11, for I know 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.600 the plans I have for you, saith the Lord. Anyone 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:39.769 have that one tattooed? What do we do? We view 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:43.509 this as a promise of personal success and hope 00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:47.490 and happiness, right? But if we go back to Jeremiah 00:12:47.490 --> 00:12:49.909 and read in the context, did you know this was 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:53.730 actually meant for the Jews living under Babylonian 00:12:53.730 --> 00:12:57.610 exile? Of course, some of you would, I'm not 00:12:57.610 --> 00:12:58.870 going to make it political, some of you might 00:12:58.870 --> 00:13:04.529 say, oh, well, we are, kind of. Those Jewish 00:13:04.529 --> 00:13:08.179 people, Israel, they were promised hope. They 00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:11.720 were promised that restoration would come in 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:18.820 70 years. We don't like to remember that part, 00:13:18.980 --> 00:13:22.340 do we? How many of you would like to wait 70 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:27.100 years? I'm 51 years old. I don't think I would 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:34.799 see that promise. Philippians 4 .13. Who has 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:39.879 this one? I can do all things through Christ 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:48.700 who strengthens me. No, you can't. Do you think 00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:57.120 you could play forward for the WNBA? Do you think 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:59.039 you could pitch and win the World Series this 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:03.799 year? Can I jump out of an airplane with no parachute? 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:15.039 I mean, I can. It's funny because Philippians 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:18.659 4, if you read it through, I guarantee you'll 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:20.820 know at least four verses from that that you've 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:27.519 taken out of context. Reading in context of Philippians 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:31.139 4 shows Paul speaking and having the strength 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:34.960 to endure hardship and main contentment in all 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:42.000 circumstances, even prison. Sorry for pointing 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:47.769 some of you guys out. Now, what if we read other 00:14:47.769 --> 00:14:51.990 books like this? Like, anyone, I've read Tale 00:14:51.990 --> 00:14:53.809 of Two Cities. Anyone else ever read a Tale of 00:14:53.809 --> 00:14:58.309 Two Cities? It's not an easy read. I read it, 00:14:58.429 --> 00:15:01.330 okay? What if we did that same thing with other 00:15:01.330 --> 00:15:06.269 books? I wish you to know that you have been 00:15:06.269 --> 00:15:13.580 the last dream of my soul. Let me get a tattoo. 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.500 A Tale of Two Cities, chapter 13, paragraph 25. 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:27.539 Sam, where you at? It's a cool quote. Oh, man, 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:30.299 how romantic would it be to say that to your 00:15:30.299 --> 00:15:38.320 wife? I wish you to know. Baby doll. I'm going 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:47.799 to use that Thursday. Who's dreaming? Who's he 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:53.519 dreaming about or she? Anyone know? I'm not going 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:56.259 to tell you. You're just going to have to go 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:58.220 to the library like I did. Listen, I only checked 00:15:58.220 --> 00:16:00.039 this book out of the library for the message 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:05.679 because I'm not reading again. Maybe, just maybe, 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:08.399 we need to read a little bit more of the book 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:12.879 to get a better idea. Don't just read a verse 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:18.669 or two. Read the whole passage. In fact, I encourage 00:16:18.669 --> 00:16:21.149 you each and every week you sit in here and Chris 00:16:21.149 --> 00:16:23.350 will say some profound verse that he pulled out 00:16:23.350 --> 00:16:27.269 of the Bible, right? If you circled that or starred 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:31.389 that in your notes ever, I implore you to go 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:35.190 home and take out that passage and read a couple 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:37.870 scriptures in front of it and a little bit of 00:16:37.870 --> 00:16:41.629 the passage after it. Because there's meaning 00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:45.529 in... One line. But there's so much deeper meaning. 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:52.649 Hence Jonah. Right? Jonah. I didn't know anything 00:16:52.649 --> 00:16:54.909 more than the whale because he didn't want to 00:16:54.909 --> 00:16:59.149 do what God told him. Here's another verse we 00:16:59.149 --> 00:17:05.869 take out of context. Gentlemen. 1 Timothy 2 .12 00:17:05.869 --> 00:17:11.549 I do not permit a woman to teach. or assume authority 00:17:11.549 --> 00:17:18.890 over a man. She must be quiet. That's a line 00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:28.529 I'm not using on Thursday. Now, understand, in 00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:32.450 a cultural context, women were often, not always, 00:17:32.509 --> 00:17:35.609 often less educated, and their participation 00:17:35.609 --> 00:17:40.519 could disrupt the flow of the teaching. So oftentimes 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:44.559 we need to understand the context also of the 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:48.880 times that the book was written in. See, Jesus 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.220 spoke about seeds and farming and agricultural 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:56.579 allegories. But I'm not a farmer. So I need to 00:17:56.579 --> 00:17:59.680 understand something about farming to get a better 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:04.460 picture of what he's talking about. Oh, and Jesus 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:09.839 didn't own an international harvester. So even 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:14.500 farming looked different in those times. So you 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:17.940 need to understand the context of the times. 00:18:18.180 --> 00:18:22.059 And also know this. The Bible was not written 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:29.539 to us. It was written for us. The Bible was written, 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:33.019 breathed in by the Holy Spirit, for us to learn, 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:37.180 to rebuke, to do all those things. but it was 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:40.700 written to the people that were living in that 00:18:40.700 --> 00:18:46.519 time and that area. When you know this, it changes 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:51.480 how you read the Scriptures. We have to understand 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:54.400 that that word that I just read you about woman, 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:59.039 shut up in church, you're going to get in trouble 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:05.819 for that. If we read the whole letter of Timothy, 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:10.420 We'll see that that letter was written by Peter 00:19:10.420 --> 00:19:15.440 to Timothy about the church in Ephesus. Did you 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.460 know that there's more than one book of Ephesians? 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:25.880 So Peter's writing this letter to Timothy, and 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:28.740 if we know the context of what's happening, it 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:33.339 might make chapter 2, verse 12 shed a little 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:38.019 bit of a different light. In 1 Timothy 4 .1, 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:43.019 we read about doctrines of demons, which some 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:47.099 scholars identify with the watcher's tradition. 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.559 Didn't know about this. I didn't know it was 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.339 called watcher's tradition. In the watcher's 00:19:53.339 --> 00:19:58.420 tradition, demons, like fallen angels, would 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:02.140 teach forbidden, magical, or heavenly secrets 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:09.059 to earthly women. Further in 1 Timothy in verse 00:20:09.059 --> 00:20:14.140 4, or 4 verse 7, but stay away from worthless 00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:17.839 stories that are typical of old woman or old 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:21.960 womanish myths. Now, in the first century Greek, 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:27.140 they used the word graodes. Say it, graodes. 00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:32.619 Now you're bilingual. Some of you are trilingual. 00:20:34.159 --> 00:20:37.880 Gaiotes was a phrase often used to describe superstitions. 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:42.480 It was specifically linked to magical practices 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:45.279 that were associated with the goddess Hecate. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:48.740 I think I pronounced that right. And you know 00:20:48.740 --> 00:20:52.359 what they referred to Hecate as? The old woman. 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:59.720 One more verse. 1 Timothy 5 .13. Paul mentions 00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:03.579 young widows who are busybodies. Using the Greek 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:07.819 term periurgos. Sorry, man, I look these words 00:21:07.819 --> 00:21:11.440 up for you guys all the time, and I can't ever 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:15.579 pronounce them. Periurgos. The word periurgo 00:21:15.579 --> 00:21:19.339 is seen also in Acts 19 .19, and it refers to 00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:26.440 magic, sorcery, or superstitious arts. So, in 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:29.769 the context of the whole letter of Timothy, I 00:21:29.769 --> 00:21:32.930 believe it's more probable that Peter was speaking 00:21:32.930 --> 00:21:36.109 to a specific church about a specific group of 00:21:36.109 --> 00:21:42.349 women. This letter wasn't written to us. It was 00:21:42.349 --> 00:21:45.730 written to the church in Ephesus. I read this 00:21:45.730 --> 00:21:49.650 passage as you, Ephesian women, shouldn't speak. 00:21:50.210 --> 00:21:52.569 I don't read it as no woman should ever speak. 00:21:59.819 --> 00:22:02.539 It's like if it was the modern day, it would 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:06.920 be like Chris not allowing a former Wiccan practicing 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:11.339 woman to take the stage or lead a group until 00:22:11.339 --> 00:22:14.339 we were sure that that person had given up their 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:24.279 old ways. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. You guys know 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:27.660 this verse. All scripture is inspired by God 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:30.200 and useful to teach us what is true. And to make 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:32.779 us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects 00:22:32.779 --> 00:22:35.180 us when we are wrong and teaching us to do what 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:37.940 is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his 00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:41.880 people to do every good work. How much scripture 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:45.420 is breathed by the Holy Spirit? All scripture. 00:22:46.220 --> 00:22:52.240 Which means you have to read all of it. Now, 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.480 I don't mean you have to start today and start 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:56.900 reading the Bible in a year. Side note, I just 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:58.480 finished my fifth read -through of the Bible. 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:03.880 For five years I've been reading the Bible. Some 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:06.480 of it I understood about as much as I understood 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:12.539 this. You've got to read the whole passage. You've 00:23:12.539 --> 00:23:15.819 got to put it in context, which leads us to our 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:19.619 next point. Point three, Scripture interprets 00:23:19.619 --> 00:23:26.099 Scripture. What you find in one passage is almost 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:28.599 always backed up or further explained somewhere 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:34.170 else in the Bible. So, gentlemen, don't want 00:23:34.170 --> 00:23:38.970 to hang on to woman, shut up. Let's go all the 00:23:38.970 --> 00:23:44.970 way back to the Old Testament in Judges 4. In 00:23:44.970 --> 00:23:48.150 verse 4 and 5, this is what it says. Now Deborah, 00:23:48.390 --> 00:23:54.230 what kind of a name is Deborah? Male or female? 00:23:55.349 --> 00:24:00.740 Okay. Now Deborah, a prophet. was leading Israel 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:05.000 at the time. She held court under the palm of 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.980 Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:11.119 country of Ephraim. And the Israelites went up 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:17.019 to her to have their disputes decided. If women 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:20.099 aren't allowed to speak or have influence over 00:24:20.099 --> 00:24:24.160 men, why did God anoint Deborah to be a judge? 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:31.359 Why did God anoint her to be an advisor to a 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:37.200 military general? Why was she anointed as a prophetess? 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:46.380 Then we have Miriam in Exodus, who was one of 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:48.160 the first up to pick up an instrument and lead 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:54.180 worship. Esther, who was Esther? A queen. In 00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:58.190 fact, a queen who risked her life. To save her 00:24:58.190 --> 00:25:04.470 people, the Jews. Mary Magdalene. She was the 00:25:04.470 --> 00:25:08.470 first person to see the risen Lord. And some 00:25:08.470 --> 00:25:13.150 say she was the first apostle sent one. Because 00:25:13.150 --> 00:25:18.890 Jesus sent her to tell the rest of the men. Phoebe 00:25:18.890 --> 00:25:26.240 was a deacon. Anyone else grow up in a Baptist 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:32.480 church? A woman deacon? Is this in the Bible? 00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:35.859 Are you making this up? Priscilla was a teacher. 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:40.920 Lydia was the first European converted and baptized 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:46.920 and was an early leader of the church. Are women 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:52.819 allowed to have influence over me? At least Carrie. 00:25:55.279 --> 00:26:00.779 And sometimes Jessica. Listen, if you need deeper 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:03.680 understanding for a passage or something just 00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:07.240 doesn't seem right, check elsewhere in the Bible 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:11.059 because you're going to get back up. In fact, 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:13.859 find a good concordance Bible or a good study 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:16.140 Bible. You know those little things where there's 00:26:16.140 --> 00:26:18.420 like a number and then it says, this is also 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.380 found in Genesis or this is also found in Isaiah. 00:26:22.220 --> 00:26:24.920 It's found there because it's Scripture interpreting 00:26:24.920 --> 00:26:29.240 Scripture. Don't just read what you want to read. 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:36.960 Luke 24, Then he said to them, These are my words 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:39.420 that I spoke to you while I was still with you. 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:44.420 Everything written about me, who is me? Jesus. 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:48.319 Everything written about me in the law of Moses 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:50.700 and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. 00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:53.700 Then he opened their minds to understand the 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:56.839 scriptures. Everything in the Bible points to 00:26:56.839 --> 00:27:04.440 Jesus, which leads us to our last point. I hope 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:08.400 some of you have steel toe shoes on. The Bible 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:12.779 teaches one agenda, and it is not your agenda. 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:20.579 I did it, God. Listen, I prayed to God. Let's 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:24.539 just take this one out, God. I hesitated, and 00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:29.500 he was like, nope. They need to hear it. Secretly, 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:32.880 he said, Rudy, you need to hear it. God, let 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:39.559 me just soften it a little bit. Why did he not 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:42.220 let me soften it? Because I am guilty of this. 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:45.759 I often read the Bible to back up my own agenda, 00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:52.019 and I believe some of you do too. What is the 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:56.220 agenda of the Bible? Mark 1. Now, after John, 00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:59.839 the Baptist, was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:02.920 proclaiming the gospel of God, saying, The time 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:05.259 is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:09.980 Repent and believe the good news. What is the 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:15.700 good news? Jesus. What is the good news? Jesus. 00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:18.440 If we keep saying it, more of you will understand. 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:25.819 Everything points to Jesus. Thank you. The Old 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:29.000 Testament, the stories, the prophecies, they 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:34.400 point forward to Jesus. The Gospels, Matthew, 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:37.720 Mark, Luke, John, they speak about the life of 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:41.759 Jesus. The whole rest of the New Testament either 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:46.299 points back to the life of Jesus or to the second 00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:50.970 coming of Jesus. The agenda of the Bible is the 00:28:50.970 --> 00:28:56.289 kingdom of God. Now, remember the last words 00:28:56.289 --> 00:29:00.250 Jonah said? What are the last words? Anyone listen 00:29:00.250 --> 00:29:03.829 to Chris's message? What are the last words Jonah 00:29:03.829 --> 00:29:12.250 said? God, I'm angry. How could you? Jonah had 00:29:12.250 --> 00:29:16.230 his own agenda. And in the end, he was left bitter 00:29:16.230 --> 00:29:22.319 and frustrated. With no shade. God was stowing 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:26.859 shade. Took it away. That wasn't in our notes. 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:29.980 That must have been God. Listen, you might want 00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:35.279 to write this down. St. Augustine. You probably 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:36.859 haven't heard a message that hasn't quoted St. 00:29:36.980 --> 00:29:39.000 Augustine. Here's one of my favorite quotes. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:42.940 If you believe what you like in the gospel and 00:29:42.940 --> 00:29:45.980 reject what you don't like, it's not the gospel 00:29:45.980 --> 00:29:50.619 you believe. but yourself. You want me to put 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:54.740 that on Facebook later? Right, so you have Jonah, 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:59.460 then you have Ananias. When Saul, the persecutor 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:01.400 of the early Christians, was blinded by the light, 00:30:01.579 --> 00:30:06.880 God sent Ananias. Did Ananias want to go? No. 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:09.940 Just like you and me, he was hesitant, right? 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:14.359 Acts 9, 13, and 14. Lord, Ananias answered, I 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:16.990 have heard many reports about this man. Saul, 00:30:17.190 --> 00:30:20.230 and all the harm he has done to your holy people 00:30:20.230 --> 00:30:23.589 in Jerusalem, overseeing murders of Christians. 00:30:23.789 --> 00:30:26.430 Would you want to hang out with this dude as 00:30:26.430 --> 00:30:29.569 a Christian? And he has come here with all authority 00:30:29.569 --> 00:30:31.690 from the chief priest to arrest all who call 00:30:31.690 --> 00:30:37.269 on your name. But God insists that he has chosen 00:30:37.269 --> 00:30:41.369 Paul as a vessel to bear God's name. Ananias 00:30:41.369 --> 00:30:46.289 trusts the process. He relents. He heals Saul's 00:30:46.289 --> 00:30:50.329 eyes. He restores Saul's sight. And then what 00:30:50.329 --> 00:30:55.250 does he do? He baptizes him. And if Ananias didn't 00:30:55.250 --> 00:30:59.230 minister to Saul, we probably wouldn't have over 00:30:59.230 --> 00:31:04.569 half of the New Testament. The last month series 00:31:04.569 --> 00:31:07.130 was a challenge for me. I had to be vulnerable 00:31:07.130 --> 00:31:11.049 myself because I have a whole list of people 00:31:11.049 --> 00:31:18.240 that are living inside my personal It might even 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:23.640 be some of you. And I had to allow God to get 00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:27.539 real with me. So here's my question. When walking 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:30.299 out God's calling in your life, do you get angry 00:31:30.299 --> 00:31:34.460 and resentful like Jonah? Or do you relent, recognize 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:37.799 God's will, and make kingdom moves like Ananias? 00:31:39.619 --> 00:31:42.440 Men, you want to be spiritual leaders in your 00:31:42.440 --> 00:31:47.740 homes? You better start following the Holy Spirit 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:53.960 and allow him to lead you. Wives, often you listen 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:55.660 to the message and you think, man, my husband 00:31:55.660 --> 00:32:02.220 really needs this message. Listen, I do the same 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:06.839 thing with my wife. Maybe, just maybe it's the 00:32:06.839 --> 00:32:09.779 Holy Spirit checking my heart because it's something 00:32:09.779 --> 00:32:18.380 that I need to work on myself. One last question 00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:20.960 before I get into the action steps. How many 00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:27.299 tables did Jesus flip? Two. How often did Jesus 00:32:27.299 --> 00:32:30.480 flip a table? Once at the beginning of his ministry, 00:32:30.619 --> 00:32:33.700 once at the end of his ministry, and how many 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:40.259 times in between? None. Most of us think we have 00:32:40.259 --> 00:32:43.599 righteous anger. And we walk around flipping 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:46.779 tables every time we see somebody doing something 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:50.319 wrong. Flipping tables, pointing fingers, slicing 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:54.319 them down. How many times did Jesus flip a table? 00:32:55.680 --> 00:33:02.960 Twice. Jesus chose wisely when to let anger show. 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:07.400 And all the other times, he was full of grace, 00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:12.660 love, correction, and truth. Now, did he speak 00:33:12.660 --> 00:33:17.440 truth? Yes. Did he do it with anger? He did it 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:22.900 with love. As I have loved you, so love one another. 00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:27.700 What does it mean to see another person in need 00:33:27.700 --> 00:33:32.160 and turn your back on them? If Jesus died for 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:39.640 them, at least you can love them. So, if any 00:33:39.640 --> 00:33:42.809 of you have ever... paid attention to Chris and 00:33:42.809 --> 00:33:46.609 I and how we present a message. Sometimes you'll 00:33:46.609 --> 00:33:51.170 see us mess with each other on stage. So let's 00:33:51.170 --> 00:33:53.009 lighten it up for a second. I don't know if you 00:33:53.009 --> 00:33:54.630 remember, but last week Chris showed a whole 00:33:54.630 --> 00:33:56.589 bunch of pictures of people that we need to love. 00:33:59.309 --> 00:34:03.829 And he showed this beautiful picture of a bunch 00:34:03.829 --> 00:34:06.670 of people. Don't put it up yet, Grace. Of a bunch 00:34:06.670 --> 00:34:09.530 of people wearing this beautiful black and gold. 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:17.500 And he made eye contact with me all three services 00:34:17.500 --> 00:34:21.659 because he knows who I like. Right? So I thought 00:34:21.659 --> 00:34:26.119 all week, how do I get him back? What can I do 00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:30.300 to get him back? Grace, will you put that picture 00:34:30.300 --> 00:34:38.900 up? I'm going to take the high road. I'm not 00:34:38.900 --> 00:34:48.230 going to steep to his level. These men just battled 00:34:48.230 --> 00:34:53.849 hard for three hours against each other, hitting 00:34:53.849 --> 00:34:56.469 each other hard, probably harder than they hit 00:34:56.469 --> 00:35:00.489 any other NFL player because of the rivalry. 00:35:01.590 --> 00:35:04.030 But at the end of the game, what did they do? 00:35:04.949 --> 00:35:08.010 They formed a circle. This was on Instagram. 00:35:08.190 --> 00:35:10.469 This was on the Steelers' page because how powerful 00:35:10.469 --> 00:35:14.849 is that picture? The agenda is Jesus. The agenda 00:35:14.849 --> 00:35:20.000 is the kingdom of God. God is love, love like 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:26.880 Jesus. Man, how beautiful is that? Make sure 00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:28.480 you let Chris know that I won't stoop to his 00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:33.900 level. Listen, the gospel isn't something you 00:35:33.900 --> 00:35:36.579 just hear and believe. If it doesn't change your 00:35:36.579 --> 00:35:40.980 life, it hasn't hit you yet. So, quickly, we're 00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:43.369 going to go through these action steps. How do 00:35:43.369 --> 00:35:45.610 we read the Bible then, Rudy, for a deeper understanding? 00:35:45.969 --> 00:35:48.289 I want to give you three quick action steps to 00:35:48.289 --> 00:35:51.389 reading and getting more from the Bible. The 00:35:51.389 --> 00:35:55.269 first action step, just pick a section. Pick 00:35:55.269 --> 00:36:00.289 a book and start reading. Start with the Gospel. 00:36:01.150 --> 00:36:03.650 Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. That's literally 00:36:03.650 --> 00:36:09.289 Jesus' life. Modern Bibles have headings over 00:36:09.289 --> 00:36:11.809 sections. You're like, Rudy, I can't read a chapter 00:36:11.809 --> 00:36:15.219 at a time. Read a section that has a heading, 00:36:15.380 --> 00:36:20.599 Jesus Feeds the 5 ,000, right? But start reading. 00:36:21.380 --> 00:36:24.059 Journal 1 -8, keep this book of law always on 00:36:24.059 --> 00:36:26.800 your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that 00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:28.920 you may be careful to do everything written in 00:36:28.920 --> 00:36:32.380 it, everything written in it. Then you will be 00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:37.139 prosperous and successful. Now, I have a favorite. 00:36:37.219 --> 00:36:39.440 One of my favorite authors, his name's Mark Batterson. 00:36:40.400 --> 00:36:42.219 He wrote a book that I've read a couple times. 00:36:42.780 --> 00:36:44.980 I've read a couple other books, but he has a 00:36:44.980 --> 00:36:46.639 book called Draw the Circle, and in it he says 00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:51.280 this. The goal isn't getting through Scripture. 00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:56.840 The goal is getting Scripture through you. To 00:36:56.840 --> 00:37:00.980 read it and keep reading it. I've read A Tale 00:37:00.980 --> 00:37:03.539 of Two Cities, and guess what? I did not remember 00:37:03.539 --> 00:37:06.900 that Carlton and Lucy are the ones that I read 00:37:06.900 --> 00:37:09.420 about. That's the ones who are, and I didn't 00:37:09.420 --> 00:37:11.199 even remember that there was a name carton and 00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:14.699 used Lucy in it. Why? Because I wasn't reading. 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:21.760 I've read it once. Listened to it. Once. Read 00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:23.960 the Bible and keep reading. If you don't stay 00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:27.820 in the Word, you will forget what it says. If 00:37:27.820 --> 00:37:29.679 you don't stay in the Word, you will make up 00:37:29.679 --> 00:37:34.099 your own meaning. Which brings us to my second 00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:37.670 action step. Hmm. When I'm reading the Bible, 00:37:37.750 --> 00:37:41.010 maybe I'm going to invite along a friend. And 00:37:41.010 --> 00:37:44.469 that friend's name is the Holy Spirit. Do you 00:37:44.469 --> 00:37:46.510 ever think about asking the Holy Spirit to read 00:37:46.510 --> 00:37:51.309 with you and help you understand? Rudy, I can't 00:37:51.309 --> 00:37:54.170 read the Bible. I don't understand. Pray. Ask 00:37:54.170 --> 00:37:58.010 the Holy Spirit to guide you. Hebrews 4. For 00:37:58.010 --> 00:38:00.369 the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is 00:38:00.369 --> 00:38:02.699 sharper than the sharpest two -edged sword. cutting 00:38:02.699 --> 00:38:04.900 between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. 00:38:05.079 --> 00:38:07.619 It exposes our innermost feelings and desires. 00:38:09.699 --> 00:38:13.480 Listen, Mark Batterson again. We cannot do something 00:38:13.480 --> 00:38:17.360 for God if we aren't with God. Press into his 00:38:17.360 --> 00:38:24.099 presence. Abide in his word. Read this again, 00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:28.059 2 Timothy. Oh, another letter to Timothy. All 00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.239 scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach 00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:32.800 us what is true and make us realize what is wrong. 00:38:34.019 --> 00:38:36.539 It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches 00:38:36.539 --> 00:38:39.199 us what to do right. God uses us to prepare and 00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:45.500 equip his people. To do what? Good. Listen, I 00:38:45.500 --> 00:38:47.000 like to, when I'm reading, this is what I like 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:49.480 to do. I like to read the same passage a couple 00:38:49.480 --> 00:38:54.010 times in a row. The first time I read, before 00:38:54.010 --> 00:38:56.789 I read, I say, Holy Spirit, please highlight 00:38:56.789 --> 00:39:00.530 parts of this Scripture that you need me to know. 00:39:01.070 --> 00:39:05.829 Then I read. After that, I'll spend a few minutes 00:39:05.829 --> 00:39:08.949 in prayer, just thanking God for His Word and 00:39:08.949 --> 00:39:11.750 His Scripture and praising Him for His truth. 00:39:12.369 --> 00:39:15.809 Then I read again, and this time I'm prayerfully 00:39:15.809 --> 00:39:20.090 interacting with God about the text I'm reading. 00:39:21.130 --> 00:39:23.170 And then I'll go back and read it at least one 00:39:23.170 --> 00:39:26.789 more time. And in this last time, I will say, 00:39:26.829 --> 00:39:30.829 God, show me what you wish for me to know in 00:39:30.829 --> 00:39:33.889 this scripture. Is there something you would 00:39:33.889 --> 00:39:39.250 have me start doing or stop doing or continue 00:39:39.250 --> 00:39:44.050 to do? Which leads us to our last action step. 00:39:46.230 --> 00:39:48.849 Sometimes you got to put down the Bible, put 00:39:48.849 --> 00:39:55.329 that book down. and do something. The Bible is 00:39:55.329 --> 00:39:59.269 a living, breathing text. Living means you're 00:39:59.269 --> 00:40:04.349 doing something. James 1. But don't just listen 00:40:04.349 --> 00:40:07.889 to God. Like God's telling us in our reading 00:40:07.889 --> 00:40:11.909 not to just read. But don't just listen to God's 00:40:11.909 --> 00:40:14.650 Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you 00:40:14.650 --> 00:40:16.789 are only fooling yourself. People ask all the 00:40:16.789 --> 00:40:18.570 time, Rudy, I think we need to have more theology 00:40:18.570 --> 00:40:22.170 classes. You're not even doing the stuff. What 00:40:22.170 --> 00:40:25.250 do you need to know from the Bible? You're not 00:40:25.250 --> 00:40:28.590 doing the first thing it told you to do. For 00:40:28.590 --> 00:40:30.590 if you listen to the word and don't obey, it's 00:40:30.590 --> 00:40:32.630 like looking at your face in the mirror. You 00:40:32.630 --> 00:40:34.409 see yourself walk away and forget what you look 00:40:34.409 --> 00:40:37.349 like. I forget how handsome I am when I walk 00:40:37.349 --> 00:40:42.010 away. But if you look carefully into the perfect 00:40:42.010 --> 00:40:44.230 law that sets you free and you do what it says 00:40:44.230 --> 00:40:47.550 and don't forget to do what you heard, then God 00:40:47.550 --> 00:40:51.090 will bless you for doing it. Patterson, one last 00:40:51.090 --> 00:40:54.210 time. What if we read the Bible until it told 00:40:54.210 --> 00:40:56.849 us to do something? Then we put the book down 00:40:56.849 --> 00:41:01.329 and did what we heard the Holy Spirit tell us. 00:41:03.429 --> 00:41:08.809 We need to get more than passive consumption 00:41:08.809 --> 00:41:14.230 of words in the Bible and shift into activated, 00:41:14.449 --> 00:41:20.280 actionable faith. Quickly, a few years ago, I 00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:22.900 was reading the Bible and praying. And I felt 00:41:22.900 --> 00:41:25.579 convicted to speak the life into folks like my 00:41:25.579 --> 00:41:29.840 mom who were living in a nursing home. At the 00:41:29.840 --> 00:41:32.539 same time, there was this dude named Charlie 00:41:32.539 --> 00:41:36.639 who was reading his Bible and praying. And the 00:41:36.639 --> 00:41:39.380 Holy Spirit encouraged him to start a devotional 00:41:39.380 --> 00:41:43.400 in the nursing home where he was the activities 00:41:43.400 --> 00:41:47.670 director. He put his Bible down. and made a phone 00:41:47.670 --> 00:41:52.250 call. Tracy answered the phone call and handed 00:41:52.250 --> 00:41:55.750 the phone to me. So I talked to Charlie, and 00:41:55.750 --> 00:41:57.409 I told him, listen, I'll chat with the staff, 00:41:57.610 --> 00:42:00.750 and I'll tell them my vision, but at the very 00:42:00.750 --> 00:42:04.030 least, I will commit to coming over and doing 00:42:04.030 --> 00:42:07.949 a devotional once or twice a month. Chris prayed 00:42:07.949 --> 00:42:10.250 about it. The staff prayed about it. God told 00:42:10.250 --> 00:42:13.460 Chris to move. That January, we started going 00:42:13.460 --> 00:42:15.719 to Hagerstown Health Care Center twice a month, 00:42:15.739 --> 00:42:19.079 the first and third Wednesday. Completely, like, 00:42:19.159 --> 00:42:22.679 changing their lives, but changing our lives. 00:42:23.500 --> 00:42:25.800 That evolved into Sunday morning watch parties. 00:42:27.880 --> 00:42:31.079 Then, an in -person speaker, Jeff France, speaks 00:42:31.079 --> 00:42:33.739 there every single week. Takes Chris's notes 00:42:33.739 --> 00:42:37.440 and speaks there every single week. It's beautiful. 00:42:40.199 --> 00:42:45.630 Now, Check this out. Today, we are kicking off 00:42:45.630 --> 00:42:49.489 the same thing at Julia Manor. Robert is headed 00:42:49.489 --> 00:42:52.309 there after this message to bring the message 00:42:52.309 --> 00:42:55.570 to the residents. This is the first Sunday that 00:42:55.570 --> 00:42:58.210 we will be Hub City Vineyard at Julia Manor. 00:43:00.429 --> 00:43:02.369 And then we're going to go there the second and 00:43:02.369 --> 00:43:04.010 fourth Wednesday of the month. So if you want 00:43:04.010 --> 00:43:06.809 to know where we are at 1030, we're not in the 00:43:06.809 --> 00:43:09.809 office. We're at Julia Manor or Hagerstown Health 00:43:09.809 --> 00:43:13.579 Care Center. Now listen, hopefully God's telling 00:43:13.579 --> 00:43:16.199 you to move because we need people. We need people 00:43:16.199 --> 00:43:18.300 sometimes to open communion elements. We need 00:43:18.300 --> 00:43:22.260 people just to love and pray, not just for the 00:43:22.260 --> 00:43:26.460 residents, but with the residents. We have another 00:43:26.460 --> 00:43:29.659 group starting up. Kathy Miller has been praying 00:43:29.659 --> 00:43:33.860 and reading her Bible, and God spoke. Kathy listened. 00:43:34.760 --> 00:43:38.760 Kathy has a heart for retirees and other early 00:43:38.760 --> 00:43:42.070 birders. Who may not want to drive after dark. 00:43:42.570 --> 00:43:46.769 I'm speaking to a specific age group here. Without 00:43:46.769 --> 00:43:51.570 calling you out. She's starting a morning afternoon 00:43:51.570 --> 00:43:54.989 group this Thursday. Here in the conference room 00:43:54.989 --> 00:44:00.489 up in the offices. The Earl Gray group. It's 00:44:00.489 --> 00:44:05.329 a play on tea time. And folks that have earned 00:44:05.329 --> 00:44:07.710 a badge of honor and wisdom that comes with gray 00:44:07.710 --> 00:44:11.539 hair. So if you're interested, this is a daytime 00:44:11.539 --> 00:44:13.320 thing so you don't have to drive after dark. 00:44:13.579 --> 00:44:20.039 See Kathy. She's out in the cafe. So let's wrap 00:44:20.039 --> 00:44:26.239 it up. Read your Bible. Invite the Holy Spirit 00:44:26.239 --> 00:44:31.079 to read along with you. And then what? Do something. 00:44:32.500 --> 00:44:34.539 If the only thing you hear from me today is do 00:44:34.539 --> 00:44:36.659 something, we'll let Chris talk about read the 00:44:36.659 --> 00:44:41.820 Bible the rest of the month. I said this a second 00:44:41.820 --> 00:44:44.760 ago. I'm going to say it again. The gospel isn't 00:44:44.760 --> 00:44:48.659 just something you hear and believe. If it doesn't 00:44:48.659 --> 00:44:52.019 change your life, it hasn't hit you yet. Will 00:44:52.019 --> 00:45:00.780 you stand with me? For some of you, you feel 00:45:00.780 --> 00:45:04.019 like it's time to make a change. This is your 00:45:04.019 --> 00:45:08.340 time. Some of you may feel the Holy Spirit tugging 00:45:08.340 --> 00:45:12.380 at your heart. This is your time. If you feel 00:45:12.380 --> 00:45:14.239 like it's time to ask Jesus into your heart, 00:45:14.360 --> 00:45:19.619 this is the time. So church, if you'll go to 00:45:19.619 --> 00:45:24.719 a place of prayer and connection with God, if 00:45:24.719 --> 00:45:27.639 any of you have never said this prayer and asked 00:45:27.639 --> 00:45:29.820 Jesus into your heart, we're going to say a sinner's 00:45:29.820 --> 00:45:33.380 prayer, a salvation prayer. And as a church family, 00:45:33.460 --> 00:45:35.519 we say this together every week. Are you ready? 00:45:37.000 --> 00:45:43.860 Jesus. Without you, I am lost. I am broken. With 00:45:43.860 --> 00:45:50.420 you, I am found. I am whole. I believe you are 00:45:50.420 --> 00:45:55.400 the Son of God. I believe you died for my sins. 00:45:56.860 --> 00:46:03.820 I believe you're alive and well. Jesus, I ask 00:46:03.820 --> 00:46:09.340 you into my heart. Transform me. Make me new. 00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:14.880 Give me your Holy Spirit. And allow me to take 00:46:14.880 --> 00:46:22.260 action. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, if you said 00:46:22.260 --> 00:46:24.820 that prayer for the first time, you've just dedicated 00:46:24.820 --> 00:46:27.820 your life to Jesus, text the words CHANGEME to 00:46:27.820 --> 00:46:31.360 97000. Somebody from the office, Chris or me, 00:46:31.480 --> 00:46:34.280 or like Chris says, give me a hug, because I 00:46:34.280 --> 00:46:37.000 love hugs. Now listen. The prayer team is going 00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:39.900 to be up here. Hang tight for a second. I'm going 00:46:39.900 --> 00:46:43.599 to that door. Hang tight for a second. There 00:46:43.599 --> 00:46:49.739 are nine words of knowledge. So, if you have 00:46:49.739 --> 00:46:52.139 Lyme disease or some other tick -borne pathogen, 00:46:52.300 --> 00:46:55.420 specifically people suffering from unexplainable 00:46:55.420 --> 00:46:58.460 joint stiffness, pain, weakness, fatigue, and 00:46:58.460 --> 00:47:00.639 foggy mind. If you've ever been bitten by a tick, 00:47:00.659 --> 00:47:04.940 you better get your butt up here. Multiple people 00:47:04.940 --> 00:47:08.579 with anger issues. Sudden outbursts of anger. 00:47:12.179 --> 00:47:14.440 Upper and inner part of the thigh has a muscle 00:47:14.440 --> 00:47:16.900 injury. You have left ankle pain. You have neck 00:47:16.900 --> 00:47:20.059 pain. Somebody here has right knee issues and 00:47:20.059 --> 00:47:24.079 has also messed up their left hip. Left shoulder 00:47:24.079 --> 00:47:27.599 pain in the joint. Right hip pain. Left ear. 00:47:27.880 --> 00:47:31.050 Inside the ear. hurts. Listen, that's specific, 00:47:31.150 --> 00:47:33.130 and if anything is even close, you better get 00:47:33.130 --> 00:47:35.269 up here and let one of these people pray for 00:47:35.269 --> 00:47:37.909 you, okay? If you've never done Start With Why, 00:47:38.210 --> 00:47:40.730 I'm doing that. Meet me at the Welcome Hub. We're 00:47:40.730 --> 00:47:42.710 going to go into the family room. We'll learn 00:47:42.710 --> 00:47:44.349 all about how to get connected here at Hub City 00:47:44.349 --> 00:47:47.789 Vineyard. Get out there and check out the motorcycles 00:47:47.789 --> 00:47:50.090 that are parked out front because we're going 00:47:50.090 --> 00:47:54.639 to bless the bikes after second service. Okay? 00:47:54.780 --> 00:47:57.219 We'll see you guys next week for week two of 00:47:57.219 --> 00:47:59.420 Talk to Text. Chris is going to take us deeper 00:47:59.420 --> 00:48:02.119 into studying the Bible and how to get closer 00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:03.840 to God. Thank you. Love you.