WEBVTT 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:14.240 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:16.519 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:19.760 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:22.940 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:27.140 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:31.000 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:39.159 by this week's sermon. who we are and what God 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:44.359 has called us to be here in Thailand. And we 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:48.960 are going to be exploring every week some aspect 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:53.420 of this series that we call Making Disciples 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:56.479 for Global Impact. And we call it that way because 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:58.600 that's our mission statement. We make disciples 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:01.420 for global impact. That's how we say it. But 00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:03.380 each week you will get to hear from the different 00:01:03.380 --> 00:01:06.040 pastors in the team to be able to understand. 00:01:06.730 --> 00:01:10.510 What is that God is doing? How we are here to 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:13.329 serve together? And also, you will be able to 00:01:13.329 --> 00:01:15.450 meet some of the teams and the people behind 00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:20.269 everything that is happening. What will be my 00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:25.609 desire is that during this month, you will be 00:01:25.609 --> 00:01:31.629 inspired. Inspired to serve with us. Inspired 00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:35.590 to grow. Inspired to follow Jesus here with us 00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:41.209 at ECB. So as we begin this time together, before 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:45.590 we dig deeper into the word, I just want to first 00:01:45.590 --> 00:01:49.189 welcome you if you're visiting ECB. This is a 00:01:49.189 --> 00:01:52.129 great day to be here because you're going to 00:01:52.129 --> 00:01:54.950 be like in a family meeting, which hopefully 00:01:54.950 --> 00:01:57.030 is going to make you feel like part of the family. 00:01:58.109 --> 00:02:01.250 And it will also give you opportunities to go 00:02:01.250 --> 00:02:03.989 downstairs and engage with our people and learn 00:02:03.989 --> 00:02:07.390 more about our ministries. And it also happens 00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:10.889 that this Wednesday is the beginning of our Oasis 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:13.569 Bible Study, which is a women's fellowship Bible 00:02:13.569 --> 00:02:17.069 study that is going to be happening biweekly 00:02:17.069 --> 00:02:21.780 on Wednesdays. So if you go downstairs... Right 00:02:21.780 --> 00:02:24.419 as you exit the downstairs, there's going to 00:02:24.419 --> 00:02:27.280 be a little booth that says Oasis. That is for 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:29.379 you to register if you're interested in attending 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:33.099 this event. So ladies, if you are interested 00:02:33.099 --> 00:02:35.240 in being part of the study on Wednesday, you 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:39.759 know where to go. Will you pray with me? Father, 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:47.159 everything that you're doing is so much bigger 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:53.669 and deeper than any of us. You know the end from 00:02:53.669 --> 00:02:58.509 the beginning. And you say your purpose will 00:02:58.509 --> 00:03:03.610 stand. So as we are here in your presence today, 00:03:03.710 --> 00:03:07.530 we know that we are part of something eternal. 00:03:08.490 --> 00:03:10.930 Thank you for inviting us to that journey to 00:03:10.930 --> 00:03:16.169 be with you. And today as we reflect on what 00:03:16.169 --> 00:03:19.770 we are, what you have called us to be, will you 00:03:19.770 --> 00:03:23.990 use this time, Lord, to Strengthen us, reinforce 00:03:23.990 --> 00:03:28.189 our calling, and would you please use me in your 00:03:28.189 --> 00:03:32.949 strength, in your power, in your grace. In Jesus' 00:03:33.050 --> 00:03:43.770 name I pray, amen. One of the questions that 00:03:43.770 --> 00:03:45.750 I would like to ask you as we begin this series 00:03:45.750 --> 00:03:50.789 is simple. Are you flourishing where God planted 00:03:50.789 --> 00:03:55.419 you? Ah, simple question, but not simple answer, 00:03:55.479 --> 00:03:59.500 isn't it? Are you flourishing where God planted 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:03.960 you? You know that little word, impact, that 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:08.780 we like to use? It's really not in the Bible, 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.219 like, go and make disciples for global impact. 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:16.420 But the reason why we use that word is because 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:19.500 it defines what God already said. Jesus told 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:21.819 the apostles, I have established you to bear 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:27.540 Fruit. Fruit that will last. Jesus said, I am 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:32.319 the vine, you are the branches. So that you can 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:35.899 bear fruit because apart from me you can do nothing. 00:04:37.579 --> 00:04:40.199 Jesus said, you will know my followers by their 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:44.939 fruit. So all of this language that the Bible 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:48.939 uses is talking about what is the impact that 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:53.250 you are having where God planted you. Is God's 00:04:53.250 --> 00:04:55.810 grace and his peace as we learn in Colossians 00:04:55.810 --> 00:05:00.990 flowing through you where God planted you? And 00:05:00.990 --> 00:05:03.509 this is very important for us to understand because 00:05:03.509 --> 00:05:06.910 in the making disciples for global impact that 00:05:06.910 --> 00:05:10.089 we are talking about is that God has called us 00:05:10.089 --> 00:05:14.730 here at ECB to create a space to empower you. 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:18.660 That the Lord can empower you to flourish where 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:22.560 he is planting you, no matter where that is. 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:30.379 Let me tell you a story about impact. In the 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:33.839 most unlikely of places, there was a guy called 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:38.180 Daniel. He was in New York on a hot day, and 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:41.019 he needed to take a bus to be able to get to 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:44.519 his destination. And it was hard, the idea of 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:47.060 having to get in a bus surrounded by all these 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:50.639 people in a tight space, all smelly, you know, 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.620 all that, it wasn't very appealing. The idea 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:58.540 of it was making the day worse. Until he got 00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:02.439 in the bus, and the bus driver told him, welcome 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:06.319 to my bus, how's your day going? And that little 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:08.939 interaction caught him off guard, and he thought, 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:15.720 well, that's nice. for a bus driver. And he just 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:19.019 responded kindly and went in. And as he was, 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:22.379 you know, in the bus, in his ride to his destination, 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:26.139 he noticed that the driver kept talking to people 00:06:26.139 --> 00:06:28.980 and being kind to them and trying to engage with 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:31.160 them and telling them about this and about that. 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:34.740 And by the time he got off the bus, Daniel felt 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:42.040 better. He said, I felt happier. I felt, Like, 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:44.819 the ride in that bus made a difference for me. 00:06:45.620 --> 00:06:49.779 And he didn't know anything else until he was 00:06:49.779 --> 00:06:53.420 checking the newspaper, the New York Times, in 00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:56.040 the obituary section one day, and he saw the 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.639 picture of this driver. He recognized him. And 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:01.399 that's the picture of the driver right there 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:08.240 for you to see. Mr. Brown. And as he started 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:12.579 reading, he realized, oh, wow. He was a Christian. 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:18.839 And he was a lay pastor in his church. And his 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:21.860 conviction was that he had his flag in his church, 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:26.240 but he also considered everyone coming to his 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.699 boss as part of the flag that God had called 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:34.860 him to serve. And to his surprise, to Daniel's 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:37.819 surprise, there were about 3 ,000 letters that 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:44.139 were sent to acknowledge The driver. And to say 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:48.800 how impactful. His life was on them. And suddenly 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.800 the picture started becoming clear. That many 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:53.879 people. That needed to take the bus. Were waiting 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:57.199 always for his bus. Not other one. But his bus. 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.800 Because they wanted to experience. What only 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:09.420 he could provide. That's impact. Was he flourishing 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:14.829 where God planted him? Yes. He did not go throughout 00:08:14.829 --> 00:08:18.250 his life thinking, I'm just a bus driver. What 00:08:18.250 --> 00:08:20.509 am I doing here? God, why don't you give me another 00:08:20.509 --> 00:08:25.990 job? No. He says, I'm a bus driver. This is my 00:08:25.990 --> 00:08:28.850 flag. Lord, may your grace and peace flow through 00:08:28.850 --> 00:08:33.389 me into this space. Well, he didn't know at that 00:08:33.389 --> 00:08:37.129 time that this passenger called Daniel was going 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:41.059 to become a famous author. And this famous author 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:43.720 was going to be the one author that was going 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:46.840 to start exploring the concept of emotional intelligence. 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:51.100 If you have ever heard the terminology emotional 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.639 intelligence in leadership or teamwork, it comes 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:58.740 from him, Daniel. And one of the things that 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:01.159 Daniel discovered is that emotional intelligence 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:05.899 is more influential and powerful than your IQ. 00:09:09.070 --> 00:09:12.389 God used the experience of someone that started 00:09:12.389 --> 00:09:16.230 flourishing where God planted him to impact someone 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:18.509 that eventually is going to start writing books 00:09:18.509 --> 00:09:21.850 and impact others. And there you go. We have 00:09:21.850 --> 00:09:27.909 no idea. We never do. How God can use our lives 00:09:27.909 --> 00:09:32.389 to impact others. And when we are talking about 00:09:32.389 --> 00:09:35.429 the impact that God has called us to have, we 00:09:35.429 --> 00:09:38.919 say global impact because it is true. God doesn't 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:41.960 want us just to impact my family or here in CBE 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:46.019 or just our neighborhood. It's here and beyond. 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:50.860 So the question of are you flourishing where 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.779 God planted you is not really about you, is it? 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:59.539 It's about God flowing through you into the places 00:09:59.539 --> 00:10:02.559 for the level of impact that he desires to have 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:05.620 through our lives. And this is very important 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:09.190 that we understand. Because from the very beginning, 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:13.029 Christians were called to see life from this 00:10:13.029 --> 00:10:17.889 perspective. And the Apostle Paul went and preached 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:20.370 the gospel, started making disciples for global 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:22.870 impact from the very beginning, sharing the gospel 00:10:22.870 --> 00:10:25.090 with people. And in his second missionary journey, 00:10:25.350 --> 00:10:28.009 he got to a region in Greece called Corinth. 00:10:28.789 --> 00:10:31.929 And in that city, Corinth, he was able to... 00:10:32.529 --> 00:10:34.509 established a church, and he wrote two letters 00:10:34.509 --> 00:10:37.950 to them, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. By 00:10:37.950 --> 00:10:40.529 the way, today you can still go to Greece, you 00:10:40.529 --> 00:10:42.809 can still go to Corinth, and actually you can 00:10:42.809 --> 00:10:47.110 still see the ruins of this ancient city where 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:52.549 Paul was. So as you look at Corinthians, one 00:10:52.549 --> 00:10:54.210 of the things that the Apostle Paul is going 00:10:54.210 --> 00:10:57.950 to do is that he is going to address something 00:10:57.950 --> 00:11:01.779 that these Christians were struggling. Because 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:05.899 they were compromising that place of flow for 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:09.600 impact that God had called them to have. And 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.779 he's going to challenge them to be realigned 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:15.980 with the Lord in the things about their purpose, 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:18.639 the way they saw people, and the way they saw 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:24.399 power. What does he tell them about all these 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.480 things? And how does that connect with us being 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:29.980 planted and flourishing? Well, let's find out. 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:33.879 This is how he starts talking about some of these 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:36.960 challenges in chapter one. And it's interesting 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:39.519 because he says to them, for some members of 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.940 Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels, 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:45.200 my dear brothers and sisters. Now remember, he's 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:52.580 writing a letter. And I can't just imagine Chloe 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:55.539 and her family saying, oh, Paul, we didn't realize 00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:57.340 you were going to just put it on the spotlight. 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:01.080 Now everybody knows that we told you. And it's 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:04.019 like, yeah, I was talking to Chloe and her family. 00:12:04.259 --> 00:12:08.500 And I found out that you guys are being immature 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:11.039 and you're struggling and having fights about 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:16.559 stuff. What stuff? This. Some of you are saying, 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:21.899 well, I'm a follower of Paul. Well, I am a follower 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:28.919 of Apollos. Well, I'm a follower of Peter. And 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:31.820 it's like, you guys are so immature. I'm a follower 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:36.120 of Christ. You know? And they were all just tagging 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:43.820 little kids like, Apollos was a guy from Alexandria, 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:48.700 Egypt. He was eloquent and he was known for being 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:50.960 a good teacher. And he had a little bit of bad 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:53.700 theology on certain things. So God used a couple 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:55.519 of Christians to come and meet him and correct 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:59.269 him in his theology. But then, He became a powerful 00:12:59.269 --> 00:13:03.129 person in teaching the word and because he was 00:13:03.129 --> 00:13:06.049 eloquent and he was serving in Corinth, some 00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:08.549 of these people liked him. They liked him better 00:13:08.549 --> 00:13:11.309 than they liked Paul. And Paul was the apostle. 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:16.990 And also Peter was another apostle. So they were 00:13:16.990 --> 00:13:21.990 turning the church community and following Jesus 00:13:21.990 --> 00:13:26.529 suddenly into politics. And they started turning 00:13:27.610 --> 00:13:32.049 this thing about their purpose, and they're turning 00:13:32.049 --> 00:13:34.149 into politics, and the Apostle Paul says, no, 00:13:34.269 --> 00:13:39.110 no, no, no. No, we don't do that. Has Christ 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:42.750 been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified 00:13:42.750 --> 00:13:46.250 for you? Were any of you baptized in the name 00:13:46.250 --> 00:13:50.350 of Paul? Of course not. We are not following 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:56.200 people. We are not following leaders. We're following 00:13:56.200 --> 00:14:00.600 Jesus. He is the one that was crucified. He is 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:03.100 the one that called us to follow him. He is the 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:06.220 one that gave us a mission. And look, guys, I 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:07.940 mean, you're so immature about these things, 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:11.120 but let me tell you a little bit more. I thank 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:15.240 God that I did not baptize any of you except 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:19.039 Crispus and Gaius. Good thing I didn't baptize 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:21.700 anybody else because now no one can say, well, 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:25.320 they were baptized in my name. But actually, 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:27.940 as I say that, wait a second, because now I remember. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:30.259 Oh, yeah, yeah, I also baptized the household 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:33.379 of Stephanas. But I don't remember baptizing 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:37.759 anyone else. And I'm glad I didn't, because the 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:45.059 way you turned out. And listen, let's get aligned 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:49.899 with our purpose here. We have a very clear purpose. 00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:53.740 Christ did not send me. To start baptizing all 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:58.419 these people so that you will like me. No. He 00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:01.080 sent me to preach the good news. And not with 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:05.179 clever speech. I know. Apollos is eloquent. I'm 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:08.899 good for him. That's good for him. Great. But 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:11.580 listen. God called me to preach the good news. 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:14.919 Not with clever speech for fear that the cross 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:20.159 of Christ would lose its power. I have a mission. 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:24.679 And I have no time for your childish ways here. 00:15:25.379 --> 00:15:29.220 So can we get back to our purpose? Our mission 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:33.639 is to make disciples. And to make disciples for 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:37.080 global impact. And that is what we need to focus 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:41.659 on. Now, as part of the leadership team at ECB, 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:45.159 we are very committed to this. We believe that 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.600 this is why God has established us here. And 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:51.700 there are very few places on earth as special 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:56.120 as ECB. Places where you can come together with 00:15:56.120 --> 00:16:00.759 people from about 70 different nations, united 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:04.000 by our love for Jesus, to serve him and worship 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.500 him and make him the center. That experience 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:12.019 is very unique. And therefore, as we are saying, 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:16.139 we are making everything in our ministry so that 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:19.639 we can make disciples for global impact. It's 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:24.840 not just a nice phrase. I remember the day that 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:29.139 I met a man who was working in the border of 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:32.360 China and Vietnam in some villages there. And 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:36.399 he says, hey, Pastor Pablo, I'm listening to 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:38.820 all the sermons that you have. I look at the 00:16:38.820 --> 00:16:42.320 app. I download the notes, the PowerPoint, because 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:44.659 all of that is available for anybody in the app 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:48.860 for free. And he says, I translate them, and 00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:51.279 I teach that to my students at the Bible college 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:55.500 that we have. And he says, is it okay with you? 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:58.399 Do I have your permission? And I'm there thinking, 00:16:58.659 --> 00:17:02.750 wow, that's so humbling that you would. Consider 00:17:02.750 --> 00:17:05.029 this teaching worth translating and teaching 00:17:05.029 --> 00:17:07.930 it. For it's like, of course, take it. Do anything 00:17:07.930 --> 00:17:10.910 you need with it. Because we're here for global 00:17:10.910 --> 00:17:21.369 impact. We're not here for. We're here for. So 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:23.130 I'm not going to tell him, well, you know, that's 00:17:23.130 --> 00:17:25.710 my work. Let's talk about copyrights and some 00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:29.950 payments, you know, that we can do. It's like, 00:17:29.970 --> 00:17:35.119 listen. We are here for global impact. If you 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:40.880 flourish where God planted you, then we are achieving 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:45.160 our mission. And it is true, especially during 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:49.039 leadership transitions in your teams, in business, 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:52.400 and in churches. Same thing. It's that we connect 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:54.440 with leaders. Some we like some leaders more 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:56.400 than others. Some people like Peter. Some others 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:59.019 like Apollo. Some others like Paul. That's inevitable. 00:17:59.299 --> 00:18:02.579 That's fine. And in churches it happens. Some 00:18:02.579 --> 00:18:04.500 people say, oh, you know, I miss Pastor David. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:08.119 Or they say, oh, I miss Pastor Rene. Or the people 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:09.839 say, oh, I'm so glad that you are the pastor 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.400 now. And it's like, it doesn't really matter. 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:16.779 Because the mission remains the same. And we're 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:20.700 following only the one person who is leading 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:27.180 us. That's Jesus. So Corinthians, don't miss 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:31.049 your purpose and turn it into politics. We're 00:18:31.049 --> 00:18:34.130 following Jesus, and I'm glad for Peter, I'm 00:18:34.130 --> 00:18:37.430 glad for Apollos, but God sent me for a mission, 00:18:37.490 --> 00:18:39.150 and I'm going to remain faithful to the mission. 00:18:39.289 --> 00:18:45.150 Do you want to join me on that? But then, he 00:18:45.150 --> 00:18:47.369 tells them something else. He says, after all, 00:18:47.490 --> 00:18:52.410 who is Apollos, and who is Paul? We're only God's 00:18:52.410 --> 00:18:55.369 servants through whom you believe the good news. 00:18:56.089 --> 00:19:00.059 Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. We 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:03.140 were just serving Jesus. He taught you because 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:05.400 that was his giftedness that Jesus gave him and 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:08.319 that was his calling. I share the gospel with 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:10.900 you because that was my giftedness and my calling. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:16.119 But who are we? Only servants through whom you 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:20.420 believe the good news. I planted the seed in 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:24.900 your hearts and Apollos watered it. But who made 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:31.039 it grow? God made it grow. My work in planting 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.079 the seed will be useless. Watering it will be 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:39.940 useless unless God is in it. And God makes it 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:47.539 grow. So in reality, you are building on each 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.900 other. He's happy watering the seed, but I planted 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:54.779 it. But before I planted it, somebody else came 00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:58.549 to work the ground. So when you look back at 00:19:58.549 --> 00:20:01.269 all these people, understand we're on a journey. 00:20:02.009 --> 00:20:05.470 As we follow Jesus, we go through journeys. Corinthians, 00:20:05.789 --> 00:20:09.890 all churches go through journeys. So don't forget 00:20:09.890 --> 00:20:13.650 that. Look at it in perspective. And at every 00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:16.869 season, God is using each one of us for different 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:20.670 purposes. Because we are here to ensure that 00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:26.369 you are flourishing where God planted you. That's 00:20:26.369 --> 00:20:29.589 why. He's going to remind them of this process, 00:20:29.609 --> 00:20:31.930 of this journey. Somebody plants, somebody waters, 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:34.809 but God makes it grow. Praise God that he is 00:20:34.809 --> 00:20:39.190 the one that causes things like that. Have you 00:20:39.190 --> 00:20:42.710 ever been in a journey, in a road trip, with 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:44.650 a child that keeps saying, are we there yet? 00:20:45.549 --> 00:20:48.589 I just want to stop. Are we there yet? How much 00:20:48.589 --> 00:20:53.210 longer? You say, it's like another hour. An hour, 00:20:53.250 --> 00:20:56.500 60 more minutes. Before the next stop, you know. 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:59.220 And it's not 60 more minutes that you start hearing 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:02.180 again. But one minute later, has it been an hour 00:21:02.180 --> 00:21:07.519 yet? Are we there yet? And having clarity. If 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:09.559 that kid could understand what 60 minutes is. 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.500 And you can show him the GPS and say, look, you 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:17.599 get it? Can we then go, you know? That would 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:20.359 make the journey so much easier. But sometimes 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:23.180 people can't understand that. So they make the 00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:26.359 journey a little bit more complicated. And that's 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:29.539 what's happening with the Corinthians. They forgot 00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:33.519 they were in a journey. And God was using people 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:36.160 at different stages for different purposes. But 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.960 it didn't matter because God was doing it all 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:45.599 anyway. We are no different than the Corinthians. 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:51.390 We are also on a journey. And if you allow me 00:21:51.390 --> 00:21:54.490 to be a little bit more clear with graphics and 00:21:54.490 --> 00:22:00.430 stuff, this is how I put it. Before COVID hit 00:22:00.430 --> 00:22:06.950 the world, God had used people throughout decades 00:22:06.950 --> 00:22:10.789 here at ECB to plant this church, to make disciples, 00:22:11.430 --> 00:22:16.170 to make it flourish, to build more, to expand 00:22:16.170 --> 00:22:19.029 the buildings, and all of these different things. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:22.380 In fact, next year we'll be celebrating, you 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:28.859 know how many years? 66 decades that God has 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:33.099 had ECB here. So imagine all the people that 00:22:33.099 --> 00:22:36.059 sat where you are sitting. Imagine all the people 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:40.720 that stood here where I'm standing. We are building 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:45.359 on the faithfulness of people who pursue God's 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:50.730 calling way before we came here. The last leadership 00:22:50.730 --> 00:22:53.789 that was here before COVID was Pastor David and 00:22:53.789 --> 00:22:57.849 Ty. And if you are enjoying your life groups, 00:22:58.109 --> 00:23:01.849 you have them to thank. Because they are the 00:23:01.849 --> 00:23:04.670 ones that created that. If you are part of the 00:23:04.670 --> 00:23:07.210 prayer team and you enjoy the prayer book that 00:23:07.210 --> 00:23:13.470 we have, you have them to thank for. They did 00:23:13.470 --> 00:23:17.700 that. We have built during that season many things 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:20.180 that have become a blessing and we are thankful 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:25.599 for it. And then COVID hit. And they got called 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:28.440 a new pastor during that season because now the 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:30.619 season was different. And what we needed was 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:34.140 stabilization and transitions. And God called 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:37.539 Pastor Rene to do that. And God used him with 00:23:37.539 --> 00:23:40.619 his giftedness to bring the team together and 00:23:40.619 --> 00:23:43.279 start figuring out how we're going to reach ECB 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:46.480 when we cannot meet in person. And that's when 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:48.660 they started developing all the media and videos 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:51.680 and things. That was innovation right there. 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:56.779 And then stabilization came. And then transition 00:23:56.779 --> 00:24:01.880 came. And God used that to bring all the stabilization 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:05.599 in a healthy way. You know how many leaderships? 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:08.079 Positions we had to transition in those past 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:12.500 three years. We transitioned three pastors. And 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:15.680 without a crisis. These were healthy things. 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:20.480 To be able to do that is so delicate. And yet 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:23.519 God gave the leadership the wisdom to know how 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:27.039 to lead in a way that was bringing stability 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:30.119 and transition well. But now we're in this stage. 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:33.299 In a stage of consolidating and building up. 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:36.420 on the foundation that we have been given. What 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:41.220 does consolidating mean? If you ever have hired 00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:44.519 an interior designer to come to your house and 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:47.140 make it a little bit nicer, not big remodeling, 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:49.880 but make it look nicer, now you know what consolidation 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:53.839 is. What the designer will do is they will come 00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.880 and will say to you, okay, what is kind of like 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:57.599 the environment you want to create? What is kind 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:00.319 of like the vibe that you want to have as you 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:03.569 come in? You want it vibrant and joyful. You 00:25:03.569 --> 00:25:06.849 want it relaxing. What is that you want? And 00:25:06.849 --> 00:25:09.250 then they look at the space and say, okay, we're 00:25:09.250 --> 00:25:10.849 going to move this furniture here. We're going 00:25:10.849 --> 00:25:12.410 to paint that wall this color. We're going to 00:25:12.410 --> 00:25:14.329 put this frame here. We're going to do all these 00:25:14.329 --> 00:25:16.809 things. And it's like you come back to that place 00:25:16.809 --> 00:25:19.650 and say, what, this is the same place? Yeah, 00:25:19.670 --> 00:25:21.369 it's the same place. It was just consolidated 00:25:21.369 --> 00:25:24.849 now in a way that everything is where it needs 00:25:24.849 --> 00:25:27.549 to be and the connection and the flow among them 00:25:27.549 --> 00:25:31.329 is the right flow. And now you have an experience. 00:25:31.990 --> 00:25:34.930 You walk into that room. You walk into the bathroom. 00:25:35.089 --> 00:25:38.329 You walk into the shower. And everything seems 00:25:38.329 --> 00:25:43.130 to flow so nicely. That's the job of a good designer. 00:25:43.630 --> 00:25:47.509 It's consolidation. It's to bring in pieces together 00:25:47.509 --> 00:25:50.970 in a flow. And in leadership, we do the same 00:25:50.970 --> 00:25:54.230 thing. We bring all these different pieces together. 00:25:54.990 --> 00:25:58.710 In a way that flows more smoothly. Because that 00:25:58.710 --> 00:26:04.730 allows us to do the work more powerfully. And 00:26:04.730 --> 00:26:07.130 what we need to understand that is in this season 00:26:07.130 --> 00:26:11.470 where we are in. Is to be as a community. It's 00:26:11.470 --> 00:26:15.009 not just a community. Yes, we are a community. 00:26:15.789 --> 00:26:18.750 People, relationships, ministries, our children, 00:26:18.890 --> 00:26:22.829 our youth, our young adults, the classes we offer, 00:26:22.990 --> 00:26:24.910 the counseling, all these things that we are 00:26:24.910 --> 00:26:27.470 a community. And thank God for that privilege. 00:26:29.089 --> 00:26:33.710 But we are also an organization. And we cannot 00:26:33.710 --> 00:26:37.710 forget that. I remember that the first time that 00:26:37.710 --> 00:26:40.369 I bought a car, one of the things that mattered 00:26:40.369 --> 00:26:43.269 to me the most was the sound of the sound system. 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:48.480 Because as a musician, I like good sound. And 00:26:48.480 --> 00:26:50.440 I have to be reminded, I also had to look at 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:52.839 the motor and the gas consumption. Because it 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:57.799 also mattered. And here, it's like, what is the 00:26:57.799 --> 00:27:00.259 use of having a good sound system, a comfortable 00:27:00.259 --> 00:27:03.319 car, if the motor is not working right? Where 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:06.240 is that going to take me? And as a ministry, 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:10.680 it's like that. We are a community, yes. But 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:14.960 there's a motor. That is the aspect of organizational 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:18.500 health. There are so many pieces that go in there. 00:27:19.380 --> 00:27:26.099 HR. Finance. Legal frameworks. Operations. Facilities. 00:27:26.099 --> 00:27:29.900 Media communications. IT. Branding. All of these 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:33.839 things are part of organizational health. And 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:38.059 therefore. What God has called me to do in this 00:27:38.059 --> 00:27:41.380 season of ECB is to bring consolidation. It's 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:44.299 to help all these pieces come together in a way 00:27:44.299 --> 00:27:47.680 that flows. And it's not just me. We've been 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:50.240 working in this for the past year and a half 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:52.940 or so with Pastor Rene before he left and the 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:56.460 leadership team. I just get to move it forward. 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:01.640 But when was the last time that you started thinking 00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:03.680 that going to church and being part of a church 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:07.210 ministry? Requires someone paying bills and electricity 00:28:07.210 --> 00:28:12.490 and who does that? Who bought this microphone? 00:28:13.349 --> 00:28:16.369 Hey, who takes care of the finances? Not me. 00:28:17.750 --> 00:28:20.230 How do we know the finances are done right? This 00:28:20.230 --> 00:28:22.069 is a big church. This is a big building, you 00:28:22.069 --> 00:28:24.630 know? And it's actually clean. Who cleans here? 00:28:26.410 --> 00:28:30.329 You see all those questions? Hey, I'm working 00:28:30.329 --> 00:28:32.190 with the worship ministry and there's food nicely 00:28:32.190 --> 00:28:35.900 cooked for us. Who cooks that? That person works 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:38.440 for us? Oh, so who hired them? You have contracts? 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:41.420 How much do you pay? Oh, their salaries? Oh, 00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:48.440 yeah. You see? We are an organization. And that 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:52.799 has to be well organized, healthy, so that the 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:57.720 front end also can work properly. And therefore, 00:28:57.779 --> 00:29:02.730 consolidation means that we are. A community 00:29:02.730 --> 00:29:05.890 that cannot be captured in charts and words and 00:29:05.890 --> 00:29:10.609 circles. Because we are people, lives, sheep 00:29:10.609 --> 00:29:14.269 in relationships that we are planted by God and 00:29:14.269 --> 00:29:16.849 flourishing where he puts us. But all of these 00:29:16.849 --> 00:29:20.809 things require for us to remember that we've 00:29:20.809 --> 00:29:23.950 been in a journey. And we continue building in 00:29:23.950 --> 00:29:25.950 the previous generations what God called them 00:29:25.950 --> 00:29:28.930 to do. And now we are called to continue. And 00:29:28.930 --> 00:29:32.359 this is the stage we are in. So we're not going 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:35.579 to lose sight of that and start thinking that 00:29:35.579 --> 00:29:39.740 politics is more important and that relationships 00:29:39.740 --> 00:29:43.900 with leaders here and there override the mission. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:47.220 No. Paul says to the Corinthians, keep the purpose 00:29:47.220 --> 00:29:50.940 clear and remember, yeah, policy is great. I'm 00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:53.420 great. That's fine. But it's not about us. We 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:55.619 are building on these things so that the seed 00:29:55.619 --> 00:29:57.740 that was planted can become a fruitful tree. 00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:02.339 And that. He tells them, but then he does one 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:05.799 more thing. And he says, it's not important who 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:10.759 does the planting or who does the watering. At 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:12.440 the end, it wasn't me, it wasn't somebody, it 00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:17.079 doesn't matter. What's important is that God 00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:26.619 makes the seed grow. Can we succeed at making 00:30:26.619 --> 00:30:29.819 disciples for global impact with these nice charts 00:30:29.819 --> 00:30:32.140 and organizational health and all this stuff? 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:38.339 Without God's power? No. Can we equip you and 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:40.619 empower you for you to flourish where God planted 00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:46.660 you? Without God's power? No. Can we meet with 00:30:46.660 --> 00:30:50.319 you so you can find inner healing? And finally 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:53.200 have a breakthrough from the strongholds that 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:55.000 have been holding you back from pursuing your 00:30:55.000 --> 00:31:01.720 calling without God's power? No. It is God who 00:31:01.720 --> 00:31:05.299 causes the seed to grow. That's why he says, 00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:08.099 the one who plants and the one who waters work 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:10.900 together with the same purpose. And both will 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:14.119 be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are 00:31:14.119 --> 00:31:19.299 both God's workers and you are God's. Not Pastor 00:31:19.299 --> 00:31:22.339 Pablo's field. Not Pastor Rene's field. Not Pastor 00:31:22.339 --> 00:31:24.740 David's field. Not any pastor's field. We are 00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:28.880 God's field. And he called you to be planted 00:31:28.880 --> 00:31:32.660 somewhere. And he wants his grace and peace to 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:35.380 flow through you so that you can flourish where 00:31:35.380 --> 00:31:38.279 he planted you. And he has given us the privilege 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:41.940 of being together in this season of our lives 00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:45.460 so that he can use this community to empower 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:49.140 you. So that you can flourish where he planted 00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:53.759 you. And for that, the secret for success is 00:31:53.759 --> 00:32:02.740 three letters. G -O -D. God. And God alone. He 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:06.539 is the power that we need. And therefore, the 00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:09.980 spiritual integrity of leadership matters. Therefore, 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:12.519 to have the right heart where Christ is really 00:32:12.519 --> 00:32:16.829 the center. of our ambitions, not our own kingdom 00:32:16.829 --> 00:32:21.430 matters. All of this is part of making disciples 00:32:21.430 --> 00:32:25.509 through global impact so that these things can 00:32:25.509 --> 00:32:27.970 be done in God's power because that is what we 00:32:27.970 --> 00:32:33.230 need. And it has been so beautiful to see this 00:32:33.230 --> 00:32:36.430 happen. Throughout these years, God has given 00:32:36.430 --> 00:32:38.809 us the privilege of working with some of you 00:32:38.809 --> 00:32:41.630 and seeing God bringing breakthroughs in your 00:32:41.630 --> 00:32:45.519 life. And that breakthrough resulting in bigger 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:48.460 clarity now and alignment in your heart with 00:32:48.460 --> 00:32:52.880 God. And suddenly, your business, you see it 00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:55.619 differently. And now God is giving you new ideas. 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:58.279 And now your business is having alignment. And 00:32:58.279 --> 00:33:00.640 now it's having bigger impact. And now you are 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:03.980 flourishing in a new way that you were not before. 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:06.880 And now when people see you, they look at you 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:08.640 and say, you look different. What's going on 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:12.000 with you? It's not that we are trying harder. 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:15.019 It's not that you are trying harder. It's simply 00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:18.779 that God is causing the growth. And that is beautiful. 00:33:20.859 --> 00:33:24.859 Which has a very strong implication. If it is 00:33:24.859 --> 00:33:28.720 true that we are God's field and we are a planted 00:33:28.720 --> 00:33:31.740 seed that needs to be nurtured and the ground 00:33:31.740 --> 00:33:34.960 is there, all the nutrients, okay, we are nurturing 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:38.640 in community. Very nice. But then we need to 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:42.440 water it. And we want for you to experience transformation 00:33:42.440 --> 00:33:46.960 now through discipleship. Oh, that's great. And 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:50.660 then we want you to be unleashed now for fruit, 00:33:50.740 --> 00:33:54.119 for impact, so you can flourish where God planted 00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:59.660 you. If that is what we want, God's power will 00:33:59.660 --> 00:34:04.500 have to make it happen. Which means that we cannot 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:07.940 create life. We can only create the conditions 00:34:07.940 --> 00:34:12.670 for life. And you know what we call that? A place 00:34:12.670 --> 00:34:15.510 that is creating the conditions for life to flourish? 00:34:15.750 --> 00:34:20.750 We call it ecosystem. An ecosystem is a very 00:34:20.750 --> 00:34:24.429 fragile set of conditions that are all required 00:34:24.429 --> 00:34:28.269 for life to start happening. If one of those 00:34:28.269 --> 00:34:32.730 ingredients is weak, suddenly the coral reef 00:34:32.730 --> 00:34:37.800 dies and the fish are not there anymore. Suddenly 00:34:37.800 --> 00:34:40.780 the birds are not nesting in those trees anymore 00:34:40.780 --> 00:34:43.019 and you don't hear the birds singing anymore. 00:34:43.699 --> 00:34:47.420 An ecosystem cannot cause the life of a bird, 00:34:47.500 --> 00:34:51.920 but it can create the conditions for birds to 00:34:51.920 --> 00:34:57.260 nest. What we realize is that what the Apostle 00:34:57.260 --> 00:34:59.619 Paul is telling the Corinthians, and this is 00:34:59.619 --> 00:35:02.980 something that every Christian and every church 00:35:02.980 --> 00:35:07.079 needs to understand, is that we are simply a 00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:11.059 combination of ecosystems where we need God and 00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:15.480 his power to cause the life to happen. And that's 00:35:15.480 --> 00:35:18.360 why, as we are thinking of making Disciples for 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:21.760 Global Impact as ECB, as a ministry, both as 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:25.519 a community, as an organization, we are realizing, 00:35:25.659 --> 00:35:28.539 yes, this is what we are. We are ecosystems. 00:35:31.179 --> 00:35:34.579 And we have been able to identify four core ecosystems 00:35:34.579 --> 00:35:38.980 that I want to explain to you because these are 00:35:38.980 --> 00:35:42.260 the spaces where we are praying God will encounter 00:35:42.260 --> 00:35:44.920 you so you will flourish where he planted you. 00:35:45.800 --> 00:35:51.900 What are these? Four of them. The first one is 00:35:51.900 --> 00:35:55.460 what we call community life. The goal of this 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:58.659 ecosystem is that you will be nurtured in community. 00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:01.820 And we have different ministers that are all 00:36:01.820 --> 00:36:04.940 part of that ecosystem. If you go to the back 00:36:04.940 --> 00:36:07.539 end of this ecosystem, you will see that you 00:36:07.539 --> 00:36:11.000 have from the corporate gatherings, we want you 00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:14.559 to experience community. But we have also created 00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:17.480 spaces for you to connect with others in places 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:19.639 where you share common ground. And we call those 00:36:19.639 --> 00:36:23.190 places... The fellowships, business fellowship, 00:36:23.429 --> 00:36:25.429 woman fellowship, man fellowship, young adult 00:36:25.429 --> 00:36:27.869 fellowship. These are spaces created for you 00:36:27.869 --> 00:36:29.730 to connect with other people so that you can 00:36:29.730 --> 00:36:32.849 develop relationships with like -minded people. 00:36:33.349 --> 00:36:35.670 But then there's the most intimate of spaces 00:36:35.670 --> 00:36:38.909 where we call that life groups. Those are the 00:36:38.909 --> 00:36:41.090 places where you are connecting with people and 00:36:41.090 --> 00:36:44.409 living life together. And you meet in homes and 00:36:44.409 --> 00:36:47.809 you are sharing more consistently every week. 00:36:48.969 --> 00:36:52.030 We want you to experience relationships that 00:36:52.030 --> 00:36:56.710 are godly because this is an ingredient for becoming 00:36:56.710 --> 00:37:00.510 a disciple for global impact. Spiritual development 00:37:00.510 --> 00:37:03.130 doesn't happen in isolation. We need relationships. 00:37:04.050 --> 00:37:07.710 And even praying that some of those relationships 00:37:07.710 --> 00:37:11.949 may result in marriage and families that God 00:37:11.949 --> 00:37:20.389 can empower for new levels of impact. If you 00:37:20.389 --> 00:37:24.630 are a person that is feeling hungry for this 00:37:24.630 --> 00:37:27.010 aspect of your life where you say, you know, 00:37:27.050 --> 00:37:29.630 yeah, I need more connection. I need more relationships. 00:37:29.630 --> 00:37:34.349 Where can I find these things? Then this ecosystem 00:37:34.349 --> 00:37:38.429 is for you. Go downstairs and learn about what 00:37:38.429 --> 00:37:40.610 opportunities are there for you to experience 00:37:40.610 --> 00:37:46.090 community. But at the same time, if you are a 00:37:46.090 --> 00:37:49.179 person who is passionate about about connecting 00:37:49.179 --> 00:37:52.360 people, about hospitality, about relationships, 00:37:52.860 --> 00:37:56.159 then maybe this is the ecosystem where we need 00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.880 you to serve in. Because we need your passion 00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:02.800 and giftedness to help us develop this. Imagine 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:05.300 if we have all the right people in this ecosystem 00:38:05.300 --> 00:38:09.980 make it happen. That would be beautiful. Is God 00:38:09.980 --> 00:38:12.920 calling you into this space? Now you know where 00:38:12.920 --> 00:38:16.760 to go. Downstairs we will have all these booths 00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:18.539 and you will be able to talk to the people leading 00:38:18.539 --> 00:38:21.380 them to find more information. And actually you 00:38:21.380 --> 00:38:24.800 can do the QR codes and you will be able to see 00:38:24.800 --> 00:38:28.460 all of these different information so you can 00:38:28.460 --> 00:38:31.980 register on them as well. The second ecosystem 00:38:31.980 --> 00:38:36.199 is spiritual formation. The goal of this space 00:38:36.199 --> 00:38:40.380 is to... help foster the spiritual transformation 00:38:40.380 --> 00:38:44.099 that God has called us in discipleship as we 00:38:44.099 --> 00:38:47.579 follow him. And this transformation involves 00:38:47.579 --> 00:38:51.920 both the knowing more about God, but also the 00:38:51.920 --> 00:38:58.320 knowing God. In other words, learning more content, 00:38:58.380 --> 00:39:00.500 understanding what the Bible says about God. 00:39:00.619 --> 00:39:03.239 What does the Bible say about who we are? Learning 00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:05.699 doctrine, learning the teaching of the word. 00:39:07.690 --> 00:39:10.949 But also encountering God in the deepest spaces 00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:15.130 of your soul. And that's why we have created 00:39:15.130 --> 00:39:18.409 these spaces for the children. From the young 00:39:18.409 --> 00:39:22.210 children to our youth to now adults. These are 00:39:22.210 --> 00:39:26.349 all classes, spaces for training in biblical 00:39:26.349 --> 00:39:29.349 knowledge and understanding. But then we have 00:39:29.349 --> 00:39:32.239 also created the spaces. For us to encounter 00:39:32.239 --> 00:39:35.820 God in intimacy through prayer. And also in intimacy 00:39:35.820 --> 00:39:40.800 through counseling. So that you can find healing. 00:39:41.260 --> 00:39:45.260 For the woundedness of your soul. We want you 00:39:45.260 --> 00:39:49.420 to know God. As you learn more about who he is. 00:39:49.599 --> 00:39:52.260 But also as you learn to encounter him in your 00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:57.639 life. So. If you are a person that is. Hungry 00:39:57.639 --> 00:40:00.599 to learn more about God's word. If you're a person 00:40:00.599 --> 00:40:03.699 that is hungry to find inner healing. So you 00:40:03.699 --> 00:40:06.320 can have breakthrough in your life. If you're 00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:09.440 a person that is hungry for more deep connection 00:40:09.440 --> 00:40:13.000 with God. This is the ecosystem. For you to find 00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:15.539 more information. So you can find where can you 00:40:15.539 --> 00:40:20.260 meet the need that you have. But also. If you're 00:40:20.260 --> 00:40:24.760 a person that is a gifted teacher. You are trained. 00:40:25.610 --> 00:40:29.309 In Bible and theology. You are someone passionate 00:40:29.309 --> 00:40:32.690 about praying. And praying for people and supporting 00:40:32.690 --> 00:40:36.750 people. You are a good listener. You are empathetic. 00:40:36.769 --> 00:40:40.030 You care about people's journeys. About walking 00:40:40.030 --> 00:40:42.389 with them. Perhaps you are a trained counselor. 00:40:42.610 --> 00:40:46.110 Trained psychologist. Trained psychiatrist. And 00:40:46.110 --> 00:40:48.349 you are someone that understands the complexity 00:40:48.349 --> 00:40:52.829 of working with woundedness and trauma. This 00:40:52.829 --> 00:40:56.940 is where we need you. This is the ecosystem where 00:40:56.940 --> 00:40:59.139 God can use your passion or your giftedness to 00:40:59.139 --> 00:41:03.920 help us empower people in these areas. If you 00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:05.880 want to learn more about it, you will go downstairs 00:41:05.880 --> 00:41:09.480 under the service. The third ecosystem is what 00:41:09.480 --> 00:41:13.900 we call mobilization. Mobilization is all about 00:41:13.900 --> 00:41:17.360 connecting your calling with the need so that 00:41:17.360 --> 00:41:22.250 we can serve God in this place of flow. So that 00:41:22.250 --> 00:41:25.809 you can truly be unleashed now for kingdom impact, 00:41:26.130 --> 00:41:29.429 for global impact, so you can really flourish 00:41:29.429 --> 00:41:34.949 where God planted you. And the back end of this 00:41:34.949 --> 00:41:39.210 ecosystem means that we have things internally 00:41:39.210 --> 00:41:42.309 within our community. Who is teaching your children 00:41:42.309 --> 00:41:46.130 today? Well, people that are volunteering to 00:41:46.130 --> 00:41:50.739 teach the kids. Who greeted you today? People 00:41:50.739 --> 00:41:53.280 that are volunteering their time to create a 00:41:53.280 --> 00:41:56.059 welcoming environment. There are lots of teams 00:41:56.059 --> 00:41:58.940 internally that are happening. People that visit 00:41:58.940 --> 00:42:01.659 the sick. People that go to the hospital. There 00:42:01.659 --> 00:42:04.579 are places where we have volunteers working in 00:42:04.579 --> 00:42:07.800 different teams. That's all internal. We have 00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:10.880 people that are engaging in helping address the 00:42:10.880 --> 00:42:14.280 needs for the unique circumstances that some 00:42:14.280 --> 00:42:16.820 of our asylum seeker community goes through. 00:42:17.840 --> 00:42:21.360 We have teams that are there to help the internal 00:42:21.360 --> 00:42:23.639 needs of our own people. When there's something 00:42:23.639 --> 00:42:25.559 that needs to be addressed. Someone needs to 00:42:25.559 --> 00:42:28.159 visit them. We have teams for that. All that 00:42:28.159 --> 00:42:32.019 is internal. But also we have local partnerships. 00:42:32.940 --> 00:42:35.119 Where we have ministries that we support. And 00:42:35.119 --> 00:42:36.719 we want to connect you with those opportunities. 00:42:37.460 --> 00:42:39.739 And we're also praying for global opportunities. 00:42:40.730 --> 00:42:43.469 World missions where God wants to use us to continue 00:42:43.469 --> 00:42:46.349 empowering others, not just here in ECB or Thailand, 00:42:46.510 --> 00:42:52.690 but beyond. If you are a person that has a heart 00:42:52.690 --> 00:42:56.969 for people and justice and supporting the one 00:42:56.969 --> 00:43:00.150 who is in need, if you are this kind of person, 00:43:00.250 --> 00:43:03.510 this is the place for you. We need you to engage 00:43:03.510 --> 00:43:06.690 in these spaces. And also if you're going through 00:43:06.690 --> 00:43:10.780 needs like this, this is the place. what you 00:43:10.780 --> 00:43:13.519 connect with. If you want to know where can you 00:43:13.519 --> 00:43:15.739 serve and what is the process for that and how 00:43:15.739 --> 00:43:19.039 you engage, this is the ecosystem that will facilitate 00:43:19.039 --> 00:43:23.579 connecting your calling with the need. These 00:43:23.579 --> 00:43:28.179 three ecosystems are the front end. This is the 00:43:28.179 --> 00:43:30.760 community. This is what we're doing together. 00:43:31.460 --> 00:43:33.800 But there's an ecosystem that is in the back 00:43:33.800 --> 00:43:36.780 end. And we call this the shared services ecosystem. 00:43:38.480 --> 00:43:42.699 Shared services ecosystem is a complex system 00:43:42.699 --> 00:43:48.420 of things that go from everything that we need 00:43:48.420 --> 00:43:51.679 to provide, the financial things, HR things, 00:43:51.860 --> 00:43:55.139 legal frameworks, all of that, to the spaces, 00:43:55.420 --> 00:43:59.599 the campus, the operations, the facilities, the 00:43:59.599 --> 00:44:05.400 way things look, to also thinking more about... 00:44:05.579 --> 00:44:07.940 the digital world, the media, communication, 00:44:08.300 --> 00:44:10.199 the website, the PowerPoints, the sound system, 00:44:10.360 --> 00:44:13.239 all of these different things. And then also, 00:44:13.420 --> 00:44:15.960 everything that has to do with integration of 00:44:15.960 --> 00:44:21.179 the offices, calendars, secretarial work, branding, 00:44:21.440 --> 00:44:25.059 IT, all of these things need to run properly. 00:44:25.239 --> 00:44:28.800 This is the motor that allows our journey to 00:44:28.800 --> 00:44:33.800 be pleasant. If you are a person gifted in any 00:44:33.800 --> 00:44:37.329 of these areas, Even though we have staff in 00:44:37.329 --> 00:44:41.090 this ecosystem, we need people with expertise. 00:44:41.369 --> 00:44:44.130 Maybe you are an HR expert. Maybe you are an 00:44:44.130 --> 00:44:47.349 IT expert. Maybe you are a website expert. Maybe 00:44:47.349 --> 00:44:51.130 you are a social media expert. Anything that 00:44:51.130 --> 00:44:56.070 is in this ecosystem, we need you. Because you 00:44:56.070 --> 00:44:59.650 will allow us to make this ministry more impactful 00:44:59.650 --> 00:45:03.469 for God's glory. These are the four ecosystems. 00:45:04.400 --> 00:45:08.179 Here you see them. Where is God calling you to 00:45:08.179 --> 00:45:13.619 engage? How is God calling you to help us so 00:45:13.619 --> 00:45:16.300 that together we can empower others to flourish 00:45:16.300 --> 00:45:19.139 where God planted them? So together we can make 00:45:19.139 --> 00:45:25.219 disciples for global impact. Now, this is beautiful 00:45:25.219 --> 00:45:29.219 and complex, but the potential and what it could 00:45:29.219 --> 00:45:34.059 become is so awesome. And the reason why this 00:45:34.059 --> 00:45:38.179 is great is because the need is great. We're 00:45:38.179 --> 00:45:42.579 not trying to become bigger, more famous. It's 00:45:42.579 --> 00:45:47.420 not about us. The darkness around us and in the 00:45:47.420 --> 00:45:52.139 world is so deep and so dark that we need wider 00:45:52.139 --> 00:45:56.719 impact because of the darkness. That's why we 00:45:56.719 --> 00:45:59.380 need to take the time to make sure that we are 00:45:59.380 --> 00:46:04.480 doing these things well and together. When my 00:46:04.480 --> 00:46:11.000 kids were young, there was a cartoon that they 00:46:11.000 --> 00:46:14.579 liked to watch. It was Bob the Builder. Any familiar 00:46:14.579 --> 00:46:18.599 with Bob the Builder? It's a sweet cartoon. It's 00:46:18.599 --> 00:46:22.019 a little guy that builds things and fixes things. 00:46:22.519 --> 00:46:30.070 He was in share services. The opening song will 00:46:30.070 --> 00:46:34.190 go like, Bob the Builder, can we fix it? Bob 00:46:34.190 --> 00:46:38.110 the Builder, yes, we can. And it will repeat 00:46:38.110 --> 00:46:41.090 the whole thing. Bob the Builder, can we fix 00:46:41.090 --> 00:46:44.989 it? Bob the Builder, yes, we can. And every episode, 00:46:45.190 --> 00:46:47.670 something broke and they ended up fixing. And 00:46:47.670 --> 00:46:50.030 who showed up? Bob the Builder. Could he fix 00:46:50.030 --> 00:46:56.099 it? Yes, he could. And as I was thinking about 00:46:56.099 --> 00:46:58.079 what God is doing in the season we are in and 00:46:58.079 --> 00:47:00.440 the potential that he's calling us to embrace 00:47:00.440 --> 00:47:06.019 with his power. I was thinking about Bob the 00:47:06.019 --> 00:47:07.980 Builder. There's nothing we need to fix, but 00:47:07.980 --> 00:47:13.420 we're something we're building. So I have to 00:47:13.420 --> 00:47:20.099 ask you, ECB. ECB, can we build it? ECB. Yes, 00:47:20.099 --> 00:47:27.349 we can. Yes. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Because 00:47:27.349 --> 00:47:30.829 God has gifted you. And there's an ecosystem 00:47:30.829 --> 00:47:35.329 for you to serve in. God has called you and planted 00:47:35.329 --> 00:47:38.050 you here. And there's an ecosystem for us to 00:47:38.050 --> 00:47:43.510 help you flourish. Can we build it? Yes, we can. 00:47:43.730 --> 00:47:50.250 By God's grace and by his power. But this is 00:47:50.250 --> 00:47:53.309 not me. It's a whole team. I'm just representing 00:47:53.309 --> 00:47:56.159 the team. But I would like to take these last 00:47:56.159 --> 00:48:02.380 moments to introduce you to this team. Now, imagine 00:48:02.380 --> 00:48:06.920 that I'm showing you a house. Beautiful design, 00:48:07.239 --> 00:48:09.059 and you walk through it, and you look at the 00:48:09.059 --> 00:48:11.039 architecture of it and everything, and say, wow, 00:48:11.179 --> 00:48:15.480 that's so nice. But imagine that now I show you 00:48:15.480 --> 00:48:17.840 the blueprints, and you're looking at all those 00:48:17.840 --> 00:48:20.440 drawings, all those numbers, all those lines. 00:48:20.559 --> 00:48:24.000 It's like, I know that's the house, but... It 00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:27.539 doesn't create the same experience. It's like, 00:48:27.559 --> 00:48:29.219 yeah, but that's what allowed the house to be 00:48:29.219 --> 00:48:35.280 built. Would you allow me to show you the drawings, 00:48:35.340 --> 00:48:39.599 to show you the master plan for a minute? So 00:48:39.599 --> 00:48:42.699 you can see how complex this master plan is. 00:48:44.360 --> 00:48:48.650 This is ECB at a glance. This is our leadership 00:48:48.650 --> 00:48:50.969 structure, the alignment between our mission, 00:48:51.030 --> 00:48:54.869 our vision, our values, the flow of those things 00:48:54.869 --> 00:49:01.429 in ecosystems. And don't take me wrong. Whenever 00:49:01.429 --> 00:49:04.030 we talk about this language, we're not turning 00:49:04.030 --> 00:49:08.789 ECB into a business. But what we're doing is 00:49:08.789 --> 00:49:13.340 that we are creating alignment because... The 00:49:13.340 --> 00:49:16.719 primary responsibility of leaders in any organization 00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:23.199 is first and foremost to create alignment. And 00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:26.179 that starts with alignment with God first. His 00:49:26.179 --> 00:49:29.460 calling. His planting us. But then alignment 00:49:29.460 --> 00:49:36.000 with everything else. Lord, what a blessing to 00:49:36.000 --> 00:49:40.539 be able to have a team committed to making disciples 00:49:40.539 --> 00:49:44.539 for global impact. Because that is what you told 00:49:44.539 --> 00:49:48.420 us to do. And we have discovered that it's not 00:49:48.420 --> 00:49:52.239 so much about something we do. It's an expression 00:49:52.239 --> 00:49:56.099 of who we are. When the aroma of Christ flows 00:49:56.099 --> 00:50:01.300 through us, even driving a bus turns into impact. 00:50:02.659 --> 00:50:06.719 So Lord, let your aroma be the one that flows 00:50:06.719 --> 00:50:11.500 through us. Let your power Be the one that makes 00:50:11.500 --> 00:50:15.880 the seed grow and become a fruitful tree. Encounter 00:50:15.880 --> 00:50:20.300 us in all of these spaces. And Lord, even though 00:50:20.300 --> 00:50:24.619 it is true that we use graphics and leadership 00:50:24.619 --> 00:50:30.139 language and things that we learn from college 00:50:30.139 --> 00:50:36.500 and universities, Lord, we don't. That the church 00:50:36.500 --> 00:50:39.400 is so much more than an organization or a group 00:50:39.400 --> 00:50:42.119 of people. We are your temple indwelled by your 00:50:42.119 --> 00:50:46.019 Holy Spirit. And there's nothing, no word that 00:50:46.019 --> 00:50:49.300 can capture the depth and the spiritual dimension 00:50:49.300 --> 00:50:53.280 of who we are. So Lord, we humble ourselves before 00:50:53.280 --> 00:50:57.420 you and we acknowledge that we need you. Encounter 00:50:57.420 --> 00:51:00.639 us. Are you flourishing where God planted you? 00:51:02.280 --> 00:51:06.019 We hope that God will give us the gift of seeing 00:51:06.019 --> 00:51:10.780 you flourish for him. And if God is calling you 00:51:10.780 --> 00:51:12.960 to engage with us and serve with your giftedness, 00:51:13.019 --> 00:51:15.860 now you know that this is a place where it's 00:51:15.860 --> 00:51:21.000 worth doing it sacrificially. We need everything 00:51:21.000 --> 00:51:23.039 the Lord has entrusted you with to make this 00:51:23.039 --> 00:51:26.360 mission possible. If God has gifted you with 00:51:26.360 --> 00:51:31.949 resources, invest at ECB. Give generously. so 00:51:31.949 --> 00:51:34.530 that we can hire the people we need to hire, 00:51:34.610 --> 00:51:37.929 so that we can afford the things that need to 00:51:37.929 --> 00:51:41.309 be provided. In all of these things is the work 00:51:41.309 --> 00:51:50.389 of all of us together for the glory of God. Thank 00:51:50.389 --> 00:51:53.329 you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast. 00:51:54.090 --> 00:51:57.650 Whether near or far, if you are looking for community 00:51:57.650 --> 00:52:01.539 or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage 00:52:01.539 --> 00:52:06.380 by sending us an email to office at ecb .asia. 00:52:06.940 --> 00:52:10.039 If God is calling you to support our ministries, 00:52:10.139 --> 00:52:12.739 you will find giving options on our website. 00:52:13.559 --> 00:52:17.000 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:52:17.000 --> 00:52:17.239 you.