Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is
an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,
with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.
We invite you to connect with us from wherever
you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our
mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed
by this week's sermon. who we are and what God
has called us to be here in Thailand. And we
are going to be exploring every week some aspect
of this series that we call Making Disciples
for Global Impact. And we call it that way because
that's our mission statement. We make disciples
for global impact. That's how we say it. But
each week you will get to hear from the different
pastors in the team to be able to understand.
What is that God is doing? How we are here to
serve together? And also, you will be able to
meet some of the teams and the people behind
everything that is happening. What will be my
desire is that during this month, you will be
inspired. Inspired to serve with us. Inspired
to grow. Inspired to follow Jesus here with us
at ECB. So as we begin this time together, before
we dig deeper into the word, I just want to first
welcome you if you're visiting ECB. This is a
great day to be here because you're going to
be like in a family meeting, which hopefully
is going to make you feel like part of the family.
And it will also give you opportunities to go
downstairs and engage with our people and learn
more about our ministries. And it also happens
that this Wednesday is the beginning of our Oasis
Bible Study, which is a women's fellowship Bible
study that is going to be happening biweekly
on Wednesdays. So if you go downstairs... Right
as you exit the downstairs, there's going to
be a little booth that says Oasis. That is for
you to register if you're interested in attending
this event. So ladies, if you are interested
in being part of the study on Wednesday, you
know where to go. Will you pray with me? Father,
everything that you're doing is so much bigger
and deeper than any of us. You know the end from
the beginning. And you say your purpose will
stand. So as we are here in your presence today,
we know that we are part of something eternal.
Thank you for inviting us to that journey to
be with you. And today as we reflect on what
we are, what you have called us to be, will you
use this time, Lord, to Strengthen us, reinforce
our calling, and would you please use me in your
strength, in your power, in your grace. In Jesus'
name I pray, amen. One of the questions that
I would like to ask you as we begin this series
is simple. Are you flourishing where God planted
you? Ah, simple question, but not simple answer,
isn't it? Are you flourishing where God planted
you? You know that little word, impact, that
we like to use? It's really not in the Bible,
like, go and make disciples for global impact.
But the reason why we use that word is because
it defines what God already said. Jesus told
the apostles, I have established you to bear
Fruit. Fruit that will last. Jesus said, I am
the vine, you are the branches. So that you can
bear fruit because apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus said, you will know my followers by their
fruit. So all of this language that the Bible
uses is talking about what is the impact that
you are having where God planted you. Is God's
grace and his peace as we learn in Colossians
flowing through you where God planted you? And
this is very important for us to understand because
in the making disciples for global impact that
we are talking about is that God has called us
here at ECB to create a space to empower you.
That the Lord can empower you to flourish where
he is planting you, no matter where that is.
Let me tell you a story about impact. In the
most unlikely of places, there was a guy called
Daniel. He was in New York on a hot day, and
he needed to take a bus to be able to get to
his destination. And it was hard, the idea of
having to get in a bus surrounded by all these
people in a tight space, all smelly, you know,
all that, it wasn't very appealing. The idea
of it was making the day worse. Until he got
in the bus, and the bus driver told him, welcome
to my bus, how's your day going? And that little
interaction caught him off guard, and he thought,
well, that's nice. for a bus driver. And he just
responded kindly and went in. And as he was,
you know, in the bus, in his ride to his destination,
he noticed that the driver kept talking to people
and being kind to them and trying to engage with
them and telling them about this and about that.
And by the time he got off the bus, Daniel felt
better. He said, I felt happier. I felt, Like,
the ride in that bus made a difference for me.
And he didn't know anything else until he was
checking the newspaper, the New York Times, in
the obituary section one day, and he saw the
picture of this driver. He recognized him. And
that's the picture of the driver right there
for you to see. Mr. Brown. And as he started
reading, he realized, oh, wow. He was a Christian.
And he was a lay pastor in his church. And his
conviction was that he had his flag in his church,
but he also considered everyone coming to his
boss as part of the flag that God had called
him to serve. And to his surprise, to Daniel's
surprise, there were about 3 ,000 letters that
were sent to acknowledge The driver. And to say
how impactful. His life was on them. And suddenly
the picture started becoming clear. That many
people. That needed to take the bus. Were waiting
always for his bus. Not other one. But his bus.
Because they wanted to experience. What only
he could provide. That's impact. Was he flourishing
where God planted him? Yes. He did not go throughout
his life thinking, I'm just a bus driver. What
am I doing here? God, why don't you give me another
job? No. He says, I'm a bus driver. This is my
flag. Lord, may your grace and peace flow through
me into this space. Well, he didn't know at that
time that this passenger called Daniel was going
to become a famous author. And this famous author
was going to be the one author that was going
to start exploring the concept of emotional intelligence.
If you have ever heard the terminology emotional
intelligence in leadership or teamwork, it comes
from him, Daniel. And one of the things that
Daniel discovered is that emotional intelligence
is more influential and powerful than your IQ.
God used the experience of someone that started
flourishing where God planted him to impact someone
that eventually is going to start writing books
and impact others. And there you go. We have
no idea. We never do. How God can use our lives
to impact others. And when we are talking about
the impact that God has called us to have, we
say global impact because it is true. God doesn't
want us just to impact my family or here in CBE
or just our neighborhood. It's here and beyond.
So the question of are you flourishing where
God planted you is not really about you, is it?
It's about God flowing through you into the places
for the level of impact that he desires to have
through our lives. And this is very important
that we understand. Because from the very beginning,
Christians were called to see life from this
perspective. And the Apostle Paul went and preached
the gospel, started making disciples for global
impact from the very beginning, sharing the gospel
with people. And in his second missionary journey,
he got to a region in Greece called Corinth.
And in that city, Corinth, he was able to...
established a church, and he wrote two letters
to them, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. By
the way, today you can still go to Greece, you
can still go to Corinth, and actually you can
still see the ruins of this ancient city where
Paul was. So as you look at Corinthians, one
of the things that the Apostle Paul is going
to do is that he is going to address something
that these Christians were struggling. Because
they were compromising that place of flow for
impact that God had called them to have. And
he's going to challenge them to be realigned
with the Lord in the things about their purpose,
the way they saw people, and the way they saw
power. What does he tell them about all these
things? And how does that connect with us being
planted and flourishing? Well, let's find out.
This is how he starts talking about some of these
challenges in chapter one. And it's interesting
because he says to them, for some members of
Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels,
my dear brothers and sisters. Now remember, he's
writing a letter. And I can't just imagine Chloe
and her family saying, oh, Paul, we didn't realize
you were going to just put it on the spotlight.
Now everybody knows that we told you. And it's
like, yeah, I was talking to Chloe and her family.
And I found out that you guys are being immature
and you're struggling and having fights about
stuff. What stuff? This. Some of you are saying,
well, I'm a follower of Paul. Well, I am a follower
of Apollos. Well, I'm a follower of Peter. And
it's like, you guys are so immature. I'm a follower
of Christ. You know? And they were all just tagging
little kids like, Apollos was a guy from Alexandria,
Egypt. He was eloquent and he was known for being
a good teacher. And he had a little bit of bad
theology on certain things. So God used a couple
of Christians to come and meet him and correct
him in his theology. But then, He became a powerful
person in teaching the word and because he was
eloquent and he was serving in Corinth, some
of these people liked him. They liked him better
than they liked Paul. And Paul was the apostle.
And also Peter was another apostle. So they were
turning the church community and following Jesus
suddenly into politics. And they started turning
this thing about their purpose, and they're turning
into politics, and the Apostle Paul says, no,
no, no, no. No, we don't do that. Has Christ
been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified
for you? Were any of you baptized in the name
of Paul? Of course not. We are not following
people. We are not following leaders. We're following
Jesus. He is the one that was crucified. He is
the one that called us to follow him. He is the
one that gave us a mission. And look, guys, I
mean, you're so immature about these things,
but let me tell you a little bit more. I thank
God that I did not baptize any of you except
Crispus and Gaius. Good thing I didn't baptize
anybody else because now no one can say, well,
they were baptized in my name. But actually,
as I say that, wait a second, because now I remember.
Oh, yeah, yeah, I also baptized the household
of Stephanas. But I don't remember baptizing
anyone else. And I'm glad I didn't, because the
way you turned out. And listen, let's get aligned
with our purpose here. We have a very clear purpose.
Christ did not send me. To start baptizing all
these people so that you will like me. No. He
sent me to preach the good news. And not with
clever speech. I know. Apollos is eloquent. I'm
good for him. That's good for him. Great. But
listen. God called me to preach the good news.
Not with clever speech for fear that the cross
of Christ would lose its power. I have a mission.
And I have no time for your childish ways here.
So can we get back to our purpose? Our mission
is to make disciples. And to make disciples for
global impact. And that is what we need to focus
on. Now, as part of the leadership team at ECB,
we are very committed to this. We believe that
this is why God has established us here. And
there are very few places on earth as special
as ECB. Places where you can come together with
people from about 70 different nations, united
by our love for Jesus, to serve him and worship
him and make him the center. That experience
is very unique. And therefore, as we are saying,
we are making everything in our ministry so that
we can make disciples for global impact. It's
not just a nice phrase. I remember the day that
I met a man who was working in the border of
China and Vietnam in some villages there. And
he says, hey, Pastor Pablo, I'm listening to
all the sermons that you have. I look at the
app. I download the notes, the PowerPoint, because
all of that is available for anybody in the app
for free. And he says, I translate them, and
I teach that to my students at the Bible college
that we have. And he says, is it okay with you?
Do I have your permission? And I'm there thinking,
wow, that's so humbling that you would. Consider
this teaching worth translating and teaching
it. For it's like, of course, take it. Do anything
you need with it. Because we're here for global
impact. We're not here for. We're here for. So
I'm not going to tell him, well, you know, that's
my work. Let's talk about copyrights and some
payments, you know, that we can do. It's like,
listen. We are here for global impact. If you
flourish where God planted you, then we are achieving
our mission. And it is true, especially during
leadership transitions in your teams, in business,
and in churches. Same thing. It's that we connect
with leaders. Some we like some leaders more
than others. Some people like Peter. Some others
like Apollo. Some others like Paul. That's inevitable.
That's fine. And in churches it happens. Some
people say, oh, you know, I miss Pastor David.
Or they say, oh, I miss Pastor Rene. Or the people
say, oh, I'm so glad that you are the pastor
now. And it's like, it doesn't really matter.
Because the mission remains the same. And we're
following only the one person who is leading
us. That's Jesus. So Corinthians, don't miss
your purpose and turn it into politics. We're
following Jesus, and I'm glad for Peter, I'm
glad for Apollos, but God sent me for a mission,
and I'm going to remain faithful to the mission.
Do you want to join me on that? But then, he
tells them something else. He says, after all,
who is Apollos, and who is Paul? We're only God's
servants through whom you believe the good news.
Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. We
were just serving Jesus. He taught you because
that was his giftedness that Jesus gave him and
that was his calling. I share the gospel with
you because that was my giftedness and my calling.
But who are we? Only servants through whom you
believe the good news. I planted the seed in
your hearts and Apollos watered it. But who made
it grow? God made it grow. My work in planting
the seed will be useless. Watering it will be
useless unless God is in it. And God makes it
grow. So in reality, you are building on each
other. He's happy watering the seed, but I planted
it. But before I planted it, somebody else came
to work the ground. So when you look back at
all these people, understand we're on a journey.
As we follow Jesus, we go through journeys. Corinthians,
all churches go through journeys. So don't forget
that. Look at it in perspective. And at every
season, God is using each one of us for different
purposes. Because we are here to ensure that
you are flourishing where God planted you. That's
why. He's going to remind them of this process,
of this journey. Somebody plants, somebody waters,
but God makes it grow. Praise God that he is
the one that causes things like that. Have you
ever been in a journey, in a road trip, with
a child that keeps saying, are we there yet?
I just want to stop. Are we there yet? How much
longer? You say, it's like another hour. An hour,
60 more minutes. Before the next stop, you know.
And it's not 60 more minutes that you start hearing
again. But one minute later, has it been an hour
yet? Are we there yet? And having clarity. If
that kid could understand what 60 minutes is.
And you can show him the GPS and say, look, you
get it? Can we then go, you know? That would
make the journey so much easier. But sometimes
people can't understand that. So they make the
journey a little bit more complicated. And that's
what's happening with the Corinthians. They forgot
they were in a journey. And God was using people
at different stages for different purposes. But
it didn't matter because God was doing it all
anyway. We are no different than the Corinthians.
We are also on a journey. And if you allow me
to be a little bit more clear with graphics and
stuff, this is how I put it. Before COVID hit
the world, God had used people throughout decades
here at ECB to plant this church, to make disciples,
to make it flourish, to build more, to expand
the buildings, and all of these different things.
In fact, next year we'll be celebrating, you
know how many years? 66 decades that God has
had ECB here. So imagine all the people that
sat where you are sitting. Imagine all the people
that stood here where I'm standing. We are building
on the faithfulness of people who pursue God's
calling way before we came here. The last leadership
that was here before COVID was Pastor David and
Ty. And if you are enjoying your life groups,
you have them to thank. Because they are the
ones that created that. If you are part of the
prayer team and you enjoy the prayer book that
we have, you have them to thank for. They did
that. We have built during that season many things
that have become a blessing and we are thankful
for it. And then COVID hit. And they got called
a new pastor during that season because now the
season was different. And what we needed was
stabilization and transitions. And God called
Pastor Rene to do that. And God used him with
his giftedness to bring the team together and
start figuring out how we're going to reach ECB
when we cannot meet in person. And that's when
they started developing all the media and videos
and things. That was innovation right there.
And then stabilization came. And then transition
came. And God used that to bring all the stabilization
in a healthy way. You know how many leaderships?
Positions we had to transition in those past
three years. We transitioned three pastors. And
without a crisis. These were healthy things.
To be able to do that is so delicate. And yet
God gave the leadership the wisdom to know how
to lead in a way that was bringing stability
and transition well. But now we're in this stage.
In a stage of consolidating and building up.
on the foundation that we have been given. What
does consolidating mean? If you ever have hired
an interior designer to come to your house and
make it a little bit nicer, not big remodeling,
but make it look nicer, now you know what consolidation
is. What the designer will do is they will come
and will say to you, okay, what is kind of like
the environment you want to create? What is kind
of like the vibe that you want to have as you
come in? You want it vibrant and joyful. You
want it relaxing. What is that you want? And
then they look at the space and say, okay, we're
going to move this furniture here. We're going
to paint that wall this color. We're going to
put this frame here. We're going to do all these
things. And it's like you come back to that place
and say, what, this is the same place? Yeah,
it's the same place. It was just consolidated
now in a way that everything is where it needs
to be and the connection and the flow among them
is the right flow. And now you have an experience.
You walk into that room. You walk into the bathroom.
You walk into the shower. And everything seems
to flow so nicely. That's the job of a good designer.
It's consolidation. It's to bring in pieces together
in a flow. And in leadership, we do the same
thing. We bring all these different pieces together.
In a way that flows more smoothly. Because that
allows us to do the work more powerfully. And
what we need to understand that is in this season
where we are in. Is to be as a community. It's
not just a community. Yes, we are a community.
People, relationships, ministries, our children,
our youth, our young adults, the classes we offer,
the counseling, all these things that we are
a community. And thank God for that privilege.
But we are also an organization. And we cannot
forget that. I remember that the first time that
I bought a car, one of the things that mattered
to me the most was the sound of the sound system.
Because as a musician, I like good sound. And
I have to be reminded, I also had to look at
the motor and the gas consumption. Because it
also mattered. And here, it's like, what is the
use of having a good sound system, a comfortable
car, if the motor is not working right? Where
is that going to take me? And as a ministry,
it's like that. We are a community, yes. But
there's a motor. That is the aspect of organizational
health. There are so many pieces that go in there.
HR. Finance. Legal frameworks. Operations. Facilities.
Media communications. IT. Branding. All of these
things are part of organizational health. And
therefore. What God has called me to do in this
season of ECB is to bring consolidation. It's
to help all these pieces come together in a way
that flows. And it's not just me. We've been
working in this for the past year and a half
or so with Pastor Rene before he left and the
leadership team. I just get to move it forward.
But when was the last time that you started thinking
that going to church and being part of a church
ministry? Requires someone paying bills and electricity
and who does that? Who bought this microphone?
Hey, who takes care of the finances? Not me.
How do we know the finances are done right? This
is a big church. This is a big building, you
know? And it's actually clean. Who cleans here?
You see all those questions? Hey, I'm working
with the worship ministry and there's food nicely
cooked for us. Who cooks that? That person works
for us? Oh, so who hired them? You have contracts?
How much do you pay? Oh, their salaries? Oh,
yeah. You see? We are an organization. And that
has to be well organized, healthy, so that the
front end also can work properly. And therefore,
consolidation means that we are. A community
that cannot be captured in charts and words and
circles. Because we are people, lives, sheep
in relationships that we are planted by God and
flourishing where he puts us. But all of these
things require for us to remember that we've
been in a journey. And we continue building in
the previous generations what God called them
to do. And now we are called to continue. And
this is the stage we are in. So we're not going
to lose sight of that and start thinking that
politics is more important and that relationships
with leaders here and there override the mission.
No. Paul says to the Corinthians, keep the purpose
clear and remember, yeah, policy is great. I'm
great. That's fine. But it's not about us. We
are building on these things so that the seed
that was planted can become a fruitful tree.
And that. He tells them, but then he does one
more thing. And he says, it's not important who
does the planting or who does the watering. At
the end, it wasn't me, it wasn't somebody, it
doesn't matter. What's important is that God
makes the seed grow. Can we succeed at making
disciples for global impact with these nice charts
and organizational health and all this stuff?
Without God's power? No. Can we equip you and
empower you for you to flourish where God planted
you? Without God's power? No. Can we meet with
you so you can find inner healing? And finally
have a breakthrough from the strongholds that
have been holding you back from pursuing your
calling without God's power? No. It is God who
causes the seed to grow. That's why he says,
the one who plants and the one who waters work
together with the same purpose. And both will
be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are
both God's workers and you are God's. Not Pastor
Pablo's field. Not Pastor Rene's field. Not Pastor
David's field. Not any pastor's field. We are
God's field. And he called you to be planted
somewhere. And he wants his grace and peace to
flow through you so that you can flourish where
he planted you. And he has given us the privilege
of being together in this season of our lives
so that he can use this community to empower
you. So that you can flourish where he planted
you. And for that, the secret for success is
three letters. G -O -D. God. And God alone. He
is the power that we need. And therefore, the
spiritual integrity of leadership matters. Therefore,
to have the right heart where Christ is really
the center. of our ambitions, not our own kingdom
matters. All of this is part of making disciples
through global impact so that these things can
be done in God's power because that is what we
need. And it has been so beautiful to see this
happen. Throughout these years, God has given
us the privilege of working with some of you
and seeing God bringing breakthroughs in your
life. And that breakthrough resulting in bigger
clarity now and alignment in your heart with
God. And suddenly, your business, you see it
differently. And now God is giving you new ideas.
And now your business is having alignment. And
now it's having bigger impact. And now you are
flourishing in a new way that you were not before.
And now when people see you, they look at you
and say, you look different. What's going on
with you? It's not that we are trying harder.
It's not that you are trying harder. It's simply
that God is causing the growth. And that is beautiful.
Which has a very strong implication. If it is
true that we are God's field and we are a planted
seed that needs to be nurtured and the ground
is there, all the nutrients, okay, we are nurturing
in community. Very nice. But then we need to
water it. And we want for you to experience transformation
now through discipleship. Oh, that's great. And
then we want you to be unleashed now for fruit,
for impact, so you can flourish where God planted
you. If that is what we want, God's power will
have to make it happen. Which means that we cannot
create life. We can only create the conditions
for life. And you know what we call that? A place
that is creating the conditions for life to flourish?
We call it ecosystem. An ecosystem is a very
fragile set of conditions that are all required
for life to start happening. If one of those
ingredients is weak, suddenly the coral reef
dies and the fish are not there anymore. Suddenly
the birds are not nesting in those trees anymore
and you don't hear the birds singing anymore.
An ecosystem cannot cause the life of a bird,
but it can create the conditions for birds to
nest. What we realize is that what the Apostle
Paul is telling the Corinthians, and this is
something that every Christian and every church
needs to understand, is that we are simply a
combination of ecosystems where we need God and
his power to cause the life to happen. And that's
why, as we are thinking of making Disciples for
Global Impact as ECB, as a ministry, both as
a community, as an organization, we are realizing,
yes, this is what we are. We are ecosystems.
And we have been able to identify four core ecosystems
that I want to explain to you because these are
the spaces where we are praying God will encounter
you so you will flourish where he planted you.
What are these? Four of them. The first one is
what we call community life. The goal of this
ecosystem is that you will be nurtured in community.
And we have different ministers that are all
part of that ecosystem. If you go to the back
end of this ecosystem, you will see that you
have from the corporate gatherings, we want you
to experience community. But we have also created
spaces for you to connect with others in places
where you share common ground. And we call those
places... The fellowships, business fellowship,
woman fellowship, man fellowship, young adult
fellowship. These are spaces created for you
to connect with other people so that you can
develop relationships with like -minded people.
But then there's the most intimate of spaces
where we call that life groups. Those are the
places where you are connecting with people and
living life together. And you meet in homes and
you are sharing more consistently every week.
We want you to experience relationships that
are godly because this is an ingredient for becoming
a disciple for global impact. Spiritual development
doesn't happen in isolation. We need relationships.
And even praying that some of those relationships
may result in marriage and families that God
can empower for new levels of impact. If you
are a person that is feeling hungry for this
aspect of your life where you say, you know,
yeah, I need more connection. I need more relationships.
Where can I find these things? Then this ecosystem
is for you. Go downstairs and learn about what
opportunities are there for you to experience
community. But at the same time, if you are a
person who is passionate about about connecting
people, about hospitality, about relationships,
then maybe this is the ecosystem where we need
you to serve in. Because we need your passion
and giftedness to help us develop this. Imagine
if we have all the right people in this ecosystem
make it happen. That would be beautiful. Is God
calling you into this space? Now you know where
to go. Downstairs we will have all these booths
and you will be able to talk to the people leading
them to find more information. And actually you
can do the QR codes and you will be able to see
all of these different information so you can
register on them as well. The second ecosystem
is spiritual formation. The goal of this space
is to... help foster the spiritual transformation
that God has called us in discipleship as we
follow him. And this transformation involves
both the knowing more about God, but also the
knowing God. In other words, learning more content,
understanding what the Bible says about God.
What does the Bible say about who we are? Learning
doctrine, learning the teaching of the word.
But also encountering God in the deepest spaces
of your soul. And that's why we have created
these spaces for the children. From the young
children to our youth to now adults. These are
all classes, spaces for training in biblical
knowledge and understanding. But then we have
also created the spaces. For us to encounter
God in intimacy through prayer. And also in intimacy
through counseling. So that you can find healing.
For the woundedness of your soul. We want you
to know God. As you learn more about who he is.
But also as you learn to encounter him in your
life. So. If you are a person that is. Hungry
to learn more about God's word. If you're a person
that is hungry to find inner healing. So you
can have breakthrough in your life. If you're
a person that is hungry for more deep connection
with God. This is the ecosystem. For you to find
more information. So you can find where can you
meet the need that you have. But also. If you're
a person that is a gifted teacher. You are trained.
In Bible and theology. You are someone passionate
about praying. And praying for people and supporting
people. You are a good listener. You are empathetic.
You care about people's journeys. About walking
with them. Perhaps you are a trained counselor.
Trained psychologist. Trained psychiatrist. And
you are someone that understands the complexity
of working with woundedness and trauma. This
is where we need you. This is the ecosystem where
God can use your passion or your giftedness to
help us empower people in these areas. If you
want to learn more about it, you will go downstairs
under the service. The third ecosystem is what
we call mobilization. Mobilization is all about
connecting your calling with the need so that
we can serve God in this place of flow. So that
you can truly be unleashed now for kingdom impact,
for global impact, so you can really flourish
where God planted you. And the back end of this
ecosystem means that we have things internally
within our community. Who is teaching your children
today? Well, people that are volunteering to
teach the kids. Who greeted you today? People
that are volunteering their time to create a
welcoming environment. There are lots of teams
internally that are happening. People that visit
the sick. People that go to the hospital. There
are places where we have volunteers working in
different teams. That's all internal. We have
people that are engaging in helping address the
needs for the unique circumstances that some
of our asylum seeker community goes through.
We have teams that are there to help the internal
needs of our own people. When there's something
that needs to be addressed. Someone needs to
visit them. We have teams for that. All that
is internal. But also we have local partnerships.
Where we have ministries that we support. And
we want to connect you with those opportunities.
And we're also praying for global opportunities.
World missions where God wants to use us to continue
empowering others, not just here in ECB or Thailand,
but beyond. If you are a person that has a heart
for people and justice and supporting the one
who is in need, if you are this kind of person,
this is the place for you. We need you to engage
in these spaces. And also if you're going through
needs like this, this is the place. what you
connect with. If you want to know where can you
serve and what is the process for that and how
you engage, this is the ecosystem that will facilitate
connecting your calling with the need. These
three ecosystems are the front end. This is the
community. This is what we're doing together.
But there's an ecosystem that is in the back
end. And we call this the shared services ecosystem.
Shared services ecosystem is a complex system
of things that go from everything that we need
to provide, the financial things, HR things,
legal frameworks, all of that, to the spaces,
the campus, the operations, the facilities, the
way things look, to also thinking more about...
the digital world, the media, communication,
the website, the PowerPoints, the sound system,
all of these different things. And then also,
everything that has to do with integration of
the offices, calendars, secretarial work, branding,
IT, all of these things need to run properly.
This is the motor that allows our journey to
be pleasant. If you are a person gifted in any
of these areas, Even though we have staff in
this ecosystem, we need people with expertise.
Maybe you are an HR expert. Maybe you are an
IT expert. Maybe you are a website expert. Maybe
you are a social media expert. Anything that
is in this ecosystem, we need you. Because you
will allow us to make this ministry more impactful
for God's glory. These are the four ecosystems.
Here you see them. Where is God calling you to
engage? How is God calling you to help us so
that together we can empower others to flourish
where God planted them? So together we can make
disciples for global impact. Now, this is beautiful
and complex, but the potential and what it could
become is so awesome. And the reason why this
is great is because the need is great. We're
not trying to become bigger, more famous. It's
not about us. The darkness around us and in the
world is so deep and so dark that we need wider
impact because of the darkness. That's why we
need to take the time to make sure that we are
doing these things well and together. When my
kids were young, there was a cartoon that they
liked to watch. It was Bob the Builder. Any familiar
with Bob the Builder? It's a sweet cartoon. It's
a little guy that builds things and fixes things.
He was in share services. The opening song will
go like, Bob the Builder, can we fix it? Bob
the Builder, yes, we can. And it will repeat
the whole thing. Bob the Builder, can we fix
it? Bob the Builder, yes, we can. And every episode,
something broke and they ended up fixing. And
who showed up? Bob the Builder. Could he fix
it? Yes, he could. And as I was thinking about
what God is doing in the season we are in and
the potential that he's calling us to embrace
with his power. I was thinking about Bob the
Builder. There's nothing we need to fix, but
we're something we're building. So I have to
ask you, ECB. ECB, can we build it? ECB. Yes,
we can. Yes. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Because
God has gifted you. And there's an ecosystem
for you to serve in. God has called you and planted
you here. And there's an ecosystem for us to
help you flourish. Can we build it? Yes, we can.
By God's grace and by his power. But this is
not me. It's a whole team. I'm just representing
the team. But I would like to take these last
moments to introduce you to this team. Now, imagine
that I'm showing you a house. Beautiful design,
and you walk through it, and you look at the
architecture of it and everything, and say, wow,
that's so nice. But imagine that now I show you
the blueprints, and you're looking at all those
drawings, all those numbers, all those lines.
It's like, I know that's the house, but... It
doesn't create the same experience. It's like,
yeah, but that's what allowed the house to be
built. Would you allow me to show you the drawings,
to show you the master plan for a minute? So
you can see how complex this master plan is.
This is ECB at a glance. This is our leadership
structure, the alignment between our mission,
our vision, our values, the flow of those things
in ecosystems. And don't take me wrong. Whenever
we talk about this language, we're not turning
ECB into a business. But what we're doing is
that we are creating alignment because... The
primary responsibility of leaders in any organization
is first and foremost to create alignment. And
that starts with alignment with God first. His
calling. His planting us. But then alignment
with everything else. Lord, what a blessing to
be able to have a team committed to making disciples
for global impact. Because that is what you told
us to do. And we have discovered that it's not
so much about something we do. It's an expression
of who we are. When the aroma of Christ flows
through us, even driving a bus turns into impact.
So Lord, let your aroma be the one that flows
through us. Let your power Be the one that makes
the seed grow and become a fruitful tree. Encounter
us in all of these spaces. And Lord, even though
it is true that we use graphics and leadership
language and things that we learn from college
and universities, Lord, we don't. That the church
is so much more than an organization or a group
of people. We are your temple indwelled by your
Holy Spirit. And there's nothing, no word that
can capture the depth and the spiritual dimension
of who we are. So Lord, we humble ourselves before
you and we acknowledge that we need you. Encounter
us. Are you flourishing where God planted you?
We hope that God will give us the gift of seeing
you flourish for him. And if God is calling you
to engage with us and serve with your giftedness,
now you know that this is a place where it's
worth doing it sacrificially. We need everything
the Lord has entrusted you with to make this
mission possible. If God has gifted you with
resources, invest at ECB. Give generously. so
that we can hire the people we need to hire,
so that we can afford the things that need to
be provided. In all of these things is the work
of all of us together for the glory of God. Thank
you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast.
Whether near or far, if you are looking for community
or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage
by sending us an email to office at ecb .asia.
If God is calling you to support our ministries,
you will find giving options on our website.
And remember to join us next week. God bless
you.