WEBVTT 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:14.320 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.600 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.019 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:27.219 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.079 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:35.500 by this week's sermon. All right, so we've been 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:39.259 looking at he has done great. And we want to 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:42.539 celebrate Jesus in all of life. A couple weeks 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:47.179 ago, Pastor Phil helped us look at our new nature 00:00:47.179 --> 00:00:50.240 in him, in our community, and the invitation 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:52.659 to belonging. Sorry, it was our new humanity. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:56.219 And last week, Ajan Rawi, remember him? Minor 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:59.020 Christian celebrity, great speaker, talked to 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:02.439 us about what it means for the Holy Spirit to 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:04.980 work with inside of us, that spiritual formation 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:09.579 that takes place. God, through his spirit, is 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:12.459 working within us and he's changing how we love 00:01:12.459 --> 00:01:14.719 and he's changing how we respond and he's changing 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:17.519 what it is that we desire and the way that we 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:20.200 treat one another. He gives us a new nature. 00:01:20.980 --> 00:01:23.719 And so today, we're looking at another gift. 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:27.760 We've moved from humanity to nature to a calling, 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:31.519 a new calling. Has anyone ever heard that word, 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:35.909 like calling, before? Ever heard of it? I don't 00:01:35.909 --> 00:01:38.569 know of anywhere else it's used except in the 00:01:38.569 --> 00:01:41.209 church. And so all the Christians in the house 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:43.569 are like, yeah, I've heard calling before. And 00:01:43.569 --> 00:01:45.370 those of you who are to church for the first 00:01:45.370 --> 00:01:47.030 time or have been around for a bit, you might 00:01:47.030 --> 00:01:48.989 be like, never really heard that word before. 00:01:49.269 --> 00:01:53.709 What is it that you mean? Is it somebody hearing 00:01:53.709 --> 00:01:59.609 a voice? Is it somebody that is being called 00:01:59.609 --> 00:02:02.750 to something super specific? If it's in the church, 00:02:02.870 --> 00:02:04.370 it doesn't mean there's a calling to be a pastor. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:06.900 or calling to be like a missionary doesn't mean 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:10.240 they're moving to another country. And so I'd 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.419 like us to start with just an ordinary meaning, 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:16.539 okay? So think of it this way. When somebody 00:02:16.539 --> 00:02:21.280 calls your name, they are addressing who? You. 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.180 They're addressing you. And usually when they 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:27.199 call your name, they want your attention, and 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.139 perhaps they're inviting you to something a little 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:33.479 bit closer, inviting you to come closer, or maybe 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:36.539 they're asking you to begin to take part in something. 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:39.580 So I was like calling you to participate in the 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:43.020 fun run, addressing you, inviting you to participate 00:02:43.020 --> 00:02:46.699 in something. And so in our faith, as those who 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:49.539 would profess to be a Christian, we believe that 00:02:49.539 --> 00:02:53.189 God takes initiative towards us. So he steps 00:02:53.189 --> 00:02:56.810 towards us and he calls us into relationship 00:02:56.810 --> 00:03:01.669 with Jesus. And as we follow Jesus, this means 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:06.069 that we receive a new direction. So he calls 00:03:06.069 --> 00:03:09.289 to us and as we begin to follow him in this relationship, 00:03:09.590 --> 00:03:14.090 he gives a new direction to our life. Make sense? 00:03:14.310 --> 00:03:19.449 Okay. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 9, Paul 00:03:19.449 --> 00:03:22.150 describes God calling people into fellowship 00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:24.949 with his son. He calls us into relationship with 00:03:24.949 --> 00:03:29.550 Jesus, and we, as we follow Jesus, read it with 00:03:29.550 --> 00:03:33.629 me, our lives receive a new direction. God is 00:03:33.629 --> 00:03:36.229 faithful. This is what 1 Corinthians says. It 00:03:36.229 --> 00:03:39.229 says, God is faithful, who has called you into 00:03:39.229 --> 00:03:43.219 fellowship with his son, Jesus. Christ our Lord. 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:46.360 And so fellowship here means that we share in 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.080 relationship with him. And so when we speak about 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:54.719 a new calling today, we mean this. Jesus invites 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:58.599 us, you and me, to belong to him and to take 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:03.680 part in his work. And so that includes the person 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:07.340 that's in this room who's exploring faith. I 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:09.699 would suggest to you that perhaps your first 00:04:09.699 --> 00:04:14.639 response may be to begin trusting Jesus. And 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:16.800 for those of you who are like, man, I already 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.720 follow him. Well, then perhaps the question becomes, 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:24.899 Jesus, what does following you mean for the life 00:04:24.899 --> 00:04:29.959 I am living now? And I think that all of us us 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:33.279 then can begin responding to God without having 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.879 had to hear some sort of audible voice or knowing 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:42.000 every detail in our future. And so there's a 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.459 connection between what it is that we've been 00:04:44.459 --> 00:04:47.860 celebrating these past weeks. Jesus gathers us 00:04:47.860 --> 00:04:51.379 into his people, he forms his character within 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:54.819 us, and then he gives us a part in making him 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:58.170 known to other people. And so I believe that 00:04:58.170 --> 00:05:02.069 your life, my life, can become a place where 00:05:02.069 --> 00:05:05.449 another person encounters Jesus' love, where 00:05:05.449 --> 00:05:08.230 they can hear his truth, and where they can discover 00:05:08.230 --> 00:05:13.370 his forgiveness in your life. And I think this 00:05:13.370 --> 00:05:16.029 is a bit of an extraordinary kind of invitation 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:19.149 because those kinds of callings don't go out 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:22.649 every day. Right? When was the last time somebody 00:05:22.649 --> 00:05:25.509 said, hey, I'm calling you to help people encounter 00:05:25.509 --> 00:05:30.310 my love, hear my truth, and discover my forgiveness. 00:05:30.810 --> 00:05:36.050 No one. Only Jesus. And so at ECB, we express 00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:39.110 our mobilization vision in these words. If you've 00:05:39.110 --> 00:05:40.889 been around and you've heard me speak over the 00:05:40.889 --> 00:05:42.629 last few months, you're like, how come you always 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:45.269 say that? Because I believe it's who we are. 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:48.290 Making disciples for global impact. And what 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:51.750 does that mean for me? Everyone. Who? Everyone. 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:58.029 What? Sent where? Everywhere. And if you're like 00:05:58.029 --> 00:06:01.029 me, when you hear the word sent, you might begin 00:06:01.029 --> 00:06:05.689 to have some ideas of what that means. Perhaps, 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:08.829 again, in a Christian bubble or circle, you're 00:06:08.829 --> 00:06:11.769 like, oh, sent. Maybe that's a missionary moving 00:06:11.769 --> 00:06:15.930 to another country. Or maybe a sent one is somebody 00:06:15.930 --> 00:06:19.050 who speaks confidently and professes their faith 00:06:19.050 --> 00:06:22.100 with courage. Maybe it's somebody who's just 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:25.899 like really brave and they express, again, their 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:29.060 faith in a way that you admire them and you still 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:33.500 think, man, I'm glad that God calls people like 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:36.899 that. And then kind of like quietly to the side, 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:40.500 you're like, because I'm pretty sure I'm not 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:48.079 one of them. And so today, we get to enter a 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:52.689 room full of people probably did not feel especially 00:06:52.689 --> 00:06:56.790 ready either. And they're disciples of Jesus. 00:06:57.009 --> 00:07:03.089 And they're afraid. And so, if you're in this 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:06.230 space today and you're like, I'm just exploring 00:07:06.230 --> 00:07:10.689 this whole Christian thing, welcome to the party. 00:07:10.889 --> 00:07:15.189 Come, explore. Good news, you don't have to pretend 00:07:15.189 --> 00:07:17.389 like you already believe everything we're about 00:07:17.389 --> 00:07:20.449 to read today. You can read it and be like, that's 00:07:20.449 --> 00:07:25.230 wild. I invite that. But come, look at Jesus 00:07:25.230 --> 00:07:28.769 with us. Consider who it is that he is. Consider 00:07:28.769 --> 00:07:33.170 what it is that he offers you. And why these 00:07:33.170 --> 00:07:37.689 people's encounter that we read about today changed 00:07:37.689 --> 00:07:42.829 their lives. So John chapter 20. If you're like, 00:07:42.870 --> 00:07:44.970 where are we at? They're in this book. We just 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:47.970 sang about songs where Jesus died and he resurrected 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:51.810 again. That has just happened. So Jesus has been 00:07:51.810 --> 00:07:54.949 on the earth. He's like 33 years old. He's done 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:57.149 three years of ministry, hanging out with his 00:07:57.149 --> 00:07:59.970 disciples, having fish fries on the beach, talking 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:02.870 about a new kingdom coming, peeling signs, miracles, 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:05.230 wonders. And the disciples are like, woo -hoo! 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.759 this guy's going to liberate us and we're all 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:09.600 going to be like powerful people in the land 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.779 and this is going to be our leader. And then 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:14.040 all of a sudden they're watching him hang on 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:18.220 the cross with a crown of thorns on his head 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:22.060 and people are saying like, kill him. And then 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:25.060 they're like, is he really going to die? And 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:28.279 then this spear gets slammed into his side and 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.519 water and blood pour out because it's like he's 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.279 really dead and gone. And then somebody offers 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:38.519 him a tomb and they wrap his body in it and they 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:40.519 put it in there and they're like, oh my gosh. 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:51.259 This guy that we bid our lives on is dead. And 00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:54.019 not only is he dead, but like, people are like 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:58.779 ripping angry at him. And so if they're angry 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:04.200 at him and they just killed him and they all 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:09.279 know that we were following him, what's going 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:19.460 to happen to us? And so John places us on the 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:21.889 evening of the resurrection. On the evening of 00:09:21.889 --> 00:09:23.850 that first day of the week, when the disciples 00:09:23.850 --> 00:09:28.529 were together, with the doors, what? Locked. 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:32.610 For fear of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came. I 00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:36.029 don't know if he, like, did this, like, pass 00:09:36.029 --> 00:09:38.090 through the walls like a ghost thing. But if 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:39.929 the doors were locked, it doesn't say he knocked 00:09:39.929 --> 00:09:42.750 or he, like, took a key. So I think he, like, 00:09:42.789 --> 00:09:45.549 he passed through. And he stood among them. And 00:09:45.549 --> 00:09:49.350 then he says, peace to you. And after he said 00:09:49.350 --> 00:09:53.049 this, he showed them. Read it. His hands. And 00:09:53.049 --> 00:09:56.210 his side. They're like, whoop. And the disciples 00:09:56.210 --> 00:09:58.470 in this moment were overjoyed. Not like, yeah, 00:09:58.649 --> 00:10:00.690 look at those holes. No, they're probably like, 00:10:00.809 --> 00:10:07.169 oh, this is him. He's alive. He's in this room 00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:09.210 with us right now. They were overjoyed when they 00:10:09.210 --> 00:10:12.090 saw the Lord. And again, Jesus said, so not once 00:10:12.090 --> 00:10:13.870 did he say peace, but a second time he says, 00:10:13.970 --> 00:10:16.350 peace to you. And as the Father has sent me, 00:10:16.389 --> 00:10:19.470 I am sending you. And with that, he... breathed 00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:21.750 on them. I don't know if he was like, or if he 00:10:21.750 --> 00:10:24.190 just like talked, receive the Holy Spirit. I 00:10:24.190 --> 00:10:26.110 don't know. But it says he breathed on them. 00:10:26.129 --> 00:10:27.610 We're going to talk about that because that happened 00:10:27.610 --> 00:10:29.409 in creation. So I think that there's something 00:10:29.409 --> 00:10:32.549 big happening in this moment. And then he says, 00:10:32.610 --> 00:10:34.649 if you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:37.769 forgiven. That's heavy. And if you don't forgive 00:10:37.769 --> 00:10:39.850 them, they're not forgiven like that. So this 00:10:39.850 --> 00:10:43.190 is crazy. Dead guy shows up, shows holes in his 00:10:43.190 --> 00:10:46.940 body. Speaks peace to them, they're full of joy. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:50.279 And then he's like, and just so you know, you 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:52.120 can forgive people and if you don't forgive them, 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:58.299 they're not forgiven either. So Jesus is being 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:02.419 crucified. His disciples, his followers had watched 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:05.940 all of their hopes collapse. And earlier that 00:11:05.940 --> 00:11:08.720 day, one of Jesus' disciples, her name is Mary 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:11.259 Magdalene, has announced, she's like running 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:13.700 to the temple and shows up and the angels speak 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:16.019 to her and she meets the risen Lord and she goes 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:18.440 and tells the disciples, I've seen him, he's 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:21.220 alive. And then the disciples, even after that, 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.120 are like, disciples are together. And then John 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:27.120 gives us this detail that helps us feel the atmosphere 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:29.899 in the room. I'm grateful for it. The doors are 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:34.159 locked, which means who locked the door? The 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:36.759 disciples. The disciples locked themselves in 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.519 the room. And he even tells us why. They're afraid 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.460 of the Jewish leaders because they themselves 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:46.480 were Jewish. And John is describing fear of the 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.559 authorities that were involved in the opposition 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.460 to Jesus. And their fear, if you've read the 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:54.960 story, has a history because they know what happened 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:58.879 to their teacher. The guy died. People were like 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:02.039 betting on his robes and the things, the very 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:04.039 little remains. things that they had. They were 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:06.840 gambling on it at the cross as this guy hung 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:13.220 there dying. And then these vulnerable people, 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:14.980 this is why I love the Bible. He's not like, 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:17.220 and the disciples were full of great courage 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:19.580 and bravery and there they waited for the Lord 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:22.799 to come and greet them. No. With fear, they're 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:26.659 behind locked doors. Vulnerable people trying 00:12:26.659 --> 00:12:29.220 to make some sense of something that is incredibly 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:33.039 overwhelming. And Jesus comes. I love this. And 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:36.899 he stands among them. He stands among them. I 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:39.360 mean, look who takes the initiative. Like, the 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:41.240 disciples could have been trying to go to the 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:43.759 temple to find Jesus, but Jesus has resurrected, 00:12:43.860 --> 00:12:47.139 and he's gone and found them. And the ones that 00:12:47.139 --> 00:12:49.919 he placed his bet on, the ones that he spent 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.279 his life with, that should have been the ones 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.000 that are like, even though he's died, that's 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:57.080 okay, we're taking this message forward. We're 00:12:57.080 --> 00:12:59.620 going forward with it. The ones that he loved 00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:01.919 the most, that he spent his most time with, were 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:05.070 like, coward, behind closed doors. And he doesn't 00:13:05.070 --> 00:13:07.929 come in and he's like, losers, what are you doing 00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:10.629 here? Sorry, we shouldn't say stuff like that 00:13:10.629 --> 00:13:13.549 in the church. But like, I would probably be 00:13:13.549 --> 00:13:16.309 tempted to say that. Like, are you serious? Guys, 00:13:16.450 --> 00:13:18.289 I spent three years with you. I told you what 00:13:18.289 --> 00:13:20.090 was going to happen. I told you I was going to 00:13:20.090 --> 00:13:23.850 die. Remember last supper, wine, bread, behold, 00:13:24.289 --> 00:13:26.830 curtain. I told you this was going to happen. 00:13:26.950 --> 00:13:28.950 What are you doing hiding here? But he doesn't 00:13:28.950 --> 00:13:37.379 do that. He comes and stands among them. Even 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:39.720 while they're still afraid. I love that. And 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.440 I think this matters because sometimes I assume 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:45.240 that God is waiting for me. He's waiting for 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:47.279 me to become some sort of a different person 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:49.659 before he'll come near to me. God, I just got 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:52.919 to get things together and then you'll come near 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.039 to me. Maybe I got to be a little bit more confident. 00:13:56.809 --> 00:13:58.789 a little bit more knowledgeable, just another 00:13:58.789 --> 00:14:02.110 adult discipleship course, or maybe my life is 00:14:02.110 --> 00:14:04.470 like so inconsistent. And so if I was just a 00:14:04.470 --> 00:14:06.389 bit more consistent, then God would come to me. 00:14:06.450 --> 00:14:09.889 Nope, right here in this moment, Jesus meets 00:14:09.889 --> 00:14:13.450 his disciples in the very condition they are 00:14:13.450 --> 00:14:18.970 actually in. And what does he say? Peace be with 00:14:18.970 --> 00:14:21.529 you. And then he shows them his hands and his 00:14:21.529 --> 00:14:23.929 side. And I think, wow, why would John include 00:14:23.929 --> 00:14:26.840 that? But if I was the disciple or you were the 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:28.840 disciple and you were wondering, is this real? 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:32.080 Is this a ghost or what's going on? The wounds 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:35.480 would help you recognize him. The one that's 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:38.019 standing before them is the same Jesus who had 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:42.110 been crucified. And now he's risen. His body, 00:14:42.190 --> 00:14:44.610 his rose from the dead. And John tells us that 00:14:44.610 --> 00:14:47.230 they rejoiced when they see him. And their joy 00:14:47.230 --> 00:14:50.929 has a reason because Jesus is alive. And not 00:14:50.929 --> 00:14:56.590 only is he alive, but he is with them. Man, some 00:14:56.590 --> 00:15:02.710 of us need to just stay in that moment. But we 00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:06.950 come today carrying fears that other people can't 00:15:06.950 --> 00:15:09.090 see. Could you imagine the disciples, like all 00:15:09.090 --> 00:15:11.149 of them, I wonder, lots of different fears in 00:15:11.149 --> 00:15:12.870 that room, but what was it that they were feeling? 00:15:14.330 --> 00:15:17.870 In this room, like between like 1 ,200 and 1 00:15:17.870 --> 00:15:20.629 ,500 people on a Sunday, I wonder what kind of 00:15:20.629 --> 00:15:24.710 fears we bring that other people can't see. Maybe 00:15:24.710 --> 00:15:27.769 a conversation that we're avoiding or a relationship 00:15:27.769 --> 00:15:30.250 or a family situation that we're like, that's 00:15:30.250 --> 00:15:33.710 never going to be resolved. Or maybe we've got 00:15:33.710 --> 00:15:39.779 this like fear. That someone will discover how 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:45.919 uncertain we actually feel. You see, even in 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:50.039 this room there are people that if they're open 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:53.279 about following Jesus, there's a significant 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.039 cost. And that's actually why they're here. Their 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:59.889 life was at risk. With some of us, if we're open 00:15:59.889 --> 00:16:02.169 about Jesus, it affects our relationships at 00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:05.009 home or maybe how our friends accept us or how 00:16:05.009 --> 00:16:08.330 people are going to treat us at work. But for 00:16:08.330 --> 00:16:10.649 some of us, resistance might actually play a 00:16:10.649 --> 00:16:13.370 little bit quieter because we're like, I call 00:16:13.370 --> 00:16:18.049 it a CF. What do you think I mean? Come on, you're 00:16:18.049 --> 00:16:23.710 part of the club. Control freak. And we prefer 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:30.000 to know what will happen before we say yes. And 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.000 sometimes, you're just tired. It's like, man, 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:37.519 the prospect of like one more responsibility 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:41.179 feels impossible. And so I think this morning, 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:44.440 the question that this passage might place before 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:49.799 us is this. What difference does the presence 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:56.480 of the risen Jesus make here? Now, I love that 00:16:56.480 --> 00:17:00.220 he doesn't tell the disciples, hey, guys, everything's 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:04.900 all good outside. No. He stands among them in 00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:08.400 their fears and he speaks peace. And I think 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:10.880 this is huge because it means that the peace 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:15.339 that Jesus gives can exist while difficulty remains 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:19.960 because our relationship with God And our future, 00:17:20.019 --> 00:17:24.240 those two things, are actually held by someone 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:29.799 greater than the difficulty. And so what do his 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:33.440 wounds then mean for us? What do they mean for 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:38.180 you? I think we need to remember what his death 00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:42.299 accomplished. When I read this, sometimes when 00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:44.480 you're reading the Bible, things come to life. 00:17:46.109 --> 00:17:48.009 Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit's role 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:51.630 is to lead us to truth. The Bible talks about 00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:55.410 the scripture being alive. And it's like a sword 00:17:55.410 --> 00:17:57.769 that cuts through bone and marrow. I love that 00:17:57.769 --> 00:18:00.089 image of it. But it's a bit scary. So that means 00:18:00.089 --> 00:18:02.849 that when we read this, sometimes it's not just 00:18:02.849 --> 00:18:05.150 like, oh, nice black words on a page. It's like, 00:18:05.170 --> 00:18:08.529 and it's like, oh, and it exposes something. 00:18:08.730 --> 00:18:10.829 That happens. That's what the Holy Spirit's doing. 00:18:10.890 --> 00:18:13.089 It's leading us to truth. And as I read this, 00:18:13.150 --> 00:18:16.329 it made me think, like, man. Like, if I saw the 00:18:16.329 --> 00:18:20.789 wounds, please say hi. If I saw his wounds, they 00:18:20.789 --> 00:18:24.809 remind me that my sin is serious. It reminds 00:18:24.809 --> 00:18:28.809 me that I have turned from God, that I hurt people. 00:18:29.470 --> 00:18:32.450 that sometimes I put myself at the center of 00:18:32.450 --> 00:18:35.509 lives that belong to him. And this reminds me 00:18:35.509 --> 00:18:38.170 that Jesus gave himself for me, that he gave 00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:40.670 himself for us. And through his death, through 00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:43.589 his resurrection, he opens the way for me and 00:18:43.589 --> 00:18:47.529 you to be forgiven and reconciled, made right 00:18:47.529 --> 00:18:50.950 in relationship with him. And so this idea, it 00:18:50.950 --> 00:18:54.210 reaches into our relationship with God. And so 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:56.950 if you're here and you're exploring faith, this 00:18:56.950 --> 00:18:59.779 is where I would invite you to begin. I would 00:18:59.779 --> 00:19:02.259 invite you to begin by knowing that you don't 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:05.200 need to start asking whether you could ever become 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:07.539 a missionary or do something magical for God, 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:10.039 but you can just consider Jesus in this moment. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:15.420 Could he be the one that you need? Could his 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:19.180 forgiveness meet this guilt that you carry? Could 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:22.180 you entrust yourself to the one who gave his 00:19:22.180 --> 00:19:27.349 life, who died and rose again? And even if you're 00:19:27.349 --> 00:19:28.849 in this room and you're like, I followed Jesus 00:19:28.849 --> 00:19:31.509 for a long time. Good word, pastor. Remember 00:19:31.509 --> 00:19:35.730 this. That Jesus calling to them and to you, 00:19:35.829 --> 00:19:39.569 to all of us, begins in relationship with him. 00:19:39.930 --> 00:19:43.869 And so belonging to Jesus gives direction to 00:19:43.869 --> 00:19:47.829 what it is that we do. And here's the good news 00:19:47.829 --> 00:19:51.430 of grace. That you can receive, we can receive 00:19:51.430 --> 00:19:54.130 his forgiveness and peace before we have to try 00:19:54.130 --> 00:19:57.960 to offer him anything. Thank you, God. We don't 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:00.079 have to offer him our service or some sort of 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:03.180 things, but actually we receive his forgiveness 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:06.599 and peace and then this thing that wells up inside 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:11.980 of us flows from his grace. And so I wonder, 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:18.420 where do you, where do I need to trust Jesus 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:23.619 with my fear? If we continue John chapter 20, 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:28.539 21, we see that Jesus sends us as he is sent. 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:34.059 See, Jesus' life begins to give shape to their 00:20:34.059 --> 00:20:37.900 calling. Jesus speaks again. As the Father has 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:42.160 sent me, I am sending you. I love this. So let's 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:43.880 slow down for a little bit for the first part. 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:48.940 As. Another S and that would change everything. 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:57.170 But as. As. As the Father has sent me. And so 00:20:57.170 --> 00:21:01.009 this series is called A New Calling. Because 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:06.430 here Jesus gives that calling a direction. He 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:09.089 sends his disciples. And I think to understand 00:21:09.089 --> 00:21:12.160 what it is that he's sending them. Two, we need 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:15.519 to look at where the Father had actually sent 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:18.559 and how the Father had sent Jesus. And so if 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:21.099 we look back throughout the book of John, Matthew, 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:22.619 Mark, Luke, John, we're in the New Testament 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:25.480 here. John, over and over again, is speaking 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:28.740 about this Father, Jesus' Father, who has sent 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:32.759 him. And as he talks about this, he expresses 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:36.240 the love of God that is shown. for the world 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.039 through his sending of his son. And this belongs 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:42.240 to a story that actually reaches like... all 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:44.500 the way back to the beginning of time, creation, 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:47.779 Genesis, where God creates, the Bible tells us, 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:51.200 let's create man in our image. And then he blesses 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:54.460 this guy named Abraham, and he says the nations 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:56.599 need to be in the view of everything. I didn't 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:58.980 just die for you or one group of people, but 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:02.460 for all of humanity. And then he begins to give 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:04.839 gifts to his people, and those gifts were intended 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:07.579 to bring blessing through his people to others. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:12.559 And then fast forward. to the coming of Jesus, 00:22:12.619 --> 00:22:16.460 and we see God's love coming towards us personally 00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:20.380 in human form, and John describes the word, which 00:22:20.380 --> 00:22:24.319 is Jesus becoming flesh and dwelling among us. 00:22:24.339 --> 00:22:28.599 That's cool. And Jesus enters human life, which 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:31.059 means that he knew weariness, which means that 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:33.460 he shared meals, which means that he listened 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:36.160 to people, he spoke truth, and he crossed these 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:38.500 boundaries that other people had made permanent. 00:22:39.369 --> 00:22:41.869 I mean, like, as you read this, you read about 00:22:41.869 --> 00:22:44.210 Jesus encountering people that no one wanted 00:22:44.210 --> 00:22:46.789 to talk to. I remember the story of the Samaritan 00:22:46.789 --> 00:22:49.029 woman, and she's kind of like lying to Jesus. 00:22:49.130 --> 00:22:50.809 Like, I got a husband. He's like, you actually 00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:54.490 have a lot of husbands. Think of the moment when 00:22:54.490 --> 00:22:57.109 Jesus comes in and he washes the feet of his 00:22:57.109 --> 00:22:59.549 disciple. I'm just trying to imagine any teacher, 00:22:59.609 --> 00:23:03.049 any boss, any day being like, hey, so nice to 00:23:03.049 --> 00:23:05.569 have you here. Could you just take off your shoes 00:23:05.569 --> 00:23:07.930 so I can wash your feet? You're like, oh, that 00:23:07.930 --> 00:23:14.289 was cultural. Like the leader, the teacher, like 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:16.750 the most prominent figure in that space doing 00:23:16.750 --> 00:23:21.779 it is mind -blowing. And so then he's like, As 00:23:21.779 --> 00:23:25.119 the father, he comes to his people and then he 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:28.059 dies on their behalf. Like this is the Jesus 00:23:28.059 --> 00:23:32.480 who says that he is sending his disciples. So 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.299 his life, how he lived, gives shape to his calling. 00:23:35.420 --> 00:23:38.500 And I'm super grateful that I am not Jesus. So 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:40.880 I don't have to repeat his saving work on the 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:43.400 cross because he accomplished that all on his 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:50.339 own. However, I am sent. You are sent to bear. 00:23:50.589 --> 00:23:52.430 witness to him, if you're like, bear witness, 00:23:52.549 --> 00:23:54.569 that's another thing. Like, where else do we 00:23:54.569 --> 00:23:57.710 use that term? You should go bear witness to 00:23:57.710 --> 00:24:00.190 how your soccer team has done this thing. I just 00:24:00.190 --> 00:24:02.289 love Christianese. It's so good. We don't use 00:24:02.289 --> 00:24:04.430 it anywhere else. But to bear witness, if you're 00:24:04.430 --> 00:24:06.609 like, what does that mean? It means to make visible 00:24:06.609 --> 00:24:09.930 and verbal. Say it with me. Visible and verbal. 00:24:10.150 --> 00:24:13.910 So it means to make visible and verbal what we 00:24:13.910 --> 00:24:17.450 have experienced. And so they had seen Jesus. 00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:20.640 They had experienced his peace. And so then the 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:24.480 invitation to them is to speak his good news 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:29.160 and to love people in ways that reflect his character. 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:33.039 So essentially what this means is that I have 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:36.740 encountered Jesus and now my life helps others 00:24:36.740 --> 00:24:41.200 encounter him too. And so that means the way, 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.059 the how we go matters. So like how you listen 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:49.920 matters. How you serve matters. How you speak 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:53.519 truth and humility matters. How we treat people 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:58.960 as people to love matters. It means that we make 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:02.319 room for questions. We stay present with people 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:11.599 when life sucks. And this invites us to look 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:19.349 in at ourselves. Whose purposes are shaping my 00:25:19.349 --> 00:25:26.329 life? I love that in this text, Jesus is addressing 00:25:26.329 --> 00:25:31.029 the disciples gathered in that room. A number 00:25:31.029 --> 00:25:33.750 of years ago, I was involved in a study and we 00:25:33.750 --> 00:25:35.910 were watching this video about the disciples 00:25:35.910 --> 00:25:38.190 and somebody described the disciples as like 00:25:38.190 --> 00:25:41.630 the B team. And I was like, oh, what does that 00:25:41.630 --> 00:25:44.450 mean? They're the ones that didn't make the best 00:25:44.450 --> 00:25:46.609 team. They were like the B team. They kind of 00:25:46.609 --> 00:25:50.690 passed over. I was like, I don't know if I really 00:25:50.690 --> 00:25:54.230 want to be part of the B team. But here's the 00:25:54.230 --> 00:25:58.769 B team, again, behind closed doors. And Jesus 00:25:58.769 --> 00:26:01.529 is like, these are the people that are going 00:26:01.529 --> 00:26:04.430 to change the world. And they did. How do I know? 00:26:04.549 --> 00:26:08.250 Because you're sitting here. I'm sitting here. 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:12.660 And so this commission begins with them. And 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:14.900 through their witness, the church begins to grow. 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:17.019 If you read at Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:19.259 like actions, things that begin to take place. 00:26:19.380 --> 00:26:22.500 And we belong to that community. And so this 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:25.059 is what our new calling looks like in this passage. 00:26:25.119 --> 00:26:28.539 Jesus invites the disciples to be taking part 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:34.680 in his work, in making him known. And so... I'm 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:38.299 grateful that this is so clear, but if I'm honest, 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:41.900 sometimes when I read this or in different parts 00:26:41.900 --> 00:26:46.500 of my life, I'm like, well, I don't really know 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:49.460 what it is that he's calling me into. I haven't 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:52.980 got this audible voice yet. Or some really spiritual 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:55.480 person didn't come to me and be like, I was praying 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:57.960 and the word of the Lord came to me and I'd like 00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:00.339 to give this to you. And I wasn't driving down 00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:02.500 the road and there wasn't a neon sign. And it's 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:05.680 like, because there hasn't been this one special 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:08.740 assignment before me, sometimes I'm like, I don't 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:11.400 know if I'm called. And some of us feel that 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:14.349 same way. But there's already... something that's 00:27:14.349 --> 00:27:17.589 very clear in front of us as a follower of Jesus 00:27:17.589 --> 00:27:20.750 we can love people we can serve them we can bear 00:27:20.750 --> 00:27:24.990 witness to him where we are everyone sent everywhere 00:27:24.990 --> 00:27:28.750 and that's the conviction behind this that every 00:27:28.750 --> 00:27:31.349 follower of Jesus can take part in making him 00:27:31.349 --> 00:27:34.190 known And so that means that we might not have 00:27:34.190 --> 00:27:36.509 to go to another country. We might not have to 00:27:36.509 --> 00:27:39.529 change our job somewhere else. But maybe we just 00:27:39.529 --> 00:27:42.029 need to begin to see the people that are around 00:27:42.029 --> 00:27:44.589 us a little bit different. How about the calling 00:27:44.589 --> 00:27:49.309 that we see every day? I got three kids. And 00:27:49.309 --> 00:27:51.650 so oftentimes our kids invite people over and 00:27:51.650 --> 00:27:53.970 I'm like, I only made dinner for five, not six. 00:27:54.069 --> 00:27:55.789 Why'd you bring your friend? That's what I think 00:27:55.789 --> 00:27:58.369 in my head. But then I'm like, this is Asia and 00:27:58.369 --> 00:28:00.809 we always make food for more than those at our 00:28:00.809 --> 00:28:03.990 table. So I've started doing that. But it could 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:07.529 be that kid who comes in. Maybe it's the student, 00:28:07.549 --> 00:28:10.049 if you're in class, who sits alone and you're 00:28:10.049 --> 00:28:13.490 like, hmm, see that one different. Maybe, this 00:28:13.490 --> 00:28:16.470 is crazy, might be a little bit offensive. Maybe 00:28:16.470 --> 00:28:20.289 it's the neighbor whose name you still don't 00:28:20.289 --> 00:28:24.470 know. I don't know the names of all my neighbors. 00:28:24.690 --> 00:28:30.450 So when I wrote that, I was convicted. But sometimes, 00:28:31.410 --> 00:28:33.950 Sometimes we divide our lives into these separate 00:28:33.950 --> 00:28:38.170 areas. There's my faith, there's my work, there's 00:28:38.170 --> 00:28:41.230 my family, my future, my money, my time. What's 00:28:41.230 --> 00:28:44.730 the core word? My, my, my. But then because I'm 00:28:44.730 --> 00:28:50.089 a really good Christian, I say, Lord Jesus, come 00:28:50.089 --> 00:28:52.450 and bless my family. Come and bless my money. 00:28:52.569 --> 00:28:55.490 Come and bless my time. But, but, but, but, but, 00:28:55.490 --> 00:28:59.390 but, but, but, please let me retain control. 00:29:00.349 --> 00:29:07.210 over how these are used. And so, Jesus is sending 00:29:07.210 --> 00:29:10.710 his disciples a message and he's inviting them 00:29:10.710 --> 00:29:13.269 into something and he's inviting us into a deeper 00:29:13.269 --> 00:29:18.009 question today. Jesus, what might you want to 00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:21.430 do through the life you have given me now? And 00:29:21.430 --> 00:29:24.309 I think the answer to that question can actually 00:29:24.309 --> 00:29:28.109 change an ordinary week. Everyone say, hi Marco. 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:31.440 Marco is visiting online today. He's with his 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:33.740 family celebrating the birthday of a bunch of 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:37.000 people down in Hua Hin. But a few months ago, 00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:38.980 over these last few months, I had the opportunity 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:40.940 and privilege to serve with our youth. Welcome, 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:45.279 youth. Nice to have you here. And Marco is one 00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:49.160 of our youth. And Marco goes to a Thai school. 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:51.819 He's a Thai teenager. And he had this sense that 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:55.700 God was calling him to share his faith with his 00:29:55.700 --> 00:29:58.579 fellow students. And so he wanted to start a 00:29:58.579 --> 00:30:00.619 Christian club at this non -Christian school. 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:03.160 And so he went to the administration, and lo 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:06.680 and behold, the administration said no. So there 00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:09.140 was a bit of an obstacle between what he had 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:12.039 hoped to do and then the reality of what he was 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:15.779 allowed to do. But I love this. He changed his 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:23.779 approach. So he started a debate club. So he 00:30:23.779 --> 00:30:25.819 started this... this debate club and he's like, 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:27.619 there's got to be opportunities to share about 00:30:27.619 --> 00:30:30.960 Jesus here. And so I want you to notice the movement 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:33.460 of this story with me. So the first proposal 00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:37.200 goes in. Doesn't work. He had to think again. 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:40.720 How am I going to live out this faith in this 00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:44.539 place it is that I am? And so this debate club 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:47.400 is this place where ideas can be discussed and 00:30:47.400 --> 00:30:49.640 questions can be raised and people can listen 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:52.720 to different perspectives and views. And so Marco, 00:30:52.920 --> 00:30:56.609 creatively, finds an opportunity to speak about 00:30:56.609 --> 00:31:00.470 Jesus within that setting. And I think his experience 00:31:00.470 --> 00:31:04.109 actually invites us to consider something on 00:31:04.109 --> 00:31:08.589 our own. We might have a very clear idea about 00:31:08.589 --> 00:31:12.470 how obedience in our life has to unfold, and 00:31:12.470 --> 00:31:16.170 so we take a step, and we encounter resistance, 00:31:16.390 --> 00:31:21.190 and then we begin to wonder, is there any way 00:31:21.190 --> 00:31:26.890 forward? If you've been a Christian for a few 00:31:26.890 --> 00:31:29.509 moments or a few years, I think you would agree 00:31:29.509 --> 00:31:33.710 with this. Sometimes following Jesus involves 00:31:33.710 --> 00:31:37.390 being patient. Sometimes it involves wisdom. 00:31:37.710 --> 00:31:42.809 Other times we have to reconsider or maybe try 00:31:42.809 --> 00:31:44.450 to find a little bit of a different approach. 00:31:44.809 --> 00:31:47.410 But I also believe that it means that we need 00:31:47.410 --> 00:31:51.069 to learn to listen carefully. Like Marco, he's 00:31:51.069 --> 00:31:53.990 got to learn to respect people while still remaining 00:31:53.990 --> 00:31:56.599 open. about what it is that we believe in our 00:31:56.599 --> 00:32:00.839 faith. And I love that Marco's story does not 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:03.799 tell us that every obstacle will disappear when 00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:06.920 we're following Jesus. No. It shows that there's 00:32:06.920 --> 00:32:11.140 a young man who's taking his calling very seriously 00:32:11.140 --> 00:32:16.819 in the place that he already spends his days. 00:32:20.910 --> 00:32:24.349 super spiritual person coming in, but right where 00:32:24.349 --> 00:32:28.789 he already is. God's peace coming into him in 00:32:28.789 --> 00:32:32.450 that moment, sent there. He is a student, and 00:32:32.450 --> 00:32:35.009 that is where he has relationships, and that 00:32:35.009 --> 00:32:37.970 is where he has opportunities to listen, to care, 00:32:38.190 --> 00:32:41.130 and to speak. And so when I think, and I heard 00:32:41.130 --> 00:32:43.890 Marco's story, his and another will be posted 00:32:43.890 --> 00:32:46.190 online in the coming days ahead in video format, 00:32:46.230 --> 00:32:51.400 I think, what about me? Like, what about us? 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:54.660 I mean, like, have I said, like, one day when 00:32:54.660 --> 00:32:57.480 life settles down, I'll become available. Or 00:32:57.480 --> 00:33:00.799 maybe when I know more, I'll be able to say something, 00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:03.720 or like, as I said earlier, one more adult discipleship 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:06.500 class, one more Bible study fellowship, one more 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:10.799 certificate. Or maybe you're like, I already 00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:13.319 tried. My first attempt didn't work, so like, 00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:15.099 if it worked the first time, well, then I would 00:33:15.099 --> 00:33:18.869 have continued, but I'm out. But I wonder. What 00:33:18.869 --> 00:33:22.430 might a faithful next step look like right now? 00:33:22.670 --> 00:33:26.190 Could it be a conversation? Could it be a gentle 00:33:26.190 --> 00:33:29.269 invitation through a question? Could it be offering 00:33:29.269 --> 00:33:34.349 help or inviting someone to explore Jesus with 00:33:34.349 --> 00:33:40.750 you? So who has Jesus already placed near you? 00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:46.160 And then Jesus, love this moment, gives his spirit. 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:49.259 Notice what he does next. He breathes on them 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:52.119 and he tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. 00:33:52.299 --> 00:33:54.640 And I think this is a striking action because 00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:57.920 it recalls this creation story in Genesis when 00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:01.180 God breathes life into the human being that he 00:34:01.180 --> 00:34:04.339 has formed. And here, the risen Jesus connects 00:34:04.339 --> 00:34:08.500 this life of his people with the gift of the 00:34:08.500 --> 00:34:12.059 spirit. And I like this because the one who is 00:34:12.059 --> 00:34:15.280 commissioning them is also providing what it 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:17.619 is that they need. You're like, why is that such 00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:19.940 a big deal? Well, how many of us work in environments 00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:22.079 where our boss tells us, you've got to do this, 00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:23.539 and you're like, how am I going to do it? And 00:34:23.539 --> 00:34:25.780 they're like, figure it out. And you're like, 00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:27.960 thanks. And they're like, yeah, it's called empowerment. 00:34:28.559 --> 00:34:31.340 I'm like, I feel empowered to do something to 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:36.079 you right now, but I'm not going to do it. Jesus 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:38.579 doesn't do that the one who commissions also 00:34:38.579 --> 00:34:40.900 provides what they need and I think that makes 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:43.159 a sequence like quite meaningful Jesus comes 00:34:43.159 --> 00:34:46.460 to them he gives them peace and then he sends 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:48.760 them and then he breathes his holy spirit onto 00:34:48.760 --> 00:34:52.659 them so in other words when Jesus sends us out 00:34:52.659 --> 00:34:56.679 he never sends us out without first giving us 00:34:56.679 --> 00:35:02.179 what it is that we need to go love that so a 00:35:02.179 --> 00:35:04.199 lot of people have talked about this and how 00:35:04.199 --> 00:35:06.639 it relates to the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, 00:35:06.679 --> 00:35:08.320 and I'm not going to get into that right now, 00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:11.179 but I think we can see that there's this connection, 00:35:11.380 --> 00:35:15.059 that calling depends on the Holy Spirit, and 00:35:15.059 --> 00:35:19.960 he gives it to us. Acts 1 .8. Their calling depends 00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:22.559 on the Holy Spirit, but you will receive power 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:25.739 when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will 00:35:25.739 --> 00:35:27.860 be my witnesses. What are you going to do? You're 00:35:27.860 --> 00:35:29.179 going to be my witnesses. You're going to talk 00:35:29.179 --> 00:35:36.989 about the verbal and the? Okay? And I want to 00:35:36.989 --> 00:35:39.789 give you the power to talk about those verbal, 00:35:39.829 --> 00:35:42.190 invisible things. And you're not going to just 00:35:42.190 --> 00:35:44.269 do it in your community. You're going to do it 00:35:44.269 --> 00:35:45.630 in your community. And then you're going to do 00:35:45.630 --> 00:35:46.909 it in your city. And then you're going to do 00:35:46.909 --> 00:35:48.849 it in your country. And then I'm spitting a lot 00:35:48.849 --> 00:35:50.349 today. And then you're going to do it to the 00:35:50.349 --> 00:35:53.590 ends of the earth. Judea, Samaria, and to the 00:35:53.590 --> 00:35:59.489 ends of the earth. Everyone say, hi, Dawn. This 00:35:59.489 --> 00:36:01.849 leads us to a familiar face. Dawn, can you stand 00:36:01.849 --> 00:36:04.690 up and give us a why? Guys, welcome home, Dawn. 00:36:06.810 --> 00:36:10.690 Dawn is one of our children. She wasn't birthed 00:36:10.690 --> 00:36:13.829 in ECB, but she was born and raised in Thailand, 00:36:13.929 --> 00:36:18.170 a Thai national, discipled at ECB, sent out by 00:36:18.170 --> 00:36:21.489 ECB, since that God was calling her out of her 00:36:21.489 --> 00:36:24.289 work and into missions, and so she was commissioned 00:36:24.289 --> 00:36:27.909 as a YWAM missionary, and she was based in Montana. 00:36:28.250 --> 00:36:30.590 But then she traveled all throughout the world 00:36:30.590 --> 00:36:33.909 to share the gospel in different parts. And I 00:36:33.909 --> 00:36:37.030 think that, is a significant change because as 00:36:37.030 --> 00:36:39.250 I was videoing, and you'll be able to go online 00:36:39.250 --> 00:36:42.130 and listen to this story, as I listened to her 00:36:42.130 --> 00:36:47.050 story, Dawn, what stood out to me, what stood 00:36:47.050 --> 00:36:50.849 out to me as I listened to your story is that 00:36:50.849 --> 00:36:57.230 your trust didn't end with just leaving. But 00:36:57.230 --> 00:37:00.989 you had to trust Jesus like again and again and 00:37:00.989 --> 00:37:04.099 again and again. So there was the initial calling, 00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:07.480 and then what came from that calling, correct 00:37:07.480 --> 00:37:10.539 me if I'm wrong, there was the following that 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:13.619 came after the calling. And following him along 00:37:13.619 --> 00:37:17.800 the way meant that you needed to trust him again 00:37:17.800 --> 00:37:22.440 and again and again. True? Watch the video. You'll 00:37:22.440 --> 00:37:28.219 be inspired. So I think we can look at a life 00:37:28.219 --> 00:37:29.820 like this and be like, that's a missionary, and 00:37:29.820 --> 00:37:31.840 that's what she did. And we can focus on the 00:37:31.840 --> 00:37:33.719 destination. Oh, that's where she went. That's 00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:36.099 what she did. The country or the organization 00:37:36.099 --> 00:37:40.260 or the travel. But Dawn's story, as you listen 00:37:40.260 --> 00:37:42.380 to it, invites us to notice the relationship 00:37:42.380 --> 00:37:44.820 that's happening underneath all of those things. 00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:48.639 A person who's learning to trust Jesus as the 00:37:48.639 --> 00:37:52.199 journey slowly begins to unfold. And I think 00:37:52.199 --> 00:37:57.179 that's something that all of us need. There's 00:37:57.179 --> 00:38:00.099 like really good quotes. about things, but this 00:38:00.099 --> 00:38:03.679 is what I wrote. Often the step in front of us 00:38:03.679 --> 00:38:06.639 requires us to trust him with what we cannot 00:38:06.639 --> 00:38:11.960 yet see. And so when I look at these two lives, 00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:15.059 Don is responding through a change of work and 00:38:15.059 --> 00:38:17.780 a journey across nations, and Marco is responding 00:38:17.780 --> 00:38:21.000 within his school. Obviously, their circumstances 00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:24.900 are different. Don's particular work took her 00:38:24.900 --> 00:38:28.119 across. borders, but Marco's opportunities were 00:38:28.119 --> 00:38:31.340 among fellow students. But both of them belong 00:38:31.340 --> 00:38:35.199 to Jesus. Both of them have a part in making 00:38:35.199 --> 00:38:39.119 him known. And I think that distinction can help 00:38:39.119 --> 00:38:43.300 us because our work, our location, our responsibilities 00:38:43.300 --> 00:38:51.659 might change. Our relationship with Jesus continues 00:38:51.659 --> 00:38:55.940 to give direction to how we live regardless of 00:38:55.940 --> 00:38:59.119 where it is that we are. And so you don't need 00:38:59.119 --> 00:39:02.239 somebody else's circumstances to begin to obey 00:39:02.239 --> 00:39:06.539 him. You can ask for his help in yours. And it 00:39:06.539 --> 00:39:11.360 might sound like this. Holy Spirit, help me notice. 00:39:12.159 --> 00:39:16.019 Help me listen. Help me to know when to speak. 00:39:17.289 --> 00:39:21.730 Give me the courage to do what is right. Help 00:39:21.730 --> 00:39:27.889 me to trust you with the outcome. So where do 00:39:27.889 --> 00:39:34.849 I need his help for the next step? Well, we carry 00:39:34.849 --> 00:39:37.170 the good news of forgiveness. And there's one 00:39:37.170 --> 00:39:40.070 more verse that I think we need to hear. Jesus 00:39:40.070 --> 00:39:43.710 speaks about forgiving sins and about sins being 00:39:43.710 --> 00:39:46.309 retained. And when I read it, like I said, I 00:39:46.309 --> 00:39:48.860 was like, oh. That's weighty. That's heavy kind 00:39:48.860 --> 00:39:51.840 of stuff. Because Christians have understood 00:39:51.840 --> 00:39:54.619 aspects of this verse differently. I was a bit 00:39:54.619 --> 00:39:56.980 like, ooh, do I get into that? Is this the space 00:39:56.980 --> 00:40:00.019 to do that? I thought, yeah. But here's how I 00:40:00.019 --> 00:40:03.420 understand it. When I read John as a whole and 00:40:03.420 --> 00:40:06.179 the other gospels, I think this is what is being 00:40:06.179 --> 00:40:10.960 said here. The authority comes from Jesus and 00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:16.059 his gospel. So Jesus actually entrusts his people 00:40:16.059 --> 00:40:18.579 with the announcement of forgiveness. You can 00:40:18.579 --> 00:40:21.940 tell people, Jesus can forgive you. He trusts 00:40:21.940 --> 00:40:25.760 us to be able to say that. The authority comes 00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:29.400 from him to us to announce his forgiveness. But 00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:33.719 we don't decide whether or not somebody is worthy 00:40:33.719 --> 00:40:36.739 of God's mercy according to our preferences. 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:43.280 Thank God. But, we do get to bear witness to 00:40:43.280 --> 00:40:46.300 the Savior who offers forgiveness. And so this 00:40:46.300 --> 00:40:49.880 message matters because our relationship with 00:40:49.880 --> 00:40:53.320 God matters. You see, a few verses later, if 00:40:53.320 --> 00:40:56.300 you keep on reading, John explains why he has 00:40:56.300 --> 00:41:01.420 written the gospel. So that people, all, may 00:41:01.420 --> 00:41:05.349 believe in Jesus and have life in his name. And 00:41:05.349 --> 00:41:08.190 so that helps us understand what the purpose 00:41:08.190 --> 00:41:11.940 of our witness is. We want... people to know 00:41:11.940 --> 00:41:15.559 him and receive his life. And so your kindness 00:41:15.559 --> 00:41:19.019 matters. Your integrity matters. The way you 00:41:19.019 --> 00:41:22.199 treat people matters. And beyond our actions, 00:41:22.239 --> 00:41:25.719 we also have a really good news to speak. We 00:41:25.719 --> 00:41:29.840 have a God who has come. Jesus has come. We have 00:41:29.840 --> 00:41:33.139 a God who has given his life. Jesus gave his 00:41:33.139 --> 00:41:36.760 life. We have a God who is risen. Jesus has risen. 00:41:37.559 --> 00:41:41.599 And through him, forgiveness and new life are 00:41:41.599 --> 00:41:45.400 offered to us. If you have never said yes to 00:41:45.400 --> 00:41:48.920 Jesus, then that invitation includes you. You 00:41:48.920 --> 00:41:50.840 might be carrying something that you've never 00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:53.360 told anybody. You might think that what you have 00:41:53.360 --> 00:41:55.940 is beyond any kind of forgiveness. Or perhaps 00:41:55.940 --> 00:41:58.340 you're somebody who's been around church for 00:41:58.340 --> 00:42:01.900 years, but you keep on holding Jesus at a distance. 00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:06.760 Today, you can turn toward him. You can bring. 00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:09.500 your sin, you can bring your questions, you can 00:42:09.500 --> 00:42:13.019 bring your need, and you can begin trusting him. 00:42:13.099 --> 00:42:18.280 He walked in and he's saying, I give you my peace. 00:42:21.920 --> 00:42:27.360 If this is you, we want to talk to you. But then 00:42:27.360 --> 00:42:30.119 we've got to look ahead. You're like, is he ever 00:42:30.119 --> 00:42:32.340 going to finish? Yeah, I'm on my last point. 00:42:34.860 --> 00:42:39.320 So this calling leads us somewhere. And as we 00:42:39.320 --> 00:42:45.659 celebrate ECB's story, we also look ahead. We 00:42:45.659 --> 00:42:59.300 were singing a song. Right? Did I get it? Is 00:42:59.300 --> 00:43:02.800 that on key or off? Off? A little bit. Okay. 00:43:03.729 --> 00:43:05.849 But that's not just a song that someone's like, 00:43:05.909 --> 00:43:08.010 oh, this sounds fantastic. We should sing it 00:43:08.010 --> 00:43:10.429 at like a church in Thailand. No, that's actually 00:43:10.429 --> 00:43:12.690 from the book of Revelation. That's an image 00:43:12.690 --> 00:43:18.139 that John... about the end of time when every 00:43:18.139 --> 00:43:21.159 nation, every tribe, every people and language 00:43:21.159 --> 00:43:24.280 are gathered before Jesus and we sang about it 00:43:24.280 --> 00:43:27.360 today and then you did it. There are not a lot 00:43:27.360 --> 00:43:29.760 of places like this where every tribe, tongue 00:43:29.760 --> 00:43:31.900 and nation are here. Look about this. Look around 00:43:31.900 --> 00:43:35.139 ECB for a moment. Look behind you. Nobody looks 00:43:35.139 --> 00:43:37.519 like you here. There are so many different languages, 00:43:37.659 --> 00:43:40.380 nations, cultures here. I remember when I came 00:43:40.380 --> 00:43:43.670 and the pastors... talked slower so I could understand 00:43:43.670 --> 00:43:47.250 him, and they said that there was like 50 plus 00:43:47.250 --> 00:43:50.630 nations here, I was like, this is crazy. I don't 00:43:50.630 --> 00:43:52.650 know if that's still true, but whatever the case 00:43:52.650 --> 00:43:56.909 is, the nations are already represented among 00:43:56.909 --> 00:44:02.809 us. And every one of you has relationship with 00:44:02.809 --> 00:44:06.750 people that extend beyond this room, homes and 00:44:06.750 --> 00:44:09.829 offices and schools and cities and countries. 00:44:10.920 --> 00:44:16.820 For 60 years, the story of this church has included 00:44:16.820 --> 00:44:20.659 people receiving the love of Jesus and sharing 00:44:20.659 --> 00:44:24.960 it with others. And now, we get to respond in 00:44:24.960 --> 00:44:29.980 our generation. We get to respond here and now. 00:44:30.119 --> 00:44:35.079 What might he do through an available life? Miguel. 00:44:35.559 --> 00:44:38.820 What might he do through a teenager who takes 00:44:38.820 --> 00:44:41.789 his faith seriously? What might he do through 00:44:41.789 --> 00:44:44.809 a person willing to reconsider their future? 00:44:45.050 --> 00:44:48.869 What might he do through someone who welcomes 00:44:48.869 --> 00:44:52.690 a newcomer? What might he do through a believer 00:44:52.690 --> 00:44:55.570 who finally begins the conversation they've been 00:44:55.570 --> 00:44:59.989 putting off? We cannot, I wrote this, we cannot 00:44:59.989 --> 00:45:04.130 predict every outcome, but we can, all of us, 00:45:04.150 --> 00:45:09.360 can offer him our next what? Yes. And so I want 00:45:09.360 --> 00:45:11.980 us to return to that room. The disciples are 00:45:11.980 --> 00:45:14.880 afraid and Jesus comes to them and he speaks 00:45:14.880 --> 00:45:18.719 peace and he shows them that he is alive. And 00:45:18.719 --> 00:45:22.440 then he sends them and he gives them his spirit. 00:45:23.659 --> 00:45:27.159 The center of this passage, in case it's not 00:45:27.159 --> 00:45:31.340 clear to us, is the risen Jesus and what he gives 00:45:31.340 --> 00:45:36.679 his people. And that is where our response begins. 00:45:38.159 --> 00:45:40.980 Because if you remember how we described calling 00:45:40.980 --> 00:45:44.320 at the beginning, Jesus invites us to belong 00:45:44.320 --> 00:45:49.079 to him and take part in his work. What would 00:45:49.079 --> 00:45:54.239 it mean for you to respond to him today? And 00:45:54.239 --> 00:45:57.940 so there are those of you who are like on a journey 00:45:57.940 --> 00:46:00.760 of discovery and you found yourself sitting next 00:46:00.760 --> 00:46:04.679 to somebody who might have invited you. Perhaps 00:46:04.679 --> 00:46:09.000 your next yes is to Jesus himself. You can begin 00:46:09.000 --> 00:46:11.860 trusting him today. You can tell him honestly, 00:46:12.019 --> 00:46:14.800 Jesus, I need your forgiveness. I want to know 00:46:14.800 --> 00:46:18.800 you. I want to follow you. So if you're exploring, 00:46:19.099 --> 00:46:23.639 welcome. Keep asking questions. We'd love to 00:46:23.639 --> 00:46:27.300 speak with you after. But for those of you who 00:46:27.300 --> 00:46:29.179 are like, I'm just ready to become available, 00:46:29.260 --> 00:46:32.400 to be used where it is that God has and what 00:46:32.400 --> 00:46:37.320 he has for me. What is your next yes? I mean, 00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:40.300 earlier I asked you to think of a person. And 00:46:40.300 --> 00:46:42.719 I want you to keep that person in mind. The person 00:46:42.719 --> 00:46:46.380 you thought of earlier. I mean, what might love 00:46:46.380 --> 00:46:51.380 and witness look like in that relationship this 00:46:51.380 --> 00:46:54.139 week? And if you're like, that's a great question. 00:46:54.260 --> 00:46:57.860 What might it look like beyond this week? I've 00:46:57.860 --> 00:47:02.099 got something for you. On the screen, you're 00:47:02.099 --> 00:47:04.880 like, okay, are we going into a multi -level 00:47:04.880 --> 00:47:12.199 marketing moment? No. October 5th to 10th, as 00:47:12.199 --> 00:47:16.300 part of our ECB 60 days of prayer, we're inviting 00:47:16.300 --> 00:47:20.119 everybody in this room to participate in praying 00:47:20.119 --> 00:47:24.619 for your neighbors. Like, what? Really? That's 00:47:24.619 --> 00:47:28.079 it? Like, yeah. That's it. And in praying for 00:47:28.079 --> 00:47:29.980 your neighbor, you might discover that the Holy 00:47:29.980 --> 00:47:32.159 Spirit says, I don't want you to just pray for 00:47:32.159 --> 00:47:34.420 them. I'm inviting you to have a conversation 00:47:34.420 --> 00:47:36.960 with them. If you're like, I've never had a conversation 00:47:36.960 --> 00:47:39.639 with my neighbor before. How? how do I do that? 00:47:40.219 --> 00:47:43.320 Guys, we got cookies for you. So you can take 00:47:43.320 --> 00:47:45.980 a bag of cookies to your neighbor and just be 00:47:45.980 --> 00:47:48.139 like, I just want you to know that I'm grateful 00:47:48.139 --> 00:47:50.360 that you're my neighbor. If you ever need anything, 00:47:50.519 --> 00:47:55.559 let me know. And BTW, that's by the way, in teenage 00:47:55.559 --> 00:47:59.280 talk, I'm praying for you. You're like, oh, I 00:47:59.280 --> 00:48:01.840 can't never say something like that. But some 00:48:01.840 --> 00:48:04.500 of you are like, okay, I'm going to do that. 00:48:04.809 --> 00:48:07.170 And others of you might be led into further conversation 00:48:07.170 --> 00:48:08.809 where you're like, I've been journeying with 00:48:08.809 --> 00:48:11.349 this person for a long time and I feel like maybe 00:48:11.349 --> 00:48:13.570 I can begin to talk about Jesus, but I don't 00:48:13.570 --> 00:48:17.289 even know where to begin. Great news, downstairs 00:48:17.289 --> 00:48:20.909 at the table, or if you scan this QR code and 00:48:20.909 --> 00:48:24.230 register, we got these cards that just walk you 00:48:24.230 --> 00:48:27.010 through sharing the story of the gospel with 00:48:27.010 --> 00:48:30.400 somebody. And you can walk them through. message 00:48:30.400 --> 00:48:33.139 and the story of the gospel. And so we want to 00:48:33.139 --> 00:48:36.780 invite you to go and love your neighbor. Number 00:48:36.780 --> 00:48:41.340 two is this is called ECB Scent. ECB Scent is 00:48:41.340 --> 00:48:43.539 nothing new. Actually, if you've been here in 00:48:43.539 --> 00:48:45.739 September, you're like, oh, I'm kind of missing 00:48:45.739 --> 00:48:47.719 it. I hope you missed it because we haven't done 00:48:47.719 --> 00:48:50.380 it yet. But if you came in this morning, you 00:48:50.380 --> 00:48:53.820 might have seen this rainbow of backdrops and 00:48:53.820 --> 00:48:56.869 you're like, what are all of those things? Those 00:48:56.869 --> 00:49:00.809 are all places that we need you to step up and 00:49:00.809 --> 00:49:05.590 serve. One of the most ridiculously awesome... 00:49:05.980 --> 00:49:09.159 I use ridiculous with awesome, is that we have 00:49:09.159 --> 00:49:12.420 so many people in our ECB community who faithfully 00:49:12.420 --> 00:49:15.599 serve every single weekend. I think there's like 00:49:15.599 --> 00:49:19.260 over 100 people who volunteer every Sunday, every 00:49:19.260 --> 00:49:21.539 greeter. There's people that are up there. There's 00:49:21.539 --> 00:49:24.340 people that are on the stage in the other building. 00:49:24.599 --> 00:49:27.079 There's people that are teaching up in Crosstown. 00:49:27.139 --> 00:49:29.760 There's dozens of people. And we've got volunteers 00:49:29.760 --> 00:49:32.800 all around the city every single week that are 00:49:32.800 --> 00:49:36.219 holding our ECB community together. And then 00:49:36.219 --> 00:49:38.019 you're like, I bet you he's going to ask me to 00:49:38.019 --> 00:49:43.159 serve now too. You got it. Yeah. Because we need 00:49:43.159 --> 00:49:46.800 you. There is something inside of you that I 00:49:46.800 --> 00:49:49.460 don't have. And those people who have been serving 00:49:49.460 --> 00:49:51.920 faithfully would love it if you were like, let 00:49:51.920 --> 00:49:57.179 me give you this Sunday off. But beyond. you 00:49:57.179 --> 00:50:00.019 giving somebody a Sunday off, this might be an 00:50:00.019 --> 00:50:03.539 actual opportunity for you to step into something 00:50:03.539 --> 00:50:06.579 that it is that God has been calling you to do. 00:50:06.739 --> 00:50:10.440 And so I want to pause for 30 seconds. And I'd 00:50:10.440 --> 00:50:12.460 love for you to take a picture of these because 00:50:12.460 --> 00:50:16.059 I do want you to leave this space after we leave 00:50:16.059 --> 00:50:19.659 today. I want you to find an actual place to 00:50:19.659 --> 00:50:22.179 serve. When you scan that bottom QR code, they'll 00:50:22.179 --> 00:50:23.719 be like, what's your name? Where are you from? 00:50:24.059 --> 00:50:26.000 Something like that. What's your name? Who are 00:50:26.000 --> 00:50:28.400 you at? Where do you want to serve? I think there's 00:50:28.400 --> 00:50:30.940 a song. Anyways, you can be like, I'm interested 00:50:30.940 --> 00:50:33.159 in serving Crosstown. Maybe I'm interested in 00:50:33.159 --> 00:50:36.019 serving with youth. Music I'm kind of interested 00:50:36.019 --> 00:50:38.559 in. Or, oh, I could be a greeter or something. 00:50:38.659 --> 00:50:40.420 If you're like, I don't really know what all 00:50:40.420 --> 00:50:42.480 of those things are, but I'm interested and I 00:50:42.480 --> 00:50:44.659 might be able to serve in that area, check them. 00:50:45.179 --> 00:50:47.000 And then what's going to happen is somebody's 00:50:47.000 --> 00:50:49.019 going to reply to you and say, let me give you 00:50:49.019 --> 00:50:51.480 more information about how it is that you can 00:50:51.480 --> 00:50:55.480 serve in those places. And so this is one place 00:50:55.480 --> 00:50:58.420 that you can begin living out that larger calling. 00:50:58.679 --> 00:51:01.880 And so through this QR code and tables that are 00:51:01.880 --> 00:51:04.519 downstairs and out, you can explore these opportunities 00:51:04.519 --> 00:51:07.079 and let us know what it is you want to do. Okay? 00:51:07.179 --> 00:51:11.440 Got it? Say, I'm going to try. But it's hard. 00:51:11.900 --> 00:51:15.719 Okay. Good. I'm believing for at least 100 people 00:51:15.719 --> 00:51:18.760 of like maybe 1 ,500 that are here this weekend 00:51:18.760 --> 00:51:20.840 that'll say, I'll step forward and find a place 00:51:20.840 --> 00:51:24.699 to serve. Okay? Listen, serving in these walls, 00:51:24.900 --> 00:51:27.800 say it with me, can be a real expression of being 00:51:27.800 --> 00:51:31.300 sent. But outside this, I want to believe that 00:51:31.300 --> 00:51:34.000 in our families, in our work, in our schools, 00:51:34.139 --> 00:51:37.079 in the people and the places that Jesus brings 00:51:37.079 --> 00:51:41.110 into our lives, that he longs. to be discovered 00:51:41.110 --> 00:51:44.690 in those places too. And he wants to use you 00:51:44.690 --> 00:51:48.510 to do it. The good news is, is Jesus isn't going 00:51:48.510 --> 00:51:50.789 to love you more if you serve here or you serve 00:51:50.789 --> 00:51:54.789 outside. He loves you, period. But if you're 00:51:54.789 --> 00:51:57.329 comfortable, I'm wondering if you'd be willing 00:51:57.329 --> 00:52:01.349 to close your eyes, maybe open your hands as 00:52:01.349 --> 00:52:04.789 we pray. And opening our hands is just an expression, 00:52:04.909 --> 00:52:07.190 a simple way of expressing that we're available. 00:52:07.510 --> 00:52:13.920 And then I want to pray. Jesus, first, thank 00:52:13.920 --> 00:52:19.639 you. Thank you that you came to us when we were 00:52:19.639 --> 00:52:24.420 sinners. That you loved us so much that you would 00:52:24.420 --> 00:52:27.340 come. We talked about your death and resurrection 00:52:27.340 --> 00:52:30.760 and we thank you that you died and that you resurrected. 00:52:30.840 --> 00:52:33.500 Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you, God, 00:52:33.559 --> 00:52:37.820 for the peace that you offer us. And for those 00:52:37.820 --> 00:52:40.579 who are beginning to trust you today, Jesus, 00:52:40.659 --> 00:52:43.099 I pray that you would help them receive your 00:52:43.099 --> 00:52:45.500 grace. You would help them discover what it means 00:52:45.500 --> 00:52:50.300 to follow you. God, for those who are carrying 00:52:50.300 --> 00:52:53.780 questions, I pray that you would lead them to 00:52:53.780 --> 00:52:56.340 truth, that you would meet them as they seek 00:52:56.340 --> 00:53:00.440 you. Jesus, for those of us that are living in 00:53:00.440 --> 00:53:03.679 fear, I pray that you would help us trust your 00:53:03.679 --> 00:53:08.320 presence. God, forgive us for the ways that we've 00:53:08.320 --> 00:53:13.179 kept our lives closed to your purposes. Show 00:53:13.179 --> 00:53:16.480 us where to serve, we pray. Show us when to speak. 00:53:16.619 --> 00:53:21.679 Help us love. God, in our homes, in our work, 00:53:21.699 --> 00:53:25.820 in our schools, in our time, and in our future, 00:53:25.880 --> 00:53:28.860 Jesus, would you help us be available to you? 00:53:30.139 --> 00:53:34.760 God, continue to work within us. Lord, would 00:53:34.760 --> 00:53:38.659 you continue to make yourself known through us? 00:53:40.099 --> 00:54:00.119 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. we welcome you 00:54:00.119 --> 00:54:03.760 to engage by sending us an email to office at 00:54:03.760 --> 00:54:08.480 ecb .asia. If God is calling you to support our 00:54:08.480 --> 00:54:11.480 ministries, you will find giving options on our 00:54:11.480 --> 00:54:15.760 website. And remember to join us next week. God 00:54:15.760 --> 00:54:16.300 bless you.