WEBVTT 00:00:09.940 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.899 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.899 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:26.859 message from our preaching team. Welcome to church 00:00:26.859 --> 00:00:29.800 everyone. For those who don't know me, I think 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:31.280 I know most of you in the room at this point, 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:34.140 but I'm Tex. I'm one of the pastors here at Encounter 00:00:34.140 --> 00:00:36.240 Henley. It's always a pleasure to get to bring 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:40.420 the Word of God to you today. So we kind of, 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:42.200 the best thing about being up here, you know, 00:00:42.299 --> 00:00:43.659 pretty regularly is you're all getting to learn 00:00:43.659 --> 00:00:45.079 a little bit about me, a little bit about my 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:46.859 backstory. So as most of you would know, I spent 00:00:46.859 --> 00:00:49.420 a bit of my youth in Texas and I moved there 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:52.079 about when I was about 11 years old and I moved 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:54.850 there about two to three weeks before Christmas. 00:00:54.950 --> 00:00:57.030 I can't remember the dates. That's not my strong 00:00:57.030 --> 00:00:58.909 point, right? But it was definitely in December. 00:01:00.070 --> 00:01:02.929 And what would happen, as fate would have it, 00:01:03.109 --> 00:01:05.209 I ended up in a classroom at the middle school. 00:01:05.269 --> 00:01:07.609 My sister ended up in a classroom at the senior 00:01:07.609 --> 00:01:12.010 school with two siblings. Evan was the girl who 00:01:12.010 --> 00:01:13.790 was in my sister's homeroom and then her brother 00:01:13.790 --> 00:01:16.670 Asher was in my homeroom. We became fast friends 00:01:16.670 --> 00:01:18.370 because when you move around a fair bit, as I 00:01:18.370 --> 00:01:21.310 did as a kid, you make friends. quickly or at 00:01:21.310 --> 00:01:25.010 least you really really try to and what happened 00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:29.769 is that it would seem that our situation the 00:01:29.769 --> 00:01:31.370 fact that we just moved to this country the fact 00:01:31.370 --> 00:01:33.170 that it's just before Christmas and the fact 00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:35.230 that the Horner family were staring down the 00:01:35.230 --> 00:01:38.189 barrel of a Christmas day in a Motel 6 had obviously 00:01:38.189 --> 00:01:41.349 come up at some point over the dinner table at 00:01:41.349 --> 00:01:46.799 Evan and Ash's house yeah so that's come up Their 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.480 mum Cathy has decided, no, no, no, no, no, this 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.439 will not do, this is no good. So what she did, 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:55.659 Cathy, she picked up the phone, because again, 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:59.900 I am 47 years old, and you didn't text people 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:03.750 in the mid -90s, you had to... call them on the 00:02:03.750 --> 00:02:06.349 telephone and the gasp passes through the crowd 00:02:06.349 --> 00:02:08.610 no doubt. Yet so what Cathy has done is she's 00:02:08.610 --> 00:02:10.629 heard about our situation, she has picked up 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:12.969 the phone, she has called a woman that she has 00:02:12.969 --> 00:02:16.530 never ever met before and the first thing she 00:02:16.530 --> 00:02:18.449 does in this conversation is invite this woman 00:02:18.449 --> 00:02:20.469 and her entire family to her house for Christmas 00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:24.150 lunch. It's the first thing that Cathy did ever 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:27.689 when she spoke to my mum. Now this is great, 00:02:27.889 --> 00:02:29.689 this was met, there were some hurdles along the 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:31.550 way with this one. The first one is that I come 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:34.870 from a proper English family. I know I sound 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:37.729 like a Bogan, but I come from a very English 00:02:37.729 --> 00:02:41.889 family, right? Which means, this is very strange. 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:44.650 This won't do. How will this work? We're not 00:02:44.650 --> 00:02:46.090 organised, we haven't planned for this, it's 00:02:46.090 --> 00:02:48.110 not in the calendar, what should I bring? What 00:02:48.110 --> 00:02:50.969 do we wear? What's the dress code? This can't 00:02:50.969 --> 00:02:54.189 happen. And to which Cathy said, of course it 00:02:54.189 --> 00:02:56.879 can. I don't want you to overthink this, I just 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:01.500 want you to say yes. So my mum very hesitantly 00:03:01.500 --> 00:03:05.080 but very gratefully did just that. She said yes. 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:07.840 So Christmas morning rolls around and we head 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.139 to the Moors house and the Moors are, God bless, 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:12.939 the Moors were one of those families where you 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:15.419 just kind of, and one of those houses where there 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:18.039 was just kind of a lot of unanswered questions 00:03:18.039 --> 00:03:20.099 that some of them you worked at as you went and 00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:23.340 some of them you didn't. For example, who actually 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:26.490 lives here? There are many people here. There 00:03:26.490 --> 00:03:28.669 are very many different people every time I come 00:03:28.669 --> 00:03:30.909 here and I haven't worked out who has a bedroom 00:03:30.909 --> 00:03:33.229 and who's just kind of rolling through. That 00:03:33.229 --> 00:03:35.050 was the Moore's house. They had one of those 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:37.150 houses where it's like, do you have three dogs 00:03:37.150 --> 00:03:40.050 or do you have seven dogs? Because every time 00:03:40.050 --> 00:03:42.069 I come there appears to be a different one. Sometimes 00:03:42.069 --> 00:03:43.710 they're permanent, sometimes they're not. Is 00:03:43.710 --> 00:03:46.090 that a cat? I don't remember that cat being here 00:03:46.090 --> 00:03:49.250 last time. And these half full cans of Dr. Pepper 00:03:49.250 --> 00:03:51.810 in the living room, are they half drunk or are 00:03:51.810 --> 00:03:53.770 they half full of spit from chewing tobacco? 00:03:54.619 --> 00:03:57.740 That one might be a distinctly Texan thing, but 00:03:57.740 --> 00:03:59.800 that is very much the reality of going and hanging 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:03.819 out at the Moore's house and you only make the 00:04:03.819 --> 00:04:06.240 mistake of picking up a can of Dr Pepper once, 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:08.300 thinking you know what's inside and getting it 00:04:08.300 --> 00:04:11.020 wrong. You never do that again, but you definitely 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:14.719 do it once. So it is pretty safe to say that 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:17.899 we've got my family's proper English background 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:21.699 and upbringing now colliding with the Moore's. 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:23.439 and they were just a very different family than 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:28.220 we were. We were, we were very, very different. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:31.060 And what we did is we get there for lunch and 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:33.100 we kind of get introduced around to the immediate 00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:34.879 family and now what we're doing is we're piling 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:36.839 into cars and pickup trucks because we are headed 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:38.920 to Marampar's house for lunch. That's right, 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:40.720 we weren't just going to the Moor's house for 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:43.339 lunch for Christmas, we were going to her grandparents' 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:45.839 house or to her parents' house for Christmas 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:49.819 lunch. So at this point we are now in very, very 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:53.709 deep. I'd like to remind you we're not actually 00:04:53.709 --> 00:04:56.910 in quite as deep as the Moors are though. They've 00:04:56.910 --> 00:04:58.910 now got five strangers who are coming to Christmas 00:04:58.910 --> 00:05:01.449 lunch which was based purely on a need that they 00:05:01.449 --> 00:05:03.910 could fulfill and then they had a quick phone 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:06.490 call about it and that was it. And as I was thinking 00:05:06.490 --> 00:05:08.149 about this this week and I've talked about the 00:05:08.149 --> 00:05:12.910 Moors before I couldn't help but raise this the 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:16.230 first question myself is would I do that? If 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:18.310 I heard about a family in need like that would 00:05:18.310 --> 00:05:21.269 I have done what they did? Which then I hope 00:05:21.269 --> 00:05:22.949 leads to the next question, which is, would you 00:05:22.949 --> 00:05:27.670 do that? Which then led me to the next question, 00:05:27.790 --> 00:05:31.730 which was, why would they do that? Why? This 00:05:31.730 --> 00:05:35.149 is insane. There's two kids at school. My kids 00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:36.509 come home, talk about people they've met all 00:05:36.509 --> 00:05:38.470 the time. I don't know anything about these kids. 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:41.519 Or if what they're telling me is 100 % true, 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:43.360 I've got no idea. I'm assuming. I believe the 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:45.480 best in my children. But who knows, man? Kids 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:48.040 be telling stuff, they be talking. Now the simple 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:49.920 answer as to why would they do that, and this 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:51.959 is what we came to find out, and if you're in 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:53.699 this room, and I'm using this as a sermon example, 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:55.699 you can probably work it out. It's because Cathy 00:05:55.699 --> 00:06:00.300 was a Christian. And for her, all she knew is 00:06:00.300 --> 00:06:04.079 that these five strangers had a need, and that 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:08.980 that need she could fulfill. She knew that and 00:06:08.980 --> 00:06:12.519 trusted that what she had and what she had to 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.459 offer would be enough and that God would do the 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:18.980 rest. And as again, as I thought about it and 00:06:18.980 --> 00:06:20.980 as I reflected on it, as I prayed this week, 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:24.579 it was honestly, it's the single greatest act 00:06:24.579 --> 00:06:27.519 of evangelism that I've ever been witness to 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:29.279 and certainly the greatest that I've ever been 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:33.060 the recipient of. An incredible Christ -centered 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:35.540 act of hospitality that has stayed with me for 00:06:35.540 --> 00:06:41.449 more than 30 years. I did say I'm 14 years old. 00:06:42.649 --> 00:06:45.029 You have a story that you remember from 30 years 00:06:45.029 --> 00:06:46.970 ago, six years before I was born, that's right. 00:06:47.329 --> 00:06:52.850 Dr Tim Chester tells us that food matters. Meals 00:06:52.850 --> 00:06:56.350 matter. Few acts are more expressive of companionship 00:06:56.350 --> 00:06:59.290 than the shared meal. Someone with who we share 00:06:59.290 --> 00:07:02.129 food is likely to be our friend or well on their 00:07:02.129 --> 00:07:07.139 way to becoming one. At that point all the Moors 00:07:07.139 --> 00:07:09.600 knew is that they that we needed a friend and 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:12.040 that via a meal They could offer us hospitality. 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:13.740 They could offer us friendship. They could offer 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:16.779 us comfort They weren't concerned at all about 00:07:16.779 --> 00:07:18.660 the burdens or the costs that were attached to 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:22.259 that financial The late change of plans something 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:24.839 that I don't deal that well with potential awkwardness 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:26.899 at the dinner table if conversations started 00:07:26.899 --> 00:07:30.639 to wane It didn't didn't matter to them because 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:32.860 that their mission was just to take strangers 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:34.360 and turn them into neighbors That's all they 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:35.899 were really interested in That's all they were 00:07:35.899 --> 00:07:38.740 concerned about, so that's what they did. Their 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:41.220 mission was to echo the second greatest commandment, 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:43.379 which is, love thy neighbour, and the value that 00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:45.639 they placed in that mission far outweighed any 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:47.660 cost that might have been associated with it. 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:51.279 And I want you to keep the Moors and I want you 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:53.399 to keep that act of evangelism and that act of 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:57.339 hospitality in mind as we enter into the beginning 00:07:57.339 --> 00:08:00.279 of this new series, which is called, Evangelism 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:05.699 for Everyone. Now, why evangelism and why this 00:08:05.699 --> 00:08:08.980 series at all? And it's, I mean, we can start 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:10.660 with the obvious one, which is as Christians, 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:13.360 we evangelize or we should evangelize because 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:17.339 we are called to do so. We are literally told 00:08:17.339 --> 00:08:22.579 to go and make disciples of all nations. But 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:24.019 then there's the question of, okay, we're called 00:08:24.019 --> 00:08:26.839 to do it, but why are we called to do it? Because 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:30.000 I'll be honest, that can feel pretty overwhelming. 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:33.279 and I'm an extrovert, I love talking to people, 00:08:33.299 --> 00:08:35.860 I love going and doing stuff, but even for me 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:39.120 that feels pretty overwhelming. And we evangelize 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:41.519 really to let those around us and let those that 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:44.679 we love now or that we learn to love, honestly 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:46.100 it's just that we let them know about the good 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:49.200 news of Jesus. We can invite others into experience 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:51.460 the true joy and the eternal salvation that can 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:53.399 only be found in that relationship with Jesus, 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:55.940 it's that important. That's why we evangelize 00:08:55.940 --> 00:08:57.059 because it's actually kind of one of the most 00:08:57.059 --> 00:08:59.649 important things that we can do. And for some 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:01.370 of you this comes more naturally than it will 00:09:01.370 --> 00:09:06.649 for others and that's okay. That's why we run 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:09.070 a series like this and that's why we do the things 00:09:09.070 --> 00:09:10.970 that we're doing and in these next six weeks 00:09:10.970 --> 00:09:12.850 what we're going to attempt to do is outline 00:09:12.850 --> 00:09:15.750 what evangelism is, what it looks like and also 00:09:15.750 --> 00:09:19.759 how to prepare to do it well. And to do that 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:21.960 we are going to teach you, I wish I'd immediately 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:24.059 turn this into a Tim's style game show segment, 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:27.940 but we are going to teach you the habits of evangelism, 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:31.899 which are hospitality, asking great questions, 00:09:32.139 --> 00:09:35.100 being a Christian, invitation, testimony and 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:40.399 spiritual power. Because as the great theologian 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:43.399 Steph Littleford put it at our RDG this week, 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:47.000 because we need help to see people around us 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:49.830 not as projects, but as people to love like Jesus 00:09:49.830 --> 00:09:54.250 would. I honestly couldn't find a better succinct 00:09:54.250 --> 00:09:55.809 example than that, so that's what we're running 00:09:55.809 --> 00:09:59.029 with. So what are the hurdles though that prevent 00:09:59.029 --> 00:10:00.850 us? Why don't we do it? If we've been called 00:10:00.850 --> 00:10:03.250 to do it and if we can recognise the importance 00:10:03.250 --> 00:10:08.029 of it, why don't we do it? What is it that stops 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.129 us from evangelizing? What is it that stops us 00:10:10.129 --> 00:10:12.970 from loving people in a way that mirrors the 00:10:12.970 --> 00:10:15.049 way that Jesus loves people? And they're pretty 00:10:15.049 --> 00:10:17.570 obvious and they seem pretty reasonable, right? 00:10:17.990 --> 00:10:23.590 Time? Money? Financial outlay? Is there the fear 00:10:23.590 --> 00:10:26.009 of rejection? Is it a lack of knowledge? A lack 00:10:26.009 --> 00:10:29.000 of confidence? Maybe I've got the wrong space. 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:30.960 If my house was a little bit bigger or if it 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:33.059 was a little bit tidier and maybe if I just put 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:35.440 away those nine cans of Dr. Pepper. Or maybe 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:37.700 it's just like I'm not the right person. Maybe 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:39.480 these are those hurdles that you're feeling and 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:41.200 that you're facing and these are all the things 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:44.039 that you're letting stop you from being involved 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:46.860 in this. And again, I want to tell you and I 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:48.759 want to say and I want to be really clear, these 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:53.080 are super understandable fears. These are super 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.919 reasonable things to have milling about in your 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:59.690 head. Again, over the next six weeks, what we 00:10:59.690 --> 00:11:01.250 want to do is we want to unpack all of them and 00:11:01.250 --> 00:11:03.789 kind of say, hey, they're not as big of a hurdle 00:11:03.789 --> 00:11:07.809 as you think they are. Not one of them should 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.070 actually prevent you or stop you from doing any 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:12.509 of this. And it's why we're equipping you so 00:11:12.509 --> 00:11:14.370 that we can release you instead of just saying, 00:11:14.809 --> 00:11:16.210 hey, you should just go do that. That's a great 00:11:16.210 --> 00:11:18.750 idea. Right? So is it good? Is that good, church? 00:11:19.769 --> 00:11:21.710 Yes. Thank you very much. I'm trying to have 00:11:21.710 --> 00:11:27.120 a very quiet room today. Okay. So we're going 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:30.000 to start this week with my favorite form of evangelism, 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:32.100 which is hospitality. And I love that because 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:34.220 it's the only form of evangelism that also comes 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:37.480 with dessert. So we're going to carry on and 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:39.039 we're going to move quickly today as well. So 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:40.620 if you are the kind of person that has a physical 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:43.759 Bible or a digital Bible, feel free. Again, Caden's 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:45.600 got to read over lots of names and lots of detail 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:47.559 very quickly before. Feel free to follow along 00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:50.100 with us. Feel free to open your Bible back up 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:53.240 to 2 Kings 4, 8. Follow along because we start 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.460 today's teaching text with an invitation to a 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:59.320 stranger. There is a woman who knows Elijah is 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:01.820 passing through town. So she invites him to stay 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:04.059 for a meal. It really starts that simply. He 00:12:04.059 --> 00:12:06.659 has a need. I can fulfill it. He's coming through 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:09.679 town. I'm going to invite him. So he does. And 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:11.860 then we're told, so whenever He comes by, He 00:12:11.860 --> 00:12:13.820 stopped to eat. So now what we're being told 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:16.419 is that not only is Elisha a regular passer through 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:19.259 of this town, that when He stops through, He 00:12:19.259 --> 00:12:21.320 stops in for dinner. This seems like a pretty 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.820 good deal if I'm Elisha. I come to town, you 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:26.960 welcome me in, good stuff. So He's now a regular 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:29.779 recipient of the hospitality of this woman and 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:34.539 her husband. Now this becomes such a consistent 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:38.070 occurrence that the woman and her husband build 00:12:38.070 --> 00:12:42.690 him a room to stay in. This is not an air mattress 00:12:42.690 --> 00:12:46.970 in the study. This is a project. This is the 00:12:46.970 --> 00:12:48.809 free time. We hear later that the husband is 00:12:48.809 --> 00:12:50.470 out in the fields which means at some point when 00:12:50.470 --> 00:12:52.570 he's not in the fields he's being asked to like 00:12:52.570 --> 00:12:54.190 put stuff together. Have you ever put together 00:12:54.190 --> 00:12:57.070 like an Ikea cupboard? It sucks. This guy's building 00:12:57.070 --> 00:13:01.299 a whole room. just so they can extend more hospitality 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:03.639 to Elisha. They put, now it's simple, right? 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:06.120 It's a bed, it's a lamp, it's simple furnishings, 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:08.200 but they do this for him so they can extend that 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:10.759 hospitality. Now there's no consideration. We 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:13.340 don't hear in any of this about how much it costs 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:17.000 them, how much time goes into it, any physical 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:18.960 labor, anything that goes into it. They just 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:20.960 want to bless Elisha. They want to extend this 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:23.509 hospitality. So now they're offering repeated 00:13:23.509 --> 00:13:26.830 meals, they're offering a room and at this stage, 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:29.289 not only that, it's all been one -sided hospitality. 00:13:29.370 --> 00:13:31.889 All we're hearing about so far is the hospitality 00:13:31.889 --> 00:13:34.090 that Elisha is receiving from this couple in 00:13:34.090 --> 00:13:36.669 the process. And by the way, not a grumble to 00:13:36.669 --> 00:13:41.269 be seen. It's just been, hey, we can do this 00:13:41.269 --> 00:13:44.870 so we will. And verse 9 in this passage states, 00:13:45.190 --> 00:13:48.029 I know that the man who comes our way is a man 00:13:48.029 --> 00:13:52.620 of God. Now reputation is one thing, like Elisha 00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:55.059 at this stage of the Bible has started to pick 00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:57.399 himself quite a well -earned reputation and reasonably 00:13:57.399 --> 00:14:00.379 so, right? But how do you think that this woman, 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:02.659 she didn't say I've heard, she's like, she says 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:04.860 I know that the man who comes to visit is a man 00:14:04.860 --> 00:14:07.080 of God. How do you think she learned to know 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:09.559 that this was true? Well I'm going to argue that 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:12.080 she would know that through time, proximity, 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.779 regularly shared meals, they've just simply gotten 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:19.460 to know each other. Spend enough time with someone 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:21.860 and you'll get to know them, not just how they 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:23.639 want you to see them, but if you really spend 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:25.519 enough time with someone, you're going to see 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:32.220 them for who they actually are. Facades will 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:37.620 crumble. Our truest selves get revealed and the 00:14:37.620 --> 00:14:40.299 truest version of others get revealed to us. 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:43.440 So at this stage, how does she know that Elisha 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.580 is a man of God? She doesn't have to trust what 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:47.600 others have said about Elisha because now she 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.820 knows it for herself. She has seen it. She has 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:56.399 been around him. Now part of the reason we extend 00:14:56.399 --> 00:15:01.159 hospitality is actually for that very reason. 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:03.860 Because when we share meals with people, if you 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:05.600 go, if you think of that quote from Tim Jessup 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:08.620 or about the importance of sharing a meal, it's 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:11.039 because over a meal and through time and doing 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:15.120 those things together, we break down walls. And 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.179 what we do is that people are revealed to us 00:15:18.179 --> 00:15:22.279 and we reveal ourselves to others. And for Christians, 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.200 what happens as part of that process is our faith 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:29.700 is at the very core of who it is that we are. 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.379 If we are living a life of discipleship under 00:15:33.379 --> 00:15:39.120 Jesus, that life of discipleship, that life of 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.960 living out of the love of Jesus, that informs 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:45.820 absolutely every decision that we make. Every 00:15:45.820 --> 00:15:48.480 dinner invitation we extend, every conversation 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.860 that we have, every response to somebody that 00:15:50.860 --> 00:15:54.500 we share is born and formed in that identity. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.600 So there's no way to spend that much time with 00:15:58.649 --> 00:16:02.470 anyone and for your faith to not become apparent 00:16:02.470 --> 00:16:07.909 through both word and deed. And when your relationships 00:16:07.909 --> 00:16:11.710 get deeper, some of the differences you have 00:16:11.710 --> 00:16:15.169 will either be revealed or will break down, but 00:16:15.169 --> 00:16:17.629 then they quite often will actually get replaced 00:16:17.629 --> 00:16:20.309 with affection. And then if we're really trying 00:16:20.309 --> 00:16:22.370 to live our life in a way that reflects the way 00:16:22.370 --> 00:16:27.129 Jesus lived His life is that... that stranger 00:16:27.129 --> 00:16:29.289 to neighbor to family kind of thing. You kind 00:16:29.289 --> 00:16:32.149 of go from basic relationship to affection to 00:16:32.149 --> 00:16:34.629 love. You learn to love each other for who you 00:16:34.629 --> 00:16:36.450 are because... That's what you've been revealing 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:38.470 to each other and that proximity and that time. 00:16:38.570 --> 00:16:40.750 That's what we do. Now we're no longer, once 00:16:40.750 --> 00:16:42.830 we love someone and there's that inbuilt trust, 00:16:43.190 --> 00:16:45.809 we're no longer afraid to ask hard questions 00:16:45.809 --> 00:16:48.350 or to sacrifice time or preference. We do so 00:16:48.350 --> 00:16:51.090 willingly because that's what love does and that's 00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:54.169 what love is. It's a willingness to sacrifice. 00:16:54.250 --> 00:16:58.230 It's a willingness to pay cost. When we love 00:16:58.230 --> 00:17:01.169 like Jesus, we just really continue to enter 00:17:01.169 --> 00:17:04.049 into a willingness to pay those costs. to offer 00:17:04.049 --> 00:17:07.190 up those sacrifices of preference, of time, money, 00:17:07.470 --> 00:17:10.970 house, all of it. Now Elijah has been receiving 00:17:10.970 --> 00:17:13.789 honestly wonderful and repeated blessings at 00:17:13.789 --> 00:17:16.049 the hands and expense of this couple. And this 00:17:16.049 --> 00:17:19.009 prophet and miracle worker, he wants to repay 00:17:19.009 --> 00:17:22.630 them with a blessing of his own. So he prays 00:17:22.630 --> 00:17:25.450 a blessing over this woman. She has no children, 00:17:25.509 --> 00:17:28.650 her husband is old, and Elijah prophesies that 00:17:28.650 --> 00:17:31.170 this time next year she will have a son in her 00:17:31.170 --> 00:17:34.569 arms. Now Elisha again, no doubt knowing the 00:17:34.569 --> 00:17:36.829 greatest desires of this woman's heart. She actually, 00:17:36.849 --> 00:17:39.769 she even pushes back. She says, no my Lord, don't 00:17:39.769 --> 00:17:42.789 mislead your servant. Or if you will, like Elisha, 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:48.109 you must know how badly I want this. Don't say 00:17:48.109 --> 00:17:54.190 it if it's not true. Now did Elisha make a guess? 00:17:56.339 --> 00:17:58.740 No, I'm going to say that due to the depth and 00:17:58.740 --> 00:18:01.079 consistency of their relationship, that again, 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:04.019 Elisha had learned what it was that was at the 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:06.519 core of this woman, the biggest desires of her 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.599 heart, what was really in the deepest parts of 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:12.880 her soul. And the son, he says, will be in your 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:16.559 arms this time next year, and there was. Now 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:19.039 again, this is one of those, the Bible's amazing 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:21.039 with this stuff, is kind of if you blink, you'll 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:24.960 miss it. But the story now skips ahead, literal... 00:18:24.509 --> 00:18:27.690 years. We go from Elisha blessing this woman, 00:18:27.990 --> 00:18:30.009 to the next thing we hear is that the son is 00:18:30.009 --> 00:18:32.630 now of walking talking age. He is out in the 00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:35.109 field. He is talking to his father and he says, 00:18:35.210 --> 00:18:39.910 hey dad, my head hurts. And we go from that to 00:18:39.910 --> 00:18:43.349 within hours that this boy dies in his mother's 00:18:43.349 --> 00:18:46.650 arms. There's no way to avoid. This is just a 00:18:46.650 --> 00:18:50.309 tragedy. This is awful part of this story. So 00:18:50.309 --> 00:18:52.490 what does she do? She takes the boy and she lays 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:57.410 him on Elisha's bed. She heads out to find Elisha. 00:18:57.809 --> 00:19:00.210 So now what's happened is the most traumatic 00:19:00.210 --> 00:19:02.950 thing imaginable in this woman's life has just 00:19:02.950 --> 00:19:05.970 happened and who does she turn to? She turns 00:19:05.970 --> 00:19:10.950 to Elisha. This is a guy who at some point mere 00:19:10.950 --> 00:19:15.609 years ago was a stranger and now she's who he's, 00:19:15.609 --> 00:19:19.910 he is who she is going to to seek comfort. Such 00:19:19.910 --> 00:19:22.799 is the depth of their relationship. Not only 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:25.140 is he a hopeful comforter, he's also at this 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:28.440 point a source of great hope. Now up until now, 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:30.200 up until this point of the story, it feels like 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:32.079 the only person who's actually kind of paid anything 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:34.680 in this relationship or paid out any kind of 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:36.579 real form of hospitality has been this Shunammite 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:40.140 woman. She's paid for dinners, she's built an 00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:43.259 extension on her home, and now she's lost a son 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:45.759 that was kind of born out of a blessing only 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:49.049 made possible through this friendship. And it's 00:19:49.049 --> 00:19:50.789 kind of what happens next is where we actually 00:19:50.789 --> 00:19:53.089 see that through, again, this depth of relationship, 00:19:53.289 --> 00:19:55.089 these acts of hospitality, these costs that are 00:19:55.089 --> 00:19:57.250 kind of been born or potentially willing to be 00:19:57.250 --> 00:19:58.869 born is that Elisha is actually willing to pay 00:19:58.869 --> 00:20:02.130 the same costs via his own great hospitality 00:20:02.130 --> 00:20:04.470 and in turn his own great act of evangelism by 00:20:04.470 --> 00:20:06.849 affirmation of the power of God. You see, in 00:20:06.849 --> 00:20:09.190 ancient Israel, bodies were prepared for burial 00:20:09.190 --> 00:20:12.269 pretty quickly. We didn't have refrigeration, 00:20:12.309 --> 00:20:18.170 which is a first starting point. I didn't know 00:20:18.170 --> 00:20:20.529 how seriously or comedically that was gonna land 00:20:20.529 --> 00:20:23.529 until Tim laughed at it. I mean, we'll take that 00:20:23.529 --> 00:20:25.970 on face value now. Moving on. So like we didn't 00:20:25.970 --> 00:20:29.910 have refrigeration. Bodies were deemed to be 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:32.190 impure or unclean. And if you were to touch a 00:20:32.190 --> 00:20:34.809 dead body, then you were now deemed to be impure 00:20:34.809 --> 00:20:38.869 or unclean. Now, where is this boy's body currently? 00:20:38.930 --> 00:20:40.990 He's not been taken for preparation for burial. 00:20:41.049 --> 00:20:44.019 He's been taken and left on Elisha's bed. And 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:46.380 despite having heard directly from God in the 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:50.220 past, God actually hadn't spoken to Elisha. Elisha 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:53.299 says, God has not spoken to me of the pain of 00:20:53.299 --> 00:20:56.019 this boy. God has not spoken to me of the death 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:59.799 of this boy. So there's no guarantee that despite 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:01.980 the fact that Elisha has been used to work miracles 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:04.759 before, that Elisha is going to be used to work 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:09.140 a miracle again. So what if God didn't perform 00:21:09.140 --> 00:21:13.150 that same miracle this time? What parts of himself, 00:21:13.789 --> 00:21:15.450 or of Elisha's friendship with the Shunammite 00:21:15.450 --> 00:21:18.470 woman, or greater still, what would Elisha potentially 00:21:18.470 --> 00:21:20.549 think of his own relationship with God if this 00:21:20.549 --> 00:21:24.930 didn't work out this time around? The child! 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:27.440 This is just no nice way to put this. This child 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:29.740 is already gone. This child has passed away. 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:32.460 So, at this point, the only person now left any 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:35.259 further here with anything to pay or the only 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:38.079 potential cost to anybody is Elisha at this stage 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:39.880 by going through with this next stage, these 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:41.720 next actions that he chooses to go through with, 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:44.180 but he's willing to pay that cost. Now, Elisha 00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:46.480 goes to the boy's body and he doesn't simply 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:48.140 pray over him, hey, look, I'm not going to skip 00:21:48.140 --> 00:21:50.279 over this. This next part is a little weird when 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:52.960 we first look at it, right? He doesn't just pray 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:55.200 over the boy. What he does is he stretches out 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.220 his body over him. He goes eye to eye, mouth 00:21:58.220 --> 00:22:02.859 to mouth, hands to hands. So what's happening 00:22:02.859 --> 00:22:05.299 in this moment is Elisha is not having a brush 00:22:05.299 --> 00:22:08.019 with death. He is literally staring it in the 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:11.859 eye. He is embracing the concept of death. This 00:22:11.859 --> 00:22:13.980 potential impurity, this potential defiling, 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:16.519 he is putting himself directly in front of it. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:21.089 He's making direct contact with it. Why? The 00:22:21.089 --> 00:22:22.809 first is because this is a man who's learned 00:22:22.809 --> 00:22:25.109 to trust that God would show up when he needed 00:22:25.109 --> 00:22:27.569 him to. Despite the fact he's not heard directly 00:22:27.569 --> 00:22:30.349 from God, he's trusting that. And the main reason 00:22:30.349 --> 00:22:33.529 and the second reason is because in Elisha's 00:22:33.529 --> 00:22:38.150 eyes, the cost associated with not trying was 00:22:38.150 --> 00:22:43.539 inconceivable. Elisha is asked to weigh up the 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:46.279 cost of his own defiling, his own purity, his 00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:48.980 own relationships, his very reputation potentially 00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:52.039 as this miracle worker that God will use. And 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:56.359 he does so without hesitation. Again, why? Because 00:22:56.359 --> 00:22:59.599 the cost attached to not trying just doesn't 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:03.000 seem like it balances the ledger. In that moment, 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:06.019 Elisha is this boy's only chance. So in Elisha's 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:10.880 eyes, in that moment, it's all worth it. And 00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:13.740 in that moment all I can think is like, what 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:17.339 cost would I be willing to pay? What actions 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:19.880 against myself? What would I be willing to put 00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:21.599 on the line? What would I be willing to risk 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:25.220 in a similar moment hoping for a miraculous act 00:23:25.220 --> 00:23:28.859 of God? What would I be willing to risk? What 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:30.799 would I be willing to pay for the opportunity 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:34.640 for a friend or family member to be saved by 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:45.740 Jesus? Because it's in the light of this relationship, 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:48.339 this mutual act of hospitality, these mutual 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:51.500 acts of love between Elisha and this Shunammite 00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:55.119 woman, that God does show up and that death is 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:03.380 defeated. And it's actually that at the end there, 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:06.920 that is the reason we open our homes to others. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:10.519 That's the reason we extend hospitality to strangers, 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:13.339 be they strangers to us, or be they people who 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:17.099 may feel like are strangers to Jesus. Not Jesus, 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:19.279 nobody is a stranger to Jesus. Jesus knows each 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:21.759 and every one of us, but people who may not consider 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:23.480 themselves someone who has a relationship with 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:27.259 Jesus. And it's that hospitality, it's that opportunity 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:29.240 for people to enter into relationship with Jesus, 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:31.519 which is why any of the costs that we may pay 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:34.930 are worth it. And it's why we need to continue 00:24:34.930 --> 00:24:39.289 to be willing to pay them. Those discomforts 00:24:39.289 --> 00:24:40.910 we talked about, finance, a little bit of time, 00:24:40.970 --> 00:24:42.890 my house, whatever's cleaner, it doesn't matter. 00:24:44.210 --> 00:24:47.009 Those are small prices to pay. Because it's through 00:24:47.009 --> 00:24:49.250 relationships like these that trust is established 00:24:49.250 --> 00:24:51.730 and that trust becomes a foundation for Jesus' 00:24:51.950 --> 00:24:53.509 Spirit to move and power to be able to present 00:24:53.509 --> 00:24:58.509 itself. And this story shows us just how hospitality 00:24:58.509 --> 00:25:01.710 is a gateway. to deeper relationship. But more 00:25:01.710 --> 00:25:03.970 than that, it's a starting off point for friendships. 00:25:04.730 --> 00:25:06.829 And the kind of friendships that make us want 00:25:06.829 --> 00:25:10.289 to sit with and help someone else in need, the 00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:12.049 kind of friendships that make us vulnerable enough 00:25:12.049 --> 00:25:14.390 to be comforted by someone or to offer comfort 00:25:14.390 --> 00:25:18.890 to someone, would we and should we offer that 00:25:18.890 --> 00:25:22.210 kind of act of service, that kind of act of hospitality, 00:25:22.349 --> 00:25:24.210 that willingness to pay costs for a stranger, 00:25:24.529 --> 00:25:27.430 I'd hope so. Again, we're called to, after all, 00:25:27.569 --> 00:25:30.890 Hebrews 13 2 makes it clear, do not neglect to 00:25:30.890 --> 00:25:33.529 show hospitality to strangers, for by this some 00:25:33.529 --> 00:25:35.869 have entertained angels without knowing it. And 00:25:35.869 --> 00:25:38.549 again, I get it, the idea and the concept of 00:25:38.549 --> 00:25:40.430 doing something like this for a stranger can 00:25:40.430 --> 00:25:44.109 feel really big and can feel really, really scary. 00:25:44.410 --> 00:25:47.170 But look at Elisha and the Shunammite woman. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:50.519 Look at my earlier example of the Horner's and 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:53.619 the Moore family and think about yourself think 00:25:53.619 --> 00:25:56.740 about your We use this language at Encounter 00:25:56.740 --> 00:25:59.259 Church, plus one, right? If I've said that once 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:01.059 from this platform, I've said it a hundred times 00:26:01.059 --> 00:26:03.539 and I hope, I pray to God I say it 10 ,000 times 00:26:03.539 --> 00:26:05.900 more in the life of this church, right? Why? 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:08.259 Because the idea of plus one, these things we 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:12.180 use, plus one, let your Sundays invade your Mondays. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:14.579 What's another one? About people having an encounter 00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:17.359 with Jesus from city to beach. What do you think 00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:20.519 all of these statements are born out of? They're 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:22.720 born out of that need and that desire to form 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:25.720 relationships and to over -hentalize, giving 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:27.640 everybody an opportunity to have a relationship 00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:31.539 with Jesus. And again, if you think of yourself 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:33.559 and your plus one, acts of hospitality given 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:35.880 and received, I almost guarantee that you've 00:26:35.880 --> 00:26:38.640 likely shared a meal. You might have stayed at 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.259 each other's houses. You've learned of each other's 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:43.960 deepest desires or deepest fears. Maybe you've 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:47.900 prayed over them. Maybe they stood with you on 00:26:47.900 --> 00:26:50.779 your wedding day. Maybe they watched as your 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:54.140 child grew up. Maybe they watched or sat with 00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:56.559 you in one of the darkest moments of your life. 00:26:57.059 --> 00:26:59.700 But I want you to keep in mind is that these 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:01.859 people, your plus ones, these people that you 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:04.259 love and that you care about did not start that 00:27:04.259 --> 00:27:06.539 way at some point. They too were a stranger. 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:12.339 And what did you do? And what happened in your 00:27:12.339 --> 00:27:15.019 relationship that they went from a stranger to 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:17.460 someone you love like Jesus would and hopefully 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:19.259 to someone that you let love you like that in 00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:23.119 return. The best way is simply by living an authentic 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:27.819 Christian life in their presence. You want to 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:31.920 introduce Jesus to someone? Live it. Because 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:33.980 when we do, we're giving Jesus the opportunity 00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:36.259 to present Himself to those around us. We're 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.240 giving Jesus the opportunity to perform His miracles. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:46.119 It is not our job to be Jesus. Our role is to 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:48.700 simply allow Him to present Himself to people. 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:53.160 So this week, I want to issue a little challenge, 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:55.799 which is, I'm going to make it sound really big 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:57.359 and I'll make it really small, right? I want 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:59.680 to give you, the challenge is, give Jesus the 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.259 opportunity to speak and be seen to someone in 00:28:02.259 --> 00:28:04.960 your circle. You go, geez Tex, that feels quite 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:07.460 big. So let's make it really small. I want you 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:11.539 to do something super ordinary. You eat dinner 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:15.160 every single night. Most of you. Probably. Two 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:19.140 minute noodles still counts. Somebody's laughing, 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:20.839 I had two minute noodles for dinner last night. 00:28:21.099 --> 00:28:22.920 Two minute noodles are delicious. It's an excellent 00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:25.200 meal to invite someone around. Invite your plus 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:26.880 one or someone in your circle around for dinner 00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:32.509 this week. That's it. If you're not sure the 00:28:32.509 --> 00:28:34.670 practicalities of how to host or how to have 00:28:34.670 --> 00:28:36.509 someone around, I'm going to give you a few easy 00:28:36.509 --> 00:28:38.190 tips. When Kyle and I started coming to church, 00:28:38.210 --> 00:28:40.009 we did not know how to be Christians. We didn't 00:28:40.009 --> 00:28:42.069 know what anything looked like of like, we didn't 00:28:42.069 --> 00:28:44.049 have like theology. Come around for a hearty 00:28:44.049 --> 00:28:46.410 Bible discussion. Couldn't do it. We're not equipped. 00:28:46.869 --> 00:28:48.569 Some would still argue, you know, we're right 00:28:48.569 --> 00:28:51.210 on the barrier, right? Here's what we could do. 00:28:51.410 --> 00:28:53.289 We could have people around for dinner. We loved 00:28:53.289 --> 00:28:55.430 people. We love people. So that's what we did. 00:28:55.869 --> 00:28:58.029 So here's a few pointers I've learned from doing 00:28:58.029 --> 00:29:00.299 that and I'm now sharing them with you. Invite 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:02.039 someone around for dinner. Invite them. That's 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:04.859 step number one. That is super duper, like the 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:07.720 first step and it should feel pretty easy. The 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:09.680 more you do it, the easier it becomes. Now I 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:11.359 changed my points this morning so I'm hoping 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:14.299 my slides are gonna roll with me. Next is ask 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:16.019 them if there's anything they do or don't like. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:17.799 This will give them the opportunity to share 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:20.019 allergies with you. Some people get really really 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:22.019 weird about food and things like that and preferences. 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:23.480 I really hate fish. I don't want to tell them 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:25.640 about it. Tell them. Give them the opportunity 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:27.700 to say, I don't like fish. because otherwise 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:28.960 you're inviting them into your home and then 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:30.720 you're going to make them fish and they go, this 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:36.960 sucks, I hate it here. If they ask if they can 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.680 bring something, let them bring something. It 00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:40.400 doesn't matter if you need them to bring something, 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:42.940 just let them bring something. Hospitality is 00:29:42.940 --> 00:29:45.500 not needed to be reciprocal, but Jesus feels 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:47.940 really good when it is. Let them bring something. 00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:51.759 Here's a fun one. Why don't you take your phone 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:53.460 that's in your pocket and why don't you go and 00:29:53.460 --> 00:29:56.450 put it on charge in your bedroom? Before they 00:29:56.450 --> 00:29:58.269 get there just maybe wait till they get there 00:29:58.269 --> 00:29:59.769 if you want just in case they're running 10 minutes 00:29:59.769 --> 00:30:02.230 late I'm a Horner. I know how this works right 00:30:02.230 --> 00:30:06.190 put your phone on charge in the bedroom and Then 00:30:06.190 --> 00:30:08.849 I want you to sit and I want you to listen and 00:30:08.849 --> 00:30:16.539 I want you to talk Yeah, whoa indeed Because 00:30:16.539 --> 00:30:18.680 if you deliberately and intentionally extend 00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:20.940 hospitality to someone, and you invite them into 00:30:20.940 --> 00:30:22.779 your life, and you invite them into your home, 00:30:23.019 --> 00:30:25.680 and you really sit with them, Jesus will eventually 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:28.359 present Himself. He'll present Himself through 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:30.500 you, He'll present Himself through your words, 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:33.400 your actions, both incidental and deliberate. 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:37.279 People will start asking, what is it about this 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:39.440 home and this house that when I come here, people 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:43.339 will start asking you the question, which is 00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:46.259 that... My life is, I'm attempting to live my 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:48.599 life in a way that is a response to a loving 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:52.279 saving grace of Jesus Christ. Literally the reason 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:56.160 we do these things is for that. Now for many 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:58.200 there's a fear that evangelism is going to come 00:30:58.200 --> 00:31:00.519 off as disingenuous or forced, right? That's 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:02.380 why we're breaking it down into these habits. 00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:05.359 So let me make it really easy for you again. 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:07.500 Remember this, I want you to be a Christian first 00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:10.859 and an evangelist second. Because if you're doing 00:31:10.859 --> 00:31:13.450 the first one, the second one will flow out of 00:31:13.450 --> 00:31:15.230 that and through that without you even realizing 00:31:15.230 --> 00:31:19.289 half the time. But I don't want you to be afraid 00:31:19.289 --> 00:31:22.490 to do the latter. I don't want you to be afraid 00:31:22.490 --> 00:31:26.329 to be deliberate in doing the latter. Because 00:31:26.329 --> 00:31:28.069 again, if I can give you that kind of slightly 00:31:28.069 --> 00:31:30.910 heftier challenge, if you're not willing to go 00:31:30.910 --> 00:31:33.509 and seek out the one, your plus one in the name 00:31:33.509 --> 00:31:40.390 of Jesus, who will? Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts 00:31:40.390 --> 00:31:44.359 every... everybody's favorite German priest. 00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:47.420 Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it this way, the church 00:31:47.420 --> 00:31:50.859 is the church only when it exists for others. 00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:55.940 Just a reminder to each of you, if you are here 00:31:55.940 --> 00:31:58.519 in your follower of Jesus, you are the church. 00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:01.720 So if the church is only the church when it exists 00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:04.839 for others, we are only the church when we exist 00:32:04.839 --> 00:32:10.380 for others. Our hospitality and our evangelism 00:32:10.380 --> 00:32:13.140 is in the service of others. And in this direct 00:32:13.140 --> 00:32:14.900 instance, I'm going to make it really easy for 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:19.839 you. Most notably, it's for your plus ones. You 00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:23.019 have to be willing to be completely unreasonable 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:27.299 in your pursuit of your plus one. But be unreasonable 00:32:27.299 --> 00:32:31.819 with a love that seems unimaginable. That's the 00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:35.119 greatest form of evangelism you've got. It's 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:38.569 the kind of evangelism that comes out of the 00:32:38.569 --> 00:32:40.569 love that Jesus chased and continues to chase 00:32:40.569 --> 00:32:41.269 us down with.