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 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:29.179 message from our preaching team. Thanks be to 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:31.739 God, indeed. Hey everyone, for those who don't 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:34.939 know me, I am Tex. I am part of the pastoral 00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:36.880 team here at Encounter Henley. It is absolutely 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.140 my pleasure and great honor to bring you the 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:44.979 word today. So, I have got a really good mate 00:00:44.979 --> 00:00:47.659 of mine. His name is Matty or Matty B. He is 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:50.600 Cadence's godfather. Really good friend. He's 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.600 an Delilah's godfather. Close enough, right? 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:55.960 I love, I should have gotten somebody to check 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:58.200 any part of this. I thought the theology might 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:01.420 get me. No, the godparent labeling has got me. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:03.960 I would also like to start again, Jazz. Is that 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:06.079 okay? Is that good, Church? So I've got this 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:08.579 great mate, he's Matty B, also known as obviously 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:11.480 Delilah's godfather. going through great pains. 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:13.920 He actually bought a The Godfather t -shirt to 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:16.560 wear to her like naming day which was an unbelievable 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:19.560 vibe. So Matty is not a Christian and he knew 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:22.200 me before I was a Christian as well. Matty is 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:25.680 also one of maybe the smartest people that I 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.719 know. He's this unbelievably gifted talker and 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.359 orator and he's a deep thinker and we have these 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:33.299 semi -regular chats, they're not as often as 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:35.439 either of us would like, where we get together 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:37.620 and we drink far too much batch brew at an ice 00:01:37.620 --> 00:01:40.019 cafe somewhere and then we do just go really 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:41.959 deep in conversation really, really quickly. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:45.359 Like I said, he is just one of the great asker 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:49.719 of questions that I know. He has like just rapier 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.340 like wit, whip smart. He has absolutely no dramas 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:56.099 with calling on your own nonsense. And his BS 00:01:56.099 --> 00:01:58.719 meter has like a hair trigger, right? And he 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.980 will absolutely let you know about it. and he's 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:03.799 one of my best mates. I just love the guy to 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:05.620 death and about three years ago we're having 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:07.920 one of these conversations and as they quite 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:11.819 often tend to do these days, Matty is one of 00:02:11.819 --> 00:02:13.800 my mates. He's gone from atheist to agnostic 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:15.819 which I consider like a great victory in the 00:02:15.819 --> 00:02:17.960 kingdom, right? So we're getting there and we're 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.740 having one of these conversations and quite often 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:23.539 the conversation will turn to like Jesus and 00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:25.180 faith and my life is a Christian and what does 00:02:25.180 --> 00:02:29.680 that mean? And we talked about how a relationship 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.659 with Jesus changed my life, how living in a Christian 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:34.740 community and being part of a Christian community 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:37.800 has changed my perception of community, what 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:40.060 I think that that is meant to look like, what 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:42.379 family is meant to look like, what life in general 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:44.240 is just meant to look like. And he said, well, 00:02:44.580 --> 00:02:47.360 like, how? How does a Christian community change 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.439 your perspective on these things? And I said, 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:51.979 well, like I spoke about things that I'd seen, 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:54.120 right? I spoke about support that I'd seen. I 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:56.060 spoke about, you know, people with new babies 00:02:56.060 --> 00:02:58.300 having clothes dropped off for them and meals 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:01.419 dropped off for them of, you know, hospital visits. 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.039 The way that my kids had been loved and tended 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:06.379 to and these relationships I'd seen them form, 00:03:07.259 --> 00:03:09.740 like just love that I'd seen poured out. And 00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:12.259 he went, yeah, doesn't the footy club kind of 00:03:12.259 --> 00:03:22.599 do the same thing? And he's like, nah, like I'm 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:24.400 in a member of like a soccer club. Like, you 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:26.719 know, I've seen drops of like spag bol dropped 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.360 off of people and, you know, helping out a sick 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.780 mate, people belong. Like, what's the difference? 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.000 I said, he asks really good questions. And I 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.500 thought about it. He doesn't give me a lot of 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:41.500 time to think about. And I put together the kind 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:43.520 of best reply that I could muster in the moment, 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:45.240 because it kind of made me feel a bit on the 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:48.919 spot. And I went, to me where it's a bit different 00:03:48.919 --> 00:03:52.659 is there's like an agreed upon foundation, which 00:03:52.659 --> 00:03:55.580 for us is Jesus, that this community is built 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:59.080 on. And as a result, there's kind of an expectation 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:02.300 that we all participate in and live in a way 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:05.479 that kind of marries that through both love and 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:09.199 accountability in equal measures. And then I 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:12.500 went, oh, that sounded pretty good. I was very 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:15.680 relieved with myself. And then he went, all right, 00:04:15.699 --> 00:04:17.620 can I, like, he thought about it for a second. 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:19.240 He's like, I'm going to ask you one more question 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:21.680 then. I said, great, let's do that. And he went 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:23.879 to this church, this community you're part of. 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:27.120 And I said, yeah. And he said, are they doing 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:30.759 that? Are they living that out? Is everybody 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:32.420 at that church and everybody in that community 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:34.639 living out that expectation that you are saying 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:40.870 that you guys all have agreed to meet? Said yeah, 00:04:40.910 --> 00:04:43.449 I think so like that's where all the good stuff 00:04:43.449 --> 00:04:45.149 that I just talked to you about came from where 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:48.250 this kind of re Remodeled idea of community that 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:51.569 I have came from so yeah, mostly. Yeah. Yeah, 00:04:51.589 --> 00:04:53.490 we're pretty good Don't worry Henley. This was 00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:57.329 three years ago. You guys are off the hook And 00:04:57.329 --> 00:05:00.310 then he hit me with kind of the double oof question 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:06.709 anyone and what about you You doing it I'd like 00:05:06.709 --> 00:05:11.180 to not answer that one. I said I hope so. I guess 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:12.740 you'd be able to tell me better than I would, 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:19.800 dude. Like, I try pretty hard. Always. You know, 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:22.180 it's, it's, it's, I'd like to, and I think I 00:05:22.180 --> 00:05:25.620 am. And then I feel like, how do I make sure, 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:27.579 how do I make sure that I am? Like, I came up 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:29.360 with that answer of like, what does good Christian 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:32.490 community look like off the cuff? And then I 00:05:32.490 --> 00:05:33.829 went, well how do I make sure that I'm doing 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:36.069 that? How do I make sure that I am not just part 00:05:36.069 --> 00:05:38.050 of a community that looks like that, but I'm 00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:40.990 part of forming a community that looks like that? 00:05:42.089 --> 00:05:46.029 And how do I continue to help to build a community 00:05:46.029 --> 00:05:49.910 that I believe that I can be proud of, and more 00:05:49.910 --> 00:05:51.589 importantly that I think that Jesus would be 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:56.129 proud of? One that demonstrably stands out, honestly, 00:05:56.689 --> 00:05:59.240 from the local footy club. How do our actions 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:01.699 look different? And not just when it's easy, 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:05.959 but actually when it's pretty hard too. Now the 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:07.839 Barna Group, this incredible group, they're a 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:09.779 lot of research and they have done a report which 00:06:09.779 --> 00:06:13.899 is that 84 % of non -Christians know a Christian, 00:06:14.740 --> 00:06:16.500 which is a pretty good number, that's a pretty 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:23.759 good study. However, only 15 % of non -Christians 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.970 who personally know a Christian notice that the 00:06:26.970 --> 00:06:29.509 Christian's lifestyle is noticeably different 00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:35.089 to theirs in any way. I'll be honest, when I 00:06:35.089 --> 00:06:38.329 saw this I thought, that's a pretty damning statistic. 00:06:39.170 --> 00:06:42.790 Like it's not, it's not irredeemable, but it's 00:06:42.790 --> 00:06:44.550 kind of not what we're called to do and not who 00:06:44.550 --> 00:06:47.129 we're called to be either. It speaks louder than 00:06:47.129 --> 00:06:48.970 I'd like it to be, and you know, like, Texas 00:06:48.970 --> 00:06:50.829 isn't this about community, and yes it is, and 00:06:50.829 --> 00:06:54.480 we'll get there. community this body that we 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:55.939 talked about heard about in the readings like 00:06:55.939 --> 00:06:59.420 it is made up of a bunch of individual parts 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:02.319 and pieces and individual people and if we as 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.079 individuals are not standing out different to 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:07.319 our non -christian friends into a non -christian 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:09.500 world around us is any different what chance 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:12.759 do we have as a complete body to stand out to 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:15.079 differentiate ourselves from the sense of community 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:17.459 that people can get from the local footy club 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:19.399 so if that change isn't noticeable what chance 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:21.899 do we have And then I thought, okay, so is there 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:24.939 a model? How do we form communities that do stand 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:27.779 out? And then I guess more importantly, why do 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:29.939 we want to form communities that stand out? What's 00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:32.680 so important about us being a little bit different 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:36.360 to the normal, to the world around us? Now Acts 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:38.339 2, the reading that Jazz so beautifully read, 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:42.160 despite whoever demanded a sequel, Acts 2, the 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:44.459 reading that Jazz gave us, it gives us a really 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:47.319 glorious vision of the early church. It gives 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:49.600 us a nice blueprint that we can kind of follow 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:53.759 and live by and then we had Angus's Equally good 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:57.160 reading of 1 Corinthians in which it just kind 00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:00.879 of Reinforces and reminds us of the foundation. 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:04.120 I'm sorry. Yeah reminds us of the why of that 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:06.879 foundation. So you've got acts Acts 2 over here 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.620 which is kind of giving us this super practical 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:12.600 model that we can follow and then Corinthians, 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:14.839 this one Corinthians giving us the why behind 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:18.420 it. So that goes into, we are starting this new 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:21.180 series today, if you made it through the whole 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:23.259 evangelism series, evangelism for everyone series 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:25.540 with us, six weeks there, well done, thank you. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.000 We are starting a new series today called A Long 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.040 Obedience in the Same Direction and this sermon 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.320 is entitled Committing to Community and the reason 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.360 we're doing that is because it's only when we 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.700 as a community commit to not just the action, 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:43.500 but the why behind the action, that the true 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:45.419 depth of the community can actually begin to 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:48.799 form and take hold. And it's only through the 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:52.860 combination of the action and the why that Jesus 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:55.399 is glorified. And as a result, our differences 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:57.759 become noticeable to the world around us in a 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:02.860 really, really positive way. Andy Stanley ponders 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:05.700 with this, he says, imagine a world in which 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.539 non -believers were critical of what we believe, 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.840 but envious of how well we treated each other. 00:09:13.220 --> 00:09:16.000 And that's kind of the heart of what I'm wanting 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:18.360 to get to today. Like I said, the beginning of 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:23.620 Acts 2 finds us just 10 days after Jesus ascension 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:25.500 to heaven. The Apostle Peter has just preached 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:29.759 an absolute banger. He's declared Jesus as the 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:33.210 Messiah, people are convicted, but they're also 00:09:33.210 --> 00:09:37.529 maybe a teeny tiny bit lost. And they say, brothers, 00:09:37.570 --> 00:09:41.750 what shall we do? So Peter called those gathered 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:44.850 to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:48.129 for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the 00:09:48.129 --> 00:09:51.799 gift of the Holy Spirit. And they do. To the 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:55.000 tune of 3 ,000 people in one day, we've heard 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:56.740 this story a bunch of time, we hear about it 00:09:56.740 --> 00:09:59.600 every Pentecost, it's amazing, it's fantastic, 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:03.159 but up until now the community of these believers 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:08.039 that have been there is 120 people. So, overnight, 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:10.360 imagine if you walked out of this room after 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.279 this service, we'll go with similar kind of figures, 00:10:12.379 --> 00:10:14.919 we're not 120, and there's a thousand people 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:17.100 outside ready to grab coffee straight after this 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:21.309 service. Man... I would be petrified. We don't 00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:24.029 have enough milk for that, right? So what happens 00:10:24.029 --> 00:10:26.669 is you've got 3 ,000 people in one day come to 00:10:26.669 --> 00:10:29.110 believe Jesus is Messiah, come to faith in Jesus, 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:32.169 and that's quite a jump. And now we've got, and 00:10:32.169 --> 00:10:34.289 now what? These people, these 3 ,000 that have 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:36.149 come to faith, they have come from all over. 00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:39.470 These are people of different backgrounds. These 00:10:39.470 --> 00:10:41.190 are people from different nations, different 00:10:41.190 --> 00:10:45.899 languages, different everything. And now, And 00:10:45.899 --> 00:10:48.700 the only prerequisite to becoming a part of this 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:56.000 community was like a baptism and then reforming 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.059 your life around a belief in Jesus as the Messiah. 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:00.639 And you might go, that's a pretty big prerequisite 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:03.559 text. And like it is, but aside from that, that's 00:11:03.559 --> 00:11:07.759 like the one thing they now have in common. So 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:11.009 like, how is this going to work? How are you 00:11:11.009 --> 00:11:15.230 now going to take these 3 ,120 people and go, 00:11:15.409 --> 00:11:20.190 cool, community, off you go, right? Now as Eugene 00:11:20.190 --> 00:11:22.950 Peterson puts it, he says, Scripture knows nothing 00:11:22.950 --> 00:11:27.570 of a solitary Christian. People of faith are 00:11:27.570 --> 00:11:30.210 always members of a community. So what we find 00:11:30.210 --> 00:11:32.629 now is these new members, these new believers, 00:11:32.889 --> 00:11:36.070 these new people with a new and rejuvenated faith 00:11:36.070 --> 00:11:40.460 are now having to form a community. And this 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:43.480 community sets out to live, man there's a lot 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:46.460 of, little tongue twister here, this community 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:49.419 sets out to a communal way of life. Well done 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:51.919 Taxi, you did it. They've got a commitment to 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:53.960 each other. Thank you, I received that. A commitment 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:56.220 to each other in which all benefit and none are 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:57.779 left behind. This is the commitment that they 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:00.559 make to each other. They have faith, but based 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:02.500 on what we see next, then they also start to 00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:04.700 form a structure with which to build their faith 00:12:04.700 --> 00:12:07.899 around. They commit to meeting regularly, sitting 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:11.200 under teaching, fellowship, breaking bread or 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:13.840 the sharing of meals, and prayer, right? Now 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:19.490 if that sounds familiar to you at all, I love 00:12:19.490 --> 00:12:22.529 to break it to you. That is the rhythm that we 00:12:22.529 --> 00:12:28.649 are attempting to form here at Encounter Henley. 00:12:29.490 --> 00:12:31.649 Meeting weekly at Sunday Gatherings where we 00:12:31.649 --> 00:12:34.240 worship and we learn together. RDG is where we 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:36.419 meet for fellowship and the breaking of bread 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:38.960 and it's all covered with as much prayer as we 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.279 can put together. Ask Charlie if you'd like some 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:45.039 tips on how to pray more, right? Now our Senior 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:47.639 Global Mega Pastors Mike and Jen Wardrop, when 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:52.100 they planted the First Encounter Church, I mean, 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:53.440 don't tell them this, they're not going to listen 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:56.860 to this podcast, I promise. They're not geniuses. 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:02.340 You know what, tell them, screenshot it. Clip 00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:05.159 that. clip that. They're not geniuses. No, no, 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:07.460 no. This is the thing. We overcomplicate. Somebody 00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:10.759 just clipped it. I can't wait for this slack 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:13.919 after service. Then I'll say it again because 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:16.120 it bears repeating. Mike and Jen are not geniuses. 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:20.419 They looked at the oldest, best form of church 00:13:20.419 --> 00:13:23.340 model that exists in the Bible and went, why 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:28.850 don't we just try to do that? Seems pretty straightforward, 00:13:28.970 --> 00:13:31.190 right? Now, if you've come along with us at any 00:13:31.190 --> 00:13:34.330 stage of that for the ride, congratulations. 00:13:35.570 --> 00:13:37.409 I've got great news for you. Coming to church 00:13:37.409 --> 00:13:39.590 isn't just good for your spiritual health. A 00:13:39.590 --> 00:13:41.330 study by the Harvard School of Public Health 00:13:41.330 --> 00:13:44.129 reveals that weekly church attendance is associated 00:13:44.129 --> 00:13:46.759 with lower mortality risk and rate. The average 00:13:46.759 --> 00:13:48.759 church attendant who goes weekly lives for four 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:50.399 years longer than a non -attending Christian. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:52.860 Lower rates of depression, lower rates of suicide, 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:55.720 better health behaviors, greater marital stability, 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:59.620 overall health and purpose in life. That is not 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:01.840 a bad list. If you're in the room and you're 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:05.019 here every week, well done. Now we don't need 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:07.480 to reinvent the wheel on this one. Weekly attendance 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:09.340 belonging to a church community will nourish 00:14:09.340 --> 00:14:13.299 you spiritually, physically and mentally. And 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:16.179 that's as true now as it was then. In a culture 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:20.539 that was all about honor and title and status, 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:24.500 doesn't sound like 2025 at all, a community in 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:26.759 which all are welcomed, in which walls are broken 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:30.000 down, practices and care are shared, all of it 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:32.899 publicly, all of it for the benefit of the we, 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:36.440 not I. These changes and these differences which 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:38.500 are fueled by Jesus, which are fueled by the 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:42.559 Holy Spirit, they stand out like a beacon to 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:46.269 the world around us. This community in Acts 2, 00:14:46.269 --> 00:14:49.570 they are gaining favor of all of the people around 00:14:49.570 --> 00:14:52.490 them. Remind you, this is a community that is 00:14:52.490 --> 00:14:56.529 formed very quickly, very suddenly, in not necessarily 00:14:56.529 --> 00:14:59.250 always the most friendly of circumstances. But 00:14:59.250 --> 00:15:01.330 through the way that people are looking from 00:15:01.330 --> 00:15:04.330 the outside into this community, they are gaining 00:15:04.330 --> 00:15:06.929 favor. That comment we had before of like, hey, 00:15:06.990 --> 00:15:09.110 people may not believe what you believe, but 00:15:09.110 --> 00:15:10.870 man, they should look at what you're doing in 00:15:10.870 --> 00:15:13.809 the way that you're living and go, that I understand. 00:15:14.009 --> 00:15:16.990 care and love. I can see that. That feels good. 00:15:17.090 --> 00:15:19.330 I can get around that. They're doing that. They're 00:15:19.330 --> 00:15:23.009 doing it in such a way that it's not only not 00:15:23.009 --> 00:15:25.610 being ignored, it's being seen and people are 00:15:25.610 --> 00:15:28.590 going, I get it. I'm looking at these people 00:15:28.590 --> 00:15:31.149 super positively and the Lord continues to bring 00:15:31.149 --> 00:15:33.590 people into this community daily. They are having 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:35.970 daily salvations. This community is not just 00:15:35.970 --> 00:15:38.870 there, it is growing and those people are staying. 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:41.929 They are united in Christ and formed around that 00:15:41.929 --> 00:15:45.210 and then they continue. as they are united as 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:51.049 part of a community. But churches, much like 00:15:51.049 --> 00:15:53.190 your little footy club, little, I meant to say 00:15:53.190 --> 00:15:56.429 local, that sounded so demeaning, much like your 00:15:56.429 --> 00:15:59.070 little footy club, churches, much like footy 00:15:59.070 --> 00:16:00.929 clubs, much like workplaces, much like anywhere 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:06.529 else you go, they're full of people. Which means 00:16:06.529 --> 00:16:09.750 that we tend to revert back to old habits and 00:16:09.750 --> 00:16:12.669 behaviors. We may lose sight of what really matters 00:16:12.669 --> 00:16:16.730 the worst of it is that we Forget or we deliberately 00:16:16.730 --> 00:16:18.649 start to kind of go against what we know to be 00:16:18.649 --> 00:16:22.049 true So you see this early church, it formed 00:16:22.049 --> 00:16:24.250 and it spread. This is how it worked, all right? 00:16:24.269 --> 00:16:27.610 You form and you spread. And the church in Corinth 00:16:27.610 --> 00:16:30.850 had started strong, but over the years had kind 00:16:30.850 --> 00:16:33.789 of forgotten a little bit of its original mission 00:16:33.789 --> 00:16:37.330 and its original vision, right? So it's now made 00:16:37.330 --> 00:16:40.350 way, the part of the letter that precedes what 00:16:40.350 --> 00:16:43.600 we've... what we've heard today from Angus is 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:46.120 that all of this original vision, all of this 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:48.320 original heart, it's made way for infighting, 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:50.580 it's made way for power grabs, it's made way 00:16:50.580 --> 00:16:52.919 for worldly wisdom. Like we've kind of forgotten 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:55.820 the why, the foundational why of Jesus for doing 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:58.440 this to begin with. And what it's done in turn 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:00.980 is it's started to form one of those Christian 00:17:00.980 --> 00:17:03.279 communities that the world around you, instead 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:05.220 of looking out with great favour, kind of starts 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:09.759 to look out with a bit of a side eye. And it's 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:11.740 in the light of this that the letter to the Corinthian 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:14.160 church is written. Paul takes time in this letter 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:18.440 to remind them there is no greater than because 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:22.420 there's no less than in a Jesus -bound community. 00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:26.059 Diversity of backgrounds, diversity of skill 00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:29.000 sets, different giftings, this isn't a bug, this 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.869 is a feature. The body metaphor is pretty cool. 00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:34.430 I'm not gonna repeat the whole thing now. The 00:17:34.430 --> 00:17:35.849 body thing is pretty cool. You know, you need 00:17:35.849 --> 00:17:38.269 ears to hear, eyes to see. Even the parts of 00:17:38.269 --> 00:17:41.049 you that you deemed unnecessary or you deemed 00:17:41.049 --> 00:17:47.329 weak, all of that forms to make one body. Now, 00:17:47.650 --> 00:17:50.990 this isn't a goal to be achieved. It's a fact 00:17:50.990 --> 00:17:55.740 to be recognized. In fact, some parts of the 00:17:55.740 --> 00:17:58.180 body that seem weakest and least important are 00:17:58.180 --> 00:18:00.759 actually the most necessary. And the parts we 00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:02.640 regard as less honourable are those we clothe 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.359 with the greatest care. So we carefully protect 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:07.279 those parts that should not be seen. 1 Corinthians 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:13.299 12, 22 to 23. It's not just taking care of those 00:18:13.299 --> 00:18:16.259 that we deem weaker that form healthy communities. 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:23.019 A healthy community is really formed and we really 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:25.640 start to take care of people when we start to 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.380 remove the designations that we put on people 00:18:28.380 --> 00:18:31.500 where we deem them less than, we deem them weaker, 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:34.400 we deem them not a full part of our community. 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.940 If we can remove those designations that we put 00:18:38.940 --> 00:18:42.230 in place, the body will be better. for it, it 00:18:42.230 --> 00:18:44.670 will be healthier for it, our people will feel 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:48.470 more loved for it. If you want a committed and 00:18:48.470 --> 00:18:52.009 deeper community, you need to focus on the similarities, 00:18:52.470 --> 00:18:54.549 the unity of that group. What brings us together? 00:18:54.930 --> 00:18:58.730 The differences that we possess must become a 00:18:58.730 --> 00:19:03.130 tool to strengthen and uplift, not a rod that 00:19:03.130 --> 00:19:09.170 is used to divide. Let's keep reading. This makes 00:19:09.170 --> 00:19:11.829 for harmony among the members so that all the 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:13.910 members care for each other. If one part suffers, 00:19:14.250 --> 00:19:16.490 all the parts suffer with it, and if one part 00:19:16.490 --> 00:19:19.069 is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you 00:19:19.069 --> 00:19:21.809 together are Christ's body and each of you is 00:19:21.809 --> 00:19:25.769 a part of it. Now we are called to be a community 00:19:25.769 --> 00:19:29.849 that fight for each other. We are called to be 00:19:29.849 --> 00:19:32.339 a community that celebrate one another. We are 00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:34.440 called to be a community who champion each other's 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:36.819 differences and uplift each other where there 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:44.220 may be perceived gaps or flaws. The second we 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:46.980 start to see these differences, the second we 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:50.019 start to go, well, I can't sing like Carmen. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:56.339 I can't host like Dan. None of us can, right? 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:59.759 The second we start to see those things, as a 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.500 reason for division rather than as a cause for 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:06.839 celebration we're toast. We're in trouble because 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:08.740 what happens then is we allow those that feel 00:20:08.740 --> 00:20:11.279 broken or we allow those that are perceived as 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.180 less than to become isolated rather than to view 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.400 them as we should do as part of this body that 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:19.140 we love and that we need and draw them in closer. 00:20:20.129 --> 00:20:22.710 We need a healthy, greater body. They only do 00:20:22.710 --> 00:20:25.170 that with all of us in tow and all of us pulling 00:20:25.170 --> 00:20:27.569 in the same direction. And if we don't do that, 00:20:27.569 --> 00:20:30.269 I'll be honest, we are failing them and we are 00:20:30.269 --> 00:20:32.730 failing each other. And as a result, we are failing 00:20:32.730 --> 00:20:36.869 the greater body. And most importantly, the second 00:20:36.869 --> 00:20:39.329 we start to do that, we are falling short of 00:20:39.329 --> 00:20:45.029 Jesus's vision for His church. Why? Because... 00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:47.640 Everywhere else that we go in life, in every 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:50.099 other community we're part of, people want us 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:54.519 to earn our place. Our value in every other community 00:20:54.519 --> 00:20:58.599 we are part of is defined by what we do. And 00:20:58.599 --> 00:21:02.000 too often they expect the best versions of us. 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:07.619 In our workplaces, in our sporting clubs, for 00:21:07.619 --> 00:21:11.619 too many of us, in our families. in our marriages, 00:21:12.420 --> 00:21:16.140 in our friendships, in our relationships. Not 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:20.240 here. Not Jesus. These are different expectations. 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:22.059 These are different hopes, different desires. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:27.500 Joseph B. Worthland says, the church is not a 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:29.980 place where perfect people gather to say perfect 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:32.900 things or have perfect thoughts or have perfect 00:21:32.900 --> 00:21:35.500 feelings. The church is a place where imperfect 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:38.000 people gather to provide encouragement, support 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.039 and service to each other as we press on in our 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:55.460 journey to return to the Heavenly Father. Those 00:21:55.460 --> 00:21:58.579 imperfections, be they perceived or real, whatever 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.200 they might be, they create our differences, but 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:03.440 it's those differences that make us this beautiful 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.319 community. As I look around a room like this 00:22:05.319 --> 00:22:07.180 one, as I see Henley starting to form as I go 00:22:07.180 --> 00:22:09.559 to Enfield when I visit there, and I look around 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:12.539 the room, the reason I love a community like 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:15.059 this one is because I go, in what other way and 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:17.140 for what other reason would this exact group 00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:19.500 of people be forming and forming the relationships 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:21.720 they're forming in the way that we are? And I 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:26.309 don't have one. It's only through a Jesus -centered 00:22:26.309 --> 00:22:28.730 community that you take people from all walks 00:22:28.730 --> 00:22:30.809 of life and all backgrounds and say, you know 00:22:30.809 --> 00:22:32.990 what? Everyone is equal. We are all the same 00:22:32.990 --> 00:22:35.970 and we're all going to do our best with and for 00:22:35.970 --> 00:22:40.589 each other. We talked just then about how in 00:22:40.589 --> 00:22:42.569 so many other places that we need to kind of 00:22:42.569 --> 00:22:44.549 almost earn our place in those communities. We 00:22:44.549 --> 00:22:46.309 need to earn our position. We need to earn a 00:22:46.309 --> 00:22:48.329 title. I want to make it really, really clear. 00:22:48.849 --> 00:22:51.950 In this room, in this church, you have value 00:22:51.950 --> 00:22:55.690 and you are valued. Not because I say so, but 00:22:55.690 --> 00:22:59.529 because Jesus says so. And I fear that for many 00:22:59.529 --> 00:23:04.049 of us, we have a tendency to become really focused 00:23:04.049 --> 00:23:06.910 on who we're not, or what we're not, and as a 00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:11.190 result, what we are not capable of. Or I'll be 00:23:11.190 --> 00:23:14.910 honest, I don't want to say worse, but equally 00:23:14.910 --> 00:23:18.990 as bad, shall we say. We start to see those perceived 00:23:18.990 --> 00:23:22.960 shortcomings in each other. And without attention, 00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:25.599 those feelings will turn to jealousy, anger, 00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:30.059 or bitterness. And nothing will damage your relationships 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:32.380 with each other or within this community more 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:35.180 than feelings of anger, jealousy, bitterness 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:42.049 that are just left to run rampant. And this is 00:23:42.049 --> 00:23:44.250 gonna sound like kind of a self -serving expression 00:23:44.250 --> 00:23:46.930 based on what I'm talking about today, but truly 00:23:46.930 --> 00:23:51.009 the best combat for that is to dig really, really 00:23:51.009 --> 00:23:55.269 deep into community. With the rhythms that are 00:23:55.269 --> 00:23:57.690 set out for us in Acts 2, and then forming them 00:23:57.690 --> 00:23:59.430 around the truth laid out in 1 Corinthians 3, 00:23:59.650 --> 00:24:01.769 that letter, because it's in combination of those 00:24:01.769 --> 00:24:03.789 two things that we're forced to confront and 00:24:03.789 --> 00:24:05.690 defeat those negative feelings that too often 00:24:05.690 --> 00:24:10.210 create weaknesses in our communities. Because 00:24:10.210 --> 00:24:12.349 when you have that assurance that you are part 00:24:12.349 --> 00:24:14.369 of a greater body, when you have an assurance 00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:17.869 that regardless of background, regardless of 00:24:17.869 --> 00:24:19.710 any weakness, regardless of how you're going 00:24:19.710 --> 00:24:23.190 today, that your place in this community is 100 00:24:23.190 --> 00:24:28.490 % secure. And it's within security that when 00:24:28.490 --> 00:24:30.910 things get tough, and they will get tough because 00:24:30.910 --> 00:24:33.250 again, welcome to a church that is completely 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:37.049 full of people, right? When things get tough, 00:24:37.230 --> 00:24:39.950 it's that security that kind of gives us that 00:24:39.950 --> 00:24:43.809 sense of a knowing and a willingness to work 00:24:43.809 --> 00:24:47.930 things through. You know, when you know that 00:24:47.930 --> 00:24:51.849 the accidental wrong thing said, you know, that 00:24:51.849 --> 00:24:54.410 doesn't get taken away from you. We don't do 00:24:54.410 --> 00:24:58.809 that here. Security forms a foundation for desire 00:24:58.809 --> 00:25:01.309 to work to a better conclusion because we all 00:25:01.309 --> 00:25:05.559 have the same mission. When you see someone every 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:10.160 week, you see the best of them. When you see 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:12.079 someone every week, you also see the worst of 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:17.160 them. Proximity has a funny way of doing that. 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:20.019 The closer you are with someone, the more consistently 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:21.839 you get to see their best and you also get to 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:24.240 see them at their worst. Do not make eye contact 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:27.799 with anyone right now. even I'm looking down. 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:30.500 But that proximity in doing life together and 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:32.700 doing it closely, that's actually where we earn 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:34.960 the right, and I'll be honest, it's not just 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:38.200 the right, it's actually the expectation to uplift, 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:42.480 empower, encourage, and yes, hold each other 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:47.339 accountable. Not based on preference, but based 00:25:47.339 --> 00:25:49.680 on agreement that we're all kind of chasing down 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:51.660 and focusing on the same end result, the same 00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:55.880 end goal. A spirit -filled Jesus -centered community. 00:25:56.109 --> 00:25:58.509 that shines like a lighthouse to the community 00:25:58.509 --> 00:26:05.170 around us. And I guess what I wanted to think 00:26:05.170 --> 00:26:07.509 about in this, and what I wanted to ask as part 00:26:07.509 --> 00:26:12.170 of this is, is will all of you, that thing that 00:26:12.170 --> 00:26:14.549 was, that quote from before, you know, hey, we're 00:26:14.549 --> 00:26:16.509 all kind of, the end result is we're all pushing 00:26:16.509 --> 00:26:18.750 towards that, forwards on our journey towards 00:26:18.750 --> 00:26:23.970 a renewal and a... I've just completely lost 00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:25.190 the word here and I did not have it written down. 00:26:25.349 --> 00:26:27.289 We're looking, we're on that path and that's 00:26:27.289 --> 00:26:31.670 striving back towards our Heavenly Father. What 00:26:31.670 --> 00:26:33.190 I'm asking if you're here and if you want to 00:26:33.190 --> 00:26:35.089 do that is do you want to come with us? Do you 00:26:35.089 --> 00:26:36.789 want to be part of this community that does that, 00:26:36.789 --> 00:26:38.569 that chases that down with everything that we've 00:26:38.569 --> 00:26:41.910 got? Now if you're someone who's kind of a bit 00:26:41.910 --> 00:26:44.630 more of a dipping their toe in the water kind 00:26:44.630 --> 00:26:47.230 of person, that's totally okay. I'd really love 00:26:47.230 --> 00:26:49.170 to challenge you. Let's change from dipping your 00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:53.359 toe in the water to a cannibal. Because we want 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:58.019 you here. We need you here. I've got a promise 00:26:58.019 --> 00:27:02.099 for you. We are not perfect. I got a second promise 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:06.359 for you. Neither are you, sorry. Sucks, huh? 00:27:07.400 --> 00:27:10.579 And that's okay. Not only okay, it's kind of 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:16.680 a point. And we want you here, not just because 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:18.579 we want to join together, but because we want 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:21.680 to stay together and form around those truths. 00:27:22.369 --> 00:27:24.309 And I kind of want to see what Jesus can do with 00:27:24.309 --> 00:27:28.250 that. Now if you love the idea of a community 00:27:28.250 --> 00:27:30.970 that looks like that, and want to be part of 00:27:30.970 --> 00:27:33.670 and help us build one here in Henley, and you're 00:27:33.670 --> 00:27:36.109 not really sure, well how does that go? How do 00:27:36.109 --> 00:27:40.690 I do this? What do I do to model that? Because 00:27:40.690 --> 00:27:43.529 this is a sermon, I've got three simple tips. 00:27:44.630 --> 00:27:47.210 That's right, we love three tips. Four is too 00:27:47.210 --> 00:27:48.910 many, two feels like I haven't put in any work. 00:27:49.410 --> 00:27:54.759 One! Show up! Congrats. Step one for everybody 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:56.059 in the room. You've done it. You did it. Way 00:27:56.059 --> 00:27:58.940 to go, kid. We are here every Sunday. We have 00:27:58.940 --> 00:28:01.940 RDGs Tuesday through Thursday. Show up consistently. 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:04.200 In the seven years I have been regularly attending 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:07.099 church, I have learned, I have learned that there 00:28:07.099 --> 00:28:08.900 are some people, this might sound funny, I don't 00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:11.880 message them during the week. Not because I don't 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:13.380 love them. It's because I know that I'm going 00:28:13.380 --> 00:28:17.680 to see them on Sunday. I know consistently, genuinely, 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:19.359 my seven years have been here. I know Jordy's 00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:21.759 going to be here on Sunday. I know Josh is going 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:24.700 to be here on Sunday. You know, now I don't wanna 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:26.839 like not pick out other people in the room. You 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:28.140 know, Matt and Jaz, you guys are gonna be here 00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:32.420 Sunday. These are people, oh no, everyone. Now 00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:34.779 you get to a point where if you don't single 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:37.259 somebody out, you're like, oh, don't see me every 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:39.720 weekend. No, there are certain people in my life 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:41.819 that I just stopped really contacting during 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:43.519 the week. Not because I don't want to, but because 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.759 I know I'm gonna get a chance to see them here 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:46.960 on Sunday. There's something so beautiful about 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:49.240 a consistency like that, that people will actually 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:52.990 start to form themselves around. It's amazing. 00:28:56.849 --> 00:29:04.890 Second tip, serve. If you've been coming for 00:29:04.890 --> 00:29:09.549 a little while and you haven't started serving 00:29:09.549 --> 00:29:12.130 or you're not sure, is that really, you know, 00:29:12.250 --> 00:29:15.630 what does that look like? Just talk to pretty 00:29:15.630 --> 00:29:17.970 much any of us here in the room at serve and 00:29:17.970 --> 00:29:20.009 just talk to us about it. Ask us why we do it. 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:21.720 you're going to get a bunch of different answers. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:26.319 Here's what I can promise you. We do not serve 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:30.740 and encounter Henley to fill spots. We said when 00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:33.500 we planted, if we planted with Tim with a Bible 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:37.519 in his hand and me with an acoustic guitar, we 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:39.099 can do that. We could have done that for years 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:41.180 if we really needed to. This isn't about filling 00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:44.259 spots. This is about the fact that everybody 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:46.599 in this room brings a unique personality with 00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:50.220 a unique gifting. And the thing that each of 00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:52.559 you can only bring into any room or any team 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:54.619 or any service that you bring, which is you. 00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:57.099 There is something about working shoulder to 00:29:57.099 --> 00:30:00.980 shoulder with people to form a collective, to 00:30:00.980 --> 00:30:03.200 form something that is bigger than just you, 00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:06.039 to remove the I from a situation and make it 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:08.680 about the we. You just simply cannot replicate 00:30:08.680 --> 00:30:12.819 any other way. It's pretty... It's pretty awesome 00:30:12.819 --> 00:30:14.900 to see. And you will notice it. You will see 00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:17.880 when people go from regularly attending to start 00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:21.319 serving on team, the relationships change again. 00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:25.220 They go to a deeper level again. If you want 00:30:25.220 --> 00:30:27.579 deeper relationships, serve. Not because I need 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:29.460 you to, but because I think you probably need 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:34.960 to. And the third tip is kind of less of a tip. 00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:37.119 It's just more of a reality, which is sacrifice. 00:30:38.450 --> 00:30:41.650 Three S's to alliteration and three points. Let's 00:30:41.650 --> 00:30:45.630 go. We're killing it today, right? Anything you 00:30:45.630 --> 00:30:47.529 truly want in life that's worth having, you are 00:30:47.529 --> 00:30:51.769 going to have to sacrifice something for. It's 00:30:51.769 --> 00:30:55.690 going to come at a cost. It might be time, it 00:30:55.690 --> 00:31:02.349 might be preference, it might be finance. But 00:31:02.349 --> 00:31:05.089 again, There is something about when you have 00:31:05.089 --> 00:31:07.029 committed to being somewhere every week, you've 00:31:07.029 --> 00:31:09.069 committed to serving and being part of a collective, 00:31:09.150 --> 00:31:11.349 and then you're saying, I'm willing to pay whatever 00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:14.390 the cost is to make that happen, that you really 00:31:14.390 --> 00:31:16.250 start to take ownership, you really start to 00:31:16.250 --> 00:31:18.650 see your place in this body and this family and 00:31:18.650 --> 00:31:25.690 this community start to take shape. This community 00:31:25.690 --> 00:31:27.829 and this body is only made whole when you own 00:31:27.829 --> 00:31:35.430 it. And I promise it's worth it. I'm going to 00:31:35.430 --> 00:31:38.609 start coming to a close band, so if all 35 of 00:31:38.609 --> 00:31:48.549 you would like to come back up. We show up and 00:31:48.549 --> 00:31:56.089 we serve and we make sacrifices. That's literally 00:31:56.089 --> 00:32:03.000 the model that Jesus modeled for us. much like 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:05.279 how a community forms and a body forms around 00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:09.240 those ideas of that it doesn't matter what our 00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:11.059 background is, it doesn't matter our skill set, 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:13.680 it doesn't matter what we have to offer, Jesus 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:17.160 showed up for us in exactly the same way, for 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:20.160 just a world full of imperfect sinners that could 00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:24.200 only be made perfect through Him. Because it 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:28.559 was only ever about taking a body and making 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:33.250 it whole again. It was only ever about the relationship 00:32:33.250 --> 00:32:38.930 with us that formed through that. It was about 00:32:38.930 --> 00:32:44.430 that willing sacrifice of Himself to ensure that 00:32:44.430 --> 00:32:46.210 we as His body would never have to be broken 00:32:46.210 --> 00:32:52.390 again. This loving sacrifice and this grace was 00:32:52.390 --> 00:32:55.589 poured out for us as an affirmation that we have 00:32:55.589 --> 00:32:59.650 value, that we have worth, That we are wanted, 00:32:59.809 --> 00:33:06.150 we are loved, and we are saved. Jesus' sacrifice 00:33:06.150 --> 00:33:08.970 on the cross ensuring a unified place in Him 00:33:08.970 --> 00:33:14.130 and with Him as part of one body. And the fact 00:33:14.130 --> 00:33:18.769 that that was secured forever. And all we ever 00:33:18.769 --> 00:33:20.730 had to do for that was to seek, repent, and accept 00:33:20.730 --> 00:33:25.849 Him as Lord and Saviour. Small cost for us, big 00:33:25.849 --> 00:33:30.339 cost for Him. And the way that we can kind of 00:33:30.339 --> 00:33:34.720 live out of that is to serve Him as we serve 00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:41.759 each other. Not to earn that gift but in recognition 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:48.140 of it. So as we come to a time of worship as 00:33:48.140 --> 00:33:52.720 we finish up today, again we've got our lovely 00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:54.200 prayer team up the back there who would love 00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:58.170 to pray for you. You know, I won't just grab 00:33:58.170 --> 00:33:59.809 somebody to pray with you if you feel like you 00:33:59.809 --> 00:34:04.549 need it, but I just can't help but feel that, 00:34:04.730 --> 00:34:06.690 as I look around this room, as Jordy prayed that 00:34:06.690 --> 00:34:08.670 prayer today, that prayer of gratitude, and I 00:34:08.670 --> 00:34:10.429 just couldn't help but echo it, because I just 00:34:10.429 --> 00:34:12.409 look at this community as it's forming and as 00:34:12.409 --> 00:34:15.769 it's growing. I see a bunch of people who are 00:34:15.769 --> 00:34:20.730 just chasing Jesus down with everything they've 00:34:20.730 --> 00:34:26.090 got. And our church is better for it. our community 00:34:26.090 --> 00:34:28.590 is better for it. I look around and see friendships 00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:30.650 that are forming, I see relationships that are 00:34:30.650 --> 00:34:33.349 forming, I see couples forming, I see marriages 00:34:33.349 --> 00:34:37.449 growing stronger, I see relationships and families 00:34:37.449 --> 00:34:40.630 that are kind of pulling back in together and 00:34:40.630 --> 00:34:42.369 I just think what could be better than that? 00:34:45.289 --> 00:34:49.789 What could be better than a community that focuses 00:34:49.789 --> 00:34:53.130 on something other than themselves and as a result 00:34:53.130 --> 00:34:55.840 gets to see all these beautiful growth and change 00:34:55.840 --> 00:34:57.719 so I just I would challenge you as we come into 00:34:57.719 --> 00:35:01.719 this time of response to pray about that to pray 00:35:01.719 --> 00:35:04.460 into maybe there is maybe there's something you've 00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:06.460 been telling yourself that's something you can't 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:08.320 do the reason you're less than the reason you're 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:10.340 weaker than and you need to pray into that and 00:35:10.340 --> 00:35:12.059 accept that you are just a beautiful beloved 00:35:12.059 --> 00:35:14.800 child of God and you are here for a reason and 00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:20.320 a purpose maybe you're recognizing there's someone 00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:23.699 I've been There's someone I've allowed my vision 00:35:23.699 --> 00:35:26.400 of to be tainted. I've been viewing them as less 00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:28.300 than or I've been viewing what they bring to 00:35:28.300 --> 00:35:30.159 this community as less than and maybe you need 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:32.360 to repent of that and that's okay. You can do 00:35:32.360 --> 00:35:34.820 that alone or you can do that with someone. Are 00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:36.840 you gonna approach that person and just pray 00:35:36.840 --> 00:35:44.880 with them? Tell them you love them. That's pretty 00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:48.079 good. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:49.800 the fact that we have the opportunity to join 00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:52.099 together as one body and one community under 00:35:52.099 --> 00:35:56.480 your loving name and in your loving grace. Father, 00:35:56.539 --> 00:36:00.099 we pray that you will empower us and invigorate 00:36:00.099 --> 00:36:03.059 us to see the value that we have as children 00:36:03.059 --> 00:36:07.719 of God. And as part of this community, I pray 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:12.340 that you will bless us and use all of our differences. 00:36:13.190 --> 00:36:15.630 All of the things that make us beautifully unique 00:36:15.630 --> 00:36:21.530 and individual and pull us into formation and 00:36:21.530 --> 00:36:23.409 community under your loving name.