WEBVTT 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:05.259 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:07.660 want to thank you for joining us today, and we 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:10.179 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:12.699 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:15.939 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:20.100 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:24.960 enjoy this week's message. Let's get into the 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:30.739 Word. Let's go to Acts 2, chapter 2, verse 42 00:00:30.739 --> 00:00:34.670 through 47. Let's read this together and then 00:00:34.670 --> 00:00:38.390 we'll pray and we'll get started. And they devoted 00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:40.950 themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship 00:00:40.950 --> 00:00:42.909 and to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:46.329 And all came upon every soul and many wonders 00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:48.570 and signs were being done through the apostles. 00:00:48.829 --> 00:00:51.210 And all who believed were together and had all 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:53.810 things in common. And they were selling their 00:00:53.810 --> 00:00:57.130 possessions and belongings and distributing the 00:00:57.130 --> 00:01:02.679 proceeds to all as any had need. And day by day, 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:04.799 attending the temple together and breaking bread 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:06.840 in their homes, they received their food with 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:10.400 glad and generous hearts, praising God and having 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:13.620 favor with all the people. And the Lord added 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:17.159 to their number day by day those who are being 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:19.480 saved. Lord God, we thank you for your word. 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:23.239 Lord, we ask that it would be as you say it is, 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.099 that it is a sword, Lord, that it would be the 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:28.579 sword of the Spirit, God, dividing between soul 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:31.859 and spirit. Lord, let there be a dividing between 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:35.299 us. Lord, inside of us, God, that we would receive 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:38.060 your word by the spirit, not just of the soul. 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:41.159 Lord, not just by our feelings or by our thoughts. 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:44.200 Lord, we don't want just intellectual words. 00:01:44.340 --> 00:01:47.379 We don't want just a show put on for entertainment. 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:50.480 But Father, we want to be changed and transformed 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:54.180 by your word. Lord, we ask that you would begin 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:57.579 to speak to us, Lord. We open our ears to hear. 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:00.489 We open our eyes to see. God, by your grace, 00:02:00.549 --> 00:02:03.469 everything that you want us to see and to hear 00:02:03.469 --> 00:02:07.000 today. Lord, let it be bread to us, God, filling 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.060 us to overflow. Lord, that let us meditate on 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:12.419 your word day and night. God, that this would 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:15.219 be something we would chew on for days. Lord, 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:17.919 we know that your word has such incredible depth. 00:02:18.139 --> 00:02:20.539 And so, Lord, we ask that for every person in 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:22.319 the room, Lord, your word would meet them where 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.280 they're at. That's one of the beautiful things 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:27.479 about your word is that it is shallow enough 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:30.319 for a toddler to play in and deep enough for 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.479 an elephant to drown at the same time. Lord, 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:35.800 we thank you. for just the incredible aspects 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:39.699 of your word. Lord, we bless you. We honor you. 00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:45.900 In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Amen. Well, I sent 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:50.039 my notes to Pastor Brad for this message, and 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:54.280 he sent me a couple things back. A lot less changes 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:58.099 than what he normally does, which is great. But 00:02:58.099 --> 00:02:59.960 one of his critiques that he said to me was, 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:01.900 there's a couple parts in here that are pretty 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:05.669 intense. And I'm like, if you're saying that, 00:03:05.710 --> 00:03:13.370 then I really need to be careful. So if I'm a 00:03:13.370 --> 00:03:16.550 little intense, then just, Pastor Brad approved 00:03:16.550 --> 00:03:20.629 this, okay? Blame him. If I say anything that 00:03:20.629 --> 00:03:22.789 upsets you, trust me, I'm not preaching next 00:03:22.789 --> 00:03:25.449 week. Brad will be back to be able to set things 00:03:25.449 --> 00:03:29.490 right. But the title of my message comes from 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:31.189 something the Lord has really put on my heart, 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:33.909 which is to take, our youth through the book 00:03:33.909 --> 00:03:35.530 of Acts. And so we've been going through the 00:03:35.530 --> 00:03:38.650 book of Acts verse by verse. And I think we've 00:03:38.650 --> 00:03:41.810 been in that series for probably two, three months. 00:03:41.889 --> 00:03:44.030 Am I right? Two or three months, four months. 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:47.849 And we are just now in chapter two. So if that 00:03:47.849 --> 00:03:50.469 doesn't tell you Brad's influence on my preaching, 00:03:50.669 --> 00:03:55.639 I don't know what else does. But we are just 00:03:55.639 --> 00:03:57.479 going through it. And this is a message I preached 00:03:57.479 --> 00:03:59.919 to the youth before. So I hope you guys get something 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:02.620 new out of it that you didn't get before if you 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:05.439 have heard this. But the title of my message 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:10.740 comes from the idea of the church. being a united 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:14.000 church. And especially in Acts chapter two, verse 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.839 42 through 47, which is the model of what church 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:20.240 is supposed to look like. And it was the model 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.439 of what it looked like at its birth. The after 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:24.920 Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.879 120 in the upper room. that this is what precedes 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:31.660 the 3 ,000 that were saved, that this is what 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:34.699 I would probably call the definition of what 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:36.420 the church is supposed to be and what it looks 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:40.240 like, is Acts chapter two, verse 42 through 47. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:42.899 And so us as a church, we really try to live 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:44.560 up to all of the things that are mentioned in 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:48.040 that couple passages. But one thing that's really 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:51.300 stood out to me as I was praying through this 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:56.100 and reading through this was the term they, every, 00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:01.420 together, all, there, being used in those chapters. 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:04.899 So let's pull this up again. And I've underlined 00:05:04.899 --> 00:05:07.040 and bolded all of the parts where it says they 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.120 and every and together and all and there and 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.420 all together and all that kind of stuff. But 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:13.360 if it's on the slides, then great. If it's not, 00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:17.579 I want you to just shout out loud with me every 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:20.620 time you see a they, every time you see every, 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:23.860 every time you see together, all, and there, 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:27.220 okay? I'm sure you're going to remember all of 00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:33.019 that. And they, very good class, well done, devoted 00:05:33.019 --> 00:05:35.259 themselves to the apostles' teaching and the 00:05:35.259 --> 00:05:36.879 fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:41.199 prayers, and awe came upon every soul, and many 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:42.800 wonders and signs were being done through the 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:47.019 apostles. And all who believed were together 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:51.339 and had all things in common, and they were selling 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:54.310 things. possessions and belongings and distributed 00:05:54.310 --> 00:05:58.769 the proceeds to as any had need and day by day 00:05:58.769 --> 00:06:03.230 attending the temple and breaking bread in homes, 00:06:03.430 --> 00:06:08.149 received food with glad and generous hearts, 00:06:08.329 --> 00:06:10.810 praising God. You guys are really good at this. 00:06:11.769 --> 00:06:17.730 And having favor with and the Lord added to number 00:06:17.730 --> 00:06:22.199 day by day as those who were being saved. The 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:25.819 church is defined as the called out ones. And 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:30.420 those who are called out, those who are called 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:33.339 out, that's who we are as the church. That's 00:06:33.339 --> 00:06:35.519 what ecclesia means. It means the called out 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:37.439 ones. We have been called out by Christ from 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:39.240 a kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:43.180 of light. Amen? But the thing that is so crazy 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:47.560 about how the church is supposed to be a we thing, 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:50.920 a together thing. In all together things. So 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:53.240 if you're taking notes, the title of my sermon 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:57.180 is The They, Their, Every, All, and Together 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:03.420 Church. How's that for pronouns? That's the right 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:13.680 use of pronouns. Amen. Well, one thing that, 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:18.879 when I was thinking about this is, A lot of people, 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:23.680 myself included, have done this in church, where 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.319 we stop making it about together, there, they, 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:33.519 all. We make it about me, myself, and I, and 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:37.319 my experience. And if we're not careful, especially 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:39.259 within our Western culture, which our Western 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:43.519 culture is incredibly individualistic, it's all 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:46.100 about your personal experience. Did you have 00:07:46.100 --> 00:07:50.079 a good time? Did you enjoy this? How was your 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:53.579 experience today? Rather than taking in, how 00:07:53.579 --> 00:07:57.560 was everybody in this together? Not just me. 00:07:57.839 --> 00:07:59.699 Because there's been many times where I've gone 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:01.439 to church and I walked out of service and I went, 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:05.879 yeah, it was all right. What am I using to determine 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:09.939 that church was just eh today? Most of the time, 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:14.980 how it affected me. How did, did they play the 00:08:14.980 --> 00:08:17.560 songs that I liked? Which by the way, came to 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:20.720 my rescue. The last song we sang today, you were 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:24.779 speaking to that 90s, early 2000s kid who loved 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:27.519 Hillsong United back in the day. If they would 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.339 have gone into shout unto God, come on somebody, 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:33.179 the Shekinah glory would have broken open. Shout 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:35.220 to the Lord. Come on, we're going to get there. 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.100 Shout to the Lord was the worship song. It was 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:42.460 like, that was, this was written by the angels. 00:08:43.340 --> 00:08:45.519 Or just one of the angels. Her name was Darlene 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:48.860 Check. But there was, it's one of the best songs 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:50.399 ever written, worship songs ever written. And 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:53.220 so, I mean, there's, right, I'm like, I'm in 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:55.980 the glory of God. But there's maybe a few people 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:57.620 in here that didn't have that experience and 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:00.559 they're like, what is this song? What determines 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:05.179 that church was good today? Is it my experience? 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:09.019 Well, the opposite of the church that we've just 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:11.559 read in Acts chapter two is called the me church. 00:09:13.699 --> 00:09:16.240 Imagine you walk into a church and no one is 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.500 in the building except the staff and pastors. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.220 Red flag right off the bat. You walk in and the 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:26.100 team says, we're so excited to have you. You 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:28.419 go into worship and you're the only person in 00:09:28.419 --> 00:09:31.700 the room other than the staff and the pastors 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:34.019 and the worship team. And you start to get a 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:35.779 little worried and freaked out because you're 00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:41.360 wondering where the heck is everybody. They go 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:42.759 through the worship, they go through the message, 00:09:42.820 --> 00:09:51.279 they have an altar call. Let me ask you, would 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:56.159 you go to that church? Would you go to that church? 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:00.039 Some of you are like, yeah, because I can get 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:03.059 some personal experience, personal one -on -one 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:07.960 time with the pastor all the time. Every altar 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:12.269 calls for me. Every message is catered to you. 00:10:13.470 --> 00:10:17.149 Every worship service is catered to you. Would 00:10:17.149 --> 00:10:23.210 you go to that church? No. But how many of us 00:10:23.210 --> 00:10:26.929 come to church with that mindset? Where we think 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:29.950 we're the only person in the room. And we think 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:32.230 that God is really just looking for us in the 00:10:32.230 --> 00:10:37.409 room. There's a significant... what I would call 00:10:37.409 --> 00:10:41.289 a false teaching or a false doctrine, that if 00:10:41.289 --> 00:10:44.029 we're not careful, will actually infiltrate our 00:10:44.029 --> 00:10:46.429 theology and our ecclesiology, which just is 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:48.509 a fancy term for saying our belief of what church 00:10:48.509 --> 00:10:52.210 is. What is the church? Because what you believe 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:54.409 the church is will actually determine who you 00:10:54.409 --> 00:10:58.750 think Jesus is. So we need to understand that 00:10:58.750 --> 00:11:00.649 it's not just about understanding Jesus. We have 00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:04.350 to know what he died for. We have to know what 00:11:04.350 --> 00:11:06.490 he loves. Bible says that we should love what 00:11:06.490 --> 00:11:07.769 he loves and hate what he hates. Do you know 00:11:07.769 --> 00:11:11.590 what he loves? His church. Do you know what he 00:11:11.590 --> 00:11:21.450 died for? Me. Yes. He did die for you. But not 00:11:21.450 --> 00:11:26.289 only you. You're not the only saved person here. 00:11:27.950 --> 00:11:30.009 If you think you are, we're going to have an 00:11:30.009 --> 00:11:38.340 altar call for you right now. Amen. Amen, Troy. 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:42.820 So I want to define a couple things. First thing 00:11:42.820 --> 00:11:45.860 I want to define is individualism and hyper individualism. 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:50.399 Individualism is essentially prioritizing the 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:53.879 individual over a group. The prioritization of 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:57.460 yourself over everybody else around you. Then 00:11:57.460 --> 00:12:00.080 there is what is the next level, which is called 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.450 hyper individualism. which is to act as an individual 00:12:03.450 --> 00:12:07.870 in opposition to a group. That not only do I 00:12:07.870 --> 00:12:10.809 like to have things be about me, but I don't 00:12:10.809 --> 00:12:14.669 like anything that tries to be more than just 00:12:14.669 --> 00:12:18.629 about me. I am against an organization or some 00:12:18.629 --> 00:12:23.730 form of a collective. In other words, a lot of 00:12:23.730 --> 00:12:29.690 people who stop going to church. Not only do 00:12:29.690 --> 00:12:32.789 I think, That Jesus, I just need to have a personal 00:12:32.789 --> 00:12:35.909 relationship with Jesus, but the church is the 00:12:35.909 --> 00:12:38.470 biggest hindrance to my relationship with Jesus. 00:12:40.809 --> 00:12:44.110 The church keeps getting in the way. If they 00:12:44.110 --> 00:12:49.009 would just only sing the hymns. If they would 00:12:49.009 --> 00:12:51.789 just sing all of the newest songs and never old 00:12:51.789 --> 00:12:56.789 songs. If they would just fill in your blank. 00:12:58.830 --> 00:13:02.549 I could be more in touch with Christ. If the 00:13:02.549 --> 00:13:05.149 pastor would stop correcting me over this small 00:13:05.149 --> 00:13:09.490 issue. Jesus didn't tell me that it's a small 00:13:09.490 --> 00:13:13.289 issue. Let me just tell you that you're probably 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:17.309 not hearing Jesus right. So Jesus put somebody 00:13:17.309 --> 00:13:21.690 in your life that is hearing God for you to help 00:13:21.690 --> 00:13:27.669 you hear him right. One thing that's really popular, 00:13:27.870 --> 00:13:32.490 and we saw this really big in 2020, and we continue 00:13:32.490 --> 00:13:36.149 to see it around the United States, is that organization, 00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:39.850 especially with established authority, is evil 00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:44.269 to its core. That we all, and here's the thing, 00:13:44.309 --> 00:13:46.710 any collective or group, let's just take, you 00:13:46.710 --> 00:13:51.070 know, LGBTQ. Let's just take that for example. 00:13:51.950 --> 00:13:54.350 They say and claim that they're a collective, 00:13:54.429 --> 00:13:56.129 but really they're a collective of individuals 00:13:56.129 --> 00:14:00.230 because there's no ordained authority over anybody. 00:14:01.870 --> 00:14:05.210 Right? It's I'm a part of this group, but I'm 00:14:05.210 --> 00:14:09.990 the one in charge. And some of us try to make 00:14:09.990 --> 00:14:15.029 church like that. We come to say that we're a 00:14:15.029 --> 00:14:19.029 part of a group, I'm a part of a church, but 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:22.529 I'm an individual in that church. And that I 00:14:22.529 --> 00:14:25.309 can leave whenever I want to. And I can do what 00:14:25.309 --> 00:14:27.590 I want. And if the pastor has a problem with 00:14:27.590 --> 00:14:29.330 that, it sounds like that's the pastor's problem. 00:14:31.549 --> 00:14:34.129 So we start to look at church actually through 00:14:34.129 --> 00:14:38.330 the mindset of pagan beliefs than actually through 00:14:38.330 --> 00:14:45.330 the... The Holy Spirit is moving. The wind of 00:14:45.330 --> 00:14:54.600 the Spirit is moving. So... I have other jokes. 00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:59.159 I'm not going to say them. But one thing that 00:14:59.159 --> 00:15:00.980 we really have to understand is that fundamental 00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:04.980 doctrines are based on truths and false doctrines 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:07.299 are based on lies. So let's identify some lies. 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:11.779 What is the me church? Lie number one, become 00:15:11.779 --> 00:15:14.740 less a part of a group and become solely identified 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:17.460 as a unique individual. And I put the word unique 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:19.460 in there because everybody was told by their 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:25.360 mom, they're special. And you are. You're very 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:35.580 special. Receive that how you will. But more 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:37.639 and more people are not willing to pick a side. 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:43.100 They just want to be themselves. Because we see, 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.940 and we just experienced this at the Thanksgiving 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:47.879 table, just not even that long ago, where you're 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.100 sitting at the table and all of a sudden, the 00:15:50.100 --> 00:15:52.759 conversation starts to turn in that one direction 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:54.980 about that certain topic that now it's like, 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:58.879 I am so done with this. Now it's like only those 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.320 few people that are arguing at the table and 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:04.360 you just try to see yourself out. Things get 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:08.419 awkward. You see it all over social media that 00:16:08.419 --> 00:16:10.620 it's just conflict and conflict and conflict. 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.720 Why would I want to be a part of an organization 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:16.340 or a collective of people when all it does is 00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:21.279 breed division? And so I'm not gonna pick a side, 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:25.600 I'm just gonna be me. Because who's gonna get 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:28.659 mad at me? Who's gonna have an issue with me? 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:30.779 Well, if you have an issue with me, then that's 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:35.059 not my fault, that's your fault. Isn't that the 00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:36.720 world we live in? Isn't that our culture right 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:41.120 now? And so what happens is we come to church 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:44.639 with that mindset, and instead of actually becoming 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:48.179 defined by our church, We come and we just define 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:51.460 ourselves with our own definition of how we are. 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.700 We define our own relationship with Christ and 00:16:53.700 --> 00:16:57.419 we come to church and then we go, why isn't the 00:16:57.419 --> 00:17:02.899 church living by my definition? And so now you 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:05.079 stop attending that church and you try to find 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:07.859 your church that does everything how you would 00:17:07.859 --> 00:17:11.079 like to have it done. Guess what? That church 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:18.480 doesn't exist unless you start it. Now we have 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:21.539 a whole other problem. You just started something 00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:24.720 that you claim is for God, but it's all about 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:31.599 you. It's how we get weird house churches. There's 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:33.339 nothing wrong with house churches, I'm just saying. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:39.400 There are weird ones out there. The issue with 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:41.619 this thinking is that it says, I want to be a 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:44.380 part of something that doesn't challenge me or 00:17:44.380 --> 00:17:47.849 corrects me because it just proves Proves that 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:52.710 they don't care about me or understand me. I 00:17:52.710 --> 00:17:54.710 want to be a part of something that will always 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:57.369 affirm who I am in my unique individualness. 00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:06.009 We have so much of that. Lie number two. Follow 00:18:06.009 --> 00:18:08.630 your desires because that is who you truly are. 00:18:11.009 --> 00:18:18.970 Your desires are not unique. What you like that 00:18:18.970 --> 00:18:27.589 you say makes you unique is not unique. They 00:18:27.589 --> 00:18:32.130 are just dictated by culture anyways. Timothy 00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:36.789 Keller has in one of his books, he was a pastor 00:18:36.789 --> 00:18:39.490 that he died just a few years ago from cancer, 00:18:39.549 --> 00:18:42.549 but incredible philosophical preacher and incredible 00:18:42.549 --> 00:18:46.269 guy. But his book, he talks about the fact of 00:18:46.269 --> 00:18:48.130 how people's desires are more shaped by culture 00:18:48.130 --> 00:18:52.349 than actually through what they would define 00:18:52.349 --> 00:18:54.250 as, this is what really defines who I am as a 00:18:54.250 --> 00:18:58.190 unique individual. So this is the analogy he 00:18:58.190 --> 00:19:01.509 uses. Take a man back in the days of the Vikings, 00:19:01.549 --> 00:19:06.650 and let's say he has a desire to kill somebody. 00:19:08.009 --> 00:19:11.450 That desire, he acts on it. In that culture, 00:19:11.609 --> 00:19:17.900 it was celebrated. Take that same man, same desire, 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:22.319 put that in today's culture. Not celebrated. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:31.319 He goes to prison for a long time. What changed? 00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:37.440 Culture. Let's take somebody who in the same 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:41.960 time period had homosexual desires. In that time, 00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:47.369 not celebrated. Put them in today. Same desire. 00:19:48.470 --> 00:19:56.150 Celebrate it. What changed? Culture. And people 00:19:56.150 --> 00:19:57.930 would say, well, culture has changed for the 00:19:57.930 --> 00:20:03.710 better. Has it? Has culture been here before? 00:20:05.109 --> 00:20:11.589 Ask the Greeks. Ask the Romans. How long did 00:20:11.589 --> 00:20:14.900 their culture last? A long time. But was it eternal? 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:22.180 No. So what culture do we want? A godly one. 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:26.839 A biblical one. Because that is a culture that 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:31.420 will actually be eternal. It will not change. 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:36.859 It will remain. So here's something that's really 00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:39.759 important for us to understand. Hyper individualism 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:45.039 creates a me church. And I actually rewrote Acts 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:48.279 chapter two, verse 42 through 47. I rewrote it, 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:53.420 which automatically ears have popped up. You, 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:59.220 what? This is not the word of God. This is not 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:02.480 inspired by any means. This is just to prove 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:09.980 a point. But I rewrote it. Lord, help me. I rewrote 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:13.710 it. as if I was writing from the filter of a 00:21:13.710 --> 00:21:18.569 me church. And let's put it on the screen if 00:21:18.569 --> 00:21:23.509 we have it. Verse 42 says this, not of the Bible, 00:21:23.549 --> 00:21:27.970 but of Trent's me church mind. They devoted themselves 00:21:27.970 --> 00:21:31.970 to the latest trends and their own curated beliefs. 00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:36.210 The breaking down of traumatic experiences and 00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:38.130 the complaints of what the church does wrong. 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:43.799 They devoted themselves to those things. And 00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:48.039 self -importance came upon every soul. And many 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:50.440 cool songs and non -offensive preaching was being 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:54.779 done through the influencer pastors. And all 00:21:54.779 --> 00:21:57.440 believers were loosely affiliated and kept their 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:02.339 distance, each protecting their own time, space, 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:07.369 and truth. And they were accumulating possessions 00:22:07.369 --> 00:22:10.869 and upgrading often, improving their own lifestyles 00:22:10.869 --> 00:22:15.190 as they each saw fit. And day by day, attending 00:22:15.190 --> 00:22:19.069 church when they felt like it, keeping to themselves 00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:21.410 or only fellowshipping with a hand -picked group 00:22:21.410 --> 00:22:24.069 of friends who reinforced their views, maintaining 00:22:24.069 --> 00:22:26.930 careful emotional boundaries, and avoiding the 00:22:26.930 --> 00:22:32.470 discomfort of true community. praising genuine 00:22:32.470 --> 00:22:35.589 self -expression and constantly seeking likes 00:22:35.589 --> 00:22:38.289 from others, and many were added because they 00:22:38.289 --> 00:22:43.009 were never challenged or confronted. That's the 00:22:43.009 --> 00:22:49.630 me church. See, the thing that, what creates 00:22:49.630 --> 00:22:52.369 this idea of hyper -individualism and this idea 00:22:52.369 --> 00:22:57.109 of the me church actually started in the garden. 00:22:57.809 --> 00:23:02.400 It started with Adam and Eve. Because what humanity 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:05.579 truly desires, probably more than anything, is 00:23:05.579 --> 00:23:10.440 independence. And another word for independence 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:15.599 is called self -autonomy. To be completely self 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:19.279 -autonomous. When the serpent tempted Eve with 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:21.960 the fruit, he wasn't offering a different menu. 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:25.579 They had all the fruit they could ever want. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:33.079 When the devil says, you will be like God, he 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:34.900 wasn't giving them something they didn't already 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:40.000 have because they were already like God. They 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:43.619 were made in the image of God. So they already 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:46.359 could choose any fruit that they could ever want. 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:53.279 They were already like God. So what was the serpent 00:23:53.279 --> 00:24:00.680 really offering? Genesis 3, 5 says, for God knows 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:03.319 that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:07.140 and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:14.180 It's funny how the serpent doesn't offer omniscience. 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:20.460 He doesn't offer all knowledge. He doesn't offer 00:24:20.460 --> 00:24:24.609 omnipotence. He doesn't offer all power. He doesn't 00:24:24.609 --> 00:24:27.190 offer omniscience. He doesn't offer God's omnipresence, 00:24:27.210 --> 00:24:28.890 that he can be everywhere all at the same time, 00:24:28.910 --> 00:24:35.849 outside of time. He doesn't offer eternal life. 00:24:38.890 --> 00:24:44.230 They already had that. What does he offer? The 00:24:44.230 --> 00:24:48.670 one thing that God has that nothing else has. 00:24:50.109 --> 00:24:55.359 Complete self -reliance. Independence and autonomy. 00:24:56.039 --> 00:25:02.140 God has never needed anything. He has never needed 00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:06.660 you or me. He has never needed anything in this 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:10.339 world. He has never needed anyone else to sustain 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:14.099 his existence. He does not need another God to 00:25:14.099 --> 00:25:18.319 help him out. He is fully sufficient in himself. 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:22.000 He needs nothing. And anything he gives, it doesn't 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:24.779 deplete him. He is always at 100%. He's never 00:25:24.779 --> 00:25:28.480 tired. He never has to take a break. He is always 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:31.279 at 100. He is always more than what we could 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:35.420 ever think. He is fully autonomous in needing 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:39.539 of nothing and nobody else. That is what the 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:52.099 serpent was offering. To be independent. And 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:55.240 to be completely self -reliant. Genesis 3 .8 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.940 says, And they heard the sound of the Lord God 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:59.319 walking in the garden. You should keep that in 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:02.079 your mind. And they heard the sound. I wonder 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:05.420 what that would have sounded like. Walking in 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:07.099 the garden in the cool of the day. And the man 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:08.960 and his wife hid themselves from the presence 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:10.980 of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:15.200 Now, so we see here in Genesis how because they 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:19.480 now have what they wanted. A life independent 00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:25.559 from God. That they are now separated from the 00:26:25.559 --> 00:26:27.740 presence of God. That is autonomy. That is independence. 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:34.940 You want to do life without God? Go for it. And 00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:37.180 what ended up happening was now that they have 00:26:37.180 --> 00:26:40.539 this independence, they are coming back into 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:42.799 contact with the presence of God. And what do 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:48.599 they do? They run from it. So how many of us 00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:52.660 have come into the presence of God today? But 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:57.079 we get scared. Some of us, we get scared because 00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:59.779 it's like, what are the consequences of my sin? 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:03.599 What will God do to me because of my sin? But 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:05.859 I think a lot of times, some of us are scared 00:27:05.859 --> 00:27:09.160 because of what control and independence we'd 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:14.680 have to give up. Because if you're gonna be in 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:16.440 relationship with God, you can't be independent. 00:27:18.670 --> 00:27:20.509 If you're gonna have a relationship with his 00:27:20.509 --> 00:27:23.890 church, you cannot be independent. You cannot 00:27:23.890 --> 00:27:29.829 be an individualist. You have to believe in God 00:27:29.829 --> 00:27:33.950 and depend upon him and you have to believe in 00:27:33.950 --> 00:27:39.369 his ordained community called the church. You 00:27:39.369 --> 00:27:43.130 have to. So here, now back in Acts chapter two, 00:27:43.329 --> 00:27:46.930 this is what's so amazing is in Genesis 3 .8, 00:27:46.970 --> 00:27:49.130 it says they heard the sound. What was the first 00:27:49.130 --> 00:27:51.049 thing that happened when the Holy Spirit came? 00:27:52.269 --> 00:27:57.529 The sound. So now instead of running away, there 00:27:57.529 --> 00:28:01.990 were 120 that stood there and fully received 00:28:01.990 --> 00:28:04.069 the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the baptism 00:28:04.069 --> 00:28:07.309 of the Holy Spirit and were now birthed to create 00:28:07.309 --> 00:28:13.569 what? A community called the church. They were 00:28:13.569 --> 00:28:15.829 no longer scared because they knew that what 00:28:15.829 --> 00:28:18.069 they were about to do, they were not doing it 00:28:18.069 --> 00:28:20.170 in their independence. They were doing it in 00:28:20.170 --> 00:28:22.589 their dependence upon the Holy Spirit and that 00:28:22.589 --> 00:28:25.349 this community is not going to last long unless 00:28:25.349 --> 00:28:28.390 the Holy Spirit is on it. That's why Jesus says, 00:28:28.650 --> 00:28:31.869 look, you have the gospel already, but wait. 00:28:34.250 --> 00:28:36.390 Because if you try to build a community without 00:28:36.390 --> 00:28:45.519 my spirit, it will not last. If you just go with 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:52.200 the gospel and the message, is that enough? Jesus 00:28:52.200 --> 00:28:55.599 seemed to think it wasn't. He says you need to 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.779 have the Holy Spirit. Because if you're going 00:28:58.779 --> 00:29:01.380 to have fellowship with each other, you need 00:29:01.380 --> 00:29:04.240 to have the gift of my Holy Spirit, who is the 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:11.500 gift, who draws and binds us together. The Holy 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:17.079 Spirit is needed for community. You can't say 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:19.559 I love the Father and the Son and then throw 00:29:19.559 --> 00:29:21.400 out the Holy Spirit because now you're throwing 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:24.059 out the community of the Trinity and then try 00:29:24.059 --> 00:29:26.079 to build a community based off of a community 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:32.460 that's broken in your theology. Anyways, moving 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:37.759 on. Now that we've identified those lies, we're 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:40.960 gonna take a look at some truths. What is the 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:46.869 truth? What made the church unified? The Holy 00:29:46.869 --> 00:29:50.009 Spirit, number one. We need the Holy Spirit. 00:29:50.170 --> 00:29:52.250 But we're going to look at Acts chapter 2, 42 00:29:52.250 --> 00:29:55.069 through 47. What is the first thing that is mentioned? 00:29:55.470 --> 00:30:00.210 The apostles' teaching. They devoted themselves 00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:03.109 to the apostles' teaching, which means that they 00:30:03.109 --> 00:30:06.450 didn't just get teaching when it was Sunday. 00:30:09.730 --> 00:30:12.930 They sought to know what they really believed, 00:30:13.150 --> 00:30:17.069 not just through YouTube videos, or podcasts, 00:30:17.410 --> 00:30:20.730 but they sought the apostles' doctrine, which 00:30:20.730 --> 00:30:24.470 means something that is tested, proven, and has 00:30:24.470 --> 00:30:30.029 lasted a long time. I'm not after opinions of 00:30:30.029 --> 00:30:33.529 self -proclaimed apostles and prophets. I'm after 00:30:33.529 --> 00:30:37.130 the proven, tested teaching of the apostles, 00:30:37.250 --> 00:30:41.289 those who are God -appointed and God -anointed. 00:30:41.769 --> 00:30:45.069 Just because you have a platform doesn't mean 00:30:45.069 --> 00:30:48.069 you're anointed. Because everyone is a platform. 00:30:48.329 --> 00:30:51.269 You can record yourself and put it on the internet 00:30:51.269 --> 00:30:53.509 and call that a platform. You can say, yeah, 00:30:53.549 --> 00:30:57.130 that's a platform, but you're not anointed. You 00:30:57.130 --> 00:30:58.829 could have followers. That doesn't mean you're 00:30:58.829 --> 00:31:07.190 anointed. Anointing comes from God. And God alone. 00:31:09.430 --> 00:31:13.470 And the anointing, is what really provides authority. 00:31:15.230 --> 00:31:18.029 Because if I'm gonna say I devote myself to a 00:31:18.029 --> 00:31:20.650 specific teaching, you believe in the authority 00:31:20.650 --> 00:31:26.309 of said teaching. In other words, you believe 00:31:26.309 --> 00:31:30.089 that this teaching has greater depth and truth 00:31:30.089 --> 00:31:32.569 than all other teachings that are out there. 00:31:33.170 --> 00:31:37.289 You believe in its authority. If you're to declare 00:31:37.289 --> 00:31:41.559 that the Bible is the truth, By automatically 00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:44.539 saying that this is the truth, you are saying 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:46.779 that other things that are outside of it are 00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:50.920 a lie, by definition. Not everything can be the 00:31:50.920 --> 00:31:53.660 truth at the same time. It would cease to be 00:31:53.660 --> 00:32:00.299 truth. What gives truth? Who defines truth? Authority 00:32:00.299 --> 00:32:04.579 does. Who has the authority? That's the question 00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:07.059 that most people ask themselves. And when you 00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:13.099 have an individualistic mindset, You do. I have 00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:16.059 the authority to define what church looks like. 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:22.640 I have the, excuse me, but are you building the 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:27.819 church? Do you define the church? Did the church 00:32:27.819 --> 00:32:32.279 start when you showed up? Or did the church start 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:35.339 when the Holy Spirit showed up? It wasn't that 00:32:35.339 --> 00:32:37.640 Peter was the one who preached the sermon. It 00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:39.420 was that the Holy Spirit was speaking through 00:32:39.420 --> 00:32:43.599 Peter. The book of Acts is not about just the 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:47.400 apostles. It is about the Holy Spirit building 00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:53.740 the church of Jesus Christ. And he's still building 00:32:53.740 --> 00:32:58.099 that exact same church today. Full of prophecy 00:32:58.099 --> 00:33:04.009 and miracles and all the like. The church is 00:33:04.009 --> 00:33:07.569 not about trends or self -affirmation. It's about 00:33:07.569 --> 00:33:10.049 tested, proven, anointed beliefs that have been 00:33:10.049 --> 00:33:13.369 withheld throughout history. The teaching was 00:33:13.369 --> 00:33:17.450 given by God -approved authority, not just any 00:33:17.450 --> 00:33:24.490 platform. God -approved authority. The 12 apostles 00:33:24.490 --> 00:33:28.230 who walked with Christ. And then those following 00:33:28.230 --> 00:33:30.549 who walked with the apostles. And then you just 00:33:30.549 --> 00:33:33.589 follow down church history. And you can see every 00:33:33.589 --> 00:33:36.269 place in church history where we get off is when 00:33:36.269 --> 00:33:39.390 we make the church ourselves the final authority 00:33:39.390 --> 00:33:43.609 and not the Holy Spirit. And we begin to put 00:33:43.609 --> 00:33:46.289 authority on just us as an individualistic mindset. 00:33:48.639 --> 00:33:50.940 Because I've seen the other side. I've seen church 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:53.319 government get to a place where it defines everything 00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:55.640 and it was the one that decides whether you're 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:58.740 a part of the church or not. Right? I've seen 00:33:58.740 --> 00:34:02.160 the bad side of that idea and that concept, but 00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:06.660 that's why you need the Holy Spirit. That's why 00:34:06.660 --> 00:34:09.300 you need the Holy Spirit and that's why the Holy 00:34:09.300 --> 00:34:11.780 Spirit will always raise people up within the 00:34:11.780 --> 00:34:14.800 church to fight against false beliefs and false 00:34:14.800 --> 00:34:19.039 tendencies within the church. You just study 00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:21.420 church history, you'll see God raised Ben up 00:34:21.420 --> 00:34:25.059 to fight against false teachings and false doctrines. 00:34:25.139 --> 00:34:27.159 But not for the sake of just fighting against 00:34:27.159 --> 00:34:29.059 false doctrine. Because we don't want to just 00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:33.019 create a bunch of heresy hunters. And the church 00:34:33.019 --> 00:34:40.199 has made a lot of emphasis on this. That our 00:34:40.199 --> 00:34:42.380 number one job is just to go throughout the world 00:34:42.380 --> 00:34:45.619 and say that everything is, and tell everybody 00:34:45.619 --> 00:34:49.329 that they're all wrong. No. God said to preach 00:34:49.329 --> 00:34:54.130 the gospel. Preach the truth. Yes, we're going 00:34:54.130 --> 00:34:55.789 to fight heresies. We're going to fight things 00:34:55.789 --> 00:34:57.610 that are wrong. Absolutely. I'm trying to do 00:34:57.610 --> 00:35:00.190 it right now. But that is not the full purpose 00:35:00.190 --> 00:35:03.530 of why I went to study this. If you read the 00:35:03.530 --> 00:35:05.469 Bible only because you're trying to prove an 00:35:05.469 --> 00:35:13.610 argument, that's how you get bad theology. That's 00:35:13.610 --> 00:35:15.010 what happened to a bunch of people that went 00:35:15.010 --> 00:35:17.809 to Genesis 1 -1 and tried to use it against atheism. 00:35:21.309 --> 00:35:23.190 That's not what it was used for. Anyway, I've 00:35:23.190 --> 00:35:25.230 got to get off this soapbox. Anyway, we've got 00:35:25.230 --> 00:35:27.309 to move on. I've got a lot of notes and not enough 00:35:27.309 --> 00:35:31.489 time. All right. Any revelation that encourages 00:35:31.489 --> 00:35:33.829 rebellion against authority will ultimately lead 00:35:33.829 --> 00:35:39.260 to self -destruction. Because even Paul says 00:35:39.260 --> 00:35:42.119 that you should submit to the worldly authorities, 00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:44.940 no matter who is in power or who's in position, 00:35:45.059 --> 00:35:47.619 because you actually will preach the gospel by 00:35:47.619 --> 00:35:52.139 your submission rather than through rebellion. 00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:57.940 That's what caused the church to flourish and 00:35:57.940 --> 00:36:00.420 so many to come to be saved because that when 00:36:00.420 --> 00:36:03.360 those who are arrested as Christians were arrested, 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:07.280 that they actually drew their captors to Christ 00:36:07.280 --> 00:36:09.460 because of how they love them and how they submitted 00:36:09.460 --> 00:36:16.039 to them. Some people may agree with the teaching, 00:36:16.119 --> 00:36:17.860 but because it was presented with authority, 00:36:18.059 --> 00:36:21.940 they resist it. I like what you have to say, 00:36:22.099 --> 00:36:23.960 but I don't like that you're saying that it is 00:36:23.960 --> 00:36:26.079 like, You're saying it with such authority. I 00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:29.260 don't like that. You need to be more open to 00:36:29.260 --> 00:36:38.559 what other people have to say. I'm all for listening 00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:40.780 humbly and wanting to hear people's perspectives, 00:36:40.980 --> 00:36:43.699 but I'm okay with totally telling them they're 00:36:43.699 --> 00:36:59.699 wrong. But I'm not trying to preach the truth 00:36:59.699 --> 00:37:03.960 to prove I'm right. I'm trying to lead them to 00:37:03.960 --> 00:37:07.980 Christ. If I try to argue and debate somebody 00:37:07.980 --> 00:37:11.219 just to prove that their argument is false, then 00:37:11.219 --> 00:37:17.760 what do I really win? Nothing. I see so many 00:37:17.760 --> 00:37:21.139 videos on Instagram and apologists that are just 00:37:21.139 --> 00:37:23.920 going, look, really good apologists know how 00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:26.159 to lead people to Christ, not just prove a good 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:30.579 argument. Because when Christ was, whenever you 00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:32.960 argue with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, it 00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:35.400 was always to try to reveal something to them. 00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:38.159 It was never just to show them that they're off. 00:37:42.420 --> 00:37:44.280 The next thing that they devoted themselves to 00:37:44.280 --> 00:37:48.420 was the breaking of bread and prayers. Communion 00:37:48.420 --> 00:37:53.300 is meant to be taken as a community. And I love 00:37:53.300 --> 00:37:55.519 that people take it in their homes and some people 00:37:55.519 --> 00:37:59.469 take it every day. That's great. But the communion 00:37:59.469 --> 00:38:02.670 was ultimately meant to be taken in a communal 00:38:02.670 --> 00:38:07.130 setting within the church. Prayer should also 00:38:07.130 --> 00:38:11.869 be a communal sacrament as well. We should pray 00:38:11.869 --> 00:38:16.590 together, hear God together. That's how we get 00:38:16.590 --> 00:38:19.949 weird things because people heard God one way 00:38:19.949 --> 00:38:22.150 and then they didn't check with anybody else 00:38:22.150 --> 00:38:28.639 what they heard. That's how you get weird stuff. 00:38:31.619 --> 00:38:37.760 My favorite story of Santa Claus. You might be 00:38:37.760 --> 00:38:40.000 suffering some whiplash from that change of topic, 00:38:40.159 --> 00:38:47.780 but I promise you it connects. There was a man 00:38:47.780 --> 00:38:49.380 who was actually, his name was St. Nicholas, 00:38:49.579 --> 00:38:52.320 and he was standing within, he was there with 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:54.119 a council of people, and there was a guy who 00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:57.210 was basically, denying the divinity of Christ. 00:38:58.929 --> 00:39:02.489 And he stands up and goes up to the guy because 00:39:02.489 --> 00:39:07.010 he just could not stand the lies that this guy 00:39:07.010 --> 00:39:10.849 was spouting. And he clocks him in the face. 00:39:13.230 --> 00:39:16.030 So if you don't like what I'm preaching, don't 00:39:16.030 --> 00:39:22.849 do that. But it's my favorite story of St. Nicholas 00:39:22.849 --> 00:39:26.420 because He was a man that was, you know, I'm 00:39:26.420 --> 00:39:27.920 not saying that that's how we should do things, 00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:32.380 but what I'm saying is, he's going, look, you 00:39:32.380 --> 00:39:36.360 got something that you think you're so right 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:39.039 on that the only way to knock you out of this 00:39:39.039 --> 00:39:40.599 is to actually come up there and punch you in 00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:45.320 the face. Sometimes we need a punch in the spirit. 00:39:47.340 --> 00:39:50.380 From people in our lives that are willing to 00:39:50.380 --> 00:39:53.440 go up and knock us silly because we start saying 00:39:53.440 --> 00:40:00.659 some stupid stuff. We need people like that in 00:40:00.659 --> 00:40:04.300 our lives who will actually love us enough to 00:40:04.300 --> 00:40:11.199 punch us in the face spiritually to clock us 00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:14.719 out of our whatever it is, our weird thought 00:40:14.719 --> 00:40:19.139 that we've wiggled ourselves into. That's why 00:40:19.139 --> 00:40:22.400 we should pray together. If you don't come to 00:40:22.400 --> 00:40:24.980 pre -service prayer, you should at least try 00:40:24.980 --> 00:40:30.460 it. Just come try it. Here's why. Because I want 00:40:30.460 --> 00:40:32.719 you to come and experience what it's like to 00:40:32.719 --> 00:40:37.300 pray together. Experience the atmosphere. It's 00:40:37.300 --> 00:40:40.840 different than praying alone. And we need that. 00:40:41.599 --> 00:40:44.909 We need to hear other people praying. We need 00:40:44.909 --> 00:40:47.530 to hear other people prophesy. We need to get 00:40:47.530 --> 00:40:49.969 into that space where all of us are trying to 00:40:49.969 --> 00:40:52.289 hear God and pray for something. We're praying 00:40:52.289 --> 00:40:54.150 for the kingdom of God to be released. We're 00:40:54.150 --> 00:40:56.070 praying for the atmosphere of heaven to be here 00:40:56.070 --> 00:40:58.250 on the earth. We're praying for church to happen. 00:41:00.429 --> 00:41:03.550 And we need to hear that from each other. And 00:41:03.550 --> 00:41:05.250 praying together is actually the best way to 00:41:05.250 --> 00:41:09.429 support each other. Jesus lived this in his own 00:41:09.429 --> 00:41:13.000 life. Jesus asked the disciples to stay up in 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:19.000 the garden and do what with him? Pray. When Christ 00:41:19.000 --> 00:41:23.019 was at his weakest, he didn't say, come talk 00:41:23.019 --> 00:41:26.079 to me. He didn't say, come and just hang out. 00:41:26.099 --> 00:41:27.860 Let's just sit together and listen to some worship 00:41:27.860 --> 00:41:29.239 music. We're just gonna listen to the shout to 00:41:29.239 --> 00:41:31.940 the Lord and we're just gonna wait on God. He 00:41:31.940 --> 00:41:36.480 said, pray with me. Prayer is the best way to 00:41:36.480 --> 00:41:43.139 support each other. I'm running out of time. 00:41:47.340 --> 00:41:51.179 These last few points, really quickly. I love 00:41:51.179 --> 00:41:55.500 preacher's famous last words, right? All in wonder, 00:41:55.659 --> 00:42:00.699 we should have experiences together. The church 00:42:00.699 --> 00:42:03.239 is the place where God pours out his glory and 00:42:03.239 --> 00:42:08.300 we should be in awe of who he is. If you're experiencing 00:42:08.300 --> 00:42:11.139 glory only in your secret place and never in 00:42:11.139 --> 00:42:14.760 the community of the body, something's off. Something's 00:42:14.760 --> 00:42:18.000 wrong. Because you should be experiencing the 00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:20.000 fullness of his glory in the community of the 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.159 body of Christ. Because that is the place where 00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:28.860 God's presence dwells richest and most often. 00:42:30.039 --> 00:42:34.949 I want you to really think about this. transports 00:42:34.949 --> 00:42:36.909 me to the idea, because when I see the terms 00:42:36.909 --> 00:42:39.969 awe and wonder came upon every soul, I think 00:42:39.969 --> 00:42:42.670 back to the tabernacle of Solomon, to the temple 00:42:42.670 --> 00:42:44.690 of Solomon, the tabernacle of Moses and David, 00:42:44.829 --> 00:42:47.590 where the presence of God would fill the temple 00:42:47.590 --> 00:42:50.690 with his fiery divine presence to the point where 00:42:50.690 --> 00:42:52.730 no one could minister before the Lord because 00:42:52.730 --> 00:42:55.750 of such reverence and awe and the weightiness 00:42:55.750 --> 00:43:00.869 of his glory. Man, how incredible is that? God 00:43:00.869 --> 00:43:03.510 moved in that way, not just on an individual. 00:43:03.530 --> 00:43:08.329 He did that on a people, a community. He moved 00:43:08.329 --> 00:43:13.550 that way on his church, his fellowship. And church 00:43:13.550 --> 00:43:15.789 is where the fear of God should come upon us 00:43:15.789 --> 00:43:21.590 most. It should serve as a reset for our fear 00:43:21.590 --> 00:43:25.570 of the Lord. Without the fear, we can become 00:43:25.570 --> 00:43:29.039 numb to God's presence. The church should be 00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:31.900 a place where we experience and learn about the 00:43:31.900 --> 00:43:37.840 fear of the Lord. We need to encounter his presence 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:42.760 as the fear of the Lord in community. Because 00:43:42.760 --> 00:43:47.039 there's something about God's presence coming 00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:52.699 upon a whole group of people. Something about 00:43:52.699 --> 00:43:57.010 the glory of God being revealed. To more than 00:43:57.010 --> 00:44:06.630 just me. I love being in his house. I love worshiping 00:44:06.630 --> 00:44:11.170 with you. I love hearing the word of God with 00:44:11.170 --> 00:44:14.909 you. Because I know there's things that you're 00:44:14.909 --> 00:44:18.570 grabbing that I'm not. There's ways God's moving 00:44:18.570 --> 00:44:22.929 in your life that he's not moving in mine. I'm 00:44:22.929 --> 00:44:24.909 a part of something more than my experience. 00:44:26.500 --> 00:44:29.159 I'm a part of something more than my definitions. 00:44:30.099 --> 00:44:32.480 And I'm a part of something more than who I am. 00:44:33.659 --> 00:44:39.280 I am a part of Life Bible Church. Because Christ, 00:44:39.440 --> 00:44:41.260 yes, there's the universal church, but there's 00:44:41.260 --> 00:44:44.519 the local church. We are a part of a local body. 00:44:45.840 --> 00:44:48.579 It's incredible. It is an honor to meet with 00:44:48.579 --> 00:44:52.400 you here in this very building, in this place. 00:44:54.190 --> 00:44:56.349 But this church is more than just the four walls. 00:44:56.429 --> 00:44:58.849 It's more than the building. As we've all heard 00:44:58.849 --> 00:45:02.849 many, many times, it's a people. But what makes 00:45:02.849 --> 00:45:07.070 this people so special? Moses understood it in 00:45:07.070 --> 00:45:14.230 Exodus. If you don't go with us, no one will 00:45:14.230 --> 00:45:16.289 know the difference between us and any other 00:45:16.289 --> 00:45:21.389 group. What makes us different than any other 00:45:21.389 --> 00:45:23.570 group on the planet? What makes us different 00:45:23.570 --> 00:45:26.170 than any non -denominational church in the world? 00:45:26.230 --> 00:45:27.949 What makes us different than any just nonprofit 00:45:27.949 --> 00:45:31.309 organization? What makes us different than anybody 00:45:31.309 --> 00:45:33.809 who sows money into missionaries around the world? 00:45:36.250 --> 00:45:38.150 Because trust me, there's plenty of organizations 00:45:38.150 --> 00:45:41.650 that feed the homeless and take care of people. 00:45:42.329 --> 00:45:48.800 There's plenty of non -religious. that do tons 00:45:48.800 --> 00:45:53.039 of things. But what I love about the church is 00:45:53.039 --> 00:46:01.059 that we do it best. But not because it's us, 00:46:01.219 --> 00:46:06.460 but because of the presence of God, because of 00:46:06.460 --> 00:46:13.880 the Holy Spirit himself. So I want to close by 00:46:13.880 --> 00:46:20.960 just, challenging you a little bit. And I know 00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:22.539 that I was a little more teachy this morning. 00:46:26.420 --> 00:46:28.780 And I know Pastor Brad really, he likes it when 00:46:28.780 --> 00:46:33.000 I get fired up. But I'll tell you what, there's 00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:37.320 nothing that gets me more fired up than people 00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:42.239 who love church and getting in church and worshiping 00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:45.260 God together. Because if there's one thing this 00:46:45.260 --> 00:46:49.210 world needs, It's a unified church. If there's 00:46:49.210 --> 00:46:52.389 one thing our country needs, it's a unified church 00:46:52.389 --> 00:46:54.710 who knows what the church is and what it should 00:46:54.710 --> 00:47:03.909 be doing. That we understand that the church 00:47:03.909 --> 00:47:08.190 is God's plan A and there is no B or C or any 00:47:08.190 --> 00:47:11.730 other letter of the alphabet. That God is using 00:47:11.730 --> 00:47:15.670 the church to save the world. That yes, it is 00:47:15.670 --> 00:47:17.690 the vessel for the gospel to be preached. It 00:47:17.690 --> 00:47:20.690 is the vessel where the sick can be healed. It 00:47:20.690 --> 00:47:22.710 is the real vessel where the presence of God 00:47:22.710 --> 00:47:26.449 is to be dispersed around the world. It is. The 00:47:26.449 --> 00:47:30.070 bride of Christ, as we have become so consumed 00:47:30.070 --> 00:47:35.250 with critiquing her and saying, man, this is 00:47:35.250 --> 00:47:41.400 all she does wrong. I don't know about you, but 00:47:41.400 --> 00:47:43.739 if someone just came to me and only told me all 00:47:43.739 --> 00:47:46.139 the things that my wife does wrong, I would get 00:47:46.139 --> 00:47:51.679 a little upset. So why do you think Jesus doesn't 00:47:51.679 --> 00:47:53.679 get a little frustrated when that's all we do? 00:47:55.659 --> 00:47:59.219 We gotta remember that this is his bride. This 00:47:59.219 --> 00:48:02.960 is who he died for. This is what he lives for. 00:48:03.960 --> 00:48:07.880 That he is resurrected. and alive and that we 00:48:07.880 --> 00:48:11.280 are his body and we are his bride and all these 00:48:11.280 --> 00:48:13.699 things that the Bible uses as analogies that 00:48:13.699 --> 00:48:15.679 they all work together and it doesn't make sense 00:48:15.679 --> 00:48:17.960 to me but it makes sense to God so I'll just 00:48:17.960 --> 00:48:20.159 believe him and I'll trust him. But we have to 00:48:20.159 --> 00:48:23.880 understand that this is what we're a part of 00:48:23.880 --> 00:48:26.699 is so much bigger than us. It's bigger than a 00:48:26.699 --> 00:48:31.760 political party. It's bigger than just some president. 00:48:31.860 --> 00:48:36.710 It's bigger than just some country. We are the 00:48:36.710 --> 00:48:48.829 established work of God on the earth. This is 00:48:48.829 --> 00:48:51.150 how God is going to save the world. And Christ 00:48:51.150 --> 00:48:54.849 isn't coming back until we're what? Unified. 00:48:57.429 --> 00:48:59.750 So don't you think the devil is going to try 00:48:59.750 --> 00:49:02.909 his hardest to divide us? Because he knows the 00:49:02.909 --> 00:49:05.389 moment we're unified is when he is getting his 00:49:05.389 --> 00:49:10.190 butt kicked for the last time. So let me just 00:49:10.190 --> 00:49:16.409 leave you with this. And trust me, I've done 00:49:16.409 --> 00:49:18.449 this many times. I'm a PK. I grew up in church. 00:49:18.630 --> 00:49:22.050 I know so many things about church. I know all 00:49:22.050 --> 00:49:24.809 the stuff. Trust me, I have walked into service 00:49:24.809 --> 00:49:28.050 as ferns on the stage. Are you kidding? Is this 00:49:28.050 --> 00:49:33.059 1995? I thought that. I thought that when I first 00:49:33.059 --> 00:49:36.820 came here in 2014 at the Wyatt campus, when there 00:49:36.820 --> 00:49:39.079 was Ferns on the stage, and I went, oh, dear 00:49:39.079 --> 00:49:46.960 Lord, what is this church? The only way they're 00:49:46.960 --> 00:49:48.860 going to redeem this is if they also play worship 00:49:48.860 --> 00:49:50.840 songs from 1995. That's not going to be the only 00:49:50.840 --> 00:49:57.340 way. I remember thinking that. Man, God, really? 00:49:58.670 --> 00:50:00.829 confronted me because he's going, really, you're 00:50:00.829 --> 00:50:07.550 going to miss me because of some burns? We are 00:50:07.550 --> 00:50:11.130 so ridiculous, aren't we? The things we will 00:50:11.130 --> 00:50:16.489 nitpick. The biggest cause for divisiveness is 00:50:16.489 --> 00:50:22.690 preference. I'm telling you, I've gotten in more 00:50:22.690 --> 00:50:28.000 fights with my wife because of preference. I 00:50:28.000 --> 00:50:32.739 prefer things to be this way. Thank God the church 00:50:32.739 --> 00:50:36.019 isn't being built on my preference. It's built 00:50:36.019 --> 00:50:42.079 on God's. What matters to him is, sure, put some 00:50:42.079 --> 00:50:46.420 trees on the stage. Sure, have some ferns. Because 00:50:46.420 --> 00:50:51.260 ultimately, who cares? What matters to me is 00:50:51.260 --> 00:50:54.280 you're here and that you call this place home. 00:50:55.079 --> 00:50:57.280 And that you've dug your roots in here to a local 00:50:57.280 --> 00:51:00.300 church and you say, I'm a part of something more 00:51:00.300 --> 00:51:04.739 than me. I'm a part of Christ, his body. And 00:51:04.739 --> 00:51:08.400 I give my life for what he gave his life for. 00:51:08.860 --> 00:51:12.679 And I live for what he lives for. Let's pray. 00:51:13.059 --> 00:51:18.360 Lord, thank you so much. Lord, for your goodness 00:51:18.360 --> 00:51:20.519 and for your faithfulness and for who you are. 00:51:21.840 --> 00:51:27.780 Father, you are. Lord, you know what we need. 00:51:28.079 --> 00:51:30.840 You know our wants too, but God, you're so faithful 00:51:30.840 --> 00:51:37.400 that you help us want what we should need. Lord, 00:51:37.460 --> 00:51:40.260 you change the desires of our heart. You change 00:51:40.260 --> 00:51:43.400 the focus of our heart. You change our minds. 00:51:44.079 --> 00:51:46.199 We're transformed by the renewing of our mind. 00:51:46.260 --> 00:51:48.679 Lord, renew our minds by your word and not by 00:51:48.679 --> 00:51:52.039 culture. Renew our minds by what's eternal, not 00:51:52.039 --> 00:51:55.460 temporal. Renew our minds by... what pleases 00:51:55.460 --> 00:51:58.380 and delights you rather than our preference. 00:51:59.900 --> 00:52:03.079 Lord, it's not about our songs. It's not about 00:52:03.079 --> 00:52:08.820 us. It's not about our individualistic experience. 00:52:09.679 --> 00:52:13.980 Lord, but church is number one, supposed to bless 00:52:13.980 --> 00:52:20.340 you. That's why we're here, to bless you. Lord, 00:52:20.400 --> 00:52:24.480 may you be blessed today. In your mighty and 00:52:24.480 --> 00:52:52.909 precious name, amen. Lastly, if you are in need 00:52:52.909 --> 00:52:56.750 of prayer send us a text message at 541 -625 00:52:56.750 --> 00:53:00.409 -1365. We would love to pray with you.