WEBVTT 00:00:02.239 --> 00:00:07.360 There's Florida for several years, but I was 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.099 pretty sure I knew the way to the restaurant. 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:13.980 Men have an intuitive knowledge of those things, 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:20.980 you know. And as our van load of family, by this 00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:24.460 time growing increasingly short on blood sugar 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:29.339 and patience, As we were driving through Fort 00:00:29.339 --> 00:00:31.160 Myers, I knew that it was just up the street, 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:34.420 and my wife said that one thing a wife should 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:38.439 never say in a situation like that. Why don't 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:43.939 you stop and ask directions? Now, everybody knows 00:00:43.939 --> 00:00:48.299 the reason you don't ask that question. And I 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:51.880 said, no, I saw the map said it has to be right 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:57.859 up here. So we drove, and we drove. I said, well, 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:02.280 maybe it's the street over. And we drove some 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:07.099 more. And finally, we had to do the unthinkable. 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:11.879 We had to stop and ask directions. It's important 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:14.760 to know what your destination is and how to get 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:18.519 there. That's not only true of us as families, 00:01:18.540 --> 00:01:22.620 but it's true of us as a church as well. In Luke 00:01:22.620 --> 00:01:26.599 chapter 24, Jesus gives us... our directions. 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:30.659 I invite you to look at verses 45 through 49 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:36.859 of Luke 24 with me. Then he opened their minds 00:01:36.859 --> 00:01:40.620 so they could understand the scriptures. He told 00:01:40.620 --> 00:01:43.359 them this is what is written, the Christ will 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:45.859 suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 00:01:45.859 --> 00:01:49.540 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:52.920 preached in his name to all nations beginning 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:56.900 at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.680 I am going to send you what my Father has promised, 00:02:00.739 --> 00:02:03.019 but stay in the city until you've been clothed 00:02:03.019 --> 00:02:07.579 with power from on high. Churches, like other 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:10.960 organizations, need to understand their mission. 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:15.219 That is, their destination on the map, and how 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:18.939 to get there. It seems to me that here we have 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:22.479 an outline given by the Lord Jesus Christ for 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:26.710 the mission. of the church. It is a mission that 00:02:26.710 --> 00:02:30.250 is just as certain to be fulfilled as was his 00:02:30.250 --> 00:02:35.189 death. That's what he says. He opened their minds 00:02:35.189 --> 00:02:37.889 to understand that the scriptures told that he 00:02:37.889 --> 00:02:41.229 would come and die for sins, he would be raised 00:02:41.229 --> 00:02:45.009 the third day, and then the scriptures also said 00:02:45.009 --> 00:02:48.430 that he, repentance and forgiveness of sins, 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:51.129 would be preached in his name to all nations. 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:56.620 beginning at Jerusalem. Just as his death and 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:59.400 resurrection were certain, so the mission of 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:03.699 the church will be fulfilled. The question, of 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:09.639 course, is, will I, will we, have a part in what 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:13.699 God is going to do through his church in this 00:03:13.699 --> 00:03:18.599 age? Our mission is to proclaim repentance and 00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:22.400 forgiveness of sins. in his name to all nations 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:27.139 beginning here. We have the message. God has 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:29.639 given it to us. It is the message that there 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.539 is forgiveness with him. It is forgiveness that 00:03:33.539 --> 00:03:36.360 is based upon the sacrifice of Christ. It is 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.860 because of his death and resurrection on our 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:42.599 behalf that we can find forgiveness with God. 00:03:42.740 --> 00:03:44.659 It's not in what we do. It's what he's done. 00:03:45.699 --> 00:03:48.259 And it's a matter of our simply believing that 00:03:48.259 --> 00:03:53.840 and receiving him. into our lives. There's a 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:57.500 forgiveness that is not only based on his sacrifice, 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.319 but it's conditioned on our own personal repentance. 00:04:01.099 --> 00:04:05.939 That is, we must personally take action to receive 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:10.639 this message, this good news. You and I have 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:13.960 the privilege of representing Jesus Christ in 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:17.560 this world and delivering this message. that 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:20.319 there is forgiveness with God to all who will 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:26.120 repent and believe on his Son. We have the mission. 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:31.319 The church is not intended by God to be merely 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.959 social. It is that in part, but it's more than 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:38.540 that. The church is not intended by God to be 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:42.480 institutional. There are organizational aspects 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:45.839 to the church, but it's much more than an institution. 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:52.019 The church is missional. The church has a cause. 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:55.339 The church has an assignment that it must fulfill 00:04:55.339 --> 00:04:59.459 to be obedient. That's why we talk of ourselves 00:04:59.459 --> 00:05:03.740 as being a mission center. Because the church 00:05:03.740 --> 00:05:07.720 is missional. Therefore, we see ourselves as 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:14.079 a mission center. And our job is outreach. We 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:16.959 are to continually reach out to others who do 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.879 not yet know Christ. We said last week that outreach 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:26.060 must be balanced with nurture. Those that we 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:29.040 reach out to and win must be brought into the 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.519 church and in the church nurtured and cared for 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.240 and healed and restored and built up and equipped. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:38.639 That's part of our mission. We must never forget 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.199 that. Outreach must be balanced with nurture. 00:05:43.129 --> 00:05:47.069 with helping people in their weakness, in their 00:05:47.069 --> 00:05:50.930 struggle, helping them to grow in Christ, helping 00:05:50.930 --> 00:05:54.829 them to be healed from their hurts, helping them 00:05:54.829 --> 00:05:58.709 to be freed from their bondages through the power 00:05:58.709 --> 00:06:02.889 of Christ. So nurture is part of it. Outreach 00:06:02.889 --> 00:06:05.310 must be balanced with nurture. However, nurture 00:06:05.310 --> 00:06:10.050 must always lead to outreach. If it doesn't, 00:06:10.050 --> 00:06:15.279 it becomes dead end. It becomes so self -focused 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:19.779 that it loses momentum. Nurture must result in 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:21.920 further outreach, and so there's a cycle here, 00:06:21.980 --> 00:06:25.600 you see. We reach out, we enfold others in, and 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:27.939 nurture them that they then can join with us 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:32.160 in reaching out to yet others. We have the mission. 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:35.839 We need to get rid of the idea that has crept 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:38.379 into some parts of the Church of Jesus Christ. 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:43.079 The Church need not grow. or that church growth 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:46.420 is a bad thing, or church growth is undesirable. 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:49.720 In fact, it is just the opposite biblically. 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:56.620 The church must grow, because the church is a 00:06:56.620 --> 00:07:01.300 living organism. To be healthy, it must grow. 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:05.319 It must continue to reach out. It must for its 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:09.379 own existence, as well as for God's glory. It 00:07:09.379 --> 00:07:12.310 is expected that the church will grow. it is 00:07:12.310 --> 00:07:16.569 natural that the church will grow. The point 00:07:16.569 --> 00:07:18.329 that I'm trying to make in these two Sundays 00:07:18.329 --> 00:07:22.069 committed to our church's mission is this, that 00:07:22.069 --> 00:07:26.329 the mission that Christ has given to our church 00:07:26.329 --> 00:07:31.449 necessitates the participation of every person 00:07:31.449 --> 00:07:35.810 who claims to be a part of it. Believing in and 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:37.829 being a part of the mission is not optional. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:45.600 It is not an elective. If one claims to be a 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:49.519 part of Grace Church, then it is presumed that 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:53.439 one believes in the mission of this church and 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:59.319 is participating in that mission. Jesus says, 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:03.779 you are my witnesses. We have a message from 00:08:03.779 --> 00:08:06.879 Christ. We have a mission from Christ. We have 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:11.230 a mandate from Christ. He says, you are my witnesses. 00:08:11.970 --> 00:08:14.730 How are we going to get there to fulfilling our 00:08:14.730 --> 00:08:18.089 mission? Well, let's just show you again what 00:08:18.089 --> 00:08:21.449 our mission is. Notice that it's stated this 00:08:21.449 --> 00:08:24.089 way. Grace Church Roseville is a community of 00:08:24.089 --> 00:08:28.529 believers whose purpose is to worship the Lord 00:08:28.529 --> 00:08:34.389 Jesus Christ and prepare itself through biblical 00:08:34.389 --> 00:08:38.289 instruction, service, and fellowship. In order 00:08:38.289 --> 00:08:41.029 to evangelize the world, the last three words 00:08:41.029 --> 00:08:46.889 are the point on the arrow. Not to exclude any 00:08:46.889 --> 00:08:51.429 other part of it. Worship is crucial. If we do 00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:55.429 not worship as a community of believers, then 00:08:55.429 --> 00:08:57.750 somehow we're going to lose our life. Because 00:08:57.750 --> 00:09:00.710 our life, our momentum, our power is in worship. 00:09:01.909 --> 00:09:05.070 We must prepare ourselves to do the job God's 00:09:05.070 --> 00:09:07.679 given us. When we talk about preparing ourselves, 00:09:07.820 --> 00:09:09.720 we're talking about getting healed, too. We're 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:12.500 talking about being cared for. We're talking 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:15.480 about being nurtured and built up. And all of 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:19.899 that happens through biblical instruction, through 00:09:19.899 --> 00:09:23.019 service, opportunities that we have, and through 00:09:23.019 --> 00:09:26.360 fellowship, caring opportunities with one another. 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:29.820 But all of that happens, the worship and the 00:09:29.820 --> 00:09:32.419 preparation that takes place, so that we can 00:09:32.419 --> 00:09:37.019 evangelize the world. That is the point of the 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:39.100 mission that God has given us. Some of that happens 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:42.080 inside the walls. In this next slide, you're 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.320 going to see the diagram that we used last spring. 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:45.840 Some of you have seen it then. Others of you 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:49.120 have not seen it before. You notice the middle 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:53.480 circle there represents us, the mission center. 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:58.139 And inside that middle circle is a triangle. 00:09:59.019 --> 00:10:01.879 And in there, you notice three words, worship, 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:04.419 preparation, and evangelism. That tells us what 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:06.740 happens within the walls of the mission center. 00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:10.360 We worship when we come together. The upper arrows 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:13.700 represent you and me coming into the mission 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:17.379 center, being a part of it, identifying with 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:20.220 it. And we come together so that we can worship 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:24.200 the Lord, so that we can be prepared and built 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:27.159 up and equipped and healed, so that we can go 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:30.789 out. But also, inside the mission center, notice 00:10:30.789 --> 00:10:33.049 there is evangelism that takes place, and we 00:10:33.049 --> 00:10:37.309 expect that. And we thank God it happens. Whether 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:39.509 it be through the Awana Club ministry, or it 00:10:39.509 --> 00:10:41.330 be through Ladies Bible Study, or it be through 00:10:41.330 --> 00:10:43.629 Single Again, or it be in our morning worship 00:10:43.629 --> 00:10:46.570 services in our small church, or in a variety 00:10:46.570 --> 00:10:49.309 of ways, within the walls, within the programs 00:10:49.309 --> 00:10:53.549 of the church, evangelism takes place. But that's 00:10:53.549 --> 00:10:56.990 not the end. You see, we come inside the mission 00:10:56.990 --> 00:11:00.830 center. so that then we can go outside, outside 00:11:00.830 --> 00:11:03.750 the circle. That's what those other arrows represent. 00:11:05.269 --> 00:11:08.850 And when we talk about going outside the mission 00:11:08.850 --> 00:11:13.429 center, we see ourselves employing three basic 00:11:13.429 --> 00:11:17.169 strategies, at least right now. We can't do everything 00:11:17.169 --> 00:11:19.870 or be everything to everybody, but we believe 00:11:19.870 --> 00:11:22.049 that there are three strategies that God wants 00:11:22.049 --> 00:11:24.809 us as a church to employ. Let's talk about the 00:11:24.809 --> 00:11:29.459 one on the left, relationship evangelism. Let 00:11:29.459 --> 00:11:32.620 me simply point out to you that that flyer that 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:35.259 we noted earlier in the service, in your bulletin 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:38.960 today for the eye of the storm, is an opportunity 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:41.960 to be involved in that. To hand out that little 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.799 flyer to some friend, somebody with whom you 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:47.559 have a relationship, and say, how about coming 00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:49.620 with me to see this film that's going to be shown 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:53.440 at our church? Maybe you can get a bite to eat 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:55.700 before or afterward or go out for ice cream or 00:11:55.700 --> 00:11:58.740 do something together socially, but use that 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:02.620 relationship to reach out to somebody who doesn't 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:05.200 come to the mission center and who may never 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:08.399 come to the mission center. If you don't take 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:11.559 the opportunity to go out to them, they won't 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:16.419 hear. Now, relationship evangelism happens through 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:18.620 Bible studies in our neighborhoods. It happens 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:24.360 through... business, Bible studies. It happens 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:26.600 through Christmas coffees and teas that some 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:29.539 of you participate in. Just in a lot of ways, 00:12:29.700 --> 00:12:34.000 in personal witness, we use the networks of relationships 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.759 that God has given us to evangelize, to take 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:39.980 the good news, to reach out and touch the lives 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:44.220 of other people for Jesus' sake. Then on the 00:12:44.220 --> 00:12:46.500 right is a second strategy that's so important 00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:51.320 to us. It is cultural keys. At Cultural Keys, 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:54.600 we're talking about creative ways of addressing 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:59.940 the felt needs of those in our culture. That 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:04.059 is, their hopes and their hurts. You see, people 00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:06.419 out there who have never been to a church in 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:10.179 their lives have hopes, and basically they're 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:14.379 the same hopes that you have. We all have hopes 00:13:14.379 --> 00:13:16.759 of having a happy family, a strong marriage, 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:20.830 a satisfying career. to be financially secure, 00:13:21.210 --> 00:13:25.029 or to find fulfillment in singleness, or to establish 00:13:25.029 --> 00:13:28.450 meaningful relationships. All of us have those 00:13:28.450 --> 00:13:34.950 kinds of hopes. Cultural keys is you or me or 00:13:34.950 --> 00:13:38.730 some group of us allowing the Spirit of God to 00:13:38.730 --> 00:13:44.830 create through us some way of using a hope that 00:13:44.830 --> 00:13:48.570 a person has out there to bring the gospel to 00:13:48.570 --> 00:13:52.240 them. They have a hope for a healthy marriage. 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:55.519 And so we say, hey, you know, we've been through 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:59.059 some times in our marriage, but God has brought 00:13:59.059 --> 00:14:01.320 us through and we've learned a lot. Let's get 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:03.679 together with some other couples and let's have 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:07.360 a marriage seminar in our neighborhood, at our 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:09.740 home, and we'll invite somebody to come and we'll 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:12.360 just talk about marriages and how to have a happy 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:16.080 marriage. You might be amazed how many people 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.429 in your neighborhood... outside of the mission 00:14:18.429 --> 00:14:20.789 center, people who would never go to a church, 00:14:20.889 --> 00:14:23.929 who are interested in being helped with that 00:14:23.929 --> 00:14:28.409 hope. And in creating that little thing in your 00:14:28.409 --> 00:14:32.590 home, you have devised by God's Spirit a cultural 00:14:32.590 --> 00:14:35.470 key that will help you unlock your neighborhood 00:14:35.470 --> 00:14:40.730 so that you can bridge into those homes where 00:14:40.730 --> 00:14:43.289 you're not now established in a relationship. 00:14:44.429 --> 00:14:47.009 And you build that bridge into those lives so 00:14:47.009 --> 00:14:49.049 that you can then share the gospel with them. 00:14:50.389 --> 00:14:54.490 People have hurts, too. Divorce, loneliness, 00:14:54.950 --> 00:14:59.490 loss, grief, financial bondage, addictive behaviors, 00:14:59.850 --> 00:15:03.710 homelessness, crime, hunger, lost key kids, poverty, 00:15:03.909 --> 00:15:07.029 illiteracy. The list goes on and on and on of 00:15:07.029 --> 00:15:11.389 hurts in our world. Oh, that God would raise 00:15:11.389 --> 00:15:15.679 up... within our congregation a score of cultural 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:19.559 keys that can be employed from time to time to 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:23.100 reach out to address the hurts in the world around 00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:26.960 us. And doing that so that we can share the gospel 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:31.519 with them. Cultural keys. And then the third 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:33.919 one is branch churches. And as we said last week, 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:37.100 whether it's Blaine or Belize, or it's Forest 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:42.769 Lake or Finland, It knows no geographical boundaries, 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:45.970 no cultural boundaries. We are interested in 00:15:45.970 --> 00:15:48.590 establishing other local churches like ours, 00:15:48.769 --> 00:15:52.809 other mission centers, if you please, who can 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:55.129 be established and then in that region where 00:15:55.129 --> 00:15:58.250 they are do the same thing that we're seeking 00:15:58.250 --> 00:16:02.850 to do by the grace of God. That's how we want 00:16:02.850 --> 00:16:05.769 to do it. That's how we believe God wants us 00:16:05.769 --> 00:16:10.379 to get there. This mission that we're talking 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:14.700 about that God's given us needs to be a motivating 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:18.659 force in our lives. We all struggle with motivation. 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:22.879 Why do we do what we do? Well, I forgot again 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:25.299 to put the offering envelope in, the second service. 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:31.440 I can do it tonight. Let me confess a little 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:34.039 something to you. When I sit down every month, 00:16:34.059 --> 00:16:36.100 as is the custom in our home, to write out our 00:16:36.100 --> 00:16:41.080 tithe, the ministry of the local church, I sometimes 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:45.320 have thoughts that come to my mind. And I don't 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:46.960 mind admitting it because you all have the same 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:52.519 thoughts. Boy, I think back through all the years 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:54.700 that we've tithed, we could have bought a house 00:16:54.700 --> 00:16:59.919 by now for cash. If we had used that money and 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:01.779 put it in a savings account for the kids' education, 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:04.579 they'd be able to go to school, every one of 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:07.569 them, without having to work for it. May not 00:17:07.569 --> 00:17:12.109 be good, but we could do that. We could have 00:17:12.109 --> 00:17:15.490 a brand new car if we weren't giving this tithe. 00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:19.710 Have you ever had thoughts like that? Maybe I'm 00:17:19.710 --> 00:17:23.230 the only ungodly one, but I have thoughts like 00:17:23.230 --> 00:17:25.809 that. You see, I am not naturally a generous 00:17:25.809 --> 00:17:32.730 person. Ask my wife. She would give away every 00:17:32.730 --> 00:17:35.869 penny that I've ever earned if I gave her a chance. 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:42.039 I'm a wonderful balance to her. And she's a wonderful 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:45.839 balance to me. You see, I'm not naturally motivated 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:50.079 to give that way, but I believe in the mission 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:53.460 that God's given us. And that is a motivating 00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:57.039 factor in my life. I believe the most important 00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:59.240 thing in the world is getting the gospel to people. 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:03.460 I hope that as you invest in the work of Jesus 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:06.660 Christ, The mission that God's given us is your 00:18:06.660 --> 00:18:10.140 motivation. That it's not a sense of begrudging 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:14.380 this. It's not, oh, I have to do this. But it's 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:17.019 a sense of joy that God has allowed us the privilege 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:19.380 to be involved in the greatest mission in the 00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:28.319 world. There's a group in our church. Doing the 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:31.019 spade work for the whole congregation and trying 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:34.000 to find out what options are before us as a church 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.599 so that we can continue to grow. Some of you 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:40.299 don't realize this, but many of you do, that 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:44.339 our facilities are a tremendous chokehold on 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:47.099 the development of the ministry of Grace Church. 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:51.799 Some of you are involved in small churches on 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:54.500 the East Campus at Roseville High School. We 00:18:54.500 --> 00:18:57.039 thank God for that provision. But some of you 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:59.700 have said to us that is not a long -term solution. 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.960 And I put it diplomatically. Some of you feel 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.420 more strongly about it. Hey, I agree with you 00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:10.980 100%. It's not a long -term solution. You'll 00:19:10.980 --> 00:19:14.480 help us plug the gap for right now. We've got 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:18.599 to figure out what we're going to do. Are we 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:21.640 going to develop this site with our six -plus 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:26.029 acres? Are we going to build here? What we need? 00:19:29.029 --> 00:19:31.309 Or are we going to relocate to some other part 00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:36.930 of the northern suburbs? Well, you say, I've 00:19:36.930 --> 00:19:38.990 got some ideas on that. Well, we all do, and 00:19:38.990 --> 00:19:42.650 we want to hear those. And there's going to be 00:19:42.650 --> 00:19:44.289 opportunity for that. But you know what ought 00:19:44.289 --> 00:19:46.829 to drive us in whatever decision we come to? 00:19:48.130 --> 00:19:52.549 It is the decision, how can we as a church best 00:19:52.549 --> 00:19:58.559 accomplish our mission? That has to be the factor 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:02.559 we keep foremost in mind. Not how far do I have 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:05.079 to drive to here and how far will I have to drive 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:09.519 to there. But God, where can Grace Church Roseville 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:13.039 locate so that it can go on to accomplish the 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:17.960 mission you called us to? You see, that needs 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:21.039 to be the motivating, driving factor in what 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:23.740 we're about, in the decisions that we make and 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:31.200 what we do. over the next year or so all of us 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:33.279 are going to be encouraged to become a part of 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:37.099 a small group these will have different flavors 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:41.420 it's just going to be wonderful i can hardly 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:43.579 wait till these things get off the ground there's 00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:45.759 a group of people who are already meeting for 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:48.500 training and because of its nature it's got to 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:51.440 start small and then multiply and it will and 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.200 so it's going to take some time but It is going 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:56.700 to revolutionize the ministry of our church. 00:20:59.099 --> 00:21:02.180 And all of us have the opportunity to be a part 00:21:02.180 --> 00:21:06.359 of that. What ought to be our deciding motivation, 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.299 whether to do it or not, whether we ought to 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:12.460 commit the time to that? It is, will this allow 00:21:12.460 --> 00:21:14.819 me to participate in the mission of our church? 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:21.299 You see, God has given us an assignment, a wonderful 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:25.049 assignment. We have the mission, we have the 00:21:25.049 --> 00:21:28.250 mandate. It is, you are my witnesses. I know 00:21:28.250 --> 00:21:30.549 he said that to a select group of people on this 00:21:30.549 --> 00:21:32.829 occasion, but it's clear in the New Testament 00:21:32.829 --> 00:21:35.490 that he means all of us now are his witnesses. 00:21:39.410 --> 00:21:41.289 We have a message, we have a mission, we have 00:21:41.289 --> 00:21:44.849 a mandate. We also have the means to get the 00:21:44.849 --> 00:21:48.809 job done. The Lord is not going to tell us to 00:21:48.809 --> 00:21:52.640 do something and then forsake us. and leave us 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:56.700 to wither. He's going to give us the means to 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:58.579 get the job done, and he talks about that in 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.240 verse 49, and it's twofold, really. It's prayer, 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:06.019 and it's the power of the Holy Spirit. He says 00:22:06.019 --> 00:22:10.099 to them, you wait in Jerusalem. You wait here 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:13.240 in this city until you've received the power 00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:18.680 from on high. Why were they to wait? Well, they 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:22.349 needed to spend some time in prayer. And if you 00:22:22.349 --> 00:22:24.089 go to the book of Acts and see what they did 00:22:24.089 --> 00:22:26.730 in that period of time between when he went back 00:22:26.730 --> 00:22:28.630 to heaven and when the Holy Spirit came down, 00:22:28.710 --> 00:22:30.809 you find that what they did was day after day, 00:22:30.910 --> 00:22:36.069 hour after hour, they prayed. We want to become 00:22:36.069 --> 00:22:43.009 a praying church. And not just in small groups 00:22:43.009 --> 00:22:46.190 or individuals in their homes. I mean, that's 00:22:46.190 --> 00:22:50.190 important. But we want to become a praying church, 00:22:50.230 --> 00:22:54.789 a congregation. There is something about the 00:22:54.789 --> 00:22:59.089 power of God's people united in prayer. It causes 00:22:59.089 --> 00:23:03.190 the gates of hell to quake. It causes the demons 00:23:03.190 --> 00:23:07.809 to flee in fear when the people of God unite 00:23:07.809 --> 00:23:11.410 their hearts together in intercession. And so 00:23:11.410 --> 00:23:14.289 you're going to see that more and more we're 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:18.309 going to devote some of the minutes that we have 00:23:18.309 --> 00:23:22.680 together. as a congregation to prayer, because 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:25.519 that's our resource. Through prayer, we can call 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:28.380 down the power of God. Through prayer, we can 00:23:28.380 --> 00:23:31.700 receive provision from God. Through prayer, we 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:33.819 can get our direction from God. Through prayer, 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:37.200 we can find encouragement. Prayer is a resource 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:42.380 for us. He says, secondly, that we have the power 00:23:42.380 --> 00:23:44.380 of the Holy Spirit. We don't have to wait for 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:47.099 the Holy Spirit. He's already here. He indwells 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:51.569 us when we trust Christ. We have the power of 00:23:51.569 --> 00:23:54.930 the Holy Spirit bringing to you and to me the 00:23:54.930 --> 00:23:58.829 power of Christ's resurrection. The power of 00:23:58.829 --> 00:24:03.789 new life lives in us so that we can confidently 00:24:03.789 --> 00:24:05.869 go out there into the world with our mission. 00:24:06.049 --> 00:24:13.329 We're not alone, and we're not weak. We have 00:24:13.329 --> 00:24:18.210 the power of God within us to be released through 00:24:18.210 --> 00:24:23.390 us. As we walk in the Spirit. God has given us 00:24:23.390 --> 00:24:26.069 the means to get the job done. We don't need 00:24:26.069 --> 00:24:29.390 anything more than that. You say, wouldn't it 00:24:29.390 --> 00:24:32.490 be nice if we had $5 million? Well, yes. I must 00:24:32.490 --> 00:24:36.109 confess. But I'll tell you something. We need 00:24:36.109 --> 00:24:38.869 prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit far more 00:24:38.869 --> 00:24:45.369 than we need $50 million. Because with prayer 00:24:45.369 --> 00:24:47.170 and the power of the Holy Spirit, it takes care 00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:50.049 of everything else. in God's way and in God's 00:24:50.049 --> 00:24:54.990 time. We have what we need to get the job done. 00:24:57.670 --> 00:25:00.410 We must build carefully and invest wisely in 00:25:00.410 --> 00:25:04.450 the mission center so that we can build strongly 00:25:04.450 --> 00:25:07.130 here. The stronger we build the base, the farther 00:25:07.130 --> 00:25:11.990 can be our reach. And our goal is not only to 00:25:11.990 --> 00:25:17.119 be strong here, but to reach far. And so we need 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:22.619 God's wisdom in building. And we need your commitment 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:28.440 and my commitment to the cause. And I call upon 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:31.259 you today to renew your commitment to the mission 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:34.859 that God's given us as Grace Church. This mission, 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:38.539 pictured here in this diagram. The vision of 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:41.039 ourselves as a mission center. I call upon you 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:46.750 to respond to that. Why? Well, first, and basically 00:25:46.750 --> 00:25:51.230 because of obedience to Jesus Christ. He is our 00:25:51.230 --> 00:25:56.089 Lord, and we live under his Lordship. And we 00:25:56.089 --> 00:25:58.750 respond to the mission and commit ourselves to 00:25:58.750 --> 00:26:02.589 it because we want to obey him. What he commands, 00:26:02.750 --> 00:26:08.269 we must do. But we do it as well so that we can 00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:13.150 be cared for. Yeah. So doesn't that sound selfish? 00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:16.109 Well. If it's taken to an extreme, it's selfish, 00:26:16.190 --> 00:26:18.269 but you know it's legitimate that we be cared 00:26:18.269 --> 00:26:25.369 for ourselves. We need that. We respond to the 00:26:25.369 --> 00:26:29.289 mission. We say, I want to be involved in the 00:26:29.289 --> 00:26:33.569 mission because I need to be cared for. But then 00:26:33.569 --> 00:26:36.230 you see, as I'm cared for, then I can care for 00:26:36.230 --> 00:26:40.150 others as well. It's not dead end. It comes in. 00:26:40.670 --> 00:26:42.730 so they can go out. The arrows have to come in 00:26:42.730 --> 00:26:47.670 and then go out to be healthy. That's another 00:26:47.670 --> 00:26:51.809 reason we respond to the mission. To be mission 00:26:51.809 --> 00:26:58.089 -minded, we must use our spiritual gifts. We 00:26:58.089 --> 00:27:01.650 must use our time, our energy. We must give of 00:27:01.650 --> 00:27:04.609 our financial investment as shareholders in the 00:27:04.609 --> 00:27:09.279 work of Jesus Christ. Now a lot of us are aware 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:11.599 of it and we know it. The problem is that we 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:17.460 lack motivation. We lack motivation to make a 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:20.000 significant commitment to the mission of Christ. 00:27:20.099 --> 00:27:22.640 In our minds we say, oh yeah, man, that's right. 00:27:24.039 --> 00:27:27.180 But somehow it has a hard time getting down into 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:32.900 our walk, into our lives. Perhaps you're like 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:36.759 a lot of us. Early on after your conversion, 00:27:36.859 --> 00:27:40.480 you were so excited. You had lots of friends 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.619 out there who didn't know Christ, and you wanted 00:27:42.619 --> 00:27:45.019 to tell them, and you went out there with enthusiasm. 00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:47.339 You may not have done it in the best way possible, 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:52.519 but you shared the gospel with them. And then 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:56.980 as time went by, you began to grow spiritually. 00:27:59.370 --> 00:28:02.109 After a while, you had fewer friends out there 00:28:02.109 --> 00:28:05.930 and more friends inside the church. You began 00:28:05.930 --> 00:28:09.329 to do all of your relationships here. Somehow 00:28:09.329 --> 00:28:13.049 out there was less attractive. It was a bother. 00:28:13.130 --> 00:28:16.809 It took too much time because we're so busy here. 00:28:17.769 --> 00:28:20.470 You continued to grow until you became a tour. 00:28:22.410 --> 00:28:24.690 And you were able to boast that you had no friends 00:28:24.690 --> 00:28:28.900 out there. And you spend all of your time with 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:30.859 other Christians. What a wonderful fellowship. 00:28:31.019 --> 00:28:37.140 What a joy divine. And no motivation at all to 00:28:37.140 --> 00:28:39.900 see anybody else one to Christ. That's not Christian 00:28:39.900 --> 00:28:47.259 maturity. That's sin. Maybe what you've experienced, 00:28:47.380 --> 00:28:49.099 though, is something like the parable that we're 00:28:49.099 --> 00:28:54.599 about to see. It's called Rescue. Robert and 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:57.680 Teresa. have just escaped a burning building. 00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:51.519 Others are still trapped inside. Praise God. 00:29:53.460 --> 00:30:03.859 That was close. I barely made it out. Look at 00:30:03.859 --> 00:30:08.460 that. Fire? Oh, I almost didn't notice till it 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:16.539 was too late. It's worse than I thought. Wait. 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:24.539 What? Huh? Did you hear that? There's still people 00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:27.740 trapped inside. Huh? What are you doing just 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:29.299 standing there? Aren't you going to help them? 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:33.900 What? Go back in there? Yes, you must. I mean... 00:30:35.730 --> 00:30:38.309 I'm sure if they can find their way out by themselves, 00:30:38.529 --> 00:30:43.029 just fine. In fact, I have faith that they can 00:30:43.029 --> 00:30:46.690 do it. That's right. Faith. Are you crazy? We're 00:30:46.690 --> 00:30:49.329 surrounded on all sides, Robert. There's no way 00:30:49.329 --> 00:30:51.670 they can make it out without our help. We know 00:30:51.670 --> 00:30:54.609 the way. There's so much heat and smoke out there, 00:30:54.670 --> 00:30:57.710 they probably can't even see. Yeah, you're right. 00:30:58.049 --> 00:31:00.630 Right. There is a lot of heat and smoke. Yeah. 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:04.740 Times like this, though, I sure can use some 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:17.140 chapstick lip balm. Here, try some. Well, I don't 00:31:17.140 --> 00:31:19.220 know about you, but I'm going out there to help. 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:22.720 Hold it, hold it. Where do you think you're going? 00:31:22.859 --> 00:31:26.700 Look. It's better than us, right? Look at us. 00:31:27.019 --> 00:31:32.619 We're safe. Why should we risk anything to try 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:36.119 and help them? I mean, why? I can't believe my 00:31:36.119 --> 00:31:40.019 ears. How can you be so cold? How can you stand 00:31:40.019 --> 00:31:42.519 here and take this so lightly? I mean, we're 00:31:42.519 --> 00:31:44.700 talking about another person's life here. Yeah, 00:31:44.700 --> 00:31:47.680 right. That's just it. It's another person's 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:50.640 life. Right. I mean, I have more important things 00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:53.720 to do. There's a twins game on tonight I gotta 00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:56.809 see. Twins? Matter of fact, I have to get to 00:31:56.809 --> 00:31:58.910 choir practice. I can't look back. I haven't 00:31:58.910 --> 00:32:01.869 missed choir practice in... Three years, I know. 00:32:02.130 --> 00:32:04.470 Look, there's plenty of people out here that 00:32:04.470 --> 00:32:14.349 can use my help. I, uh, I guess. Um, you think 00:32:14.349 --> 00:32:15.990 they're going through much pain in there? You 00:32:15.990 --> 00:32:19.349 ought to know. We've been out there ourselves, 00:32:19.710 --> 00:32:22.049 remember? Look, I'm sure they don't even want 00:32:22.049 --> 00:32:23.609 our help. If we were to go in there, they'd just 00:32:23.609 --> 00:32:26.690 push us away. Then we'd look pretty stupid. I 00:32:26.690 --> 00:32:29.849 mean, probably like it in there, you think? Did 00:32:29.849 --> 00:32:33.589 you like it? The heat? The smoke? The suffering? 00:32:33.710 --> 00:32:38.049 The dying? The smell like you smell now? We never 00:32:38.049 --> 00:32:39.829 would have made it out of there if someone hadn't 00:32:39.829 --> 00:32:44.009 shown us the way. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I almost 00:32:44.009 --> 00:32:45.710 forgot about that guy and all the confusion. 00:32:46.710 --> 00:32:52.369 Wow. I mean, that guy was just... He was... He 00:32:52.369 --> 00:32:55.430 was an idiot. That guy was safe. Out of there. 00:32:55.569 --> 00:32:58.329 And he risked his life just to save us? That 00:32:58.329 --> 00:33:00.630 guy must have been out of his mind. Oh, yeah, 00:33:00.769 --> 00:33:03.089 out of his mind. But if it hadn't been for him, 00:33:03.130 --> 00:33:08.309 we would have lost our lives out there. Those 00:33:08.309 --> 00:33:11.769 look pretty bad. Right. Maybe you're right. That's 00:33:11.769 --> 00:33:14.069 right. Come on. Maybe we should. No, come on. 00:33:14.849 --> 00:33:18.910 No. No, I can't. I just can't. Hey, wait a minute. 00:33:19.349 --> 00:33:40.819 Where are you going? What is he doing? What about 00:33:40.819 --> 00:34:00.180 the fire? What time is that game? Maybe he's 00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:20.010 right. The world is burning. You and I have the 00:34:20.010 --> 00:34:23.389 opportunity by God's grace and according to the 00:34:23.389 --> 00:34:28.130 mission that he's given to us to rescue the perishing 00:34:28.130 --> 00:34:32.150 and to care for the dying because Jesus is merciful. 00:34:32.190 --> 00:34:38.429 Jesus will save. And he has sent us. I was talking 00:34:38.429 --> 00:34:42.329 with a friend of mine this last week and as we 00:34:42.329 --> 00:34:44.269 were sharing dinner together in a particular 00:34:44.269 --> 00:34:48.210 hotel, He said, let me tell you about the manager 00:34:48.210 --> 00:34:52.849 of this hotel. He said, last spring I was eating 00:34:52.849 --> 00:34:56.050 here and met him and invited him to go play golf 00:34:56.050 --> 00:34:58.489 with me. He said, I found that the golf course 00:34:58.489 --> 00:35:02.210 is a wonderful place to relax and to present 00:35:02.210 --> 00:35:05.489 the gospel to somebody. He said, it's very non 00:35:05.489 --> 00:35:07.969 -intimidating. I said, well, he hasn't been golfing 00:35:07.969 --> 00:35:11.429 with me then because he'd fear for his life if 00:35:11.429 --> 00:35:14.579 he was out with me. He said, well... He said, 00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:16.820 I found this really a lot of fun, and I can share 00:35:16.820 --> 00:35:20.239 the gospel. And as I did, this man prayed to 00:35:20.239 --> 00:35:23.340 receive Christ. And he's become a Christian. 00:35:23.380 --> 00:35:26.079 He's coming to our church, and I'm discipling 00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:29.019 him in the things of the Lord. And then he went 00:35:29.019 --> 00:35:30.760 right on to tell me about someone else right 00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:34.420 there in that building, in the restaurant, who 00:35:34.420 --> 00:35:36.400 had come to faith in Christ through his witness. 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:39.179 And I said, do you think that you've got the 00:35:39.179 --> 00:35:44.539 gift of evangelism? He looked over at me and 00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:48.480 he said, well, Galen, I'm not real sure, but 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:55.019 I'll tell you this. I believe in hell, and most 00:35:55.019 --> 00:36:04.480 Christians don't. He's right, isn't he? Oh, it's 00:36:04.480 --> 00:36:07.619 in the doctrinal statement, and we would be alarmed. 00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:10.139 Should anyone try to remove that from a doctrinal 00:36:10.139 --> 00:36:16.250 statement? But it doesn't motivate us. So do 00:36:16.250 --> 00:36:20.730 we really believe it? The Lord Jesus Christ is 00:36:20.730 --> 00:36:23.449 the bread of life who came down from heaven to 00:36:23.449 --> 00:36:27.550 satisfy the spiritual hunger that exists in hearts. 00:36:28.730 --> 00:36:31.429 You and I have the opportunity to take that bread 00:36:31.429 --> 00:36:35.449 to them. Listen to Dave Wentworth as we bring 00:36:35.449 --> 00:36:38.030 this service to a close and to a point of commitment 00:36:38.030 --> 00:36:41.090 for each one of us to the mission God's given 00:36:41.090 --> 00:37:00.679 us. The world shows a good light when Christ 00:37:00.679 --> 00:37:16.340 has been heard. Not one has a heart in a broken 00:37:16.340 --> 00:37:28.409 heart. the bread. Today the devil hath ruined 00:37:28.409 --> 00:37:49.690 the day longed and read. Who will have the in 00:37:49.690 --> 00:38:05.650 the breaking of the bread. Bread of heaven, bread 00:38:05.650 --> 00:38:25.809 of life, bread of life. My heart cries out, for 00:38:25.809 --> 00:38:50.489 how am I worthy of what you do? Those have passed 00:38:50.489 --> 00:39:00.969 and few have heard That Jesus Christ has bled 00:39:00.969 --> 00:39:14.130 That they might feed on him who died To be that 00:39:14.130 --> 00:39:26.070 living bread To gods of stone and land they come, 00:39:26.510 --> 00:39:41.570 yet they are never fed. For they have been murdered 00:39:41.570 --> 00:39:59.860 in the breaking of dawn. But God, who gave thy 00:39:59.860 --> 00:40:13.199 only Son, help us, my spirit led, to tell the 00:40:13.199 --> 00:40:30.860 story. For those blessed for bread. I'm glad 00:40:30.860 --> 00:40:40.579 you know me. Go or stand. Till this blessed news 00:40:40.579 --> 00:40:59.380 is spread. And they have been. the breaking of 00:40:59.380 --> 00:41:12.239 the bread. Lord, I would give them the bread 00:41:12.239 --> 00:42:11.659 of life. It cries out, O hear our voice. yourself 00:42:11.659 --> 00:42:15.659 a part of Grace Church Roseville, if you identify 00:42:15.659 --> 00:42:20.059 with this local church, I want to give you an 00:42:20.059 --> 00:42:23.019 opportunity in just a moment to stand where you 00:42:23.019 --> 00:42:30.860 are and to say in standing, Lord, I'm willing 00:42:30.860 --> 00:42:34.420 thy will to do. And you may not know all that 00:42:34.420 --> 00:42:37.500 that means at this point, but what you're saying 00:42:37.500 --> 00:42:39.699 is I believe in the mission that God's given 00:42:39.699 --> 00:42:43.019 us. I believe in the expression of it in this 00:42:43.019 --> 00:42:45.179 church. I believe in the strategies that God's 00:42:45.179 --> 00:42:51.280 given us. And I want to do my part. For some 00:42:51.280 --> 00:42:53.139 of you, that's going to mean going to a mission 00:42:53.139 --> 00:42:57.179 field somewhere. And that third strategy, to 00:42:57.179 --> 00:43:00.519 plant a church in another culture, as some others 00:43:00.519 --> 00:43:04.340 from our church have done. For all of us, it 00:43:04.340 --> 00:43:07.019 means taking the gospel where God has sent us 00:43:07.019 --> 00:43:11.860 in the workplace, in the school campus. and there 00:43:11.860 --> 00:43:16.539 fulfilling the mission, the divine mission, to 00:43:16.539 --> 00:43:20.159 present Christ, to touch lives for Jesus' sake. 00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:25.820 As Paul plays through the chorus of this song 00:43:25.820 --> 00:43:29.500 once more, if this is a mission that you believe 00:43:29.500 --> 00:43:33.159 in, and you're saying today, I have believed 00:43:33.159 --> 00:43:35.900 it, I continue to believe it, and I'm committing 00:43:35.900 --> 00:43:39.179 myself afresh to it, I would like you to stand, 00:43:39.239 --> 00:43:42.880 and if... You're saying, I want to recommit myself 00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:45.480 to it. I've lost track of it along the way, but 00:43:45.480 --> 00:43:49.239 I see it again. And I'm committing myself to 00:43:49.239 --> 00:43:53.480 this mission that God has given us together as 00:43:53.480 --> 00:43:56.699 a body of people. I'd like you just to stand 00:43:56.699 --> 00:43:58.639 where you are, and we'll have prayer together 00:43:58.639 --> 00:44:43.159 in just a few minutes. Lord, we acknowledge to 00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:48.059 you that it's easy to forget what it was like 00:44:48.059 --> 00:44:54.539 to be in the world. We acknowledge that it's 00:44:54.539 --> 00:44:59.780 easy for us to become distracted with things 00:44:59.780 --> 00:45:07.019 that are good but not the best. We stand before 00:45:07.019 --> 00:45:09.699 you today as a congregation of people to say 00:45:09.699 --> 00:45:12.869 that We acknowledge our failures and our sins. 00:45:14.710 --> 00:45:20.369 But also to say to you, our Lord, that we will 00:45:20.369 --> 00:45:24.369 be obedient to the heavenly vision. That by your 00:45:24.369 --> 00:45:27.090 grace and the means that you've given to us, 00:45:27.369 --> 00:45:32.130 we will seek to be the people you want us to 00:45:32.130 --> 00:45:38.489 be, to fulfill the mission. Enable us by the 00:45:38.489 --> 00:45:42.570 Holy Spirit. Give us great hearts of faith to 00:45:42.570 --> 00:45:49.869 believe you. Keep our eyes open to see the opportunities 00:45:49.869 --> 00:45:54.269 all around us. Create from amongst us cultural 00:45:54.269 --> 00:45:58.570 keys that will address the hopes and the hurts 00:45:58.570 --> 00:46:04.309 that exist in our world. Lord, like Isaiah of 00:46:04.309 --> 00:46:22.920 old, We pray, Lord, send us, use us. In Jesus' 00:46:23.059 --> 00:46:30.440 name, amen. And may God fill us and equip us 00:46:30.440 --> 00:46:34.440 to accomplish his perfect will. Thank you.