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Good morning. How are you all doing today? Awesome. Well, we like to start our services by saying,

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welcome to anybody that is joining us here in our sanctuary for the very first time,

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or if you're joining us online for the first time, welcome.

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We're so glad you're here to worship with us here at Hosanna.

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I am Pastor Nathan and today we are starting a brand new series on a very, very important topic.

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The topic is generosity and giving.

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You know, this is a topic that affects every single one of us individually.

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It's a topic that affects every single church, every single ministry, every single missionary.

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And really generosity and giving, it is a topic that includes so much more than our money.

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But our money is a huge part of it. It's a very, very significant part of it.

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And, you know, money can be an awkward topic to deal with.

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You know, many times within churches and church leadership, one of the common worries is, oh no,

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if you talk about money, people are going to think you're greedy, you know.

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And some people have the ideas that talking about money isn't spiritual,

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or they're worried that their unchurched friends are going to be turned off if the church talks about money.

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Or they think that just nobody wants to talk about money at all.

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And the reality, I think, is all of us, all of us, including Christians,

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we're talking about money all the time, aren't we?

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I mean, we're literally always thinking about money.

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Which one of us aren't talking about money or thinking about money,

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or in some cases arguing about money almost every single day, you know?

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In the world we live in now, it's with gas and groceries and, you know, kids if you have kids,

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and people are worried about their paychecks and their savings and their car and the repairs on the car

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and the rent and bills and retirement.

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Money is a part of our life.

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And it's something we talk about regularly.

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And regarding money, talking about money being a spiritual thing,

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you know, Scripture is literally packed with financial teaching that changes lives when it's applied.

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In fact, you might be surprised to know that Jesus talked more about money than he talked about love.

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Now, it wasn't his number one topic. Sometimes people say that.

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The number one thing Jesus talked about money, not accurate.

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But he did talk about money more than he talked about the topic of love, which is interesting.

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And because so much of this Christian thing that we're a part of,

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so much of it is about relationship, and relationship is very often affected by financial issues,

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it seems to be a very spiritual thing to discuss money from a spiritual, biblical perspective.

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And when it comes to biblical financial discipleship, really money shouldn't be a taboo subject.

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It shouldn't be a subject that we avoid.

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And you know, when churches or pastors don't talk about money in a proper biblical manner,

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we really don't get any biblical financial discipleship.

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That's what happens.

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And so my goal is to provide one of the most important forms of pastoral care that I can provide to you all.

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And that is to teach you what Scripture says in this series about money, about debt,

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and really how to be obedient to God in what is this huge area of our lives.

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And really how to be good, faithful, generous stewards of what God has given to you.

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Because really, if we're not learning about what God has to say about money in his word,

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we're all going to get our financial stewardship elsewhere.

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Many of us like watching the TikTok money hacks, and that's our financial discipleship.

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We get our tips on the internet or on YouTube channels or through Instagram.

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And I guarantee that if you're going to TikTok or Instagram or your broke friends or the world to get your financial discipleship,

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well, I guarantee the world does not want to help you be wise with your finances.

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It definitely does not want you to be generous with your finances.

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What the world wants to do is to take every dime you have to keep you perpetually enslaved to debt and buried by high interest.

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That's what the world wants.

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And as a result, we end up squandering what God has entrusted to us wastefully, selfishly, ignorantly, or all three.

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So, it was about four to five months ago that the Lord put this on my heart to do this series when we completed Revelation.

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And since that time, I've had many conversations with different members of the body here at Hosanna

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where the topic of money just came up, came up all on its own, right?

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And I realized a number of things in those conversations.

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Some things are very obvious, some things not so obvious.

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One of the obvious things is that many are struggling financially.

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Let's all say, duh, right?

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It's been a tough economy.

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But in having these conversations with some of you here in the body, those conversations which inevitably lead to,

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well, what does God's Word say about money and finances?

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What I discovered and realized is there's quite a bit of misunderstanding, fear, mistrust,

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or in some cases outright rebellion against what the Word of God says regarding our finances in general

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and then really with the idea of generosity and giving specifically.

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You know, the most common, the most regular commonalities that I've discovered

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in a lot of these conversations I've had with many of you here

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is that the financial struggles are coming from just simple errors like overspending.

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Living beyond your means, just being in incredible debt, or just plain poor financial habits.

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And so when we're enslaved to debt, right, when we practice poor financial habits,

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often the very first thing to go is our giving, our generosity.

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And then that then has a negative effect not just on ourselves, but then it affects our churches,

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it affects the ministries we're a part of, it affects outreaches.

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And really the mission that we're all a part of as the body of Christ is affected

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and in many ways diminished.

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And so over the next few weeks we're going to look at things like the heart and purpose behind giving, right?

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Really the why of giving, why we give as Christians.

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And I'll give you a hint, it's not primarily about your money, alright?

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We're going to look at what I'm calling the doctrine of giving.

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We're going to talk about what the Old Testament says about giving,

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talk about the issue of tithing, what the New Testament says about giving.

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We're going to address those issues about the New Testament doesn't ever say anything about a tithe.

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We're going to deal with that question, right?

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And really deal with the what of giving.

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Then we're going to deal with the practicalities of giving,

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which is really dealing with the how of giving, dealing with how to steward practically what God has given you

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and talking about what the Bible says about debt, about lending, about saving, and all that type of stuff.

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And I'm sure there's going to be overlap through all of these studies over the next four weeks.

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But really all together the goal is that all of us are going to be able to live

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and to move within the will and purpose of God when it comes to our finances.

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And really experience the freedom and the blessing that God has for us

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when we steward what He has given us His way.

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That's the goal.

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But today we're going to start our series on generosity and giving

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by answering a really important question, focusing on this one thing.

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What is this thing called church?

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What is it? What are we a part of?

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What does it mean that we are all part of the body of Christ?

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What is the purpose of the church?

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How is the church supposed to function?

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Why we need the church as individual believers?

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And then ultimately what generosity and giving has to do with any of that.

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But before we get into the study today we're going to spend time in worship as we do

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because God is God no matter what's going on with our finances.

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God is God no matter what's going on in our world.

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God is God no matter what's going on, period.

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And we know our God is a gracious God, a generous God, a giving God.

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And we who have been created in His image and saved and washed clean of sin

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and redeemed are just called to live as an example of who He is.

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And so we want to praise Him for who He is and just thank Him for who He is

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and what He's done in our lives in worship and then we'll get into the Word.

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So if you all pray with me, Father, we're so grateful for who You are.

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We thank You, God, for blessing us with just all the many blessings You've given us, Lord.

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I know all of us, God, have been at times where maybe we don't feel like we're being blessed.

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But Lord, as I've said many times, God, if You did nothing else in our lives,

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if You never blessed us one single way beyond our salvation, we still owe You everything.

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But God, You don't only save us, but then You dwell within us and You give us.

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And then You dwell within us and You teach us and You guide us and You lead us

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and You empower us and You equip us. God, You do so much.

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And Lord, one of the biggest areas of our lives that demonstrates

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whether we've given ourselves to You truly and completely,

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whether we've yielded ourselves to You in everything, is really our finances, God.

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And so, Lord, we want to learn what it is You have to say about our money.

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We want to learn what it is You have to say about this church, our church, the church, Lord,

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biblically, so that we understand what we're called to do as part of this body

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that is Your body, that You are the head of, Jesus Christ.

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We love You, we praise You, and Lord, we just want to let You know

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how much we appreciate You, God, in our worship today.

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It's in Your name we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.

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This is part one of a four-part series, and as I mentioned, today we're going to try and build a foundation,

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a foundation for this topic of giving and generosity,

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and that foundation really comes from what is the church?

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What is this thing called church? What is it all about?

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How does it work? How does it function?

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What is God's intent for us coming together as a body of believers?

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And so, that first question is, what is the church, right?

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Many people today, if you ask them what the church is,

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they would probably think of the building, right, and point to a building.

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Oh, it's that, that's the church over there.

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And that is not really a biblical understanding of what church is.

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In the New Testament, the word for church in the original language is ecclesia.

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In the ecclesia, that word simply means an assembly or called out ones.

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And so, the root meaning of the word church in our Bibles is primarily a people,

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not a place, all right? It's primarily a people.

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In Romans chapter 16 verse 5, when Paul was greeting Priscilla and Aquila

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at the end of his letter to the Roman Christians,

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he said, greet also the church that meets in their home.

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And right there in that verse, we see that the church is referring to the people,

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the body of believers that met in their house.

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In Ephesians chapter 1 verses 22 and 23,

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it gives us the picture of the body of Christ,

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and it tells us that the church is the body of Christ that Jesus is the head of.

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It says this, Ephesians 1 verse 22,

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and he subjected everything under his feet,

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and appointed him as head over everything for the church,

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which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

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And so, what we learn in that verse is that the church, the people,

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the assembly is the body of Christ.

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And as the body of Christ, that means we are the fullness of Christ,

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which means that we are the group of people, the assembly, that is full of Jesus.

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We are the full expression of Christ in this world.

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That is what the church is, and how and who we are supposed to be,

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and how we're supposed to function.

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So really, the body of Christ, the church,

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has been made up of all believers in Jesus Christ

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since the very onset of the church in Acts chapter 2,

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and it will be all the way up to his return.

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Now, biblically, when thinking of the body of Christ, the church,

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there are typically two expressions seen in Scripture.

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There is what we call the universal church, and then what we see as the local church.

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Now, referring to the universal church, again, this is every believer,

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everywhere on this planet, that has a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

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That is what we refer to as the universal church, right?

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1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 13, Paul says,

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For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body,

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whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,

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and we were all given one spirit to drink.

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And that is why you could go on a missions trip, or go on a business trip,

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or just a vacation, and run into someone on the other side of the planet,

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and you find out they're a Christian, and there's instantly a, oh, oh, hey, we're family, right?

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Because we're all part of the universal body of Christ.

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But the local church is seen in the many epistles that we see written in the New Testament,

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letters written to very specific local gatherings of believers,

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like the letter to the Corinthians, the letter to the Colossians,

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the letter to the Ephesians and the Philippians.

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Right, as we were studying through Revelation,

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you remember the seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation.

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Galatians chapter 1, verse 2, Paul says this, that he's writing to the churches, plural, of Galatia.

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So these churches are the multiple local gatherings of believers there in the province of Galatia.

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That's who Paul was writing to.

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So these churches are groups of believers gathered for localized ministry,

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localized ministry, both inward, meaning ministry from the church to the church,

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and then outward ministry, which is the church out to the world around them.

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Now, by extension, the location where these believers gathered together for inward and outward ministry

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came to be called the church, right?

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And so the local church location-wise, when we say that is the church,

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what we're pointing to is the place where believers are able to gather together

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to fully apply the body principles, right?

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We're all members of one body. We're going to talk about that later.

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So it's the body principles of inward ministry,

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where we're all called and equipped and gifted in some way to minister to the body of Christ,

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and it's a base of operations to apply the principles of outward ministry

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as we as a collective go out to change the communities that we're a part of.

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So that's the church. That's what the church is.

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But the next question would be then, who needs the church? Right?

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That is a question that is being asked by many today, including many believers.

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This question has been asked since the very, very beginning of the church.

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You know, in Acts chapter 1, the disciples were returning to Jerusalem

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after the ascension of Jesus Christ,

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and we read there that it was them plus 120 others that were gathered together,

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waiting on the Holy Spirit.

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And that was the first assembly, really. That was the first church, right?

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And then in Acts chapter 2, we get to the day of Pentecost,

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and in the New King James Version of the Bible, it says they were all together in one accord.

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That means a body of believers gathered together in one mind, in one spirit, and one purpose.

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And then we read there in Acts that the Holy Spirit then falls upon them, right?

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And they all start speaking in languages they don't know, and the people are amazed, right?

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Like, I'm going to paraphrase what the people said.

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Aren't these dumb Galileans? How are they all smart enough to speak all of these languages?

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And yet they do it, and the people are amazed, but we read there that some others are like,

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ah, they're drunk. They're drunk, and they dismiss it.

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What are they saying when they dismiss it?

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Who needs this church? Who needs this gathering of believers? Who needs these people?

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And that was the beginning of this idea that has been asked down through the ages.

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Who needs church? Who needs it?

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It's been carried through the entire book of Acts, right?

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As the story of Acts goes on, it's this question that's constantly being answered, right?

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We eventually get to the story of a man named Saul who's going, who needs this church?

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They're upsetting our religious thing, and he goes around and starts arresting Christians until Jesus went, uh-uh-uh.

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And then we get to later on, I think it's Acts chapter 12, our Herod, a political leader, says, who needs the church?

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They're messing up our political regime, and it says that he starts harassing the Christians, right?

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On and on and on, but the church kept growing and kept growing.

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And more and more got saved. And we read from the very beginning that they gathered together.

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It says in Acts chapter 2 that they gathered in the temple daily.

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That's the congregational corporate gathering.

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And they gathered from house to house, which are our community groups, our small groups.

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They gathered together in both of those ways, learning and loving one another,

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and maturing in their faith and growing in their walk and practicing their faith together.

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Now in modern times, our current culture, at least here in America,

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that same challenge, that same question, who needs the church, is alive and well.

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The need of the church is more and more questioned and devalued in our culture.

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And as I said, even in the lives of those who are professed believers in Jesus Christ.

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You see, in 2012, there was this group of people called the Nuns.

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Not N-U-N-S. N-O-N-E-S. Like none of that, right?

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It was this group of people that were identified as the Nuns.

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These were people that in polls that said, how do you religiously affiliate?

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They said, I am unaffiliated with any religious expression in any way.

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Now this group of people called the Nuns included agnostics who say,

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well, I believe there's something out there, but I can't identify him.

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And then atheists who say there's no God, right?

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It included them. But a majority of these people that were being identified in polls

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would say things like, I believe in God. I believe he exists.

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I believe he's my savior. I believe he's my savior.

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I believe he's my savior. I believe Jesus died on the cross,

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but I'm not affiliated with any church or any denomination.

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They would say things like, I used to go to church.

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Or things like, I love Jesus, but not the church.

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Many of them would say things too like, I believe in God,

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but I very rarely, if ever, go to religious services of any kind anywhere.

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What are they saying? Who needs the church? What is the point?

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And there's many reasons that people have brought up for this type of stuff,

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but I believe the issue is way more spiritual than anything else.

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But polls do say that attendance in church is on the decline.

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Less and less people are attending church.

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Coming out of COVID where everybody got to go home and watch it on TV,

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many churches have struggled to get their people back into fellowship.

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Because, I mean, come on.

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Who doesn't want to sit on their couch in their jammies

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and eat cereal while they're watching church, right?

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I'm not going to lie, those couple months it was pretty cool, right?

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But aided by a lack of biblical understanding of what this thing called church is

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and what its purpose is, and how it's supposed to function

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as a collective effort of the body of Christ under the leading of Holy Spirit,

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we see less and less people in church in our culture today.

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Who needs the church? I do. You do. We all do.

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Everybody needs the church.

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Even the unsaved need the church because of the mission of the church.

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For those of us that are believers,

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why does Hebrews 10-25 say to not neglect to gather together

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as some are in the habit of doing?

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Why does it say that?

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Because then, just like today, some are in the habit of neglecting to gather together.

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It's an issue within the church.

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And why?

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Well, there are Christians today who think it's not important for me to go to church.

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They think it's not necessary, right?

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You hear things like, I can read my Bible on my own. You should.

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I can watch stuff on YouTube. Well, we're going to talk about that.

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I can worship on my own. Yes, you can.

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But there is a very clear call within the Bible that his people would gather together.

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And it really, the people who have shunned church for many reasons,

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and some are good reasons.

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There are reasons why people have to remain home and watch church on YouTube and stuff.

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But many just don't think they need it.

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And this gathering that we're a part of, this coming together, committing to this,

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making time every week to come together in fellowship,

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here on Sunday congregationally and throughout the week in different community groups,

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it's vital. It's critical. It's a necessary part of our Christian faith.

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It's a necessary part of our Christian walk and our Christian growth and maturity.

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We all need it. We all need it for reasons we're going to look at right now.

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Now, the first reason why we need church, I believe, is because Christians need each other.

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We need God's people as God's people.

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Every human, I believe, has a need.

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I think God created us all with a need to belong to something,

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to belong to a family, to belong to a group,

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to have a place in our lives where we can truly say, I belong.

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And Scripture emphasizes the need for this thing called fellowship over and over and over again.

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The modern word for fellowship, we use the word community,

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hence why we call our small group ministry our community groups, right?

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They're about building community.

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Now, sociologically, studies have shown that people tend to gravitate towards groups

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and gatherings that often reflect their common hobbies or common value systems.

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Maybe they gather together based upon cultural divides or certain beliefs.

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It's just a sociological thing that has been identified.

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It's a need that we have. It's a basic need that every human being has.

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It's a need that God created us with, a need for connection,

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a need for belonging and acceptance and support and encouragement and accountability.

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God created us with this need, and the church is the place that should excel at meeting those needs.

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Now, in Psalms chapter 68 verse 6 in the CSB it says, God provides homes for those who are deserted.

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Now, you might go, that's a fantastic verse for a homeless ministry, right?

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It's just like, God provides homes for those who are deserted, and that's an important thing.

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But in the New King James Version, this is how it's rendered.

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God sets the solitary in families.

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Or in the ISV Version, God causes the lonely to dwell in families.

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In other words, God's cure for loneliness, God's cure for isolation, is to have relationship, is to have community.

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And in the gathering of the family of God, the gathering of the believers that is called the church,

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Christians experience connections with other people.

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They experience connection with people who share their values, and share their beliefs, and share their priorities and goals.

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This is a community that shares those things.

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Church is the place where when you weep, someone will sit down next to you and weep with you.

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Church is the place where when you're discouraged, someone will come alongside you and pray for you and encourage you in the Lord.

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When you have a practical need, the community pitches in together and tries to help that practical need.

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But I think even more importantly, the community of Christ, accountability is found.

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And sometimes we need that, say, hey brother, hey sister, I'm struggling with a thing.

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Can you help me, hold me accountable because I'm trying to honor God with my life.

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We find spiritual support and practical help all in pursuit of the common goal of godliness.

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There is no other place that can duplicate the kind of community that is found in the church.

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You know, when I'm struggling, especially spiritually, when I'm feeling spiritually defeated or down, you know, I don't go walk into Starbucks.

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Or down to the city hall, or I don't log on to Discord and connect with a bunch of randos and just start sharing my heart with everybody.

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But I do search out my Christian family because it works.

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Because they get it.

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And because I know their counsel to me is going to be biblical.

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It's going to be good counsel.

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You know, and that's where we get the body principles of ministry from 1 Corinthians chapter 12, right?

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Paul gives us this whole description of just as our physical body has many parts that need each other and depend on each other, the body of Christ is the same.

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We have different giftings, different experiences.

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We all have different victories and failures that other people in the body need to glean from and need to learn from.

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And if you're not here, your experiences, your victories, your failures, your giftings are removed from the equation.

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And you might be the very person God wants to use to minister to someone else in your family.

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And when you say, it's not important that I go.

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Really?

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We aren't being part of the body of Christ without actively participating in the body of Christ.

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Christianity is not and was never meant to be a one-way relationship.

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Christianity is not a thing where it's just about me and only me and feed me and speak to me and teach me and bless me.

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Church is about us.

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It's about we, not me.

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And this togetherness doesn't happen elsewhere the way it happens in the family of God.

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Without that unity, without that fellowship, without that connection, you're isolated.

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What does that isolation lead to? Well, we just read it, right?

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Loneliness.

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It leads to depression. It leads to anxiety.

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I mean, even if you win alone and you have nobody to celebrate that win with, it's empty.

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It's empty.

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And it leads to all manner of mental health issues we see today. So many.

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And I believe what people really want more than an email, more than a text, more than a funny meme shared with them.

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And don't misunderstand me. I love a funny meme, okay?

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But what people want more than that is face-to-face, eye-to-eye contact.

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They want real, sincere, genuine attention and community.

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They want to really be seen and heard.

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And that's relationship.

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Now the church provides this.

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The church provides this. But yes, we are a group of broken, sinful people,

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full of our own problems and our own baggage and our own issues.

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But you will never experience love like you will from some broken, sinful person who has genuinely experienced the saving love of Jesus Christ.

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You will never experience love like you will from someone who has experienced that themselves.

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And that's what you get in the church.

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So because we need God's people, we need the church, which is God's people gathering at a place. Okay?

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Alright, number two. Why do we need the church? Because we need God's principles.

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We need to be exposed to regular doses of God's truth.

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At least once a week.

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Prayerfully more.

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Ideally, you should be in your word every single day exposed to God's truth.

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But the reality is, is there are many, most Christians hardly spend any time in the Bible.

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And so this place provides a place where there is teaching.

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If there's one place in the world where you should be able to expect truth to be distinctly heard, it's the church.

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It's the church.

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You know, 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15, Paul said this.

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He goes, but if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household,

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which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

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Now that word household that he uses there, in the original Greek, it means the family unit as understood by the physical place in which they gather.

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You get that?

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So it's referring to the family unit as understood by where they meet.

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Household. The household.

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So this family unit in a physical place, which is the church of the living God, is the place that is to be the pillar and the foundation of the truth.

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It's where we come together corporately to learn and to live out our conduct as God's people, God's household.

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And really with all the world's voices around us and everything that we get from social media, right?

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All the opinions and how we should live, the opinions on what we should value, how to plan our lives, how to spend our time and our resources.

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Like really in the cacophony of all of that, we need to hear that clear voice that cuts through it all in the word of God that says, thus says the Lord.

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Says the Lord.

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We need God's truth.

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It's essential for us individually, and it's essential to us corporately in order to be the body of Christ properly.

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Now in Acts chapter 2 verse 42, we see in the early church it says they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, which means the gathering together, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

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You notice what the first thing on that list was?

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The apostles' teaching.

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You know, we understand according to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11.

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It says he himself, speaking of Jesus, gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry to build up the body of Christ.

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So scripture tells us that God has given some.

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That word given means he gave it to the church as a gift.

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God has selected certain people within the assembly of his body and pulled them out and say, I am going to call them and equip them and give them to the body as a gift to do these things that are listed here in Ephesians chapter 4.

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And so pastors, that word actually is shepherds, right?

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God has gifted to the body, to the assembly certain people to be shepherds, to spiritually care for the needs of the body.

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And then he says there are some specifically given to be teachers, to teach.

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What was it that they were devoted to in Acts 2 42?

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The apostles' teaching.

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Now there are no scripture writers today.

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We have God's canonized word in its fullness, right?

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But we understand in the early church, God was speaking to his apostles and that's kind of largely what we have in the New Testament, right?

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These letters to his leaders that now we have as the word of God.

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And then as the church has gone on, we study those things and teach those things and study those things and teach those things.

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And so as he's given teachers called to devote their time to study the word of God, to comb through it, to analyze it, to then come to the body and say, hey, I've studied this in depth and detail and let me teach you what the word of God says.

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Why?

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To equip the saints, the body, for the work of the ministry.

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We all have a part to play.

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It says to build up, or that means to strengthen the body of Christ.

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So why did the early church devote themselves to the teaching?

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Because they knew they needed God's truth.

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They knew they needed it.

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They knew it was essential for their spiritual health.

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And they knew that God had given to them specific people, called and gifted and equipped to teach them.

432
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:00,700
Why?

433
00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:13,200
So that as an assembly, they would know how to conduct themselves in God's household, God's family, the church, and be built up, strengthened spiritually, and equipped to do ministry.

434
00:36:13,700 --> 00:36:17,200
And that word ministry simply means to serve.

435
00:36:17,700 --> 00:36:23,200
To serve both inward, one another, and to serve outward to the world as we take the gospel out.

436
00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:30,700
Now, yes, we are called to individually be in the word of God.

437
00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,700
Your only source of God's word should not be me.

438
00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:36,700
Please don't put that burden on me.

439
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:38,700
Alright?

440
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:45,700
I am not to be the only place you ever hear or read or see the word of God being taught.

441
00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,700
You should be in the word every single day.

442
00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:56,200
Your primary connection to God's truth should be you connecting to God's truth.

443
00:36:56,700 --> 00:37:03,200
But it is very clear that the Bible says I've called specific people to be teachers.

444
00:37:03,700 --> 00:37:04,200
Right?

445
00:37:04,700 --> 00:37:17,200
And so between your own individual study and then the teachers that God has given you to be a part of that, we know that it's a complementing, it's a supplementing thing where you're studying on your own.

446
00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:26,700
And then the teachers, myself and others that God gives to the assembly to study and to teach the word of God, it all comes together to be a part of your growth and your blessing.

447
00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:34,700
Full-time teachers, I mean, I really get the privilege and the honor to study full-time.

448
00:37:34,700 --> 00:37:46,200
I easily put in 10, 15, 20 hours studying a passage before I bring it to you here on Sundays, and I'm blessed and honored to be that for you.

449
00:37:46,700 --> 00:37:48,200
Right?

450
00:37:48,700 --> 00:37:57,200
Now you may or may not be putting in 10, 15, 20 hours of study on your own, and that's okay.

451
00:37:57,700 --> 00:38:02,200
I get to do that to come in and supplement your own reading on your own devotional time.

452
00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:10,700
But the idea is that we gather together to hear from those God has given us to teach us, like coming together for one large communal meal.

453
00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:18,700
Which then complements and supplements our own smaller personal meals that we're having every single day throughout the week.

454
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:23,700
Now, again, some might say, well, teaching, I could get that by watching you on YouTube.

455
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:24,700
Right?

456
00:38:24,700 --> 00:38:35,200
And again, I've said it many times, there are those that have to stay home, right, for health reasons or issues that require them to not be able to get here, whether it's mobility or whatnot.

457
00:38:35,700 --> 00:38:40,200
And so YouTube's a blessing, and being able to live stream our services is a blessing.

458
00:38:40,700 --> 00:38:49,200
But for those that are just using that as an excuse to not come to church, you're misunderstanding that church isn't just about learning.

459
00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:55,700
Right? We don't come here just for me, right? Teach me, feed me. It's not only about that.

460
00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:01,700
It's about living and applying what we learn as part of the body of Christ.

461
00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:12,700
We can't put into practice the over 60 one another verses in Scripture if we're not gathered in community.

462
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:13,700
Right?

463
00:39:13,700 --> 00:39:20,200
There's these Scriptures that say love one another, comfort one another, forgive one another, one another, one another, one another.

464
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:24,200
If you're never around one another, how do you obey those verses?

465
00:39:25,700 --> 00:39:30,200
And that's what church is. So we need God's people, we need God's principles.

466
00:39:30,700 --> 00:39:34,200
Reason three why we need the church? Because we need God's purpose.

467
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:43,700
I believe most humans, if not all of them, long to know the purpose, the meaning of life. Right?

468
00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:45,700
That's everybody's question.

469
00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:54,700
Why am I here? Why was I created? What, who was I created to do, to be? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is my purpose?

470
00:39:55,200 --> 00:40:00,700
I mean, I think all of us, right, when we look at the world around us, we all want to know there's a point to all of this. Right?

471
00:40:00,700 --> 00:40:04,200
Because some of this is just nonsense going on around us.

472
00:40:04,700 --> 00:40:07,200
And we go, there's got to be a point and a purpose.

473
00:40:07,700 --> 00:40:14,200
And really, I think all people in some way want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

474
00:40:14,700 --> 00:40:17,200
They want to be a part of something significant.

475
00:40:17,700 --> 00:40:21,200
And the truth is, church, you are.

476
00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:24,200
You are a part of something significant.

477
00:40:24,700 --> 00:40:26,200
That's what the church is.

478
00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:33,700
The greatest cause in all of the world, greater than any other cause that exists, is the forgiveness cause.

479
00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:38,700
Greater than any other cause is the salvation cause.

480
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:41,700
The gospel cause.

481
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,700
Why did Jesus come and give his life?

482
00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:52,700
So that the whole world would have the opportunity to be saved and forgiven.

483
00:40:52,700 --> 00:40:56,200
In church, we're a part of that cause.

484
00:40:56,700 --> 00:41:03,200
It's greater than any philanthropic cause, any political cause, any societal cause, to know that you're a part of God's cause.

485
00:41:03,700 --> 00:41:07,200
His business, His eternal purpose is huge.

486
00:41:07,700 --> 00:41:09,200
It's huge.

487
00:41:09,700 --> 00:41:11,200
Philippians chapter 1 verse 3.

488
00:41:11,700 --> 00:41:14,200
Paul said, I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you.

489
00:41:14,700 --> 00:41:21,200
Always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer because of your part of God.

490
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:25,700
Because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

491
00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:27,700
Did you hear that?

492
00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:33,700
We together are partners in the family business.

493
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:35,700
We get saved.

494
00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:38,700
We become a child of God.

495
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:43,700
And then we are enlisted into that cause, that purpose, the meaning of everything, right?

496
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,700
That business is getting people to know our dad.

497
00:41:47,700 --> 00:41:52,200
To know the father, to know God as savior.

498
00:41:52,700 --> 00:41:54,200
That is the purpose.

499
00:41:54,700 --> 00:41:59,200
It's what motivated Jesus through his whole life.

500
00:41:59,700 --> 00:42:05,200
The purpose of salvation that people would know who he is.

501
00:42:05,700 --> 00:42:07,200
And where forgiveness is found.

502
00:42:07,700 --> 00:42:12,200
And the purpose of every Christian is the cause of God.

503
00:42:12,700 --> 00:42:13,200
The cause of Christ.

504
00:42:13,700 --> 00:42:15,200
The cause of the gospel.

505
00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:17,700
And you know what that purpose is and how it goes out?

506
00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:26,700
It's the church's call, our call to be a part of this organization that goes out and changes one life on earth.

507
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:33,700
One life on this earth at a time through the preaching and the teaching and the sharing of the gospel.

508
00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:36,700
And then guess what we do after we did that?

509
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:38,700
One more.

510
00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,700
And then one more.

511
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:43,700
And then one more.

512
00:42:43,700 --> 00:42:46,200
And on and on and on.

513
00:42:46,700 --> 00:42:54,200
And so we gather together, we assemble to learn so that we can collectively work towards the cause.

514
00:42:54,700 --> 00:42:59,200
Each doing our part as the body of Christ, right?

515
00:42:59,700 --> 00:43:03,200
You might be a foot.

516
00:43:03,700 --> 00:43:09,200
That means your part of the cause is to get the rest of the body there.

517
00:43:09,700 --> 00:43:12,200
You might be a hand.

518
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:19,700
You're like, I can't get anybody there but if someone gets me there, wow, I can work the tools.

519
00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:26,700
You might be, who knows, we can go on and on with that one, right?

520
00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:30,700
I don't want to spend all the time on a fun illustration there.

521
00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:36,700
But we gather, we learn, and we do it all in partnership together.

522
00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:39,700
Collectively pursuing God's purpose.

523
00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:44,200
And the fourth reason why we need the church is because we need God's presence.

524
00:43:44,700 --> 00:43:49,200
Now again, you might be saying, well, I have God's presence, right?

525
00:43:49,700 --> 00:43:52,200
God's everywhere I go on my own.

526
00:43:52,700 --> 00:43:54,200
I could have it alone.

527
00:43:54,700 --> 00:43:56,200
There's truth to that.

528
00:43:56,700 --> 00:43:58,200
God is everywhere.

529
00:43:58,700 --> 00:44:01,200
God is with you individually wherever you go.

530
00:44:01,700 --> 00:44:07,200
But there's a special promise that Jesus gave in Scripture to those who gather and meet together

531
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:13,700
and worship together and learn and grow together and minister to one another together as the body of Christ.

532
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:16,700
He says this in Matthew 18 20.

533
00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:22,700
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.

534
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:24,700
What does that tell us?

535
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:28,700
It's Jesus' manifest in the gathering of his body.

536
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:30,700
We need that.

537
00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:33,700
We need what happens when we gather together.

538
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:35,700
It's essential.

539
00:44:35,700 --> 00:44:39,200
Now again, you might be going, you know, can't I have God's presence on my own?

540
00:44:39,700 --> 00:44:41,200
Can I experience it on my own?

541
00:44:41,700 --> 00:44:45,200
Can't I discover God's purpose on my own?

542
00:44:45,700 --> 00:44:50,200
Can't I study and learn and grow on my own?

543
00:44:50,700 --> 00:44:52,200
Yes.

544
00:44:52,700 --> 00:44:59,200
You can do all things you own, but not on your own, but not to the full extent that God purposes for you.

545
00:44:59,700 --> 00:45:01,200
Why?

546
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:07,700
Because you on your own are not the body of Christ.

547
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:14,700
On your own individually, you're just a part of the body of Christ.

548
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:19,700
I'm not the body of Christ personally, individually.

549
00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:24,700
I might be the mouth because I speak and I teach.

550
00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:29,700
We are the body of Christ corporately.

551
00:45:29,700 --> 00:45:31,200
We need one another.

552
00:45:31,700 --> 00:45:38,200
Without the we, you and I individually will not be functioning spiritually as we should.

553
00:45:38,700 --> 00:45:41,200
Again, in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 20, Paul says this,

554
00:45:41,700 --> 00:45:44,200
As it is, there are many parts but one body.

555
00:45:44,700 --> 00:45:47,200
The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you.

556
00:45:47,700 --> 00:45:51,200
Or again, the head can't say to the feet, I don't need you.

557
00:45:51,700 --> 00:45:56,200
Why? Because if they did, the body would not function as it should.

558
00:45:56,200 --> 00:46:01,700
And those individual parts would not function as they should,

559
00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:07,700
or receive what they need from the other parts of the body in their time of need.

560
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:14,700
So, now practically, how is the church supposed to function?

561
00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:19,700
Or what does this have to do with generosity and giving?

562
00:46:19,700 --> 00:46:26,200
We know that the church is an entity created by Jesus himself.

563
00:46:26,700 --> 00:46:32,200
In Matthew 16, 28, after Peter's confession that Jesus, you are the Messiah,

564
00:46:32,700 --> 00:46:38,200
he said this to him, on this rock, on this confession, I will build my church.

565
00:46:38,700 --> 00:46:41,200
So we know that it's Jesus who is building his church.

566
00:46:41,700 --> 00:46:44,200
And then we get to the book of Acts and we see that it is the Holy Spirit

567
00:46:44,700 --> 00:46:48,200
moving in his people and through his people and gifting his people

568
00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:50,700
and equipping and empowering his people, guiding, and all of that,

569
00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:53,700
that the church would grow and function.

570
00:46:54,200 --> 00:46:57,700
And we already know that we're called to trust him with our whole life,

571
00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:02,700
that we're called to yield our whole life to him, to his purpose and his will.

572
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:05,700
And we already know, we've looked at that, we are his body.

573
00:47:06,200 --> 00:47:09,700
We are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world today.

574
00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:15,700
We are his everything with him as the head guiding and leading us.

575
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:20,200
The idea of all of that and everything I've shared today is that collectively,

576
00:47:20,700 --> 00:47:27,200
we accomplish more together than we do individually.

577
00:47:27,700 --> 00:47:32,200
That doesn't relieve us of our individual responsibilities and obligations.

578
00:47:32,700 --> 00:47:39,200
But collectively, we accomplish more when the body is working together

579
00:47:39,700 --> 00:47:43,200
and functioning together and everybody knows their place and their part.

580
00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:48,700
Wow! We accomplish so much.

581
00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:51,700
And really, it's accomplishing what God wants for us.

582
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:54,700
This is how we, the body of Christ, are meant to function.

583
00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:59,700
In collective unity and fellowship and participation.

584
00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:06,700
Our growth, our maturity, the help we need, the support we need in the process of that,

585
00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:08,700
it's based on that.

586
00:48:08,700 --> 00:48:14,200
Our call to gather and then the resultant discipleship that happens out of that

587
00:48:14,700 --> 00:48:18,200
and the encouragement and the exhortation of one another is based on that.

588
00:48:18,700 --> 00:48:25,200
Our learning and our accountability and our being held accountable to biblical truth

589
00:48:25,700 --> 00:48:28,200
and sound doctrine is based on that.

590
00:48:28,700 --> 00:48:35,200
Our expression of ministry to one another and the exercise of our spiritual gifts is based on that.

591
00:48:35,200 --> 00:48:39,700
And our participation in the evangelical mission as the church,

592
00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:44,700
both locally and globally, is based on that.

593
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:47,700
You see, twice in the first two chapters of Acts,

594
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:51,700
Acts chapter 1 verse 14 and chapter 2 verse 1,

595
00:48:52,200 --> 00:48:56,700
it tells us in the New King James Version that they were in one accord.

596
00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:02,700
And again, that means united together of one mind, one heart, one purpose as the church.

597
00:49:02,700 --> 00:49:05,200
And then as the church grew.

598
00:49:05,700 --> 00:49:10,200
As we see through the book of Acts, we see that there was a collective participation

599
00:49:10,700 --> 00:49:15,200
in the needs of the church and the needs of the church family and the mission of the church.

600
00:49:15,700 --> 00:49:19,200
It was all a part of the growth and the participation, right?

601
00:49:19,700 --> 00:49:25,200
Acts chapter 2 verse 44, now all the believers were together and held all things in common.

602
00:49:25,700 --> 00:49:31,200
Acts 432, now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and one mind

603
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:34,700
and no one claimed that any of his possessions were his own,

604
00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:37,700
but instead they held everything in common.

605
00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:41,700
And somebody just went, here we go.

606
00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:45,700
I was waiting for this shoe to drop.

607
00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:49,700
That word common there, it means of mutual interest.

608
00:49:50,200 --> 00:49:52,700
It means to be shared collectively.

609
00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:55,700
It's not communism incidentally, alright?

610
00:49:56,200 --> 00:49:58,700
It's common-ism.

611
00:49:58,700 --> 00:50:03,200
It wasn't that everybody sold every single thing they had, right?

612
00:50:03,700 --> 00:50:07,200
There's a verse in there where it says, and they all sold their houses.

613
00:50:07,700 --> 00:50:12,200
And then I think one or two verses later it says, and they were gathered together in someone's house.

614
00:50:12,700 --> 00:50:15,200
If everybody sold every house they had, right, okay.

615
00:50:15,700 --> 00:50:20,200
So the idea is that this was taking place amongst the gathering.

616
00:50:20,700 --> 00:50:26,200
But the common, holding everything in common, means that there was a voluntary, not compulsory,

617
00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:31,700
but a voluntary, willing, collective participation in all things.

618
00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:37,700
And that included the expenses of ministry, both inward and outward.

619
00:50:38,200 --> 00:50:42,700
Both spiritual needs and practical needs, this is what it's talking about.

620
00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:47,700
This is where the issue of generosity and giving comes up in this particular study.

621
00:50:48,200 --> 00:50:52,700
That as the church we are called to share our lives with one another.

622
00:50:52,700 --> 00:50:56,200
We are called to share our talents and skills with one another.

623
00:50:56,700 --> 00:51:02,200
And guess what? We are called to share the money that God has given us with one another.

624
00:51:02,700 --> 00:51:11,200
All for the benefit of the body of Christ, the church, the gathering, and the mission of this gathering.

625
00:51:11,700 --> 00:51:17,200
Now please understand, and we're going to talk more about this in detail in the next few weeks,

626
00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:22,700
but God does not need your money.

627
00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:26,700
Giving is not a situation where God is wringing his hands and he's going,

628
00:51:27,200 --> 00:51:31,700
please, I just, I can't do it, you know, I'm so broke.

629
00:51:32,200 --> 00:51:36,700
The Bible tells us God owns a cattle on a thousand hills.

630
00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:39,700
God provides miraculously all the time.

631
00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:42,700
But God does want your heart.

632
00:51:42,700 --> 00:51:47,200
He wants your commitment, he wants your obedience, he wants your trust.

633
00:51:47,700 --> 00:51:53,200
And nothing quite demonstrates that more than what we do with our money.

634
00:51:53,700 --> 00:51:59,200
That's why Jesus spoke more about money than he did about love in my opinion.

635
00:51:59,700 --> 00:52:05,200
What we do with our money really demonstrates where the priority of our heart is.

636
00:52:05,700 --> 00:52:09,200
And so part of God's desire in our lives,

637
00:52:09,200 --> 00:52:12,700
a part of his will that we would grow and mature and become more like him,

638
00:52:13,200 --> 00:52:16,700
involves faithful stewardship of the money he's given us.

639
00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:20,700
And don't misunderstand, when God asks for a portion of your giving,

640
00:52:21,200 --> 00:52:22,700
he really owns all of it.

641
00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:24,700
And we're going to talk about that in the future.

642
00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:26,700
We're going to deal with that next time when we get to the heart of giving.

643
00:52:27,200 --> 00:52:32,700
But for the sake of understanding this thing called church that we're a part of, this foundation,

644
00:52:32,700 --> 00:52:46,200
is that we all, every Christian, we are called to collectively, voluntarily, willingly participate in the work and the mission of this entity,

645
00:52:46,700 --> 00:52:48,200
this body, this family called the church.

646
00:52:48,700 --> 00:52:54,200
And so as we need God's people, right, as we are called to gather together,

647
00:52:54,700 --> 00:52:58,200
to learn God's truths, to be equipped for the work of the ministry,

648
00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:04,700
as we are called to do all of that, guess what guys, as much as I would love it, you all can't fit in my living room.

649
00:53:05,200 --> 00:53:11,700
I'm sorry, my couch is comfy, but it only seats four.

650
00:53:12,200 --> 00:53:19,700
And we can't only do church online, because if we only did church online,

651
00:53:20,200 --> 00:53:25,700
you don't have the opportunity to minister your gift to someone else here in the church, because you're separated.

652
00:53:25,700 --> 00:53:31,200
You don't have the opportunity to build relationship with others in the local body that you're a part of,

653
00:53:31,700 --> 00:53:36,200
because you're never with them, you're just watching a screen, you're just consuming teaching.

654
00:53:36,700 --> 00:53:42,200
So God gave us this building to meet in. Praise God.

655
00:53:42,700 --> 00:53:49,200
The story of what God did and how he gave us this building, I know Pastor Gary shared it many times, and it's awesome.

656
00:53:49,700 --> 00:53:54,200
I don't have time to share it today, but God gave us this building, and we are so thankful,

657
00:53:54,200 --> 00:54:00,700
we are so grateful, right? I mean, how many of you would want to be outside in a tent in the rain and the cold?

658
00:54:01,200 --> 00:54:05,700
We know that's where Calvary started, but they eventually moved out of that tent into a place,

659
00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:10,700
a shelter where they could meet together, right, and get out of that weather and all that stuff.

660
00:54:11,200 --> 00:54:15,700
But I just want to be frank and honest with all of you here. Can I be frank and honest with you guys?

661
00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:22,700
Okay. I know there are some that when they think of giving and generosity in the church, they go,

662
00:54:22,700 --> 00:54:28,200
well, I'm only going to give when there's a need, right? And some people think that.

663
00:54:28,700 --> 00:54:36,200
Okay, I want everybody to look up right now. Look up. See those lights? They run on electricity.

664
00:54:36,700 --> 00:54:45,200
If you need a need to give to, there's one, because that's an electricity bill that we pay for as a church

665
00:54:45,700 --> 00:54:51,200
to meet and to gather in this place, right? If it's too hot or too cold in here,

666
00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:56,700
and I love you guys, you guys are not shy about telling me when it's too hot or too cold, okay?

667
00:54:57,200 --> 00:55:02,700
Not shy at all, but when it's too hot or too cold, guess what? We got to run the air conditioning,

668
00:55:03,200 --> 00:55:08,700
or we got to run the heaters. Those don't run for free. I would love it if they did, but they don't.

669
00:55:09,200 --> 00:55:14,700
You want to wash your hands in the bathroom? Well, there's a water bill for that.

670
00:55:15,200 --> 00:55:18,700
And then in this building and our building down the street and our nursing and all that,

671
00:55:18,700 --> 00:55:23,200
we have someone who cleans up this space, right? It doesn't stay clean.

672
00:55:23,700 --> 00:55:30,200
There's someone who comes in and vacuums and cleans, and they take care of the trash,

673
00:55:30,700 --> 00:55:34,200
and they take care of the maintenance, and they change light bulbs when they're out, right?

674
00:55:34,700 --> 00:55:41,200
Someone here does that, and guess what? It is a full-time job, and we got to pay them to do that.

675
00:55:41,700 --> 00:55:47,200
Someone makes sure that all the bills are paid on time. That's a full-time job, too.

676
00:55:47,200 --> 00:55:52,700
So if you're the person who goes, I'll only give when there's a need, well, I just gave you four or five

677
00:55:53,200 --> 00:56:00,700
that are weekly needs that don't go away as we are then called together to collectively participate

678
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:04,700
in the assembly here in what God's given us here at our church.

679
00:56:05,200 --> 00:56:10,700
But that's just the unexciting practical stuff, right? Nobody gets excited about like,

680
00:56:10,700 --> 00:56:18,200
oh, can we pay the electricity bill? But it's a need. It's a part of our gathering together.

681
00:56:18,700 --> 00:56:26,200
But those type of unexciting practical things are like splitting the gas bill in a carpool, right?

682
00:56:26,700 --> 00:56:31,200
Of course, you split that bill. Oh, okay, let's all pay for that, you know?

683
00:56:31,700 --> 00:56:35,200
And the overall just needs of being able to gather together so that we could learn,

684
00:56:35,700 --> 00:56:38,200
administer one and all that stuff that we were talking about,

685
00:56:38,200 --> 00:56:46,700
it's more than any one person can handle. But when the entire body of Christ participates, it's no problem.

686
00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:51,700
And again, we're going to talk more about all the details and the ins and outs and what the Bible says about that,

687
00:56:52,200 --> 00:56:56,700
but as a church, it's not just about the electricity bill and the water bill and the needs.

688
00:56:57,200 --> 00:57:03,700
We also, as a church, try to pool resources collectively so that we could then help those

689
00:57:03,700 --> 00:57:08,200
and benefit those that are members of this body when they have practical needs.

690
00:57:08,700 --> 00:57:11,200
We call that as a church, benevolence, right?

691
00:57:11,700 --> 00:57:15,200
Benevolence is a thing where, again, we collectively help with the needs of our family here.

692
00:57:15,700 --> 00:57:20,200
What that means is from time to time, we have people here in the body call us up and say,

693
00:57:20,700 --> 00:57:27,200
hey, I'm really struggling this month. You know, something really terrible happened and I need help getting groceries.

694
00:57:27,200 --> 00:57:34,700
Or can I get gas for my vehicle? Or sometimes it's I'm behind and I need help with the utility bill, right?

695
00:57:35,200 --> 00:57:39,700
That's the benevolence. That's what we see in Acts where it says they were selling things and nobody had need, right?

696
00:57:40,200 --> 00:57:43,700
They were pooling resources together and we try and do that as a church as much as we can.

697
00:57:44,200 --> 00:57:50,700
We would love to be able to cover every need every time in its full expense, but we can't often.

698
00:57:51,200 --> 00:57:52,700
But that's benevolence.

699
00:57:52,700 --> 00:58:00,200
And then, of course, we also support as a church outward ministry and missions and missionaries and organizations that are doing kingdom work, right?

700
00:58:00,700 --> 00:58:03,200
Because we're called to be a part of the gospel going out.

701
00:58:03,700 --> 00:58:11,200
And so, again, collectively, we're able to participate in that support in a much greater way than any of us might be able to do individually.

702
00:58:11,700 --> 00:58:16,200
And we're all in different places with what God has blessed us with, and some can do more and some can do less.

703
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:21,700
But when we pool resources together, we're able to do some significant things in helping the gospel go forth.

704
00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:30,700
And then as a church, we're also always looking for ways, always looking for ways to minister to the needs both in our community and the needs inside the church, right?

705
00:58:31,200 --> 00:58:40,700
That's why we do things like vacation Bible school during the summer because, you know, we want to be able to bless the community and invite the community to bring their kids to the thing where they're going to learn about Jesus.

706
00:58:41,200 --> 00:58:42,700
It's not free.

707
00:58:43,200 --> 00:58:44,700
It's free to do that.

708
00:58:44,700 --> 00:58:46,200
It's free to me.

709
00:58:46,700 --> 00:58:48,200
It's free to the community.

710
00:58:48,700 --> 00:58:54,200
But we collectively participate to put those types of events on for the sake of the gospel.

711
00:58:54,700 --> 00:59:12,200
Now, when we choose not to participate with our time or talent or our money, when we choose to say, no, I'm only going to give when there's a need and we're not paying attention to the needs that are around us every single week.

712
00:59:12,200 --> 00:59:21,700
When we choose to to really make poor financial decisions with the money God's given us and sink ourselves into such debt, we can't give anymore.

713
00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:25,700
To live beyond our means to a place where we can't give anymore.

714
00:59:26,200 --> 00:59:27,700
And we sacrifice all of that.

715
00:59:28,200 --> 00:59:31,700
We limit the reach of the body of Christ here at Hosanna.

716
00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:39,700
And that then affects our involvement with the purpose and affects the power of his presence.

717
00:59:39,700 --> 00:59:45,200
Right. Now, again, I'm not saying that if you don't give somehow God's effect in this world is diminished.

718
00:59:45,700 --> 00:59:47,200
He is God Almighty.

719
00:59:47,700 --> 00:59:50,200
And again, we're going to talk about more of that in the weeks to come.

720
00:59:50,700 --> 00:59:53,200
But he has called every single one of us.

721
00:59:53,700 --> 01:00:03,200
And we see it clearly throughout scripture that every believer is called to collectively participate in the body of Christ, the household of God, the church.

722
01:00:03,700 --> 01:00:08,200
And as part of the body of Christ, part of that means that we're called to be generous with our time.

723
01:00:08,200 --> 01:00:11,700
That means serving and volunteering when there's calls for help.

724
01:00:12,200 --> 01:00:13,700
That means our talent.

725
01:00:14,200 --> 01:00:18,700
Right. You may have a job doing something and you also have this real cool talent that's not your job.

726
01:00:19,200 --> 01:00:21,700
And the church may have need of that serve.

727
01:00:22,200 --> 01:00:23,700
And our resources.

728
01:00:24,200 --> 01:00:26,700
And again, we'll talk more about that in the next few weeks to come.

729
01:00:27,200 --> 01:00:28,700
But Jesus created this thing.

730
01:00:29,200 --> 01:00:31,700
Jesus created this thing called church.

731
01:00:31,700 --> 01:00:41,200
Jesus made us a part of this thing called church when we gave our life to him and submitted and yielded our life to him and said, God, I give my all to you.

732
01:00:41,700 --> 01:00:49,200
But far too many Christians in the church today go, God, I've given you my everything except my wallet.

733
01:00:49,700 --> 01:00:53,200
I have reasons why I can't.

734
01:00:53,700 --> 01:00:59,200
And really the call to give our life to him includes everything, every part of our life.

735
01:00:59,200 --> 01:01:03,700
Every single part of our life and the mission, the purpose of this thing called church.

736
01:01:04,200 --> 01:01:05,700
It's critical.

737
01:01:06,200 --> 01:01:09,700
It's necessary both for us individually and for the world.

738
01:01:10,200 --> 01:01:13,700
That's why I said even the unbelievers need the church.

739
01:01:13,700 --> 01:01:30,200
Because the church's mission is to raise people up and equip them for the work of ministry so that they're serving one another, that we continue to grow and mature, that we then shine the light of the gospel and go out to the world as changed people and change lives that they would get saved and go, what is it?

740
01:01:30,700 --> 01:01:31,200
And then, hey, come and see.

741
01:01:31,700 --> 01:01:37,200
And then they come to be a part of the family and on and on and on it goes.

742
01:01:37,700 --> 01:01:41,200
But we grow best when we grow together.

743
01:01:41,200 --> 01:01:45,700
God's presence shines brightly when we're together.

744
01:01:46,200 --> 01:01:53,700
We function effectively when we all learn what part of the body we are and then operate accordingly.

745
01:01:54,200 --> 01:02:03,700
We minister to the needs of one another and the world around us in ways collectively that we often can't do individually.

746
01:02:03,700 --> 01:02:23,200
And God has lifted high for all to see in his body, the church united, working together in all things when we collectively, willingly, consistently and obediently participate together in being used of God to meet the needs of his body in this world, including the financial ones.

747
01:02:23,700 --> 01:02:27,200
So next week, we'll start to dig into some of the details of all of this.

748
01:02:27,200 --> 01:02:33,700
But I wanted to start with that as the foundation of what we are a part of as the body.

749
01:02:34,200 --> 01:02:36,700
And there are many of you here that are so faithful supporters at Hosanna.

750
01:02:37,200 --> 01:02:39,700
God bless you guys. God bless you guys.

751
01:02:40,200 --> 01:02:52,700
But in my conversations with some that I could see are missing out and they're frustrated and they're angry and they're like, and then when I see them, like, you know, you're not being obedient to God in this area of your life.

752
01:02:52,700 --> 01:02:57,200
And when we're obedient to God, he blesses us. He really blesses us.

753
01:02:57,700 --> 01:03:02,200
Again, we'll get into that in greater detail over the next few weeks, but let's pray and let's worship him. Amen.

754
01:03:02,700 --> 01:03:06,200
All right. Father, we love you so much.

755
01:03:06,700 --> 01:03:13,200
God, we ask that you would just continue to speak to us, God, about our role in the body, Lord.

756
01:03:13,700 --> 01:03:18,200
God, every believer, you've called us and placed us into your body.

757
01:03:18,200 --> 01:03:25,700
And God, we're a part of the body to participate, to contribute.

758
01:03:26,200 --> 01:03:29,700
And Lord, that is our time. That is our talent.

759
01:03:30,200 --> 01:03:32,700
And Lord, that is our money.

760
01:03:33,200 --> 01:03:45,700
And God, we see in the early church, Lord, that giving is not to be something that is begrudging, Lord, but there was just this gladness of unity in the body of Christ to help one another, to support the work of the church, God.

761
01:03:45,700 --> 01:03:59,200
We read of people being able to sell property and they came and they laid the money down at the apostles' feet, that it would then be used for the work of the ministry and the church and blessing the people and taking care of the church and the needs of the people in the church, God.

762
01:03:59,700 --> 01:04:05,200
And Lord, we want to be a part of that.

763
01:04:05,200 --> 01:04:15,700
God, we don't want to be a part of any statistic, God, that exists out in the world today where we read of churches closing their doors one after the other, God.

764
01:04:16,200 --> 01:04:25,700
But at the same time, Lord, we don't want to be irresponsible with the funds that you call us all to give to be a part of this collective effort here, Lord.

765
01:04:25,700 --> 01:04:36,200
And so, God, we trust you, Lord, and we trust the leadership you raise up to be good stewards of those things and we trust the elders and the deacons that are serving to be stewards of what you've given us in our church, God.

766
01:04:36,700 --> 01:04:49,200
And Lord, we ask that you would help us and move within us as the Holy Spirit that we individually would trust you, even with our resources, to step out in faith in the areas you're calling us to give.

767
01:04:49,200 --> 01:04:54,700
God, that we would be an effective part of that body that you've called us to.

768
01:04:55,200 --> 01:04:58,700
Lord, we're so thankful that you've called us together to assemble.

769
01:04:59,200 --> 01:05:05,700
We're so thankful, Lord, for the people you give us in our lives to disciple us, to teach us, to exhort us, to encourage us.

770
01:05:06,200 --> 01:05:09,700
Lord, we're so thankful, God, that we have this building and this place to gather, Lord.

771
01:05:10,200 --> 01:05:11,700
Thank you so much.

772
01:05:11,700 --> 01:05:23,200
And Lord, I pray, God, that the blessing of stepping into faithful generosity, Lord, would just ignite through our body and through the entire Church of Christ, Lord.

773
01:05:24,700 --> 01:05:33,200
That people would experience, God, just the amazing truth of your promises, Lord, when they step in faith with what you're calling them to do.

774
01:05:33,700 --> 01:05:37,200
And Lord, truly we know that your command's in your word, Lord.

775
01:05:37,200 --> 01:05:41,700
They're not optional.

776
01:05:42,200 --> 01:05:51,700
And so, God, over the next few weeks, Lord, speak to us about all those individual questions we have when it comes to this very sensitive topic of giving, Lord.

777
01:05:52,200 --> 01:05:54,700
But at the end of all of it, Lord, may you be glorified.

778
01:05:55,200 --> 01:05:57,700
May you be lifted high.

779
01:05:58,200 --> 01:06:04,700
May the purpose and the mission of your church be uninhibited here in Bellflower.

780
01:06:04,700 --> 01:06:10,200
As this local fellowship gathered here called Hosanna, Lord.

781
01:06:10,700 --> 01:06:14,200
Let your gospel go far and wide.

782
01:06:14,700 --> 01:06:16,200
May we serve one another.

783
01:06:16,700 --> 01:06:18,200
May we minister to one another.

784
01:06:18,700 --> 01:06:20,200
May we bless one another effectively, God.

785
01:06:20,700 --> 01:06:28,200
Our brothers and sisters who aren't gathering, Lord, who, as Hebrews says, have neglected to gather, Lord.

786
01:06:28,200 --> 01:06:37,700
God, if they're not here for any reason that isn't legitimate, God, and you know their heart, convict them now, Lord.

787
01:06:38,200 --> 01:06:39,700
That they would come be a part of the fellowship here, Lord.

788
01:06:40,200 --> 01:06:45,700
That the giftings and the calling that you have in their lives, Lord, they would bring to minister to that, to the rest of the body here.

789
01:06:46,200 --> 01:06:49,700
And to participate in the blessing of this community.

790
01:06:50,200 --> 01:06:51,700
We love you.

791
01:06:52,200 --> 01:06:52,700
We thank you.

792
01:06:53,200 --> 01:06:53,700
It's in Jesus' name we pray.

793
01:06:54,200 --> 01:06:54,700
Amen.

794
01:06:54,700 --> 01:06:58,200
Let's worship, guys.