WEBVTT 00:00:02.210 --> 00:00:09.330 Howdy. Well, today we're looking at the Acts 00:00:09.330 --> 00:00:12.210 of the Apostles and the Gospel of John and what 00:00:12.210 --> 00:00:15.169 it means that the people of God are held together 00:00:15.169 --> 00:00:18.550 in Christ even when they are not held together 00:00:18.550 --> 00:00:22.809 in agreement. And I have to make sure that I 00:00:22.809 --> 00:00:27.269 explain something that in the world there are 00:00:27.269 --> 00:00:32.429 two types of people. There are those in the world 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:36.689 who refuse to let any of the food on their plate 00:00:36.689 --> 00:00:42.109 touch each other, and then there are normal people. 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:45.090 I'm just saying, what is up? What is going on 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:48.149 here? Why are people so freaked out? The vegetables 00:00:48.149 --> 00:00:50.329 touching the meat, touching the bread and the 00:00:50.329 --> 00:00:53.310 potatoes, and oh my word, and yes, of course, 00:00:53.369 --> 00:00:56.070 I'm just kidding, I'm just teasing. But it's 00:00:56.070 --> 00:00:59.070 always so funny because while some people are 00:00:59.070 --> 00:01:01.649 always trying so hard to keep the food from touching, 00:01:01.909 --> 00:01:04.849 I'm actually the opposite. I actually do everything 00:01:04.849 --> 00:01:07.689 I can to mix up everything, every chance I get. 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:10.810 You know how you go to IHOP or Denny's and you 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:13.430 never leave IHOP, IHOPing, I'm just saying. But 00:01:13.430 --> 00:01:16.150 you go to IHOP and they give you the pancakes 00:01:16.150 --> 00:01:18.329 and they give you the eggs and they are nice 00:01:18.329 --> 00:01:20.109 enough to put them on separate plates and I'm 00:01:20.109 --> 00:01:23.209 like, don't you dare? And I dump the runny eggs 00:01:23.209 --> 00:01:26.189 on top of the pancakes. Because I need to mash 00:01:26.189 --> 00:01:29.010 up the runny eggs onto the pancakes with syrup 00:01:29.010 --> 00:01:32.209 and preferably maybe add some hash browns on 00:01:32.209 --> 00:01:35.590 top. Because I need every bite to have five different 00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:38.049 things in it or I am not happy for breakfast. 00:01:38.530 --> 00:01:42.510 Or often like those poke bowls. No, not a poke 00:01:42.510 --> 00:01:44.769 ball for all the weird Pokemon people in the 00:01:44.769 --> 00:01:46.989 world. Those poke bowls where they have the aji 00:01:46.989 --> 00:01:49.769 tuna and the rice and the vegetables and everything's 00:01:49.769 --> 00:01:52.849 mixed together and delicious and don't even get 00:01:52.849 --> 00:01:56.939 me started on Thanksgiving. You've got your cranberry 00:01:56.939 --> 00:01:59.900 sauce on top of the turkey, and then the mashed 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.480 potatoes and the stuffing have gravy all over 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:04.680 everything, and there's green bean casserole 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.540 that somehow gets onto the pumpkin pie. I'm not 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.699 sure how it does, but it does, and you have to 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:13.120 eat it together because that's what Thanksgiving 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:18.419 is for. And I love it. I love it so much. Because 00:02:18.419 --> 00:02:21.740 while it is good to taste foods on their own, 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:25.780 There's also something even better that happens 00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:29.020 when things are brought together. Something new 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:32.479 is created that did not exist before all of the 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:37.960 mixing. But unfortunately, we often do not think 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:41.759 of it this way when it comes to people. When 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.219 it comes to people, we tend to prefer things 00:02:44.219 --> 00:02:49.020 to stay separated. We prefer sameness. We prefer 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:52.259 predictability. We prefer people whose actions 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:55.060 that we can anticipate and whose thoughts will 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:58.020 never surprise us. We want people who think like 00:02:58.020 --> 00:03:01.780 us, organize like us, process like us. But here's 00:03:01.780 --> 00:03:05.000 the thing, when there's tension, when there's 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.979 a difference, when there's disagreement, we often 00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:14.189 assume that means that something is wrong. I'm 00:03:14.189 --> 00:03:17.849 pushing in one direction, you're pushing in the 00:03:17.849 --> 00:03:20.849 other direction, so therefore something must 00:03:20.849 --> 00:03:25.150 be broken. Or if we're just being honest, well, 00:03:25.150 --> 00:03:29.189 you must be wrong. But when we come to the book 00:03:29.189 --> 00:03:32.210 of Acts, we're stepping into a very different 00:03:32.210 --> 00:03:34.810 kind of community. We're stepping into a church 00:03:34.810 --> 00:03:37.389 that has already been through quite a bit in 00:03:37.389 --> 00:03:42.330 less than two months. was crucified and then 00:03:42.330 --> 00:03:45.469 rose from the dead. He appeared to the disciples. 00:03:45.750 --> 00:03:48.710 He spent 40 days teaching them and restoring 00:03:48.710 --> 00:03:50.909 them to make sense of all the Old Testament. 00:03:51.189 --> 00:03:54.650 And then He ascends into heaven and tells them 00:03:54.650 --> 00:03:57.490 to wait for the Holy Spirit. And here we are 00:03:57.490 --> 00:04:01.189 sitting. The Spirit has not yet come in the fullness 00:04:01.189 --> 00:04:05.250 of Pentecost. The disciples are waiting. They're 00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:09.500 praying. They're uncertain. They're not even 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:12.340 really sure what they're supposed to do next. 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:17.240 Yes, Thomas heard from Jesus that He is the way, 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:21.360 but that's still hard. And if we're honest though, 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:24.839 even though Jesus said they'd be His witnesses, 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:29.060 they're still a little confusing. But it's understandable, 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:32.399 because when the person who's been leading you 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.389 every step along the way is now gone, Even if 00:04:36.389 --> 00:04:39.170 they've told you what to do, isn't it amazing 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:43.490 how unsure we still are? Even if before the boss 00:04:43.490 --> 00:04:45.769 went on vacation, they told us exactly what to 00:04:45.769 --> 00:04:47.910 do, there's still this little part of you that's 00:04:47.910 --> 00:04:51.089 like, am I really sure I should be doing this? 00:04:51.629 --> 00:04:54.189 But on top of it all, they're still carrying 00:04:54.189 --> 00:04:56.370 everything that they've been through. Think about 00:04:56.370 --> 00:05:00.449 it. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied him publicly 00:05:00.449 --> 00:05:04.170 and painfully. Thomas wrestled with his doubts 00:05:04.170 --> 00:05:07.579 very visibly. The disciples got scattered when 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:10.879 Jesus was arrested. The fear was real. The confusion 00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:13.860 was real. Rome is still in charge and they thought 00:05:13.860 --> 00:05:16.860 it was going to be done. The religious authorities 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:20.139 are still doing what they did. Nothing looks 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:24.980 like it changed. Except one thing though. They 00:05:24.980 --> 00:05:29.560 are still together. And that might actually be 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:32.600 the first miracle that, even before Pentecost, 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.300 is that those disciples actually stayed with 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:38.060 each other. Because think about everything that 00:05:38.060 --> 00:05:40.689 could have broken the group apart. Different 00:05:40.689 --> 00:05:44.189 personalities, different fears, different instincts. 00:05:44.589 --> 00:05:47.209 You got Peter who's impulsive. He's called the 00:05:47.209 --> 00:05:49.790 rock, but let's be honest, he's more like a boulder 00:05:49.790 --> 00:05:53.110 being hard -headed and stubborn. And Thomas, 00:05:53.290 --> 00:05:55.709 yeah, he's thoughtful, but he's the one who asks 00:05:55.709 --> 00:05:58.750 all the questions and slows people down when 00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:02.480 they want to move forward. James and John, the 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:05.740 sons of thunder, and they're not exactly known 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:09.040 for building consensus with people. Oh, we want 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:11.180 to sit on your left and your right hands, Jesus. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:15.259 Matthew is the tax collector who seems to be 00:06:15.259 --> 00:06:18.399 pro -government. Simon the zealot seems to be 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:21.600 the anti -government person to come in and overthrow 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:26.240 everything. And even others that are not always 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:31.040 named in detail. But we know that even the introverts 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:35.939 are a major part of what God is doing somehow 00:06:35.939 --> 00:06:38.620 all of these crazy people are supposed to work 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:43.819 together and If we were there our instinct might 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:46.839 have been the same We might have been just trying 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:50.620 to figure out. Okay Those of us that seem to 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:53.339 have the same idea. Let's go work together Okay, 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:55.560 and those of you who want to go this other direction. 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:59.980 Okay, go for it and then We would have been trying 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:02.120 to make sure everybody that we're comfortable 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:07.240 with was working together. But Jesus had gathered 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:12.279 people who were not the same. So why should we 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:16.000 consider doing any differently from Him? See, 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.620 the first thing in Acts, though, is that they're 00:07:18.620 --> 00:07:21.720 not necessarily trying to be in perfect agreement. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:26.399 They cannot, they will not, eliminate all of 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:30.439 the tensions. But instead, they start with prayer. 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:34.220 Because the center of unity is not with each 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:39.019 other. The center of unity is Jesus. And we see 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:42.620 that tension very clearly even when they're deciding 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:46.300 who will take the place of Judas. See, they're 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:48.959 trying to figure out what to do. The question 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:53.189 even, should they even replace him at all? Should 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:55.490 they be waiting for something else to happen? 00:07:55.730 --> 00:07:58.410 They went to the Psalms and they found parts 00:07:58.410 --> 00:08:01.290 that looked like, well, we should probably find 00:08:01.290 --> 00:08:04.170 someone to take his place. Were those the right 00:08:04.170 --> 00:08:08.709 Psalms to use? Did they even know? Did they even 00:08:08.709 --> 00:08:13.410 need twelve apostles? What would faithfulness 00:08:13.410 --> 00:08:16.410 look like? And then, they do actually find a 00:08:16.410 --> 00:08:20.189 way to get it narrowed down to two people. And 00:08:20.189 --> 00:08:22.790 then they still can't decide between those two. 00:08:22.990 --> 00:08:26.350 There's not some obvious choice. They're praying, 00:08:26.709 --> 00:08:31.970 and then they're casting lots. Like throwing 00:08:31.970 --> 00:08:36.610 dice. When was the last time that we took a serious 00:08:36.610 --> 00:08:39.210 decision and said, let's just roll some dice 00:08:39.210 --> 00:08:41.970 and go for it? If we ever tried to do that during 00:08:41.970 --> 00:08:44.470 election, I think the US would just be done for 00:08:44.470 --> 00:08:48.269 at that point. But we might read it and wonder, 00:08:49.370 --> 00:08:52.490 Why it would even be that way? Were both of the 00:08:52.490 --> 00:08:56.169 candidates actually equally good? Or was the 00:08:56.169 --> 00:08:59.730 group even evenly divided? Or was it that maybe 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:01.509 one of them was really good at one thing and 00:09:01.509 --> 00:09:03.509 another was really good at a different thing? 00:09:04.129 --> 00:09:07.129 Or maybe there was one group that was a smaller 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:09.750 group, but they were just so loud and vocal that 00:09:09.750 --> 00:09:14.509 nobody wanted to upset them. We don't know! But 00:09:14.509 --> 00:09:16.789 they were trying with limited understanding to 00:09:16.789 --> 00:09:20.700 be faithful with what they had. But the deeper 00:09:20.700 --> 00:09:25.240 question was Luke in writing this, was he actually 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:28.539 showing us a perfect church working perfectly, 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:33.139 or was he trying to show us something else? Because 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:37.899 even in the same book, Paul comes up and is shown 00:09:37.899 --> 00:09:41.879 to be an apostle. He would describe himself in 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:45.759 1 Corinthians as an apostle untimely born, but 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.200 coming out of nowhere that anyone would have 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:52.580 expected. But maybe that's the point. Is that 00:09:52.580 --> 00:09:55.080 the book of Acts is not trying to prove that 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.539 every decision that the disciples ever made was 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:01.000 always right on track. It was showing something 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:04.799 more important. That Christ was keeping His church 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:07.840 together while imperfect people were trying to 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:11.259 be faithful. And that brings us to something 00:10:11.259 --> 00:10:14.039 even deeper because even if the disciples are 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:18.009 trying to figure it all out, The one who is at 00:10:18.009 --> 00:10:22.629 the center is the only one who knows Because 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:26.250 Jesus he knew that these things would happen 00:10:26.250 --> 00:10:30.490 He knew even before the cross Jesus knew that 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:33.850 Judas would betray him Jesus knew that Peter 00:10:33.850 --> 00:10:36.970 would deny him Jesus knew that Thomas would doubt 00:10:36.970 --> 00:10:40.269 him He even knew that John would decide to tell 00:10:40.269 --> 00:10:42.970 everybody. Hey, I'm faster than Peter in a foot 00:10:42.970 --> 00:10:45.309 race. And by the way, I'm the disciple that Jesus 00:10:45.309 --> 00:10:50.659 loved Jesus knew it all. But Jesus prays for 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:56.639 them and says, Father, keep them. Keep them so 00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.179 that they may be one. He does not say, Father, 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:03.440 get them to all stop being so stupid so they'd 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:07.159 finally agree all the time. He doesn't say, Father, 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:09.740 would you please relieve all the tensions and 00:11:09.740 --> 00:11:11.860 differences and make sure that they're all the 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:17.299 same. He says protect them. Keep them. hold them 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:21.500 together. Because if you need God to hold people 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:24.559 together, it means they couldn't hold themselves 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:29.820 together already. Even in differences, failures, 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:34.539 and confusion. Remember that story where confusion 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:36.399 happened in the Old Testament with the Tower 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:39.299 of Babel, and humanity is trying to come together 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:42.860 with one purpose and one language and one project, 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:45.080 and they were trying so hard to all be on the 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:51.179 same page, and God looks and says, nope. And 00:11:51.179 --> 00:11:55.860 they all begin to collapse. Different languages, 00:11:56.940 --> 00:12:00.539 different ideas, different directions. Because 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:03.799 it wasn't about focusing on God, it was focusing 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:06.340 on building a tower that made themselves feel 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:11.539 better about themselves. But you see, we're approaching 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:14.879 Pentecost, and something different is going to 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:18.179 happen. The people are going to be gathered again, 00:12:18.340 --> 00:12:22.139 but not just for themselves. They will be gathered 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:25.200 around Christ. And when the Spirit comes, they're 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:29.350 already speaking many languages. But when they 00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:32.529 begin to communicate together, notice what happens. 00:12:33.370 --> 00:12:37.730 The languages are not erased. They don't all 00:12:37.730 --> 00:12:40.169 of a sudden start speaking the same language. 00:12:40.730 --> 00:12:43.970 Instead, everyone can start speaking to everyone 00:12:43.970 --> 00:12:48.250 where they are. The differences are not erased, 00:12:48.429 --> 00:12:51.769 but they become the very means by which the gospel 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:55.610 is able to move forward. Because now the message 00:12:55.610 --> 00:12:58.980 of Christ is in every language. Not removing 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:01.340 all the differences as if somehow we have to 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:05.600 all be exactly the same to be together, but rather 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.940 that the unity in Christ means we all have the 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:13.389 same Savior, the same hope. Even today, in the 00:13:13.389 --> 00:13:17.330 life of the church, we find unity to be so important. 00:13:17.669 --> 00:13:20.110 Next week, during our late service, we're going 00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:22.429 to be having the Spanish -speaking congregation 00:13:22.429 --> 00:13:25.610 and the Vietnamese congregation coming over here, 00:13:25.870 --> 00:13:27.570 and we're going to be worshipping together. And 00:13:27.570 --> 00:13:31.629 I promise you, it is going to be weird and difficult. 00:13:32.330 --> 00:13:36.009 It will be awkward, and you will wonder how people 00:13:36.009 --> 00:13:38.809 even understand each other. But it will also 00:13:38.809 --> 00:13:41.610 be amazing and beautiful. because it will be 00:13:41.610 --> 00:13:45.809 the Word of God in all these languages. And that's 00:13:45.809 --> 00:13:49.129 the truth about what God keeps doing is bringing 00:13:49.129 --> 00:13:52.750 people together not in spite of the differences, 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:56.450 but with all of the perspectives, instincts, 00:13:56.750 --> 00:14:00.289 and experiences that we all have. And maybe we 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:04.429 still come to it with our own wounds as well. 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:10.250 Because pressure may be difficult. And the difference 00:14:10.250 --> 00:14:13.370 is they may cause arguments, they may cause fights, 00:14:13.710 --> 00:14:16.509 they may cause all sorts of struggles, but that 00:14:16.509 --> 00:14:19.110 does not mean that there's always something wrong. 00:14:20.049 --> 00:14:23.169 It means the reality of being human beings together. 00:14:24.429 --> 00:14:28.429 And this is how Christ the cornerstone is also 00:14:28.429 --> 00:14:32.409 the keystone in the arch of the church. Whenever 00:14:32.409 --> 00:14:35.250 you go under an archway and you see all those 00:14:35.250 --> 00:14:38.500 stones together, they're not held together with 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:43.460 glue. They are not always even exactly the same 00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:46.460 if you look at some of the old ones. They're 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:50.019 not always even perfectly matched. But somehow 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:54.379 those stones hold together because they press 00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:57.779 against the others. If it were not for the pressure 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:01.059 of them all together, gravity would pull it all 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:05.139 down. But the shape of the arch redirects all 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:09.379 the pressure not just outward, but also upward 00:15:09.379 --> 00:15:13.480 to the keystone, the one in the middle that carries 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:17.279 the weight of everything. The structure holds 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:20.360 not because all of the stones are great on their 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:24.480 own, but because the pressure keeps being held 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:29.779 at the one in the center. Each stone feels pressure 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:33.419 differently, but all of that pressure still comes 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:36.879 back to the middle. And that is what Christ does 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:40.679 for the church. He is our foundation, and He 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.679 is the center that holds us when the pressure 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:46.379 is real. When the differences are real. When 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:49.720 the struggles are real. Because at the end of 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.000 the day, the church does not survive because 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.580 we've found a way to always agree. The church 00:15:54.580 --> 00:15:58.720 survives because of the one who rose again from 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:04.169 death. The one who did not survive. brings life 00:16:04.169 --> 00:16:08.889 so that we do. He is the one still interceding. 00:16:09.169 --> 00:16:13.090 And when Christ is at the center, even our understanding 00:16:13.090 --> 00:16:17.529 of what we even think glory is, even that changes. 00:16:18.289 --> 00:16:24.330 Because the glory of God is the cross. The glory 00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:29.529 of God comes at times of betrayal. The glory 00:16:29.529 --> 00:16:32.950 of God comes when no one seems to have it all 00:16:32.950 --> 00:16:37.110 figured out except Christ Himself. Because glory 00:16:37.110 --> 00:16:40.870 is revealed in sacrifice. Glory is revealed in 00:16:40.870 --> 00:16:43.529 self -giving love. And that changes how we see 00:16:43.529 --> 00:16:48.210 one another. Because we are not competition in 00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:51.850 the midst of disagreement for the love of God. 00:16:52.850 --> 00:16:55.409 We are brothers and sisters learning how to follow 00:16:55.409 --> 00:16:59.169 Christ together. So before we finish our time, 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:03.429 I'd like to leave you with with five ideas of 00:17:03.429 --> 00:17:05.769 things I'd like for you to consider this week. 00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:09.809 I'd like for you to consider these when you feel 00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:13.390 the pressure, when you feel the arguments, when 00:17:13.390 --> 00:17:18.390 you feel the frustration. Number one, slow down 00:17:18.390 --> 00:17:22.029 before you correct somebody. When you feel like 00:17:22.029 --> 00:17:25.089 someone is on the wrong track, slow down long 00:17:25.089 --> 00:17:29.329 enough to actually say back to them what you 00:17:29.329 --> 00:17:32.279 thought you heard from them. Not trying to win, 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:35.180 but make sure that you even understood them in 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.980 the first place. Because it turns out that when 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:41.299 we actually speak back what someone else thinks, 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:46.240 it actually creates empathy inside of us. Is 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:49.339 there something I am missing in what they are 00:17:49.339 --> 00:17:54.099 trying to say? Number two. Before you start spouting 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:58.539 off, write down what your position honestly is. 00:17:59.329 --> 00:18:03.230 Take a look at what you're saying, something 00:18:03.230 --> 00:18:06.410 you strongly believe, and write it out. And ask 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:13.289 yourself, if I were wrong, what harm would happen 00:18:13.289 --> 00:18:18.549 if I would never question myself? Not because 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:21.430 you should not have convictions, but because 00:18:21.430 --> 00:18:24.349 convictions should always be matched with humility. 00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:29.630 Number three. Remember the last time you were 00:18:29.630 --> 00:18:33.910 corrected well. When was the last time somebody 00:18:33.910 --> 00:18:37.750 stopped you, challenged you, made you pause, 00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:43.349 and you were grateful that they did? Because 00:18:43.349 --> 00:18:46.630 not only is that question, if you can't remember 00:18:46.630 --> 00:18:51.910 a time, that may be something to consider, but 00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:55.750 also that shapes how we should treat others. 00:18:56.680 --> 00:19:01.500 Number four, notice when the distance is forming. 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:06.200 Ask yourself, if our disagreements are slowly 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:10.240 causing us to ignore each other, would I ever 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:14.039 even notice early enough to change direction? 00:19:15.259 --> 00:19:18.799 Because division doesn't start when we're angry. 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:23.799 Division starts when we no longer hear from one 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:31.269 another. Number five, choose curiosity over certainty 00:19:31.269 --> 00:19:35.190 when it comes to people. Because when you disagree 00:19:35.190 --> 00:19:39.910 with someone, make it a habit to ask one question 00:19:39.910 --> 00:19:43.549 before you assume what their motives are. Instead 00:19:43.549 --> 00:19:48.710 of saying what's wrong with them, maybe ask what 00:19:48.710 --> 00:19:52.630 experiences might have led them to see things 00:19:52.630 --> 00:19:56.779 this way. Because curiosity keeps the door open 00:19:56.779 --> 00:20:01.279 when our certainty would close it. Because the 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:04.180 church does not stand when we are all the same. 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:08.759 It stands only because Christ is at the center. 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:12.900 And when Christ is at the center, it changes 00:20:12.900 --> 00:20:16.900 how we see one another. Because we realize the 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:22.019 church never will rest on our ideas alone. It 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:27.220 only rests on what He has done alone. So with 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:31.019 our differences, may they not become division. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:35.680 May they not become dismissing one another. May 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:38.240 they not be the things that cause us to lose 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:42.200 love, compassion, and understanding. But rather, 00:20:42.700 --> 00:20:45.579 may they be the very things that draw us closer 00:20:45.579 --> 00:20:49.400 as brothers and sisters learning how to follow 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.940 Christ together because it is not by my will 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:58.319 and not by yours, but only by His Spirit, says 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.819 the Lord. Thanks be to God.