WEBVTT 00:00:00.460 --> 00:00:01.080 I'm glad you're here. 00:00:01.100 --> 00:00:08.320 If you're visiting with us for the first time today, we are in a series together called "The Core." We're spending four weeks talking about what the core of our church family 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:09.380 is about. 00:00:09.860 --> 00:00:15.340 And we're really setting a target on what is the foundation of the church and the purpose for which we exist. 00:00:15.540 --> 00:00:19.440 We don't have service on Sunday just to have service on Sunday because that's what you're supposed to do on Sunday. 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:26.970 We have an intentional purpose for which we created our church family, and if it ever comes about just opening the doors because you're supposed to open the doors, I don't want to be any part of it. 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.740 God created his church for a purpose to live on mission in that purpose. 00:00:31.080 --> 00:00:36.880 And so together we've been describing what it means to have a win, to celebrate that win together as God's community. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:38.340 We've been putting a target on a map. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:46.100 And the reason that we're doing that is because when we unify our purpose and intentions as a community, it creates momentum. 00:00:46.300 --> 00:00:47.480 It creates unity. 00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:49.600 We all see a common goal in which we're driving to. 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:53.340 And it's a beautiful way to function as God's people. 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:54.370 And we see that clearly outlined. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:58.060 To do that, we kind of put it on a baseball diamond. 00:00:58.280 --> 00:00:59.750 Now, if you're not a baseball fan, I apologize. 00:01:00.120 --> 00:01:02.860 If you think of a better illustration, let me know and I'll draw that out for us. 00:01:03.420 --> 00:01:07.410 But this is baseball season and you think about what it takes to win in a baseball game. 00:01:07.720 --> 00:01:12.720 If you start at home plate and you're able to come back to home plate, your team scores, and if you do that enough times, you win. 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:18.080 And so for us as a church family, there are four elements that we have discussed on how we achieve that win together. 00:01:18.540 --> 00:01:20.600 And we are to second base today. 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:23.610 Worship, discipleship, and now we're going to talk about relationship. 00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:27.540 But we want to circle all of those bases on the mission and back to worship. 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.910 And that's what it means for us as a church family to win. 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:35.080 As a church we have described that together in various aspects. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.090 As we talked about worship and discipleship. 00:01:38.580 --> 00:01:45.790 We get to today in talking about relationship, I want you to know I could have used the word fellowship, because we're going to emphasize church community. 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:49.050 But I feel like the church community is bigger. 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:51.340 It leads us to something bigger than just fellowship. 00:01:51.520 --> 00:01:57.560 Fellowship is an important part, but I think it expands into all relationships and I want to show us how that works. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:04.400 But some of the things that we have talked together about, we started in Mark 12:30-31. 00:02:04.860 --> 00:02:07.920 Jesus is asked what are the greatest commandments? 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:13.960 And he brings it down into two statements, or two commandments: loving God and loving others. 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:19.000 That ties in beautifully with the way God has designed this world and the way that God has created you. 00:02:19.720 --> 00:02:21.500 God has created you for relationship. 00:02:22.140 --> 00:02:25.820 When God made us in the beginning, he made you different than anything else he made in this world. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:28.160 He forms you intimately, the Bible tells us. 00:02:28.160 --> 00:02:30.620 Everything else God created he spoke, it existed. 00:02:30.620 --> 00:02:32.140 When he created you, he formed you. 00:02:32.140 --> 00:02:33.480 It shows the intimacy of his creation. 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:36.200 He breathes into you the breath of life and he makes you in His image. 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:40.240 And that says, you being different than anything God created, you can relate to God. 00:02:40.260 --> 00:02:41.700 You can have a relationship with God. 00:02:42.040 --> 00:02:46.480 A part of being a being that relates to God is that you're designed for worship. 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:50.380 Worship is what attributes worth back to God. 00:02:51.220 --> 00:02:53.300 You will find your identity in what you worship. 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:55.780 It is impossible for you not to worship something. 00:02:56.100 --> 00:02:59.920 When you worship something, you attribute worth, value, and meaning to it. 00:02:59.920 --> 00:03:04.920 You devote your time, resources and talents to magnify the beauty of what is. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:06.060 Whatever it is that you worship. 00:03:06.380 --> 00:03:13.400 And in so doing, when you do that, you look for your worth, value, and your significance as a being from the thing you attribute 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:14.320 your worth to. 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:17.920 Now, if what you worship isn't worth worshiping, you'll end up bankrupt. 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:24.040 And I think ultimately in life, the only thing you're designed to truly worship and to glorify in is God. 00:03:24.600 --> 00:03:26.420 And God created you for relationships. 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:33.700 So we talked about the significance of worship and how that transforming relationship with God will ultimately transform 00:03:33.700 --> 00:03:35.700 your relationship with others. 00:03:35.740 --> 00:03:42.140 And we started to talk about how God created his church to express that relationship with God that transforms our relationship with others. 00:03:42.880 --> 00:03:47.870 In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, when he creates his church that the gates of hell will not prevail. 00:03:48.100 --> 00:03:51.640 That you will literally stormed down the gates of hell. 00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:55.080 Even if you have to charge it with a squirt gun, we're after the sucker, right? 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:58.460 You stormed down the gates of hell and they will not prevail. 00:03:58.660 --> 00:04:02.710 We talked about something significant when it relates to you worship and these gates. 00:04:02.940 --> 00:04:10.540 Anytime a city was built in ancient times, if you went to visit that city, people appreciated the value of the city because it left them protected 00:04:10.540 --> 00:04:12.300 from bandits and robbers. 00:04:12.420 --> 00:04:16.200 If you lived outside of the gates of a wall, you were exposed to the elements exposed to people. 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:17.670 If you were inside of the gates, you are protected. 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:23.040 If you journey to a city and you wanted to visit people of influence, you would go to the gates. 00:04:23.440 --> 00:04:30.500 The gates determine what went into the city, came out of the city, what influenced the city, the place they ruled and reigned and made wise decisions for the 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:32.500 city or attempted to, were at the gates. 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:34.090 The gates were influential. 00:04:34.640 --> 00:04:38.160 When it comes to God's kingdom, He helps us to recognize there's really only two kingdoms at war. 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:41.060 It's God's kingdom or Satan's kingdom. 00:04:41.340 --> 00:04:42.980 That's why Satan's called the ruler of this world. 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:44.410 The prince of power of the air. 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:50.500 When Satan is in control of our lives, we don't walk around and say, "I worship Satan." No one does that. 00:04:50.500 --> 00:04:51.900 Well, like four people, but no one else. 00:04:52.440 --> 00:04:57.650 So when it comes to our lives, when Satan's in control, it's not about us making much of Satan. 00:04:57.900 --> 00:05:01.380 What Satan has done since the beginning of the garden of Eden. 00:05:01.380 --> 00:05:06.900 When you see God creating Adam and Eve, Satan comes to the garden and he challenges what God says to Adam and Eve. 00:05:06.900 --> 00:05:08.500 He says, surely God didn't say that. 00:05:09.640 --> 00:05:16.760 You should eat the tree of the knowledge of the fruit of good and evil and the moment you eat the tree of the knowledge getting fruit of good and evil, then you'll be able to tell God what's 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:17.760 right and what's wrong. 00:05:17.940 --> 00:05:19.160 That's what's at stake there. 00:05:19.780 --> 00:05:21.140 God has declared what's right and wrong. 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:27.200 Adam and Eve usurped the position of God and insert themselves in that position to declare to God what is right and wrong. 00:05:27.200 --> 00:05:28.460 The knowledge of the tree of good and evil. 00:05:28.900 --> 00:05:30.160 They become god of their lives. 00:05:30.740 --> 00:05:36.940 When we align ourselves, not with God's kingdom but what's contrary to God's kingdom, we make ourselves God of this world. 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:40.640 And everything that exists within this world becomes an end to our glory. 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:43.900 We use everything God created as a tool for our benefit. 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:46.160 We become the end in itself. 00:05:46.780 --> 00:05:53.980 And we've gone through what that means for us in several different aspects, but it sort of drives to that philosophy with whatever makes you happy. 00:05:54.880 --> 00:06:00.960 Use everything in this world as a tool for you as you are king, ruling and reigning and everything is designed for your glory. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:05.760 All the way down to even described, when we take advantage of people. 00:06:05.760 --> 00:06:06.550 Like the idea of pornography. 00:06:07.900 --> 00:06:13.540 Pornography exists for the purpose of someone using someone else as a tool for their pleasure. 00:06:13.960 --> 00:06:14.860 It's all about you. 00:06:15.380 --> 00:06:21.180 Yet we know being created by God, God has created everyone intentionally, purposefully, uniquely, and for His glory. 00:06:21.840 --> 00:06:24.360 And we aren't too devalue people in that way. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:31.060 God didn't create creation for our glory to make ourselves king, but for His glory and our benefit. 00:06:32.340 --> 00:06:37.260 And so when we worship him, what it means in our lives, is we submit the gates of who we are. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:44.820 We lay down on ourselves and rather then controlling everything for our glory, we allow the Lord to have control for his glory. 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:51.580 Matthew 16:18 talks about that in the idea of worship and in His church overpowering the gates. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:58.780 And not only do we allow God to have control of our gates, but when the church lives on mission to conquer these gates, the things that 00:06:58.780 --> 00:07:02.660 we are after in this world isn't to accomplish task, but rather to reach hearts. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.940 Storming down the gates is about reaching hearts. 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:12.100 When you think about what Jesus has done in our lives, he came to earth in pursuit of your heart. 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.440 Ministry does not exist to accomplish tasks. 00:07:15.940 --> 00:07:17.820 Ministry exists to reach hearts. 00:07:18.700 --> 00:07:20.840 Sometimes we get that backwards, legalistically as people. 00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:21.770 We see it as a checklist. 00:07:22.580 --> 00:07:26.220 In order to prove to God how wonderful we are so that God has to accept us. 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:31.100 There's no more love that God could ever express to you than what he's already done by dying for you on the cross. 00:07:31.700 --> 00:07:35.540 So God loves you where you are, and He loves you too much to leave you that way. 00:07:35.780 --> 00:07:37.760 But ministry isn't about accomplishing tasks. 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:39.710 Ministry is about reaching hearts. 00:07:39.840 --> 00:07:41.500 And so we stormed down the gates of hell. 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:49.020 The purpose of the church in storming down the gates is to reach the hearts of people so they can see the significance of who God is as it transpires throughout our lives. 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:52.300 As God uses us, as we surrender our gates for his glory. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:58.520 And in Matthew 28 Jesus said this, he said, "Make disciples of all nations." He says this to his church. 00:07:58.940 --> 00:08:00.950 And I gave us this picture last week. 00:08:01.820 --> 00:08:05.870 I talked about how God created his creation as ruler, King of authority. 00:08:06.140 --> 00:08:07.730 We saw it in the seven days of creation. 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:08.950 I don't have time to go back to it. 00:08:09.140 --> 00:08:16.580 But when you get to the end of Revelation 21:1-5, you see God dwelling with his people and he says, there's no more pain, no more suffering. 00:08:16.580 --> 00:08:17.400 The first has gone away. 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:23.250 So you see this kingdom at the beginning of Genesis, God's established this kingdom at the end and its perfection that God has reestablished. 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:24.750 And we're in that middle. 00:08:25.460 --> 00:08:27.280 Where sin has its destruction. 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:29.380 Now what do we do with that? 00:08:29.960 --> 00:08:32.059 Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:34.860 That what you long for in your heart is peace. 00:08:34.880 --> 00:08:41.880 And in Isaiah 9:6, that Prince of Peace is coming to bring his peace as the ruler, as the prince, as 00:08:41.880 --> 00:08:43.169 the one who rules and reigns. 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:48.440 Jesus desires to establish that peace in your relationship with him so you can enjoy him for all of eternity. 00:08:48.820 --> 00:08:56.180 And ultimately he will establish that relationship again of ultimate peace when he restores all things in him in Revelation 21. 00:08:56.820 --> 00:09:03.120 But as God lays that out for us, he's always called a people to declare his glory to all nations. 00:09:04.020 --> 00:09:06.750 In Genesis, beginning in chapter 12 he calls Abraham. 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:11.280 He tells Abraham through you all nations will be blessed. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:19.520 And we see as the story starts to unfold as Jesus comes, that in the gospels, the Jewish nation by and large reject 00:09:19.520 --> 00:09:20.160 the Messiah. 00:09:21.060 --> 00:09:24.110 And so Jesus says, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail. 00:09:24.900 --> 00:09:32.730 And he tells that church in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations, God continuing to call his people to reach all nations. 00:09:34.520 --> 00:09:41.140 In fact, in Acts 1:8, he says to us how that church is capable of doing it. 00:09:41.140 --> 00:09:48.160 It says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Sumeria, and 00:09:48.160 --> 00:09:52.980 to the remotest parts of the earth." God's called us to impact the world. 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:53.980 And you see how it expands here. 00:09:55.020 --> 00:09:56.990 Notice it starts locally as a local community. 00:09:57.520 --> 00:10:00.520 In Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. 00:10:00.640 --> 00:10:05.230 Then it spreads to Judea, and then it spreads even further to Sumeria, all the way to the remotest part of the earth. 00:10:05.280 --> 00:10:07.500 And one of the things that we recognize when we read a passage like this. 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:12.180 When God calls his people to this, is that we cannot accomplish this alone. 00:10:14.380 --> 00:10:16.020 God's community becomes important. 00:10:18.260 --> 00:10:19.460 You need a place to belong. 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:26.460 God's church is God's tool to make an impact in this world. 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:32.740 That fellowship as His community will begin to affect all relationships in this world. 00:10:32.780 --> 00:10:36.000 And I kind of want to lay down why that so today. 00:10:36.040 --> 00:10:39.120 But when you consider the significance of this body. 00:10:40.040 --> 00:10:44.400 God creates a universal body that also becomes a local body. 00:10:44.400 --> 00:10:45.780 That Jesus died for his church. 00:10:47.540 --> 00:10:50.420 Jesus refers to the church as his bride. 00:10:54.020 --> 00:10:56.440 You think about the marital relationships, how important that is. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:00.260 Someone comes along and insults your bride? 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.820 You sock them, right? 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:05.740 You protect that. 00:11:07.140 --> 00:11:08.610 That's special to me. 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:12.860 Jesus uses that language for the church. 00:11:14.380 --> 00:11:14.800 It's his bride. 00:11:16.180 --> 00:11:17.050 I love her. 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:26.420 So much so that I've given my life for her to the ultimate expression of laying down everything for 00:11:26.420 --> 00:11:27.860 her benefit. 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:29.890 To his glory. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:37.790 You can consider what you represent to the church, how you're a part of that community. 00:11:40.280 --> 00:11:43.280 Now, when we think about the universal church versus the local church. 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:49.240 As a human being when you were born into this world, you became a part of the human race, so welcome. 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:55.160 But the minute someone took you home from the hospital, you became a part of a family. 00:11:57.100 --> 00:12:00.010 You were adopted or included in that local context. 00:12:01.180 --> 00:12:02.450 The same is true with God's people. 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.320 When you are reborn, you are a part of the universal church. 00:12:06.460 --> 00:12:10.480 When you become a part of a local community, you're adopted into that. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:13.120 You have this context of a local family. 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:15.920 A Christian without a local home is an orphan. 00:12:17.380 --> 00:12:24.380 It's not God's intentions for us to live our lives that way, but in understanding what God has called us to in the world, it becomes important to see the value 00:12:24.380 --> 00:12:28.160 of each one of us in the context of God's community. 00:12:30.020 --> 00:12:37.060 In Romans 12:5 it says this, "So we were many are one body in Christ and individually members of one 00:12:37.060 --> 00:12:39.060 another." So he's saying, well here we are as one body. 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:46.560 Jesus is bride, but individually we belong to each other and God has gifted us in particular ways in order to be a blessing to 00:12:46.560 --> 00:12:48.040 one another's lives. 00:12:50.420 --> 00:12:54.480 Acts 2, which is where we conclude the last week, I'm going to pick up there this morning. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:00.840 Acts 2 describes for us what it looks like to be a part of God's family. 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:06.700 And how God uses this family to accomplish his purpose for the target that he has put on the map. 00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:13.840 Acts 2, it's important to recognize is descriptive and not prescriptive. 00:13:15.400 --> 00:13:20.100 And what I mean is, when you turn to the New Testament and you start looking at how is the church supposed to function? 00:13:21.780 --> 00:13:27.220 There's not really a whole lot of specifics on the order of a gathering time. 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:33.260 How many minutes you're supposed to spend singing a few songs and praying a few prayers and reading God's word. 00:13:33.260 --> 00:13:36.980 And that structure of a worship gathering is not outlined in scripture. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:45.400 You have some elements described to us like in Acts 2, but there's not a prescription outline for us for exactly how services 00:13:45.400 --> 00:13:46.620 to take place. 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:49.840 And I appreciate that about the Bible. 00:13:51.180 --> 00:13:58.530 Because what it says to us is there are some elements that are significant, we'll talk about those in a minute, but by and large, the worship service has flexibility. 00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:03.580 And that flexibility is important to the context of any community gathering. 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:12.860 Because I think what the Bible is saying to us is that what inspires the heart to worship in west Africa may 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:15.520 not be what inspires the heart to worship in west Alaska. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:18.820 And people are different. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:20.840 Cultures are different. 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:29.080 And so God gives us the freedom and flexibility to worship him in a way that best encouraged the context 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:30.020 in which you're in. 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:34.640 Now, yes, there are some elements to that, but God gives freedom and flexibility. 00:14:34.980 --> 00:14:38.940 And that gives an important identity to what exactly the church is. 00:14:40.880 --> 00:14:43.400 The church is not an organization, it's not an institution. 00:14:45.560 --> 00:14:47.900 But the church when it was created was a movement. 00:14:49.800 --> 00:14:52.170 And with movement means there is flexibility. 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:55.840 Oftentimes people refer to the church as organic. 00:14:57.280 --> 00:14:59.020 Organic is an important expression. 00:14:59.020 --> 00:15:00.060 Just think about for a minute. 00:15:01.280 --> 00:15:04.060 Organic gives the idea that something is alive. 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:07.720 Now that this is true about every organism in this world. 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:10.800 Every organism in this world has structure. 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:14.660 If it didn't, it couldn't survive. 00:15:16.300 --> 00:15:17.060 It would be chaos. 00:15:18.520 --> 00:15:24.800 But the organization, within an organism gives it the opportunity to thrive. 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:33.180 So I would say in the context of a local church, there are certain things that church does that helps it function within its culture to make much of God 00:15:33.180 --> 00:15:35.260 and encourages people to glorify the Lord. 00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:38.960 Every organism has to have organization. 00:15:40.200 --> 00:15:42.600 But too much organization and you become a statue. 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:51.760 And so when it comes to the purpose of God creating his church and what God desires for us, there are certain elements God wants us to include 00:15:51.760 --> 00:15:52.600 within the church. 00:15:52.880 --> 00:15:58.580 But as far as the structure of how that organization happens, there's freedom and flexibility. 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:05.700 I think one of the reasons Paul outlines for us in 1 Corinthians 9:19 he says this, "I have become all things to all people for the 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:06.680 sake of the Gospel". 00:16:08.520 --> 00:16:13.680 And he goes on, he starts to list different people groups, Jew, gentile, Greek, barbarian, slave, free, rich, poor. 00:16:15.400 --> 00:16:22.580 There are different ways in which you can leverage your place in Christ before an individual that speaks to them a way that helps them honor Jesus 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:23.220 in their lives. 00:16:24.580 --> 00:16:28.800 And so culture always provides a platform for us to better communicate the gospel. 00:16:32.180 --> 00:16:38.700 Any church that marries a method, will run the risk of becoming irrelevant to the next generation. 00:16:41.660 --> 00:16:48.940 You've got to always be asking yourself this question, how can God use me to 00:16:49.020 --> 00:16:51.980 best speak into the cultural context in which I live? 00:16:54.520 --> 00:16:56.560 It's important to recognize just our area. 00:16:58.780 --> 00:17:03.720 We live in a fast growing location, one of the youngest, actually the youngest state in America. 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:12.900 Knowing details about the area in which you live, prescription drug abuse, suicide rate, that 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:19.880 knowledge about your environment helps you understand how to best engage the culture. 00:17:21.540 --> 00:17:22.560 You want to do it in a way that's relevant. 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:28.270 I don't mean trendy, I don't think a church is called to be trendy, because trends always go and they're exhausting. 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:29.640 But relevant. 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:34.010 And one of the beautiful things about God's Word is God's Word is timeless. 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:37.450 Truth is timeless and therefore it's always timely. 00:17:38.600 --> 00:17:42.500 But there's a way that you can communicate to best speak to the culture in which you are engaged in. 00:17:42.580 --> 00:17:46.140 For example, I'm not going to go to a senior living facility and talk about how to raise kids. 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:47.730 That would be ridiculous. 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:49.980 I'll talk about godly children. 00:17:50.040 --> 00:17:50.800 What does that look like? 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:51.300 No. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:53.620 It's beyond the audience. 00:17:55.280 --> 00:17:56.460 So there's a way to relate to the culture. 00:17:56.520 --> 00:18:03.580 And I think when God describes His church in the New Testament, he doesn't give a prescription of exactly how a gathering should go, because he wants us to have flexibility to best penetrate in 00:18:03.580 --> 00:18:05.040 the culture and encourage one another's lives. 00:18:05.340 --> 00:18:06.280 Get to know one another. 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:13.380 Share how the truth of God's word impacts your life and can impact my life and where we are. 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:23.900 And when you recognize the flexibility of the church, I think one of the things that starts to highlight for us is that everybody's 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:24.260 important. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:32.220 There are certain things that are pronounced but not necessarily prominent when it comes to the church. 00:18:32.520 --> 00:18:35.320 Like here I am today, I'm standing up like this. 00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:35.900 This is kind of pronounced. 00:18:36.840 --> 00:18:41.550 When I was a little kid, one of the things that used to concern me was that my head was always bigger than everybody else's. 00:18:42.080 --> 00:18:42.920 And my ears stuck out. 00:18:43.280 --> 00:18:47.960 Like the older I get, the fatter my head gets and my ears aren't quite as big, but it's like it's there, right? 00:18:49.340 --> 00:18:54.940 It's not necessarily that it's prominent to me, but it's definitely you see as pronounced, right? 00:18:57.380 --> 00:18:58.600 Pronounced. 00:19:00.780 --> 00:19:06.400 What's more prominent to me is probably, I would say rather than my ears, my internal organs. 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:10.900 Not always things that you see, but very significant to the health of my body. 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:20.200 What I mean is on Sunday someone may stand up on stage and deliver a sermon, but that doesn't make them any more important than the rest of the body. 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:24.840 In fact, according to that, I'm an ear and that's really not as big of a deal. 00:19:27.300 --> 00:19:34.500 When it comes to being in God's community and seeing how God wants you to be relevant, speaking to your culture, just keep your eyes open in the way God's moving and 00:19:34.600 --> 00:19:35.440 allow himself to be used. 00:19:36.080 --> 00:19:40.080 One of the things we'd like to say to our churches, I guess we can't do that in rows. 00:19:43.560 --> 00:19:50.520 If God's given you a talent and we're all facing this direction today, you can't really use that talent in the seat. 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:57.590 And so when God calls us to do things for him, it requires us to get in circles to think beyond the walls. 00:19:57.820 --> 00:20:02.080 We're kidding ourselves that we think what it means to live a Christian life is show up on Sunday for an hour. 00:20:03.780 --> 00:20:09.550 And especially when you start to read Acts 2, because when you look at the context of this verse, it says they were continually devoting themselves. 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:14.980 So don't overlook this word, devoting themselves, to the apostles teaching and the fellowship and the breaking of bread and prayer. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:23.240 These guys are dedicated to one another and what God desires to accomplish and when you don't know each other, it's 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:24.440 hard to share that devotion together. 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:31.360 And so one hour on Sunday doesn't get what God is calling his community into. 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:37.080 But nonetheless, when you look at Acts 2, we're going to see this description of what they did. 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:40.800 But I want us to just realize that there's flexibility in this stuff. 00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:48.880 That yeah, there's some things in here that are important, but the church should always seek how it can leverage its platform to speak into the context 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:49.760 in which it exists. 00:20:50.460 --> 00:20:51.360 We're not marrying a method. 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:59.520 If somebody told me that one Sunday that if you could demonstrate that painting the walls 00:20:59.520 --> 00:21:06.520 hot pink and throwing in shag carpet would somehow further the gospel and the encouragement of God's people, I can tell you next 00:21:06.520 --> 00:21:08.990 Sunday when you show up, walls are pink, shag carpet on the floor. 00:21:11.020 --> 00:21:17.260 But if that's what it takes, that's what I'm willing to do. 00:21:17.260 --> 00:21:24.020 And so what Paul is expressing and saying, "I become all things to all people," is that the body of Christ is not about serving me. 00:21:25.300 --> 00:21:26.530 Church is not about my preference. 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:34.260 But it's the success of the church is the way it's demonstrating God's people, laying himself down for the benefit of all people. 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:41.600 Whatever it takes, short of sin and be 00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:43.290 willing to do to speak to the hearts of people. 00:21:44.840 --> 00:21:50.640 When the early Church did that in Acts 2, the Spirit of God, which was promised to the people of God in the Old Testament. 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:57.370 Jeremiah 31:31, that God would take their heart of stone and make it a new heart, a heart of His Spirit and the heart of flesh. 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:01.320 Acts 2:42 then shares what the church did. 00:22:01.460 --> 00:22:04.920 Peter preaches a sermon and the church is off and running. 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:12.400 And it says this, "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching," which we have written down as God's Word, "and to fellowship." So this communion 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:15.060 together, "and the breaking of bread." So breaking of bread is that communion. 00:22:15.860 --> 00:22:18.240 And they're having a meal together and some prayer. 00:22:19.160 --> 00:22:23.100 So they were seeking God's face, prayer and teaching God's word. 00:22:23.100 --> 00:22:24.640 And they were doing this in community. 00:22:25.320 --> 00:22:32.700 With one another, encouraging one another, as God had called the church collectively to storm down the gates of hell with squirt guns if they have to. 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:34.540 And to make disciples of all nations. 00:22:34.620 --> 00:22:38.930 They needed one another in order to accomplish this purpose, to celebrate that win. 00:22:39.020 --> 00:22:45.180 And from this verse, I want you to think about this verse, verse 42 hold it in our brains here, the apostles teaching fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer. 00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:48.980 Verse 43 to 46 is the result of all of that. 00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:50.920 "Everyone kept feeling the sense of awe. 00:22:51.280 --> 00:22:54.090 And many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:58.280 And all of those who had believed were together and had all things in common". 00:22:58.360 --> 00:22:59.210 So you see this beautiful unity. 00:23:00.020 --> 00:23:07.190 "And they were selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all as anyone might have need." So you see this idea of generosity in verse 47, 00:23:07.820 --> 00:23:10.340 "Then praising God and having favor with all the people. 00:23:10.380 --> 00:23:17.540 And The Lord was adding to their number day by day those were being saved." So this community looks so attractive in it's grace and 00:23:17.540 --> 00:23:24.140 love and giving to one another, and the encouragement that it brought to each other that people were just attracted to the life that existed there. 00:23:25.100 --> 00:23:27.760 I think by and large, people want to be a part of something that's life-giving. 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:31.680 And in this community they see this life giving elements. 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:34.040 So you see verse 42 what they did. 00:23:34.040 --> 00:23:36.520 Verse 43 to 46 sort of the results of that. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:38.920 In verse 47 how the church continued to grow. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:47.480 When you just break down the two elements in verse 42 what you see as they're pursuing the truth of who God is and encouraging one another 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:48.180 in fellowship. 00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:56.920 And so some of the elements that I say are just significant to the church, though I just argue that there's no definite way a 00:23:56.920 --> 00:24:04.080 service has to play out, but two of the significant elements are seeking God and truth and to fellowship with one another. 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:08.740 What does this look like? 00:24:11.760 --> 00:24:15.960 That can undermined the significance of God's truth. 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:22.840 What you communicate as God's community is important. 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:29.300 And the foundation of understanding of what we should communicate in order to encourage one another is found in God's word. 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:37.540 The obstacle for living for the Lord in this world is not knowing God's Word. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:41.640 You can't make up for not knowing God's word. 00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:49.440 When God's community is gathering the thing that they're encouraging one another in is the identity they have that's been shaped in the Lord. 00:24:50.620 --> 00:24:57.900 And so this idea of God's word's where you find wisdom, identity, purpose, truth, and they were, verse 42 tells us, devoted to 00:24:57.900 --> 00:24:58.280 this. 00:25:00.080 --> 00:25:04.440 And so we acknowledge that truth for us is the catalyst for life change. 00:25:06.280 --> 00:25:09.880 That truth is timeless and therefore timely. 00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:18.920 So not only is true foundational to God's community, the way you communicate truth is also important. 00:25:20.180 --> 00:25:27.240 So hold on to verse 42 in your mind for a second because I'm going to jump off of this, but I want to keep referring back to the idea of what's communicated here. 00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:29.820 So it's important that you establish yourself in truth. 00:25:29.860 --> 00:25:33.040 Because that's the foundational identity of who we are, what God's called us to in this world. 00:25:33.380 --> 00:25:35.540 Wisdom, value, purpose, meaning all of that found there. 00:25:36.140 --> 00:25:40.700 But Paul says it's not only that you know the truth, but it becomes important the way you share the truth. 00:25:40.760 --> 00:25:44.220 And the Ephesians 4:15 Paul said, "Speak the truth in love. 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:47.540 And we are to grow up in all aspects into him. 00:25:47.560 --> 00:25:54.660 Who is the head, even Christ." 2 Peter 3:15 says it like this, "Share truth with gentleness and 00:25:54.660 --> 00:26:00.960 reverence." And so what Paul and Peter are both getting at in the declaration of truth is the motivation behind it. 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:08.790 The purpose of sharing truth, isn't t to prove you're right and someone else is wrong. 00:26:10.700 --> 00:26:12.600 It's not to bash people or to beat up people. 00:26:14.540 --> 00:26:17.000 The truth, by it's very nature will expose the lie. 00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:26.680 Oftentimes in church, there are thousands of lies that are taught throughout the world. 00:26:27.260 --> 00:26:27.900 Maybe millions. 00:26:29.280 --> 00:26:36.190 And it's funny when I think about a truth that I'll share on Sunday morning, Yeah, that denies this lie, but also denies this lie, and this lie, and this lie. 00:26:36.580 --> 00:26:37.100 And this lie. 00:26:37.100 --> 00:26:37.450 And this lie. 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:39.860 Well, I could share all those lies, but nah. 00:26:40.520 --> 00:26:41.320 I'll just share the truth. 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:46.080 And the truth just naturally will just alienate from what isn't true. 00:26:47.280 --> 00:26:54.660 And so sharing the truth is important, but the way you share the truth is important, because the intentions in sharing the truth, it's 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:55.200 to serve. 00:26:58.170 --> 00:26:59.700 It's not to beat people up. 00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:03.160 It's not to show you're better than somebody else. 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:04.940 It's not the dominate. 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:12.440 I realized when you watch the news, or anything where anyone's allowed to have any sort of opinion, that seems to be what it's about when we have these rebuttals take place. 00:27:13.380 --> 00:27:15.830 I'm smarter than you and you're an idiot and let me tell you six reasons why. 00:27:17.280 --> 00:27:24.900 And it's all about not only just trying to propagate what they believe, but diminishing the value of the person that they're talking with, as 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:25.600 if to discredit them. 00:27:27.260 --> 00:27:28.260 Truth will naturally do that. 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:32.110 You don't have to devalue people and you shouldn't devalue people. 00:27:33.040 --> 00:27:36.300 We're all created in the image of God. 00:27:36.300 --> 00:27:38.220 So truth is about serving. 00:27:39.940 --> 00:27:42.960 And so when we communicate here as a church family, we gather in community. 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:48.360 It's not about just weighing people down and making them feel beneath you because you're better than them. 00:27:48.360 --> 00:27:49.720 That's not the purpose of truth at all. 00:27:51.340 --> 00:27:56.600 In fact, when 1 Peter tells us to do it in gentleness and reverence, the reason he tells us to do is because we're apt to fall into the same error. 00:27:58.200 --> 00:27:59.160 We wrestled with sin too. 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:03.620 And when that happens in my life, I need someone to come beside me and encourage me. 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:06.470 "Hey, don't put shag carpet in the church. 00:28:07.080 --> 00:28:08.440 That's not going to help us, right? 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:12.660 I need to encourage you." Not, "Hey, that's an idiot decision. 00:28:13.520 --> 00:28:15.840 Don't do that!" That just doesn't go over as well. 00:28:17.120 --> 00:28:19.310 And so the point of God's truth is to serve. 00:28:20.120 --> 00:28:23.400 So it's not just knowing the truth, but the way that you communicate the truth that becomes important. 00:28:25.560 --> 00:28:27.300 And in addition to that, it's also how it applies. 00:28:29.100 --> 00:28:31.590 Because the reality is, the truth should lead you to deeper fellowship. 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:40.000 Because when you look at the way that the church interacted in the first century, when the Spirit of God came into their lives, they were devoted to the apostles teaching and look, "and to 00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:46.360 fellowship." God's truth drew them into deeper community. 00:28:48.080 --> 00:28:52.760 The reality is within our culture we have been grossly misled in what it means to follow Christ. 00:28:54.180 --> 00:29:01.780 Because somewhere along the way, I think it's the Roman cultural influence upon our society today, but we've equated information with spirituality. 00:29:02.780 --> 00:29:06.280 Just because you know something about the Bible doesn't make you wise, nor does it make you spiritual. 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:10.960 And so information doesn't mean spirituality. 00:29:12.220 --> 00:29:15.700 And the reality is we as people were educated beyond our obedience. 00:29:15.800 --> 00:29:21.960 But what it's saying in this text, if truth doesn't lead you to love and serve others, you need to check what you're calling truth. 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:29.740 Because the purpose for truth which God has revealed himself is to serve us so that we can identify who He is and walk in that truth in this world. 00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:34.000 So truth leads to fellowship. 00:29:35.500 --> 00:29:37.340 And deeper fellowship as we grew closer to the Lord. 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:40.100 That's why Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:42.480 Because if you love God, you're going to love the things that God loves. 00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:45.400 And the things that God loves is people, because God created people in his image. 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:51.080 And to say that you love God, but you treat other people like dirt is to deny the very one that you claim to follow. 00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:59.140 And so truth in God as it saturates our hearts to transform our lives and the way that we impact this world. 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:05.690 In fact, one of the things I told you is that the promise of the New Testament is the spirit of God will take a heart of stone and it will turn it into a heart of flesh. 00:30:05.880 --> 00:30:13.060 And when you look in Galatians 5, as Paul talks about the spirit for us, it says this, "But I say walk in the Spirit," or walk 00:30:13.060 --> 00:30:13.620 by the Spirit. 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:16.000 That means literally surrendered to Spirit. 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:21.280 The gates of life, you're not in control of, but you've allowed God to be in control of. 00:30:21.280 --> 00:30:25.020 "But I say walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 00:30:25.100 --> 00:30:32.320 And look at this, "But the fruit of the Spirit," this is what it looks like he's saying for the Spirit to work in our lives, "is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 00:30:32.340 --> 00:30:34.340 faithfulness, gentleness, self control. 00:30:34.600 --> 00:30:36.280 Against such things, there is no law. 00:30:36.620 --> 00:30:40.960 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires. 00:30:41.260 --> 00:30:48.620 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." So let's say if you belong to Jesus, you've laid yourself down, so walk in that Spirit. 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:53.100 Now, if we start the question, what does it look like to live as God's community? 00:30:54.180 --> 00:30:57.740 Religiously, legalistically thinking, oftentimes we'd want a checklist. 00:30:58.260 --> 00:31:01.700 A ministry tasks to accomplish, as if to say to God, "God I've performed this. 00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:06.870 Now you owe me some greater standing in eternity one day." But God doesn't need you to do anything. 00:31:06.900 --> 00:31:09.540 There's nothing that you can ever do in this world that's going to impress God. 00:31:09.860 --> 00:31:11.080 God's the one that created you. 00:31:11.340 --> 00:31:12.380 He could just do it himself. 00:31:13.240 --> 00:31:14.900 God created you for relationship. 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:20.710 And when you look in the context of what it means for the Spirit of God to work in our lives, it's not tasks being accomplished. 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:28.580 Everything that it says the Spirit of God does in our lives as we come to know God and enjoy him, they're all relational words. 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:29.700 All of them. 00:31:30.360 --> 00:31:30.660 Look at them. 00:31:31.660 --> 00:31:35.440 Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. 00:31:35.620 --> 00:31:37.140 Against such things there is no law. 00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:39.620 It's not this legalistically rule or law. 00:31:40.260 --> 00:31:45.560 When God transforms our heart, he transforms our lives to impact the relationships with those around us. 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:53.780 So when God is on the move, spiritually speaking, not only do we saturate ourselves in the truth of who God is, but he deepens 00:31:53.840 --> 00:31:55.840 our fellowship and relationship. 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:03.880 Now, this is why I said when we looked at the baseball diamond just a minute ago, I could have used the word fellowship in reference to the church because we're going to talk about the church, but 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:05.940 I didn't want to just talk about the church. 00:32:06.220 --> 00:32:07.700 I wanted to talk about relationships holistically. 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:16.760 Because the church becomes the foundation as God's instrument to encourage all of us in the relationships throughout this world. 00:32:17.020 --> 00:32:24.060 And when the Spirit of God is moving in our lives, it doesn't just impact the fellowship within God's community, it impacts the relationships we have abroad. 00:32:24.900 --> 00:32:30.460 And so when the Spirit is working, the Spirit encourages me in the way I interact in this world. 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.360 It's not just about information and knowledge. 00:32:34.360 --> 00:32:35.420 It's about God changing my heart. 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:41.100 Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. 00:32:43.260 --> 00:32:47.660 Well, notice in this verse it says "fruit," singular. 00:32:50.520 --> 00:32:55.360 When it talks about our works, it refers to it as plural, but when it talks about the Spirit moving, it's talking about "fruit," singular. 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:59.260 And so what it's saying in the Spirit is that the Spirit doesn't just do one of these things. 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:04.920 When we're surrendered to God in our lives, the Spirit will do all of these things collectively. 00:33:06.460 --> 00:33:08.680 And so legalistically here's what we tend to do with this list. 00:33:08.740 --> 00:33:14.700 We'll go through this list and we'll think, I've got some love and some whatever, joy and peace. 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:15.570 But I really blew it on patience. 00:33:15.820 --> 00:33:16.870 I want to try harder with patience. 00:33:18.180 --> 00:33:19.670 And then the rest I'll take care of later. 00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:24.100 And so you look at this list legalistic and you think, I'm going to try harder at this. 00:33:24.220 --> 00:33:31.400 But can I tell you, the very reason you fail at living out the fruit of the Spirit it's because 00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:31.920 of you. 00:33:33.220 --> 00:33:36.820 And so the solution is not try harder in one of the areas you're failing in. 00:33:37.540 --> 00:33:40.760 The solution he gives us in Galatians 5, it's surrendering yourself to the Spirit of God. 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:48.680 And the reason is this, when I'm not loving, it's because I feel like someone has come against me who is king of my universe. 00:33:49.620 --> 00:33:51.820 Therefore I react to their response. 00:33:52.760 --> 00:33:57.440 And when I'm not patient, it's because someone has come against me who is king of the universe. 00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:01.100 Therefore, as Lord of my life, I respond in the flesh. 00:34:02.220 --> 00:34:03.620 And it goes on and on from there. 00:34:04.120 --> 00:34:05.720 And so the solution isn't try harder. 00:34:06.560 --> 00:34:09.139 The solution is surrender myself to what God has called me to. 00:34:09.820 --> 00:34:12.150 Now Christians, I want you to know that doesn't equate passivity. 00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:17.239 That doesn't mean you become a coward and you tuck tell when life gets hard. 00:34:18.060 --> 00:34:25.900 In fact, I think love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, the place the spirit really makes itself known is when it's difficult because 00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:29.760 anyone can love when it's easy to love and anyone can be patient. 00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:32.840 When it's easy to be patient. 00:34:32.840 --> 00:34:35.960 It's when those things are tested that you truly see what's driving your life. 00:34:36.360 --> 00:34:43.920 Is that your flesh just responding because it's convenient or is it the Spirit of God rising above the circumstances, valuing another person, 00:34:43.940 --> 00:34:45.940 even though they may be maligning against you. 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:47.880 What controls your life? 00:34:49.139 --> 00:34:56.300 And in that you get to fearlessly move forward, storming down the gates because you understand the very reason God has 00:34:56.300 --> 00:34:57.260 come for you. 00:34:58.340 --> 00:34:59.160 Let me just say it like this. 00:35:01.140 --> 00:35:02.460 Sometimes in life we meet challenging people. 00:35:02.640 --> 00:35:10.640 We just think to ourselves, we justify, "If they were more like me, they'd be easy to love." But the 00:35:10.640 --> 00:35:14.740 truth is, just consider what it took for Jesus to love you. 00:35:18.080 --> 00:35:18.700 He gave His life. 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:21.700 You weren't easy to love. 00:35:22.560 --> 00:35:23.360 He had to give his life. 00:35:25.680 --> 00:35:29.540 When Jesus calls you to love other people, he's not calling you to love other people as they would act more like you. 00:35:31.460 --> 00:35:36.330 He's calling you to love other people the way he's demonstrated his love towards you. 00:35:37.940 --> 00:35:43.980 Now you've got purpose and meaning behind all of that drives you as lord that's not been loved and have to be patient all the time. 00:35:45.100 --> 00:35:50.420 You get to overcome you as lord of your life and let Jesus rule and reign in that circumstance. 00:35:52.420 --> 00:35:54.240 God calls us to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. 00:35:54.800 --> 00:35:56.700 Peacekeepers just slide things under the rug. 00:35:56.880 --> 00:35:59.040 Peacemakers, pursue the challenge. 00:35:59.900 --> 00:36:05.000 They care and love enough about the relationships around them, which is what the spirit of God wants to work in, to do something about it. 00:36:05.940 --> 00:36:07.040 That's what the church needs. 00:36:08.900 --> 00:36:15.950 So he calls us into this and then Galatians to storm down these gates of hell and what we're pursuing after when the Spirit of God is at work is relationships. 00:36:17.080 --> 00:36:21.180 To impact through relationships as God impacts our lives in our relationship with him. 00:36:21.420 --> 00:36:25.260 It's not about my strength, but about it His working through me. 00:36:25.280 --> 00:36:32.530 One of the stories I love, 1990 Stacy King was a rookie for the Chicago Bulls and you know who played for the Chicago Bulls 00:36:32.640 --> 00:36:33.620 in 1990. 00:36:34.600 --> 00:36:37.080 It was god of the basketball court, Michael Jordan, right? 00:36:38.200 --> 00:36:45.480 And Michael Jordan in 1990 he played a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and he scored 69 points, one of his greatest games 00:36:45.480 --> 00:36:46.180 of all time. 00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:52.020 And afterwards reporters were in the locker room talking to Stacy King and they were talking about Michael Jordan, of course, not about Stacey King. 00:36:52.280 --> 00:36:59.340 But they go to Stacy King and they said, what was it like to play with Michael Jordan on such a historical night?0 Scoring 69 00:36:59.340 --> 00:37:03.360 points and eh, what was it like to be there, be present, be a part of that? 00:37:03.380 --> 00:37:11.400 Stacy King was like, "I'll never forget about the time Michael Jordan and I worked together to score 70 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers." And 00:37:11.400 --> 00:37:17.600 the point was Stacy King was trying to make so much about the one little measly point he had the offer next to Michael Jordan. 00:37:17.660 --> 00:37:19.000 Let me just give you some encouragement. 00:37:19.780 --> 00:37:24.500 If you're ever on a basketball court with Michael Jordan, don't talk about how great you are at basketball. 00:37:26.720 --> 00:37:31.080 When you're living your life for the Lord, it's not about your glory. 00:37:33.820 --> 00:37:35.330 It's about His glory working through you. 00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:40.680 God has called you into something significant in this world. 00:37:42.280 --> 00:37:43.680 Storming down the gates of hell. 00:37:45.040 --> 00:37:52.100 And a community that understands what it means to live for Christ and enjoy his presence and to make an impact of 00:37:52.160 --> 00:37:53.300 all nations. 00:37:55.000 --> 00:38:02.300 If I were to show in the context of how that community should operate, talking about the church family and living this out, knowing that this isn't going to be easy, it's 00:38:02.300 --> 00:38:04.500 not going to be easy to be loving when people aren't loving. 00:38:04.560 --> 00:38:09.360 It's not going to be easy to experience joy when other people are just complaining all the time on the news. 00:38:09.620 --> 00:38:16.540 It's not going to be easy to have peace when people just are not nice to deal with or patience or kindness is not going to be easy. 00:38:16.540 --> 00:38:19.520 And so God's community becomes important because they understand the mission for which were created. 00:38:19.940 --> 00:38:22.900 And so in Hebrews, they tell us how that should look as a church. 00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:30.060 He says, "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good, eat good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit 00:38:30.060 --> 00:38:37.320 of some, but encouraging one another all the more, as you see the day drawing near." So he gives us this imperative statement 00:38:37.320 --> 00:38:38.600 and it's in the negative form. 00:38:38.660 --> 00:38:41.720 Don't forsake attending together and gathering together. 00:38:41.720 --> 00:38:48.760 Don't do that because in doing that you're recognizing that you don't see the value of who you are in God's community and the value of other people in God's can 00:38:48.760 --> 00:38:48.880 be. 00:38:48.920 --> 00:38:49.360 Don't do that. 00:38:49.960 --> 00:38:50.000 T. 00:38:50.040 --> 00:38:53.260 hat's a negative, but he's given us now the positive as to why. 00:38:53.540 --> 00:39:00.700 It's surrounded in these positive statements, "because we're called to stimulate one another to love and good deeds and encourage one another, as you see the day drawing 00:39:00.700 --> 00:39:01.050 near. 00:39:02.240 --> 00:39:04.800 This idea of stimulating means to provoke or contend. 00:39:05.640 --> 00:39:08.540 There's only one other time this Greek word is used in the New Testament. 00:39:08.560 --> 00:39:10.160 It happens in Acts 15. 00:39:11.260 --> 00:39:15.440 Paul and Barnabas have an argument and it's not a pretty argument and it is heated. 00:39:16.740 --> 00:39:23.740 But God in the passage in Hebrews uses the same word to describe not a negative argument, but the heat of which 00:39:23.740 --> 00:39:29.480 we are to bring to one another with a passion to encourage each other, to keep storming down the gates of hell. 00:39:31.520 --> 00:39:36.260 Stimulate, contend to provoke. 00:39:37.560 --> 00:39:39.440 Then he says this to encourage one another. 00:39:40.500 --> 00:39:42.020 And what he means by encouragement is this. 00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:43.220 People need encouraged. 00:39:44.340 --> 00:39:47.560 If the person next to you is breathing this morning, they need encouraged. 00:39:49.960 --> 00:39:57.440 And we need encouraged, especially in the idea of relationship because that's where the Spirit of God wants to work in our lives to 00:39:57.460 --> 00:39:58.480 help one another. 00:39:59.540 --> 00:40:03.820 This idea of encouragement comes from the Greek word, parakletos. 00:40:04.050 --> 00:40:07.200 It's where we get the New Testament word for Holy Spirit. 00:40:08.180 --> 00:40:10.860 He's literally saying you mimic the Holy Spirit. 00:40:11.500 --> 00:40:15.740 And it makes sense because the person that wants to work through you is the Spirit of God. 00:40:16.880 --> 00:40:22.640 And so your actions mimic the way the Spirit of God wants to move in the life of those around you. 00:40:22.680 --> 00:40:25.980 To comfort, encourage, console, connect, change, transform. 00:40:27.300 --> 00:40:27.900 Because the day is approaching. 00:40:29.940 --> 00:40:31.150 The result of all this. 00:40:33.040 --> 00:40:34.220 It's an attractive community. 00:40:35.560 --> 00:40:42.600 Acts 2:47 said, "The Lord was adding to them day by day those who were coming to 00:40:42.600 --> 00:40:47.070 know Him." How do we live out Acts 2? 00:40:49.060 --> 00:40:50.130 How do we live like a church community? 00:40:51.880 --> 00:40:53.240 I think it told us in verse 42. 00:40:55.040 --> 00:40:55.480 They were committed. 00:40:58.140 --> 00:40:59.620 They're committed to get into God's Word. 00:41:01.100 --> 00:41:02.080 They were committed to fellowship. 00:41:03.560 --> 00:41:08.800 When you see verse 43 and on, in that section that we read together, it's beautiful. 00:41:10.140 --> 00:41:12.140 In verse 47 the power of that community. 00:41:12.520 --> 00:41:14.170 I'll look at that and I want that. 00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:18.900 I want to experience what God's community is doing. 00:41:18.920 --> 00:41:24.540 And I'm not saying I haven't experienced that in some degrees at different times and walking with Christ, but I want to live it every day. 00:41:25.340 --> 00:41:25.580 How? 00:41:27.340 --> 00:41:34.420 Bing committed to know God more and allow that impact the relationship with others, which in turn becomes the place in which God encourages them 00:41:34.420 --> 00:41:36.700 to impact all of the relationships in this world. 00:41:38.640 --> 00:41:39.380 I want that. 00:41:41.300 --> 00:41:46.880 God's community provides the basis to encourage all other communities and relationships we experience. 00:41:46.940 --> 00:41:47.080 Why? 00:41:47.080 --> 00:41:48.510 Because they're committed to it. 00:41:49.420 --> 00:41:51.040 It doesn't happen one hour on Sunday. 00:41:52.920 --> 00:41:56.740 That intimate care is something that we developed throughout the duration of our relationships together. 00:41:56.820 --> 00:41:58.640 It happens when we go beyond these walls. 00:41:58.980 --> 00:42:04.180 I know as a church family, we keep growing and I know that we can't know everybody. 00:42:05.200 --> 00:42:07.300 Listen guys, everyone deserves to be known. 00:42:08.660 --> 00:42:15.890 So I encourage you in the context of our community to find a tribe, to find a group that becomes your people, to encourage you on this path together. 00:42:16.040 --> 00:42:18.460 And allow God to use that on Sunday to keep encouraging people. 00:42:18.460 --> 00:42:25.560 It's why as a church family, one of the foundational things that we have our community groups, we call them connection groups, a place for you 00:42:25.560 --> 00:42:26.200 to connect. 00:42:26.240 --> 00:42:30.560 I'm going to tell you why that's more important here in a minute, but a place for you to connect and encourage one another. 00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:34.480 To not just sit in rows but to get in circles. 00:42:34.680 --> 00:42:40.180 And to use your gifts to invest in one another's lives, to inspire and encourage us what God's called us to in this world. 00:42:41.120 --> 00:42:46.300 Because I think in the context of which we live, there are obstacles to the fellowship that God calls us to as his people. 00:42:47.840 --> 00:42:48.980 Let me just give you a few of them. 00:42:49.820 --> 00:42:52.040 One is one that we have by default as people. 00:42:52.280 --> 00:42:53.240 It's religious legalism. 00:42:55.240 --> 00:43:00.110 And religious legalism puts us in the place where we always feel like we're under the gun to perform. 00:43:01.060 --> 00:43:07.730 In fact, if you want to read the effects of that, look at Matthew 23 when Jesus finally just preaches the woes against the Pharisees. 00:43:08.180 --> 00:43:14.360 How their religious legalism oppresses people and puts people in a position where they just feel weighed down. 00:43:15.480 --> 00:43:20.060 And when you feel like you're living your life like that, like you have to perform and people are examining you got to look a certain way. 00:43:20.060 --> 00:43:21.980 It is difficult to just enjoy life. 00:43:23.120 --> 00:43:26.340 I'm gonna tell you one of the beautiful things about God's community is what the Gospel truly is. 00:43:27.420 --> 00:43:34.500 And the Gospel for us, and biblically speaking, it's a place where we recognize Jesus already knows every sin 00:43:34.500 --> 00:43:37.760 we've ever done and ever will do any died for us anyway. 00:43:39.220 --> 00:43:42.590 No one is ever going to love you to that degree that Christ loves you. 00:43:43.160 --> 00:43:46.620 And Jesus loves you where you are and he loves you too much to leave you that way. 00:43:47.400 --> 00:43:53.360 God wants to do a transforming work in your life and here's the beauty: because God loves you like that gives you the opportunity just to be open. 00:43:54.260 --> 00:43:55.580 I don't have to impress anybody anymore. 00:43:56.240 --> 00:44:00.480 If I'm already accepted in Christ because I've embraced Jesus and what he's done for me. 00:44:00.820 --> 00:44:01.560 Who gives a flip? 00:44:02.920 --> 00:44:09.980 Jesus loves me and he wants to transform in me and part of the healing process in that for God to just work on me is for me to just to 00:44:09.980 --> 00:44:12.000 be transparent with the struggles I have in my life. 00:44:13.360 --> 00:44:15.340 And let God's community encourage me. 00:44:16.680 --> 00:44:21.080 I don't want to put myself in that performance mentality that oppresses me, but to rest in Jesus. 00:44:22.540 --> 00:44:29.400 That's what Christ said in Matthew 11:28, come to me all you who are weary laden and I will give you rest. 00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:36.240 Jesus is saying that on the backdrop of religion, after he just criticized religious leaders for oppressing people. 00:44:38.220 --> 00:44:38.700 Rest. 00:44:40.520 --> 00:44:41.160 I already know. 00:44:42.540 --> 00:44:47.440 I already know your struggles, your weaknesses, your failures. 00:44:48.620 --> 00:44:50.820 I already know how you get down on yourself because of it. 00:44:51.940 --> 00:44:54.380 I love you and I died for you. 00:44:55.020 --> 00:44:56.280 And I'm here to transform you. 00:44:57.460 --> 00:44:59.220 God works through this community to do that. 00:44:59.220 --> 00:44:59.960 Let me give you another one. 00:45:02.780 --> 00:45:06.480 Sometimes we're lonely because we have unhealthy views of relationships. 00:45:06.860 --> 00:45:09.290 We put expectations on relationships that just can't deliver. 00:45:09.360 --> 00:45:12.600 But sometimes we're lonely because it's completely normal and human to be lonely. 00:45:13.600 --> 00:45:17.620 I think there's a healthy part of loneliness because it recognizes how important relationships really are. 00:45:18.080 --> 00:45:20.540 Intimate relationships, not just a relationship, but intimate relationships. 00:45:21.300 --> 00:45:24.640 And so it causes us to want to seek and pursue those things because we're created for them. 00:45:24.640 --> 00:45:25.560 Love God, love others. 00:45:26.820 --> 00:45:33.940 One of the things that I never anticipated in moving to Utah, one of the struggles I think that we have with fellowship, and I'm just gonna give you the mess 00:45:34.080 --> 00:45:36.260 and you tell me how to deal with it. 00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:38.500 I don't have a tie bow to put on this. 00:45:40.100 --> 00:45:44.460 But one of the things I didn't anticipate in moving here as the rate people move away. 00:45:49.940 --> 00:45:56.360 I read a book after I moved here and I saw how quickly, how transient people are, especially in the area that's exploding like this is. 00:45:56.440 --> 00:46:03.540 It said in a major city, an average church will see 20% of the congregation move away in a year, and when I say move away, I mean like hundreds of 00:46:03.540 --> 00:46:03.680 miles. 00:46:04.300 --> 00:46:05.180 They move away, 20%. 00:46:06.100 --> 00:46:13.540 But for whatever reason here in Utah, I guess because of the exceptional growth that we've had I've noticed in the last three years, one third of our church moves away 00:46:14.140 --> 00:46:14.540 in a year. 00:46:14.940 --> 00:46:16.940 In fact, over the last four months, it's been about 25%. 00:46:17.880 --> 00:46:19.380 What's crazy is our attendance hasn't dropped. 00:46:20.020 --> 00:46:23.290 25% of our church gone in four months and our attendance has not dropped, it's gone up. 00:46:23.500 --> 00:46:24.020 That is insane. 00:46:25.410 --> 00:46:29.100 You have one third of your church move away in a year. 00:46:29.160 --> 00:46:30.740 Now, here's another crazy step. 00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:35.640 When I first moved here I also read an article that talked about some of the stressful things people go through in life. 00:46:36.140 --> 00:46:38.420 It labeled the top five most stressful things you go through in life. 00:46:38.860 --> 00:46:46.200 In those top five, three of these included death of a close loved one or friend, job change, and moving. 00:46:47.920 --> 00:46:55.340 In fact, when I read a little further in the article as it related to moving, it said when anytime anyone moves, it 00:46:55.340 --> 00:47:01.140 takes you two to three years before you feel like you put your roots down in an area and start to call it home. 00:47:02.220 --> 00:47:06.300 Let me just position these two stats together for you for just a minute so you can think about this with me. 00:47:06.380 --> 00:47:06.990 This is my challenge. 00:47:07.360 --> 00:47:08.330 God calls us in the community. 00:47:08.740 --> 00:47:09.770 God calls us to fellowship. 00:47:11.320 --> 00:47:18.340 If one third of your church moves in a year, but it takes three years before you feel like a place is home, we're 00:47:18.340 --> 00:47:18.740 all homeless. 00:47:19.700 --> 00:47:22.360 I mean statistically when you think about that, no one feels at home. 00:47:23.020 --> 00:47:24.820 So let me just encourage you this way. 00:47:25.120 --> 00:47:29.300 As a church family, if you're looking around and you're like, man, I don't know anybody, no one does! 00:47:29.780 --> 00:47:30.820 No one knows anybody. 00:47:31.040 --> 00:47:32.520 We're all new to this. 00:47:32.920 --> 00:47:40.120 So in knowing God calls you to fellowship and encouraging one another, everyone around you is new, so that gives you a great slate 00:47:40.120 --> 00:47:41.840 to just start with each other. 00:47:43.020 --> 00:47:43.920 But this is what I'm saying. 00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:46.510 I don't think these obstacles can't be overcome. 00:47:49.360 --> 00:47:52.060 But I think it becomes very important and to recognize the significance of fellowship. 00:47:54.360 --> 00:47:59.360 Because here's what happens for people that are transient in our area, you come in, you know you're only going to be here for three years. 00:48:00.120 --> 00:48:02.740 Wherever you move next, it might take you three more years to put your roots down. 00:48:02.920 --> 00:48:04.140 That's a long time of unsettling. 00:48:05.580 --> 00:48:10.640 At the same time, if you know you're here for the duration, it becomes difficult for you to sometimes put relationships out there. 00:48:11.440 --> 00:48:14.440 Because you're like, in three years you may be gone. 00:48:14.460 --> 00:48:15.400 Are you worth investing in? 00:48:16.980 --> 00:48:17.640 That's a challenge. 00:48:19.320 --> 00:48:20.510 I don't like it. 00:48:21.520 --> 00:48:24.180 I tell people when you move, I'm going to act like a baby. 00:48:24.220 --> 00:48:26.930 If you ever tell him you're going to move, I'm going to cry like a three year old. 00:48:27.500 --> 00:48:33.620 Not because I don't think it's great people have opportunities in this world and I'm glad when people can go other places and expand for the Kingdom of God. 00:48:33.980 --> 00:48:34.420 That's wonderful. 00:48:35.060 --> 00:48:37.160 But honestly, when people leave, it's kind of like grieving the death. 00:48:37.900 --> 00:48:38.560 You love people. 00:48:38.760 --> 00:48:39.820 You want to have a relationship with you. 00:48:39.900 --> 00:48:41.720 I'm moved here because I care about people. 00:48:42.740 --> 00:48:45.890 When that happens, it's like a third of death every year. 00:48:47.480 --> 00:48:48.160 So what does that mean? 00:48:51.000 --> 00:48:58.100 I think the crux of it all, and if we want to be effective, fellowship becomes important. 00:48:59.700 --> 00:49:05.180 As a church community, because of the nature of where we are, I think this is just a seasonal life in Utah, this rapid growth rate. 00:49:06.900 --> 00:49:09.880 Because of the nature of where we are, that makes fellowship so much more important. 00:49:10.960 --> 00:49:13.370 I can tell you last week I brought up the word loneliness one time. 00:49:13.460 --> 00:49:20.580 I said the biggest struggle I think we have here in Utah is loneliness and like from up here, looking at your heads, half of them are "yes, yes." I 00:49:20.740 --> 00:49:21.920 can't make people fellowship. 00:49:22.160 --> 00:49:25.890 But I can tell you we can create a platform for that to exist. 00:49:27.140 --> 00:49:34.160 And I can't make you make that your tribe, but I can tell you how important it is to experience that and transparency to have a place 00:49:34.220 --> 00:49:35.020 to let your hair down. 00:49:35.520 --> 00:49:37.530 Now I want you to know highlighting fellowship today. 00:49:37.640 --> 00:49:43.620 The one thing I don't want you to do, I don't want you to walk out of here and go buck wild and be like, man you're right relationships. 00:49:43.620 --> 00:49:45.940 I'm making myself friends with 50,000 people. 00:49:46.180 --> 00:49:51.270 Because you know, just like your Facebook status, you might have 1,500 friends, but you're not friends with all of those people. 00:49:51.580 --> 00:49:53.000 No one can have 1,500 friends. 00:49:53.640 --> 00:49:55.620 So I'm not telling you to go out and make 1,500 friends. 00:49:56.280 --> 00:49:58.340 I'm saying just go out and make some friends. 00:49:58.920 --> 00:50:03.260 Have a tribe within your community to encourage you in what God has called us to. 00:50:03.280 --> 00:50:08.300 Because when that's expressed and lived out in this world, it becomes attractive to the rest of the world. 00:50:11.340 --> 00:50:12.620 So let me just say this. 00:50:14.100 --> 00:50:15.540 Number one, recognize the importance of community. 00:50:17.700 --> 00:50:22.120 I've heard people use community groups and describe it as preventative counseling. 00:50:23.120 --> 00:50:28.840 And what I mean is if you own a car, you drive that car, you how important it is to do some regular maintenance. 00:50:29.860 --> 00:50:36.860 If you decide you're going to drive that car and your car is special and it doesn't need an oil change and about 10,000 miles, you're going to be reminded of how 00:50:36.860 --> 00:50:38.310 important that oil change is. 00:50:38.520 --> 00:50:43.400 And in fact, rather than paying 30 or 40 bucks for your oil change, you're now paying thousands of dollars to replace your engine. 00:50:43.720 --> 00:50:47.300 So regular maintenance becomes important for you to live healthy or for you to drive healthy. 00:50:48.460 --> 00:50:49.980 I think community groups work the same way. 00:50:51.280 --> 00:50:58.280 When your groups about fellowship and diving into God's word together and encouraging one another in life, whatever season you find yourself in, it becomes 00:50:58.280 --> 00:50:59.360 a way of preventative counseling. 00:51:00.560 --> 00:51:04.930 It becomes a way to encourage your family where they are, to inspire them to be all that God has called them to be. 00:51:05.560 --> 00:51:06.410 Because here's what's going to happen. 00:51:06.500 --> 00:51:11.660 If you don't invest in God's community, at some point in your life, you're going to find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place. 00:51:12.260 --> 00:51:16.220 And at that point, it might be too late to have those people around you to encourage you in your life where you are. 00:51:17.660 --> 00:51:21.040 It's far better to invest now because one day you're gonna need it. 00:51:22.060 --> 00:51:23.960 And if you don't, someone else does. 00:51:24.940 --> 00:51:27.440 And God's called you to be a part of the encouragement within that community. 00:51:27.500 --> 00:51:28.880 Number two, be transparent. 00:51:31.900 --> 00:51:36.360 The depth of our fellowship is only as good as the transparency that we carry for one another, and the concern that we have. 00:51:38.160 --> 00:51:40.620 Don't over commit, but commit. 00:51:40.620 --> 00:51:44.760 Don't spread yourself too thin, but develop some relationships the Lord can use to encourage your life. 00:51:46.540 --> 00:51:48.680 And number four, we were all a part of God's plan together. 00:51:48.800 --> 00:51:53.600 No one's more important than anyone else, but God has gifted us all uniquely as a part of his body. 00:51:54.880 --> 00:52:01.120 In noting we all struggle with loneliness sometimes, one of the people I love is Charles Spurgeon. 00:52:02.120 --> 00:52:09.200 One of the reasons I love Charles Spurgeon is because, I don't care about the size of his church, but he did have one of the largest churches to ever exist at that 00:52:09.200 --> 00:52:09.640 time. 00:52:09.800 --> 00:52:17.190 Before there was audio ability to orate his church was in the thousands and he would speak multiple times publicly and people could hear him. 00:52:19.060 --> 00:52:19.080 The man was loud. 00:52:19.080 --> 00:52:23.860 But one of the crazy things about Charles Spurgeon is that he struggled deeply with depression. 00:52:25.900 --> 00:52:30.610 And you read about the things that he faces in life and the comments that his wife made. 00:52:32.490 --> 00:52:34.780 He spent his life in the pits. 00:52:36.340 --> 00:52:42.100 But you know, one of the cool things about the struggles that he faced is that he was very candid and I think that's why people came to the church. 00:52:42.740 --> 00:52:44.260 They saw a guy that was just transparent. 00:52:46.280 --> 00:52:47.580 And they saw how he walked with Jesus. 00:52:49.080 --> 00:52:50.850 And in their struggles they wanted to walk with Jesus too. 00:52:52.640 --> 00:52:56.260 And in his struggle, Charles Spurgeon used to fight his depression. 00:52:58.460 --> 00:53:05.540 And then he started to talk about how he embraced it because he recognized that it was also 00:53:05.540 --> 00:53:09.700 the tool that God used to draw him closer to Him. 00:53:10.100 --> 00:53:13.610 Now I'm not saying, enjoy your loneliness, see you later. 00:53:15.560 --> 00:53:20.240 What I'm saying is sometimes in the depth of our struggles, there's a place where God calls us to him. 00:53:21.820 --> 00:53:24.290 I think those are important times to meet the Lord. 00:53:25.040 --> 00:53:26.620 To walk with Him, and to let him strengthen us. 00:53:26.700 --> 00:53:33.840 But in all of this guys, when we consider what it means to live victorious in Christ, I want us to not walk out realizing 00:53:33.840 --> 00:53:36.860 that we do it alone and that we should do it alone. 00:53:37.940 --> 00:53:40.540 Worship and your growth as a disciple is important. 00:53:40.880 --> 00:53:42.620 But it happens in the context of community. 00:53:43.480 --> 00:53:47.580 And that community, as it lives itself out reaches the world. 00:53:47.580 --> 00:53:49.210 We're going to talk about missions next week. 00:53:49.760 --> 00:53:54.400 But the value of the church, and this is Jesus bride, you're a part of it.