WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.600 I'm going to invite you to the Gospel of John, chapter 1. 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:08.380 We're still in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, and we're laying an important foundation to this book. 00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:15.660 The Gospel of John is a powerful book in Scripture, very life-transforming for followers of Jesus, an important book 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:16.120 to know. 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:23.820 I've told you a few times that Martin Luther once said if you destroy all the Bible and save the book of Romans 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:27.040 and the book of John, that the church will be okay. 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:34.480 There's enough communication of God's truth and what God desires us to know in those two books that it can radically still work 00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:36.400 within God's people to transform this world. 00:00:36.760 --> 00:00:41.180 And so, the Gospel of John's a powerful book to know, and we've been going through this together. 00:00:41.180 --> 00:00:43.410 We've spent a few weeks just on the introduction of John. 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:51.340 The very beginning of John, the first 18 verses, is the prologue to this book, and John's laying out for us the significance of 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:55.700 who this Jesus is, what it means to know this Christ and his identity. 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:57.260 Love the way John starts. 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:03.020 You read the other Gospels, and you see the story of what happened in the beginning with Jesus's life. 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:07.660 You turn to the book of John, John doesn't start with what happened, but why it matters. 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:15.500 So he gives this very powerful introduction to the identity of Jesus, and then in verse 35, 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:22.000 which is where we're going to pick up today, he really starts with the answer to the question, "Okay, so how did we get to where we are right now? 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.520 What's the history of us?" That's what we're going to title today, is The History of Us. 00:01:25.580 --> 00:01:26.500 What's the history of us? 00:01:26.860 --> 00:01:34.040 How did it go from this introduction to Jesus to this church being birthed that God uses to transform the world to the point, 00:01:34.100 --> 00:01:41.260 here you are a couple thousand years later, and we're sitting still learning about this Jesus, wanting to know this Jesus, praising this Jesus and honoring this Jesus 00:01:41.260 --> 00:01:42.470 as our King and our Savior? 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:43.940 How's that happen? 00:01:43.940 --> 00:01:50.940 So, John's going to start to tie that story for us, in the beginning stages of this movement that Jesus brought in 00:01:50.940 --> 00:01:55.610 this world and his salvation as a King who came to redeem us through His plan. 00:01:56.320 --> 00:02:03.420 And in verse 35, he starts to share with us that story of the very first few disciples that he encounters and how 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:10.460 he brings them in, which I think is a very timely message for us, because it's interesting, when 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:17.620 you leave the United States of America and you go to a country that for the last 34 years has been run by a dictator, and while you're there, 00:02:17.940 --> 00:02:21.960 it's like you get news that America seems to be the country that's lost its mind. 00:02:22.050 --> 00:02:26.320 It's just a, it's a bizarre thing to be a part of. 00:02:26.600 --> 00:02:33.600 You know, I find in our culture today, maybe among Christians, we sort of have this more of a 00:02:33.600 --> 00:02:37.280 doomsday mentality to our outlook in life. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:43.870 It's kind of like "Buy your bunkers now and get your bullets before things run out because you don't know what tomorrow's going to hold" kind of moment. 00:02:44.420 --> 00:02:48.390 And, I'm not telling you not to build your bunkers or buy your bullets if you think that's your thing. 00:02:48.540 --> 00:02:55.880 But what I do want to say is, when I think about the beginning of Christianity, and I start 00:02:55.880 --> 00:03:01.040 in these pages, because Christianity has always been a... 00:03:01.040 --> 00:03:09.820 The Christian movement has always been a movement that has been powerful when God's 00:03:09.820 --> 00:03:11.480 people seem to have their back against the wall. 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:17.500 I think, yes, the days ahead of you, maybe they will be hard. 00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:18.740 That's possible. 00:03:18.740 --> 00:03:21.080 No one has a crystal ball; only the Lord knows. 00:03:21.320 --> 00:03:22.500 That could happen. 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:30.080 But I still think, for our church and for Jesus's people, the greatest days are still ahead of us. 00:03:30.820 --> 00:03:37.540 What I mean is, I don't want bad things to happen, like if I could choose the course of my life, I want peace, I want the path of least resistance. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.730 That's what I would pick. 00:03:40.920 --> 00:03:47.180 But, when I look at the gospel, the gospel seems to shine brightest in the darkest of moments. 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:56.020 And what that means is, for us, no matter what tomorrow holds, you've got a beautiful platform to speak 00:03:56.020 --> 00:03:59.140 the light of Jesus into this world, and that's what makes a difference. 00:04:00.380 --> 00:04:07.500 I know right now, our country's trying to polarize people between "Are you red, or are you blue?" And I think we get a beautiful platform 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:10.100 to stand on, a kingdom that's completely different. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:18.089 I'm not here to introduce people to your political preferences of red or blue; I'm here to introduce people to a kingdom that's totally different. 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:21.899 And what Hebrews chapter 12, verse 28 says is it's a kingdom that's unshakeable. 00:04:23.380 --> 00:04:30.440 And yes, sometimes political powers align with maybe some truths of who God is, but if you fall in line with those as if that's 00:04:30.440 --> 00:04:32.920 what's going to rescue, at some point, it'll always run short. 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:36.420 More people that are about Jesus. 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:45.320 Now, I will say, I was in a dictorial country, I don't know if that's the proper word, a country run by a dictator for 34 00:04:45.320 --> 00:04:49.160 years, and it was their election while I was there, and it got pretty shady. 00:04:50.890 --> 00:04:57.180 About a week left before I was supposed to leave, I was there for a couple weeks, and the government just started shutting down every media outlet that you had. 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:04.380 Like, I had Facebook one day, and the next day not, and YouTube was gone, then WhatsApp's gone, then I'm in a phone conversation with my wife and all of a sudden, my phone's shut off, and for 00:05:04.380 --> 00:05:08.240 a week, it's like you're stuck in darkness, and I hope everything turns out okay. 00:05:08.280 --> 00:05:15.360 Like, it was a little bit precarious, and it just reminds you of just how blessed we are where we live, even if you don't like some things that 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:21.400 may or may not be happening right now, but how blessed we are. 00:05:21.400 --> 00:05:28.500 And while I'm sitting in Uganda, Open Doors released their article for the year on how Christianity... 00:05:29.340 --> 00:05:34.640 what's taking place on the Christian scope around the world, what's happening to believers around the world. 00:05:35.020 --> 00:05:42.080 And I'm sitting in Uganda, and the country next door is the Democratic Republic of Congo, and more Christians were martyred in that country this year than 00:05:42.080 --> 00:05:42.990 any other country. 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:46.740 China closed over 3,000 churches this year. 00:05:47.700 --> 00:05:54.800 It's like, you may not like where things are going, you may feel a little bit discouraged by the way things are right now, I don't know, but I do 00:05:54.800 --> 00:06:00.160 want you to know you serve a greater King whose lightness pierces the dark, and that's what Jesus calls you to stand on. 00:06:00.940 --> 00:06:04.440 And that's exactly how he starts this movement in chapter 1, verse 35. 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:04.850 Look at this. 00:06:05.020 --> 00:06:09.380 Look at this passage with me, as the disciples interact with Jesus for the first time. 00:06:10.380 --> 00:06:17.500 It says to us, verse 35, I'm going to read it from the screen, it says, "The next day again John," who was John the Baptist, "was standing with two 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:24.560 of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:26.320 this, and they followed Jesus. 00:06:26.320 --> 00:06:34.720 Jesus turned and saw them following and he said to them, 'What are you seeking?' And they said to him, 'Rabbi' (which means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:41.770 He said to them, 'Come and you will see.' So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:45.620 Here's what Jesus is saying to them. 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:53.100 This question, "What are you seeking?" this phrase for this idea of seeking is where we get our English word for zealous. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.220 And Jesus is really asking, "What's your life about? 00:06:56.320 --> 00:06:56.770 What are you about? 00:06:56.940 --> 00:06:57.740 What makes you zealous? 00:06:57.760 --> 00:06:58.650 Why do you get up in the morning? 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:00.960 Why do you choose to do what you do? 00:07:01.180 --> 00:07:02.940 You want something passionate to live for? 00:07:02.940 --> 00:07:09.960 Come see me, and I'll show you something worth living for in this world." I think it's such a beautiful question for us, because 00:07:09.960 --> 00:07:13.190 I find that as a country, that's kind of where we are right now. 00:07:14.520 --> 00:07:21.560 There's a lot of people very passionate about certain things, but when you try to drive towards a basis as to why you believe what 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:27.940 you believe, what ultimately makes that matter, we sort of divorced ourselves from a greater understanding outside of who we are as human beings. 00:07:28.400 --> 00:07:35.420 Like, if you asked, "What makes right or wrong?" it's like, as human beings, we don't even know anymore, because we've separated ourselves 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:38.580 so far from God, it's like, "Uh, because I feel this way," right? 00:07:38.580 --> 00:07:42.790 Like, you're the definer of what truth is, what reality should be, it's all about you. 00:07:42.900 --> 00:07:47.200 But the conflict comes in, what if someone disagrees with you? 00:07:48.100 --> 00:07:48.260 Right? 00:07:48.260 --> 00:07:50.040 Then who decides right or wrong? 00:07:50.440 --> 00:07:57.440 And it's like we've determined that the answer is "Might makes right, whoever screams loudest wins at the end of the day." And so, you start warring with one 00:07:57.440 --> 00:08:01.180 another, because neither person has surrendered to a greater authority, which is the Lord. 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:06.640 And this is where Jesus starts his movement. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:10.720 "What's at the core of who you are? 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:14.100 What are you about? 00:08:14.520 --> 00:08:16.300 What are you living for? 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:19.000 Do you want to make a difference? 00:08:19.280 --> 00:08:22.620 Do you want it to transcend the moment? 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:24.220 Do you want it to matter for eternity? 00:08:27.640 --> 00:08:35.179 What is it you're passionate about?" I love the beauty of how Jesus begins 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:42.200 his ministry here, because he doesn't come to the disciples and say, "Look, 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:49.620 guys, I'm going to just share with you everything that is lying before you." Like, he doesn't say, "Look, Peter, if you come to me as a disciple, here's 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:50.380 what your future is. 00:08:50.400 --> 00:08:55.000 You're going to walk on some water one day, but you're going to watch all your friends get martyred. 00:08:55.040 --> 00:09:03.360 You're going to watch me get martyred, you're going to watch your wife get martyred, and by the way, you're going to get martyred." That's what Jesus says, he just says, "Come 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:07.040 and see." Come and see. 00:09:09.640 --> 00:09:16.740 Sometimes when you think about circumstances around you, like when you realize that they're wrong or they're not the way that you want them to be, and something needs 00:09:16.760 --> 00:09:23.980 to be done, sometimes as people, we tend to put that pressure right on us, like, "I've got to be the hero that saves the world because I see the problem," and you start to stress 00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:24.760 yourself out. 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:27.500 But that's not how Jesus views the world around him, right? 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:33.820 I mean, he definitely sees the problem, because that's why he comes to deliver, but he knows he's the answer. 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:43.360 And so, his invitation for us isn't "Now that you understand this, you go change the world." His answer 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:48.720 is just "Come and see." Just come and see. 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:57.900 And when he invites the disciples to journey with him or come and see, I think what he's inviting them to is 00:09:57.900 --> 00:10:02.410 really just eat a meal with him and see how he does ministry. 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:12.180 "Just do life with me." It's interesting, when you read the Gospels, some of the greatest ministry 00:10:12.180 --> 00:10:19.300 that Jesus does is around the dinner table: the opportunity and ability just to 00:10:19.300 --> 00:10:22.190 influence lives by spending time with them. 00:10:24.100 --> 00:10:29.900 It's a good lesson for us in a culture that's overly busy in things that we think matter. 00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:38.600 To recognize the significance of just the importance of relationship, just 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:41.270 to spend time with people and invest time in people. 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:46.150 To not see yourself as the hero, but to see him as the hero and so point people to him. 00:10:47.680 --> 00:10:52.080 "Just come and see." Spend time with Jesus, commune with Jesus. 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:53.060 That's why Jesus came. 00:10:55.820 --> 00:11:01.140 Jesus desires relationship with you, that you could spend time with him. 00:11:02.660 --> 00:11:09.680 "Come and see." And John, he understands the importance of this moment, and he 00:11:09.760 --> 00:11:11.840 points to Jesus as the Lamb of God. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:18.920 "Come and see." You think about, "Jesus, when you're inviting me to come and see, 00:11:19.020 --> 00:11:23.090 what is it exactly we're going to see?" And you know the answer if you see Jesus in the Gospels. 00:11:23.260 --> 00:11:25.000 He's going to do ministry, he's going to love on people. 00:11:26.300 --> 00:11:27.740 He's going to meet people where they're at. 00:11:29.140 --> 00:11:32.590 He's going to care for their soul, because he's made them in his image. 00:11:35.020 --> 00:11:41.340 Jesus calls us to get with him so that we can impart to others the beauty that he is. 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:43.070 Come and see him do ministry. 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:50.860 Sometimes, there's sort of this, I don't want to say love/hate, there's an appreciation for what I do in ministry 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:58.500 and being able to communicate God's word, but sometimes, I wonder if it creates an unnecessary idea 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:07.300 of what ministry is, meaning not everybody stands up in front of someone and communicates God's Word, and I don't think that that's necessarily a good 00:12:07.300 --> 00:12:09.500 picture walking away of what ministry is. 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:17.000 It's an important part of ministry, but it's not really what God calls us to when we leave 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:17.320 here. 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:24.560 Like, you're not going to study a passage and get up before a crowd and just orate that in your home, like invite your neighborhood and just preach at them, right? 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:27.000 Or if you try, I don't know how many people would participate. 00:12:27.900 --> 00:12:34.900 But you can learn about Christ and walk with Christ, and then walk with people as you walk with Christ and 00:12:34.900 --> 00:12:36.240 influence them in him. 00:12:36.760 --> 00:12:43.860 Invite them over, communicate about what you're passionate about, why you love the Lord, why he makes a difference in your life, and 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:45.600 why you want others to know him. 00:12:46.460 --> 00:12:47.240 Come and see. 00:12:48.400 --> 00:12:54.400 And John calls him the Lamb of God, which is a beautiful phrase to think about as it relates to Jesus. 00:12:54.620 --> 00:13:01.440 He doesn't just say he is a lamb, but he is the Lamb, the Lamb of God, which is saying he is a deliverer and he is salvation. 00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:02.480 Right? 00:13:02.520 --> 00:13:05.280 Think, in Israel's history, what this represents. 00:13:05.660 --> 00:13:12.780 This phrase carries the idea of the Passover for the Jews when they were slaves, slaves under this power, they could 00:13:12.780 --> 00:13:16.760 not figure out how to escape the Egyptians ruling over them. 00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:20.360 And God comes, and he delivers the sacrifice of the lamb. 00:13:20.780 --> 00:13:22.220 That's what happens with Moses, right? 00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:29.500 He says, "Slaughter a lamb in your family and apply its blood to your doorpost, and when the death angel comes, he's going to end up delivering 00:13:29.500 --> 00:13:36.820 you, but he's going to pass by your home because you've applied the blood to your life." And now has come the Lamb of God, 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:41.690 the deliverer, the one who brings salvation. 00:13:43.020 --> 00:13:50.100 And John's, two of his disciples that are with him follow Jesus, and it tells us the 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:53.440 first one that goes with him, give me the next click here, is Andrew. 00:13:53.500 --> 00:13:59.580 Verse 40: "One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 00:13:59.800 --> 00:14:04.450 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which means Christ). 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:05.760 He brought him to Jesus. 00:14:06.160 --> 00:14:08.660 Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:16.020 You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)." When you think about what the beginning of Jesus's 00:14:16.020 --> 00:14:20.680 ministry was, how it started, you know where Jesus first makes his impact? 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:22.760 In family. 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:25.470 You know who John the Baptist was? 00:14:25.620 --> 00:14:33.060 Luke 1:36 tells us that Elizabeth, John's mother, and Mary, Jesus's mother, were 00:14:33.060 --> 00:14:37.520 related to each other, and John's Jesus's cousin. 00:14:37.520 --> 00:14:42.620 Jesus's first area of influence in this world happened in his family. 00:14:43.730 --> 00:14:50.800 Andrew, when he's with John, who was a fellow maybe coworker in ministry together, John's out there preaching the message, and Andrew's following John 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:57.820 the Baptist, that Andrew, the first place he goes when he learns about this Jesus after spending a day with Jesus 00:14:57.820 --> 00:15:02.840 around his table, getting to know Jesus, watching Jesus do ministry, first place he goes is his brother. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:05.380 And what's Andrew's claim to fame? 00:15:05.380 --> 00:15:12.400 You read about the 12 disciples, and you think, some of these disciples you know a little bit more about than other disciples; Andrew's 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:14.890 kind of one of those guys that sort of falls off the face of the earth. 00:15:15.400 --> 00:15:19.760 If you read about him historically, you can, there's things written about Andrew beyond Scripture. 00:15:19.760 --> 00:15:26.420 Andrew, it's told, went on to Greece and was eventually crucified because of his faith in sort of an X-shaped cross. 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:27.920 It's called St. 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:28.910 Andrew's Cross. 00:15:30.640 --> 00:15:33.130 But here's Andrew's claim to fame; it tells you in this passage. 00:15:33.680 --> 00:15:34.390 He's the one that brought Peter. 00:15:37.060 --> 00:15:42.240 Andrew, out of all the things they could say in the Gospels, Peter gets all of this things told about him. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:45.590 You read the book of Acts, and there's a lot said about Peter and his sermons that are preached. 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:46.920 And what's Andrew get? 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:49.180 You're the guy that brought Peter. 00:15:51.280 --> 00:15:59.480 Man, when you think about that, that's a pretty powerful testimony, that 00:15:59.580 --> 00:16:04.220 God would use you to bring one of the greatest influencers in all of church history. 00:16:06.380 --> 00:16:07.660 Man, could God do that with me? 00:16:08.800 --> 00:16:09.620 Not if I don't say anything. 00:16:11.160 --> 00:16:11.500 Come and see. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:21.100 Andrew goes and gets Peter, and he brings him to Jesus, and this is where 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:24.290 Peter gets the identity of the rock, which I think happens a little bit later. 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:28.760 John's sharing this a little earlier in the story; Matthew tells us it happens a little bit later. 00:16:29.380 --> 00:16:31.620 But then it tells us about this other disciple, right? 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:34.380 There's two disciples with John, but it doesn't tell us who the other disciple is. 00:16:34.380 --> 00:16:35.120 Who is the other disciple? 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:36.840 Don't things like that drive you crazy? 00:16:37.380 --> 00:16:38.060 Drives me crazy. 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:39.510 I want to know the details. 00:16:40.010 --> 00:16:41.700 And here's who I think it is. 00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:47.240 I think it's John, the apostle John. 00:16:48.520 --> 00:16:55.580 Because when you read the Gospel of John, you find that John doesn't really refer to himself by name in the Gospels; he just refers to him, if he does refer to himself, he often 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:56.580 says he's the beloved. 00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:04.890 But he never really gives himself his name in his book, and so I think John is really referring to himself here. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:08.520 And this is where John does the same thing as Andrew. 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:11.140 First person John tells about... 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:15.480 of Jesus has come is James, his brother. 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:25.260 So, when you think about the beginning of this movement in Christ, it's one that begins in family. 00:17:25.859 --> 00:17:32.560 If you consider in your life, "Okay, Lord, if I'm going to walk with you in this world, where do you call me to? 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:38.820 What do you want me to do?" If you think about the beginning of Christianity, where did it start? 00:17:40.340 --> 00:17:41.260 It starts with family. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:48.380 It's taking the goodness of who Jesus is and sharing it with people that are closest to you. 00:17:48.380 --> 00:17:55.460 And so, John, who's cousins to Jesus, shares that with those around him, and Andrew shares it with his brother, and John 00:17:55.460 --> 00:18:00.540 shares it with his brother, and then you see how they become passionate. 00:18:00.560 --> 00:18:01.200 What are you zealous for? 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:08.660 Andrew goes on and gets crucified in Greece, and Peter, he goes on so faithfully in Jesus that he gets crucified in Rome upside 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:12.580 down, and James is beheaded by Herod Agrippa. 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:19.940 These followers of Christ become passionate about what Jesus is because they've seen the resurrected Christ, and they can't deny the truth about how 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:21.480 Jesus transforms life. 00:18:24.340 --> 00:18:29.180 Christianity begins as a grassroots movement, really among the least of these. 00:18:30.660 --> 00:18:37.740 When you consider the pedigree of these disciples, they're not people that would wow you at first glance with the kind 00:18:37.740 --> 00:18:38.440 of people they were. 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:45.350 Andrew, the quiet type, probably from a lot of wisdom in his life, and Peter the loudmouth. 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:49.680 And you got James and John, who were just brutes. 00:18:49.840 --> 00:18:57.320 I mean, their answers to Jesus when people didn't do what they want is, "Zap them with lightning and kill them, God." After a little bit of 00:18:57.320 --> 00:19:04.360 time, you see that James and John become very compassionate in their ministry because they had spent time with Jesus, and they saw the compassion 00:19:04.360 --> 00:19:04.880 that he had. 00:19:07.260 --> 00:19:09.290 Which disciple do you relate to? 00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:16.960 Very common individuals, but the Lord used them to change the world. 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:20.280 Consider how simple the invitation is, right? 00:19:20.300 --> 00:19:22.480 Just come and see. 00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:30.400 Spend time with Christ, let him influence your life, transform your life, and make a difference. 00:19:32.560 --> 00:19:38.370 God doesn't ask you to change people; that's Jesus's job. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.080 God calls you to invite people. 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:48.130 Verse 43 to 45, you see that again as it moves forward with some of the other disciples. 00:19:48.520 --> 00:19:54.560 It talks about Philip in the next passage, it says, "The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. 00:19:55.780 --> 00:20:02.840 He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow me.' Now Philip was from 00:20:02.840 --> 00:20:05.340 Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 00:20:05.340 --> 00:20:12.380 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:19.760 of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'" It doesn't tell us how Philip 00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:26.860 is necessarily connected to Nathanael, but what it does tell us is that Philip cared 00:20:26.860 --> 00:20:28.500 about the people where he lived. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:37.900 And so, through some of the relationships that he had, because he cared about the people where he lived, he went and expressed that care that other people could meet Jesus 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:38.450 too. 00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:46.860 We need people like Philip in this world, don't we, that just carries a heart for their community because of the joy 00:20:46.860 --> 00:20:48.520 they find in who Christ is? 00:20:49.300 --> 00:20:56.320 And when Philip goes and shares Jesus, it tells us that he invites Nathanael to get 00:20:56.320 --> 00:20:58.440 to know this Christ that Scripture already communicates. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:07.340 He uses the Word of God as his basis to share that they have found what the 00:21:07.340 --> 00:21:08.380 Bible's talked about. 00:21:08.380 --> 00:21:15.040 He's saying to Nathanael, "You know as a kid, we grew up reading the Torah, and we just anticipated the arrival of this Messiah? 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:17.140 You know God's Word. 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:17.220 Don't you know God's Word? 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:19.140 You've been in God's Word, you've seen what it says, right? 00:21:20.360 --> 00:21:20.880 We found him. 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:30.940 We found him." Think of just how important maybe it is with even the context of your own home, just 00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:38.240 to take time to open God's Word and read it as a family, that your children 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:45.660 might find him, to know this Jesus that liberates the soul and brings hope for our 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:46.240 future. 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:55.280 You think about the story of these disciples, like Philip was the one that goes on to France, and 00:21:55.280 --> 00:21:58.080 he's hung by iron hooks. 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:03.500 I mean, that's the way he meets his fate; he's martyred by hanging upside down on iron hooks. 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:11.100 And Nathanael, history's a little fuzzy on him, but he likely died in Armenia, and he was flayed alive, and some people think he was either 00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:15.120 crucified or beheaded, but completely committed to Jesus. 00:22:15.260 --> 00:22:16.540 I won't tell him he spells his name wrong. 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:20.050 It's supposed to be I-E-L, not A-E-L, right? 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.140 I say that because that's my name, if you didn't know. 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.250 But Nathanael tells us in this passage, he was a bit of a skeptic. 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:35.580 In verse 46, I love his response, because he's not arguing just to argue, but he needs a little bit of convincing, like, "Oh, if I'm going to commit my life with some 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:42.640 zeal to this guy, I want to know he is who he says he is," because there were times during Nathanael's day where there were people that had come and 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:43.570 claimed to be Messiah. 00:22:45.380 --> 00:22:52.660 So Nathanael wants to make sure that he is the true Messiah, and so, "Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'" I love 00:22:52.660 --> 00:22:53.410 that question. 00:22:54.760 --> 00:22:55.350 It's like this... 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:58.740 Out West, I learned real fast my first journey out West. 00:22:58.860 --> 00:23:04.100 I remember I was, I don't know, like 21, and I had never been west of the Mississippi. 00:23:04.840 --> 00:23:11.860 And I get to Kansas, and man, Colorado felt, I got to be honest, if you're from Colorado, I'm sorry, but Colorado felt like a ripoff 00:23:11.860 --> 00:23:13.940 to me for the first, I don't know, two-thirds of the state. 00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:19.830 Because I hear all these Rocky Mountains, and I get into Colorado, it's like, it's Kansas again, right, until you get to the back half. 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:22.760 No warning to me that... 00:23:22.760 --> 00:23:29.440 No one said to me, "Hey, when you go on this journey, you could go like a hundred miles, and there will be no gas station." That doesn't happen on the east, right? 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:32.860 I remember getting to one of those sections where it's like, "Dear Lord, help me. 00:23:33.080 --> 00:23:36.460 Help me get to the next place, coast on fumes, right? 00:23:36.860 --> 00:23:40.260 I hope it's got some normal people there that don't kill me when I get there. 00:23:40.840 --> 00:23:44.580 Where am I going to end up?" You ever been on a journey like that where you're just... 00:23:44.820 --> 00:23:51.920 You're going some distance, and your kids might be screaming in the back, "I need a bathroom, need a bathroom," and you're like, "We just passed the sign that said no restroom for 20 miles." 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:59.060 It's like, "Where is the..." And then you get there, and the gas station was built 40 years ago, and it's had no upgrades since then, and you think it's been at least three 00:23:59.060 --> 00:24:00.570 years since someone cleaned the bathroom. 00:24:01.100 --> 00:24:06.180 If you've been to those towns, right, in Utah, I think it's Scipio, right? 00:24:06.340 --> 00:24:07.280 You ever go from here to St. 00:24:07.280 --> 00:24:10.930 George, and there's that one place that's got the Dairy Queen and the petting zoo that's never open? 00:24:11.320 --> 00:24:12.840 That's Scipio, right? 00:24:13.300 --> 00:24:14.420 And you think... 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:20.280 This is what Nathanael's saying, it's like, "Man, we've traveled past there, and I've just stopped maybe once or twice for my kids to use the bathroom. 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:22.900 Can anything good come out of this place? 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:29.510 This is Nazareth we're talking about, and you're saying the greatest figure that'll ever walk this earth is coming from this town? 00:24:29.740 --> 00:24:31.600 You're going to have to convince me here." Right? 00:24:31.900 --> 00:24:33.000 So, Nathanael's... 00:24:33.100 --> 00:24:40.160 "Anything good come out of there?" And verse 47, "Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said to him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:46.420 there is no deceit!'" I love that statement, because he's saying, look, he's just being honest, just being genuine. 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:53.760 He wants the security of knowing that, if you're going to dedicate your life to this, is it really true? 00:24:55.380 --> 00:24:55.900 Is it true? 00:24:56.020 --> 00:24:59.160 The more confident you are in that, the more you'll stand on it, right? 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:00.480 Is this really true? 00:25:00.580 --> 00:25:04.400 That's why we do the class Simply Christian; that's why I say, "Sign up for Simply Christian," right? 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:07.320 I mean, it's incredible, the foundation of Christianity. 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:08.170 This is not just... 00:25:09.060 --> 00:25:14.260 God didn't just leave us with just this uncertainty of, you just pick a religion and hope to God in the end you're the one that was right. 00:25:14.520 --> 00:25:14.680 Right? 00:25:15.080 --> 00:25:17.960 I mean, there's a foundation to Christianity that you can rest on. 00:25:20.020 --> 00:25:21.660 And that's what he's saying here with Nathanael. 00:25:21.860 --> 00:25:24.520 He's looking for that foundation in his life. 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:30.180 He's a true Israelite, he's a genuine seeker after God, and he wants that in his life. 00:25:30.520 --> 00:25:37.520 "Nathanael said to him, 'How do you know me?' Jesus answered him, 'Before Philip called you, when 00:25:37.520 --> 00:25:44.300 you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' Nathanael answered him, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God! 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:51.880 You are the King of Israel!'" Nathanael begins to realize that, "This Jesus 00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:55.180 knows personal things about me that no one else really knew. 00:25:55.300 --> 00:26:03.480 He was there when I was out by myself, this God." And so, Nathanael starts to honor 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:03.920 the Lord. 00:26:05.620 --> 00:26:12.640 When you think about these different disciples in the beginning of what is the story of Christianity, it took several paths for people 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:13.420 to come to Jesus. 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:22.940 I mean, there's only one way to God, through Jesus, but there are different paths that the Lord uses 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:23.600 to get us there. 00:26:25.580 --> 00:26:30.560 Maybe if you've become a follower of Christ, and you think about, what did it take for you to come to Jesus? 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:32.640 I was a little bit like Nathanael; I was more stubborn. 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:37.220 I would probably have labeled myself an angry atheist in life. 00:26:38.040 --> 00:26:39.980 I hated the God that I claimed didn't exist. 00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:40.540 Right? 00:26:41.600 --> 00:26:45.720 And the Lord used a few people to help my stubbornness come to know him. 00:26:47.460 --> 00:26:49.430 What did it take for you? 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:57.540 When I think about my own journey to Jesus, it makes me be a little more patient with people, because I required that same type of tender love and patience 00:26:57.540 --> 00:26:58.600 from believers around me. 00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:02.960 For John, he influenced... 00:27:03.660 --> 00:27:07.460 John the Baptist influenced John the Apostle and Andrew through their friendship. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:10.430 Andrew, the way he influenced was through family. 00:27:11.600 --> 00:27:15.300 Philip, the way he influenced was through proximity, people in his area. 00:27:16.320 --> 00:27:19.800 And Nathanael ended up needing a little bit of a miracle to come to Jesus. 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:27.120 I mean, maybe you're thinking of people like that right now, where it's like, "I'm thinking about people I would love to see coming to Christ, but man, it's going to take a miracle." Well, anyone 00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:29.370 that comes to Jesus, it takes an act of... 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:32.240 a miraculous act for them to know Christ. 00:27:32.360 --> 00:27:36.380 I mean, God coming in the flesh is already a miracle, and pursuing you, that is a miracle, right? 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:40.520 This is what Nathanael needed in his life. 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:49.200 And then, in verse 50 and 51, gives us this story where Jesus says 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:54.150 to Nathanael, "Jesus answered Nathanael, 'Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree," do you believe? 00:27:55.340 --> 00:28:02.540 You will see greater things than these.' And he said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending 00:28:02.540 --> 00:28:10.080 and descending on the Son of Man.'" I think Jesus, when he quotes 00:28:10.080 --> 00:28:10.420 this... 00:28:10.560 --> 00:28:13.540 He quotes an Old Testament passage here; this is in Genesis chapter 28, verse 12. 00:28:15.220 --> 00:28:22.360 And he's saying to Nathanael, "Nathanael, if you're just impressed by the fact that I knew you were sitting under a fig tree when no one else did, wait until you see this." And 00:28:22.360 --> 00:28:23.760 then Jesus quotes the statement. 00:28:23.800 --> 00:28:29.700 And this is what I think Jesus is doing here: I think Nathanael's sitting under this tree, really doing his devotions with the Lord. 00:28:30.840 --> 00:28:37.880 I think he's meditating on this passage where God interacts with Jacob in the story in Genesis 28. 00:28:39.320 --> 00:28:45.760 If you're familiar with the story, Jacob is fleeing from his brother Esau, and he's praying and seeking God, and God... 00:28:46.320 --> 00:28:53.320 Or he's in a dream, is what it is, and God just delivers this passage to him in Genesis 28, verse 12, and he sees the 00:28:53.320 --> 00:28:55.420 heavens open and angels ascending and descending. 00:28:56.840 --> 00:28:59.330 I think what Jesus is saying here, "Here, Nathanael, you want to be more impressed? 00:28:59.480 --> 00:29:07.720 Not only do I know you were under a fig tree, but I know what passage of Scripture you were in, and I want you to know, I am that passage of Scripture, that 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:14.920 you're going to see the glory of heaven just raining on the Son of Man." And when Jesus uses this 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:22.020 phrase "Son of Man," it's such an important phrase to know within the Bible, because this is the number one way Jesus chooses to refer to himself 00:29:22.020 --> 00:29:22.460 in Scripture. 00:29:23.780 --> 00:29:25.280 He calls himself the Son of Man. 00:29:25.280 --> 00:29:32.340 It comes from Daniel chapter 7, verse 13 and 14, and it's a picture of the Messiah, it's a picture of the deity of Christ, it's a picture 00:29:32.340 --> 00:29:35.900 Revelation talks about a few times later in the Bible. 00:29:36.760 --> 00:29:43.550 But the reason Jesus uses this passage is because people had such a poor idea of what the Messiah would be about. 00:29:44.100 --> 00:29:51.460 Like, you remember the story in Matthew 16 where Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter says, "You are the Christ," 00:29:51.500 --> 00:29:58.520 and that's where Jesus says, "On this rock I'll build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail." And you hear that passage, and you're like, "Yeah, go get 'em, guys." And 00:29:58.520 --> 00:30:06.420 in the very next part, Jesus says, "And, guys, I'm going to go die," and Peter says, "Over my dead body," and Jesus is like, "Get behind me, Satan." How 00:30:06.420 --> 00:30:08.880 do you go from being called the rock to Satan? 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:11.640 It's like, that is not a good day, right? 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:13.500 You're on the top of the world, then you're on the bottom, right? 00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:14.780 It's like the valley of valleys there. 00:30:14.840 --> 00:30:15.520 How does that happen? 00:30:15.540 --> 00:30:19.030 Well, it's because Peter had a bad image in his mind of what the Messiah was about. 00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:25.820 They pictured in their mind warrior king, going to finally tell Rome where to take it, right? 00:30:25.840 --> 00:30:27.500 And Israel's going to rule over people. 00:30:28.040 --> 00:30:35.060 And they're like, "I'm going to be number two in charge, or number three in charge, and we're just going to lead the charge with Jesus." And then Jesus is like, "I'm not 00:30:35.060 --> 00:30:35.500 that kind of Messiah. 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:44.500 I come to present a different kingdom." And the image of the Son of Man is what Jesus wanted them to understand as it relates to him, 00:30:44.600 --> 00:30:46.550 because it's more of a servant Messiah. 00:30:49.840 --> 00:30:56.400 It creates a better picture, I think, in Israel's day under the false perception of what they thought Messiah would be about. 00:30:59.060 --> 00:31:07.580 And Jesus is sharing this with Nathanael, he's saying, "Look..." In Genesis 28, this 00:31:07.580 --> 00:31:12.280 is where Jacob really interacts with God for the first time, I think. 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:19.560 It's not until Jacob comes back from fleeing from his brother Esau that Jacob finally calls God his Lord, Yahweh. 00:31:21.540 --> 00:31:28.140 But this was kind of that moment for Jacob in Genesis 28 where his heart finally gets opened up to the things of God. 00:31:30.520 --> 00:31:37.720 And I think it's the same kind of moment for Nathanael, where God is saying to him, "I 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:44.920 really want you to know how special this moment is, that God 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:51.960 has become flesh for you, and you're interacting with me right now." Because it's the same 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:52.920 thing for us, right? 00:31:55.060 --> 00:32:00.760 I really want you to know how special this moment is, that God would come for you. 00:32:01.960 --> 00:32:09.180 I want you to understand the story of who he is and how he starts this movement with just these simple people in life, 00:32:10.860 --> 00:32:13.720 and through them, the world is transformed. 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:22.040 The same normal people of the first century, that God can work through them, and God can do that same thing through you. 00:32:22.060 --> 00:32:26.540 When you look at the way things are going around you, and maybe you feel like, "Maybe we should look at a bunker. 00:32:26.580 --> 00:32:29.500 I'm getting another stimulus check, apparently. 00:32:29.660 --> 00:32:31.350 What will I do with this money, right? 00:32:31.460 --> 00:32:38.200 Bunker time." Instead of going that route, think about the first-century church. 00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:45.120 Just a few people, just a few people, but God uses them to turn the world upside down. 00:32:46.700 --> 00:32:49.260 Not because of their strength, but because of his strength in them. 00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:59.580 Started on a simple invitation: "Come and see, and follow me." What 00:32:59.580 --> 00:33:03.000 does it mean for us to "come and see, and follow me"? 00:33:03.080 --> 00:33:07.510 It's not just believing in Jesus, but it's about giving your life for him. 00:33:08.380 --> 00:33:10.160 Jesus says, right, "What are you zealous about? 00:33:11.420 --> 00:33:18.620 What is your life about?" Some people treat Jesus like it's some sort of superstition, where you just show up to 00:33:18.620 --> 00:33:20.640 church on Sunday because you're doing God some kind of favor. 00:33:22.130 --> 00:33:24.400 God doesn't need us to do that, guys. 00:33:26.340 --> 00:33:27.820 And I know that you don't believe that, right? 00:33:28.260 --> 00:33:35.700 We're not doing God favors; he's not sitting in heaven like, "Oh, Lord, if they don't just give me a Sunday soon, I don't know what I'm going to do." I mean, he's 00:33:35.700 --> 00:33:37.120 the Creator of all things. 00:33:38.800 --> 00:33:41.380 It's not him needing us, it's us that need him. 00:33:42.620 --> 00:33:49.700 So, Revelation 12 verses 2 and 3 tells you to renew your mind, that you're transformed by the renewing of your mind and the Word 00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:50.440 of God. 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:57.860 Because the world will try to conform you to its image, but Jesus wants to transform you into his, to come 00:33:57.860 --> 00:34:05.040 and see and spend time with him, and to ask, just like Nathanael in these moments, what do 00:34:05.040 --> 00:34:07.340 you think God's calling you to right now? 00:34:11.080 --> 00:34:13.489 What is that next step in your journey with him? 00:34:14.179 --> 00:34:15.460 Draw closer to Jesus. 00:34:17.820 --> 00:34:20.620 Maybe you've only gone halfway in your commitment to Christ. 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:28.760 Maybe you've seen, "Man, Jesus has given his life for me, and all I give him is, like, Easter and Christmas." Or 00:34:28.760 --> 00:34:35.900 maybe it is for the first time reading through God's Word this year, or maybe it is taking that step of 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:40.420 maybe having a little bit of boldness and talking to someone about Christ and why he matters to you. 00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:45.620 Maybe it is that you just need to spend time with Jesus. 00:34:47.560 --> 00:34:53.480 But what is that next step to grow in Christ? 00:34:56.040 --> 00:34:58.280 As you grow, you go and share. 00:34:58.520 --> 00:35:05.540 If I could summarize the Christian life into two steps, this is what I'd say, it's "come and see" and "go and tell." Come and see and go 00:35:05.540 --> 00:35:06.240 and tell. 00:35:07.120 --> 00:35:08.400 What is that next step for you? 00:35:09.640 --> 00:35:10.990 I'll end with this story. 00:35:13.080 --> 00:35:14.170 In going to Uganda... 00:35:14.720 --> 00:35:21.980 We've not been able to fully share everything as a family, but if you've been to any church service this year, you know that our family's 00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:28.980 pursuing a young boy that we want to bring into our family, and part of my trip 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:36.250 to Uganda was dealing with that, but the other part of the trip was just seeing the ministry that's taking place there that's about rescuing children. 00:35:38.560 --> 00:35:45.720 Uganda has a problem with child sacrifice, and when I say child sacrifice, 00:35:45.720 --> 00:35:46.060 I mean... 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:49.740 Get on YouTube, and you can just look it up, Uganda child sacrifice, you'll see it. 00:35:50.760 --> 00:35:58.520 And the same year that ABC started, there was a man in Uganda, he is a Ugandan, and 00:35:58.520 --> 00:36:05.960 he just would fill his backpack up every day with Bibles, and he'd walk around to villages, and 00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:06.780 he would share the gospel. 00:36:08.240 --> 00:36:15.460 And for whatever reason, in this town called Kyampisi, he started to visit the town, and 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:17.720 people started to gather, and they would just read the Bible together. 00:36:19.720 --> 00:36:26.760 And one day, on Christmas, he said he got a phone call, and 35 Christians 00:36:26.760 --> 00:36:30.820 had gathered together to read God's Word on Christmas, and they called him, and they said, "Where are you at? 00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:34.020 We're here to read God's Word together," and he said, "It's Christmas, I'm home with my family. 00:36:34.260 --> 00:36:35.630 Where do you think I am?" He's like... 00:36:35.740 --> 00:36:36.320 And they said, "Yeah. 00:36:36.840 --> 00:36:42.040 Well, it's Christmas, and we should be together reading God's Word." And he's like, "Wait a minute, it's Christmas, I should be with my family," he said. 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:49.040 Finally, reluctantly, he's like, "You're right, we should read God's Word on Christmas," so he went, and they all gathered together and read God's Word, and they decided to start a church. 00:36:50.820 --> 00:36:57.070 And in starting that church, they began to realize that their community had a lot of needs that they could speak into and do things about and make a difference. 00:36:57.620 --> 00:37:01.200 And they started with this church, they started a women's... 00:37:01.460 --> 00:37:05.860 or, a clinic, where they want to focus on helping women in childbirth. 00:37:05.980 --> 00:37:11.940 Since this church started, they've had five women just in the church die in childbirth, so they want to make a difference there. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:14.360 Ugandan life expectancy, by the way, is only 44 years. 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:22.060 Pastor Peter, the guy that started the church, has 16 brothers and sisters, and he's the same age as me, and eight of them have since 00:37:22.060 --> 00:37:22.560 died. 00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:31.120 So, it's a rough area as far as medical care, and so they started a clinic, and then they started a school for their kids, and they started a rehabilitation center for 00:37:31.220 --> 00:37:34.120 kids that are impacted by child sacrifice. 00:37:35.940 --> 00:37:38.970 Church has not met there since March because of coronavirus. 00:37:40.600 --> 00:37:46.530 But while I was there, they decided to take me on a walk up a hill. 00:37:48.150 --> 00:37:56.360 Part of the reason we were on this walk is that the church, because of different restriction and coronavirus, the 00:37:56.360 --> 00:38:03.980 church on the compound where the ministry meets, where the clinic is, the school is, the church has 00:38:03.980 --> 00:38:06.380 used an auditorium that the school shares. 00:38:06.980 --> 00:38:11.540 And the government has said, "Well, because of coronavirus and certain restrictions they have, both of you can't meet here. 00:38:11.780 --> 00:38:18.780 Either the school can meet here or the church can meet here, but both of you can't meet here." And they decided, "We'll let the school continue to use the auditorium, and 00:38:18.780 --> 00:38:25.180 the church will just move." And the church took me on a walk up a hill, and while we're walking up a hill, and you can see a... 00:38:25.240 --> 00:38:26.200 I have a little video on this. 00:38:26.880 --> 00:38:31.080 While we're walking up the hill, Pastor Peter, who's in the front in the very blue shirt, tells me the story of this hill. 00:38:32.140 --> 00:38:38.280 He said the area where this ministry exists is considered the capital for where children's sacrifice happens in Uganda. 00:38:39.640 --> 00:38:44.550 And he found out, after they started their ministry, that this hill was the place that the witch doctors would go. 00:38:46.360 --> 00:38:53.360 And Peter decided, because of what this hill represents in that community and their coming as a church to make a difference, that they needed 00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:57.260 that hill, so he sold his car, and he bought the hill. 00:38:58.880 --> 00:39:06.020 And the church got to the top of this hill, once they purchased it, and they put up a cross, and they renamed their church Rock Hill Church to 00:39:06.020 --> 00:39:09.300 show how God makes a difference with his light in darkness. 00:39:10.160 --> 00:39:17.280 And this Sunday is the first Sunday this church is going to be able to gather since the coronavirus, and they're just walking to the top of this hill without any shelter or 00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:19.580 anything like that, and they're just holding service outdoors. 00:39:22.220 --> 00:39:28.060 I say all this to say to you as a church, 10 years ago, Peter had no idea what kind of difference God would use... 00:39:29.720 --> 00:39:34.240 what kind of difference God would make in his life, and how God would use him to make a difference in this community. 00:39:35.540 --> 00:39:39.620 All he did was load a backpack up with Bibles, and he walked around and he told people about Jesus. 00:39:41.800 --> 00:39:46.260 And from that, God saw a church, and from that church, God rescued lives. 00:39:47.900 --> 00:39:49.740 And all he did was follow him. 00:39:52.160 --> 00:39:57.810 Because I say all this to you to say, what mountain does Jesus want to climb with you? 00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:03.620 What difference does God want to use you to make in this world? 00:40:05.120 --> 00:40:07.280 None of it will happen unless you come see. 00:40:09.060 --> 00:40:10.820 None of it will happen unless you follow him. 00:40:12.740 --> 00:40:16.250 This world, the hope for this world, this hope for our country is not in a political party. 00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:21.080 It's in a revival, and that revival's found in Jesus. 00:40:22.160 --> 00:40:28.500 And that difference is made when God's people are faithful to him, if we would just come and see.