WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.240 Romans chapter 12 today for the message. 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:04.719 Romans chapter number 12. 00:00:04.959 --> 00:00:17.440 And how many of you know somebody that if you were honest you would say I love them, but I don't really like them. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:19.519 Some of y'all, yeah. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:26.320 Some of y'all are scared to raise your hands, and you are lying in the house of God. 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:28.800 You know exactly who I'm talking about. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:30.879 You got that coworker. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:33.920 Somebody was saying yeah, you know. 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:37.359 They just know how to get under your skin. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:45.280 Or maybe you have that family member that is an expert at knowing exactly the right button to push. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:55.119 And and you just think, man, that person, I I I love them, at least I'm supposed to. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:57.039 I don't know if I really like them. 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:08.239 And here's a question Is it possible to love somebody if you don't really like them? 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:12.480 How many of you would say, yes, it's possible? 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:13.439 Okay. 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:16.319 How many of you would say, no, it's not possible? 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:21.280 How many of you would say, stop asking me questions on Time Change Sunday, Pastor Naher? 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:36.560 Here's something that we're gonna wrestle with today is that the gospel gives us the power to love people even if we don't always like them. 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:55.120 When it comes to loving people, whether it's people we we like or don't like, if we've trusted Christ our Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit's working in us, we are gonna have a desire at some level to actually love people well. 00:01:56.079 --> 00:02:01.680 But sometimes I don't think we know how to love people well. 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:09.759 We don't struggle knowing that love matters, we struggle knowing how to love. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:15.439 Maybe because, well, we haven't been loved well ourselves. 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:24.400 And when we try to muster up the strength to say, I'm gonna be more loving, our patience runs out. 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:28.879 They do it again for the hundredth time. 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:39.919 And we probably felt that at one time or another. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:43.520 And if you felt that, can I just say, you are human. 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:47.280 One of our values here, like Dennis was saying, is the gospel. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.120 The gospel doesn't just save us, it shapes us, strengthens us, and guides us. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:59.199 And in the gospel, we can love others well because we have been loved. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:05.919 Like this is where Christianity is radically different than every other worldview. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:17.439 We go to a text of scripture, Romans chapter 12, where Paul just spent 11 chapters, 11 chapters talking about all that God has done for us in the gospel. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:26.400 Then he gets to chapter 12 and he says, Hey, hey, because all this has been has been done for you, this is how it, this is how your life should look like now. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:30.319 All this has been done for you, this is what your life should look like. 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:38.639 And I'm gonna show you how and what it means and what it looks like to actually love people well. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:47.599 Because in our world, let's be honest, we don't have a lot of demonstrations of people that love people well. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:54.240 And today, the message is entitled this: A Culture of Honor. 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:57.280 A culture of honor. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:08.639 Because Paul is gonna give us a new vision, a powerful vision for what does it look like to love people well, and what does it look like in the body of Christ? 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.960 So let's pick it up in Romans chapter number 12. 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.360 And if you're ready for it on time change Sunday and you're still awake, would you say amen? 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:17.920 Let's go, Romans 12, verse number 10. 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:23.600 It says, Love one another deeply. 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:29.680 Now, how many would say, sometimes it's hard to love one another deeply? 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.000 Come on, you know why? 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:34.800 Because people, sometimes people. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:38.319 Yes, I use that as a noun and a verb. 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:42.720 Don't think about it too long, but if you do, you'll realize people always people. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:52.720 And it can be hard to love others deeply, as brothers and sisters, and he tells us what it looks like when we do love others deeply. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:05:00.480 He says we're going to outdo one another in putting them in their place. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:07.680 Outdo one another in letting them know what their mistakes are. 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:09.759 Outdo one another. 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:13.279 What are those last two words in showing honor? 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.000 This is what this does here. 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:22.000 This gives us a glimpse of what does it look like to love people well. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:33.600 To outdo somebody in showing them honor. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.720 Now, when we think about the church, in this context here is the church. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:45.120 The church can be a lot of things. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.000 The church can look like a lot of things. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:56.639 In fact, a lot of people have a lot of different definitions in their minds of what the church is, but the church wasn't invented by a man, the church was actually invented by God. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:01.199 And because God invented the church, God gets to define the church. 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:02.319 It's only fair. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:10.800 And God defines the church as this He says the church is an ecclesia, a called-out assembly of Jesus followers. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:18.319 People that are called out from the world to live for God's purposes and to do that in community with other people. 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:23.519 So, by God's definition of the church, there can be a church without a building. 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.560 There can be a church without a parking lot. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.920 There can be a church without coffee. 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:32.160 Maybe. 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:38.160 Some of you just had your theology tested this morning and you failed, okay? 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:39.680 Just kidding. 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:55.839 But you can't have an ecclesia without a group of people that are committed to each other with the common purpose of knowing Jesus, making Jesus known, and glorifying God, because that's an ecclesia. 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:06.240 And when we let God define what the church is, and when we let the gospel shape the church, what will happen is there will be a movement in the church. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:10.800 Here's what the movement will be: it'll be a movement towards honor. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:14.240 A movement towards honor. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:20.079 A movement that goes away from looking at me to looking at others. 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:21.519 And you might say, What is honor? 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:22.639 Here's what honor is. 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:28.879 Showing honor is to recognize and acknowledge the value that someone has. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:32.879 That's what showing honor is. 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:38.480 Now you think about this passage, it was in Romans. 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:49.279 Does anybody have any guesses where the people that Paul wrote this book to, the book of Romans, like Romans? 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.079 Anybody have any idea where they lived? 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:54.560 Fairfield, they didn't live in Fairfield. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:55.759 It was actually Vacavel. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.680 I'm just kidding, they lived in Rome, right? 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:58.560 They lived in Rome. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:01.120 Now here's the thing, you gotta understand the culture here. 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:06.879 In Rome, there were very clear distinctions between who got honored and who didn't get honored. 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:10.720 In fact, Rome honored power. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:19.199 If you were powerful, if you had achievements, if you had a certain name, you got honored in Rome. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:22.560 Rome honored people at the top. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.759 Now you think about it, in that way, our world is kind of similar to Rome. 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.560 Think about growing up in school. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:34.639 If you got a high enough GPA, what did you make? 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.360 You made the honor role. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.720 And then your parents put that little bumper sticker on your car. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:42.799 I mean, right? 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:45.840 You go to a you go to an event or a party. 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:48.480 Sometimes they have honored guests. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:50.320 We have our honored guests today. 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:51.360 They did this, did that. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:52.080 This is their role. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:52.960 This blah blah blah. 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:56.240 They've done this, so now they get honored. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:03.200 But in the kingdom of God, it's not just certain people that get honored and other people don't get honored. 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:06.639 It's not just certain people that earn honor. 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:13.279 See, in God's family, honor isn't earned, it's freely given. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:20.000 Honor isn't earned, it's freely given. 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.919 It's not like, oh, oh, in the family of God, this is what we do. 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.879 We just honor the pastor because he preaches. 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:28.960 We honor the people on stage. 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:29.600 No, no, no. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:36.559 In God's family, in this new vision, there's a movement towards honoring all people because all people are made in the image of God. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:39.440 And every single person matters. 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:44.000 Now you said, Pastor, you're not supposed to honor all people. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.840 What about the person that doesn't even smile at me? 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:52.000 It's like I walk by them in a lobby and I'm like, are you mad at me, bro? 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.759 Yes, and here's why. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.039 Because you are a citizen if you put your faith in Christ. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:06.879 You are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, and in the kingdom of God, we honor everybody. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:13.840 We honor people no matter what they look like, no matter where they're from, no matter what they're struggling with. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:20.480 And honor does something really powerful that you may have never realized. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:24.720 In fact, it makes something visible. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.480 Honor is love made visible. 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:40.320 So when you and I, when we choose to honor somebody, we are making love visible to them. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:48.639 I heard of a high school years ago that decided to do something very different at graduation. 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:52.320 We've all been to the high school graduation and they honor certain people. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:59.200 They honor the valedictorian and the salutatorian, and you know, and then half of us are like falling asleep, like, come on, let's get through. 00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:02.320 This high school decided to do something different. 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:11.919 They asked the students to nominate a staff member that's had the biggest impact in their life, and they were gonna honor them. 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:19.039 So everybody thought, well, it's gonna be the most popular teacher or the most popular coach. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:30.080 And as they started reading the names of the people that were nominated, one name kept popping up. 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:35.600 It surprised everybody. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.320 In fact, it was downright shocking. 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:43.519 The name that kept popping up was one of the janitors. 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:49.120 And they thought, how can this be? 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.240 We must call him and double check to make sure this is accurate. 00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:02.480 And actually called the man, the janitor, up on the stage at the high school graduation, and he's dressed in his janitor clothes, and he walked up there confused. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:04.559 Like, did somebody have a spill or something? 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:14.399 Like, how come This is a man that spent his days seemingly unnoticed, cleaning hallways, cleaning bathrooms. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:22.960 And then the principal started reading what the students wrote about this janitor. 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:31.519 And eyes in the gym started tearing up. 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:33.679 One student said this. 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:40.080 He noticed me when I was having a bad day, and he checked in on me. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:47.360 Another student wrote, I came to school early to escape problems at home. 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:51.600 And he sat with me so I wouldn't feel alone. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:13:03.759 Another said, He told me I mattered when I didn't believe that I did. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:23.039 And the entire graduating class had been impacted by a janitor that simply chose to show people honor and dignity. 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:29.039 Because honor does something powerful, it makes love visible. 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:35.759 It tells people that they matter, it tells people that their life counts. 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:46.879 Maybe you haven't felt that. 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:54.000 Can I just remind you that you mattered so much to Jesus that he stepped into this broken world? 00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:00.480 He saw the parts of your life that nobody else sees, the parts you don't want anybody to see. 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:04.559 And he still chose to come and die on the cross for you. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.840 And because of that reality, you are loved so you can love others. 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:17.039 And I wonder what kind of impact you would have if you made the choice to consistently and intentionally honor others. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:24.960 I wonder the person that right now is hanging on by a thread that if you choose to honor them, you can impact them. 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:32.000 I wonder the person that feels like they are not enough and they'll never measure up that if you'll choose to honor them, how you can lift their load. 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:36.080 I'm talking about the person that's overwhelmed with the burdens of life right now. 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:41.679 You don't you don't see the cuts on their arms because they were long sleeve shirts. 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:49.200 You don't see the challenges they had last week, but if you will choose to honor them, the impact you can make on them. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:09.759 A movement towards honor, a movement towards I see you, you matter, and I value you. 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:16.559 This is a movement that the gospel causes the church to have, a movement towards honor. 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:21.759 In verse 11, he says this we shouldn't lack diligence and zeal. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:25.200 We should be fervent in spirit, we should serve the Lord. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:35.279 We should, verse 12, rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer. 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:48.080 Paul gives this vision for a church that has a movement not just towards honor, but a movement towards passion and perseverance. 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:53.440 We should rejoice, it says, in hope. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:57.600 We should rejoice with each other because we have a confident expectation. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:02.639 We should be patient with each other when other people are going through stuff. 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:06.000 We should pray for each other and be persistent in prayer. 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:10.080 This is one reason why we have people available at the prayer banners, our prayer team. 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:11.600 Why they want to pray with you? 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:15.440 This is why we have ministry coordinators and ministry leaders and serve teams and groups. 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:15.840 Why? 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:19.440 So we can be a group of people that pray with and for each other. 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:24.559 It's a movement towards passion, a movement towards perseverance. 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:33.039 And verse 13, it says, share with the saints in their needs, pursue hospitality. 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:37.759 You realize that people have needs. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:40.799 We have needs. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:46.399 Now, a lot of times when it comes to needs, the first thing we think about is we think about financial needs. 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:47.840 And those are real. 00:16:48.159 --> 00:17:02.240 I'm really thankful that as a church this past December, because of your financial giving, we were able to help about a dozen families in our church have Christmas, and we're able to bless them financially because of your financial giving. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.440 Another need we think about, we think about the need for food. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:07.599 We have a community group in our church. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:13.519 Here's what they are: they are a food pantry to help families in our church that have a food shortage. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:15.839 That's an amazing thing. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:24.000 Sometimes people have financial needs, sometimes people have food needs, but sometimes the needs are different than that. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:33.359 Sometimes the needs are they need your presence, they need your emotional support, they need your availability. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:44.079 And for us to be present with people, there needs to be a movement in the church towards a shared life together. 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:48.640 The Christian life is to be lived in communion with other people. 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:55.839 And when other people in the body have needs, we want to look for opportunity to meet those needs. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:07.279 See, church will change for you on Sundays when you show up on Sundays, not thinking just what can I get from church, but thinking who can I serve at our church gatherings. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:18.400 I was talking with some dudes in my leadership brotherhood, my growth group, and we talked about how church changes when we view church not as an event that we attend, but as an opportunity to serve other people. 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:20.079 Who's sitting by themselves? 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:21.599 Like, how can I encourage them? 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:23.200 Who's going through a difficult time? 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:25.359 How can I build them up? 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:31.119 We need to, it says, share with the saints and their needs. 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:33.200 And then we need to pursue hospitality. 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:38.160 Here's what hospitality is: it's just love and openness with the outsider. 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:45.119 So somebody that may not yet be a part of the church, somebody that may not yet know Jesus. 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:47.279 We want to open our lives to them. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.119 We want to talk to them. 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:51.039 We want to get to know their names. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:55.440 Now, some of y'all, y'all are really shy and y'all are scared of people. 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.440 You see somebody and you're like, I don't know them. 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.039 Like, who I don't know. 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:03.839 You think, man, they might have the cooties. 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:08.079 Here's a secret: they're just as scared of you as you are of them. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.640 And some of you think, man, you think, man, you think, man, well, here's the thing, Pastor Nate. 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:17.359 The thing I like about FCC is we have a great welcome team and hospitality team. 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:20.559 Which, by the way, don't we have a great welcome team and hospitality team? 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:21.599 Yeah, they do. 00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:22.079 They do. 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:23.759 Dan Dyle leads them. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.720 They were here at 8 15 and they were so happy. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.240 I'm like, it is unspiritual how happy some of you are right now, okay? 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:39.359 But this text isn't just written to the welcome team and hospitality team at First Christian Church. 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:50.160 It's written to the entire church to pursue hospitality, to show love to other people. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.880 This is what the church is supposed to be. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:20:07.359 And when you look at this text and you look at this vision for a church where there's a movement towards honoring people, where there's a movement towards perseverance, where there's a movement towards doing life together, deep down, this is something that all of us desire. 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:12.400 We don't desire a community that's consumeristic, that's like, what can I get? 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:14.559 I just want to get, get, get. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:20.960 We don't desire a community that's transactional, like I do this for you, you do this for me, I'm keeping score. 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:22.720 We don't desire that. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:35.599 No, we desire a Romans 12 vision for community, a place where you're seen, where you matter, where you outdo each other in showing honor. 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.440 But this kind of community doesn't happen accidentally. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:45.839 I'll tell you what happens accidentally in a church: division, clickiness. 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:58.000 And this only happens when we decide to live our lives in response to the gospel and what God's done for us. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:06.559 And this, what's being described in Romans chapter 12, is not just like a good idea if the church feels like it. 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:10.400 No, like this is what the church is supposed to be. 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:14.880 This isn't like, hey, uh, Paul isn't like, hey, uh first Christian church. 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:19.920 If you guys if you guys like want to like love each other deeply because you like each other, that's cool. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:21.920 If you don't, no big deal. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.880 He's not like, if if you guys want to like share with each other and your needs, that'd be great. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:28.079 But if not, it's okay. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.559 Just show up every now and again on Sunday. 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:31.759 No, no, no. 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.240 This is what the church has to be. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:39.920 We don't let other churches, we don't let our experience define what the church should be. 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:43.039 We let the word of God define what the church should be. 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:49.440 Like there has to be an urgency in us to say, I'm going to be what God wants our church to be. 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:55.200 And the community that we long for is the church we help create. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.759 The only way that we can have this kind of community is. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.160 Is if we help create it. 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:08.400 Somebody is sitting in this room right now that is going through it and they're wondering if they can make it. 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:12.000 Somebody walks through the building every Sunday. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.359 We have guests come here every week, which is awesome. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:17.119 And they feel nervous. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:21.759 They're like, man, am I going to get struck by lightning walking in this church building? 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:24.480 Am I going to get judged by people? 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:31.119 But underneath that, I think is the question does anybody gonna care about me there? 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:34.319 Like, is anybody gonna see me? 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:44.640 And it's through your honor that those people experience the love of Jesus. 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:50.319 And Jesus says something powerful happens when we love and we show honor. 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:57.680 It says in John 13, he says, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:11.519 If you love one another, you know how people are gonna know that we're Jesus followers? 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:20.720 It's not our hype, it's not our buildings, it's not our activities, and it sure as heck isn't the pastor. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:24.160 It's love. 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:28.319 And we can love because we've been loved. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:31.039 So here's the challenge this week. 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:32.319 It's very simple. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:34.799 Outdo someone in showing honor. 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:41.680 Encourage someone intentionally and welcome someone personally. 00:23:51.680 --> 00:24:00.160 And if each of us will do this, watch what will happen. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:06.160 The watching world and others won't just see nice people. 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:11.920 What they'll see is Jesus in us. 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.400 And that's what all of this is about. 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:21.680 So this week, that's your challenge. 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:23.200 Let's all bow our heads and let's close our.