SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Manager Stafford Podcast, where we're all about equipping God's people to change their world.
SPEAKER_00: We're thankful you're here, and we're praying that this message encourages you to love God, love others, and love the world more fervently than before.
SPEAKER_00: Now, let's get to it.
SPEAKER_02: Let it roll.
SPEAKER_02: Well, good morning, good morning, man of church.
SPEAKER_02: How's everyone doing today?
SPEAKER_02: Good.
SPEAKER_02: That's not going to stay there.
SPEAKER_02: Let me put this up.
SPEAKER_02: And while I'm doing that, if you guys would bow your heads with me, I want to just open up with a quick word of prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Heavenly Father, thank you for this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for the opportunity to come and worship you.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, I just pray that you would speak through me as imperfect and much of a donkey as I am.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, I pray that you'd also partner faith with the hearing of everyone in here, that your word would come alive in each one of us.
SPEAKER_02: In Jesus' name we pray.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: Well, good morning.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you guys for coming here.
SPEAKER_02: We are in week two of this little mini-series, DTR, Define the Relationship.
SPEAKER_02: Rochelle and I have been married for many, many years, and we had, while we were dating, many DTRs, which almost all consisted of me convincing her that it was not a bad idea to stay in a relationship with me.
SPEAKER_02: I promise you, I'm worth it.
SPEAKER_02: And you know, thankfully I was successful because now we're married.
SPEAKER_02: It's great.
SPEAKER_02: But y'all know DTRs, you know, they they happen, and they happen uh sometimes, not just once, not just twice, not just three times, but several times.
SPEAKER_02: And so we've been going through this analogy of DTR, just kind of a fun little way of talking about membership, church membership.
SPEAKER_02: And that's what we've been talking about last week, and that's what we're gonna talk about also this week.
SPEAKER_02: And Jake gave a really helpful definition for this idea of membership.
SPEAKER_02: Because I think sometimes the notion, this word sometimes, it's a little bit spooky for people.
SPEAKER_02: So I like this definition that Jake provided last week, and I want to read it one more time to you guys.
SPEAKER_02: Membership, as a recall from last week, membership at its best, is how we say these are the people with whom I intend to live out the commands of Jesus, and these are the leaders under whose care I willingly place myself.
SPEAKER_02: One of the things that I love so much about manna church is that I can say it's my church.
SPEAKER_02: I can say it's my family's church.
SPEAKER_02: I don't have to say it's just Pastor Jake's church.
SPEAKER_02: I don't have to say it's just the executive leadership team's church.
SPEAKER_02: I have real stake and interest.
SPEAKER_02: I belong to manna, and in a way, manna belongs to me.
SPEAKER_02: And that's a part of what I think the New Testament makes clear is that it is vital for every single one of us, any believer in Jesus, to belong to a mutually committed fellowship of other Jesus followers.
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes I think in America, especially, um, you know, if you've had the privilege to travel, you get the experience to see other cultures.
SPEAKER_02: One of the things that's very characteristic of Americans, and I think we're all a little bit aware of this, is we have this baked into our DNA, this uh this idea of rugged individualism.
SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm I'm I'm me, I'm a self-made person, I can I can do what I want, right?
SPEAKER_02: And so sometimes this notion of membership or being mutually committed, sometimes it's like a little like it doesn't fit so great.
SPEAKER_02: I don't like it.
SPEAKER_02: It's a little heavy, a little bit claustrophobic.
SPEAKER_02: Come on now, don't corner me, right?
SPEAKER_02: And I've heard from people, oftentimes people will say this.
SPEAKER_02: Um, I've had friends or acquaintances that have said this, and maybe you've even said it, like, look, I follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Like me and Jesus, I follow him.
SPEAKER_02: I'm good with Big C church, but I just follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: That's my that's my thing, right?
SPEAKER_02: And I would say to that, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_02: Great, yes, let us all follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: And one of the things that Jesus said is, if you love me, you will keep all my commands.
SPEAKER_02: And what are some of the things that Jesus talked about?
SPEAKER_02: Well, it involves you and I and all believers belonging one another to a mutually committed group of followers of Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: So, yes, if that's you, help me help you follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Let's do this together in church.
SPEAKER_02: Amen?
SPEAKER_02: I want to also just uh say something to this notion of mutual commitment.
SPEAKER_02: I I have my own little definition and I'll kind of throw this up there.
SPEAKER_02: Um my little definition would be membership is when we belong to a local, distinct, and mutually committed group of Christ followers.
SPEAKER_02: You're gonna hear me say that a lot.
SPEAKER_02: Mutual commitment, local, distinct.
SPEAKER_02: That's what makes up the church, is lots of little churches, right?
SPEAKER_02: Just as the body is made up of arms, legs, hearts, lungs, all those things, what are those things made up of?
SPEAKER_02: Cells, right?
SPEAKER_02: So all of these little churches make up the large church universal.
SPEAKER_02: And I think if we just read the New Testament, without this idea of the local church being the fabric of what Christ intended for to happen on the earth, it's not going to make a lick of sense.
SPEAKER_02: Half of the things that Jesus says, if you read any of the epistles written by Paul, Peter, James, John, even Jude, it will not make a lick of sense unless we read it within the understanding of it was written for people who belong to a local, distinct, and mutually committed group of Christ followers.
SPEAKER_02: So, in other words, while the word membership isn't expressly stated in that exact technical term, the idea of membership is expressed throughout all of the New Testament, and you can't escape it.
SPEAKER_02: Last week Jake covered a lot of the reasons why we think here at Manna Church, membership is not only the biblical model, we also think it's useful, it's necessary, and it's beneficial.
SPEAKER_02: And today, my hope is to unpack a little bit of one of the benefits or necessary outflows of church membership.
SPEAKER_02: Rochelle and I have this like little funny, and if you haven't met me, my name is David, and I'm the missions lead here at Manna Church.
SPEAKER_02: And if you haven't met Rochelle, she's my wife.
SPEAKER_02: So now that makes sense, the connection has been made.
SPEAKER_02: One of the little things that Rochelle and I have, this little like inside joke, and I'm the butt of the joke, is that anytime I've ever attempted to start something new, whether it's a new job, you know, my first job, professional sort of career job, was an enterprise rent a car.
SPEAKER_02: So where I got my chops in business.
SPEAKER_02: Um and then after that I worked for a local defense contractor, and then so on and so forth.
SPEAKER_02: But anytime I've ever tried something new, whether it's work or otherwise, the first year or two, I'm like, I'm freaking out.
SPEAKER_02: I'm in full panic mode.
SPEAKER_02: I'm anxious.
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, I suck.
SPEAKER_02: Sorry, grandmother, I should have said that.
SPEAKER_02: I'm just like, oh my God, I'm so bad that some.
SPEAKER_02: I feel like a little bit like Harry from Dumb and Dumber.
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, I got no skills, our pets' heads are falling off.
SPEAKER_02: I'm just full panic and freaking out.
SPEAKER_02: My head is lifted off my shoulders, and I and I sit there and I vent, and Rochelle listens and hears.
SPEAKER_02: But now that we've done this a few times, you know, it's like I'm not an enterprise anymore.
SPEAKER_02: I'm not at some ventions anymore, I'm not doing this these jobs anymore.
SPEAKER_02: I've kind of grown, I've developed, and Rochelle's seen this pattern of like every two years when I do something new, it takes a couple years, but after a while it's like, it's okay.
SPEAKER_02: You get this, you're equipped, you're prepared.
SPEAKER_02: And suddenly I'm like, I got the skills and I've got the what I need, the know-how to do the job.
SPEAKER_02: And all of a sudden I'm like, this is good.
SPEAKER_02: Everything is everything is right.
SPEAKER_02: Now, don't raise your hand, but I wonder if there's anybody else out there that can kind of relate, right?
SPEAKER_02: Life thrusts you into a new situation, a new experience.
SPEAKER_02: Uh, here in just a few weeks, some of you are going to be going to high school for the first time, right?
SPEAKER_02: Some of you college.
SPEAKER_02: Some of us have done new jobs, of course, and some of us are going on new deployments from time to time.
SPEAKER_02: So we understand this idea of being thrust into new experiences that are both daunting, uh uncomfortable, and um not something that we feel prepared for.
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes maybe we got the training we needed, that's great.
SPEAKER_02: But more often than not, I think when we enter into new seasons of life, we enter in with just enough of what we need to get us there, but not enough to stay living in that situation where we are.
SPEAKER_02: We have to grow, we have to adapt, we have to mature.
SPEAKER_02: My one big hope today is to show you that at least one of the big functions of a local, distinct, mutually committed community of Christ followers that's a mouthful.
SPEAKER_02: Is to equip, prepare, train, and shepherd the people of God to live maximally fruitful and pleasing lives in whatever we do and how we do it.
SPEAKER_02: Let me say that one more time.
SPEAKER_02: Because this is this is it.
SPEAKER_02: I've preached my sermon.
SPEAKER_02: Here it is.
SPEAKER_02: My one big hope today is that you walk out of here knowing with confidence that at least one of the primary functions of the local, distinct, mutually committed community of Christ followers, aka the church, is to equip, prepare, train, and shepherd the people of God to live maximally fruitful and pleasing lives in whatever we do and how we do it.
SPEAKER_02: Do you guys want to live somewhat fruitful lives?
SPEAKER_02: Somewhat pleasing lives?
SPEAKER_02: Who here wants to live maximally fruitful life?
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: And that is what God intended for you, too, which is what he intended through the church.
SPEAKER_02: I want us to turn to Ephesians chapter 4.
SPEAKER_02: If you've got your Bible, great.
SPEAKER_02: If not, pull out your phone, I'm sure you got on that.
SPEAKER_02: We're going to go to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11.
SPEAKER_02: Some context as you're pulling it up.
SPEAKER_02: Ephesians is a letter to the church in Ephesus, written by Paul.
SPEAKER_02: So Paul is the apostle, he's the missionary, he's a church planter.
SPEAKER_02: He planted a church in the city called Ephesus.
SPEAKER_02: And this letter to the Ephesians is like bombshell after bombshell of the richest theological truths.
SPEAKER_02: What is God doing?
SPEAKER_02: What is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit?
SPEAKER_02: How are they working their purposes in the earth and in you from eternity past, destiny, calling?
SPEAKER_02: And then he goes into these rich truths of the church.
SPEAKER_02: What are his purposes in the church and how is he doing it?
SPEAKER_02: And we come to verse 11 in the fourth chapter.
SPEAKER_02: And I'm just going to read through it.
SPEAKER_02: And it says, And he, that's God, gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all.
SPEAKER_02: I wish we had a word in English.
SPEAKER_02: We have y'all, we should have wall, until wall attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children.
SPEAKER_02: Tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.
SPEAKER_02: Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow, so that it builds itself up in love.
SPEAKER_02: There's a lot there.
SPEAKER_02: I told you, Ephesians is rich stuff.
SPEAKER_02: And there's a lot that we could take out of there.
SPEAKER_02: What I don't want us to focus on here is something that primarily gets focused on is those different offices, right?
SPEAKER_02: Apostle teacher, all that stuff.
SPEAKER_02: I don't want to focus on that today.
SPEAKER_02: That's a topic for a different sermon.
SPEAKER_02: But what I do want us to consider is why did those offices get sent to the church?
SPEAKER_02: And it's pretty clear, right there at the beginning, it says, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
SPEAKER_02: I just want to say there on this word the saints, like there's no levels or tiers in the body of Christ, right?
SPEAKER_02: Like there's not C tier believer, and then there's A tier pastor, and then S tier saint.
SPEAKER_02: No.
SPEAKER_02: When Paul says saint, he's talking about all of us.
SPEAKER_02: If you've been blot washed by the blood of Jesus, you've been sanctified, right?
SPEAKER_02: You've been set apart, you've been made a saint.
SPEAKER_02: You and I is who he's talking about here.
SPEAKER_02: And he says that we are meant to be equipped, trained, prepared to do the work of the ministry.
SPEAKER_02: Now, if you're like my kids, anytime I try to explain something and I give one answer, they follow it up with, and then.
SPEAKER_02: So, all of that for what end?
SPEAKER_02: For maturity.
SPEAKER_02: That the saints, again, that's you and me, would grow up.
SPEAKER_02: So I know there's a lot of people in this building here that are in the building industry.
SPEAKER_02: Y'all know a foundation, super important.
SPEAKER_02: Cannot be understated.
SPEAKER_02: Super, super, super important.
SPEAKER_02: But a foundation is not supposed to be the whole building, am I right?
SPEAKER_02: You're supposed to build on a foundation.
SPEAKER_02: And for people who are nature enthusiasts in here, let me use a different analogy.
SPEAKER_02: Living things mature.
SPEAKER_02: They grow.
SPEAKER_02: You know, butterflies, sorry, caterpillars, pretty few steps ahead of being an egg, but a caterpillar is not supposed to stay a caterpillar.
SPEAKER_02: It's intended to mature, to grow, to become more.
SPEAKER_02: And Christ would have the same for all of us.
SPEAKER_02: I love where he says so that we may no longer be children if we're to grow up.
SPEAKER_02: I think it's so wonderful that Christ plucks us out of whatever state we find ourselves.
SPEAKER_02: He gives us new life, new identity, new mind, new heart, all of these things.
SPEAKER_02: But there's this idea that we see all the time babies are born, and none of us expect that baby to just be a baby forever.
SPEAKER_02: That baby's supposed to grow up, and the same analogy applies to the church.
SPEAKER_02: But the point is that we would mature and grow to become healthy, equipped disciples.
SPEAKER_02: Last week Jake mentioned the importance, you know, if you're looking to see if you're compatible with the church, look at the values.
SPEAKER_02: Consider if you share aligned values.
SPEAKER_02: And let me just say this up front, be very clear on this.
SPEAKER_02: MANA is an equipping church.
SPEAKER_02: That is one of our big values.
SPEAKER_02: And I wouldn't say this is hopefully not like a unique thing about manna church.
SPEAKER_02: I'm just saying this is something that we have as a value is to equip you.
SPEAKER_02: I would hope that every church that follows Jesus would hold to the same value.
SPEAKER_02: So if you're like, hmm, I don't share that value, let me go try another church out.
SPEAKER_02: My guess is you're going to find another church that's also going to want to equip you.
SPEAKER_02: You can't run from this notion of being equipped.
SPEAKER_02: But here at Mana Church, I want to say we are laser focused on being obedient to the commands of our captain and commander Jesus when he said, Go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.
SPEAKER_02: So I just said a second ago, it's it's lovely when we have new babies, right?
SPEAKER_02: But we don't want babies to stay babies.
SPEAKER_02: We want them to grow, to be nurtured, and to be cared for.
SPEAKER_02: In the same way, man, we love it when there's new converts.
SPEAKER_02: When somebody turns from sin and repents and turns their and puts their faith in Jesus, we love it.
SPEAKER_02: We celebrate it big time.
SPEAKER_02: But golly day, we do not want that to be the end of the story.
SPEAKER_02: That's step one.
SPEAKER_02: Step two is grow, mature, develop.
SPEAKER_02: We are all about, Jesus did not say go and make converts.
SPEAKER_02: He said, go and make disciples.
SPEAKER_02: So at Manage Church, we are all about making equipped, mature disciples.
SPEAKER_02: Now, I think it's funny.
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if it's you know dawned on you how sort of tongue-in-cheek it is that I'm up here delivering this message on equipping.
SPEAKER_02: I am not the lead pastor.
SPEAKER_02: And yet here I am on stage delivering a sermon.
SPEAKER_02: And if you've not noticed, there's been no less than five different people on this stage in the past year also delivering the message of the Lord to you.
SPEAKER_02: I think that's awesome.
SPEAKER_02: Uh is it because Jake is lazy?
SPEAKER_02: Um, maybe Jake is vacation maxing.
SPEAKER_02: No, it has nothing to do with that.
SPEAKER_02: It is because we are an equipping church.
SPEAKER_02: And the teaching team exists as a training ground for new or for folks to develop their skill in communicating.
SPEAKER_02: You know, God has created each of us uniquely, and he's given different giftings and skills to different people, and I dare say, even some of the areas that we might deem as weaknesses.
SPEAKER_02: Y'all remember Moses when God called him to go lead the people out of Egypt?
SPEAKER_02: And he was like, I know speak so good, Lord.
SPEAKER_02: God's like, that's cool, man.
SPEAKER_02: I made the mute and the deaf.
SPEAKER_02: Go on get.
SPEAKER_02: Do the thing.
SPEAKER_02: Your weaknesses, your skills, your strengths, God has made you unique and He's crafted you for a function, for a purpose, and for a meaning.
SPEAKER_02: And for some of us that might be communicating, for some of us it's faith or hospitality or prayer or service.
SPEAKER_02: Last week, or actually two weeks ago now, we sent out, Man of Stafford sent out a team of 22 people on a missions trip, short-term missions trip to Mexico in partnership with a local church down there in Aguascalientes, Cultura de Gracia.
SPEAKER_02: The team consisted of adults, teens, kids, all went on this missions trip.
SPEAKER_02: And the stories that have been coming from this trip are nothing short of incredible.
SPEAKER_02: I wish that I could have them all just come up here and just share, uh, but we would be here for hours and hours.
SPEAKER_02: But the stuff that they did was just absolutely incredible.
SPEAKER_02: They went to multiple spots throughout the community, provided food in some of the lower income parts of town, went into people's homes and prayed for people, went to hospitals where people have to just kind of sit outside.
SPEAKER_02: Either they're sick or there's lots of injury and this the waiting line is so bad, or they're waiting for their loved ones to get a chance to see them.
SPEAKER_02: Either way, there's crowds in these hospitals just waiting.
SPEAKER_02: They went out there and they prayed for people.
SPEAKER_02: We saw healings.
SPEAKER_02: One person who couldn't even walk, let alone stand up, was able to, after prayer, was able to stand up and kind of start to take some steps.
SPEAKER_02: Really cool stuff.
SPEAKER_02: We saw multiple people give their testimonies at different services throughout town.
SPEAKER_02: And one man gave his life to the Lord thanks to the faithfulness of our team in providing their sharing their testimony and giving the gospel message.
SPEAKER_02: We saw dozens and dozens of people prayed for.
SPEAKER_02: Tons and tons of outreaches were done.
SPEAKER_02: And one of the cool things for me is here we have a situation where neither Jake went on the missions trip nor anybody from uh the missions lead, that's me, um, other lane leaders.
SPEAKER_02: But this uh trip was led by Jen Hooth and Casey Robeson.
SPEAKER_02: So two of the most servant-hearted and pluckiest women at this church that I know.
SPEAKER_02: And we have yes, please give them a hand.
SPEAKER_02: Give honor where honor is due.
SPEAKER_02: But the amazing thing is here, so here we have the situation where because the leadership of this church is so laser-focused on equipping people, that lane leaders were poured into.
SPEAKER_02: As a result, Jen and Casey lead this trip to Mexico, wherein dozens of people are ministered to, dozens of people are prayed to, there's salvation, there's healing, people are delivered from depression, from spiritual oppression.
SPEAKER_02: The youth, this is the part that gets me the most excited, is it doesn't just end there.
SPEAKER_02: Now we have the youth and the kids going out on mission, doing the stuff.
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's just so cool.
SPEAKER_02: We've had people leading worship, the youth leading worship at services.
SPEAKER_02: And I and one of one of our guys, Zach, because of the skills with which he was equipped last summer, was able to do electrical repairs on this trip.
SPEAKER_02: I just think it's so cool to see this radiating, this cascade of equipping, just going and touching just generation and generation and generation.
SPEAKER_02: It excites me so much.
SPEAKER_02: Now, I have spent a little bit of time talking about equipping from the perspective of skills and service and maybe doing ministry or stuff within the church.
SPEAKER_02: And it's true, Ephesians 4 does talk about being equipped for the work of the ministry, but I want to be clear about something.
SPEAKER_02: When I'm talking about equipping, that's definitely part of it.
SPEAKER_02: But equipping is not just about serving, it's about character, it's about real life change.
SPEAKER_02: It's about the fruit of the Spirit being born inside of us.
SPEAKER_02: It's about being equipped to handle the rigors and the challenges of life.
SPEAKER_02: And I want to share a story of one of our members here at church.
SPEAKER_02: We got a video that we're going to queue up, and I'd like for you guys to turn your attention to the screen and listen in.
SPEAKER_01: Uh area and uh I remember I turned 20 in Mexico and it's the first time I ever touched cocaine.
SPEAKER_01: And for one whole year, I mean I was doing nothing but cocaine and just partying all the time.
SPEAKER_01: And then uh that was fine until I uh got introduced to uh pills, and uh first thing I ever did was a Vikadin, and um I just started a roller coaster.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Vicodin, star sets, percocets, roxies, oxies.
SPEAKER_01: Um you name it, I did it.
SPEAKER_01: Well, that stuff gets expensive, so the next logical step in this is heroin.
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, what do we do?
SPEAKER_01: We go and find heroin.
SPEAKER_01: Um I'm with my ex at this point, and um, you know, it's just we're doing these drugs daily.
SPEAKER_01: It's just, it's it's hard.
SPEAKER_01: Um you you you lose your soul, man.
SPEAKER_01: Like we'd I would not shower literally for weeks at a time, because the only thing that mattered was the drug.
SPEAKER_01: So I remember uh COVID 2020, and I'm watching somebody's house.
SPEAKER_01: I've never really stayed at this house ever, and um can't do anything, so I'm drinking uh a bottle of of Maker's Mark and just sitting in darkness.
SPEAKER_01: And um I remember I put a gun in my mouth that night, and um I bit down and I was like, I I like we're doing this, and I remember I'm watching these dogs, and I just happened to just look at these dogs, and I was like, these dogs are gonna eat my brains.
SPEAKER_01: Like, I know that's kind of like a morbid thing to say, but it's like it it the thought that's what's that's what made me pull this gun out of my mouth.
SPEAKER_01: And I don't think that was really my thought.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think that like Jesus is always there, and he's just no matter what, he's just he's he's talking.
SPEAKER_01: And um, so I remember I was driving to and from work, and um I kept hearing every single day these podcasts I'd listen to, and they'd be like, you know, any any uh um advice for young men that you could possibly give, and every single day was go to church, find a church, get involved in church.
SPEAKER_01: And it was funny because I kept driving past this one church every single day.
SPEAKER_01: And uh something I guess I forgot to tell you.
SPEAKER_01: We grew up, we grew up non-denominational, but I went to a Baptist school.
SPEAKER_01: So this was a Baptist church, and I was like, wow, all right, Lord, like tell me to join the church.
SPEAKER_01: I passed this church every day.
SPEAKER_01: Like, all right, I'll do I'm gonna join this church.
SPEAKER_01: And um, I remember like that week I made the commitment.
SPEAKER_01: I got a phone call from one of my friends, and she's like, hey, there's this church right around the corner from your house, and you should really go check it out.
SPEAKER_01: I was like, Oh, look, I was gonna join this Baptist church.
SPEAKER_01: I kind of know Baptists already, like, I can deal with Baptists.
SPEAKER_01: She's like, Keith, look, it's not denominational, you should check it out.
SPEAKER_01: I was like, all right, so first time I ever went to mana.
SPEAKER_01: And um, so like ever since then, I've been going to manna, but first, you gotta give your life to God, you gotta give your life to Jesus, like first, first and foremost, but you gotta surround yourself with like-minded people.
SPEAKER_01: Like, that was one of the things um I had to learn real fast with getting off drugs, is I can't hang around with the people that still use drugs.
SPEAKER_01: You can't do it.
SPEAKER_01: You gotta, you gotta flip your friend group completely upside down, you gotta delete phone numbers off your phone.
SPEAKER_01: Like, it sounds horrible.
SPEAKER_01: It sounds like, oh, you're being mean to that person, but you're you're saving yourself.
SPEAKER_01: Like, you can't, you gotta make sure that you're clean and your souls is is is fulfilled before you could go out and do it anywhere else.
SPEAKER_01: Uh leading the the Levites um as a the lane leader um at Manna Church.
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I'm with God, and God took this drug addict poor soul, and he uh he redeemed me and he he brought me to this community of like like-minded people to be surrounded by and to just rejoice in his name.
SPEAKER_02: Give the Lord some praise.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, we thank you for what you've done in Keith's life.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, we thank you for what you've done in our lives, in my life.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, we thank you.
SPEAKER_02: The story is so similar.
SPEAKER_02: It's always we were a train wreck without you, and yet you plucked us out of the mire, you put us on solid ground, you've given us joy, peace, sound mind, you've given us purpose and meaning.
SPEAKER_02: We thank you, Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: Guys, that video, the first time I watched it, I was taking a bite of a sandwich, and when he said, as soon as you said redeemed me, I was like, oh me too.
SPEAKER_02: For real, though.
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it is so powerful, and thank you, Keith, for sharing that.
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that the vulnerability to share that.
SPEAKER_02: But the thing is, guys, I mean, as pretty as sometimes we we like to make some of our lives be, what I just said is true.
SPEAKER_02: It's a train wreck without Christ, and we're so thankful.
SPEAKER_02: I'm so thankful for his grace and kindness in each of us, operating in the life of ordinary people, and and and through the blessing of a local church to bring about deep and meaningful life change.
SPEAKER_02: And so what I'm saying here is just this that I think the equipping that God intended for each of us is for every one of us in all of life.
SPEAKER_02: Whether you're a parent at home with your children, or you're a student at school, your employee, your business owner, at work, your service member on deployment, equipping is about real life-changing for all of life.
SPEAKER_02: And there's at least one part that's been missing from this whole discussion, right?
SPEAKER_02: I've talked about how uh what a blessing it is that the Lord equips the saints through the church.
SPEAKER_02: I've talked about the responsibility that the church leadership has to equip the saints.
SPEAKER_02: There's one key piece to all this that's still missing, and that is that the saints need to be positioned themselves to be equipped.
SPEAKER_02: You and I will not be equipped if we stay right here and the equipping is happening right there.
SPEAKER_02: We have to open ourselves up to be equipped.
SPEAKER_02: It takes obedience.
SPEAKER_02: I'm reminded of a trip to um North Africa that I went on a couple years ago, a few years ago, to meet with a missions worker there.
SPEAKER_02: I'll call him T.
SPEAKER_02: And I remember meeting with T and sort of just asking him, hey T, you know, so like talk me through this.
SPEAKER_02: Why North Africa?
SPEAKER_02: Why this region?
SPEAKER_02: Is it hard?
SPEAKER_02: Was it difficult to make that decision, to just transplant your family, your wife, your kids?
SPEAKER_02: Now you're raising third culture kids in a different environment.
SPEAKER_02: Like, talk me through this.
SPEAKER_02: How did you come to this?
SPEAKER_02: Is it hard?
SPEAKER_02: What you know what are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_02: And I'll never forget what T said to me.
SPEAKER_02: He took me to Matthew 25 14 through 30.
SPEAKER_02: This is the parable of the talents.
SPEAKER_02: And many of you are very familiar with this parable.
SPEAKER_02: I will not read it, I'm gonna go ahead and paraphrase it.
SPEAKER_02: But uh for those who are not familiar with this parable, Jesus is giving a story.
SPEAKER_02: And in this story, there's a certain wealthy man.
SPEAKER_02: And this wealthy man is about to leave on a long journey.
SPEAKER_02: So before he leaves on this long journey, he gathers up his servants and he distributes his business to each of his servants and says, Listen, do business for me on my behalf while I'm away.
SPEAKER_02: So to one servant, he gives five talents.
SPEAKER_02: Talent is a monetary unit.
SPEAKER_02: This is not like America's got talent, this is money.
SPEAKER_02: He's giving his capital to this servant, five talents, a large sum of money, and he says, Do business for me on my behalf while I'm away, off he goes.
SPEAKER_02: Next servant, he gives three talents, same instructions, off he goes.
SPEAKER_02: Last servant, he gives one talent.
SPEAKER_02: Same instruction, and off he goes.
SPEAKER_02: The wealthy man leaves and goes on his journey, and while he's away, servant number one takes the talent that the master gave him and invests it.
SPEAKER_02: He's productive, he doubles the money.
SPEAKER_02: The second servant does likewise, less, but still very productive, doubling the amount that he was that he received.
SPEAKER_02: Y'all know the story, but the last servant takes one talent that he had and does nothing with it.
SPEAKER_02: Hides it and sits on it.
SPEAKER_02: Eventually the master comes home off of his long journey and comes in and says, Alright, let's settle accounts.
SPEAKER_02: Servant number one comes up, well done.
SPEAKER_02: My dude, five talents and you actually doubled it.
SPEAKER_02: Wow, well done.
SPEAKER_02: Well good and faithful servant, right?
SPEAKER_02: Next servant comes up, three talents and you just three talents, well done, well done.
SPEAKER_02: This is great.
SPEAKER_02: He'd taken the original investment and doubled it.
SPEAKER_02: Last servant comes up, got nothing for you.
SPEAKER_02: In fact, I just hid the talent.
SPEAKER_02: Here you go.
SPEAKER_02: Here's your talent back.
SPEAKER_02: Not only had he not done anything with the talent, but that talent depreciated in value over the time that the master was away.
SPEAKER_02: What does this master do?
SPEAKER_02: That servant is called wicked and cast out of the kingdom.
SPEAKER_02: At this point, he's talking to me and he's like, guys, you know, the whole point of this parable, right?
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes it gets lost in us, but the point of the parable is it doesn't matter which servant got five talents, or three talents, or one talent.
SPEAKER_02: That's besides the point.
SPEAKER_02: The point was that the servant with five talents and the servant with three talents was faithful with what they received, and the servant with one talent did nothing with it.
SPEAKER_02: He sat on it.
SPEAKER_02: But the point of the parable is not that you be as productive as the five-talent servant or as the three-talent servant, right?
SPEAKER_02: It's not like the servants are supposed to be like more productive than the other.
SPEAKER_02: The point is that each servant, which is you and I, is supposed to, we have an obligation to be productive and fruitful with the talents that we have received.
SPEAKER_02: Not more, but not less.
SPEAKER_02: There's no expectation that you be more productive than your neighbor or that you're comparing with one another.
SPEAKER_02: The expectation is that you not do more than what you've been given, but not do less than what you've been given.
SPEAKER_02: And at that point, he looks at me and said, That said, we're convinced that we're the servant that's been given many talents.
SPEAKER_02: I don't know whether you feel that same way.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you're a servant of many or few talents.
SPEAKER_02: But as members of the flock, you and I have an obligation before our captain and commander, Master Jesus, that we not squander our talents.
SPEAKER_02: And as shepherds of the flock, Pastor Jake and all the pastoral team, we have to give an account for how we equip the flock to live lives that are maximally fruitful and pleasing.
SPEAKER_02: Let me appeal to you here at the end to recognize that part of belonging to the local body is being positioned to equip, to mature, and to grow, as well as to be faithful stewards of all that God has given you.
SPEAKER_02: And for some of you, this is your wake-up call.
SPEAKER_02: You've sat on the sidelines for long enough, it's time to join the fight.
SPEAKER_02: It's time to join the fight.
SPEAKER_02: Your church needs you.
SPEAKER_02: Your workplace needs you.
SPEAKER_02: Your unit needs you.
SPEAKER_02: Your family needs you.
SPEAKER_02: You have talents.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe it's five, maybe it's three, maybe it's one.
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_02: What matters is that you don't sit on the talents God has given you for his kingdom advance.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you know exactly what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_02: And that your ears are burning even now.
SPEAKER_02: Let me just give you this advice.
SPEAKER_02: If you don't know what else to do, join a small group, join Growth Track, join a serve team.
SPEAKER_02: If you have burning questions, wrestling with marriage, wrestling with how to raise a family, please reach out to the office.
SPEAKER_02: I know Pastor Jake and or somebody else from the pastoral team would be more than honored to take next steps with you.
SPEAKER_02: Or maybe you're thinking that this is all fine and well, but you feel a little bit like someone sitting on the outside looking in.
SPEAKER_02: You want to be equipped, you want to live a life that's right and healthy, all this language of maximally pleasing, maximally fruitful, all that sounds wonderful, but you're in a limbo where you've not even made those first steps to follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you're not all that far from Keith.
SPEAKER_02: When he in that story gave in his testimony, mentioned that first Sunday where he attended Manna.
SPEAKER_02: You've heard the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calling.
SPEAKER_02: You've hung around, but you've never taken that next step.
SPEAKER_02: You've never made the plunge.
SPEAKER_02: This is your chance.
SPEAKER_02: The scriptures say today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
SPEAKER_02: The prayer team and I will be down here in the front in just a moment.
SPEAKER_02: I'd like to invite you, if that's you, if you've not made that decision to stop living life on your own terms, to let go of control and to follow Jesus, I invite you.
SPEAKER_02: Please come to the front.
SPEAKER_02: We'd love to pray with you.
SPEAKER_02: Or if there's anything that you would like prayer for in terms of, gosh, I really feel like it's time to take some next steps.
SPEAKER_02: I really feel like I've I've been sitting on some talents.
SPEAKER_02: Please come forward for prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Mana Church Stafford Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: If you would like to connect with us, you can find us on the web at manastafford.church or download the Mana Church app to listen to our new episodes as they become available.
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SPEAKER_00: We would also love to meet you in person.
SPEAKER_00: If you are local, our services take place each Sunday at 10 a.m.
SPEAKER_00: We pray you have an amazing week, and we'll see you next time.