WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:09.919 I was having lunch with a friend of mine a few weeks ago from out of town over at Casa Fiesta here in our parking lot. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:11.679 Any Casa fans out there? 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.199 Man, I love that place. 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:15.759 Shout out to Fernando, his family, their team. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:22.000 Special shout out that they let us park in their parking lot, our volunteers on Sunday mornings, which is very kind of them. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:31.679 And we were meeting over and having lunch together, and this friend of mine has been around Multiply for uh for a long time and knows what's going on, but we were having lunch. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:45.679 He's out of town, and we were uh talking and really just he was asking how things were going, and it was a moment just to reflect on all the amazing things that have happened here recently, even over the last six months. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:48.159 We have had a wild six months, haven't we? 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:48.960 Team? 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:50.159 We really have. 00:00:50.320 --> 00:01:01.840 And we're we're we're we're going back today to our bricklayer series that we did at the end of this last year, and periodically through the year, we kind of return to our year-in series. 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:08.719 And so really just reflecting on the fact that we're we're building a foundation to reach our city. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:37.760 We're building a foundation to reach our city, and this foundation is being built, has uh and continuing to be built for the fact that in the last six months and even from the beginning of the year, we've celebrated 15 people who've been baptized since the beginning of this year, which is more than we baptized all of last year, and we're building a foundation here in this place for us to take steps to reach people for Jesus. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:52.000 The Lord provided through your generosity and our partners$200,000 just in the month of December that allowed us to pay the last portion of the construction to move into this place completely debt-free. 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:53.920 Which just doesn't happen. 00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:58.640 It doesn't happen for a two-year-old church for God to have done all that he's done. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:05.359 And the thing that just I love so much in the last six months is that we have launched and began the Frankfurt Forward Initiative. 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:17.840 As we have been serving and reaching in our community since our very beginning, in the inception of our church, but for us to say, we're gonna help to see Frankfurt flourish and to see it move forward together. 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:26.319 And so we are continuing, you've already heard today, ways that we are plugging in, serving, loving our community, and caring about those people. 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:34.639 And we're having a conversation, me and my friend, and we're talking about all these things, and then our conversation turns to regular dad life stuff. 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:45.840 Talking about, you know, life, kids, financial struggles, all kinds of things that are happening in our life, specifically talking about finance stuff. 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.240 Uh, have you noticed that prices are going up? 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.240 Anybody notice that? 00:02:50.479 --> 00:03:04.400 I don't know about you, but if you've ever felt at a time at some point in your life where you have not quite felt satisfied with your financial situation, maybe you're advancing and moving forward in your career, but you're making more, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have more. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:16.319 And the conversation, it quickly turned as with my friend who's a believer, and started, he started to talk about how he was feeling guilty about not giving and tithing enough. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:19.439 And I wasn't giving him grief about that. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:30.319 We were just having a conversation, and I began to listen to what was going on with him, and we were talking about some of the financial troubles and crises that were going on in his life. 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:36.479 I don't know about you or if you have ever tried to explain your financial situation to God before. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:41.199 Like, God, these bills are piling up. 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:47.599 God, are you not aware of how expensive braces are for my kid? 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:52.800 God, why are tires that expensive? 00:03:53.199 --> 00:04:00.639 And why do I and my wife keep hitting the same curb all the time and having to replace these tires? 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:16.079 See, sometimes we're in different situations and whatever it is, and wherever you are, when you're thinking about your situation financially, if you're in a trouble, you're having hardships, or maybe even you're in a crisis, sometimes it can feel like a crisis at times. 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:22.240 And I wonder, I wonder if God cares about how we act during that crisis. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:38.480 And I wonder too what it looks like for us to care about, not just ourselves in our own crisis, but to look to our whole community and to care whether or not that we have a community in crisis. 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:42.560 What's going on in our city? 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:44.639 What's going on with people? 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:50.399 Are there things that we need to step up and take the chance and begin to see God move? 00:04:50.480 --> 00:05:08.800 See, because you also, if you weren't here, I'm helped to remind you or to tell you that in December of this last year, we got to come alongside the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation that serves kids and teens impacted by incarceration, and we got to provide Christmas gifts for over 50 families for those students in December. 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:11.120 And the Lord provided that. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:33.279 Also, we got to come alongside Avenues Clinic that serves families, children, saving lives, saving families, and make a commitment to come alongside them and to give to them as well. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:42.319 And here's what I want to share with you kind of up front, that's where I'm gonna land, but I'm kind of giving you the the giving you the answer before the test. 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:48.959 And it's sometimes that that a community in crisis it can be changed by compassion. 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:53.279 And and and this statement right here, sometimes it just takes someone. 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:54.800 Everybody say someone. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:58.879 Sometimes it just takes someone. 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:04.800 And I want to, I wanna I want to set the stage for this message by sharing this passage with you, 2 Corinthians 12, 9. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:11.600 But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:15.040 God's grace is sufficient for us. 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:26.480 See, what I want to do today is I want to talk about a story, which is the story we went through back in November and December of this last year, about the story of the man Nehemiah and the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:32.000 And I just to get this to set the stage for you, to tell you what's going on at this point in the scripture. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.360 What's happening is that the people of God have sinned. 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:43.839 And because of their sin, God has allowed an evil empire with an evil king to take over them, to oppress them. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:07:03.519 And in 586 BC, the Persian evil empire came down to Israel and to Jerusalem, and they destroyed the city, burned the city to the ground, took the people of God as captive slaves, and moved them north and took them as captives all the way to their land. 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:11.360 And for decades, the people of God were captured in exile. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:23.360 And along the way, some of God's people were allowed to return back to Jerusalem and begin to rebuild the temple and different areas. 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:29.920 But there was someone, it was a man, Nehemiah, and he didn't get to go home. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:39.519 He was a captive in the government, and he kind of rose to a high position. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.240 He was a cupbearer for the king. 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:46.879 Which means that, yes, he would taste the wine for the king to make sure there wasn't poison. 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:48.639 If it was poison, he would die. 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:50.959 But also he was in the royal court. 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:59.360 And so at times he also got to speak to the king, to be advisor at different times to the king. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:04.160 And Nehemiah, who's just one man in captivity. 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:10.639 He learns about what's going on in his homeland, and there is a major problem. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:13.600 There's a major problem. 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:21.519 And the problem is that the walls of the city still remain in ruin. 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:31.439 And he hears from his cousins who tell him in Nehemiah 1:3, so they said to me, Things are not going well for those who return to the province of Judah. 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.600 They are in great trouble and disgrace. 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:40.960 The walls of Jerusalem have been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire. 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:42.799 And look at verse 4. 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:47.919 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:56.559 In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:01.279 Nehemiah. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.080 And he's grieved. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:12.720 He's grieved. 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:19.840 He's moved to weeping because he hears of the problem of the plight of his people. 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:27.840 And he has another problem too. 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:31.039 He's not an engineer. 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:35.279 He's not a construction guy. 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:37.279 He's not a foreman. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:43.519 What in the world is Nehemiah supposed to do about this problem? 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:47.440 He's a cupbearer. 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:54.000 He's not some whiz at large construction projects. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:08.080 But because of the grief that he had, it moves him to action. 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:14.399 The compassion that was up in him, it drives him to action. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:20.080 And we too should let compassion drive our action. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.440 Here's what I'm saying, what I'm getting at is this. 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:28.799 Do you care about what grieves God's heart? 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:34.639 Do you care what God cares about? 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:42.159 Do you care that there are people and places and spaces in our community that are in crisis? 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:44.480 And are you grieved by it? 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:53.279 And for Nehemiah, his homeland, is in ruin, and it moves him to action. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:11:04.960 Because he has access to the king as a cupbearer, but he knows that he has access to the true king through prayer. 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:09.279 And so the action that he takes is he begins to pray. 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:13.679 He weeps, he prays, he fasts, he mourns. 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:22.879 And he prays for some time, waiting and trying to figure out when his opportunity would be for him to advocate for his people. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:27.120 And finally, this moment comes. 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:38.720 And what happens next is the grief that Nehemiah feels, it turns into grace. 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:46.639 It turns into a gift that he doesn't deserve. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:50.320 That's what grace is, a gift that we don't deserve. 00:11:52.480 --> 00:12:06.639 So one day he's with the king, and the king takes notice of the fact that Nehemiah is overtaken by grief, that he's sad, that he looks troubled. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:13.840 And he asks the king, Artaxerxes asks Nehemiah, What's going on? 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:14.960 Why do you look troubled? 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:15.759 What's happening? 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:20.240 And he was he was terrified to reply, but he replies in verse 3 in chapter 2. 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:23.440 He says, But I replied, Long live the king, how can I not be sad? 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:28.159 For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and the gates have been destroyed by fire. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:34.399 And then look at what the king asks, Well, how can I help you? 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:54.559 And with a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, if it pleases the king, if it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried. 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:59.200 And what happens next is miraculous. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:09.440 It's already miraculous enough that out of his prayers, Nehemiah prayer, Nehemiah's prayers, that the king asks him, How can I help you? 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:14.960 And he replies and tells him that he can help him by allowing him to go and to rebuild the city. 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:29.440 And then Nehemiah asks for him to supply the finances and the money for all the supplies to rebuild the walls, and the king says, Yes, in a miraculous provision from God. 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:48.240 Out of his prayers to a miraculous provision came the fact that God was using Nehemiah to bring him into this miracle to rebuild his city, and God made the devil pay for it. 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:50.080 The evil king. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:57.440 And then I wish I could go through all the details of the story, but I just don't have time to go through all the details. 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:04.639 If you want to hear more of the details of the story, you can go to our website and go back to our bricklayer series and listen through the story of Nehemiah. 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:17.840 But to fast forward, Nehemiah gets down to Jerusalem and he invites the people into the miracle and brings the people into it by telling each one of them here's what we're gonna do. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:20.639 Some of you are gonna be on offense, some of you're gonna be on defense. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:33.679 You're gonna have a trial, we're gonna build, some of you are gonna have a sword, we're gonna take turns, and wherever your house is, the wall that's torn down closest to your house, rebuild the area of the wall right next to your house. 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:38.639 And what happened was an engineering miracle. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:44.799 The walls that have been destroyed for decades were rebuilt in 54 days. 00:14:46.399 --> 00:15:00.000 Because of God using one man and one person to take action, to invite other people into a miracle of God to provide. 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:11.120 Now, I want us to look at a story from the New Testament of Jesus. 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:14.799 And you're gonna see some striking similarities. 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:22.159 I want to I wanna I want to uncover some striking similarities between these two stories, but before I do, I want to get a little bit of context. 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:23.679 And so I'm gonna ask for a show of hands. 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:31.759 This is not gonna be a perfect attendance contest, but I want to know about who's been in the church, been in church the last couple of weeks and what you've heard over the last couple of weeks. 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:39.279 So um, was anybody here last Sunday and hear my friend Kyle Wade, Pastor Kyle Wade, who came and preached last Sunday about living the dream? 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:40.639 If you're here, just raise your hand. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:42.080 Didn't he do such a great job? 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:43.919 My goodness, he just amazing. 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:44.960 I love him. 00:15:45.200 --> 00:16:00.879 He and his family are stepping out for them to plant a new work in New Circle Church, and we're just so excited for him, and we know we're gonna see him more in and through uh the next uh uh few months, and we're gonna be encouraging him along the way. 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:17.759 Well, so okay, again, not a perfect attendance contest, but so two weeks ago, were any of you guys here two weeks ago when we celebrated six baptisms and I preached about Jesus multiplying and him feeding the five thousand and have a part to play. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:19.200 Anybody here two weeks ago for that? 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:21.279 Okay, a lot of us. 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:28.639 And what happened was this last week I was reading back through Matthew chapter 14. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:35.679 And Matthew chapter 14 is the chapter that tells about Jesus feeding the 5,000. 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:47.840 And even though Kyle and I did not plan this, last Sunday, he preached about Peter and Jesus walking on water, which is the very next story in Matthew chapter 14. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:50.720 And this was not planned. 00:16:50.879 --> 00:17:03.120 And so I was reading through the passage this week, and I thought, well, well, let me remind myself of what was going on before this story, and I was reminded of what happened in this chapter before Jesus fed the 5,000. 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:05.759 And what happened was there was a big problem. 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:08.720 There was a big problem. 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:24.960 And the problem was, and the verses just before Jesus feeding the 5,000, is that Jesus' friend, his cousin that he loves so much, John the Baptist, who he allowed him to baptize him, John the Baptist was killed. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:27.599 He was killed. 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:48.240 Before the moment of him feeding the 5,000, just before this moment, he gets news and word of the fact that his brother that he loved, his cousin that he loved, John the Baptist, was killed because John the Baptist spoke truth to power at the king, and it was a bridge too far, and so the king cut off John's head and it was brought to him on a platter. 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:53.279 And then Jesus gets the word of this, gets word of this news. 00:17:55.119 --> 00:18:04.799 And so in verse 14 or verse 12, later, John's disciples came for his body and buried it. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:09.119 And then they went and told Jesus what had happened. 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:19.759 And what we see next by Jesus' actions, we know that he was grieved. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:22.480 He was in grief. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:25.359 You know, grief is a funny thing. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:29.279 You know, we think about grief only in the context that we think about somebody dying. 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:34.400 But here's the thing grief happens in our life and to us when there's any loss. 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:37.519 If you lose a job, there's grief. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:40.480 If you lose a friendship, there's grief. 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:43.920 If you lose your health, there's grief. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:49.839 And people do very funny things when they're in a state of grief. 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.559 That's why there's so many fights at funerals. 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.839 I know I've been a part of a lot of them. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:01.440 And people start acting crazy when they're in a state of grief. 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.960 Jesus is grieving. 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:12.160 Something that you and I experience as we walk through this life. 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:14.799 And we see what he does in verse 13. 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:22.079 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:32.880 Jesus hears the news, and he gets in a boat to be by himself, to take some time to mourn. 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:40.160 To take some time away from everybody else and all their needs. 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:42.160 But look what happens next. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:49.680 But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:56.000 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat and he had compassion. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.759 Everybody say compassion. 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:02.880 He had compassion on them and healed their sick. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.759 Jesus' grief. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:09.039 It turns to grace. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:18.079 Jesus would have been totally justified to say, all you people that have all these needs, I just need a minute. 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:28.240 Can I just not have some time here to be alone for a few minutes to grieve my cousin and what's happened? 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:30.559 But that's not what he does. 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:44.640 He sees the people and their sickness, their ailments, their difficulties, the crisis that they're in, and it turns into grace as he starts to preach the gospel and minister to them and begins to heal them. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:50.559 And he lets the compassion that we see that he has drive action. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.000 Anybody see any comparisons yet? 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:56.079 Between the two stories? 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:04.640 And all these people are crowded around, and it's getting late into the evening. 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:10.480 And the disciples say, Send all these people away so they can go get something to eat. 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.960 And Jesus says, You give them something to eat. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.200 And so they're searching, they're trying to figure out what they're gonna do. 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:24.400 And they find the fishes and the loaves, remember, and then in verse 18, Jesus says, Bring them here, he said. 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:31.519 And then he told the people to sit down on the grass, and Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, and he looked up towards heaven and blessed them. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:38.880 And then breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples who distributed it to the people. 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:42.319 So the disciples bring Jesus the bag of long John silvers. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:47.359 And what does Jesus do? 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:49.119 He prays. 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:52.240 He prays. 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:55.440 He moves in prayer. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:18.240 And he asks for God's Mighty hand and invites God's mighty, miraculous hand into the situation to provide grace, and out of the prayer comes a miraculous provision, just like Nehemiah. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:28.640 He brought the disciples into the miracle when he blessed the food and they began to distribute it. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:42.319 It wasn't the disciples who performed the miracle, but they got to be part of it and participate in it as the bread was passed and the food was passed so much so that there were 12 baskets left over. 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:48.480 Verse 20, they all ate as much as they wanted, and afterwards the disciples picked up the 12 baskets of leftovers. 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:54.720 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:02.400 And the disciples, the people, got to be part of the miracle. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:11.200 And then in the very next story, the disciples are in the boat. 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:17.440 And Peter steps out of the boat. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:30.240 And doesn't just to get to participate in a miracle, he gets to perform a miracle in walking on water with the Lord Jesus. 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:32.720 Listen to me. 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:33.920 Listen to me. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:41.279 Sometimes it only takes someone. 00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:11.039 To be moved by the heart of God and what grieves him and grieves you and moves in compassion for you then to move to prayer for your family and all the families in our community to see God's miraculous provision come through. 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:17.359 And it just takes someone to see something happen. 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:23.039 And I believe that God wants to do that something in and through you. 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:24.880 Do you believe it? 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:41.119 There's a story that I haven't yet got to tell you that happened in November, December of this last year. 00:24:42.640 --> 00:25:09.359 We were doing our year-in series with bricklayers, and at one Sunday that we were in the movie theater, one Sunday as we were talking about all the different things that were going on, the initiatives, and us challenging one another to give to the Lord generously, and for us to take steps of faith and generosity and to begin to give or to give and be generous in that season. 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:22.880 And this was in the movie theater, and after one of those Sundays, a grandmother in our church, who'd only been coming for a few weeks, came up to me after the service. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:32.000 And we were standing in where the rows were, where there's like a cutout, a handicap accessible area, and this like sticky floor area part of the movie theater. 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:34.720 There's a lot of those, but this one in particular. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:42.240 She said, Hey, I haven't been coming for very long, but I would like to talk with you. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:26:01.279 And she said, I uh I love what's happening right now in the church and what's happening with providing Christmas for these families who are impacted by incarceration and with Avenue's Clinic. 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:05.519 And then she said this to me, and and I don't think I'll forget this story. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:21.440 With tears in her eyes, she said, I remember when I was a single mom and how difficult it was. 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:35.279 And then she said, and I remember as a single mom, the Christmases where my kids asked me why Santa didn't come. 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:39.519 And at this point I'm starting to get teared up. 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:47.839 And she said, I I would like to give to this. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:53.920 And you use this however you want to use this. 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:58.960 And she gave us a check for thousands of dollars. 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:23.279 But what will always stick with me from the story is that it was her compassion for people right now who were going through something that she went through decades earlier, that she still remembered what it was like to be in that crisis. 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:36.720 And for her to be moved to action through the compassion welling up in her heart to say, I remember what it was like when I was walking through that. 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:42.720 Let me take action, let me do something to help. 00:27:50.160 --> 00:28:02.000 And in God's beautiful provision, the check that she gave provided for a ton of Christmases that year. 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:10.640 I don't know about you, but I don't have just like thousands of dollars to give. 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:20.480 But I do want to ask you, do you care about what God cares about? 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:25.839 Do you care about what God cares about? 00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:35.440 Will you step and take a step of action towards God? 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:46.319 And if you if you don't, or you won't care about what God cares about, why? 00:28:48.720 --> 00:29:01.680 And the reason why most of the time is that there's a s there's a sin, there's some kind of sin that's blocking the compassion that God wants to grow and well up and overflow through you. 00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:03.920 And I don't know what that is. 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:13.200 For you, you you're gonna have to go to the Lord and to figure out what that is, but what I do know is that that can change. 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:16.319 And that God can change it. 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:21.359 And so it just looks like just taking an action. 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:30.640 Just maybe in the area of finances, is that just to just start giving something. 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:35.039 Just begin to give. 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:39.200 There's multiple ways for you to give. 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:41.440 You can give online, give through the app. 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:44.400 There's a station back here now that you can drop in. 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:48.880 Giving here on Sundays next to the door. 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:56.000 Sometimes it only takes someone. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:00.799 So what is the action? 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:03.519 What is the thing? 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:17.119 What is the thing that's standing in your way of what God wants to do in and through you, and the compassion to well up in you, and the faith that He wants you to exercise and to walk out in action? 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:18.960 Maybe it's something that's in our community. 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:20.720 Maybe it's someone who's hurting right now. 00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:22.640 Maybe it's something that you identify with. 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:26.880 Maybe there's something that you know that that's on your heart that you need to take a step towards. 00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:31.200 Maybe for you it's that you just need to begin to trust the Lord with your finances for the very first time. 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:41.359 But my wonder, and I and I and I guarantee in a room this size that there's probably someone in the room that just needs to take the first step to begin a relationship with Jesus. 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:47.359 And to allow him to call you out. 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:55.200 And for you to step out and walk towards him and receive salvation. 00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:06.640 And I know this church, and I and I know that you agree with me, we're gonna keep building a foundation to reach people for Jesus, aren't we? 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:13.920 We're gonna keep building the foundation and we're gonna keep doing it together, brick by brick. 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:29.119 I want to pray over you, God, all across this room, Lord, we thank you, God, for showing us, Jesus, for you showing us compassion. 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.599 That you went to the cross and you died for us. 00:31:34.880 --> 00:31:58.559 Every man, woman, student, child in this room today, Jesus, you were moved to compassion, to be put on a cross and to die for our sins so that you could strip ours away, that they could be removed, forgiven, that we might be free. 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:20.960 And so, God, today I pray all across the room for our church and for the people who are in our church, God, that our hearts of compassion would well up and overflow and not be blocked by sin, but that we would walk in repentance, asking you to forgive us and make us more like your Son, Jesus. 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:42.960 And God, I pray right now in this room, anybody who's in this place who has not yet trusted you as Savior, has not yet put their faith fully in you, that has not asked for forgiveness, that's not been saved, that's not moved from death to life, that today would be the day that they would do that. 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:48.640 Today would be the day that they would experience your salvation, be forgiven and free. 00:32:48.799 --> 00:32:55.519 That today, if there's anybody in the room that is in that place and needs to take that step, that right now they would pray, Jesus, save me. 00:32:56.880 --> 00:32:58.400 Jesus, save me. 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:06.319 I believe that you're the Son of God, that you are alive, that you died on the cross for my sins, and you walked out of the grave. 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:10.960 Help me to walk out of my grave too. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:17.839 Forgive me, cleanse me so that I can be forgiven and free. 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:24.400 I give you my life as you gave yours for mine. 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:26.960 Thank you for saving me. 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:35.920 No one looking around today, if today was the day that you prayed that, to receive the forgiveness of Jesus, to be free. 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:48.000 In just a second, I'm gonna ask for you to take an action, take a step, to raise your hand to the sky and to lock eyes with me so I can acknowledge and see you, that's your your decision today. 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:57.279 To be forgiven and free, to be saved by the finished work of Jesus, if that's you today at the count of three, raise your hand. 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:59.279 One, two, three. 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:06.720 Raise it high. 00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:12.960 God, I pray right now, in this place, Father. 00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:19.519 God, as people moving towards your compassion and your love. 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:22.800 God, your forgiveness and grace. 00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:28.320 That Lord, you would work powerfully in and through the life of our church. 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:37.360 That we would come to know you, Jesus, follow you, forgiven and free. 00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:43.519 And we thank you, Jesus, for what you're doing in our homes, in our lives, in our families. 00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:44.880 We pray for more. 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:51.280 And we agree for more, and we ask for more in the strong name of Jesus. 00:34:51.519 --> 00:34:53.280 Everybody said, Amen. 00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:56.719 Church, will you stand to your feet as we sing and worship together?