Building the Kingdom: The DNA of the Church in Acts 11

A powerful look at Acts 11 reveals the blueprint God uses to build His church—grace‑driven, mission‑focused, and built on the DNA of apostolic partnership. Learn how the early believers broke cultural barriers, sent Barnabas and Paul on mission, and modeled the kingdom’s unstoppable expansion. Discover practical steps for today’s church to become a thriving, over‑coming body that honors the king’s vision.

Transcript

Michael Wells: 0:00

Well, if you guys would go ahead and be seated, we're gonna jump in the word here. While you're uh making your way back, don't forget we are taking up a uh a missions offering. And for the local missions, it's gonna go to options now, lamp, mailbox club, and um lamp lunch. Lamp lunch. I knew there was four of them. And um, and so thank you guys for uh being so faithful to to give and to support, and uh we love what God is doing in our own city here. And uh while we're doing this, if you would turn to Acts chapter 11. And um, today is just one of those days it's like, Lord, I am just so excited what you're doing across the body of Christ and um just in the kingdom of God. How many of you guys know we serve a king? How many guys know that king has a kingdom? Okay, about five of you said that, okay? To be a king, you gotta have a kingdom, y'all. Okay? And in Isaiah, it says that that kingdom will never know decrease. It will always go forward. So no matter what is telling you going around your circumstances or what news source you're listening to, the kingdom of God is going forward. It is not going backwards. And for the last 7,000 years, it has not gone backwards. It has always gone forward. And as we're talking about the kingdom, the king has specific things that he's building, and one of them is called the church. Okay, I got one amen out of that. Okay? The king is building the church. And in Matthew chapter 16, it says, the gates of hell will not overcome and prevail against the church, which means that the church will overcome because the king of the church has overcome. And so he's made us overcomers. If Christ is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8 says. He's made us more than conquerors. And so in this church, there are supposed to be specific things. So a few weeks ago we talked about the DNA of a church. We talked about what are those things that are the very essence of what the church is and what it's supposed to be. And we're gonna go back to that for this week, and we're gonna be talking about what is the DNA of New Covenant based upon the DNA for the biblical church. And this is important in light of everything that we're doing today that we understand this. So, how many of you guys have ever had the privilege of building a house? Okay. Now, for some of you, when you raised your hand, there was pain in that memory. For some of you, there was joy. For some, and I would probably say 99.9%, it was not done in the timeline you had intended for it. Is that right, Don Gibbs? I'm sorry. Okay, and in that process, there were more decisions than you thought there were, and there were more little things and you probably got tired, and you were like, just get it done. Was anybody there? Okay, but I don't think any of you went to an architect and just said, build me something pretty. I want to spend a couple hundred thousand dollars on a home. I don't care what it looks like, you you just build me something pretty. I don't think anybody said that. Nor has God said that about his church. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul said, God has made me a master builder, meaning an architect. And so God has a blueprint for his church of certain things that it has to contain, of the ways that needs to be built in order to function. Because you build a house according to the function that you want in that house. You don't build a house and then you adjust your function to it. No, you have a vision and a purpose first, and you build according to that vision and purpose. Well, see, the kingdom has a vision and a purpose, and the church is part of that kingdom, and God's building the church with a function and a purpose in mind. So let's look at Acts chapter 11. So going up to this point, Acts chapter 2, the church was birthed. And in one day, 3,000 souls. They only counted the men at this point, not the women and children. So let's just say 10,000 people. About a week later, 5,000 more were added. So let's just say 12 to 15,000 more were added. And the church was just exponentially increasing. You want to call it revival, whatever you want to call it. It was crazy. And they started adding structure in the church. But then this thing called persecution began to happen in society. And the church suddenly was forced out of Jerusalem. So every member of the church carried their faith with them wherever they went. And you can see that in Acts chapter 8. One guy went to Samaria. He took the gospel message. He was a deacon, and then the biblical deacons are not what we would call deacons in most traditional churches. Deacon just means a servant. They were overseeing the food distribution so people weren't getting left out. Acts chapter 6. You can see that. And one of those deacons who was full of the Holy Spirit went to Samaria and started preaching. You know what he did? He started laying hands on people. The entire city got saved. Thousands came to the Lord. More were coming because news was spreading. So the church in Jerusalem was like, hey, we want to send some leadership down to make sure we steward this thing, not control it, but steward this thing so that the gospel can continue to go forward. So then persecution begins to hit there and they continue to spread. And they go to this town called Antioch, which is in modern-day Syria, just north of Lebanon. And this is where we're going to pick up in Acts chapter 11. So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen, you can read Acts chapter 7 and see Stephen being martyred. And he made their way to Phoenicia, which is modern-day Lebanon, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews alone. So I want you just see what. Remember at this point, Acts chapter 10, was Peter was the first one to take the gospel to the Gentiles. The Jews thought it was just for them. So they were only going to Jews. Verse 20. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. What was their message? Jesus is Lord. That's the gospel message. And it says, and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. Now I need you to stay with me of what's going on here. Who was it that went and preached? Was it the professionals? It was the saints. Okay? This is something we gotta still break in our mentality today in a Western mindset. It is not the pastor's job to do everything. And I say that because I are one. But I say that more for you because your calling and your destiny is to be a priest of the Lord, to minister to him and minister to others. And you do it in your job, you do it in your neighborhoods, you do it wherever you're at, the gas station, Walmart. It has nothing to do with a local place of worship that we call a church. You were on mission with God. And all they did was preach the gospel, but they didn't withhold it from those that they had preference with. I need you to hear this. They broke the cultural boundaries of only going to Jews and they started to minister to Greeks. They started to minister to everyone. In a large number. What the Bible says, large number, you know what that means? A lot of folks. You just got a lesson in Greek. Large means a lot. Verse 22. And news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem. So they sent Barnabas to Antioch. So just like when Philip went to Samaria, the church sent Peter and John. Now the church sent Barnabas. And I think it's really interesting. They're not there for control, they're there to help steward what God's doing. Because how many of you guys know we need everybody to do this? Not one person can do it by themselves. And look at what it says. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them with a resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. So here's something I need you to know. Grace should be visible. What do you mean? When we're in obedience, doing what God wants us to do, and I don't care if you're five-year-old or you're 55, every single person is in this. When you are obeying what God tells you to do, and you are speaking what he says to speak, loving who he tells you to love, serving who he tells you to serve, the grace of God will be seen. And it will awaken people. And what is grace? It is God's enabling power to do what he wants you to do. So we got grace to get saved. What was that? It was enabling us to believe on Jesus and get saved. We got grace for this life. We have grace for everything. And grace to become holy. Grace should always be tied to transformation. Grace isn't permission to do what you want and stay the way you were. Grace is the enabling power to become Jesus. But what I loved about this is that grace tore down barriers between ethnicities. Instead of building walls, it built bridges. That church became diverse and it became strong. It wasn't based on preferences, it was based on grace. And then it says concerning Barnabas in verse 24, he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. Now read this last part. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. Now let's go back to our Greek lesson. Okay? The first one says a large number was brought to the Lord. This one says considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. What's that mean in Greek? It means a lot more. Not just a lot, it means a lot more. So here's the point. I want you to see. The blueprint or the pattern that God has for us is that we network with others to steward the move of God. It is not about us, it's about the kingdom of God expanding. We are a part of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is not centered on us. The church is a part of the kingdom. And our job is to do whatever it takes to partner with whoever God brings us to go and expand the kingdom of God. Remember, the kingdom will not know failure. It will not know decrease. It will always expand. Why do we need to know that? What is God doing here? Why are we expanding? Because you guys are sharing your faith. You guys are partnering with the Lord. We're trying to obey Him as best we can, but we need one another. But guess what? I don't care if everybody comes to New Covenant. I want them to go somewhere because there's a kingdom here. And if it's here, great. We're going to steward them and help them grow. We're going to develop them and establish them. But they got to go somewhere. Because the kingdom is bigger than just the church. So let's go forward. Pick up in verse 26 with me. It's kind of an interesting verse right here in the middle of this. And it just shows what the Holy Spirit's doing. So remember, a large number, a considerable number. Let's just say thousands were getting saved. And then it says, and Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul. Now remember Acts chapter 9, Saul, who was the leader of the persecution of the church, who was driving people into jail, killing them. He was wreaking havoc on the church, had a drastic encounter with the Lord on the Damascus road. Now he became a servant of Jesus, gave his life and said, I believe you, Lord. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do. And people were a little leery of it. That dude that used to persecute us, you really want to bring him around? And this is what was going on. And Barnabas said, I'm going to go seek Paul in Tarsus, and I'm going to bring him back here. He had to have been led by the Holy Spirit to do it. But here's what is exciting to me. There was something at Antioch that Paul would supply. And there was something that was missing until his gift was there. So, church, going to church is not about your preference. Well, I like that worship leader. Well, I like that pastor, or I don't like that pastor. It is not about your preference. It is about you saying, Lord, use me to build and do what you want me to do. Where do you want me to go? And you stay for that season that the Lord tells you to stay and you serve. And you don't move until He gives you another word. If the pastor makes you mad, that's not an excuse to leave. Remember, I are one. It's just a matter of time. It's not if, it's just a matter of when. Going to church and being part of a local assembly is obedience. And there's something that assembly needs that you have for God to assign you to it. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 18 says, God assigns the parts of the body where he wants them. That means there's something in you that is needed. And when the Lord says go, we hold people like this. We don't control anybody. We hold them with open arms. We just want obedience for what God tells you to do. This is what the church is built on. So he left for Tarsus to go look for Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. Now listen, and for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers of people. What did Paul and Barnabas do? They were faithful to steward the harvest God brought. The thousands that got saved, they taught for a year, met with men, with women, with families, in houses, in larger groups. They poured the foundation of the faith in them. And then it uses an amazing word here at the end of this chapter or this verse. And the disciples, okay, now need to understand, he's not talking about the 12. The 12 were all spread all over the world at this point. He's saying, all those who believed in Jesus and were following him, and a disciple simply means a learner. Someone who says, I'm going to follow you, Jesus, to learn not just about you, but to learn who you are so I can be just like you. That's a disciple. It says the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Who called them Christians? They weren't calling themselves Christians. Scripture doesn't say that. The world was saying, you remind me of Jesus. The disciples weren't calling themselves Christians. Probably because they knew, Lord, every day I'm trying to be more Christ-like. And I'm not there yet, but God, I'm going. But the world looking at them because remember, grace can be seen? Man, I see Jesus on you. When I look at you, I see Jesus. Church, would the world call us Christians? Because they see Jesus, or would they call us Christians because of the things that we know we're we are known for being against instead of what we're being for? What's the point? Number two, the pattern, the blueprint of Antioch was for all believers to be formed into Jesus' image. Colossians chapter 2, verses 6 and 7 says that I'm being established, built up, abounding in Christ, which means there's a process you have to go through that you can't do yourself. You have to have somebody else walking with you, or a group of other people walking with you to call things out, to walk beside you. Hey, you're interpreting that wrong. That is not what Jesus would do. Or, hey, you're doing a great job. Keep going, keep going. God's doing this thing. It's encouragement, it's correction, it's life together. That's what the church is supposed to be. You cannot be established just on your own. You will get into error. Because there's things you can't see that God wants to do. When they called him a Christian, it wasn't a compliment. They were publicly mocking them because to the minds of the Greeks, Jesus was a radical who was so weak that he got captured and crucified. It wasn't a compliment. But to us, he's the power of God to salvation. He's the risen king who conquered death, hell, and the grave. To us, he's everything. All right, take your breath. We're getting there, okay? Look at verse 27. Now at the same time, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. So within the church network, there were trusted people who held the office of a prophet. And that means they were tested, they were tried. That means that they had authority by the leaders of the church as a whole, and they were held in regard. We still need prophetic voices today. There are still offices today. But it says they came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. Why? If you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, you don't have to turn there, but this is for your reference. After Paul talks about spiritual gifts, then he spends 20 verses on what the body looks like and how we're to operate as the body. Then he goes in verse 27 and he says, first in the church are apostles, then teachers, prophets. Okay? Gifts of healing, gifts of miracles, gifts of administrations. Okay? It's not a hierarchy. Don't misunderstand the word first. It's an order of building a house. The blueprint is in the heart, in the mind of the apostle, the builder. The apostle Paul saying, I'm a master builder. The prophetic voice comes in and gives direction of what to hit when and what's critical. The teacher builds the structure for growth and life. The Holy Spirit fills the house with his power and with his miracles and with his presence. And then we begin to administrate so that all of us can live together and go. It's the process of building a house. And so Paul, as the apostle, came in, Barnabas, prophets came in, all these gifts were beginning to align because they were building the house at Antioch. And then it says this one of them named Abigus. Sorry. This one. Okay. One of them named Abigus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. Now, let's be real. Half the church would label him a false prophet. I don't believe that. God wouldn't be negative. Let's be honest. How would we handle this? Lord, you sent somebody from another city to come to our city and to prophesy that this was coming. How many of you guys know the Lord says in Isaiah that He will tell us before He does what He does? So why? So we can prepare and align with it. And look at verse 29. And in proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. So what'd they do? They took up an offering. Today we're taking up the local missions offering. Why? For our city. Because is there a famine going on? Well, there's a famine of the word of God in people's lives. There's many things going on that we give what we have in order to take care of people so that they can do what God wants them to do. So what's the point? The pattern of God's house, the early church that we're supposed to build after, the blueprint, is that we accrue in order to bless others. It is not just for us. And so I want to give you a picture, like I like to do occasionally, is just throw up for you guys to be able to see some of our numbers. Okay. So you can see what our the tithe for this year up to the end of August. This is the tithe. You can see the expenses. You can see the margin, which we just call it the freedom that we have being in the black. Okay, we try to run our finances here as a church in a way to honor God and steward. But I need you to hear it. There is no financial security in an apostolic work. God is our security. When he tells us to give, we give. Even when it doesn't make sense. Our bank account is not the extent of our faith. Now, I'm gonna meddle here a little bit. Whatever the number is that gets you to quit trusting God, that's all he can trust you with. There's a friend of mine that tells me that and reminds me of that. I don't want any number to hold us back. But I want you to be able to see over here this thing called mission. So far, this is what we've given this year outside of us. Y'all see that. Okay? Is there anything special about it? No, it just means we're not being tight-fisted. And it means I want to see more digits in that number. Because just like what they did here, as they had means, they gave. As a church, what we have means, we give. So at this point, I want to ask the Israel team to come down. Tomorrow morning, 23 of us are leaving to go serve in southern Israel, about 30 miles from Gaza. And how stinking awesome was it? A week before we go, they sign a ceasefire during the Feast of Tabernacles. Y'all, God's doing something. And all of these people up here, including myself and my family, have given God our yes to go and to serve. And we're going to be gone for 10 days. We'll be back the evening of the 22nd. We leave tomorrow morning. And I just need y'all to pray for us. So if you guys would stand, I want to ask elders, former elders, anybody who wants to come around this group to come and to pray for and with us. Pastor Matt, we're or Josh, who is leading now. Thank you. Church, stretch out your hands. If you want to come lay hands on people, you can.

Josh Turner: 31:30

You're faithful. God, and we humbly come. We humbly ask that you guide and direct the steps of every person here, that they would be right where they need to be, right in front of the right people at the right time, God, and you would grace them with the words. You're not going to grace them to go and not grace them with the anointing while they're there. And so, Lord, we just pray for the anointing upon every heart and every mouth and every hand that whoever they touch and whoever they speak to would be straight from the Lord to them, Lord. And so just put them in the right place at the right time in Jesus' name. I had this scripture here. Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead. I love how the Lord is going to really preface this thing and show you how powerful He is. May the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Lord, it's all for your glory, and you've equipped every person here through the power of the blood of Jesus. Amen.

Michael Wells: 33:40

The baskets have been taken back. So they're at the back wall now. The little boxes or baskets. Alright, if y'all would be seated, we got one more thing we need to do here. And we're going to continue on here. Alright. Go to Acts chapter 13. Flip one page over from chapter 11. The end of it. So they took up an offering and they sent it through Paul and Barnabas in the end of chapter 12, verse 25, says that as Paul and Barnabas completed their mission, they returned to Antioch. And just as you guys have invested in that Israel team, we're going to come back having fulfilled that mission, literally going to Jerusalem like what they did, and we're going to be able to come back and share with you the things God has done. And so on that note, it's something that I just I want to thank you guys for trusting us. It's a weighty thing to be sent out from a group to go minister behalf of others. And thank you for investing in us. Thank you for trusting us. It's an honor and it should never be taken for granted. So chapter 13, verse 1. Now there were at Antioch in the church that was there, prophets and teachers. Remember, go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Menaeon, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul, verse 2. Let me see where I'm at. While they were ministering to the Lord or serving the Lord with fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work that I've called them to. Then when they had fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and sent them away. So the first thing we need to know about a church that God's building, and we can't go over it too quickly, is that the pattern is for us to minister to God and make room for the Holy Spirit. They ministered to the Lord first. He gets priority. So you notice recently we've changed our service structure so that we can give ourselves to this. Is Lord our jobs to minister to you and go where the Holy Spirit's telling us to go? And we're not restricted to a time and a plan. And this is what we're we've changed the structure for. But then it goes and it says, When they had fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and they sent them away. So the next point that a church that is built according to the blueprint that God has for the church is that we send people to their assignments. Our job is not merely to gather. So what's your assignment? What is it that the Lord has brought you here for? Some of you will minister to the nations going on trips. Some of you will minister to the nations right here in Valosta. Some of you will minister at Walmart, at the gas station. Every one of us are on assignment at the golf course. I don't care where it's at, we're all on assignment. We're all called to minister. And so I want to play for you a prophetic word. It's about three, three, four minutes long here, of what God has spoken over this body. And this was two and a half years ago. And I want you to listen to it and be reminded of it. Can you start the video for me?

Julian Adams: 37:45

In this season, the Lord is giving you a wineskin for revival, reformation, and renaissance. And it's not one or the other, it's all three and some. And God wants to encourage you, you're going to achieve more by accident than you ever will on purpose. So don't stress the small stuff. Because in this next season, there's going to be a holy visitation on this church. That will become a habitation for his glory. That this will be a resource incenter that people from all over the region will come. I feel like God's going to release even some schools to you. I feel like there's even some residential training facilities that the Lord wants to unlock on this church, on this premises, so that people will come and be trained for the nations. The Lord wants to save you there is going to be a multiplied dimension of church planting that is about to come from you. That will not cost the local church, but it will resource many churches. I feel like in the last season, the cost is always being at the local level for apostolic ministry. But in this season, like Jeremiah, you will prophesy from the courts of the king. People will come to you because of what he's going to do through you. And God's breaking a season of limitation over both of you that we're just small town folks giving up in. No, you are international influences. And you're going to see the nations are suddenly going to start coming to Veldasta. And it's going to cause all sorts of complications for you. People are going to be upset, and it's not always going to be easy. But the Lord says, if you'll pay the price in the season, I will make this an international hub for the purposes of God. My dear brother, the Lord says you're a good son. And because you're a good son, you're a good father. And your girls are going to come into a whole new dimension of their own destiny. I want to say to you, as a church, you all need to bless these girls with lots and lots of wonderful things. Take them shopping, do amazing things. I say that as an apostolic instruction. Not because I'm an apostle, but because I'm a PK and I know what it's like to be a pastor's kid. I want to honor you guys. I want to say thank you for the price you're paying with your mom and dad. The world is changing because you girls are sick, we're with mom and dad. And I bless you in Jesus' name. Young lady, what's your name? This church is not called to be simply. And in this season, the Lord is giving you a wine skin for revival. This church is not called to be simply a pastoral church, a church that cares for people. That's part of what you're called to do. It's not just called to be a church in a little region doing wonderful things. No, you are called to do that. But you're called to be an apostolic people, the kind of Ephesus chapter 19, stronghold shifting, principality pulling down people, that establishes the gospel of the kingdom as the standard by which we live empowered by the Holy Spirit. That it will cross denominational lines, that it will cross geographical lines in this region, that there are church plants that are going to come from this place into Florida and into different parts of Georgia, even into the city, like Atlanta. People say, How is it that a church in the city is connected to a church in a small city like Valdasa? Well, actually, God loves to use small things. It's the way of his kingdom. That which is obscure and hidden becomes influential because of faithfulness. Faithful with a little.

Michael Wells: 43:05

Amen. When Pastor LA came, it came with a vision to minister the love, the power, and the presence of Jesus Christ to the local community, to the region, and to the world. And from the beginning, this was meant to be a regional apostolic center that positions both people and resources to go where the Holy Spirit leads them to go. Just like what we just read in Acts chapter 13. And so with Pastor L.A. with the former elders and all the church members who've sacrificially invested for decades into this, we've launched nine churches out of this church. We've sent missionaries, numerous ministries, and we're establishing the work God's called us here. And this is what is on my heart. And as an apostolic center, our heart is to train and equip, like Paul and Barnabas for a year poured into those people and trained and equipped to release mature sons and daughters of God into their God-given assignments. And so just as we read in Acts 13, the elders and I are tremendously excited to announce that we are going to launch Scotty and Taylor Williams out to start a church in Ado. So Scotty, Taylor, Sarah, if you guys would please come up. If anybody knows them, this is not a surprise. Okay? This is the kingdom, first of all. But what are we doing? Acts chapter 13 that we just read. As we have stewarded Scotty and Taylor's gifts, he's been on staff here for 15 years. When I was a youth pastor, Scotty jumped in my back pocket. He fits. He's a son. And Taylor's a daughter. And this is excitement that we have to be able to say, Lord, you said separate Scotty and Taylor for this work. Lord, we're going to do everything in our power to make them successful. I don't know what that beeping is. And so I want you to hear from Scotty and Taylor's heart. And you're going to hear numerous times he's actually speaking next week while I'm in Israel. And we're going to be talking about this through the upcoming weeks and months to be able to hear what God wants us to hear. So Scotty, Taylor, is there anything you want to share in your beautiful family?

Scotty Williams: 45:58

As long as that's not a fire alarm, but I don't think it is. I think we're good. You know, this the Lord has spoken to Taylor and I for a long, long time that one day this would be coming, and we never knew along the way what it would look like, but we are so excited. Um this this the Lord is in this. We don't know exactly what it looks like, but you know, our boys, we've talked to them, they've known for about six months and haven't been able to wait for this day to be able to talk to you about it. But God is doing something beyond what Valdasta can contain. And He is on the move, and He is just sending us north to expand the kingdom of God wherever it is we to put our feet.

Taylor Williams: 46:55

I think I just want to say that it's been an honor to like walk through this process of training and equipping. That's what this kind of has been for the last 15 years. Um, and there will be so much more training and equipping as we go. Um, but just thank you for the honor of serving with you and for you. Um so thank you guys so much.

Michael Wells: 47:16

And what's your family call it? The game plan? Was that what it is? The game plan. So if you see them like this, it's called the game plan. It's their church plan. Sarah, was there anything you want to share?

Sarah Wells: 47:26

Is there um this is obviously anyone that knows Scotty and Taylor and their family, this is not a surprise. The Lord has been putting this in them and they've been growing and being shaped and challenged, and they are ready and they are well equipped and well able. They're not going anywhere just yet, so don't freak out. Um, it's gonna be a little bit of a process, but we are just so excited, and I think that um it's it's a it's gonna be a healthy thing. I just I feel like reassuring this church, it's gonna be a healthy thing. It's not gonna injure this church, it's not gonna hurt theirs. It's it's all gonna, we're growing up together in the kingdom, and he's expanding by creating more spaces around more tables for his children to gather, right?

Michael Wells: 48:15

Amen. And so before we we let them go down it, I imagine if I know this body at all, there's some of you that have about 15 questions in your head already of what's gonna happen, how's it gonna do this? What about this? What about this? So we um can you put that QR code up, please? So you can get your phone out, take a picture of this QR code, and it will take you to a page on our website called Church Plant. And we're answering questions that we know you're going to ask us. Okay? And so, first of all, like we said earlier, this is a celebratory thing. This is, I get no greater joy than seeing a spiritual son and daughter go and outrun me and go do what God tells them to do. And it's our joy. Any parent wants to see their kid go further. And Scott, God knit Scotty and I years ago, and we've walked together, and Taylor came into the family, and it has been a joy to help steward their gifts. And so all we're gonna tell you is go to the website, it's gonna answer questions. If you want to talk to Scotty and Taylor, they're going to be um over here to the side or the back room to be able to talk to you afterward. This is gonna be a process. Everyone say process. So Ron's word was prophetic. We love trust, but do we love his ways? Well, this is where some of the ways are gonna stretch us, it's gonna take time, just like a pregnancy. Okay, if you go too early, you mess it up. You say too late, you mess up. No, it's gotta be God's perfect time. And so if you have questions, we're an open book. There's nothing to hide. We are so excited about doing this, and it's gonna be an honor to walk through this process and us as a church to send our best out to go start what God wants. How many guys know you reap what you sow? And we're excited for the kingdom expansion and the church that is in them and that they're gonna build what we're gonna continue to build here at New Covenant. And so let's honor Scotty and Taylor. Remember, the apostolic work that we've talked about is all about bringing a God, bringing the kingdom of God to where the Lord tells us to on assignments with Him.