WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.560 You are listening to the Sozo Kyle Church podcast. 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:10.400 To learn more about Sozo Kyle Church, including our gathering tonight in the Kyle area, visit us online at Sozoktx.com. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:13.039 Today's talk comes from Pastor Chris Paul. 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:14.640 I was greeted this morning. 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:16.320 Let's start with this. 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.239 Happy opening Sozo Kyle. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:23.519 And a picture made from one Johnny Welch. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:25.920 And he's probably in the kids area right now. 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:30.399 But how about integrated your grand opening with a homemade picture? 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:33.520 And that may be the highlight of the whole thing right there. 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:38.320 So so wonderful it's gonna stay up here with us as we go through this morning. 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:40.240 Yes. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:42.079 My voice. 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:56.240 Last night I pulled out the camera on and the Hayes uh Hawks, the local football team here, rescheduled their game from Friday night to Saturday night because of lightning without asking me. 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.880 But the coach, the head coach, actually had sent me a text message and said, Would you mind live streaming game? 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:10.480 I don't typically live stream, I always I always post videos afterwards because my mom and dad were in Colorado is how this all started 10 years ago. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:16.799 And so then they couldn't see the field wasn't striped or marked well, and they said, We can't make sense of what's going on. 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.120 And so I said, Well, I'll start talking you through it. 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:22.719 And so as I talked them through it, it turned into play-by-play announcing. 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:24.640 And so 10 years later, that's what I've been doing. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.319 So the head coach texts me on Friday and said, Would you mind live streaming? 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:29.920 And so I said, sure. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:38.079 And so then last night, it's halftime, and I've spent a whole hour and a half probably pushing the voice a little too hard to do this announcing thing. 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:43.840 Finally, somebody comes over to me like, just wanted to remind you, you have to preach in the morning at your opening. 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:46.000 You might want to just tame it back a little bit. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:47.680 And I thought, that's actually the word of the Lord. 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:48.560 That's wisdom. 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:51.840 I don't know if I did or not, but got my trusty water. 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:54.239 I prayed last night as I went to bed about too late. 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:57.599 I won't tell you what time, uh, that I'd have a voice this morning when I woke up. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:59.920 And so it's it's feeling pretty good, sounding pretty good. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:06.079 If if I have a a pre-pubescent cutout or something, you'll know you'll know what what it's about, what's going on. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:13.439 So my name is Chris, and um I know most of you, there may be a few I don't. 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:24.240 Natalie and I um have had an invitation, we like to say, from the Lord for probably a long time to help lead the charge in the area that we've lived in for 18 years. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:27.919 Um, you know, there's almost 70,000 people in Kyle alone. 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:35.120 There's probably a third of that in Butah, South Austin, Driftwood, Wimberly, like all these areas just continue to grow as everybody finds us. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:41.439 And, you know, they say that for every 1,000 people in a region, there needs to be at least one healthy local church. 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:48.400 And I know there's some healthy churches around here, but there ain't 70 in Kyle, and there ain't more than that in Butta and the other areas. 00:02:48.639 --> 00:03:00.159 And the Lord's just taken us on a journey, and the journey has probably been longer than I was cognizant of it being, but really in the last five years to wake up and realize there's a real need. 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:07.680 And I and I know that I've got a call and some equipping, and it would be selfish to not do something with it. 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:12.240 And since we've said yes, um, it's been the right of our life already so far. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:13.360 And I'm so thankful. 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:23.680 And there's been hungry people like you that have uh helped, and we have big dreams of of helping the mission of God in this area. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:31.120 And so I'll start with what our vision is, because um, don't let it be uh cliche or plasticky. 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:35.840 Anything that's gonna work, even your own personal family, needs vision. 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:48.159 And so we have a vision to see the kingdom of heaven advance in our own lives, in the region, and to the ends of the earth, which were Jesus' words. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:50.560 I think that part region is really important too. 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:55.840 Rather than just the city, I think that the heavenlies actually operate in regions. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:04:09.680 In fact, in Ephesians 6, uh Paul actually tells us kind of a bigger zoomed-out picture that our our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but it's against actually principalities and regional influence, um, perhaps where the church has kind of stepped back and gone absent. 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:14.800 And so there's been uh an unoccupied area over region for influence to happen. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:27.439 And so to see the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, actually move forward and advance in our own lives in this region that we all find ourselves in, and actually to the ends of the earth, which is possible from somebody like you. 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:29.279 Don't let that fly over your head. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:33.600 Like I believe the local church can have far-reaching effects. 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:35.519 And I'm excited about what that could look like. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:36.720 So that's the vision. 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:38.399 You need a vehicle to get to your vision. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:40.399 You have to have a car to go in to get to the vision. 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:41.199 So, what is that? 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:42.399 What's your mission? 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:47.360 And our mission is to be a family on mission. 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:53.279 And we're going to talk about the mission of God today, um, that is representing Jesus to the world around us. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:56.959 And I love that part representing, because it means two things. 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:05.600 It means representing Jesus, which is all of our call to do, to represent Jesus, to walk through your life um salty. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:15.360 And people are like, something about you, and and then especially you start loving people and even praying for people, and they're like, okay, you got to tell me. 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:18.399 And I'm experiencing love and acceptance and power. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:19.040 What is it? 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:29.839 So that's representing Jesus in um the world around us, but representing Jesus is also an interesting idea because there's a lot of thoughts about who Jesus is, who God is. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:33.120 Maybe some write on and maybe some write off. 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:41.680 Maybe, maybe it's been because there wasn't a mom or dad who took Junior by the hand and said, Hey, this is what it is to be a man of God, son. 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:43.680 This is what it is to be a woman of God, daughter. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:48.639 Um, maybe just didn't have the mentors in life or a church or somebody to show who Jesus is rightly. 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:50.720 And there's a lot of ideas of who God is, you know. 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:59.920 Um, some people imagine God to be uh like a Zeus figure with a lightning bolt in his hand with some angry eyebrows, and who's like, hey, I'm going to punish you if you even step out of line. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.079 You're like, okay, God's to be feared. 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:02.959 But he's not. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:04.720 He's a father, and he's a good one. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:10.399 And that's that's a representation of who God, who Jesus, who the Holy Spirit is. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:11.519 And that's the opportunity. 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:12.319 So that's really the mission. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:19.839 So that's how you see the vision of um reaching the world happen is realizing that we're first a family. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.480 So it's not just an organization, it's not just a club. 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.079 It actually has family bonds. 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:25.680 That might scare some of us. 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.399 You're like, you say family, and I start twitching. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:32.000 The truth is, God always meant for the church to be a family. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:33.519 That's why he uses the word father. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:43.120 He could have used the word something else when he actually described himself, but the most way God is described out of Jesus' mouth is father, because he has sons and daughters and family and everything. 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:45.279 So there's the the big picture. 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:47.759 I'll give you this for free too. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:48.959 Uh sozo. 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:50.959 You're like, what does that mean? 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:52.480 Um, good question. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:54.480 I asked the same one about five years ago. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:57.199 It's not so so church. 00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.759 Kind of good, kind of not, so-so. 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:07.360 Sozo is the Greek word for salvation, and it means uh holistic saving. 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:18.079 Not just you go to heaven when you die, but today and holy, the entire part of you being touched and rescued and made well by God. 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:31.839 There's a story in the Bible, of course, of the woman who had a bleeding issue, and Jesus is in the crowd, he's walking, maybe you know this one, and the disciples around him, and he feels this woman who's got this bleeding issue in her body reach out and touch his garment, and he turns around and he says, Somebody touched me. 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:33.920 And the disciples think, Jesus, everybody's around you. 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:34.959 We all touched you. 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:44.000 And he said, No, I felt intention in the touching and power go out of me, and sees the woman and says, Woman, your your faith has made you well. 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:46.399 And when he says well, it's actually the word sozo. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:48.240 Your faith has made you sozo. 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:58.480 And what he's saying is not just that your bleeding issue is healed, but your whole life is transformed because the kingdom of God has now come to you through your faith, through your realizing. 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:06.800 So your eternity, yes, secured, but your now is transformed to be uh a woman of God with new possibilities in your life. 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:10.639 And so it's kind of a teasing word, Sozo, what does that mean? 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.279 It's a nice talking point, but it's actually loaded with meaning. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:16.399 And so, if you were wondering, that's what Sozo Kyle is about. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:28.000 So Sozo San Marcus exists a few miles to our south, and um the Sozo family has a vision to plant 25 local apostolic hubs, we call them. 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.279 So that's a fancy$10 word, like like a big one. 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:32.080 What does that mean? 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:38.799 Uh local local apostolic hub is just a local church, but it's a church that has a vision of equipping people and sending people. 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:40.639 You say, well, sending, what does that mean? 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:42.080 Well, we're gonna talk a little bit about that. 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:43.279 Um, don't get nervous. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:45.360 It's not like are you trying to send me to Africa or something? 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:48.399 I mean maybe, but um not right off the bat. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:49.600 And maybe never. 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:53.759 Sending can look in a lot of different ways, but sending is intentional. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:57.919 And so um so Sozo Kyle is really the first of those 25. 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:01.120 Um, if if we get to tweet, like is a hardline 25? 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:01.679 I don't know. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:02.320 I think so. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:02.879 We'll see. 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:04.000 And then 25 abroad. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:04.879 There's already three abroad. 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:15.600 We have some friends in Japan, uh, Burundi Um and Pakistan, and then a couple more that are kind of kind of coming into the family, just getting the mission. 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:20.320 And it's not that any other church mission's wrong or bad, it's just that we feel unique to what God's called us to. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:25.440 You know, there's a French term je ne sais quoi, if I'm even saying that right. 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.480 And it means what is the unique standout factor about you? 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:30.960 It's probably a good question to ask about your own life, too. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:31.919 What do I carry? 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:33.360 What's unique about my wiring? 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:37.600 What's my je ne sais quoi that makes me stand out that God's put his fingerprint on? 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:43.679 And just feel like that's kind of been our our call as a church family, to want to really major in equipping people and sending people. 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:47.279 And so uh we'll get into it here. 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.720 Um, ecclesia is another big word. 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:55.840 We're using big words today, and it means in English, the church. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:02.320 And it comes with a belief that the church can actually change the world. 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:08.639 And that's another phrase that can fly right over your head and feel too big for your britches if you're not careful. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:10.080 But it's it's not. 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:23.279 The world's all around you, and in you is the seed to really bring real change and transformation, not only in your own life, but really to the people who know you, to the people who are watching you, to the city you end up living in, to the kids that you end up raising, to the grocery. 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.440 I mean, just the gamut goes on and on. 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:29.120 Real change in the church, the ecclesia has the power to do that. 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:32.159 It comes from a Greek word. 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:35.600 We won't always be so Greek, but today we're Greek apparently. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:37.840 Um the first word is ek, eK. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:39.120 I don't even know if I'm saying that right. 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:45.279 Some some Greek scholars could could help here, but the word ek, eK, means out. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:50.080 And then the other compound word here is kaline. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:51.279 There you go. 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:54.000 And it means to call. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:11:00.240 So it literally, this word ecclesia literally means the called out ones. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:13.759 So Jesus decided when he was telling people, his followers, about the church, he decided to use the word ecclesia to exemplify what actually it is. 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:14.960 What are we actually doing? 00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:21.360 We are saying that we are going to be the called out ones for a real purpose. 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.240 Now it's a political term, at least it was then. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.879 Now it's translated uh in English as the church. 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:42.159 But originally, when Jesus would have used this word, everybody who heard it would have known it to be a political term that was for the uh local legislative government called out body in a city, in an area. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:54.799 For instance, when Paul goes to Athens in Acts chapter 17, and he is talking to at the Eragopacus, he's talking to the leaders there in Athens, and of course he sees the sign on the wall that says to an unknown God. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:58.720 And Paul says, I can actually tell you guys about the unknown God, and he he goes into it. 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:04.159 Who he would have been talking to there in Athens would have been the ecclesia of the day. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:17.919 They were the governing body, they're the called out ones, they were citizens, but they were marked to say, hey, you guys come and be a part of the um the ones who can instill law, who can make judgment calls, the government. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:20.960 And they were seen as such, and they had the authority. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.919 They had it was agreed upon authority, the ecclesia. 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:31.600 So when Jesus shows up and he says, This is what the church is, it's the ecclesia, we might actually call it ecclesia or something. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.000 So if we miss miss up the terms, give me some grace here. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:35.600 I don't speak Greek fluently. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:52.480 Um, what he was saying is that all of authority on heaven and earth has been given to me, and I give it to you, the church, to actually have the governing authority to bring what is in heaven to be on earth. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:13:00.960 So it's not just like a pie in the sky, cross your fingers, kind of hope that somebody hears your words or sees your your love to them and that changes their heart. 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:11.840 You actually, as the church, as the uh ecclesia, have the authority to instill heaven's values and culture and reality. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.919 So what's in heaven can actually be reality on earth. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:17.679 What's not in heaven? 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:24.000 Sickness, poverty, anxiety, despair, depression, suicide. 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:25.279 I mean, the list just goes on. 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:26.559 That stuff's not in heaven. 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:34.320 And Jesus, when he prayed, he said, pray like this, live like this, that uh heaven come to earth. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:40.960 And you have the power to do that because you're the ecclesia as the as the church family of God. 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:46.480 That's what you're that's what you're coming into as a born-again believer in Jesus. 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:54.080 It's not just a club or an organization or something that you attend when you have time and you're in town. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:14:03.120 When you become a part of the family of God, you become part of the ecclesia and have keys to the kingdom to implement heaven's rule on the earth. 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:07.360 That's why we can pray things and say things like regional transformation. 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:15.279 Like things that are wrong around here can actually be made right through the power of God through us because he's chosen to partner with us as the ecclesia. 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:17.600 So the church can absolutely change the world. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:24.480 And so when you have a grand opening and you ask yourself and you ask the Lord, what do you start with? 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:25.360 What do you lead with? 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:31.120 There's all kinds of things you could say to perhaps fresh ears, maybe even try to put your best foot forward. 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:32.080 What do you lead with? 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:35.679 And I think what you lead with is what is the mission of God? 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:41.759 And what is Sozokile going to stand for and be about right out of the gate? 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:48.879 You know, we all have past experiences, we have past church experiences, maybe our experiences as no church and we don't have a clue what to expect. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:56.559 But I think having a good understanding and framework of what the mission of God is is actually really important and helpful. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:04.399 And so that's why I want to start here for the next um even a couple of weeks is talk about what is the mission of God and how does the church fit into it. 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:29.919 Um few months ago now, uh, my wife Natalie was at Summer Moon Coffee, and she was meeting uh another young lady for for coffee, and she works at Gold's Gym, some in San Marcus, and so the summer moon, this was at the summer moon in San Marcus, and one of the baristas there was about to uh go in for some pre-cancerous kind of surgery stuff and was pretty nervous about it. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:38.480 And so um, because Natalie had kind of formed a relationship because she bought coffee on the regular firmer, she had mentioned it to Natalie. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.279 She had a little anxiety and some nerves about it all. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:47.120 And so Natalie just said, Well, let's pray that those nerves go away and that you have the peace of God. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:50.000 And so the barista said, Heck yeah, let's do that. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:58.960 And so she did just right there, a simple prayer of just Lord, we invite your peace right now in the heart, and we invite your power on the body, and we just pray that this anyway, whatever she prayed, I wouldn't there. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:15:59.840 I'm making it up. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:01.360 I'm sure it was something like that. 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:02.559 You're a great prayer. 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:11.039 So she finished, and the girl that she was having coffee with said, How did you know to do that? 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.960 And Natalie said, That's just what the people of God do. 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:17.840 That's that's just what the ecclesia does, essentially. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:19.440 I don't think you were used that word, probably. 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:28.080 Sure, but it was this eye-opening moment for this other girl to realize, oh, this this is allowed. 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:32.720 I'm empowered to do this as a child of God who carries the authority of heaven. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:43.039 When we see, when we spot, when we sense something out of line, something out of balance with what heaven's reality is, then there's an invitation to pray and to invite that thing in. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:46.399 You say, well, what if what you pray doesn't happen? 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:51.519 Well, welcome to the mystery of God, because there is some of that in it. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:17:02.720 But the mystery of God can't come at the expense of a complete abandonment, of you saying, Well, I've seen it not work, and so I'm I'm gonna jump ship and go live over here and do this other thing. 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:12.160 Well, the chances of God coming through and heaven coming to earth are a lot better the more often you instill faith and pray than when you just don't and say, I'll leave it up to the sovereignty of God. 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:24.000 There is a divine extension of partnership for the people of God, the family of God, that God is inviting you into, and it's specific and it's unique to where you are. 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:34.559 The subdivision that you're in today may not be the subdivision that you're in next year, may not be the job you're at, your your child situation. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:36.480 You may graduate your kids off and be an empty now. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:38.799 Like your season's always going to shift and change. 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:42.240 There's always gonna be opportunity around you no matter what your season is. 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:44.960 The voice of the Lord is always speaking, by the way. 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:50.079 It's not like he goes on vacation, checks out, decides I'll get you back when you're ready to listen or something. 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:52.000 He's just always opportunity. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:55.839 Hey, this curtain pulled back, moment, revelation, wisdom here. 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:00.160 We get to have as much of it as we want to go for. 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:01.680 And that's just the heart. 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:03.839 I hope that we decide to go for it a lot. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:09.200 So the central idea today is that the mission of God is to make disciples of Jesus. 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:11.680 That was the last instruction Jesus gave us. 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:13.920 It was the it was the primary instruction. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:18.079 What Jesus didn't say was go into all the earth and plant churches. 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:19.920 Didn't say that. 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:22.000 Said go and make disciples. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.039 What's a disciple? 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.119 It's a follower of Jesus. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:29.440 Somebody who says everything, the filter of my life goes through Jesus. 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:33.440 My thinking, my believing, my acting, my recreating, my everything goes through Jesus. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.480 I'm a follower of Jesus. 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:35.599 I'm an apprentice of his. 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:37.599 If he thinks it, I think it. 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:39.839 And so that's been the instruction. 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:44.640 And so from the beginning, that's been uh that's been the mandate, that's been the mission. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:47.359 And the church came after the mission. 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:56.559 In other words, the mission of God to make disciples of all the nations existed, and God said, We need a vehicle for the mission. 00:18:56.720 --> 00:19:00.480 We're gonna we're gonna have a church, we're gonna have a family, and it's gonna accomplish this. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:11.519 Rather than the inverse of that, which sometimes, and at least in my mind, maybe you've been there too, you thought, well, you know, Jesus rose from the dead, and then the church started, and then the church was like twiddling their thumbs, what are we gonna be about? 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:13.519 Well, I know we'll make disciples of people. 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:19.039 Could have worked that way, but it didn't because the mission of God has existed from the beginning of time. 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:25.680 In fact, I was gonna read a verse, I'll wait, I'll wait, I'll go in order. 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:27.759 I'm gonna read you something else in front in front. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:30.240 Um I'll have to watch my time here. 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:31.359 I you guys can get me going. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:33.200 We're gonna have to listen fast today. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:37.359 And I'm gonna Um Okay, but I gotta read you this. 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:41.039 Alright, this is this is gonna take just a minute, but I think this is profound. 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:43.759 So so put your focusing listening ears on. 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:51.839 On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:58.799 The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat that went out and saved the shipwrecked people. 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:10.960 But the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, they went out day and night, tirelessly searching for the lost from the shipwrecks. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:24.240 Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding areas wanted to become associated with the station that gave life to these shipwrecked people, and give their time and their money and their effort for the support of its work. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:30.400 New boats were bought and new crews were trained, and this little life saving station began to grow. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:39.759 Some of the members of the life saving station were unhappy that the building that they were sending the boat out of was so crude and poorly equipped. 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:45.599 They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:52.720 They replaced all the emergency cots that they had in the hut with beds and put better furniture, and they even enlarged the building. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:21:00.319 Now the life saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it as a sort of club. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:05.440 Few members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions. 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:10.799 So they actually hired out crews to do this work. 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:18.319 The life-saving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a liturgical lifeboat even in the room, so they could see it in person. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:27.920 About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:33.920 They were dirty and sick, and some had black skin, some had yellow skin, some had red skin. 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:36.640 There were all kinds of people off this big boat. 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:44.480 And this beautiful new club was now in chaos because everybody was landing in the now club, the what was the rescue station. 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:54.559 So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of the shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:58.880 At the next meeting, there was a split down the middle of the club membership. 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:06.720 Most of the Members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:12.799 Some members insisted upon life saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that this is how we started. 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:15.759 We're called a life-saving station, hello. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:27.039 But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life saving station down the coast aways. 00:22:27.359 --> 00:22:28.880 So they did just that. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:35.599 And as the years went by, that new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old one. 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:38.559 And it evolved, too, into a club. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:43.839 And yet another spin-off life saving station was founded, and history continued to repeat itself. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:51.519 And if you visit the seacoast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along the shore. 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:56.640 Shipwrecks are still frequent in those waters, but most people drowned. 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:01.920 I could almost get teary, and it's just an allegory. 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:17.119 I think um for me about five years ago, my hope in the in the in the local church was restored. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:23.519 Um like a lot of you, I've had a lot of church experience, and I'm thankful for it. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:26.720 I'm so thankful for what God has done in me and everything. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:34.160 But I think I found my place myself in a place a little bit of boredom and maybe just a little bit of visionlessness. 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:36.400 Like, like what do we exist for? 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:38.400 What are we really accomplishing? 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:42.880 And if it's just a coming together gathering, there's some good in that. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:46.160 There's some peace in that, there's some power in that. 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:52.000 But I think I my heart, after about 17 years of doing it, just kind of ran out of gas on that. 00:23:52.559 --> 00:24:02.160 And I just feel like God renewed my sense of vision of what the church could be by returning me to the original mission of God. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:10.880 To not get comfortable, to not be a place where it's come and see only, but it's a place of go and tell also. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:14.160 Now it's not one or the other at the expense of the other. 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:15.920 There's gotta be a come and see. 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:18.960 Come and taste that the Lord is good, the scriptures say. 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:29.920 But if the come and see just leads to getting fatter and fatter and fatter, and there's really no going and telling, I mean, really with intention in your life and mission, then you'll run out of gas eventually on it. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.680 You'll get bored of it, you'll get tired of it. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:33.680 It's just kind of life on repeat. 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:41.359 And I think for a lot of people, perhaps that's been the experience is just week in, week out rhythm, routine. 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:42.559 And some of that's good. 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:44.559 We need rhythm and routine in our life. 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:56.880 But I just know, and I think you do too, that there is opportunity beyond our wildest dreams to see the kingdom of God on planet earth in our day and age, like like maybe it's never been before. 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:04.880 And I think it it hinges on if the ecclesia of God sees it and decides to be that in the earth today. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:10.400 I want to give you a little picture of um of of where we've come from as a church family. 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:14.559 I mean from the beginning of Acts, when the churches were born. 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:18.720 Number one, I'll say the church didn't come first, the command did. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:20.400 Genesis 1.28. 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:23.839 I'll skip Matthew 28, Lori, because I already mentioned that. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:34.000 Genesis 128 says, God blessed them and said to them, this would have been in the garden, by the way, at the beginning of time, be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth and subdue it. 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:37.440 The heart of God has been multiplication from the beginning. 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:45.359 From the beginning, grow and multiply, not just biologically, but new creation. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.200 New creation, the people of God multiply. 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:58.160 And then you see in Acts 1.8, now we're getting close to the birthday of the church, the mission of God is restated as the church is being born. 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:03.039 It says, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:05.200 You see the promise here of the mission? 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:08.400 And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem. 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.279 Pause. 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:12.559 Jerusalem is where it was the epicenter where this thing started. 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:17.359 And we're about to look at the Jerusalem church and what they were up to as this thing was being born. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:20.319 But Jesus doesn't stop in Jerusalem with his instruction. 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:24.240 He says, and in all Judea, not the Jewish place. 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:25.920 This is the Gentile place. 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:36.960 This would have been completely radical thinking for a Jewish person, which is the heritage from the Old Testament, to think, wait a second, you're saying, Jesus, that this thing is for more than just our insider family? 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:38.799 This is revolutionary. 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:40.720 And he doesn't stop there. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:43.680 He says, by the way, go to Samaria too, hated place. 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:44.960 That's the enemy place. 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:46.400 That's the crosstown rival. 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:47.599 We'll go to Judea. 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:48.720 We ain't going to Samaria. 00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:51.039 Yeah, you are, if you're going to be on the mission. 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.720 And by the way, it doesn't even stop there. 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:55.599 This is like one of Jesus' things like, well, how many times do I have to forgive them? 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:58.880 Seven times, seventy, seventy-seven, seventy-seven times seven, seven, seven, seven, seven. 00:26:58.960 --> 00:26:59.680 Like how many sevens? 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:02.400 It's like, no, the point is you don't stop forgiving. 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:03.200 This is the idea. 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:08.799 He says, and go to the ends of the earth for all time, forever, every place, everybody. 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:10.319 This is the mission of God. 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:15.119 It's been restated there to carry something that's always existed in the heart of God. 00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:19.759 And so the Jerusalem church. 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:22.799 The church that forgot its mission. 00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:25.519 The Jerusalem church was the first church. 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:39.519 And there were 3,000 people added to the number of the Jerusalem church on the heels of Peter's first sermon when he lets out the gospel message of Jesus and all the people that were there for the Pentecost celebration, which was a lot. 00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:42.480 That's how you get 3,000 people in hearing range of Peter's message. 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:44.880 Said, Wow, that's true? 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:46.079 Are you kidding me? 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:47.759 Yes, I'm in on that. 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:49.200 And the church began to grow. 00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:54.400 It wasn't long after that that 5,000 more people, and maybe more than that, were added to the church. 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:58.240 So the thing had movement, it had momentum, and it had power. 00:27:58.480 --> 00:27:59.839 It had miracles in it. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.759 Look at Acts 2, 41. 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:03.839 Kind of getting fired up here. 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:09.759 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:14.480 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread into prayer. 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:21.519 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:24.319 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:26.559 So they're all filled with God is what it's saying. 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:27.680 They sold property. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:28.799 They went crazy. 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:33.440 They sold their possessions to give to anyone who had need, like, you got need, I got something for you. 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:35.119 They were just going nuts for this thing. 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:38.160 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:42.240 We're only coming together on Sundays and maybe once a coup a couple times during the week. 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:44.400 These guys are going every day, they can't stand it. 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:53.119 They broke bread in their homes, they ate their meals together, they had gladness and sincerity in their hearts, and they praised God, enjoying the favor of all the people. 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:56.960 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:59.039 This thing was going like wildfire. 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:01.599 It was a powerful move of God. 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:08.799 But there's no record that the Jerusalem church actually went outside of Jerusalem. 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:14.960 They just continued to say, Hey, fellow Jew, come and hear about Jesus. 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:22.799 He's got power, and he did, and they did, and they experienced it, and they just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger inside the city. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.559 But God didn't say build the church of Jerusalem. 00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:31.039 He said, Go here and go here and go there and just keep going. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:33.680 And the Jerusalem church didn't do that. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:41.440 So God had to shake Peter awake with a rooftop vision in Acts chapter 10, if you remember that story. 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:46.240 And he was just called to go to one Gentile, go to Cornelius' house. 00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:53.519 And Peter's like, No, I have never, I have never got eaten anything that is unclean. 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:54.720 Are you kidding me? 00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:57.920 We just had 3,000 and then 5,000 be added to the Jerusalem church. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:00.000 I'm not going to a Gentile's house. 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.920 Like he was totally spaced cadet dead on the mission of Jesus. 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:06.000 So he shakes him awake with this dream. 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:09.839 You gotta read it in Acts chapter 10, or the curtain comes down and there's all kinds of animals. 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:11.839 And he's like, Peter, get up and eat these things. 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:13.599 And Peter's like, No. 00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:15.839 And God's like, yes, watch what happens. 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:23.279 And so it's the transforming moment, but it takes all the way to Acts chapter 10 when the church was started in Acts chapter 2 for Peter to even get it. 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:28.640 And then it was a long ride after that for all the other church leaders in Jerusalem to get on board with it anyway. 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:33.920 So Jerusalem stopped being the key church that God was planting in the earth. 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:37.440 Now the second church that we'll look at is Emmaus. 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:40.079 Maybe you've heard the phrase, the walk to Emmaus. 00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:43.440 So Jesus has just rose from the dead. 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:45.200 There's two guys and they're walking. 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:46.640 It's Luke 24, verse 13. 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:53.599 It says, now the same day, two of them, these are two believers now in Jerusalem. 00:30:53.839 --> 00:30:55.440 They're from Emmaus, but they're in Jerusalem. 00:30:55.519 --> 00:31:01.359