WEBVTT 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:05.120 Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:06.879 Thank you so much for listening today. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.439 We hope it encourages you and inspires you. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:10.800 Here's today's message. 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:11.439 Right. 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:17.280 Nate, did you hear that after the message that we just espouse great volumes of wisdom? 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:19.120 We're changing lives. 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:23.039 One like and subscription at a time. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.079 Oh man, we're so so glad that you're here. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:29.120 Thank you so much for coming in to uh worship with us today. 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:35.679 Um we recognize that for the for the nine o'clock service, this has always been my mindset, but it's definitely double today. 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.799 Um it's it's it's cold here in Florida. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:46.960 So when you can get up this early and and like and like come to church in this level of cold, I'm just saying I'll find a scripture to back this up. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:49.200 There's extra favor on your life. 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:50.240 I believe it. 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.280 I believe that there's somewhere I can find a passage if you give me enough time. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:58.479 Um and don't go see the podcast that Nate and I were talking about about applying the word appropriately. 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:00.240 Um but um I'm so glad you're here. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:10.560 We're in our devoted um series, and in this series, our heart's desire has really just been to unpack what does it mean um to be devoted to God in our current season and context. 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:22.719 I recognize that we live in a world that just gives us so many options and so many things that we can get involved in, and so being loyal or being devoted is almost like something that's archaic and it almost doesn't make sense to certain people. 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:29.680 So embracing that reality, but while simultaneously understanding that God still calls us to be devoted to Him. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:30.719 So, what does that look like? 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:33.840 So, over the past couple of weeks, we've been unpacking that quite a bit. 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:39.840 Um, we've talked about what it just means to be devoted to God, we talked about um being devoted to God's house, devoted to God's people. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:46.959 Um, last week we we talked about God's word and how we want to use that as the metric by which we look at the world and how we can change everything. 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:52.480 Um, we this past Thursday, we had an incredible um night of prayer and and and worship. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.040 Anybody was at the night of prayer and worship? 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:07.680 Um we had we had such a great time, and so we have a resource um that I wanted to make available to all of us, and and that is basically uh just a listing of scriptures that you can read and pray over you and your family in varying seasons. 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:13.520 I think we have like 25 different subjects that have several scriptures to kind of just help you in different seasons. 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:15.039 And so we'll make that available to you. 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:15.680 You'll find that. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:21.280 Um, I know it's on our link tree on on Instagram, I know it's in other spots, but but I want to encourage you to go and check that out. 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:26.479 I really do believe um that the word of God can change our lives when we apply it and actually begin um to walk it out. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:28.400 So we want to make those resources available to you. 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:32.639 We just have a lot of amazing things um that are happening um in our church. 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.840 And so today I'm I'm excited to continue the conversation. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.639 So if you have your Bibles, I would I would love for you to join me in the book of Acts, chapter two. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:47.919 This is where we've been spending most of our time because that's kind of been the the canvas um that I believe God wants us to pull from. 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:54.879 We're actually gonna revisit um the passage in its entirety that I read to us um when we started the series. 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:59.120 Um I believe in here it kind of encapsulates what I believe God wants us to speak on today. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:05.919 So in the book of Acts, chapter two, um, just as a quick recap, the book of Acts is the the emergence of the church. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:06.719 It's the emergence. 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:12.240 So you have the you have the gospels, which is the message of the church, but then you have the idea and the emergence of the church. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:20.479 The Holy Spirit comes, and the book of Acts accounts for the activity of God amongst a group of people that then grew into what we know as the church. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:32.000 So starting here at verse number 41, Peter preaches an incredible message, and so it says this, and so those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:39.039 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:44.879 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:50.000 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:55.919 They sold their possessions and property and distributed proceeds to all as any had need. 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:01.599 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple and broke bread from house to house. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:08.319 They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor with all people. 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:12.960 Every day the Lord added to those who were being saved. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:20.560 Again, this is right here on page the birth, the beginning of this movement that we refer to as the church. 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.839 And so for me, I believe that our future is behind us. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:32.160 I believe if we can go back and look at how things function then that I can actually set the tone for how God will have us to function moving forward. 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:37.519 All the believers were together and they held all things in common. 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:47.120 What a powerful image! So today I want to talk to us about the importance of all of the believers being together. 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:52.720 What does it mean when the people of God gather and assemble and live together? 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:57.439 If you're taking notes, I want you to write this message title down, set apart. 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:00.240 Let's pray and let's get into it. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:01.839 Lord, I thank you so much. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:04.399 Um, just for this precious community. 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:14.079 Whether you're joining us online, in our family lounge, you're here with us in person, listen to a podcast or YouTube later, however you stumble across this, we're so grateful that you are here. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.160 It wouldn't be the same without you. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.839 Father, I pray over the next few moments, God, that you just speak to us. 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:24.959 Holy Spirit, we welcome you in here, that that that you're the guest of honor, that Jesus, we exalt you. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:32.079 And we're just asking, Holy Spirit, for you to nudge us, to to encourage us, to challenge us, to inspire us, to draw closer to the ways of Jesus. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:39.279 And I ask that you give us open eyes that we can see you, open ears that we can hear you, and open hearts to receive everything that you have for us. 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:40.959 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:41.839 Amen. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:43.680 Amen and amen. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:51.120 You know, I was feeling a little bit nostalgic and reflective, and this series lends itself to it just a little bit. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:58.879 And I've been thinking a lot about just how I was raised versus how I've raised my children, even just the culture that we're in right now. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:08.000 And I realized that when I was being raised, there were certain things that were very clear, there were certain lines that were very clear, but in our current context, um it's it's different. 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:11.920 Nothing screams at more than just the clothes that we wear. 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:16.079 So let me give you all a little bit of a recap into my childhood. 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:25.759 When I was coming up, there was a clear distinction between your school clothes, your play clothes, and your church clothes. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:27.680 It was a very clear distinction. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:35.519 You knew that when the fall came and and and your mom took you into the store, and for me, I aspired to get bugle boys and Sebago shoes. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:36.639 That was my vibe back then. 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.040 Like that was that was the the lane I was in. 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:43.600 But you knew very clearly that those clothes were meant for school. 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:46.240 That when you wore them to school, you better not mess them up. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:52.399 I don't know how we survived recess, but nonetheless, it was very clear that these clothes are meant for school. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:55.279 And then when you get home, you were had to change clothes. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:07:04.879 There was nothing more risky, there was nothing more rebellious than a kid who would come home for school and go immediately outside without changing into their um their play clothes. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:06.480 I remember, my mom's probably watching this. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:07.839 There's a couple of times I felt rebellious. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:08.720 My mom had made me mad. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:10.319 I'm like, I want to keep these shoes on. 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:14.240 Like just a that's gonna be my way of getting back out of it there was a clear, there was a clear distinction. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:19.680 The play clothes, those were clothes that used to be your school clothes that got downgraded. 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:32.000 They've gotten downgraded, they've lost their position as being the thing that you wore to that you wore to school, and so now those are the ones that you could wear around and you can get dirty and mess them up and get scuffs in them, all that was cool. 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:34.720 But then you had the church clothes. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.399 And and for us, the the church clothes were separate. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:49.759 They they were they were distinct, at least in my household, like the school clothes had its drawer, the the play clothes had its own little spot, but the church clothes, they got hung up in the closet. 00:07:50.720 --> 00:08:00.319 And and you could always tell the family that went to church a whole lot based off of the little spots on the hanger that were there because you didn't have time to iron them out and you had to press and the stuff in your shoulder. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:04.879 So you could always tell how frequently you went to church, but the but the church clothes were were set apart. 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:09.199 They were different, they were in a whole different part of your closet because you knew like these are clothes. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.879 I'll my church clothes will never become, they'll never become my play clothes. 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:20.000 My church clothes will never become my my school clothes unless it's picture day and then there is grace extended on that day. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:25.839 But other than that, the the church clothes are gonna just be the church clothes until they become your cousin's church clothes. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.680 Like the church clothes are always going to be what the church clothes are. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.159 And and and it was very clear, it was very understood. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:37.519 The thing that I find so interesting is that nowadays those lines are profoundly blurred. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:44.159 The stuff that you wear on a Monday is the stuff that you wear to a brunch, is also the stuff that you wear to church. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:45.200 And I'm here for it. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:45.759 I love it. 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:49.919 I remember that when I got baptized, and then I started going to my church. 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:54.480 I think I went to church maybe like three weeks in a row, and and I ran out of church clothes. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:55.600 Like I had nothing else. 00:08:55.759 --> 00:09:00.320 So the fourth week that I went, I was wearing jeans. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:03.440 Brace yourself. 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:16.000 The fifth week when I came, one of the brothers, one of the deacons in the church came up to me and he said, Hey, brother Keith, because that's what they carried, hey Brother Keith, um, before before you head out, man, I want to I want to I want to give you something, I want to gift you something the Holy Spirit told me to give you. 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:17.200 I said, Okay. 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:21.279 He walks me out to his car and he gives me like six suits. 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:23.519 Six suits. 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:24.320 It's like here. 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.159 So I guess, I guess he was downgrading his church clothes and gave them to me. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.440 So he said, Okay, here's six suits, and I'd never forget these words. 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:34.480 He said, so that way when you come to church, you can be in uniform. 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.759 I didn't, I didn't even have it in me to know how to clap back back then. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:40.960 I wished I could rewind time. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:43.919 If I had a time machine now, brother Chris, I got something for you. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:46.480 But but back then, I back then I didn't know. 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:47.279 I just thought it was great. 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:53.759 Like I got I got clothes, and something about having these clothes that were set apart that were so special made me feel more holy. 00:09:53.840 --> 00:10:00.559 It made me feel like I was entering into something separate and sacred, something that was specifically dedicated just to my engagement with God. 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:01.600 I felt good about it. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:04.559 But I'm grateful that we live in a world where that doesn't matter. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:16.960 I'm so grateful that I got freedom from that nate that I can come up in here and I can have boots on with 10 shoestrings in it, and I can feel so confident and bold and just equally as anointed, maybe even more because I got more, I got more movement. 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:26.720 So I I really do appreciate that, but I will say I do have a couple of items that are in my closet that are designated for special occasions. 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:28.080 They're set apart. 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:30.639 It's just it's just different than the rest of my clothes. 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:39.279 When I'm doing when I'm doing weddings, when I'm when I'm doing something with baby dedication, there's certain items that I only wear because of the the environment that I'm going into. 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.279 It's it's set apart. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:55.759 I often wonder if the same way that the lines have blurred with the way that we dress, the the lines have blurred in so many different things, if that's what's caused the lines to blur in the way that we see and value the church altogether. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:03.039 Because what I'm I'm recognizing is that the church by name literally means to be set apart. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:11.039 The word church in the Greek is ekklesia, and it literally means called out ones or those who have been set apart. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:32.320 And in the early church, it was understood that me being connected to this powerful community was a place for me to grow and to be transformed, for me to be rooted in an environment that would challenge me, that would inspire me, that would help me to grow, the people that knew me and I would know them, and then they would see me go through the highs and the lows, and they would have a story to tell, and we could have these moments that we could spend together. 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:41.519 It was always meant to be this thing of transformation, but but the fact of the matter is the way that we have seen and defined church has drastically shifted over the years. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:45.759 See, last week I shared a little bit of data as it relates to engaging God's word. 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:47.200 Let me I like staying in this space. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:49.600 This is my professor Vane right now, so I'm gonna stay here for a moment. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:56.879 I I want to share some stats with you regarding church engagement in our current context, particularly post-pandemic. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:04.080 For every person that says that they are a follower of Christ, 30% goes to church. 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:13.039 Of all the people that say that I am a follower of Christ in America, 30% of them actually go to church. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:15.279 So now let's take it a step further. 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:19.200 We see that there's a lot of different variables, and time won't allow me to get into that. 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:22.480 There's pain, there's wounds, there's a lot of things that are keeping people from coming. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:28.480 But what you'll find more than anything is that people have evolved in the way that they even see the church. 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:31.120 They they just see it as something different. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:37.919 They have turned from being a place of covenant and commitment to being a place of convenience and consumerism. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.639 So now when I look at the church, it's more so what do they have to offer me? 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:47.360 And then what we'll see more frequently is that people are going church shopping. 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.639 Well, I'll go to a church and I'll go to this church and I'll go to that church, I'll go to that church. 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:53.279 Now, now for me, that stuff is perfectly fine. 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:00.960 We don't own people, we don't we don't get to determine any of that stuff, but here's what I recognize that I believe the enemy tries to do to sneak us in. 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:06.879 If I don't get rooted in an environment, then that environment doesn't know enough about me to challenge me. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:10.720 And because they don't know enough about me to challenge me, I never get better. 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:20.080 And so whenever I see something, experience something, then it's easy for me to move on to the next thing, and then it's always them, and it's never something that God wants to do through them to actually help me to get better. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:33.759 So I believe that the enemy is using our elusive definition of how we view church and how we engage church with the value of the church, but I believe he's using that as a tool to keep us from being rooted in an environment and with a community that can actually help us to grow. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:41.919 Keeping us from being in a space that can say, Hey, I've known you for the past five years and I notice something a little bit different about that way that you're talking about your wife now. 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:43.120 Tell me what's going on. 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:51.279 But if I go into a spot and I sit in the back and no one knows me, there's no one there that's gonna challenge me and confront me in a loving way that can actually help me to be able to get better. 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:56.399 This was the intent of the early church and the way that God had seen it. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:15.279 And I believe that these statistics are not meant to be something that makes us afraid, but it's meant to be a wake-up call for the church and making sure that we're not in this place where whether we say your clothing or not, but we're becoming legalistic about the outward appearance or the way you present yourself and using that as a metric to determine your salvation, we've got to do better at that. 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:23.759 But we also gotta do a better job at understanding what it means to be committed to something so that I can grow and be a part of something so I can watch it grow. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:33.440 So I want to spend the next couple of moments just unpacking some principles around the church that I think can help us, but also help those who may be joining us a little bit later. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.639 Here's the first thing that I want to keep on our radar. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:39.200 The church is God's idea. 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:42.080 The church is God's idea. 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:55.039 I I realize that there's a lot of different perspectives, a lot of different opinions, a lot of different experiences, a lot of things that we've all have gone through, but I want to make sure that we get this first that the church is God's idea. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:59.759 That man didn't create this, that man is simply trying to steward what God has created. 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:01.519 It's it's God's idea. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.159 Let me tell us how we we arrive at this point. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:08.320 From the very beginning, God's desire was to have a relationship with mankind. 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:12.799 And mankind's assignment was to bear the image of God, to reflect him into the world. 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:15.200 That was our ultimate assignment from the very beginning. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.240 We were called to do that. 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.759 Sin enters into the picture, and now the relationship has been fractured. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:21.679 God's redemptive plan kicks in. 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:32.159 So from Adam all the way to Abraham, you see God working with individuals hoping that they could be a representative of him so that they can be set apart, so they could draw people closer back to him. 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:44.399 Then he begins to zero in and he decides that the Israelites are going to be the people that he's going to use to set up as a holy nation that can then give birth to the Messiah that will then bring people back, Jew and Gentile. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:53.440 We continue to move forward, and now we arrive at the point where Jesus comes, born through the lineage of the tribe of Judah, and now he's the one who has Gentile blood in him. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:16:11.120 He also has messianic and Jewish blood in him, and through his ministry and through his life, he now unites us all together, what Paul refers to in Ephesians as one new man, a group of people that are all called to be set apart, that are connected, that are distinct from the world, something that God has created that is meant to draw people back to him. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:12.559 That's the church. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:14.480 That was God's idea. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:34.000 To give you a vision of what God views as the church, 1 Peter 2 says it this way But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises to the love of who are called out of darkness into the marvelous light. 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.440 God's plan included the church. 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:39.759 The church is part of God's plan. 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:42.000 The church is God's idea. 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:52.480 We begin to understand that this is not something that we arbitrarily engage in, but we understand that God has given the church to be the part of the redemptive plan to bring all men back to Him. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:54.639 It's all God's idea. 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:59.120 We have a part to play and engage in it, but this is supposed to be the space that is God's idea. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.919 So here's the next point that I think can help to bring this home. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:02.960 Why is it God's idea? 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.440 Because the church is a beacon of hope. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.519 The church is meant to be a beacon of hope. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.160 Matthew chapter 5, verse number 14, Jesus says these words. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.680 He says, You are light of the world. 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:22.640 A city situated on a hill that cannot be hidden. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:27.920 Now when he's speaking about his people, he's saying that we're living in a dark world. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:35.599 And there are some people that are out there that are wandering around and they're they're stumbling in darkness and they're struggling with how to survive and how to exist and how to live. 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:41.200 And what he's saying is, I'm collecting a group of people that I want them to be light in the middle of the darkness. 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:54.880 I'm calling for a group of people to be set apart, to be set above, so that when people are wandering and they're looking for a place that they can go, they will look up and see that the church is a place that I can go and that I can engage the love and grace and power of God. 00:17:55.440 --> 00:18:02.319 Throughout history, we have seen that the church has served as a beacon to cause significant shifts. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:14.640 We're going to talk about the flaws in a moment, but I just want to highlight that the church was on the front end of so many national movements that helped to bring restoration and reconciliation and that helped give birth to the ideas of unity and peace. 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:20.720 This was all birthed through the church because the church was meant to serve as a beacon of hope. 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:33.440 When people are at their wits' end and when they're at the end of their rope, the church was meant to be the place that you know that you can come to, where you can experience grace and love and peace and forgiveness and a space where you know that you belong. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:39.759 I remember going on my first mission trip, and it was to Northern Ireland. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:49.440 I went with my daughter, and the the mission trip focus was that we went because we're gonna be um hosting a service for the high school students there in Northern Ireland. 00:18:49.839 --> 00:19:00.799 So when we get there, we're doing our best to evangelize, we're going out to schools, we're we're meeting with students, we're doing everything we can do to invite kids to come to this service that we were gonna be putting on for them. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:10.400 As we're moving around the neighborhood, engaging with different people at different times, it was really awkward because everywhere I went, they would just ask me if I knew a random celebrity in America. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:12.319 Because in their perspective, like, hey, do you know Justin Bieber? 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.480 I'm like, yes, I know Justin, and I know a guy named Beaver. 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:15.200 I'll just put them together. 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:15.839 Yes, I know him. 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:16.880 Come to this thing tonight, man. 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:17.759 I'll tell you all about him. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:25.920 Like, so people were just asking you varying questions because, like, you're from another culture, but they were using that as an opportunity to invite people to come to this event that night. 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:34.160 We get to that event that night, and and and as I'm looking around, I probably was there for about four days, and then I write my message for that night based off of my experiences there. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:38.400 And and it was here that I wrote this message called, There is a place for you. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:42.240 And so I use this based off of my interactions with some of the students. 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:46.079 I I use this based off of my my engagement with even some of the staff that was there. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:47.200 There is a place for you. 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:52.559 And and honestly, I feel like, you know, in all the messages I preached, this is probably one of my top fives ever. 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.400 I've preached it literally everywhere I've gone. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:55.920 I preached it here at one point. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:58.400 Like it's one of those ones that I always can come back to. 00:19:58.559 --> 00:19:59.839 So there's a place for you. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:06.880 And the emphasis of the message was in spite of your brokenness, in spite of your struggles, that God still invites you to come and sit at his table. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.200 Simple but yet powerful message. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:15.680 I I finished with this sermon, and as I wrap it up, tons of kids come up and they're crying and they give their life to Christ. 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:20.799 But then later on that night, I had this young man come up to me, almost in a confronting way. 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:23.839 And he said, Who told you to come here today? 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:29.279 And so I'm looking at him because like I'm a Christian, but I'm also Keith. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.279 I'm like, what you mean? 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:33.359 Like I'm trying to I'm trying to gauge what we're talking about. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:33.839 He's like, who? 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:35.359 I'm like, I said, what do you mean? 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:38.559 He's like, it seems like you were talking to me. 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:44.640 He said, I was thinking about ending my life two days ago. 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:52.079 And then someone gave me this flyer, and he said, and all I saw on here was that there was gonna be food, and I decided to come because I didn't have any food. 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:58.640 As he's as I'm talking with him, he begins to say, this message spoke directly to me. 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:00.000 Why did you come here? 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:01.200 Why did you come here for me? 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:02.960 Like he's saying, I need answers. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:07.359 And the only answer I could provide for him was like, I'm here because God loves you. 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:09.599 He broke down into tears. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:13.039 He said, What must I do to be saved? 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:18.079 I said, You don't have to do anything, you have to receive what was already done. 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:28.640 That young man's life, in that moment, you can see the sincerity, the brokenness, the fear, the anxiety, the stress, him coming to a place where he thought that his life had no value and no purpose. 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:37.440 But because he had received an invite to come into a collection of people that were just going to declare the goodness of God, he came into an environment and he found hope. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:38.960 He found hope. 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:41.200 He found inspiration, he found purpose. 00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:48.319 I remember praying with him and getting updates at the time almost every six months, and just seeing him still wrestling with his faith, but continuing to trust God. 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:53.839 The church is a place that's meant to be a beacon of hope, a place that you know you can come to when all else fails. 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:58.240 But here's a third point that's super important to remember the church isn't perfect. 00:21:58.960 --> 00:21:59.839 I don't want to be unfair. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:05.599 Under any disillusionment that the church is perfect because it's not. 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:09.440 So I remember when I had my first encounter with this reality. 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.920 It would seem as if that this would make common sense. 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:23.759 But but I remember I was engaged in attending a church, and there were some things that really disappointed me, I'll put it that way, some things that I define as significant setbacks and things that really challenge me. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:28.720 And so as I'm as I'm navigating through this, I I withdrew from that church. 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:35.440 And as I'm continuing to love God, I'm continuing to believe in God, but but I disconnected from the church. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:37.359 People would invite me to come to different churches. 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:38.960 I'm like, nah, man, I'm not ready. 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:40.000 I don't want to. 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:44.000 And my mind began to shift it to this place of the church is full of hypocrites. 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:45.440 They're flawed. 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:48.799 You know, all the things that we can that we've all seen and said before. 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:52.319 But then God just said, Keith, like, you're good at basic math. 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:54.559 So let me give you an equation that hopefully you can figure out. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:55.200 Basic math. 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:56.720 Let's not get into algebra calculus. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:57.680 It stops there. 00:22:57.920 --> 00:22:59.200 Like, you're good at basic math. 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.079 And so here's what God said. 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:03.440 He says, Are you perfect? 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:04.720 No. 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.400 Okay, so keep that in mind. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:07.519 You're not perfect. 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:09.039 You're part of the church. 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:11.680 So the church is imperfect because you're there. 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:15.039 The church is imperfect. 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:18.400 It will never be perfect because the church is filled with people. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:20.720 So the equation God had given me was really simple. 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:22.000 People are perfect. 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:23.759 So the church is imperfect. 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:28.240 And because the church is imperfect, we look to the one who is perfect. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:33.680 And we continue to live our lives in a way that we can try to honor him and we challenge each other and we get better. 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:39.759 But but don't be under any illusion that the church was ever meant to be this perfect institute that never makes mistakes. 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:41.759 I am just as human as you are. 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:44.319 Yes, God has called me to be an example. 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:50.000 Yes, God has told me that because of the mantle that's on my life, that there's a different judgment on me if I don't steward this gift well. 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:51.359 I'm very well aware of that. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.160 But at the end of the day, I'm just a regular man, just like you. 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:55.599 I don't have a special Holy Spirit. 00:23:55.680 --> 00:23:57.119 There is no Holy Spirit Junior. 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:58.240 It's Holy Spirit. 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:03.359 And we all are doing our best to be surrendered and submitted to Him and live our lives in a way that's honoring to Him. 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:08.480 And some may be further down the road, but please don't ever believe that I should be elevated any different than anyone else. 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:09.279 I'm not perfect. 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:11.839 The church isn't perfect, but we trust a God who is. 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:17.440 When we look at these things, we see the church isn't perfect. 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:17.920 Watch this. 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:20.880 In the book of Acts, the early church has just been birthed. 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:24.559 These are people who have real accounts of spending time with Jesus. 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:25.920 They've walked with him. 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:28.720 They've literally walked on water in Peter's instance. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:35.359 And do you realize that from Acts 2, from when the church was birthed, and by the time we get to Acts 6, that they're already dealing with conflict. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:41.359 That the Bible says that while they were there doing ministry, that there was a group of people that they called Hellenistic. 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:46.160 These were people who were Greek-speaking people who were following Jesus in messianic ways. 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:48.799 And what the Bible says is that they were being treated differently. 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:51.119 They were being segregated from everyone else. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:53.839 And so what scripture says is they began to complain about it. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:25:00.799 And the apostles came in, they recognized this messiness, and they said, Well, hey, let us put a system in place to make sure everyone is treated equally. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:10.079 It doesn't take long for us to flip a couple of pages where we find that Paul confronts Peter because Peter began to distance himself from Gentiles. 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:13.839 Paul literally said, I had to confront him about it because he needed to be corrected. 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:23.839 But then we also see with Paul that he had issues with John Mark because John Mark didn't continue in the missionary field and he was upset with them to the point that they almost came to blows. 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:28.079 That's why I love the Bible, because the Bible doesn't cover any of this stuff. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:35.920 The Apostle Paul, this man that we elevate so high, was literally about to throw blows with somebody because he didn't want him to come on his missionary journey. 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:37.920 The church was never perfect. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:40.160 It was never intended to be perfect. 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:49.440 But even in its messiness, even in his, even in its chaos, even in its challenges, God is showing us that we can still believe that God is using it to do something powerful. 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:54.799 But I do believe there should be some metrics that we use to make sure that a church is in alignment with God's will. 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:57.680 These are my things, but I think that they can be helpful for you. 00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:00.799 The church isn't perfect, but a church should be accountable. 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:05.359 Accountability to behavior and finances. 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:12.240 I believe that a church should have a God-inspired vision and not man's ambition to elevate his platform. 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:13.920 A God-inspired vision. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.079 A church should have a God-inspired vision. 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:18.960 And the third thing I believe is that a church should be making progress. 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:21.839 You should always be making progress. 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:35.359 It doesn't mean that the progress will meet my expectations or even yours, but we should be making some progress if we're called by God. 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:40.079 Those are the metrics that we can often use to look at, but the church was never intended to be perfect. 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:50.160 And if we can put these things in place, that we can hold people accountable, we can challenge things that we don't understand, we can look at the God vision, we can measure how we're moving in that God vision, and then we trust God with the results. 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:51.680 But the church is not perfect. 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:53.519 Here's a fourth and final thing. 00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:56.559 Even in spite of that, even in spite of the messiness, watch this. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:57.920 The church is powerful. 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:00.480 The church is powerful. 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:04.079 The Bible says this in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18. 00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:06.079 This is Jesus speaking to Peter. 00:27:06.400 --> 00:27:15.680 And I will say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gate of Hades will not overcome it. 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:27.440 That I'm going to build my church on the revelation of Jesus being the Messiah, and the gate of hell will not prevail against it. 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:36.880 See, what I want us to understand is that when Jesus makes this statement, that he's standing literally in a spot where they used to do human sacrifices. 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:45.920 So when he makes this statement, it was understood culturally at that time that that location was literally the gates to the underworld, is what they called it. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:48.480 So Jesus is standing at that spot. 00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:50.480 He's talking with his disciples. 00:27:50.640 --> 00:28:03.119 Peter says that you're the Messiah, and he says, it's on that revelation, I'm going to build my church that I am Lord, and I'm standing on the enemy's battleground, and I'm saying that the gates of hell will not prevail against my church. 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:17.279 That means that even though we live in a world that is filled with darkness, that even though we live in a world that seems like chaos is all around us, the reason why I am not afraid is because of that very passage, because the gates of hell will not prevail against the people of God. 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:32.720 And when we understand the power and the anointing and the authority and the influence that God has given us, that we can get out of prevent defense and get out of this space we're afraid to engage the world when we know confidently, no, I can move forward because the gates of hell will not prevail against us. 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:35.119 The gates of hell will not prevail against my family. 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:37.519 The gates of hell will not prevail against our community. 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:40.079 The gates of hell will not prevail against Orlando. 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:43.759 No matter where you are, the gates of hell will not prevail because we're sitting on a hill. 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:45.599 We're salt that never loses its flavor. 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:48.480 We're gonna be people that continue to lift up God above all else. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:53.279 The gates of hell will not prevail as long as you build it on Jesus. 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:56.240 When we build it on Jesus, the enemy can't defeat us. 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:58.799 When we build it on Jesus, the enemy doesn't have access. 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:02.799 When we build it on Jesus, we continue to increase our influence. 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:08.480 Last week I had a, I call it a full circle moment. 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:23.200 Prior to me being here in Orlando and then in DC, my family and I we did ministry for many years in Jacksonville, and the last role that I had when I was there is that I was the next generation pastor. 00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:27.839 That basically means that everything from zero to 30 were things that I oversaw. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:29.680 And so it was amazing. 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:34.799 We did some incredible ministry, and one of the things that I oversaw was our young adults' ministry. 00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:42.559 I still remember vividly this one night that I preached this message, and it was called Hold On and Let Go. 00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:46.079 That's another one that's in my top five messages, too. 00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:50.880 You guys are just getting the other stuff, but the my early stuff I was coming as hot. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:51.920 But watch this. 00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:56.960 So I remember writing that message, and I remember preaching it that night. 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:59.839 And after I preached it, I felt particularly good about it. 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:05.920 Um, and and so there was an altar call, and it's just a room full of like people from the ages of 18 to 30 just coming to the altar. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:07.200 It was a powerful moment. 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:10.559 I remember at the end of that night, a young man was brought to me. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:13.680 He was very emotional, and I knew his sister. 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:16.000 And his sister said, Hey, this is my brother. 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:20.880 Um, we just lost our father, and and and I just wanted him to meet you. 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:27.200 So he shakes my hand, I talked to him for a couple of minutes, and then I introduced him to one of the college students that are at the church. 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:35.119 I started noticing that he was hanging around the church and he would be there, he would do something stupid, get in trouble, but he would still be there. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:38.160 He's just kind of working his way through it. 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:45.680 Then one day he and I had a conversation, and he said, Man, like, bro, like I I just lost my father about three weeks ago. 00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:54.640 I was I was living a life that's so crazy and foul that that I just knew that my only other two next steps were going to either be dead or jail. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:04.720 So he said, So I I came to church and and I heard this message and and and about holding on to things and letting go of things, and and and I felt something shift in me that night. 00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:18.240 Over the next, I would say, probably eight years, I've watched him just slowly figure out his calling, figure out his purpose, work through offense, work through disappointments, areas where the church mishandled him, times when he's made mistakes. 00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:22.960 I've seen all of these things kind of work together, but it was it was messy and beautiful at the same time. 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:35.039 And then last week, I go onto social media and I see that he is ordained to be the pastor of the very thing that I was when I preached to him. 00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:45.359 And I don't typically get overly emotional because I recognize that God uses all of us. 00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:48.720 There's genuine, there's I don't believe there's anything special about me. 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:51.279 I'm just telling you my story just in a very candid way. 00:31:51.440 --> 00:32:15.920 But as I began to think about his story and how hopeless he felt, losing his father, being in a chaotic situation, and him just showing up at church and responding to a message, and he just kept showing up, and he made mistakes, but he kept showing up, and and he just kept showing up, and now seeing him walk in the calling and he's able to do the very thing for others that I did for him that's the truth. 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:18.640 That's that's why we do this. 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:42.720 We don't always get it right, we're not perfect, there's gonna be highs and lows, but if God be for you, nothing can be against you because this is what it means to be a part of a community of people that we can grow, that we can challenge, we can be inspired, and walk into our calling for Jesus with every head bowed and every eye closed. 00:32:42.799 --> 00:32:44.079 I want to ask these questions. 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:55.599 Maybe you're in here today, and this whole idea of a relationship with Jesus is something that is unfamiliar for you. 00:32:57.119 --> 00:33:00.319 Maybe you've had a relationship with him at one point, and maybe you don't. 00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:11.680 Maybe you fit into the classification of you you don't see it as important, you don't see it as relevant, but but nonetheless you you feel that there's something that's speaking to you right now that's inspiring you to take a next step. 00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:14.000