WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:03.919 Hello, this is Pastor Roman Gerlock and Pastor Jim Anderson. 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:06.240 Welcome to the Resurrection Church Pioneerist. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:10.560 Each week we bring you Sunday's message from Resurrection Church right here in Racing, Wisconsin. 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:22.399 So whether you're listening on the womb, driving to work, or just folding some laundry, or avoiding folding laundry, we hope this encourages your faith, challenges your perspective, and reminds you that resurrection isn't just something that happened. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:24.559 It's something God is still doing. 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:25.920 Enjoy this week's message. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:26.559 Good morning. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:28.160 Happy Sunday. 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:35.200 Today's reading is from Hebrews chapter 10, verses 23 through 25. 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:42.560 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:57.280 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching. 00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.039 The word of our Lord. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:00.640 Thanks be to God. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:03.280 Well, good morning, everybody. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.879 Oh, you look all also dappered this morning. 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:09.760 Um, yeah, you're so nicely dressed, John. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:15.840 Uh he he used to steal my clothes in college, and I think somehow there's a conspiracy, buddy. 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:19.519 Like, like, look, what's we are literally wearing the same thing. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:21.040 Oh boy. 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:24.000 Uh how do you even like do you call my wife Andrea? 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:25.599 And you're like, what's he wearing today? 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:26.879 I'm gonna match my no? 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.000 All right, all right, because my wife dresses me and wondering if that's a thing. 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:33.280 Anyway, we've been going through a sermon series called Back to Basics. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:43.519 Uh, we're just going back to the root, the heart of what Christianity is all about, from following Jesus to getting uh deeply embedded into prayer, living generously and beyond. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:53.920 And today we're talking about what it looks like to live in community, not only a general community, but a community centered in Christ. 00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:57.120 So, with that, dear church, let us pray. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:01.760 Good and gracious God, you are indeed good, you are indeed gracious. 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:06.959 For all those times we miss that, pull us together on our low days and our high days. 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:17.599 We know that you have called us to be a church, to support one another, to make you famous, and to grow uh just your kingdom by loving others and welcoming strangers in a holy way. 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:20.560 And pray this in your holy name, as all God's people say. 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:21.840 Amen. 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:22.960 Amen. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:31.680 So, since we're talking about community, there's a lot of things as technology progresses that we can do on our own now. 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.199 We we have grown up and we can do things on our own. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:38.639 And we actually don't need a lot of other people for these random things. 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:42.080 Like we can shop without even entering a store, right? 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:46.000 We just do the Amazon thing and Jeff Bezos brings it to your house. 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:51.199 You can work without even entering an office, you can work from home. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:55.039 Uh, those numbers just increased uh the over the last couple of years. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:59.680 You can watch a cinematic movie without ever going to a theater. 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:02.400 It's still impossible to watch without popcorn, though. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:03.199 You need that. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:09.599 You can order this amazing restaurant quality food without even talking to anyone. 00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:14.960 You can just Uber Eats or Grubhub or whatever you do, and it's at your doorstep. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:16.719 You don't even need to look at anyone. 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:18.159 They just drop it off, right? 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:27.280 You can do banking without talking to a teller or going to a bank, and you can even, you can even do church without leaving your house. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:31.039 You can listen to a podcast, you can watch our streaming service. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:39.840 You don't even have to get out of your PJs, you can sip your coffee from your couch, but for some reason, you all chose to be here on a Sunday morning. 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:42.080 Yeah, praise God to that. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:42.879 Amen. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:49.199 Uh, and I I think there's there's something that we've discovered is that community looks better when we're together. 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:50.000 Amen. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:50.879 Amen. 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.680 There's a bad year I'm gonna bring up. 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:55.199 Maybe some of you blocked it out. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:57.360 Uh it it's it's called 2020. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:03:59.439 I know we're gonna go there for a little bit. 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:12.879 Um, and it's funny listening back to like old old sermons or preachers preaching around uh this time of year because they're all like it's the new normal, abundance of caution, all these keywords we're using because it was a scary time, I get it. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:19.759 But my wife was wearing a shirt the other day that my old church from Orlando made, and I'm like, I don't think that makes sense anymore. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:26.160 It says Jesus loves you, but please wash your hands, which was great for 2020. 00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:28.000 But now it's like that's odd. 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:29.360 What denomination are you? 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:31.759 You know, okay, wash your hands. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:33.279 Is that does that mean something? 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:34.079 Is that a minute? 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:41.600 But we we all the church leaders out of abundance of caution, we told you all to stay home. 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:47.120 We told you to stay home, and we also told you it's it's the same thing, it's the same thing. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:52.639 And I knew in my heart it was somewhat of a lie, but we abundance of caution, right? 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:55.439 And I'm gonna be honest with you because that's what we do. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:58.639 I'm being honest with you, for the first couple weeks, it was amazing. 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:03.680 Blamed my calendar was wide open, and I blamed everything on COVID. 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.560 Oh, I can't do that, it's uh COVID stuff, right? 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:16.240 But at the same time, as uh my introvert side excelled, there was a growing amount of loss. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.759 There was grief happening in this season of 2020. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:26.000 My heart was aching for something more, and it was my community, my faith family. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:31.680 I missed it greatly, not even as a pastor, but as a as a human being, as a Christian. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:35.040 I missed my brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:44.000 So today we're looking at the book of Hebrews, and they were going through something just uh tremendously uh impossible for us to even comprehend. 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:53.439 They're getting persecuted by the Romans, they're getting persecuted by people, uh, and people from their congregation were just disappearing left and right because it got too hard. 00:05:53.759 --> 00:06:01.680 They'd experienced hardship, persecution, and some of them were just beginning to pull away from what it looked like to gather as a faith community. 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:04.879 And so we're looking at that today. 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:13.759 We don't know who the author was, but we assume it was someone that loved this church deeply because there is some rich stuff that was brought up in this text that we read. 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:16.720 But there's some science I want to throw at you real quick. 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:19.040 Uh, if you don't like science, just close your ears. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:31.040 But researchers discover that when people are deprived of community, of social interaction, the brain responds in the same craving circuitry as when we're deprived of food. 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:33.519 Our brain lights up because it's hungry. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:39.199 It's it's this primal need of something more, this something that we need to survive. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:41.439 It's the same exact thing as food. 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:45.120 Like we need community for our nutrients, for our health, our well-being. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:48.000 And it's just community is not just something nice to have. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.000 We were created for each other, not just solo. 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:54.800 Uh, it's not a solo sport, right? 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:55.519 Life. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:57.360 Here's another one for you. 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:58.879 The mortality, this is a big one. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:07.920 The mortality of impact of being disconnected from community is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:10.720 Community is good for you. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:21.120 They're saying that being disconnected from a social source is is just physically bad for you, mentally bad for you, and spiritually bad for you. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:24.959 We were never meant to do this alone. 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.920 It's easier and easier to be locked up in our own little fortress. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:36.240 But not life, not faith, and not church never ever meant to be alone. 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:41.600 We were designed for something bigger for each other, for God. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:44.240 I'm gonna show you a piece of art. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:46.560 This is called a Lego brick. 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:50.639 They're magnets for bare feet, uh right. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.279 On its own, it's pretty much worthless. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:55.120 What can I build with this? 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.680 This one block, absolutely nothing. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:58.639 It is pointless. 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:02.240 Throw it away, it's gabbage, not much, you can't build anything. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:13.199 But to they were made to connect, they were designed to build something together, they were designed for each other, and that's exactly what we were designed for. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:16.240 Listen to this text, it's beautiful. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:22.720 Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:24.879 Spur each other on. 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:30.399 I love that because there's so many things we see that are we're trying to press buttons to get a reaction. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:32.559 My wife is I'm I'm famous for that. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:33.840 I'm just like a little kid sometimes. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:35.360 I just like to poke her buttons, right? 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.559 Like I like to uh get people get riled up and just get it. 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:39.039 I don't know. 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:40.399 It's what I do, it's who I am. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:51.759 And if you've ever competed with my my buddy and uh brother in Christ, John Anderson, with anything board game uh bags, he even though the points are higher or lower, that doesn't matter. 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:59.600 He will get in your head and he will win, he will rile you up, he will spur you on so that even if he loses, he really wins. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:00.320 Amen. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:00.960 Amen. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:01.679 Amen. 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:02.559 Yeah. 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:04.960 Chris, you know that for a fact, right? 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:06.000 Yeah, amen. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:10.799 Uh, but here's here's the thing with this: this is not spur one another on to get a reaction. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:16.639 This isn't clickbait, this isn't rage bait, this isn't Racine has the worst Kringles in the world. 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.360 No, you don't say that be uh out of this. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:22.320 This is spur one another on toward love. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:30.240 Well, what does it look like to push people's buttons to love them more and to let them know that they are loved and to push them to love more? 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:38.720 What does it look like to go above and beyond to let that person know that they have dignity and worth and to spur them on into a manner of love? 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:40.480 That is church. 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:44.799 It's so holy and and good deeds, not giving up, meeting together. 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:56.320 And he's talking about some other churches or some other uh congregations that stop doing that, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching, the day of our Lord coming again. 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:58.480 I'm gonna give you a little secret. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:09:59.600 Maybe we didn't know this. 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:04.960 Maybe we think that when we show up to church, God's like, oh, my day is just better, which is true. 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:05.600 God loves it. 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:08.320 It's a sweet song to God's ears when we worship together. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:12.799 It's beautiful, but God doesn't become better or worse because we show up. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.840 God doesn't need us coming to church. 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:20.879 The reason he commands us to come on a Sabbath day is because it's for us. 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:23.919 He knows it's good for us, he knows it's life-giving for us. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:29.200 Yes, we're all worshiping God together, but we're also doing this for one another. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:35.519 A lot of times I leave church thinking a very consumer mindset. 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:38.000 What did I get out of worship today? 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:41.039 The worship was great, sermon was a little bit too long. 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:43.840 His there's like a reflection off his head, it kept blinding me. 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:45.759 I'm gonna bring sunglasses next time. 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:47.759 But what did I get out of worship today? 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:51.279 I I just went to a movie with my son, the Spider-Man thing is pretty awesome. 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:51.679 Amen. 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:51.919 Amen. 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:52.879 Yeah, it was pretty good. 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:55.840 But it was a very consumer mindset thing. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:00.960 I got the good spot, I got the biggest screen, I got the biggest popcorn, now I got a biggest stomach ache. 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:02.879 Whatever it is, it's very me, me, me. 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:04.960 It's all about consumerism. 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:10.720 Whereas sometimes if we do it wrong, church can be all about me, me, me. 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:17.440 I gotta sit in my pew, gotta get the right angle, looking at the pastor so he doesn't blind me with his forehead. 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:23.840 But if we get come in here thinking it's all about us, we become complacent and it stops being about worship. 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:34.639 What if we asked ourselves, not only what did I grow, how did I grow and get transformed today, but what did somebody else receive because of me? 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:41.039 What if we looked around and saw that person and just decided this is where God is calling me to love today? 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:48.799 Today, someone needs your encouragement, your laugh, your story, your wisdom, your presence, your prayer, you name it. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:55.679 Yes, God doesn't need us to be sitting in a church building, but people need you absolutely. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:57.759 And God calls us to be this together. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:00.559 That's called church, that's called community. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:02.000 And guess what? 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:03.360 You need people too. 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:05.840 Uh, I I absolutely need people too. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.320 I'm the first one to admit I'd be I'd go above and beyond to help you, I promise. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:16.159 But if you offer help, I'll be like, nah, I got it myself as my back is breaking, doing whatever I'm doing. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:20.960 Sometimes just letting someone help you is holy in itself. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:22.080 Amen. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:23.279 Amen. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:25.600 I'll give you another quote as we wrap up. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:29.200 Uh, Roman officials investigated Christian communities, the early church. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.039 They sent spies because they're hearing these things. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:32.480 Are are they cannibals? 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:35.919 I hear they're eating the body and blood of their Lord and Savior. 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:37.039 What's happening here? 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:38.399 Are they doing these things? 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:39.440 Are they gonna uprise? 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:42.000 Are they gonna try to overthrow us Romans? 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:48.960 But they sent their people in and they came back with these reports that saying, man, they really love this Jesus guy. 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:51.759 They love him so much, and it's crazy. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.240 They really love one another. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:59.440 A quote from a historian says, See how they love one another. 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:05.039 We see that all throughout Acts, these people that just love, love and give and give. 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:08.000 All throughout scripture, especially the New Testament. 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:19.600 We see how they love one another, serve one another, forgive one another, bear burdens of one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, welcome one another. 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:22.080 Amen. 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:26.960 And you know this you can't one another by yourself. 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:32.480 You cannot one another by yourself, and we're called to do this holy thing together. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:34.480 Life in communities holy. 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:50.399 Oh, you have no idea how many times um, you know, as in college that John and I, there's times like I was up, he was down, and we'd lift each other up, I was down, he was up, we'd lift each other up, and that's just the beginning of what it looks like to be church together. 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:52.720 Communities holy. 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:59.679 I pray that church that we can find a way to to make this not a consumer uh thing, right? 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:01.600 Where we can come in here, we can worship. 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:06.799 Yes, it's a very passionately private thing, but it's also a very communal thing. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:08.080 We say we a lot. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:14.320 In fact, in first century Christianity, it was there wasn't really an individualistic way of doing it. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:18.559 It was always a we mentality, a culture, a tribalism, whatever you call it. 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:25.039 So, church, my holy call to you today is what does it look like to grow in this church community together? 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:34.399 What does it look like to before you before you even greet your best buddy sitting next to you, you go out and meet that stranger and love on them in a holy way? 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:35.360 What do you say? 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:36.720 Is it is that good homework for y'all? 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:37.440 Should we end it there? 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:38.159 Let's do that. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:39.360 All right, let's pray. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:43.200 Good and gracious God, we pray that we can be church together in a holy way. 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:53.840 As we reflect on what it looked like uh back in 2020, where we were kind of shut in and alone and isolated, we pray that we can remember what it looks like to be together. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:15:00.000 God, thank you so much for the fact that we can get together and worship you in a community. 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:05.919 Help us help our brothers and sisters in Christ and reach out to the stranger and let them know they are loved. 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:09.679 We pray these things in all Christ's name as all God's people say. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:10.639 Amen. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:11.600 Amen.