WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:07.040 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:22.320 Oh, what a great day. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:22.960 Begin. 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:26.399 It's our first uh in-person service of the new year. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:27.760 Thanks so much for joining us. 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:30.879 Uh, if you're new or we don't know each other yet, my name's Ryan. 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.439 Absolutely thrilled to have you today. 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:35.679 Uh, and today's a fun day, exciting day. 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:37.840 We're calling this uh Vision Sunday. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:39.600 Go ahead and say that uh to your neighbor. 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:41.920 Say Vision Sunday. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:46.799 And if they were a bit blurry, you'd need to go get your vision checked. 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.719 Uh that's a whole nother issue. 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:52.479 But we're talking today about awakening vision. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:56.560 Um, and really, let me begin the new year maybe with this question. 00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:59.200 What is the vision for your life? 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:03.359 Like, like what is the vision that you have for your life? 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:04.959 And then we know what vision is. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:10.719 Vision is this picture of what could be and should be in light of what currently is, right? 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:23.280 We we know people who have vision, like an artist, maybe a sculptor who uh sees this block of marble, and they don't see a block of marble, they see a statue, or you know, a painter who sees a canvas and they see what? 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:30.000 They see this incredible masterpiece, or a designer sees a room, or you know, the flippers on HGTV. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:39.439 They sit they have vision of what could be and should be in light of what presently and currently is. 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:53.920 Let me ask you what is the vision for your life of what could be and should be, in light of what currently is. 00:01:54.400 --> 00:02:01.280 You know the way we used to ask this as kids, or at least the way we ask kids today, the what the question we ask is a little bit different. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:03.840 It's not as, you know, what is the vision for your life, young man? 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:05.599 We don't we know we don't do that. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:06.959 Uh but we ask this. 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:09.919 We ask, um, what do you want to be when you grow up? 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:10.479 Right? 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:14.080 Ask that, and some of us are still asking that at 40. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:14.479 Okay. 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.199 Uh, what do you want to be when you grow up? 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:24.560 Here's what's interesting, too, about that question is we don't ask what do you want to do when you grow up, but we always answer what we want to do. 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:27.199 But it's really interesting how we ask that. 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:28.240 What do you want to be? 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:29.280 A better question. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:30.719 What do you want to be? 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:37.199 And we, you know, when I was uh a kid, I wanted to be a professional athlete, specifically a professional basketball player. 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:41.120 My growth spurt never hit, um, so that didn't work out. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:43.280 And then as you get older, I wanted to be a rock star. 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:45.360 Anybody else wanted to be a rock star? 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:46.400 Yeah, thank you. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:51.039 A few of us, um, kindred spirits, um, right? 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:56.240 You have these ideas of what do you want to be when you grow up, and we wrestle with this. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:58.400 And really, it's a vision. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:08.159 What is the vision of what could be, and perhaps should be, in light of what currently is. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:15.759 Well, you know, the vision here at Awakening Church, uh, it actually began 15 years ago. 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:21.840 Uh, we asked this question around, we actually gathered 15 to 20 to 25. 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:33.840 I can't remember how many, it felt like a ton of people, but we have such a small house, uh, is crammed in our living room, a bunch of college students, and we open the scriptures to Matthew 28, 18 through 20. 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:36.400 It's this passage called the Create Commission. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:46.240 It's where Jesus gives his final words of his really vision statement for his disciples of what he wanted them to be and to do with their life. 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:55.039 And we wrestled and we came up with this vision statement, and it goes like this we exist to awaken this generation to new life. 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.719 Like we exist, like our purpose, like the reason I'm on the planet. 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:04.479 And I don't know if you've answered that question, but man, in 2023, wouldn't that be great to answer that question? 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:05.520 Why do you exist? 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:10.080 And you're like, wow, we're going deep already into the new year. 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:11.280 But why do you exist? 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.199 What is your purpose on this planet? 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:13.840 We exist. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:18.560 Awakening was began began as a college ministry and then planted as a church. 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:19.920 It's still our vision today. 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:20.639 We exist. 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.000 Our purpose is to awaken, and that's important to us. 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:27.439 And I know not just our name, and like, oh, that's cool, it's an awakening. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.680 That's um, but isn't it true? 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:42.240 And we run across people all the time like that, that that many people, and maybe this is where you're at, just feel like you're kind of sleepwalking through life, but not truly living life wide awake. 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:47.279 And we exist to awaken, because that's what the gospel does. 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:57.920 It's a new life in Jesus Christ, this generation, college, young adults, and everybody else in between, uh, I guess not really in between, it'd be outside, not in between. 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:00.240 There's not a between there, is there? 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:02.160 And that was our vision. 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:11.360 And it began with just a number of us sitting down, opening to this particular passage, and going, what does it look like for us? 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:13.120 Now, here's what's fascinating. 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.639 Think about this when I ask the question, what's your vision for your life? 00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:26.399 Corporations spend millions of dollars to come up with a clear and compelling vision statement. 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:38.160 And the reality is, is many of us, think about this, many of us do not have a vision statement for our life. 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:41.040 Like, well, maybe, maybe I kind of have one. 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:43.199 It's to be happy. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:51.279 It's to be successful, it's to be educated, it's to be, and then you begin to wrestle, like, well, how do you be happy? 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:52.160 I don't really know. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:53.519 I'm still trying to figure it out. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.319 I think this is, and here's so important about a vision. 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:05.040 A vision sets the direction that determines the destination, and if we don't get the vision right, then we're not gonna get the destination right. 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:07.680 What's the vision? 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:10.319 What's the vision for your life? 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:13.600 I I want to look at this passage again, a passage afresh. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:19.040 It's a familiar passage if you've been around, Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:28.240 And in our time, I pray that it's a catalyst for you to have a clarifying vision for 2023. 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:35.360 A catalyst that would begin to help you uh walk away from our time and go, oh, this is no, no, no. 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:41.199 Maybe a better question, not just what is your vision for your life, what is God's vision for your life? 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:50.879 I mean, think about this: the God of the universe, the author of life, he probably has a better vision for your life than you do. 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:52.480 I don't know. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:54.000 Just maybe. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:56.160 And what exactly is that? 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:03.439 I believe as we look at this passage afresh, we'll discover that together, not just for us as a church, but for you personally. 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:06.560 If you got your Bibles, would you open up to Matthew chapter 28? 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:09.759 Matthew chapter 28, verse 18. 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:16.480 Now, a little bit of context here for you is Matthew uh at the end, he's telling the story. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:18.560 Uh he was a follower of Jesus. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:20.800 He is one of the first followers of Jesus. 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:25.759 He was called a disciple, and he's uh concluding the story of Jesus' life. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.680 And at this point, Jesus had died and rose again from the grave. 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:31.199 He had appeared to disciples. 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:38.240 In fact, he spent about 40 days with his disciples, talking with them, eating with them, teaching them, and training them. 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:46.560 And now it's come time where he's going to ascend to the Father, and these are his final words to his disciples. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:50.000 And he says this, we pick it up here in Matthew 28, verse 18. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:55.920 Then Jesus came to them and said, I was gonna read it in here, but then my eyes are blurry, and I'm like, I cannot read that. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.680 So I turned around, just so you know. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:00.480 You're like, he's holding the Bible, but he's looking back. 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:01.439 There you go. 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:02.240 My vision. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:08.079 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:09.439 I have all authority. 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.439 Hello, yes, you do, by the way. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:14.000 You defeated the grave. 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:22.480 You defeated the enemy that's never ever been defeated and always takes captive every single person on the planet. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:24.240 Yeah, absolutely, you do. 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:28.240 You have all authority on heaven and on earth. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.439 And then he says, therefore, go and what? 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.080 Very good, three of you in the front row. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.679 Let's let's pretend like the rest of us can read as well. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.080 Um, and it's right, it's right here, right here. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:45.279 Therefore, go and make disciples. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:46.159 Thank you. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:53.200 Make disciples, like like Jesus called these disciples, and he spent three years with them. 00:08:53.440 --> 00:09:00.240 And now, as he's ascending into heaven, he's looking at these disciples, and he says, Here's my vision for your life. 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:01.840 What do you want to be when you grow up? 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:04.639 I want you to go and make disciples. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:06.559 Go and do what I have done. 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:07.360 How do you do that? 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:11.440 He says, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:15.840 Baptism was this public identification into the community of Jesus. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:20.799 In fact, if you've never been baptized and you're a follower of Jesus, I encourage you, you need to get baptized. 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:22.399 It's part of following Him. 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:27.039 Baptized into it's this identification into the community of Jesus. 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:32.240 So baptizing and then teaching them to obey everything I've commanded. 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:33.200 You what are you gonna do? 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:43.200 Well, you're gonna help people first identify, I'm a follower of Jesus, and that's saying go in public with your faith through baptism, and then you're gonna spend time teaching them. 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:45.440 You're gonna spend time training them. 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:48.000 And it's not just like, hey, what do you think? 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:49.759 I don't know, what do you think, or what is that? 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:51.120 Teaching them to what? 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.879 Obey everything that I have commanded you. 00:09:55.200 --> 00:10:03.440 It's not my thoughts or my way, it's Jesus, what did you say about X, Y, and Z? 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:12.799 And they spent three years training under him, and he says, now you train people in like manner and surely into the promise of his presence. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:18.240 I am with you always, even to the very end of the age. 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:22.159 This is Jesus' vision for the church. 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:25.519 This is Jesus' vision for his followers of Jesus. 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:40.799 Now, I I I want to say something, um, and and it's so painfully obvious that I think sometimes it doesn't need to be said, but it's I think we miss it so much that I think maybe I need to say it. 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:41.519 Okay? 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:47.679 So when I when I when I say this next line, could you just pretend like this is like earth shattering? 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:51.279 You know, like, whoa, Ryan, you spent all week studying this. 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:52.559 Wow, okay. 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:56.000 It would just make me feel better on this, okay? 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:58.879 So so here's something really painfully obvious. 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:02.320 We all understand it inherently, but it needs to be said. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:05.759 Um, in order to next slide, thank you. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:12.000 We first have to be a disciple before we can make disciples. 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:14.080 Thank you. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:15.279 Thank you. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:17.440 Thank you. 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:21.279 I didn't do that last service, and it really fell flat. 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:25.039 I was like, man, I thought this was good, and you didn't even respond. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:28.639 Um they were saying, ouch. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:31.360 Thank you, Mikhail. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:36.639 It's so painfully obvious, and yet we miss it. 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:38.879 You first have to be a disciple. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:50.000 If I'm gonna make a disciple, if I'm gonna teach you everything Jesus commanded, I first have to be one before I make one. 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:55.360 What's your vision? 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:02.080 What do you want to be when you grow? 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:09.120 Jesus would answer this I want you to go and make disciples. 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:16.399 And yet, I don't think we know what a disciple is or what that means in our day. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:45.679 And what I want to do for the next few minutes is I want us to dive deeply into the world of Jesus, dive deeply into uh the first century Jewish educational system, because this moment that Jesus uh said to his disciples, it would have been equivalent to um you graduating and getting your doctorate and the pronouncement over you of being like, you have made it and completed it now, you're to be sent and to go be a doctor. 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:50.799 I mean, it had that gravitas to it, and yet we miss it all the time. 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.159 And so let's kind of back the train up. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.360 We don't really use the word disciple a whole lot in our DNA. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:02.240 What in the world is a disciple and why did this matter so much? 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:08.080 And how did these first few followers of Jesus flip the world upside down? 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:09.519 Well, take a look. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:10.720 What is a disciple? 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:14.480 I gave you the definition here in the Greek, it's the Greek word methaetase. 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:18.960 It means one who engages in learning through instruction from one another, a pupil. 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.720 In fact, apprentice is probably the best word for us today. 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:24.399 We understand apprenticeship. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:30.399 You know, whether you want to become a plumber or electrician, you apprentice under a plumber or electrician. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:46.159 You want to become a doctor, you apprentice, you go into apprenticeship to become a doctor because you're studying, you're training to learn a practice, a particular way of doing things, and to become a master at it under a master. 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:49.039 That is what a disciple is. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:14:00.559 It goes on, uh, the definition, one who is rather constant uh constantly associated with someone who has a pedagogical, that's fun to say, reputation or a particular set of views. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:02.799 That's what a disciple is. 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:17.679 And in the first century, Jewish education, if you were to ask a young Jewish boy in particular, in that day it was very patriarchal, a Jewish girl would get parts of this educational system, but wouldn't be able to go all the way through it. 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:20.639 But you asked, what do you want to be when you grow up? 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:22.480 They had really two answers. 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:28.879 I don't know if they asked this question honestly, uh, but if you asked them, they really had two answers. 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:39.279 One was uh education, and specifically the Torah was held in such high honor and regard, it was to be a rabbi one day. 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.879 It's like you know, it's it's kind of like to be a pro-athlete in our day. 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:45.200 Like, I want to be one of them. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:49.360 And then the other answer is simply I'm gonna do the family trade. 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:57.840 Whatever, whatever dad had done, you know, if it's carpentry, if it's agriculture, I'm just gonna uh do the family trade. 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:06.639 And the Jewish people were intense and so um focused on their educational system. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:10.000 And there's actually three different stages uh along the way. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:16.559 You can think about it in our DNA, like um your grade school, your college, and then your graduate degree. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.840 It kind of follows that kind of way of thinking here. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:26.399 And the first stage of education for a young Jewish child would have been called Bet Sephiff. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:27.360 Would you say that with me? 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:28.240 Bet Betzephyr. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:31.440 Betzephyr literally means the house of the book. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:35.600 And this was for those, both boys and girls, who are aged six to ten. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:37.600 I like how Josephus says it. 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:40.799 Uh, he's an ancient historian, uh, Jewish historian. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:46.080 He says, above all, we pride ourselves on the education of our children. 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:51.759 In fact, they were so intensely focused on educating their kids, because here's what they understood. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:16:10.960 The Jewish people uh were often, and for most of their history, they were persecuted, they were ostracized people, and they knew that if they didn't educate their children well, they were one generation from their Jewish heritage becoming obsolete. 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:30.960 That is a word for us, by the way, parents, in how we raise our kids up and making sure we raise them up into the ways of Jesus and not simply outsource their faith to church or to maybe a school, but like how do we educate and train our kids? 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:36.879 I like how the Talmud, uh, this is the writings on the Torah, said it. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:39.840 Under the age of six, we do not receive a child as a pupil. 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.240 From six upwards, accept them and stuff them with Torah like an ox. 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:46.399 Isn't that great? 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:53.759 Like, hey, we're see this young child, and and here's what we know young people are sponges, and we're just gonna stuff them like an ox. 00:16:53.840 --> 00:17:08.400 And here's what they would do from six to ten, they would memorize the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures, or what's known as the books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:11.119 And some of you are like, I can't even read those. 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:14.319 Those are like, oh my gosh, they put me to sleep, right? 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:16.480 And they memorize those. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:21.440 They memorize all five books of and and you know what? 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.839 We memorize today, too, by the way. 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:25.839 We memorize all the time. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.480 It's just the things we put into our memory. 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:32.160 Some of you can tell me every song of Dr. 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:33.839 Trey, uh, right? 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:38.240 Some of you can tell me every song of the red hot chili peppers. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:42.480 Uh, some of you can tell me every movie line of your favorite movie. 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:44.079 We memorize all the time. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:48.160 It's just what we memorize, and they memorize the Torah. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.480 In fact, this is amazing, this is fascinating. 00:17:50.720 --> 00:18:01.920 On the very first day of Torah training as a six-year-old, and in their teaching, they're very uh visual and always like wanted to make sure it was engaging. 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:05.359 Uh, the the rabbi, the instructor, would take honey. 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.720 Now, honey was precious, uh, honey was a delicacy. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.599 Uh honey wasn't something that you had all the time. 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:22.720 And so you got this little stick of honey, and they would actually take honey and they would pour it over the tablet that the student had for kind of writing, and they would just drench the tablet. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:26.079 And and I mean, uh I'm just thinking that sounds sticky. 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:32.160 Um and then they were called, they were told to lick the tablet clean. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:35.599 Now, I gotta tell you, as a six-year-old, that sounds fantastic. 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:36.319 Hello. 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:37.680 That's a great first day. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:38.880 And if you want to, you can. 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:45.359 I mean, you can go ahead and taste it. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:47.519 I got a little bit. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:48.640 Not gonna lie. 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:50.079 There we go. 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:56.559 Yeah, go ahead and do it. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.079 Because here was the blessing. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:01.359 Listen, listen, listen, listen. 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:01.920 Come on. 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:11.759 This was the blessing for a young child who started into their training every six-year-old, boy and girl. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:18.400 The blessing was simply this may the word of God or Torah be like honey to the tongue. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:32.240 Like as you start this training and as you begin to put into your mind the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses, may it be like that honey that is sweet to your lips. 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:42.640 May it be a delight and not a duty, that it just begins to become just like you you crave it and you long for it, and you're like, oh, that is so sweet and so life-giving. 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:51.119 It would remind us of what the psalmist would say or what Ezekiel would say is I took his word, it broke and ate it, and it tasted like honey. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:57.119 And so the first stage was Bet Sephyr, the house of uh of the book, ages six to ten. 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:01.759 The second stage of training was this was for the best of the best. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:04.000 So not everybody moved forward. 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:10.000 This was only for the best of the best of the class who really excelled, and it was called Bet Talmud. 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:11.200 Go ahead and say that with me. 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:13.119 Bet Talmud. 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:16.319 This was called the house, this literally means the house of the learning. 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:20.079 These are for ages around 10 to 14 years of age. 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:21.200 Now think about this. 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:24.240 From ages six to ten, you memorize the Torah. 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:31.680 For those who stepped into Bet Talmud, uh, they would then memorize the entire rest of the Hebrew scriptures. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:37.599 Let me give you a little visual of that real quick, because this is wow, amazing. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.039 Um, okay. 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:45.119 They would memorize this. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:52.799 By the way, our human mind is way more capable than we think. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:57.279 And we undersell ourselves all the time. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:00.799 They would memorize the entire rest of this. 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:07.200 They would then begin to go into the deeper ways of learning and thinking in the Jewish tradition. 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:13.680 It take on much of the way uh a rabbi would teach is this kind of art of questions and questions. 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:18.480 Uh, it's really more of an eastern way of learning, um, question and replies. 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:20.000 And here's the way it would work. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:25.519 And I this is not necessarily a question they would use, but uh, like if the rabbi asked, What is two plus two? 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.240 And we all know the answer is four. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:35.039 The the pupil wouldn't just say four to show mastery that you truly understand what two plus two is. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:39.119 The pupil would say, uh, well, what is eight minus four? 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:46.559 Because I actually so understand that answer, I can ask it with a different question that has the same answer. 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:54.640 Doesn't that bring insight into when you begin to read the gospels and you see Jesus asking a question after he's been asked a question? 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:57.759 And he is now practicing and he's putting into practice. 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.759 This is the way of teaching and training. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:03.680 In tutelage, and this was Bet Talmud 10 to 14. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:05.519 This is the next stage. 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:10.880 The best and the brightest would move on from Bet Talmud to Bet Bet Midrash. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:12.480 Go ahead and say Bet Midrash. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:18.480 The age is somewhere around 15 and 16 years of age. 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:23.920 And this was only for the very best and the very brightest. 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:33.920 And the way you stepped into Bet Midrash or the house of study, and it's the training ground to become a rabbi, was you thought you had what it takes. 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:37.119 You had your teacher say you have what it takes. 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:47.839 And so then you would go to a rabbi that you respected, a rabbi that you uh really wanted to be like, and you would ask to be their disciple. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.119 So you'd go up to the rabbi and say, Rabbi, I'd like to be your disciple. 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:55.279 Then the rabbi would sit there and he would begin to question you. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:03.039 Uh, and he'd begin to question you on specifics of Torah, but more specifically, every rabbi had uh what was called a yoke. 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:10.799 Now, a yoke isn't just for oxen, a yoke was their particular teaching or understanding or interpretation of the Torah. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:15.839 And so their yoke was a particular understanding and teaching of the Torah. 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:16.799 Doesn't it make sense? 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:25.039 And we'll talk about this in two weeks when Jesus said, Take my yoke upon me, it means something even deeper and more wonderful than we thought. 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:27.680 Then it does mean the oxen thing, too. 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:36.480 But their yoke, and so he began to question them do you really understand my yoke, my way of teaching, my interpretation of the Torah? 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:39.200 And here's what the rabbi's trying to get at with this student. 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.279 He's gonna ask him questions and he's gonna wants to know this. 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:49.119 Can this student know what I know and do what I do? 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:54.319 Can this student know what I know and then do what I do? 00:23:54.480 --> 00:24:08.240 And if he believes this student can know what I know and do what I do, then after all of the um interview and all the examination, the rabbi will say, Come, follow me. 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:14.240 And then at that moment, the student will be accepted in as a disciple. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:34.799 And the moment a rabbi says, Come follow me, the rabbi says, I believe you can know what I know, and I believe you can do what I do, and so you can come into my training with the expectation that you will know what I know and do what I do, and you will go on and train others in like matter. 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:37.440 Oh, it's getting real now. 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:38.640 Isn't this good? 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:40.559 Come follow me. 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:50.400 Now, if the rabbi didn't think this person could uh, you know, make it and know what they know and do what they do, uh he wouldn't say, come follow me. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:53.839 He would say this line: go ply your trade. 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:58.319 Go ply your trade, go home and do the family business. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:03.519 Now let's look at when Jesus calls his first disciples. 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:12.160 In Matthew chapter 4, uh it says this as Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:15.359 They were casting nets into the lake, for they were fishermen. 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:17.119 Okay, so what were they doing? 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:19.839 So what does that mean? 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:24.240 It means they didn't make it to Bet Midrash, right? 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:31.599 It means they were disciple rejects, it means they were overlooked. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:39.200 It means Jesus is gonna call disciples who were overlooked, and other rabbis said, not good enough. 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:41.200 I don't believe you can do what I can do. 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:42.799 I don't believe you can know what I know. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:43.920 Go ply your trade. 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:50.079 And so they're plying their trade, and Jesus sees the B team out there, and he says, What? 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:53.920 Come, follow me. 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:55.200 Whoa. 00:25:55.519 --> 00:26:06.640 Now, in all of history that I know and could find and research, there's only two rabbis that went and called disciples rather than having disciples come and interview. 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:13.200 One was Rabbi Hillel, who was a few hundred years before Jesus, and the other was Jesus himself. 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:23.839 And Jesus came instead of having disciples come and asked to follow him, and he said, Come, and he went to them and said, Follow me. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:36.160 Pregnant in those words to Simon and to Andrew, even though they were casting nuts, even though they were overlooked, even though they thought, the only two things, what do you want to be when you grow up? 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:40.960 Hello, the only two things they thought they could be, well now they only had one option. 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:47.599 And Jesus says, I believe you can do what I can do. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:51.759 I believe you can know what I know. 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:54.880 You can be like me. 00:26:55.599 --> 00:26:57.839 Come and follow me. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:05.759 In fact, I I skipped it under Bet Midrash, and so we'll go we'll go right back to it just real quick. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:14.880 But Jesus would say it this way: the student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be just like their teacher. 00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:16.960 That is the point of discipleship. 00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:19.519 That was the point of come follow me. 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:30.160 And then there was this blessing that that people would say to new disciples, may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:44.960 And what the picture was is like, may you follow so closely after your rabbi that as he walks, he would just kick up dust and you would just be covered in it because you're following him that closely. 00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:53.599 And disciples wanted to do so precisely in their day what their rabbi did, they would mimic everything, you know. 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:58.960 And even you see it when Jesus was picking some grains ahead as he was walking, the disciples did the same thing. 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:01.599 They're just copying their rabbi. 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:10.400 In fact, this is kind of funny, um, but uh there's other sources that say that disciples wanted to even know how their rabbis used the bathroom. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:15.519 Because they wanted to be wanted to get down to that uh you know idiosyncrasy. 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:18.720 We want to go to the bathroom the way our rabbi goes to the bathroom. 00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:22.400 May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:24.799 And Jesus looked at this B team. 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:33.119 By the way, these early disciples weren't 30-year-old men, they were 15, 16, 17-year-old high schoolers. 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:38.960 This is a JV team that couldn't make varsity. 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:48.160 In fact, they got rejected even from the JV team, and Jesus used this group of people to change the world. 00:28:49.200 --> 00:29:03.119 It also helps us understand when just a few verses later, when Jesus goes to call James and John uh the brothers, the sons of Zebedee, uh, like why they left their nets. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:08.640 And kind of in our Western way of thinking, we're like, man, the father had to be like so bummed, you know. 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:09.839 He's like, What in the world? 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:10.720 Why did you stick? 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:13.279 In fact, think about this. 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:16.319 He probably went home to his wife. 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:22.480 He's like, There's a rabbi that thought our sons were worthy. 00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:26.000 There's a rabbi that thought our sons were good enough. 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:32.240 He probably showed up the next day, you know, in this little fishing village, and he's walking around with a little bit of strut. 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:35.839 He doesn't have his boys by him, and his boy like going, where are the boys? 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:37.839 Oh, I'll tell you where the boys are at. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:40.319 They got called up to the big leagues. 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:46.880 Come, follow me. 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:59.599 And what Jesus said, and what he meant, and what the disciples heard was, I believe you can do what I do and know what I know. 00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:04.400 And if you follow me, you will become like me. 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:08.799 And that is what a disciple is. 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:23.200 Someone who says, You are the rabbi, the master, the teacher, and I am going to follow you because I want to become like you, to know the things you know and do the things you do. 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:26.720 Now that sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it? 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:31.119 And I think for some of us, we might be asking, well, what happened to just believing, right? 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:32.240 Didn't you just talk about it? 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:34.799 I mean, we talk about this, just believe in Jesus. 00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:38.240 Uh and Ryan, on Christmas Eve you talked about believing, right? 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:50.799 And you said, you know, the famous verse, John 3.16, for God so loved the whole world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:57.440 I don't think belief means what we think it means in our American theology. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:04.000 You know, the way we use belief, we think like I just intellectually agree, but it doesn't impact my life. 00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:18.960 As long as I kind of intellectually have this, you know, assertion and I believe this about Jesus, then I can do whatever I want with my life, and then I'll pray to God and somehow have a little bit of God in my life, and maybe He can make me a little bit better. 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:21.039 And that's really the vision of my life. 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:27.839 The vision of my life is the American dream, and I just want to live just a little bit better, successful, happier life. 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:32.640 And I want to add Jesus to my life to make that a reality. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:41.599 The Greek word for the word belief is the Greek word pisteo, uh, and it means something deeper and richer than just kind of an intellectual ascent. 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:47.359 It means to consider something to be true and therefore worthy of one's trust. 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:52.000 Jesus, you're true and therefore worthy of my trust. 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:58.160 It means to entrust oneself to an entity in complete confidence, like you have all of me. 00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:00.960 And that's what it means when you follow Jesus. 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:04.720 It's like, no, I you are setting the direction. 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:14.640 If vision, right, begins to give you direction to a destination, you're going, Jesus, you get to set the direction to the destination. 00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:17.119 And so wherever you go, I'll follow you. 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:18.720 Whatever you say, I'll do. 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:24.079 And the things you call me to do, I believe you can do through me. 00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:26.400 This is what it means to believe. 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.720 I like how John Ortberg said it about faith. 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:33.039 He says, Faith is coming to believe with my whole body, what I say I believe with my mind. 00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:41.119 Faith is coming to believe with my whole body, mind, soul, and strength, what I say I believe, and what I think I believe with my mind. 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:50.000 Now, there's this incredible passage about where Jesus walks on the water that I think flips the script on belief for us. 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:57.200 And here's what's amazing is, you know, principle and central to our faith is that we believe in Jesus. 00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:00.400 Yes, and that is central and that is true. 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:06.400 And yet something that is so profound that's often missed is that Jesus actually believes in you. 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:10.400 Jesus was walking on the water, he sent the disciples ahead. 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:13.759 It was a stormy night, and he's walking on the water towards them. 00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:20.000 And the disciples cry out in fear, they think it's a ghost, and he says, Don't be afraid, it's I, it's Jesus. 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:26.799 And then Peter does something that a disciple would do, and it makes sense when you understand the context of a disciple. 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:31.359 Peter says, If it is you, call me out onto the water. 00:33:31.680 --> 00:33:32.319 Why? 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:40.400 Because when Jesus said, Come follow me, it meant you can do the very things I do. 00:33:40.559 --> 00:33:42.559 Otherwise, I wouldn't call you. 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:47.359 And so when he sees Jesus walking in water, if I'm his disciple, then I can walk on water too. 00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:48.559 Oh. 00:33:49.279 --> 00:33:53.359 And so then you see him, he kind of puts his foot over and he's like, ooh, that's wet. 00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:55.440 I don't know about this. 00:33:55.920 --> 00:33:58.319 Okay, well, third time's the charm. 00:33:58.559 --> 00:33:59.359 Here we go. 00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:03.759 And he steps out and he begins to walk on water. 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:09.760 And then it says that he begins to notice, the text says he begins to notice the wind and the waves. 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:14.400 And as he looked around at the wind and the waves, he began to sink and cries out, Lord, save me. 00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:17.119 Jesus grabs his hand and pulls him up. 00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:23.119 And then this line, it always has sat so wrong until you understand the context of a disciple. 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:28.800 Jesus says, Oh, you have little faith, why did you doubt? 00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:34.639 And in our Western way of looking at it, we're like going, Come on, he got out of the boat. 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:37.199 There was 11 other guys in the boat. 00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:45.760 See, because we often think interpret it as Peter doubting Jesus. 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:48.800 But I don't think Peter was doubting Jesus. 00:34:48.880 --> 00:34:49.119 Why? 00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:51.519 Because Jesus was standing on the water. 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:53.280 He was not sinking. 00:34:53.599 --> 00:34:54.800 Who was sinking? 00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:56.639 Peter. 00:34:57.119 --> 00:35:03.599 See, as he got out on the water, he began to realize, I don't think I can do what he does. 00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:08.639 And he began to doubt his ability, not Jesus' ability. 00:35:09.039 --> 00:35:10.480 He says, You have little faith. 00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:11.519 I called you. 00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:14.639 I said, come follow me. 00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:21.119 And in those words, the God of the universe beckons us. 00:35:21.440 --> 00:35:29.519 Doesn't say you have to work your way up, somehow make yourself a better person, and you know what, you have to be the elite spiritually. 00:35:29.679 --> 00:35:32.880 I'm looking at you right now, fishermen. 00:35:35.440 --> 00:35:37.679 And I believe you can know what I know. 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:39.920 And do what I do. 00:35:40.960 --> 00:35:42.159 So follow me. 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:43.760 And you will. 00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:54.480 What's the vision for your life? 00:35:55.920 --> 00:35:59.840 Jesus actually has a vision for your life, and it's him. 00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:11.840 And the invitation still is offered to you and me this day to come, follow me. 00:36:12.400 --> 00:36:15.519 I believe you can do what I do and know what I know. 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:18.719 Would you come and follow me? 00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.320 To make disciples, remember, we first have to be one. 00:36:25.760 --> 00:36:34.400 And so simply for 2023, as I've been wrestling with this actually for a really long time. 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:39.920 And I look at where we're at as a church, where we're at as a country, what's going on. 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:43.840 I don't know about you, but I'm tired of playing church games. 00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:45.840 I'm tired of just going through the motions. 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:50.159 I'm tired of going, like, how do we build a bigger, better X, Y, and Z? 00:36:51.039 --> 00:36:52.480 I don't want to do that. 00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:54.800 And I don't think you want to do that either. 00:36:56.000 --> 00:37:06.000 Here's what I would love for us to have as a vision as a church and pray for you personally. 00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:08.480 In 2023, next slide. 00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:14.239 Our vision as awakening church is simply to apprentice under Jesus. 00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:15.920 Apprentice. 00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:18.719 I mean, think about this. 00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:21.039 Wouldn't it be so good? 00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:23.840 I know you wouldn't regret it, right? 00:37:24.079 --> 00:37:28.239 Nobody's gonna go like, oh man, I can't became more like Jesus this year. 00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:38.400 Yeah, the greatest person who ever walked this planet, and that's every person agrees on that. 00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:40.400 He literally divided time. 00:37:42.159 --> 00:37:43.440 Or we go, you know what? 00:37:43.519 --> 00:37:46.480 I I want to apprentice under him. 00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:48.239 I want to train under him. 00:37:48.719 --> 00:37:51.199 He invited me, come follow me. 00:37:51.440 --> 00:37:54.239 And that invitation, he believes in me. 00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:56.480 He believes in you. 00:37:56.719 --> 00:38:02.480 I don't know where you've been, what you've done, what last year was like, even what last night was like, but he says, Come follow me. 00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:03.679 The invitation is true. 00:38:03.840 --> 00:38:06.079 You can know what I know and do what I do. 00:38:06.239 --> 00:38:09.199 You can be a disciple, come follow me. 00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:11.920 He actually believes in you. 00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:14.719 So here's what we're gonna do. 00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:20.239 We're gonna get to know Jesus through the study of the Gospels. 00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:24.880 In fact, in our teaching for an entire year, we're just gonna teach out of the Gospels. 00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:30.400 We're gonna be in the Gospels and reading plans together, in our small groups together. 00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:35.039 I want to invite you to love him fully with your whole self. 00:38:36.079 --> 00:38:39.440 What does that look like with your mind, with your heart, with your strength? 00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:42.559 And begin to ask him this question like, what does it look like this year? 00:38:42.719 --> 00:38:44.800 How do I love you with all of me? 00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:50.239 And we love him with parts of us, but what does it look like to love him with all of you? 00:38:51.440 --> 00:39:01.840 And then as you begin to know him, just start looking for ways to do the very things that Jesus would do if he were in your place. 00:39:02.400 --> 00:39:06.159 We just simply want to apprentice under Jesus. 00:39:07.039 --> 00:39:07.760 We want to commit. 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:08.800 So what does this look like? 00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:11.440 Would you you have a Bible reading plan? 00:39:11.679 --> 00:39:16.400 Would you commit to getting to know Jesus afresh through the study of the gospels? 00:39:16.960 --> 00:39:17.840 Would you memorize? 00:39:17.920 --> 00:39:18.480 Yes, memorize. 00:39:18.559 --> 00:39:19.440 I said memorization. 00:39:19.519 --> 00:39:21.599 You're like, I'm not the Torah. 00:39:21.760 --> 00:39:23.760 Okay, so there you go. 00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:26.800 Would you memorize Luke 640? 00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:30.880 For those of you who like to memorize and it comes easy, it comes easy for me. 00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:35.679 Right now, the first hundred days, I've I've said I'm gonna memorize the Sermon on the Mount. 00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:38.960 So some of you are like, hey, I want to do that, do it with me. 00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:40.000 Join me if you want. 00:39:40.159 --> 00:39:42.000 If you're like going, right Ingram, you're crazy. 00:39:42.079 --> 00:39:43.360 Do Luke 6.40. 00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:44.159 All right? 00:39:44.320 --> 00:39:45.360 It's one sentence. 00:39:45.519 --> 00:39:49.119 You can do a sentence in a week, but we're gonna have memorization. 00:39:49.280 --> 00:39:55.039 And would you engage in a small group that's growing together to become more like Jesus? 00:39:55.280 --> 00:40:05.119 Where you go, you know what, this is what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and I'm gonna do it in community with other people to say, yes, we're apprenticing and becoming more like Jesus. 00:40:05.440 --> 00:40:08.000 He thought you had it in you. 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:10.079 He wouldn't have called you otherwise. 00:40:10.239 --> 00:40:23.920 And he says, Through the power of my Holy Spirit, in you, I wanna help you live a new life available to you and to me. 00:40:24.320 --> 00:40:29.920 And as we close, I thought it'd be helpful to have a picture of what this looks like. 00:40:30.239 --> 00:40:40.159 And for some of us who've been following or walking with Jesus for many years, it's even more helpful to be around people who are brand new believers, reminding ourselves of our first love. 00:40:40.239 --> 00:40:43.199 And I want to invite uh my friend Ben Fu up uh here. 00:40:43.360 --> 00:40:44.559 Would you please welcome Ben? 00:40:44.719 --> 00:40:48.159 And I just want him to share just a little bit of his story. 00:40:48.320 --> 00:40:49.360 Come on up, Ben. 00:40:54.000 --> 00:40:55.679 Let's get in the light over here. 00:40:55.920 --> 00:40:59.199 Now, uh Ben's story, actually, today here's really funny. 00:40:59.360 --> 00:41:04.559 Today is uh your one-year anniversary here at Awakening Church. 00:41:04.800 --> 00:41:05.599 Man, welcome. 00:41:05.679 --> 00:41:07.440 We're so thrilled to have you. 00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:08.719 Is that on? 00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:11.280 Let me let me check this guy. 00:41:11.440 --> 00:41:12.320 It's on. 00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:15.920 We got no there we go, there we go. 00:41:16.159 --> 00:41:23.599 Uh and Ben is one of our proteges, he's a part of the nine-month leadership development program that we have here at Awakening. 00:41:23.679 --> 00:41:27.920 And we were hanging out uh at our protege Christmas party, and we're talking. 00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:30.960 I got to hear a bit of Ben's story, and it's like, oh man, this is so good. 00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:32.880 Everybody needs to hear Ben's story. 00:41:33.039 --> 00:41:36.159 And so thank you for being willing to come up and share. 00:41:36.320 --> 00:41:38.719 And so I want to just ask you really two questions. 00:41:38.880 --> 00:41:40.800 One, what was your life like before Christ? 00:41:40.960 --> 00:41:43.599 And then how did you come to know and follow Jesus? 00:41:43.840 --> 00:41:45.039 So tell us a little bit. 00:41:45.119 --> 00:41:47.119 What was your life like before Jesus? 00:41:47.360 --> 00:41:56.800 Uh yeah, so I'd like to preface this by saying uh I did not grow up a Christian, and uh my family, nobody was Christian. 00:41:57.039 --> 00:42:02.880 Um so around middle school, I was just a really awkward and shy kid. 00:42:02.960 --> 00:42:06.800 Um, I didn't really have a lot of friends, and I wanted to change that. 00:42:06.960 --> 00:42:11.840 So going into high school, um, I decided like I really just want to be cool. 00:42:11.920 --> 00:42:13.199 I want to be seen as cool. 00:42:13.360 --> 00:42:15.679 Um, and I grew up in suburban Connecticut. 00:42:15.920 --> 00:42:20.639 So as you might imagine, all the cool kids there, they played lacrosse. 00:42:22.800 --> 00:42:28.000 Um now I had never really played sports growing up. 00:42:28.239 --> 00:42:34.880 Um, I'd actually much prefer to stay inside and play Mario Kart Wii for my whole childhood. 00:42:35.119 --> 00:42:42.000 Um so I mean, as you'd imagine, it didn't really go so well for me when I started playing. 00:42:42.159 --> 00:42:50.800 In fact, I played on this freshman team as a junior and on JV as a senior, which I didn't even know was possible. 00:42:51.519 --> 00:43:02.320 Um but anyways, going into college, uh I saw that my school had a club lacrosse team, which still played other schools, and they didn't make any cuts. 00:43:02.639 --> 00:43:08.960 So uh I saw this as a great opportunity for me to kind of make this sport like my whole identity. 00:43:09.199 --> 00:43:12.719 Um and people had no idea how bad I was. 00:43:13.039 --> 00:43:17.199 Um and all throughout college, I never really got any better at the sport. 00:43:17.440 --> 00:43:21.599 And uh sometime my senior year, uh I realized this. 00:43:21.760 --> 00:43:26.320 And I I'd made this sport my whole identity this whole time, and I'd accomplished nothing. 00:43:26.559 --> 00:43:34.880 So I set this goal for myself to uh to make Team China and to play in the world championship and maybe become an Olympian. 00:43:35.119 --> 00:43:38.239 And uh around that time they sent us all home. 00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:41.119 It was 2020, they sent us all home for the pandemic. 00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:47.920 And so I had all day, all night to train and watch hours of film every day. 00:43:48.239 --> 00:43:55.920 And uh during this time, like my peace and my joy were completely dependent on how uh how my training was going. 00:43:56.239 --> 00:43:59.760 So uh anytime I'd have like a setback, I would just lash. 00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:03.519 Out at those around me, particularly my mom. 00:44:04.880 --> 00:44:12.079 I remember getting in many fights with her over that summer, and just something I'm not proud of to this very day. 00:44:12.800 --> 00:44:22.480 But anyways, after several months of making this my whole life and giving everything to this sport, I submitted my virtual tryout for Team China. 00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:28.159 And they got back to me and they said that I had made the training team roster. 00:44:28.639 --> 00:44:33.440 And I mean, at this point, I was like, this must be what life is about. 00:44:33.599 --> 00:44:37.599 Like I'm so close to achieving greatness in this sport. 00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:40.239 I'm so close to achieving my dream. 00:44:41.360 --> 00:44:44.320 And then it kind of all started going downhill. 00:44:45.599 --> 00:44:48.400 In when I when I attended a Halloween party. 00:44:48.639 --> 00:44:54.079 And I mean, it being 2020, everybody there got COVID, including me. 00:44:54.480 --> 00:45:00.559 And I remember a few weeks after I was hearing how everyone else was healing just fine. 00:45:00.639 --> 00:45:02.960 And I was the only one that was still sick. 00:45:03.360 --> 00:45:07.920 My nausea was just not going away, no signs of it getting any better. 00:45:08.159 --> 00:45:15.360 And uh I would try to train through it, but um it would just make me 10 times sicker every time I tried. 00:45:15.519 --> 00:45:17.840 So I had to put it on hold for a while. 00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:28.719 So you're in this moment, life is kind of crashing down around you with your dreams of what you hope to be almost achieved, and now you can't do that. 00:45:28.960 --> 00:45:30.960 So where does Jesus fit into the picture? 00:45:31.039 --> 00:45:33.199 How did how did you come to follow Jesus through this? 00:45:33.519 --> 00:45:34.079 Yeah, yeah. 00:45:34.239 --> 00:45:44.639 So I mean at this point, um, I was really at the end of myself, and I was kind of figuring like maybe life isn't really all about just achieving greatness. 00:45:44.800 --> 00:45:53.039 Um, maybe there's something more to it if if greatness could just be taken away from me, like in the blink of an eye, like that. 00:45:53.440 --> 00:46:08.639 Um so around that time, uh my girlfriend at the time, she grew up Catholic, and her mom had given her a Bible, and she wanted me to read it with her, and I guess I was more open because I was honestly questioning life at this point. 00:46:08.880 --> 00:46:15.599 And this is actually I ended up getting the same Bible that her mom got her, and uh I have it with me here today. 00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:32.559 Um and I just remember we started at the uh the book of Matthew, so with the Gospels, and um I mean I'd always heard that Jesus died for us growing up, even though I wasn't a Christian, um, but I had no idea how much love was behind that. 00:46:32.880 --> 00:46:45.119 And just reading the gospels and getting to understand the person of Jesus and getting to start to grasp how much God loved me, um it was really eye-opening. 00:46:45.199 --> 00:46:48.800 And uh I I remember one verse stood out in particular. 00:46:48.960 --> 00:46:51.519 It was uh Matthew 20, 28. 00:46:51.760 --> 00:46:59.679 Uh, just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. 00:46:59.920 --> 00:47:03.679 And this is like this is when it all clicked. 00:47:03.920 --> 00:47:27.840 Um, just realizing how Jesus, like God, uh who created the whole universe, rules over all of it, came down, um, lived the most humble life to serve us, came down, was born in a manger where they fed animals and lived a life of poverty, got tortured and died a criminal's death just to serve us and love us. 00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:31.039 And um, I'd never been loved like that in my life before. 00:47:31.199 --> 00:47:38.400 And I just remember crying tears of joy uh every single day for like a month straight, just thinking about it. 00:47:38.639 --> 00:47:42.639 And uh that's when I decided to give my life to Jesus. 00:47:42.960 --> 00:47:52.800 And I remember going back home for Thanksgiving that year, um, and my mom just asked me, uh, Ben, you've you've changed. 00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:54.079 What happened? 00:47:54.400 --> 00:47:58.079 And I could only tell her one thing, and it was Jesus. 00:47:58.320 --> 00:47:59.039 So yeah. 00:47:59.360 --> 00:48:00.079 That's amazing. 00:48:00.239 --> 00:48:00.960 That's amazing. 00:48:01.119 --> 00:48:02.480 Thank you, Ben, for sharing. 00:48:02.639 --> 00:48:03.280 I love it. 00:48:03.440 --> 00:48:05.599 And I love I just want to show your Bible. 00:48:05.679 --> 00:48:07.920 There are so many post-its and notes. 00:48:08.079 --> 00:48:10.960 Uh, I love this because he got into it. 00:48:11.039 --> 00:48:13.280 He didn't know that the word of God is powerful. 00:48:13.440 --> 00:48:20.800 He he just began to read it, and then he's like, I wanted more of it, and he just read more of it and read more of it, and it came all hive. 00:48:20.960 --> 00:48:22.880 And he just it was a delight. 00:48:23.119 --> 00:48:23.760 So thank you. 00:48:23.920 --> 00:48:26.079 Thank you, uh Ben, one more time. 00:48:30.960 --> 00:48:33.360 Will you stand as we close? 00:48:36.480 --> 00:48:44.960 An invitation of Jesus to you and to me is the same. 00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:47.360 It's come. 00:48:48.400 --> 00:48:49.360 Follow me. 00:48:49.840 --> 00:48:53.519 I believe you can know what I know and do what I do. 00:48:54.079 --> 00:49:01.840 May the word of God in 2023 be like honey to the tongue. 00:49:02.239 --> 00:49:07.360 May you devour it the way Ben devoured it as he first was coming to know Jesus. 00:49:07.599 --> 00:49:13.199 That it be a delight and not a duty where you realize, oh my goodness, you love me. 00:49:13.920 --> 00:49:21.440 And friends, may we follow in the way of our rabbi. 00:49:21.599 --> 00:49:25.760 May the dust of your rabbi be upon you this year. 00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:29.119 What would it look like if we were just apprentices? 00:49:30.639 --> 00:49:39.519 If we actually accepted the grand invitation of Jesus and just started to follow him. 00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:43.840 Imagine what God would want to do in your life and your family and your friends. 00:49:44.159 --> 00:49:47.679 Imagine what God would want to do with a whole community that does that. 00:49:49.440 --> 00:49:51.599 And what God wants to do through an entire world. 00:49:51.760 --> 00:50:05.760 That's actually how the world changed through the B team of 16 and 17-year-olds who actually took Jesus seriously to be a disciple and then make a disciple. 00:50:07.599 --> 00:50:09.840 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:50:10.079 --> 00:50:14.480 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:50:14.639 --> 00:50:16.719 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:50:16.880 --> 00:50:22.800 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.com slash card.