WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.480 If we're going to love people to Jesus in ways we never have before, if we're going to do things we've never done before, it is vital that we are on the same page. 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:12.480 In other words, we're going to turn the page to a new chapter as a church, an exciting chapter for us. 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:16.480 But if we're going to turn the page, we've got to be on the same page first. 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:22.399 And so we're going through our vision this month, making sure that we understand where we're at and where we can be. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.000 Our vision ultimately is to love people to Jesus. 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:28.879 And that's not just something that we came up with because it sounded nice. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:31.440 Jesus says it so clearly in John 13, 35. 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:35.439 He says, the way that you love each other, that will be the proof that you belong to me. 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:39.840 He said, you will prove to the world that you are my disciples by your love for one another. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:43.920 So when the world looks at us, the world should see that we live differently. 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:46.320 The world should see that we value different things, sure. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:52.320 But ultimately, the differentiator between us and the rest of the world is that we are supposed to love unusually. 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:54.719 That means we have unusual patience for people. 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:57.280 That means we have unusual hope and optimism. 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:59.840 That means we have unusual compassion. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:12.560 That means things like prejudice and racism have absolutely no place whatsoever in the church because our love for one another is what is supposed to be the defining characteristic for who we are as Jesus followers. 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:14.719 And so we love people to Jesus. 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:16.640 And if you're here today, we love you. 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.519 And we don't even love you nearly as much as God loves you. 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:21.359 So we want you to experience that love. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:23.760 But love's kind of a hazy term in our culture. 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:25.280 Like, how do you go out and actually do that? 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:28.319 And so we've got some words that we use to put that love into action. 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:32.959 And it's three words that begin with the letter G because alliteration is absolutely amazing. 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:34.239 It's a fantastic tool. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.239 And so we've got get, grow, and give. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:38.079 If you've been here for long, you've heard those words. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:40.799 In other words, we want you to get the love of Jesus. 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:45.840 We want you to grow in that love, to mature, and we want you to give that love away. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:52.079 And maybe, just maybe, there will be a fourth word that begins with the letter G that will be added on, I don't know, like January 28th. 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:53.040 Maybe, I don't know. 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.959 I cannot confirm nor deny, but it might happen on January 28th. 00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:58.560 That's January 28th. 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:01.439 Um, you'll just have to be here. 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:06.079 Last week we talked about get, about how we can be filled up with God. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:10.879 In fact, in his word, it says that we can be filled with the fullness of God. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:15.599 And if we're gonna give more of God's love than we've ever given before as a church, we need to receive that. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:17.120 So we talked about that last week. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:19.360 You can listen to the podcast if you weren't here. 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:21.919 Today we're gonna focus on the word grow. 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:25.039 Does anybody want to grow this year? 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:28.400 Does anybody want to shrink this year? 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:29.280 Like in some ways? 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:31.520 Okay, yeah, there's always some shrinking that's good, right? 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:35.840 A lot of our our New Year's resolutions are like, I'd like to be smaller than I am. 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:38.560 But but does anybody want to grow? 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.400 Let me ask this question, and if you wouldn't mind raising your hand, that'd be great. 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:43.039 You don't have to. 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.439 We're not a church that makes you raise your hands, okay? 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:47.039 Just want to say that disclaimer. 00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:50.960 But but I'd love to see just the the way it breaks out here right now. 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:53.360 How many of us physically are fully grown human beings? 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:54.879 We are fully grown. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:57.840 There's that's a small percentage of, okay. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.360 Forget the raising hands thing. 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.759 I'm looking at the room, I can see your faces. 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:03.759 Most of you are fully grown. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:04.479 Right? 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:06.159 Not all of you, but most. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:09.919 Think back to before you are fully grown. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:13.919 So, those of you who are in high school, those those younger students that we have, you can just be where you're at. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:20.080 But the rest of us, think back to before you were fully grown, before it was guaranteed that you're not gonna add an inch or anything like that. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:22.080 Did you have a target height? 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.120 Did anyone have a height that you wanted to be? 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:26.960 Like I I did. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:29.360 I did not reach it. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:31.520 It didn't happen for me. 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:34.960 But I specifically wanted to be six foot three. 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:36.400 It's very specific. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.919 When I was when I was 16 years old, so I knew I still had a window for growth. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.000 And look, my dad's 5'7, my mom's 5'5. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:46.639 So I knew that genetics were not on my side, but I knew God could do anything. 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:47.520 Right? 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:49.439 And I prayed at 16. 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:50.479 God, 6'3. 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:52.719 I felt like that wasn't too much to ask. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:56.240 I felt like 6'7 would be like, okay, who needs to be 6'7, right? 00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:00.400 But but 6'3, like that's that's a good middle ground, and it's tall, but it's not crazy tall. 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.879 And I prayed, I literally prayed, God make me 6'3. 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:03.520 Didn't happen. 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:04.800 I peaked at 5'9. 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:07.360 I'm not bitter about it. 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:09.280 Not upset about it. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:11.759 I joked about this in the earlier gathering. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.280 A lot of times the first time someone will meet me is when I'm standing right here. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:24.879 It's just kind of the nature of things, and then we'll talk and we'll be out in the lobby, or I'll bump into someone, you know, at the store or at a restaurant somewhere, maybe like at Maple Street Biscuit Company, where you can find me most days. 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:26.800 Um like yesterday. 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:37.279 And uh, and it's it's uncommonly like weird how often, how often the first thing people say to me is, you are so much shorter than I thought. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:38.240 You know? 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:40.000 It's all the time. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:45.279 And I'm always like, ugh, that is not, that does not touch a nerve at all. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:48.480 This is I I dreamed of being 5'9 growing up. 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:51.120 That's the that's the height I wanted to be. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:53.439 No, I didn't, I didn't hit that goal. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:55.680 But I'm pleased where I stopped. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:56.160 I really am. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:58.959 Like at this point in life, I'm in my mid-30s, I'm so happy. 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.680 In fact, my wife's dad is 6'5. 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:15.600 And, you know, 6'3 is not that far from 6'5, and I'm actually a little bit glad that I didn't get there because Christmas, holidays, birthdays, whenever we're buying presents and we have to buy him things, and if it's clothing, it is so hard to find himself. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:18.480 We bought him a pair of shoes for Christmas. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:20.560 They were size 14s. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:23.759 And he put them on, he said, These are a little tight. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:25.120 That actually happened. 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:27.360 We had to reorder size 15 shoes. 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:28.959 Size 15 shoes. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:30.319 They look like a joke. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:35.040 Have you ever held a size, like if you're a normal size person, anyone here six foot three or taller, raise your hand. 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.040 You know, okay, you guys are way to go. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:38.319 Um, I'm not jealous. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:47.279 The uh, but if if if you're like a regular size person who wears, you know, like a 10 or 10 and a half shoe, if you're a guy, I don't know, girl sizes, are they smaller or big? 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:47.839 I don't know. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:48.480 Whatever. 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:52.560 If you hold up a size 15 shoe, you're like, this is funny. 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:53.759 This is a joke. 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:55.040 This is a practical joke. 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:56.319 But no, that's his feet. 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:04.160 And to find jackets or shirts that have sleeves long enough to actually reach his wrist, it's the equivalent of like Indiana Jones finding the holy grail. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.399 That's the level of difficulty that we have. 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:10.000 So I'm glad that's not, excuse me, I'm glad that's not my experience. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:12.879 I'm happy with where I peaked. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:17.040 When it comes to physical growth, we have a ceiling. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:22.160 I mean, maybe we can do some things to add an inch or two, who knows, but but for the most part, that's set. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:24.560 Spiritual growth is not like that. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:26.079 It's not. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:33.839 There is not one person in this room right now or in any room in the world who is fully grown spiritually. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:39.360 Because when it comes to spiritual growth, there's no such thing as a peak. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:47.759 There's never gonna be a moment in your life or in the life to come where you will say, I have experienced all of God that there is. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:48.639 I mean, think about it. 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:50.319 I believe that's why heaven lasts forever. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:51.680 We have an eternal God. 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:56.560 We will be with him for eternity, and I think it will take us eternity to experience all of him. 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:05.439 One of the reasons I believe that heaven's gonna be so exciting, even though we will have been there for a long time, is every day we will wake up knowing that there are things of God we haven't experienced yet. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:13.839 It will be a new thing every single day because there's never a moment in your life for your life to come where you will you will say, This is it. 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.519 When it comes to my relationship with God, I am fully grown. 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:26.480 I have done all I can do, I have learned all I can learn, I know all I can know, I understand all I can understand, I have hit my peak. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:29.360 We are not fully grown. 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.920 And that's a good thing, by the way. 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:35.839 Like if this is discouraging, it's not meant to be, and I've done something terribly wrong. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:48.720 You should be so encouraged that you're not fully grown, because that means when you have mistakes, when when there's something in your life that's not the way it should be, and when you recognize the fact that things within you aren't as they should be, you're not done yet. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:51.199 God is not done with you yet. 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:52.240 Never forget that. 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.959 We have this tendency of judging other people and ourselves as finished products when they're not. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:09.600 And usually when we look at someone and expect them to be a finished product, when we look at ourselves and we judge ourselves as if we are a finished product, we are a lot more harsh than we would be otherwise. 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:12.959 But we've got to remember that we are not finished products. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:14.319 We are works in progress. 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:15.439 There is more for us. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:16.959 We have more growing to do. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:19.519 We're not done growing. 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:26.639 And that should encourage us, it should give us so much hope because that means whatever you've experienced of God, there's more. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.480 Whatever you know about God, there's more for you to know. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.759 Whatever you understand about God, there's more for you to understand. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:37.360 Whatever you've experienced of God, there is more for you to experience. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:39.600 We're not done growing. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:43.600 The only question is, how much growth will we be satisfied with? 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.240 Like at what point are we gonna say, I'm good? 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:49.360 I'm good. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:51.120 This is this is all I really want. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.159 This is as far as as I want to go. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:04.639 I remember when we took uh Liam to Disney World, and uh we probably won't take our other kids for a really long time because it was super expensive. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:20.159 Um we'll tell our other kids, we took your brother there, it was pretty cool, um, you know, but one day, you know, there was no moment in Disney World where my son said, let's stop here. 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:25.600 You know, I see some things over there, that looks pretty cool, but I'm I'm good here. 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:27.440 Let's I'll just I'm I'm good. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:28.399 I'm content. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:29.519 Let's just park here. 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:30.799 I don't need to see all of that. 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:32.960 No, he's like, I gotta see everything. 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:33.600 What's that? 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:34.000 What's that? 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:34.559 What's over there? 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:35.759 Let's go, let's go, let's go. 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:37.600 And we should be like that with God. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:45.200 Because he's amazing, because he's incredible, because to have intimacy and a relationship with God is unlike anything else in this world. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:52.639 To experience what it's like to be known by God and to know him and to have him speak to you and to have him affirm who you are and to have him work through you. 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:53.919 There is nothing like it. 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:56.720 It's what we're we're built for, it's our purpose. 00:09:56.879 --> 00:09:59.759 And so if there's more of God, we should hunger for it. 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:05.200 And if it's possible to grow, then we should we should desire to grow. 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:07.840 Does anybody want to grow this year? 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:09.360 Yeah. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:13.600 Well, let's grow. 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:28.559 You know, I said last week that I kind of wished that I could fast forward to next week and January 28th, potentially, because we're gonna be talking about some really exciting things that we're gonna start doing as a church. 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:29.840 At least they're exciting for me. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:33.200 Maybe I'm the only one, but I really believe they'll be exciting. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:37.840 And that word exciting is an interesting word. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.039 Because we value excitement very much. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:43.200 And and I I value excitement. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:47.039 I I like it when it seems like you guys are excited about stuff that's going on. 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.080 Like when you guys say woo, I like it. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:54.080 Feels good, you know? 00:10:54.399 --> 00:11:01.600 No, I mean, when you like if you stand on a stage and you say, hey, we're doing this, and everyone goes, Yeah, woo, you're like, yes, that's great. 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:08.320 And and honestly, as a church, when I look at the church in America, that's something that that I do. 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:08.879 I'm a pastor. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:09.679 It's like what I do. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:13.679 I look at the church, I ask questions like God, what what does the church need right now? 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:15.679 What's happening in the church? 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:19.360 I'm a pastor who wants to be one for a long time. 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:21.600 And I'm relatively young, I'm in my mid-30s. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:26.399 I'm at the age where when most people that I meet, and they'll be this is that question, like, what do you do? 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:31.759 I'm the pastor of his hands church, and they'll look at me and go, like the main one? 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.000 Like the main, you know. 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:39.440 Did things go according to plan? 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.279 No, they did not, you know? 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:44.480 That's why. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:46.240 But God's got a plan. 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:49.440 So, like, one day that won't happen to me anymore. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.960 One day I'll say I'm a pastor, and they're like, Yeah, you kind of look like one, you know? 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.039 One day people will go, I don't know if I want to go there. 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:59.360 The pastor's really old, and he just, you know, he's not cool, and and all that. 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:04.799 And I can't wait for those days, actually, because I've never been cool, so I can't wait that I'm in an age where no one expects me to be. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:05.440 That's awesome. 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:06.799 I can't wait for that. 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:15.919 But but I look at the church as a whole, and I and I look at what's happening in the church, and I ask questions like, God, who do you want us to be as a church? 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:21.519 Because we've got this chance to decide that. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:25.120 Like we have this chance to decide as a church where are we gonna go? 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:25.919 Who are we gonna be? 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:26.639 What are we gonna do? 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.480 What does God want us to do? 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:32.159 And when I look at the church in America, I see so much that I love. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:42.879 I'm so excited about so many things that are happening, and some of the changes that have been made in church culture in the last 20 years have been some of the most positive changes I've seen and I think that have happened in a long, long time in the church. 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:44.080 It's exciting. 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.840 And at the same time, I see things that I'm like, I don't know about that. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:50.960 And maybe that that needs to change. 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:55.200 Maybe we need to shift a little bit to help that change happen. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:10.000 And one of the things that I see that it's it's pretty constant, especially in larger churches, and churches that want to grow numerically, is that we're better at getting people excited than we are at getting people equipped. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:23.039 And we have to decide as a church, are we gonna be a church that's better at getting you excited, at getting our community excited about God, or are we gonna be a church that gets people equipped so they can actually do something with that excitement? 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.919 Because excitement without equipment doesn't go well. 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:32.000 It just doesn't go well. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:35.919 Jesus had a parable in Matthew chapter 13. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.279 It's a little illustration he used, and he says this. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:42.639 He says, A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:46.879 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:49.600 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:56.559 The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow, but the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn't have deep roots, they died. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:07.360 Other seeds fell among the thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants, still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.399 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:13.440 And then Jesus does something a few verses later that's that's unique, actually. 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:14.639 He doesn't do this very often. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.799 He explains exactly what he means by his parable. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:19.200 Some of his parables, we read them and go, okay. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:21.759 Uh, what does that mean? 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:22.480 You know? 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:24.879 It's because good teachers want you to ask questions. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.919 But every once in a while, Jesus gives us the answer. 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:32.799 And in verse 18, he says, Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:37.600 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the kingdom and don't understand it. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.120 Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:45.759 The seed that was on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:48.320 In other words, they're really excited. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:52.320 But since they don't have a deep they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:56.960 They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:07.519 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but are all too quickly their messages crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:13.120 They know God, but they're so fixated on this world that they're not they're not doing anything for God's kingdom. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:23.759 He said the seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of 30, 60, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted. 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:28.240 None of us read that and go, I want to be that second soil. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:29.039 That's me. 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:29.759 You know? 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:32.399 Third soil, that's where I want to live. 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:35.200 I don't want to be ambitious, I don't need to be that fourth soil. 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:36.080 None of us read it. 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:37.200 We don't do that. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:44.000 But when I look at the church in America, again, especially larger churches, and we're not, it's funny, we're in this weird place. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:46.960 We're like, we're not this mega huge thing, we're not small. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:49.360 And we've grown a lot numerically, and that's exciting, that's good. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:52.399 I'm thankful for every person God's brought here in the last few years. 00:15:53.039 --> 00:16:01.200 But but if you're better as a church at getting people excited than you are at equipping them, you are basically like you should call your church second soil church. 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:05.600 Because what you're going to do is you're going to get a lot of people fired up. 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:10.799 You're getting a lot of people to experience something and go, wow, God's real and he loves me. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.559 And he's got things in life for me, things he wants me to do, that's awesome. 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:15.519 I'm so excited. 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:26.399 Woo! You know, a lot of woos, but if people aren't equipped to handle life with God, that excitement doesn't last long. 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:30.399 We need to grow. 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.360 We need to be equipped. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:40.879 There's verses that have been challenging me, convicting me personally in the last year. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:42.159 Ephesians chapter 4. 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:44.480 I just can't stop thinking about it. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:48.559 It just hits me so hard because it's it's actually kind of written to people like me. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:58.879 It's talking about leaders in the church, and it says their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:08.559 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.440 I love that. 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:10.960 Mature in the Lord. 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.599 The Bible speaks so much about our maturity. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:16.160 Like God desires you to grow. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:19.200 That's the beautiful thing about God is He loves us exactly where we are. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:22.880 He accepts you exactly where you're at. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:24.480 Issues and all. 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:29.119 But do not lie to yourself or be convinced that He wants you to stay there. 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:31.759 Not for a second. 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:33.039 He has more for you. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.160 He wants you to grow. 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:36.720 We read this in Hebrews chapter 6. 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.599 It says, let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:45.759 Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:48.799 It's good to go over the basics. 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:53.119 And when you're first starting out, you gotta go over the basics a lot. 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:55.839 You know, I'm I'm coaching my son's second-grade basketball team. 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:56.880 I'm learning that. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.960 Like every week, I'm like, hey guys, you remember what we said? 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:05.119 You know what direction we need to go on the court? 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:08.000 Let's go over that again, okay? 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.640 It's like they're young, so we gotta go over the basics week in and week out. 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:13.119 And you know what? 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.759 When we first started as a church, that's what we did. 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:16.960 And that was good. 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:18.480 That was the season we were in. 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.279 We would go over the basics of following Jesus every single week. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:24.160 We would talk about God's love every single week and just hammer it in. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.200 He loves you, he loves you, he's not mad at you, he loves you, he wants to know you. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:28.799 That made some people mad. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:32.640 They would actually come to us and complain that we talked too much about God's love. 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.440 Ironically, not super loving people. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:39.680 So maybe it was for them, I don't know. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:48.319 But but the truth was, hey, yeah, I know you think you're way more mature and all that, and we'll get there one day, but we're starting out. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:53.599 We're in our infancy as a church, and so we've got to go over the basic things. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:58.400 But but listen, we're not in our infancy anymore. 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:04.559 And we've been a church for 11 years, and we need to keep revisiting the basics. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:06.960 That's important because we can easily lose sight of those things. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:08.960 Even professionals practice the basics. 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.640 But it's time for us to go forward. 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:13.759 It is time for us to go on and press on into maturity. 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:15.519 It's time for us to grow. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:19.519 God wants us to grow. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.960 He wants us to be what it says in Ephesians 4 that we just read a few minutes ago, mature in the Lord. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:28.160 I love the way the book of James puts it. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:34.240 Chapter 1 says, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:38.079 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:39.920 So let it grow. 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:45.119 For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:47.599 Needing nothing. 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:54.720 How amazing would it be to get to a place where you're like, I'm good. 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.319 I I have a completeness about me. 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:01.759 I'm mature in the Lord. 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:06.240 That only happens if we grow. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:14.400 And that word grow, by the way, it's kind of a dicey word in church because a lot of times when you hear a church talk about growing, we're talking about more people, right? 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:15.440 Numerical growth. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:17.599 And like I said a few minutes ago, numerical growth is good. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:18.960 It's great when more people come. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:23.440 In fact, in the Bible, there's moments where the church grew in large numbers and it's exciting and it records it. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:26.240 There was a day called Pentecost early in the church's history. 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:33.359 It's in the book of Acts early on, and the Holy Spirit came and in this really powerful way, and thousands of people got saved that day. 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:41.839 3,000 people gave their lives to Jesus that day, and and that was like a 4 billion percent increase in terms of how many people were following Jesus at that time. 00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:45.440 And went from like a hundred to over 3,000 like that. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:46.720 That's awesome. 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.920 Numerical growth is a good thing. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:56.559 But it's very easy for churches to value numerical growth over spiritual growth. 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:01.440 And if you value numerical growth over spiritual growth, it's super dangerous. 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:05.680 Because for the sake of numerical growth, you'll do just about anything. 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:11.279 And it's something it's something that you see in the church right now. 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:21.119 For the sake of numerical growth, like let's ooh, some of these things that are in the Bible, some of these things that Jesus Himself said, they don't um test well with people. 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:24.559 So let's just let's back off of that stuff. 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:26.480 And it's all for the sake of growth. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:27.759 Like, hey, we want to reach more people. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:29.680 Reaching more people is exciting. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:31.279 It's great. 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:35.920 The church should grow numerically, absolutely, and it has for thousands of years. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:42.799 But what when you start having this attitude of like, well, hey, for the sake of the masses, let's let's avoid some of this hard stuff. 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:45.680 Well, the hard stuff is what makes us grow. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:50.640 You know, it's it's the challenging stuff that stretches you. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.680 So for the sake of numerical growth, let's let's avoid the controversial. 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:59.759 For the sake of numerical growth, let's just sort of cherry pick those parts of God's word that we're gonna. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.319 Go over. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:06.319 And I again being a pastor at the stage of life that I'm in and looking at the next 20 years of my life and what I want to see happen. 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:08.720 I had this conviction that hit me a year ago. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:14.960 And I'm like, I do not want the next 20 years of my life as a teacher to be me doing a slalom course through God's word. 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:17.920 I'm not gonna do that. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:19.039 I can't. 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:26.079 I'm not gonna sit there and be like, okay, I'm gonna weave around this and weave around this and make sure that everyone likes everything they hear. 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:31.119 I I want everyone to like what they hear. 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:31.759 Sure. 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:34.079 I would much rather we grow. 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:37.440 I would much rather your marriages succeed. 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:43.039 I would much rather your your your place as a father or a mother be healthy. 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:47.440 I would much rather you be equipped than excited. 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:51.680 Because the reality is my job, according to God's word, is to equip you. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.240 So please grow. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:23:03.920 Because one day I'm gonna stand in front of God and he is not gonna say, Justin, here's how many woos you got. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:05.279 You know? 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:12.720 He's gonna say, Justin, did you equip my people? 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:17.359 See, here's the beautiful thing. 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:21.119 Jesus valued spiritual growth above everything. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:22.319 Even numerical growth. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:24.319 In Matthew chapter 5, this is a really interesting verse. 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:28.160 It says, One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:30.480 His disciples gathered around him and he began to teach them. 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:31.519 Here's what's going on. 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:34.000 For the first time ever in his ministry, crowds are gathering. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.200 Crowds means thousands. 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:36.400 So thousands of people are showing up. 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:37.920 They're like, We've heard about this guy, Jesus. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:40.240 We want to hear what he has to say, we want to see what he can do. 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:44.240 And Jesus goes, This would be a great time to take my followers and go over there. 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:52.960 It'd be like if you owned a business and you have a grand opening and there's just lines and lines and lines outside, you go, you know what? 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.960 Let's not open today. 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:58.400 This is a great time for a training meeting, you know? 00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:00.240 And we would not do that. 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:03.759 Our human nature would be like, open the doors, we'll learn as we go. 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:11.119 But Jesus said, before we work with the crowd, I need to make sure that these guys know their stuff. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:13.920 I need to make sure that they're mature, they understand. 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:15.279 Jesus would often say things like that. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:19.680 He would tell people who were following him, Jesus is like a terrible salesman by our standards. 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:25.200 If you're in sales and Jesus got hired for your company, you would fire him. 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:28.799