All In | Week 2 | Lawrence Davis

Chapters

• 0:00 Our Mission: To Make Disciples
• 8:23 Transformation, Expansion, Innovation
• 16:25 Fishers vs. Keepers of the Aquarium
• 23:20 The Call for Changemakers
• 30:40 The Birth of the Church
• 36:25 Why We Need You to Go All In

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:16

All right. So a couple weeks ago we wrapped up the gospel according to Matthew, and it ends with this mission and purpose. And actually it's our mission and the purpose, not only as individuals, but collectively, as the church. That's actually Jesus. Followers, we see at the very end, are multipliers, and this is actually how the world changed. We see this at the very end.

Speaker 1: 0:38

This is where Jesus is talking. The last part of this, matthew, chapter 28, says therefore this is what he's saying, therefore is because he's saying all authority in heaven and earth is me. So he says therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, of everyone, all people, groups, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them. Teaching them to this word right here obey. That's a really important word. Not believe, don't teach them to believe in something. Everyone can believe in something. It's great. It's different when it becomes a verb and you're doing it To obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely this is the great promise he gives when you do this. Surely he says then I'm with you always, to the very end of the age. That's what all in looks like, that's what we've been talking about All in going and making and baptizing, and teaching and obeying, and this is what we're going to continue to talk about just for a couple more weeks. What does that look like as we go? All in Another type of language that Jesus used to explain this he called people and he asked them to be fishers of men, to be fishers of men to go out, and to what then? So then you ask this question what does fishermen do? Well, they cast nets and then, when they're done casting nets, they mend nets and they fix the nets and then they cast them again, and then they mend them and they cast them. And then for us, in our context, is we need to be mending nets and then casting nets, and then mending nets and then adding nets, wider nets, and then casting those nets, and then Jesus ultimately fills the nets. And for us, in our future, that means a couple different things.

Speaker 1: 2:17

The first thing that we want to be able to focus on as we're going all in is transformation. That's why this space was created, that's why this campus was created that we would have excellent environments for people to experience transformation, like many, many, many of you have. That we would continue to expand our opportunity for transformation. So, expansion Some of you guys need to understand too. Transformation happens, it continues to happen when there's mending. That happens, just like in your house, and so there's some mending of the nets that we have to continually do as things get old or they wear down. There's some mending in these spaces. So we have these excellent environments, so we want to be able to go all in and mend those spaces.

Speaker 1: 2:58

As far as expansion goes, there's a couple different ideas. Many of you guys may not know this, but these walls in the back of this room, those two walls, actually are temporary walls and they go down and then that goes up to. This is how this building was built stadium seating to go around so we can expand our reach for transformation and impact and the community events we're doing and the weekend events that we're doing. I explained to you guys some of you this was new news, some of you it's not new news last week, but we actually, in the next three to four years, we're going to have new neighbors that we want to be prepared for Right here. This is a picture of it. So this is where we are on the map and this is literally you looking this way. Right. Way over there is the freeway. This is all that cow town space over there. Here's the water treatment plant. For those of you who are familiar with Benicia, this is Lake Herman Road, the lakes over here. This is thousands of people moving into the neighborhood.

Speaker 1: 3:48

We believe that God ordainly put us in this spot to be prepared for such a time as this and there's some expansion as we go all in that we should do, to be prepared as we get to invest in the community, as the community literally moves into our backyard, as we're such a regional church and a regional reach and some of that's going to change a little bit. So we have to be innovative. Innovation is that other word. We need to be innovative in how we're reaching this next generation, how we're creating spaces and places for transformation. There's big dreams in this vision over the next couple years to be ready for this, that we would, potentially on our property, build like a gym or some sort of facility that would be like a YMCA or Boys and Girls Club-like facility that's walkable and accessible, that literally becomes a bridge to the community. That this would be their first experience for transformation in this faith community, that we met a need in that space. We interacted, we rubbed shoulders with that. We're casting wider nets, being fishers of men.

Speaker 1: 4:49

And here's the deal. I want to reiterate this again and again and again Whoever wins the kids, wins the future. Whoever wins the kids wins the future. And so how can we be innovative to do that? This is big vision that we have for our next generations team, our young adults, our children's, our students. I mean, like Sammy, I love it right now. He's focused, like detailed, focused on what does it look like to get 500 unchurched or anti-churched or non-churched experienced kids up on this campus so they can come to these transformative spaces and experience the love of Jesus Christ?

Speaker 1: 5:25

And here's the deal with this stuff. It's kind of messy when you invite all of that up here. Right, it's not all churchy, which is great, but here's where the challenge is for some of us that we're like, oh my gosh, what's going on? We get to ask this question. Challenges for some of us that we're like, oh my gosh, what's going on? We get to ask this question are we fishers of men casting and mending nets, or are we just keepers of the aquarium? That's the big challenges for us. That is the huge challenge for us, and going all in looks like being called to high levels of sacrifice.

Speaker 1: 5:55

So we've launched this initiative to go all in and to make this a reality for us. This isn't a campaign, and what I'm doing is I'm asking all of you all of you who come in person on a regular basis, all of you who attend online, watch online to engage in this initiative of all in and leverage our collective resources in order to maximize our kingdom impact, and I want us to put the foot our foot on the gas and maximize our potential. But to do that, it's actually going to require all of us Like this. We want 100% engagement into this to maximize our personal generosity and our resources ourselves to this initiative.

Speaker 1: 6:38

So one of the things that I can tell you that I've loved I've been here for 15 years, for the last 15 years about our church is the confidence that I have of whenever I invite anyone, someone, to one of our environments, whether it's during the week, whether it's for an event, whether it's on a Sunday service. I would often say to them hey, I just want to warn you. You know you're coming here. You might not want to bring your children right To which they would be like what? Like you don't have stuff for kids to do there and I'm like, no, it's because they're so good. Whether you want to come back and hear me preach or not, your kids are going to want to come back. I guess the best part, they're going to want to come back and see this. So you may not want to bring them the first time, because I'm that proud of what our church has done for my own children. I have four kids that are becoming young adults and one of the reasons I'm so passionate about our church is because the difference it's made in the lives of children and students in this next generation.

Speaker 1: 7:29

And here's the deal, and this is why we're talking about this, and for those of you who are watching from home right now, we have got to ensure this continues to happen, that there is this kind of church, that there's those kinds of environments for this next generation to experience. We literally, to do that, we literally need hundreds, hundreds of you to step up that are willing to be curious enough to step into some strategic service roles on Sunday mornings. To do this, we call them change maker teams. They're not just volunteer teams, because we're not simply looking for volunteers. We're looking for people who want to do something strategic for change. Casting nets, mending nets. It helps us accomplish our mission of inspiring people and equipping people to follow Jesus, inspiring a whole generation of students and high school students and college students and middle school students to step up and to inspire them, equip them to follow Jesus, not just in this season of their lives, but for the rest of their lives.

Speaker 1: 8:31

So today, for the next few minutes, I just want to use whatever persuasive skills I have to persuade hundreds and hundreds of you, with the Holy Spirit, to ensure that our local church continues to fire on all cylinders to do extraordinary things in our communities surrounding us. And that's not just that. We need you. The truth is and I don't know how to say this any more direct than this you need you to do this because you're part of a body and you benefit from that body this local church and you need this for you. And when I go around and I thank people for serving during the week or on the weekends often it's so fun I get this response no, no, no. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to do this, because something's actually happened in their heart as a result of stepping in to be a part of one of our Changemaker teams. Many of you are part of those things. It's one of the best investments of your time apart from your personal family that you'll ever make. You know. It's an opportunity to meet some other busy people, to meet some other successful people, to meet some people who didn't have the time to do this. But they made the time to do this and we're so glad that they did.

Speaker 1: 9:44

But before I give you the pitch, I just want to tell you just what I feel like is one of the most epic stories of faith in the New Testament. It serves as the backdrop to why we're here and really the backstory to our local church here. So let me just take you back in time real quick 2000 years. This is amazing, and if you're not a church person or a Christian person and you come from like a different faith and you're here today, you've got to love this story because it explains so much about why the church is the way that it is and the church should be the way the church should be in our modern world. You with me, yes, thank you. You're like man, okay, okay.

Speaker 1: 10:27

So right after Jesus rose from the dead, he sees his apostles, and a few weeks go by and his apostles, they're in the city of Jerusalem, where Jesus had just been arrested, tried, crucified, and they go out into the streets, the very same city where he literally dragged his cross. And they go into the streets of Jerusalem and they begin talking about the fact that their rabbi has risen from the dead, which is crazy talk In that particular segment of time. Even talking like that could get you arrested and killed as well. I mean, if you look at this, if they took the head of the movement down, certainly they're going to take the followers of the movement as well. And yet these apostles we see Peter and Andrew, james, john and Bartholomew. They go into the streets of Jerusalem and they go onto the temple steps and they begin proclaiming that God's Messiah has arrived, he's been crucified, rose from the dead, and dozens of people gather, and then hundreds of people gather and next thing, you know, the whole city is talking about this resurrected Nazarene from Galilee.

Speaker 1: 11:29

And so there's all this stuff that's going on and it's kind of amazing and people are believing and it's growing. And the reason they're believing is not because they're superstitious. They didn't believe that people rose from the dead. They're believing because these men and women who saw the resurrected Jesus were so emphatic that they were willing to risk their lives to talk about it. And the church in Jerusalem it just explodes Like it just takes off. But the people who had Jesus arrested and crucified, they're shocked about this In their minds. They have put to bed, they've put to rest this Nazarene cult that they thought this was, and now it's back and there is more and more people involved than ever and they're thinking gosh, like we killed him. Now it's like he's truly come back alive.

Speaker 1: 12:18

And the text tells us that Luke, who wrote this, who knew all of these people, got this and he got this story for us. It tells us that the high priest and all of his associates of this big group of people who are the members of this party, the Sadducees, they're filled with jealousy and so they're angry. And then there's another kind of revolution that's now taking place and going on. So they're jealous because they're supposed to be the ones at the epicenter and the focus of attention when it comes to all things religion, not this Messiah that's being talked about. And now there's a group of people saying that the Messiah that we've been waiting for he's come, and they're like we don't think that he is the Messiah and nobody is really paying attention to us anymore. And so they're jealous, and so they do what they've done to Jesus.

Speaker 1: 13:09

They arrested the apostles and then they put them in public jail. Now, a little detail here that I think that we overlook, because when we think jail, we think like our kind of jails. Public jail was literally in most cases just a hole in the ground, not a hole in the ground with drainage, just a hole in the ground in a building. And so they take these apostles, these men who've been with Jesus, and they put them in this hole in the ground. And it's late in the afternoon, and so they're going to have to wait to bring them in the next day to question them and to talk to them and to threaten them. But then, as you continue to read, god springs them from this hole in the ground and they're free that night.

Speaker 1: 13:45

And so what do they do? Well, they do exactly what I would have not done right, because what I would have done had been like you know, I did my deal Like I preached the sermon on the street. I got arrested. I think I'm going to take my ball and go home or I'm going to move on to the next place, like this place is dangerous. But no, the next morning these men are in the same streets preaching the same message, knowing they're probably going to get arrested again. But they can't keep their mouth shut. And if you had seen your rabbi crucified, buried, and then saw him resurrected, you probably wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut neither.

Speaker 1: 14:24

This is how the church actually began and they preach, and they preach, and they preach. Well, this happens, and the next morning the men who had arrested them are like what, where did they go? Like they're out. And not only are they out, they didn't run away, they're preaching in the same spot. So this makes it easy for them. So they go and have them arrested again and they bring them in to question them. And again it's the very same men who arrested and tried Jesus. And of course, the apostles are thinking like we're next, like they're going to arrest us, they're going to try us and they're maybe going to have us crucified as well. It is open season on the followers of the Nazarene rabbi. And so they say to Peter and Andrew and James and John and the rest of them they bring them in to question them. Look, they say look, we gave you strict instructions, not in orders, not to teach in his name, the name of Jesus, yet you have filled the whole city. So not only have you spoken in the name, you filled the whole city with his teachings and you are determined Get this. You are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood. You're like, determined to do this. And Peter by the way, this is the first Pope, if you're following that stuff just steps up and decides to give this defense.

Speaker 1: 15:41

He actually gives like a little sermon, if you will, and the theme of this sermon could have been yes, in fact, you are guilty of his blood. That was the point he was trying to make. He says you killed. He actually uses this really like. He said you killed the author of life, but God raised him.

Speaker 1: 15:58

Here's the four points of the sermon that he gave. He said you killed the author of life, but God raised him. Here's the four points of the sermon that he gave. He said point number one you killed him. Basically, yeah, you're guilty. Point number two God raised him. Don't you wish these sermons were this fast and easy, right? Point number three we've seen them, like we actually saw them. And then point number four say you're sorry, you need to repent. This isn't good. You need to acknowledge that you crucified the son of God, god's Messiah, and guess what? God's actually willing to forgive you, and that makes it good news. In fact, to quote Peter, he says we were witnesses to all of these things.

Speaker 1: 16:37

And then the text says again, as we read and we just go right by it, the text says that these religious leaders, that these leaders had these men, all of them, this group of men, flogged, with like no details about this. Same with the crucifixion, by the way, when it talks about Jesus being crucified. There's like not details in this. Same with the crucifixion, by the way, when it talks about Jesus being crucified. There's like not details in this. Why? Why is there no details about what flogging is or crucifixion? Well, it's because everybody in the first century had seen this. They were experiencing this on a regular basis. Just about everybody in the first century that lived in Galilee and Judea had seen a crucifixion. They'd also seen the aftermath of someone who had been had seen a crucifixion. They'd also seen the aftermath of someone who had been flogged. They knew what that meant. It took a long time. It takes a long time to flog many men and you hear the skin ripping off the back of your brother and you just know you're next and there's no details given because there's none necessary. They understood this and the depth of this. And these men are flogged and then they're ordered not to speak the name of Jesus Clearly, you're not allowed to do this and then they let them go to heal their wounds. And Luke, who knows these men, who knows them? Who records this for us? He writes the following Listen to this.

Speaker 1: 17:47

The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace in his name. That is something I think we miss For the rest of their lives. When they pulled their shirts off, they would be viewed as criminals who had been arrested and found guilty of something, because they bore the marks of that flogging on their back and those scars they would wear for the rest of their lives. But what did they do? They wore them as a badge of honor that we have been found guilty, by proclaiming the good news for all people, for all time, that God has sent his final king into the world. And then they leave, and then they surely go somewhere to let their wounds heal.

Speaker 1: 18:36

And then what do they do? What would you do? This is you. What would I do? Well, what they did next is literally why we're here. These are our people. These are the people who came before us. These are the people who had the stewardship the fragile stewardship of the gospel. They were the ones there with Jesus. They were the only group who knew what Jesus taught, because they were there with him day in and day out. It was so fragile. This could have ended right here, like, literally, this could have been the end of this movement.

Speaker 1: 19:11

And Luke says I've talked to them and I've talked to the people who know them well, and, after they attended to their wounds, says this then, in the temple courts, at the epicenter of ancient Judaism, from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news, casting nets Jesus is the Messiah, he is God's final king. And I'm just going to tell you right here that good news piece that is so important. If the version of Christianity that you have been raised on, if the version of Christianity that you're currently a part of, if the version of Christianity that you've walked away from was not and did not strike you as good news. It wasn't the right version, because people don't do what this group of people did unless it was really really good news, news worth suffering and dying for. And those are our people.

Speaker 1: 20:11

And then here's where the story begins to actually intersect with ours. As a result of their courage and their boldness, and the church, like at this point, just like super explodes, super explodes. There was this festival going on at the time. This is why they waited till this particular time to go out into the streets, and so there was Jews from all around, not just from Galilee and Judea, but from all of the surrounding areas. They'd come into Jerusalem for this festival, to celebrate the harvest and to celebrate when God gave Moses the Torah. And it's this big celebration, and so the city is packed full of people and many of these outsiders have now embraced Jesus as their risen King and Messiah and they're becoming part of the church and they don't want to leave, like they're all making this big community.

Speaker 1: 20:58

It's like a revival has broken out, because, day after day, the apostles are teaching and teaching the teachings of Jesus, and Luke tells us, in those days when the number of disciples was actually increasing, that it just got bigger and bigger and bigger and began to create some problems. And that's because when you get thousands of people all in one area of the city that hadn't been there before, food can be scarce and you can't preserve food. This is why it was a bit of a crisis that they had this good news. It was creating a little bit of a problem. They just didn't have much organization at this point and they had this explosive growth that created challenge specifically and here's the challenge that kind of sets up this next part of the story.

Speaker 1: 21:43

The challenge was this that these families from outside of the area brought their entire families with them. It wasn't just a few people and then they brought their widows and you have the Jews from Galilee, and you have the Jews from different areas that speak Aramaic, and then you're there in Jerusalem and you have theseHelenzinzik I can spit this out, I'm not even going to try so they speak Greek. They've been cultured to Greek With a little bit of Greek. They're Jews and they've been risen in that area of the culture and so they've come like from the Turkey area, from Greek. They've traveled over into this space and so they're all there and they're mixing together and, as it turns out, the church decides to do food distributions. Right. We do that stuff especially to those who weren't able to feed themselves, and the group that was most vulnerable at that time was actually the widows. So they bring daily meals to the widows and this group is responsible for food service and Peter and Andrew and James and John and all the apostles.

Speaker 1: 22:48

They're saying we're not too good to do this work, like we're going to go and we're going to feed widows too, and consequently, as a result of this, what happened was is these women that came from outside of the region weren't getting the same type of attention as those who spoke the same language. There was this language barrier here and, as the apostles weren't from that area, and so it wasn't like a discrimination problem. It was a distribution problem, because they had no systems in place, but they had thousands of people and hundreds of widows that they were trying to feed on a daily basis. So growth overwhelmed the system and the apostles are trying to handle this themselves, which was admirable, but it was slowing things down and they were beginning to break down and there was conflict inside of this brand new, embryonic thing called the church or the ecclesia of Jesus, and so they did what churches do when there's a problem.

Speaker 1: 23:46

They had a meeting, right. I think this was the first church meeting that we know about. It says in verse 2, acts, chapter 6,. So the 12 gathered all the disciples together and said it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables. Here's the implication we're not too good to wait on tables, but we have a unique opportunity and we have unique giftings, where these men who sat at the feet of Jesus for three years said our responsibility is to make sure that we're able to teach these thousands of people, and they were uniquely gifted to do that. And they said so we need to find some people to help us take care of food distribution, because this is important. We want to take care of the widows, and this is such a picture of the local church and the teaching and the preaching and the caring for the needs of those who are vulnerable. And so they said we're going to do both, because both are essential. So, brothers and sisters, this is how the story went. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who you know to be full of the spirit and wisdom, and we will turn this responsibility over to them, because we want to make sure that the widows are being taken care of and in the meantime, we'll give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

Speaker 1: 25:00

And then this miracle takes place. It says this the proposal pleased the whole group. This has never happened in a church business meeting before group. This has never happened in a church business meeting before, like the entire church said absolutely yes, it's a miracle. I'm telling you and friends, miracles can still happen. We're having our church meeting on June 1st FYI. All right, so don't think he says we don't think we don't think you guys are too good to serve food. Yeah, yeah, we want to make sure that the vulnerable get taken care of and we want to make sure that the vulnerable get taken care of and we want to make sure that the word is preached. And so this pleased the whole group. They're like yes, this is what we got to do, let's get organized. Now.

Speaker 1: 25:41

The text goes on to say this and Luke got all the details. This is so cool. They chose people to serve and to care for people. It shows people who embrace the mission, what they were trying to do, who were willing to do what needed to be done. And then what happened? What was the result of this? Well, one of the results was that the widows from outside that part of the world were better taken care of and their needs were met. But Luke doesn't mention that. Here's what he does say was a result of that decision. Here's what he does say was a result of that decision. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly they're casting wider nets and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Speaker 1: 26:25

Now, here's why this is crazy. There were thousands of priests that lived in Jerusalem, that were on the inside, that, like, saw this whole thing play out right in front of them, and they recognized get this. This is why it's wild. They recognized that they were wrong, that they actually had been a part of the scheme to crucify the author of life, and repented and then placed their faith in Jesus, and they too then became Jesus followers. It's amazing. It's actually why we're here. It's how we're here.

Speaker 1: 27:00

One thing leads to another. They chose people that could do what needed to be done in the moment, and then they fueled the movement a movement that we're a part of today which actually brings us to us, and this is why I'm not shy about saying we need hundreds of you, not just seven. They picked seven. We need many more than seven. We need hundreds of you. We need hundreds of you to step up and do what needs to be done now to ensure that we can continue to do what we do in our communities and influence our communities and influence through the church.

Speaker 1: 27:36

And I just want to say something honestly to those, whichever camera, that is, those of you who are watching online I love you and those of you who used to come here on a regular basis. We've made it so easy for you and I get that. I look good this way. Just so you know, camera takes away 20 pounds. It's awesome, but here's the deal. We need some of you to come back and it's going to be less convenient, but it's going to be more strategic, because we need you to be a strategic part of not just listening to content. You can get content 24-7. You can hear me talk. You can hear anybody talk. It's not special. Ask my kids. It's not special at all.

Speaker 1: 28:20

The power of what we do is not what we do with people sitting in rows. The power is what we do in terms of representing Jesus to the community, and we want you to be a strategic part of that. If you're with us online and I know I'm kind of twisting the knife right now a bit, don't turn me off, just hang on, I'll get off of this in just a second. Maybe it's time for you to inconvenience yourself for the sake of something greater than yourself, and here's the promise I can make this You're not going to regret it. You're not going to regret it. And a year from now, a year from now, when you add up all of the things that you didn't get to do because you served in the local church, it will equal nothing, because you don't even know what you gave up, because you're not giving up a particular thing, but you're doing some particular thing that's extraordinary and actually has the potential to make an extraordinary difference, not just in the lives of other people and in our community, but what the church represents collectively. I'm telling you, I'm telling you will accomplish a great deal more, will accomplish a great deal more.

Speaker 1: 29:33

Now, 34 years ago, this was a much smaller group and a similar appeal was made. We had no money, we had no resources, we had no building, we had no membership. All that there was was this idea of what we thought our city and our city surrounding us needed and what the church in general needed, and then cast a vision towards that. All we had was vision. And you know what happened Successful people who didn't have time made time. It's their money, and their time is why we're here and that's why you're here and why I'm here. That's why we have what we have and that's why we have these fabulous environments in which to come and participate in and to have our kids go in and experience grief, share in the middle of the weekend, and just so much more that's going on in recovery.

Speaker 1: 30:25

And now, friends, it's your turn, it's my turn, it's your money, and if everybody will do a little, we can continue to actually do a lot, not just here in our city or our cities and not just even here in our state. I mean, this is crazy. We can do this all over the world. Through what you're doing here, you actually have a broad reach. And here's the reality. This is the part that you don't think about, unless it was part of your story, but I think about it all the time because I hear the stories.

Speaker 1: 31:01

Next Sunday, at this campus and at churches all over the country, not just in our church, a woman is going to show up with her kids in tow and she is desperately going to want them to enjoy the experience. Because she needs a partner as a parent, because she is desperate to have an anchor in the hearts of her children a love for God and a love for her word. And she is going to hope like crazy that when she gets here, when she arrives at our church, there's going to be something fabulous for her children and when she picks them up after service, they're going to say mom, mom, can we come back next week? And that I'm telling you, friends, is wind for her and it's wind for us. Next week, at our church, a woman is gonna show up with her children and her husband in tow and he's gonna give it one shot and she's gonna hope that her children love the people they meet, wanna return, and she's gonna hope like crazy that what happens in the big room, in this room, is that with her husband, who he sees at the door and who he encounters in the lobby, what he is experiencing experiencing checking in their children is so different, so engaging, whether he believes everything that we believe or not, he's gonna walk away and say that was worth it. We can go back again.

Speaker 1: 32:24

This happens every week. A dad is gonna show up on a Tuesday night or a Wednesday night with a sixth grader or a 10th grader and they're just struggling and they're gonna bring them to altered or rally and they're going to show up and the kid's going to have a bad attitude and she's going to have a bad attitude and you're going to see their attitude just before they walk into the building, you know, with their hood on, like we see it every week, and mom and dad they're praying like crazy. Are they going to like it? Are they going to connect with someone? Is someone else going to connect with them? And what we do in those early moments and what happens with their small group could determine and I'm not making this up could determine the trajectory of their entire life who they meet, who they marry, how they think, how they manage themselves, how they approach friendship and sexuality and their relationships with people and their neighborhood, and then when they go off and go to college I mean the implications could go on and on and on.

Speaker 1: 33:27

And what happens in small group with middle school and high school students is so life-shaping and life-changing. And the way that we do small groups, ministry and children's and high school students, middle school students is different than most churches. It's actually harder than most churches, which requires more leadership than most churches, because it makes a bigger difference than most churches, because we don't want to give up on that. But in order to do that, we need some of you. Because if we, if it was, think of it this way if it was your sister bringing her kids and she's going to give church one more shot, going to give it one more chance, if it was your daughter, if it was your granddaughter, if it was your daughter-in-law bringing your son back, you couldn't get him back into church, but somehow she's talked him into coming one more time. You know what you would want them to experience and we're going to continue to create those experiences for them, like somebody probably did for you.

Speaker 1: 34:29

And if you've ever thought, you know, I wish I could have been in a church like this when I was growing up, let's make sure that there's a church like this for the kids who are growing up, if you've ever thought, hey, if there had been a church like this, I think my life, my adult life, would be different. And this is your opportunity to ensure that this generation has a church like that. And I know you don't have the time. I know you don't have the time, I know you don't have the money, and again you're gonna have to decide, like the people who came before you made time, made money, and the reason we're pushing so hard to go all in is because my heart is actually still broken over the loss of influence of the church and we can be, and continue to be, part of changing that.

Speaker 1: 35:20

But more than that and related to that, my heart is still broken for a generation that's deconstructing their faith, because they were handed a faith that required deconstructing, because they're leaving the church. And you know why they're leaving the church. They're leaving because they're convinced that the church has left Jesus. They don't have a problem with Jesus. What they have a problem with is how Jesus is represented in the local church. And, as I said earlier, it's really good news and great joy for all people. And if it's not good news for all people, it's not the right news. We need to prepare to open up these doors wider, to say, hey, everybody needs a Savior, everybody needs forgiveness and you can come and start your journey with us. Amen.

Speaker 1: 36:11

And as much as I'm excited about doing that with adults hello people, my age, empty nesters, 30-year-olds the more I'm telling you I am more passionate than ever that we continue to do that with our children and middle school and high school students, young adults, because what's happening in our culture, the messages they're receiving, I wholeheartedly believe that in Jesus, that in Jesus, in the church, in the church and in the New Testament, through the New Testament, as we do this, that they will actually find a way of life, they will find an ethic, they will find a morality, they will find guardrails that will guide them through this season of life. And here's the deal, and we are responsible for them and we need all of us this is an all skate, that old school thing right All of us to step up and make sure we continue to do a great job at this. This is why we're going all in and doing this generosity initiative that we, just as we talked about last week, we are just managers and stewards, that everything is His. And who are we, who are you that we've been invited to participate this way? This isn't just about me. This way. This isn't just about me, it's about we, it's about us. This is about Jesus and obeying, not just believing.

Speaker 1: 37:47

And for those of you I just want to end this way For those of you who show up early, for those of you who give consistently, for those of you who sit on carpet circles with kids while they do their fireside chats and come during the weekday services. For those of you who didn't have time, but you made time. For those of you who don't have any extra money, but you make sure that a percentage of your income goes to what God is doing through the local church. Thank you. For those of you who have a plan for how you will support this local church financially, thank you.

Speaker 1: 38:20

And those of you who and I'm so grateful for and I love you but you've grown content with just consuming it's time to change that. It's time to engage, or maybe it's time to re-engage with your local church, to go all in. The church changed the world and there is still a great deal in our world that needs changing. And I am absolutely convinced, because Jesus taught us that the church is the catalyst for change personally, corporately, nationally and globally. And, by God's grace, together we will continue to be a part of this change in our communities, in our neighborhoods, in our families and in the world. Are you with me? Would you stand as we respond in worship?