WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:00.643 Good morning church. 00:00:00.643 --> 00:00:14.246 So I got a lot of glasses up here because I sat on my bifocals a couple of weeks ago and Steve urkeled them together for a while and then they snapped and broke, and so these are my prescription sunglasses. 00:00:14.246 --> 00:00:17.167 If I'm gonna see you, I'm gonna have to look through these every now and then. 00:00:17.167 --> 00:00:21.245 And then I got my reading glasses because I'm gonna have to read my notes. 00:00:21.245 --> 00:00:23.344 So I'm a mess today. 00:00:23.344 --> 00:00:40.649 I was happy that Ricky he's not in here, because I wanted to tease him a little bit, but I was happy he kind of messed up there so that I would not be the only one that has some public flaws, cause that's what I'm gonna show you today. 00:00:40.649 --> 00:00:55.374 But I am gonna preach something that I taught five years ago and it is really, really important to me that we all hear this and that we kind of absorb it. 00:00:55.374 --> 00:00:57.627 So I'm gonna ask you to bear with me. 00:00:57.627 --> 00:01:01.325 I don't normally preach with as many notes as I'm gonna use today. 00:01:01.325 --> 00:01:04.207 I'm gonna stick close to these notes as possible. 00:01:04.207 --> 00:01:08.224 You're gonna look at Titus, chapter three, and we're gonna do a. 00:01:08.224 --> 00:01:14.888 I'm going to teach instead of preach mostly, and there is a difference between teaching and preaching. 00:01:14.888 --> 00:01:24.346 I'm more of a preacher than a teacher, usually on Sunday mornings, but today I will stick mostly to teaching and try to be very systematic. 00:01:24.346 --> 00:01:38.567 In a way I'm gonna go through something that talks about the organic features of apostolic energy in Christian ministry, which is a long title, and the subtitle of that is a brief introduction to our philosophy of ministry. 00:01:38.567 --> 00:02:00.790 You know what we did this last week all the pastors of this ministry we went to Dallas, texas, actually more specifically Frisco, texas, to participate as a guest, along with Ian Pastor, ian, who is president of a denominational meeting of Trinity Fellowship Churches. 00:02:00.790 --> 00:02:05.248 That's a great name, trinity Fellowship Churches. 00:02:05.248 --> 00:02:16.903 It is a fellowship of, as they say themselves, a confessional, connexional and missional churches committed to mutual faithfulness and fruitfulness. 00:02:16.903 --> 00:02:24.346 The church in San Jose is gonna be a part of Trinity Fellowship Churches and I will become a part of that. 00:02:24.346 --> 00:02:44.691 So I was really interested to go and see the inner workings and I use that word on purpose, or those two words, inner workings of this fellowship of churches that is connected together through mutual commitments and a dedication to the same thing. 00:02:46.364 --> 00:02:48.810 Because I wanted to know, did I? 00:02:48.810 --> 00:02:53.050 I didn't wanna have what I call a Jacobic experience. 00:02:53.050 --> 00:03:06.108 Remember when Jacob said he was gonna marry Rachel and then he worked seven years and had the wedding ceremony, got in bed and in bed discovered that he was married to Leah instead. 00:03:06.108 --> 00:03:13.526 What a disappointment, because she was ugly and Rachel was beautiful and he worked seven years for this beautiful bride. 00:03:13.526 --> 00:03:19.145 And so I was afraid that I'd have this kind of Jacobic experience and think to myself what have I really gotten into? 00:03:19.145 --> 00:03:23.568 Because I really haven't been able to look on the inside of this as deeply as I'd like. 00:03:23.568 --> 00:03:30.782 I mean, pastor Ian is a trustworthy witness, but he basically was the only witness to this, was he not Ricky? 00:03:30.782 --> 00:03:40.568 And so I mean, we were trusting him a lot and we'd go online and read and scope and spy like we would want to do, and so we were basically at ease. 00:03:40.568 --> 00:03:53.443 But what a joy to get there and see something beautiful under the skin that keeps them all the same Under the skin. 00:03:53.443 --> 00:03:54.984 Why do I say that? 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.207 There was a famous zoologist in the. 00:03:58.207 --> 00:04:22.266 He's dead now, but in the 20th century that really shook the world, because he had a lot of cross-disciplinary writings, some in philosophy, some in sociology, some in zoology and he kind of turned zoology, the study of animals, upside down, because he basically said and I'm saying it in a simplistic fashion that you can't have. 00:04:22.266 --> 00:05:02.589 If you just take the skin and the feathers off a creature, you really can't tell one from the other, because the insides, which a lot of people focus on, is actually there for the purpose of and he was not a Christian, but he actually gave a Christian argument for the purpose of glory and beauty of the outside, that the beautiful plumage of birds and the beautiful fur and the shape of animals and the distinction and the diversity of all of these animals is something that that is the reason for all of these things Outward beauty and outward diversity and outward difference. 00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:28.084 Let me put it this way If I were to put a black dog and a white dog and a gray dog and a brown dog and a spotted dog all together, I would be able to distinguish all of them one from the other because of the color of their fur, and one might be a little nicer than the other, one might be wild, one might be a real nice pet, one might be super hyper and another might be super calm, and but they are. 00:05:28.084 --> 00:05:33.206 But if we take the skin off of them, I can't tell the difference between them. 00:05:33.206 --> 00:05:40.334 And what this zoologist said is the beauty of their diversity. 00:05:40.334 --> 00:05:43.108 These are my words of his saying. 00:05:43.108 --> 00:05:55.088 The beauty of their diversity is in the health of their sameness, and a veterinary surgeon doesn't need to know what the outward skin is like. 00:05:55.088 --> 00:05:56.646 He's not really interested in that. 00:05:56.646 --> 00:06:09.589 He's interested in the circulatory system and the respiratory system and the musculature and, if you could go even deeper, the cellular activity that happens in the bodies of these creatures. 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:17.197 Now the Bible allows for a lot of diversity in ministry. 00:06:17.197 --> 00:06:36.738 Today, in 2023, in the Bay Area is a lot different than it was in Antioch or in in Philippi or in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, where they spoke a different language and had very few of the same things that we have now today. 00:06:36.738 --> 00:06:57.016 Even today, there are churches that are on the outside in culture and language and style and some of the different things they do, but what matters most is what is really going on on the inside and what is the health of the inside of those ministries. 00:06:57.016 --> 00:07:11.559 Man, it was a joy to me to watch Trinity Fellowship churches who, by their own statement, are very diverse in their own way, and that is what we are going to do today. 00:07:11.559 --> 00:07:17.317 We are going to look at our areas, on what we might say organic areas. 00:07:17.317 --> 00:07:31.319 They are all the same and it is a wise person that knows how to study the organic sameness of the living entities to find out how they can help other living entities thrive. 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:41.639 That is what we are going to do today we are going to look at organic sameness of the living entities to find out how they can help other living entities thrive. 00:07:44.654 --> 00:08:06.887 I am going to talk about my mentor, dr David Heselgrave, who was a leading misciologist when that study really began to become something, and this is the quote the spirit-inspired missionary acts of Jesus, paul and the apostles, as well as their inspired reflection on the Holy Spirit. 00:08:06.887 --> 00:08:41.818 In other words, when we want to really think about our, we are different in so many ways and we have different instruments and we have different kinds of buildings and different schedules and maybe different problems, but when we want to get to the health of our ministry and what we are doing, then we want to actually look at the spirit-inspired actions and practices and reflections of Jesus Christ and his apostle and we want to look at the spiritual nature of the body than what any denomination or group of people or tradition may have. 00:08:41.818 --> 00:08:43.534 Are you tracking with me? 00:08:43.534 --> 00:09:08.101 So we want to look at the circulatory system, if you will, or the organic behaviors inside of the bodies and less on the skin and the fur, and the outward features, although we rejoice in the fact that there will be diverse one from the other. 00:09:08.101 --> 00:09:35.042 We rejoice in the fact that churches will have different language, different ethnic groups or that there will be churches that have different ways of expressing themselves, but what we are concerned about Redeemer Church of Silicon Valley as a church planting ministry, is a healthy sameness that can be seen and identified all the way through the church. 00:09:35.062 --> 00:09:44.634 So I wish I could spend, and I want you to know in advance that every one of these points and their sub points is worth a lot of discussion. 00:09:44.634 --> 00:10:01.554 I also want you to know that I rejoice in the fact though I taught this in March of 2019, I rejoice in the fact that the team, in spite of some difficulty we've had, that the team of elders that are gathered today. 00:10:01.554 --> 00:10:16.318 They're not going to be able to do all of these things better than I can, but it's my ability and gift to you to be able to kind of assemble it and give you an overview of all of these things so that we can remember them and hold them to our hearts. 00:10:16.318 --> 00:10:35.639 So the practice of I can just give very superficially with a verse that you know so well for God, so love the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life. 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:41.616 Jesus' mission is seen in John, chapter 3, verse 16. 00:10:41.616 --> 00:11:00.899 We have a person, that is the son who was sent, with deep passion he so loved, to a place the world for productiveness, everlasting life in and through, and a people whoever believes. 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:09.698 Okay, and each one of those words is carefully chosen, which I will try to explain later on or you're going to see. 00:11:10.684 --> 00:11:17.778 Now we come to our text in Titus, because Paul was an apostle and he was a lead church planter. 00:11:17.778 --> 00:11:19.908 He was a lead missionary. 00:11:19.908 --> 00:11:21.592 He's the best missiologist. 00:11:21.592 --> 00:11:27.576 Missiologist is the study of missions, missiology. 00:11:27.576 --> 00:11:30.894 He was the best missiologist that ever was. 00:11:30.894 --> 00:11:36.197 He had the benefit of being inspired by the Holy Spirit and giving us 13 books that are in our New Testament. 00:11:36.197 --> 00:11:44.198 Paul knew his stuff okay, and he was widely used from God in all of the great Roman world of the day. 00:11:44.198 --> 00:11:59.740 Now Paul said in a letter to Titus we're at the very conclusion these words when I send Artemis to you do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:04.115 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way. 00:12:04.115 --> 00:12:14.200 See that they lack nothing, and let our people learn to devote themselves to good works so as to help cases of urgent need and not be unproductive. 00:12:14.865 --> 00:12:27.500 So what we have here now, remember we're looking at the organs of a healthy Christian ministry that has what I call apostolic energy. 00:12:27.500 --> 00:12:29.589 What are some of those features? 00:12:29.589 --> 00:12:34.426 Well, first of all, you have people who are sent, see. 00:12:34.426 --> 00:12:41.134 He says send Artemis or Titicus, send one or the other, but send them. 00:12:41.134 --> 00:12:41.384 Now. 00:12:41.384 --> 00:12:52.019 The focus here that I want to highlight is that you have, in this text alone, six people that are referred to either directly or indirectly. 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:52.868 They're there. 00:12:52.868 --> 00:13:01.284 They are Paul, of course, the writer, titus, the receiver of the letter Artemis we don't know anything about Artemis except for here. 00:13:01.424 --> 00:13:06.197 Titicus is mentioned a couple times as one of the close allies of Paul. 00:13:06.197 --> 00:13:14.956 Apollos, the gifted silver tongue, eloquent preacher, and Zenas, who obviously is skilled in something I would. 00:13:14.956 --> 00:13:17.679 I would guess from reading the Bible law. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:24.616 He says Zenas the lawyer, you wouldn't be called that if you weren't that, especially an inspired scripture. 00:13:24.616 --> 00:13:41.957 So we have six I would call skilled people, gifted people, six people that God has made to be uniquely fit for the ministry that they are to do, and they're they're being positioned in different places. 00:13:41.957 --> 00:13:55.778 Artemis or Titicus should come here or should go there, and you should come here, and along with Zenas, the lawyer, and Apollos and so forth, there's this moving about of good people. 00:13:56.465 --> 00:14:02.857 Now, god uses uniquely gifted people prepared for specific missions. 00:14:02.857 --> 00:14:15.220 This is obviously, ultimately and perfectly demonstrated in Jesus Christ, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God. 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:30.578 He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, and yet he came to the world, he became flesh, he dwelt among flesh, he established himself in this place, on this globe, in this cosmos, as the Son of God. 00:14:30.578 --> 00:14:44.821 True, healthy, dynamic Christian ministries are going to be focused on this fact of gathering people and people who are gifted and who are sent to do the work of God. 00:14:44.821 --> 00:14:47.874 Now, paul had four kinds of people on his team. 00:14:47.874 --> 00:14:56.966 You might say we have a taxonomy of people here if you want to keep the zoologist theme in your mind, but we have a. 00:14:57.025 --> 00:15:08.740 Paul had all these successes on his team because, excuse me, the successes in his ministry in large part because there was this kind of organic building of a team around him. 00:15:08.740 --> 00:15:11.634 There was a Pina, peter and Barnabas kind. 00:15:11.634 --> 00:15:17.537 These are peers or mentors with equal authority and wisdom that speak into the leader's life. 00:15:17.537 --> 00:15:31.541 I mentioned Dr Heselgrave, who has written a number of books, and he gave me about a hundred books and he poured into my life when I was in Rockford Illinois probably one of the highlights and benefits of me being a pastor in Rockford Illinois. 00:15:31.541 --> 00:15:36.331 Now we need to always have around us Barnabas and Peter's. 00:15:36.591 --> 00:15:41.700 The second kind of people that Paul had around him were Timothy and Titus. 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:43.049 They were coworkers. 00:15:43.049 --> 00:15:45.432 These are men able to teach others. 00:15:45.432 --> 00:15:53.057 Second Timothy 2 to where Paul says on this mission, make sure that you teach men who are able to teach others also. 00:15:53.057 --> 00:16:06.660 Now that's why we as elders I'm speaking here in one sense, brothers and sisters very mindful of the fact that we have elders and future leaders and people who have actually moved here to be a part of this ministry. 00:16:06.660 --> 00:16:15.831 I'm speaking to these people to remind us all together what our mission is, so that we all would be able to teach others this same thing. 00:16:15.831 --> 00:16:26.861 And I can rejoice that this time, because we did have someone in our midst that came through and could not teach this, but we do now have elders who can teach the same thing by the grace of God. 00:16:27.264 --> 00:16:31.195 Now these there's Priscilla and Aquila kind. 00:16:31.195 --> 00:16:39.538 These are professional people who are not vocational church leaders and they are able to move to any place to help serve the churches. 00:16:39.538 --> 00:16:46.070 Priscilla and Aquila, aquila and Priscilla they are mentioned six times in the New Testament. 00:16:46.070 --> 00:16:55.221 Three times Aquila is mentioned first, three other times Priscilla is mentioned first, as if the Holy Spirit wants us to know that they were equals as a couple. 00:16:55.221 --> 00:16:57.673 They were equally beneficial to the church. 00:16:57.673 --> 00:17:01.274 They minister to the church and when they took a policy side they served him. 00:17:01.274 --> 00:17:04.354 But these were professional people with their own business. 00:17:04.354 --> 00:17:12.479 They provided for themselves and certainly for other people, and they literally would pick up and move their business and follow Paul along in church planning work. 00:17:13.005 --> 00:17:39.065 There are people like that in our room today, thank you God, because God has called us as a church and us as leaders to start a church planting movement in the Bay Area, and so we're blessed to have Peter and Barnabas kind and the Timothy and Titus kind and the Priscilla and Aquila kind and then the Phoebe and Lydia kind. 00:17:39.065 --> 00:17:55.085 These were wealthy women, business women in the Bible who had deep pockets and generous hearts that gave largely and extravagantly for the cause of Christ. 00:17:55.085 --> 00:17:59.105 And we are helped by supporters in the ministry. 00:17:59.105 --> 00:18:21.336 And it's my burden as a leader among a group of wonderful leaders, is my burden, to ever be expanding and praying for the expansion of these four kinds of people, because God does his mission ultimately through a perfect person, jesus Christ, and then under that through people who are the disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:18:22.847 --> 00:18:23.971 Send Artemis. 00:18:23.971 --> 00:18:27.105 Secondly, places are specified. 00:18:27.105 --> 00:18:39.105 He says send them to Nicopolis, which was certainly in a Kaya, in a warm part, because Paul says I intend to winter there. 00:18:39.105 --> 00:18:43.105 Now, this was consistent with Paul's behavior in other parts of the New Testament. 00:18:43.105 --> 00:18:48.294 And again, I don't have the time to go in depth through all of this, but he's in Romans, for example. 00:18:48.294 --> 00:18:54.105 He says so that from Jerusalem and all the way around Elyricum, I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel. 00:18:54.105 --> 00:19:03.980 Elyricum was a city, or some people think it was a city representing a whole region, because he said all the way around. 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:16.065 But that went all the way up through Asia Minor, even up into Armenia, as it was a massive place, and Paul said I preach the gospel all the way around those. 00:19:16.065 --> 00:19:18.412 Now, how did he know that he could? 00:19:18.412 --> 00:19:19.714 How could he make that claim? 00:19:19.714 --> 00:19:44.440 He could make that claim because he had a targeted, fought through strategy of key cities, and one of those key cities was certainly Nicopolis, which means victory city, which was a city that had been conquered by the Romans and had been rebuilt and established as a roadway city, if you will like. 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:46.981 Most of the almost all the Roman cities. 00:19:46.981 --> 00:19:48.791 It was a strategic place. 00:19:49.625 --> 00:19:56.085 I think there are three questions we don't have the time to go into, but you should know that your leaders discuss this all the time. 00:19:56.085 --> 00:20:06.920 In fact, one of the reasons why we know we need to meet in Union City rather than here is because we've agonized and prayed over this question of place. 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:10.515 We add there's the spatial question where is the place? 00:20:10.515 --> 00:20:16.071 There's the special question what makes this place unique and special? 00:20:16.071 --> 00:20:20.037 And there is the strategic question what is? 00:20:20.037 --> 00:20:22.921 Why is the place important now? 00:20:22.921 --> 00:20:49.105 Now, again, because of time, I can't go into why we need we, as a church, need to focus on a church planting mission, but let me just say the place that I'm thinking about is the Bay Area, with its nine plus additional counties that are adding on as the population spreads with its over 10 million people, with the fact that it is the least church area in the entire United States. 00:20:49.105 --> 00:20:54.093 The fact that it influences the whole world with this technology. 00:20:54.634 --> 00:21:14.079 The fact that we find ourselves in a place that could be called the Plains of Shinar, because that's where the people built the Tower of Babel and thought of themselves as almost like God because of what they could do, and where we do eye of the needlework, because the people are wealthy here and it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:31.500 The fact that we are in a place that by itself would be the 20th the Silicon Valley by itself would be the 20th richest nation in the world and yet it is impoverished relationally, people are isolated and lonely and suicide in our high school, outranked suicide in other parts of the country. 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:37.019 Because we are in a place that is special, that shows that we are in a special place. 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:37.782 That's what I'm talking about. 00:21:37.782 --> 00:21:48.737 Special, I'm talking about there's a uniqueness to it and it's obvious that it's now that we need to go into places where churches are dying and the buildings are empty. 00:21:48.737 --> 00:22:14.105 There are lots of buildings that seat 100 people and they have 10 people in membership left and they're decaying not only outwardly but inwardly and they're rotting away and they're trying to lift up themselves in different kinds of ministerial business, but they don't understand what organic health means and they don't want to invest in the right people and they don't want to invest in the different things that Paul's going to talking about here. 00:22:14.105 --> 00:22:24.105 And they have even come many of them to dislike the place that they are in, because one time they were in a peach field but now they're surrounded by people who go to a mosque. 00:22:24.105 --> 00:22:31.818 They do not understand that God has brought the world to them so that they could do great commission work without even moving. 00:22:31.818 --> 00:22:37.291 This is the place that we live in and we want this church to understand that. 00:22:37.291 --> 00:22:39.715 This is a vision that God has called us to do. 00:22:39.715 --> 00:22:44.811 You have to be place oriented. 00:22:44.811 --> 00:22:52.798 Even Jesus in his ministry, says he set his face toward Jerusalem like a flint stone Luke 9.52. 00:22:52.798 --> 00:22:55.750 And he would not waver or be distracted. 00:22:55.750 --> 00:23:06.528 He would go to Jerusalem because it was there, at Jerusalem he was going to die for our sins and redeem the world, and on the cross cry it is finished. 00:23:06.528 --> 00:23:10.699 We need a theology of place. 00:23:10.699 --> 00:23:19.392 I've taught this just recently in our discipleship hour and I've just remind you just a little bit because I think it's important to hear it in the context of our ministry. 00:23:19.392 --> 00:23:24.223 But the earth is a place for the human encounter with God. 00:23:24.223 --> 00:23:32.250 God made the earth as a place where we could engage with God and love God and talk with God and fellowship with one another. 00:23:32.590 --> 00:23:37.205 The story of the Bible is actually about the recovery of a place and its people. 00:23:37.205 --> 00:23:54.392 It's about the restoration of a place, and one theologian says strangers are people without a place, and that actually defines the world today, because they have turned their back on God and they have desecrated this place. 00:23:54.392 --> 00:24:03.641 They want to make this place their own, build their towers of Babel, do whatever they want, and yet they find themselves, despite all of it, strangers at home. 00:24:03.641 --> 00:24:15.071 That's why one writer said the taking corners of creation and coming to know them, love them and make them home is part of the good news. 00:24:15.071 --> 00:24:26.019 Parish ministry, as I put up here on the slide for you, gives boundaries and definition to our ambassadorial ministry of reconciliation. 00:24:26.019 --> 00:24:34.045 By redeeming space that has been desecrated by sin and waste and becoming neighbors to people who are strangers in their own home. 00:24:34.045 --> 00:24:40.219 We make where we live our square inch a place for humans to encounter God. 00:24:40.219 --> 00:24:52.442 That's referencing that famous statement by the Dutch theologian that every square inch, there's not a square inch of the world where God does not cry Mine, mine, mine. 00:24:52.442 --> 00:25:11.383 We understand that the Great Commission is not just, it's the gospel, and it's not just to teach people, to give them a passport so that when they die they get into heaven, but we understand that the reality of the gospel is that he has given us the confidence and the authority to fill a place with the goodness of God. 00:25:11.383 --> 00:25:24.778 Parish ministry, secondly, is making the presence of God felt and recognized and magnified in a particular place as a prelude of ultimate restoration. 00:25:25.961 --> 00:25:43.530 Brothers and sisters, when Paul said come and join me at Nicopolis, it was, I assure you, if you've read anything about Paul, whether in the scriptures or biographies about him, it was not haplessly determined and it was not just randomly thought about. 00:25:43.530 --> 00:25:48.502 He was a planner and he thought about it and he chose the city on purpose. 00:25:48.502 --> 00:26:08.435 Thirdly, provisions are comprehensive, he says he said to them send Zenas verse 13, chapter 3, do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollo on their way. 00:26:08.435 --> 00:26:11.203 See that they lack nothing. 00:26:11.203 --> 00:26:18.001 Paul commended the church in Philippians, verse 18 of chapter 4,. 00:26:18.001 --> 00:26:20.126 I have received full payment. 00:26:20.126 --> 00:26:23.153 Full payment and more. 00:26:23.153 --> 00:26:31.477 I'm well supplied, having received from Apaphroditus the gifts you sent, the fragrant offering a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 00:26:33.520 --> 00:26:41.936 Certainly, there are important questions which we don't have time to address, but what is needed is influenced by where you are and what is needed by what you're doing, and so forth. 00:26:41.936 --> 00:26:43.580 And how are we going to supply it? 00:26:43.580 --> 00:26:53.678 But let me show you something that in the mission that Jesus, the best missionary, did, he said I am the bread of life. 00:26:53.678 --> 00:26:58.970 He supplies for us all that we need and he will accomplish his purpose. 00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:00.893 They will lack nothing. 00:27:00.893 --> 00:27:03.278 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:27:03.278 --> 00:27:05.221 I shall not. 00:27:05.221 --> 00:27:13.076 I shall not want that's the King James version for saying I won't lack anything. 00:27:13.076 --> 00:27:36.732 Jesus doesn't shortchange his work and we as people, we may be confused about what that looks like, but one thing we ought not to be confused about is that we ought to have a spirit and a heart and a desire and a philosophy of ministry that's committed to full and extravagant investment in gospel work. 00:27:36.732 --> 00:27:44.462 They're comprehensive, forcefully Planning, is executed. 00:27:44.994 --> 00:27:48.305 I love this because he's working it out in his head. 00:27:48.305 --> 00:28:03.080 He says in verse 12, when I send Artemis or Tishicus not yet sure, there's some contingencies here, there's some things that might happen that I am not in charge of but he says I want to send them, I want you to come, I want you to speed Zenas along. 00:28:03.080 --> 00:28:04.579 That takes a lot of planning. 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:06.058 Paul was a planner. 00:28:06.058 --> 00:28:09.803 Just one illustration of that In Romans 1.13, I put on the screen for you. 00:28:09.803 --> 00:28:15.785 He says I want you to know that I have often intended to come to you but have thus far then prevented. 00:28:16.295 --> 00:28:21.525 Because in Christian ministry there are constantly proposals and intentionality. 00:28:21.525 --> 00:28:24.222 The planning is dynamic and contingent. 00:28:24.222 --> 00:28:29.086 We're always working to make plans. 00:28:29.086 --> 00:28:42.338 It's a big part of our weekly ministry to get together and we know that the Satan can hinder and obstacles can come and things that might surprise us that we did not see would happen. 00:28:42.338 --> 00:28:53.325 But listen, forethought and careful, intentional proposing and acting upon them is a part of Christian ministry. 00:28:53.325 --> 00:28:55.682 We don't get stuck in a tradition. 00:28:55.682 --> 00:28:58.902 Traditions are good, traditionalism is bad. 00:28:58.902 --> 00:29:11.595 Traditions plan and traditionalism says we have a plan, we've had it this way and we've done it this way for 20 years, 30 years, and we're not going to change. 00:29:11.595 --> 00:29:16.286 Jesus, of course, is the ultimate planner Before the foundations of the earth. 00:29:16.286 --> 00:29:20.380 He knew what he was going to do Productiveness. 00:29:22.277 --> 00:29:32.646 Now you etymologists, the ones that like to study word, and you philosophers and so forth, need to know that I chose productiveness instead of productivity or production and all that. 00:29:32.646 --> 00:29:45.307 And it was not only because it starts with a P, although thank God it does, but the word in some of the translations in Titus says that they would not be unproductive. 00:29:45.307 --> 00:29:52.974 It says, for example and let our people learn to devote themselves to good works so as to help cases of urgent need. 00:29:52.974 --> 00:29:58.787 To help cases of urgent need and not live unproductive lives. 00:29:58.787 --> 00:30:03.324 Productiveness is different from productivity in this sense. 00:30:03.324 --> 00:30:27.080 Productivity is the capacity of doing something and it's a utilitarian concept, and productiveness and I'm not sucking this out of my thumb, you could read people like Anne Rind or Hannah Rant or other people, or economists or social economists and or whatever In philosophers, there's a difference. 00:30:27.080 --> 00:30:34.239 Productiveness implies creativity and the nature of something that's very important. 00:30:34.239 --> 00:30:56.604 When we have been redeemed and saved and when we are walking in the spirit, there is an energy of productiveness, that is, it's a creative component and it's an idea, and it is able to land in a place that's hostile to the gospel and still be productive. 00:30:57.194 --> 00:31:05.799 Paul said in Ephesians 2, 10, we are his workmanship, created for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:09.661 Now there are very important questions and these are theologically loaded. 00:31:09.661 --> 00:31:12.560 We don't have the time for them today, but I want you to know we do discuss them. 00:31:12.560 --> 00:31:13.738 What are good works? 00:31:13.738 --> 00:31:18.557 That's not just to do goodism and that's not just feeding the hungry. 00:31:18.557 --> 00:31:26.983 Remember, paul said even if I gave all my goods to the poor and have not love, I am a clanging symbol. 00:31:26.983 --> 00:31:31.299 In that case, giving your goods to the poor is not good works. 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:38.021 So there's a theology of good works which we can't address today and you're grateful for that because you're thinking this will go long. 00:31:39.856 --> 00:31:44.000 And also, what are urgent needs, what are the compelling needs? 00:31:44.000 --> 00:32:05.027 And let me just say briefly one of the ways we can discern and I think there's all kinds of ways through the Bible and through history to show this but one of the ways to discern what are the compelling needs is when there is one-mindedness among God's people and the leadership about what really is needed in an area. 00:32:05.027 --> 00:32:20.106 And I'm here to tell you, brothers and sisters, that there is a one-mindedness among many people, not just here in this room that there is a compelling, urgent, demanding need for new churches in the Bay Area. 00:32:20.106 --> 00:32:36.894 And we want the whole congregation, not just the pastors and not just the professional church planters, but we want the whole congregation to come together and be productive in meeting these urgent needs. 00:32:36.894 --> 00:32:42.608 Jesus is the ultimate in productiveness. 00:32:43.335 --> 00:32:45.522 I love this verse in John 7.38,. 00:32:45.522 --> 00:32:51.083 Whoever believes in me, as the scripture said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. 00:32:51.083 --> 00:32:57.008 Just believing in God turns us into productive people. 00:32:57.008 --> 00:33:01.884 Sixthly and finally, passion is the norm. 00:33:01.884 --> 00:33:03.316 He says. 00:33:03.316 --> 00:33:06.045 You notice in verse 12, do your best. 00:33:06.045 --> 00:33:08.542 And then in verse 13, do your best to speed. 00:33:08.542 --> 00:33:13.463 Spudazo is sometimes translated zeal. 00:33:13.463 --> 00:33:17.443 It's translated earnestness, intensity. 00:33:17.443 --> 00:33:22.885 There is zealous pacing and earnest focus. 00:33:22.885 --> 00:33:25.501 There is no ambivalence. 00:33:26.295 --> 00:33:30.482 I use the word ambivalence like the psychologists use the word ambivalence. 00:33:30.482 --> 00:33:34.905 It really means it doesn't mean you don't care. 00:33:34.905 --> 00:33:38.741 It means that you're struggling between caring about opposite things. 00:33:38.741 --> 00:33:51.181 Sometimes teenagers, as they grow, they have two cares that come into confliction, and this is not my illustration. 00:33:51.181 --> 00:33:53.240 I heard this and it helped me understand it. 00:33:53.240 --> 00:34:08.702 A teenager cares for his mother, who picks him up at the school every day, but he's embarrassed by her when she's going to give a presentation because he cares about some other things. 00:34:08.702 --> 00:34:12.565 So what happens is caring here and caring here. 00:34:12.565 --> 00:34:22.583 He gets stuck in the middle and he or she comes off as aloof and not caring about anything, when in reality they're stuck between two cares. 00:34:22.583 --> 00:34:26.164 James says a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. 00:34:26.164 --> 00:34:36.001 Now, that's appropriate and okay for teenagers, as they're going through the maturation process, to work their way through that and ultimately decided how to align and prioritize their cares. 00:34:36.375 --> 00:34:45.157 But for gospel people, churches and leaders, one thing about it there must be no ambivalence, there's zeal. 00:34:45.157 --> 00:34:47.842 We wake up in the morning with a commitment. 00:34:47.842 --> 00:34:57.804 We know what we're living for, we know why we're here, we know what God has called us to do and we care about that, and all the other cares are inferior to that. 00:34:57.804 --> 00:35:03.300 That's why Jesus said if you love me, you must hate your father and your mother and your brother and your sister. 00:35:03.300 --> 00:35:07.706 He's not saying, obviously, don't show love to them. 00:35:07.706 --> 00:35:16.940 But when it comes to your priority, there is no ambivalence, and everybody around you knows that there is no ambivalence. 00:35:16.940 --> 00:35:20.422 You care for the things of God. 00:35:20.422 --> 00:35:33.527 That is what zeal is and that's why Paul said in the Romans, 12, verse 11 do not be slothful and zeal. 00:35:33.527 --> 00:35:36.411 Be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 00:35:37.994 --> 00:35:41.188 Now in John, chapter 2, of course Jesus. 00:35:41.188 --> 00:35:42.336 Have you noticed the trend here? 00:35:42.336 --> 00:35:44.668 I'm trying to show you that Jesus models all of these things. 00:35:44.668 --> 00:35:45.349 Have you noticed that? 00:35:45.349 --> 00:36:03.266 Because we're coming up to the Lord's table and Jesus modeled zeal more than anybody, the disciples remembered in John 2, set 17 that it was written of him zeal for your house will consume me. 00:36:03.266 --> 00:36:17.653 Now, a healthy church may have beautiful white fur or beautiful gray fur or maybe mangy black fur and have spots or whatnot. 00:36:17.653 --> 00:36:32.541 But when you get under the surface, what you can discern and what you need to discern to know if there's health, are these organs you'll see called people, strategic places. 00:36:32.541 --> 00:36:45.471 You'll see total provision, conscientious planning, corporate productiveness and gospel driven passion. 00:36:46.954 --> 00:37:00.889 These words given by Paul the misciologist follow this exhortation about the gospel, saying how the gospel has called us as a congregation to good works. 00:37:04.356 --> 00:37:32.960 If we're gonna have ministry, that is, organ that unites these organic features and magnifies the gospel, we must have one mind and that's why Paul says in Titus 3, verse 8 through 11 the saying is trustworthy and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. 00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:36.936 These things are excellent and profitable for people. 00:37:36.936 --> 00:37:50.161 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he is self-condemned. 00:37:50.161 --> 00:38:15.574 We must, brothers and sisters, go about our mission and what God has called us to do as a local church, seen to the health of our people, seen to the strategizing of our places in the provision for them, carefully planning, committing ourselves and longing for fruitfulness and productiveness. 00:38:15.574 --> 00:38:23.460 That multiplies itself in many ways and we should never dial down the intensity for that. 00:38:23.460 --> 00:38:26.382 May God add His blessing to this lesson.