WEBVTT 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:07.440 Hello everyone. 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:08.960 This is Pastor Benjamin. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:12.000 You're listening to Sermon Audio from New City, Orlando. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:15.439 At New City, we long to see our Father answer the Lord's Prayer. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:20.079 For more resources, visit our website at Newcity Orlando.com. 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.839 Please pray this prayer of illumination with me. 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:40.320 Guide us, O God, by your word and spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover your peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:41.280 Amen. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:45.600 Today's scripture reading comes from 2 Timothy 2. 00:00:45.600 --> 00:01:00.960 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses and trust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:06.239 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:13.359 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:19.359 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:24.959 It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:31.760 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in every way, in everything. 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:44.560 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:48.239 But the word of God is not bound. 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:59.920 Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:06.719 The saying is trustworthy, for if we have died with him, we will also live with him. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:10.319 If we endure, we will also reign with him. 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:14.639 If we deny him, he also will deny us. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:22.080 If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:23.919 This is God's word. 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:26.719 You may be seated. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:31.759 Well, happy new year, everyone. 00:02:31.759 --> 00:03:00.639 And so you'll see behind me that once we go from the vision series, actually the last week of January, first two weeks of February will be a series called Winter Wisdom. 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:07.599 And then we will kick off a series through the parables that will bring us all the way through the spring until we get to summer in the Psalms. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:07.919 All right. 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:08.879 So you get an idea. 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:15.759 This is kind of a where we are, where we're going, and that's a ministry calendar behind you, so you have an idea for that. 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:22.560 Now, not only our congregational space, but our communities and circles kick back off in mid-January. 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:30.159 And so if you want to find out more about that, you can again fill out a connect card or go to the connect table in the back, and they can help you get connected as well. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:35.199 The first third of this sermon is going to be recapping 2025, in a way. 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:37.280 Things you've already seen, already heard. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:44.719 And so, in order to do that, I just want to point out, I preached this very same passage this Sunday last year. 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:55.840 And the reason for that is because last year we started by saying, What is our biblical, robust, simple, compelling, and reproducible definition of a disciple? 00:03:55.840 --> 00:04:04.319 And we said, a disciple, as you'll see behind me, is united to Jesus in communion with God, community with one another, and co-mission for the world. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:06.960 That was last January's vision series. 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:15.120 Then in August, we doubled down on, okay, so if that's a definition of a disciple, what does fruitfulness look like for New City? 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:20.079 You know, every organization has to ask and answer the questions, are we succeeding? 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:21.519 Are we doing what we're trying to do? 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:23.519 Are we, and if so, how? 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:25.439 And what's our plan for it? 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:29.600 And so we talked in August about our vision, our call to fruitfulness. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:38.480 And so we took that definition and we turned it into not just disciple-defined, but a disciple-defined diagram, which you'll also see behind me. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.600 And so you'll you'll notice here, this was this was really what we talked about. 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:45.439 And kids, if you will, I know it's family worship Sunday, draw this. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:46.639 Come show me afterward. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:47.360 I'd be really pleased. 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:48.240 Adults, you can too. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:49.120 I'd be happy about that. 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:49.759 Fine. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:53.120 Um, so the disciple-defined diagram looks like this. 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:56.879 We start with our union with Christ by faith alone. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:01.680 And from that center flows out everything else in the Christian life. 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:12.879 So, in order to draw on our union with Christ, we practice communion with Him through receiving from Him and responding to Him ongoingly, continually in all of life. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.920 That's union and communion with God. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:23.120 Now, that is the heart, the power source, the hub, if you will, of our community with one another. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:30.079 Our community with one another, where we are known and loved and we know and love, is sustained by our communion with God. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:37.519 And our communion with God is kind of displaced outward through the structure of our community with one another. 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:48.399 And then finally, if this is a wheel, the rubber meets the road in our co-mission for the world, where we move towards the world through our work and our witness. 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:53.680 Through our work, not just what we get compensated for, but our contribution to the world. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:06:01.680 Not only that, but also our witness, how we bear witness to Jesus in all of life, our who we are, our thoughts, our words, our deeds, those kind of things. 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:06.000 Okay, so that is disciple-defined diagram. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:14.000 Now, with that, there is a quote I want to read from a guy named Neil Cole, because this this matters to us. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:15.120 This is what he says. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:20.720 Ultimately, each church will be evaluated by only one thing. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:22.560 It's disciples. 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:24.879 Your church is only as good as her disciples. 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:29.439 It doesn't matter how good your praise, preaching, programs, or property are. 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:38.959 If your disciples are passive, needy, consumerist, and not moving in the direction of radical obedience, your church is not good. 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:40.480 Full stop. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:41.600 I believe that. 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:43.439 I sincerely believe that. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:52.319 And it's one of the reasons why it's a joy to pastor New City is because I do believe that we are moving in the direction of radical obedience. 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:55.680 I believe that that's true of New City, and I'm thankful for that. 00:06:55.680 --> 00:07:05.040 But it's not only that we would deepen as disciples, but that we would see not yet disciples drawn into this life that we have together in Christ. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:12.240 Okay, and so the second part of this really is um we said our vision, our mission is to call for him and send disciple makers. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:34.560 What that means is that our desire, our aim, what we're after is you becoming the kind of people who can invite a not yet disciple through your work and witness into your community with one another to receive and respond to Jesus as he's offered in the gospel so that they're united to him by faith, and that's only half of it. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:38.720 Then to walk with them, teaching them how do they commune with God? 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:40.319 How do they live in community? 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:44.160 How do they go out and work and witness on commission for the world? 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:48.480 You see, a disciple maker, there's an old phrase which is each one for each one. 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:56.480 A disciple maker is willing to take spiritual responsibility for at least one other person to walk them through this process. 00:07:56.480 --> 00:07:58.959 That's what fruitfulness looks like for New City. 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:06.720 Everything we're doing, congregations, communities, circles, common rhythm, all of our communication, our worship, everything is unto that end. 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.680 And if it's not, we probably should prune it for greater greater fruitfulness. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:12.319 Okay. 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:16.959 So I'm saying all of this, and I said this exact same thing in August. 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:19.839 If you don't believe me, believe the man. 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:21.199 By that I mean C.S. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:21.600 Lewis. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:25.120 He says this this is the whole of Christianity. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.040 There is nothing else. 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:28.480 Lean in. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:30.480 What do you have to say, Lewis? 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:32.720 It is so easy to get muddled about that. 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:39.919 It's easy to think that the church has a lot of different objects: education, building, missions, holding services, all good things, right? 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:47.679 The church exists for nothing else but to draw men and women into Christ, to make them little Christs. 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:56.080 If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself are simply a waste of time. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.559 God became man for no other purpose. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:04.879 It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:11.200 It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in him. 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:18.639 This idea of drawing others in and then forming them so that they become little Christs out in the world. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:26.399 You see the movement of centripetal and centrifugal force that we see in the disciple-defined diagram that Lewis is talking about here. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:36.639 Okay, so all of that is a long-winded way of saying we want God's evaluation of New City's fruitfulness to be our evaluation of New City's fruitfulness. 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:42.399 And the only way that we can know what that is, learn what that is, is by looking at scripture itself. 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:47.120 So if you have a Bible or device, go ahead and get 2 Timothy out in front of you. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:54.480 Now, don't look at your worship guide because this is what happens when preachers change their sermon text a little bit too late in the game. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:59.919 So look at a Bible or device and get 2 Timothy chapter 2 in front of you. 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:05.840 Now, last year I said I preached on this and I really talked about verses 1 through 7. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:12.080 And so I'm actually gonna punt on most of that and say, go back and listen to the sermon exactly a year ago. 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:14.320 If you want one through seven. 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:15.759 This is my recap. 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:22.399 I said that the grit of disciple making is spiritual parenting, the goal of disciple making is generational discipleship. 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:32.320 The grit of disciple making is that you have to give your life away, and that the grace of disciple making is union and communion with Jesus. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:36.399 And so today, all we're gonna do is I want to double-click on that last one. 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.720 What is the grace of disciple making? 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:42.240 What does it look like that we are called into communion? 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:44.960 How do we practice that in real life? 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:46.399 What exactly does that mean? 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:48.799 And so we're gonna linger over verse one together. 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:52.799 Look with me at 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 1. 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:55.519 Paul writing to Timothy says this. 00:10:55.519 --> 00:11:10.480 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:19.120 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:23.679 Many of you maybe know 2 Timothy is Paul's final letter. 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:28.799 These are the dying words of a spiritual father to a spiritual son. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:36.960 And as he's about to die, what does Paul say to his disciple, his child in the faith? 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:39.200 He says, Be strong. 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:41.200 Be strong. 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:48.639 Now, if you're familiar with the scope of scripture, Moses on his deathbed, if you will, said the exact same thing to Joshua. 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:51.039 He said, Be strong, Joshua. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:12:02.320 David to his son Solomon, as he's about to hand off the kingdom of Israel to his son, he says, Be strong, Solomon. 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:11.200 Now we get to Paul speaking to Timothy, and he says, You then, my child, be strengthened, be strong. 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:23.840 Now, there's something important to note here, and I'm only going to fly over verses three through six, but if you read those, you'd see that there's three pictures Paul gives: a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:27.600 All three, very different vocations in many ways. 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:31.279 All three of them are characterized by a certain amount of strength. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:35.600 It requires strength to be a soldier and an athlete and a farmer. 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.120 You see, discipleship, it is a muscular thing. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:44.559 It requires grit and fortitude and resilience to be a disciple of Jesus. 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:48.559 So then does that mean Christianity is not for the faint of heart? 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:50.639 Well, I think there's a hint in the text. 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:54.480 Look again at verse 1, it says, You then my child. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:56.960 Now it's family worship Sunday. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:58.080 Kids, I know you're in here. 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:01.679 You are known for lots of lovely things, but strength is not one of them. 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:10.399 So when he calls Timothy a child, not a man, not some strong, masculine. 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:11.519 It's not what he says. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:13.519 He says, You then my child. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:15.600 So what is this? 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:20.879 Well, there's a paradox, lots of paradoxes at the heart of Christianity, but there's one right here. 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:25.519 Paul is calling the weak to be strong. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:32.480 He's saying, in order to do what you're called to do, you must be strong, and yet he acknowledges that we are weak. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.840 What do we make of this? 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.600 Well, look again at the verse. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:39.120 Verse 1, it says, You then, my child, be strengthened. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:44.960 That's translated properly because this is a present passive imperative. 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:45.759 What does that mean? 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:51.360 It means that strength is not generated from within, but received from outside. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:53.120 That's what it means. 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:54.559 Be strengthened. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:14:02.159 It means that since he can command this, he's commanding him to open himself up to a strength from outside of himself. 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:10.080 So if you're in this room and you're like, hey, all that you just said about disciple making, all that stuff, I feel too weak to engage in that. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:11.759 Welcome to the club. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:13.279 So did Timothy. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.720 So was Paul. 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:18.639 Paul said three times to Jesus, Would you take away this thorn in my flesh? 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:19.840 And what did Jesus say to him? 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:23.519 My grace is sufficient for you in your weakness. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:25.759 In your weakness. 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:34.320 So weakness, far from barring you from being a disciple or a disciple maker, is the only thing really in this text that qualifies you. 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:41.440 But it's not just weakness, it is an active passivity, as Francis Schaefer called it. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:46.240 I prefer an active receptivity towards receiving a strength from outside you. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:50.320 We say that communion with God is receiving and responding. 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:57.840 It starts with receiving, it starts with acknowledging your limits, your weakness, and receiving a strength from outside of you. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:00.080 This isn't resignation. 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:03.679 It's not inactivity, it's not let go and let God. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:12.080 It's actually more like Mary, who yielded herself, her very body, to the work of God in her life. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.879 It's a good way to describe what discipleship is. 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:22.559 It's yielding our hearts, souls, minds, and strength to the work of God, to the strength of God passing into our lives. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:32.559 And so rather than strengthening yourself, this isn't about fitness, although statistically, 79% of resolutions for the new year are fitness related. 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:34.960 This is not a fitness goal here. 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:36.639 It's not about that so much. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:42.240 It's more about placing yourself in the place where strength can be found. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:43.120 Where is that? 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.240 Look again at verse 1. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:52.960 It says, You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:57.919 Jesus Himself is the place where the resources of strength can be found. 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:01.360 And this is actually exactly what we see in Deuteronomy 31. 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:03.919 When Moses is dying, he says, Joshua, be strong. 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:07.679 He says, Be strong, for the Lord your God is with you. 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:09.440 That's the rest of that. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:16.399 And in 1 Samuel 30, which you'll read on Wednesday in the Seeing Jesus Together Bible reading plan. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.240 And I'd encourage you to underline this. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:21.120 There's this moment when all goes bad for David. 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:27.039 So people come in, they capture their wives and their things, and they go out, and David's own people are about to kill him. 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:29.120 And David is distressed. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:37.600 And then it says in 1 Samuel 30, verse 6, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.159 I want to touch that. 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:42.960 I want to know that in lived experience. 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:54.399 I will not settle for anything less than empirically proving by my discipleship to Jesus that there is a strength accessible to normal people like me that is outside of me. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:55.919 And I want that for you too. 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:59.120 That's why we're being called into communion. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:05.039 I want to know what David knew when he said he strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:06.000 What does that mean? 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:07.920 What does that look like for us? 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:10.319 Well, I believe Paul knew it. 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:19.440 I believe Paul knew it because he says to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 6.10, he says, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:30.559 An energy, a power that's accessible, available to us, to those who would receive it from Jesus. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:33.440 And so, what does that actually mean? 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:34.559 What does that look like? 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:37.599 Why I cued you a little bit to this. 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:41.279 It has to do with the nearness of Jesus, the presence of Jesus, right? 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:46.400 In the Great Commission, Jesus tells us to go do the thing that every church ought to be doing, making disciples. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:50.960 And he ends the whole thing by saying, I will be with you always. 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:58.000 You see, the presence, the nearness, the closeness of Jesus is the source of our strength. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:01.200 And so, how do we do this? 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:03.359 How do we do this practically? 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.799 What does it actually look like to do this in real life? 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:12.480 As I said, normal, ordinary people who just happen to be united to the creator of the universe. 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:13.759 What does that look like? 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:24.960 I want to give you three things from our text, starting with the first one, which is I believe that being called into communion is a moment by moment practicing of the presence of God. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:26.720 Look with me at verse 8. 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:31.599 2 Timothy 2.8 says this: remember Jesus Christ. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:38.240 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:41.200 Remember Jesus Christ. 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:53.119 The idea of remembering or reminding or redirecting your attention over and over and over again to the living, resurrected Lord who is in our midst. 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:54.799 That's what Paul tells Timothy to do. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:19:01.200 He says, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, not in the tomb anymore, alive and well. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:09.680 Hudson Taylor had this beautiful prayer that I pray sometimes, Lord, be to me today a bright, living reality. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:19.440 Jesus is alive and well, and he's active in our midst, and he's with you in the mundane, ordinary minutiae of everyday life. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:26.799 And so this moment by moment practicing of the presence of God, I think is important because it it recognizes human nature. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:33.599 If you spend much time with humans, like yourself, you realize that we actually have pretty limited control. 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:38.240 Even our willpower is pretty finite. 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:42.799 It's why all the literature around this time of year is about habits. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:47.119 And how do you build habits and how do you sustain habits? 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:49.200 Because your willpower is pretty weak. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:55.200 But here's one thing you do have willpower over to direct your attention. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:59.039 You get to you get to choose what to focus your mind on. 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:06.640 Now, I I I know enough psychology to know your mind gets grabbed and ensnared and entangled and pulled in a thousand different directions. 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:10.720 And yet you can unhook your mind and draw it back to a focal point of attention. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:13.759 It's one of the things we do have active control over. 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:19.359 And so, because of that, I believe that we can choose what we want to think about. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:22.160 Now, this is a habitual thing over time. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:24.960 And this is what Dallas Willard says about it. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:31.839 He says the first and most basic thing we can and must do is to keep God before our minds. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:36.240 This is the fundamental secret of caring for our souls. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:43.440 Our part in practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to God. 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:50.400 In the early time of our practicing, we may well be challenged by our burdensome habits of dwelling on things that are less than God. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:51.759 Anybody say amen? 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:54.799 Your mind draws towards things that are less than God. 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:56.720 There's a burdensomeness to that. 00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:02.160 But he says it like this: but these are habits, not the law of gravity, and they can be broken. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:11.440 He goes on to say, a new grace-filled habit will replace the former ones as we take intentional steps toward keeping God before us. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:17.279 Soon our minds will return to God as the needle of a compass constantly returns to the north. 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:23.279 If God is the great longing of our souls, he will become the pole star of our inward beings. 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:31.119 This was David's spiritual secret in Psalm 1680, he says, I have set the Lord always before me. 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:34.079 Because he's at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:35.759 You want to be resilient? 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:37.599 You want to be unshakable? 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:41.200 Set the Lord always before you, David says. 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:42.799 How do we do that? 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:44.799 Here's a few ideas. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.359 Pay attention to the transitions in your day. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:54.480 You're coming out of a meeting, you're going into class, you're in car line, you're getting a phone call. 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:59.680 And take those moments as opportunities, invitations, if you will, to redirect your attention towards God. 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:04.160 I have uh one of those old school Casio watches, it beeps every hour. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:05.200 I used to hate that. 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.440 I turned it back on recently because I wanted to do this. 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:10.799 That beep is now a church bell reminding me to pray. 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:13.440 It's saying, draw your attention. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:16.799 Attend to the fact that you are not alone in this universe. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:19.440 In fact, you are in Christ Jesus. 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:21.519 That's one of the ways that we get to do this. 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:31.119 Another one is the moments when you feel weak can be cues that you are weak and you need strength from outside yourself. 00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:36.880 I can't tell you how many meetings I have on a regular basis that I never feel capable for. 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:38.799 I always feel out of my depth. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:40.240 That doesn't go away. 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.200 You will be discipling people and they will say this phrase. 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:44.160 It's a beautiful phrase. 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:49.839 I almost want to take off my shoes and honor them because I say this is holy ground when people say this to me. 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:52.799 I've never told anyone that before. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:59.680 Powerful moment of being known and loved in community, and yet most of us feel way out of our depth to handle that moment. 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:00.559 You are. 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:06.000 And in fact, as soon as you feel like you're like, oh, I can crush these moments, you're in bad shape. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:10.960 Use that moment of weakness to respond by going, Lord, would you have mercy? 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:11.599 Help me. 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:13.759 Give me wisdom, give me strength, give me words. 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:14.559 I don't have them. 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:16.400 I'm just a little child. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:21.440 But you have them, and you open yourself, you direct your attention towards God. 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.559 You practice moment by moment the presence of God. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:26.319 Let me tell you two stories. 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:38.240 There was a hospital chaplain who was kind of thrown into the deep end in his first year of chaplaincy, and he said, I saw more death in the first two weeks of my chaplaincy than I'd ever imagined or ever seen in my life. 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:44.079 He said, I was weary, I was overwhelmed, I was receiving what's called vicarious trauma. 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:45.200 It was too much. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:47.920 And he said, He learned, actually. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:57.759 When he walked into a room, not knowing what to expect, he was he was able to offer his very thoughts and feelings to God and thereby to die to them. 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:04.720 He said, Lord, I'm tired of death, but these people need a chaplain who can be present and attentive and serve them well. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:12.640 I want to run away and finish quickly, so I die to that desire, and I trust that you will strengthen me to serve them. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:17.839 Help me to be attentive to your spirit and your people in this next encounter. 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:30.240 I don't know what you're gonna go through or what you're gonna walk into this upcoming week, but I promise you there will be things that are outside of your ability to master and to control, and that's a good place to be as a human being. 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:34.480 It's an invitation to practice the presence of God in that moment. 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:43.119 Another story, because I think that asking and answering these questions of communion that are on your worship guide that we say every Sunday, which is, Lord, what are you saying and doing? 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:45.119 And given who I am, how can I respond? 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:51.599 Uh there's a story of a man, many of you will know him uh right away, which is George Washington Carver. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:56.319 He's famous for being the inventor of peanut butter. 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:58.160 But I hope you know the backstory. 00:24:58.160 --> 00:24:59.839 He's actually an amazing human being. 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:06.400 Um, you see, George Washington Carver was born in slavery in Missouri in 1864. 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:13.519 And he was so brilliant that he excelled beyond his peers in his day, but he constantly faced ridicule. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:14.559 This is why. 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:22.880 Not only because he was a black man, but also because he believed that science and faith were integrally connected, never to be separated. 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:29.039 He called his lab God's Little Workshop, where he did his experiments. 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:40.880 And he says when he would go out and study and explore nature, he described nature as full of broadcast stations whereby God is constantly communicating to him. 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:46.400 He was asking questions like, Lord, what are you saying and doing in this peanut right here? 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:57.599 Now he tells the story of going out one morning and praying, and he said it like this All my life I've risen regularly at four in the morning to go into the woods and talk with God. 00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:00.240 That's where he reveals his secrets to me. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:04.160 When everybody else is asleep, I hear God best and learn my plan. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:06.000 Now, what's he doing in this moment? 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:12.640 He's going out to be alone with God and God alone, and God reveals his secrets to him about the peanut. 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:15.759 He tells his story, he says, God told me. 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:24.079 Uh he told me that that my task is to explore the peanut because anything bigger than that would just be too big for me to handle. 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:33.119 And he came up with 300 different uses for the peanut, which might not seem like that big of a deal now. 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:34.799 We love peanut butter, blah, blah, blah. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:40.240 This changed the lives of countless people who were stuck in poverty because the peanut was accessible. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:44.079 Now they could use it for shampoo and food and different things like that. 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:51.359 All because God worked through this man who was willing to show up moment by moment and ask the question, Lord, what are you saying and doing? 00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:54.960 You see, so communion with God is about creativity for the world. 00:26:54.960 --> 00:27:00.079 It's not just about you in your cloister, having good feelings with your cup of coffee and a candle lit. 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:02.799 It's about bettering the world, it's about making a difference. 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:18.160 This is what was said about George Washington Carver inscribed on the Roosevelt Medal that he was awarded in 1939 to a scientist humbly seeking the guidance of God and a liberator to men of the white race as well as the black. 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:26.079 This man was an advocate for justice in his time, and it all started in one place: communion with God. 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:29.599 And it flowed from that place to change the world. 00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:36.319 George Washington Carvers, this beautiful picture of what it means to moment by moment practice the presence of God. 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:37.680 That's the first one. 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:41.920 The second one is that we want to day by day feed on the word of God. 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:43.599 Day by day feed on the word of God. 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:45.119 Look at verse 9 with me. 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:47.680 Second Timothy 2 9 says this. 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:50.559 He's talking about preaching the gospel. 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:53.759 He says, for which I am suffering. 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:57.920 For which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:00.799 But the word of God is not bound. 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:03.839 Paul's in chains, the word of God is not. 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:05.279 That's what he's saying here. 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:09.359 Charles Spurgeon said it like this The Word of God is like a lion. 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:13.599 You don't have to defend a lion, you just let it out of its cage, takes care of the rest. 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:17.440 The word of God is not bound, it has a potency, a power. 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:24.640 But one of the primary sources of power for us, strength for us, is when we feed on the word of God. 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:30.960 In Psalm 104, it says that God gave man bread to strengthen him. 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:39.519 And in Matthew 4, Jesus says to the devil, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:43.920 There's a way to engage with Scripture, and I'm calling it feeding on the Word of God. 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:46.880 That's actually nourishing and strengthening. 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:55.759 Now, the study that Chris Moore referenced a little bit ago, this 2009 study from the Center for Bible Engagement, had about over 40,000 participants in this. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:57.599 So this is not like some JV study. 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:58.640 This is a big deal. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:12.799 40,000 participants, and they found that if you engaged in the Bible, you had uh, additional to the ones that Chris mentioned, 50% lower odds of being uh drunkenness and alcoholism. 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:24.880 He said, they said 68% less likely to engage in sexual sin and teens, by the way, uh lowers your chances of risky behavior more than worshiping and praying, reading the Bible. 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:30.640 Now, those are the kind of things that staves off, but here's the keystone habit things, the things that it improves. 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:34.960 If you read the scriptures, it says sharing your faith goes up 200%. 00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:37.440 So here's the thing. 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:39.599 If you want to share your faith more, read your Bible more. 00:29:39.599 --> 00:29:40.640 That's what this is saying. 00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:44.319 Not only that, discipling others goes up 230%. 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:49.039 Can you see why we're making a big deal about this scripture practice in the common rhythm? 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:54.079 We say scripture practice is hearing God's voice in scripture before any others. 00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:55.359 That's intentional. 00:29:55.359 --> 00:29:57.039 There's a tech discipline there. 00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:03.119 Saying no to text messages and social media and news apps and email, saying no to those things. 00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:05.839 They don't get first voice into your life. 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:08.720 The word of God gets the first voice into your life. 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:10.319 Now here's the kicker. 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:19.839 All of those amazing stats about reading the Bible are only true of people who read the Bible four or more days a week. 00:30:19.839 --> 00:30:20.960 Listen to this. 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:25.680 If you read the scriptures, reading, listening, doesn't matter, either one's fine. 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:31.039 If you read the scriptures three days or less, it does basically nothing to you. 00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:33.279 Isn't that insane? 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:43.599 Four is the threshold, four's the inflection point, four is the moment when it goes from basically null to exponential growth. 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:45.440 This is what the data shows. 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:47.200 Now, why do I think that is? 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:50.240 Well, why do you eat four or more days a week? 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:58.079 Because it's nourishing and strengthening, and it does something to you. 00:30:58.079 --> 00:30:59.519 That's the word of God. 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:03.839 You see, not only that, but I think four or more is a saturation point. 00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:09.359 Now you go from being somebody who sometimes reads the Bible to being a Bible reader. 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:13.680 You are engaged in the ta in the text of scripture more often than not. 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:14.880 That's the key. 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:16.640 More often than not. 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:24.640 And so day by day, as we're reading the word, as we're engaging with it, um, this is the this is the promise: consistency over intensity. 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:30.400 It doesn't say if they memorized it, meditated, studied it, they simply read four days a week. 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:32.960 If this is you, start with five minutes in the morning. 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:39.279 Start with ten minutes, whatever it takes to get going, to get four or more, and begin now. 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:41.920 Now, if you're wondering how, what does it actually look like? 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:46.720 I've got a common rhythm workshop for you to come to next Sunday, led by our elders. 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:47.759 It's gonna be amazing. 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:50.000 You can find out more on our app. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.559 Okay, so moment by moment we practice the presence of God day by day. 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:55.920 We feed on the word of God. 00:31:55.920 --> 00:31:57.680