1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,840 Well, good morning, same city. It's good to see you guys today. 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,080 I before we get into the message, I just want to say 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:09,640 quickly. I'm so excited for this 4 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,440 Christmas season here. This is our inaugural Christmas 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,520 as a church plants. We've been living around for, 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,720 you know, a few months now, and to have our first Christmas 7 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,160 together feels like, you know, a chance to set a tradition. 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,440 I don't know if you've had that opportunity to like know what's 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,480 going to be our tradition, but at same city, I just can't wait 10 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,520 to share with you all that God's been doing and what he did at 11 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:32,600 Christmas by sending his son for us to be born. 12 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,680 But to have tradition start as a church family, it's such a 13 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:37,600 great, great and incredible opportunity. 14 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,120 Our service is going to be at 4:30 on Christmas Eve. 15 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,400 We'll have services on the Sundays before and after as 16 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:43,560 well. But hey, we just want to 17 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,960 celebrate the birth of Jesus with you and your friends and 18 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,080 your loved ones. So be sure to invite people. 19 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,280 We'll have invite cards after the service available for you 20 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,200 next week. I just want to highlight for 21 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,800 that for you, as well as two other quick things after 22 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,760 service, say at 1:30 PMA group of us are going to be heading 23 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:01,120 out. I hope you saw my e-mail where 24 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,800 you're heading out into the neighborhood here to just pray 25 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:08,160 and to scatter and to go about this neighborhood and to invite 26 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,680 God to do something special here in this neighborhood in 27 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,960 Gilliland. That there are almost 1500 28 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:19,000 people here, 600 homes that are right here for us to be a light 29 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,840 for Jesus too. And so we just want to steward 30 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,440 that well. So if you want to come be a part 31 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:24,680 of, go grab some lunch after the service, then come on back. 32 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:26,840 We'll be meeting that parking lot up at the front. 33 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,720 And so please come join us for Christmas outreach after church 34 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,560 today and be cheering on the Bears while you do so. 35 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,600 Please, Chicago Bears says, go ahead and turn your Bibles to 36 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,480 Colossians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 4. 37 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:40,560 I'll meet you there in just a moment. 38 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,720 This is our last week of the series rooted in Rising. 39 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,520 We have been in this since early September. 40 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,360 We've been marching line by line, paragraph by paragraph, 41 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,120 verse by verse through this letter written to a group of 42 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:57,440 people in a town called Colossi. So this is our final section of 43 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,680 the letter. And so I'll be unpacking for you 44 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,160 in just a moment. But before we do, I just want to 45 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,800 bring you back to a time in my life that was in the 6th grade, 46 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:13,480 OK, We little boy. I was and I was in Frisco, TX. 47 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,160 I had moved from Illinois to Frisco, TX, where I knew nobody. 48 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,840 I know a single person in Frisco except for my brothers and my 49 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,400 parents. And I had to do the dreaded 50 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,400 thing that every middle school has to do. 51 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:31,440 I had to go to the first day of 6th grade, Not only have to do 52 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,520 the first day of 6th grade, I had to do it in a new state, not 53 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,840 only a new state, right? I got all these new people and 54 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,520 I'm like, oh man, 6th grade, I'm a little today. 55 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,720 I'm a pretty confident person by nature, but this, this pushed on 56 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,360 that for me. And I remember the experience. 57 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,800 I go to the lunch hall. It's it's early in the day. 58 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,080 We had lunch, like had a horrible hour for lunch. 59 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,400 These middle school schedules 6/10/30 in the morning. 60 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,680 OK. And I remember getting to the 61 00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:00,760 lunch room and having that like panic moment in my brain, like, 62 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,000 why am I going to sit? Who do I want to sit with? 63 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,280 Oh, that, that table does not look like it's for me. 64 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,040 That table looks like I want to be at that table. 65 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:13,400 They don't look like they like me. 66 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,480 Oh, this seems like a good spot. There's enough people nearby 67 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,800 that don't look like the the loner. 68 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:21,280 But I kind of want to meet some people. 69 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,440 So I just remember sitting down by myself and having this 70 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:31,480 profound sense of loneliness. And I remember going man there's 71 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:36,480 so many people around me right now but I feel all alone. 72 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,120 I feel like there's nobody looking out for me here. 73 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,360 And I remember just like what is this feelings? 74 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,280 I got 3 little brothers. I'm not used to be feeling 75 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,400 lonely but they're at a cafeteria in Frisco, TX. 76 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,440 Was one of my first memories and experiences of being lonely. 77 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,760 When was the last time you felt the sting of loneliness? 78 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,240 It's a very human experience. It's deeply human. 79 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,520 All of us experience at some extent or more, you see. 80 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:14,680 But the thing about the experience is it has deeply 81 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,920 damaging side effects. Let me read a few of them for 82 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,000 you. That over One in three adults 83 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:24,480 say they feel slowly, frequently, or almost all the 84 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,240 time. One in three adults. 85 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,840 One in four adults report to having zero close friends. 86 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,160 That nearly 50% of Gen. C reports feeling lonely most of 87 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,960 the time. And those are all emotional 88 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,040 problems. But the thing about loneliness, 89 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,360 it doesn't just affect us emotionally, but physically. 90 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,440 That the current data actually says it's the equivalence, that 91 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,560 the experience of loneliness is the equivalence of smoking 15 92 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:59,760 cigarettes a day. It's a real problem. 93 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,720 But how does God's Word reveal to us a better way? 94 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,480 How does God help us move past loneliness and into 95 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,760 relationship, into community? See, I think He gives us right 96 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,080 here in Colossians chapter 4, an example to follow in the apostle 97 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,920 Paul, a person who could have experienced loneliness in the 98 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:30,040 midst of great ministry, but instead found family in the 99 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,280 midst of ministry and advancement. 100 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:36,400 He experienced the joy of being in true community. 101 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,320 Would you listen to God's words? It says this. 102 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,600 There's a bunch of names here, and you're saying confident. 103 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,120 When you read the Bible, by the way, you don't know how they're 104 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:43,400 pronounced. No, neither is anybody else. 105 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:44,560 He's reading confidently. They believe you. 106 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,600 OK, Certificates, verse 7. He'll tell you all about all my 107 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,080 activities. He is a beloved brother and a 108 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,760 faithful minister and fellow servants in the Lord. 109 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:59,040 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know 110 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,240 how we are and that he may encourage your hearts. 111 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,880 And with him, Onissimus, our faithful and beloved brother, 112 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,120 who is one of you, they will tell you of everything that's 113 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,160 taken place here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, 114 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:13,840 he greets you. And Mark, the cousin of 115 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:16,840 Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions. 116 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,120 If he comes to you, welcome him and Jesus, who is called 117 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,440 justice. These are the only men of the 118 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,360 circumcision among my fellow workers for the Kingdom of God, 119 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,680 and they have been a comfort to me. 120 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:32,680 And Patrice is one of you, a servant of crises. 121 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,280 He greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, 122 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:38,280 that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of 123 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:40,240 God. For I bear in witness that he 124 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,200 has worked hard for you. And for those in the neighboring 125 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,960 towns, Laodicea and in Hierapolis, give my greetings to 126 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,280 the brothers of Laodicea, Antonympha and the church that 127 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:52,800 meets in her house. And when this letter has been 128 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,080 read among you haven't also read in the Church of the Laodiceans 129 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,760 and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 130 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,240 I said archivist, see that you fulfill the ministry that you've 131 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,560 received in the Lord. I, Paul, write the screen with 132 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,760 my own hand. Remember my chains grace be with 133 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,520 you. Those are God's words for us 134 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,320 today. I want to help you grab them for 135 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,240 your life. I want to help you apply them to 136 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,920 your life because not just knowing God's truths is 137 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,240 important, but also applying them to your life is where the 138 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,880 real life change, the real transformation for your 139 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,640 loneliness is going to happen. And here's a big idea. 140 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,960 This is what Paul's example teaches us is that my life needs 141 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,560 a community as much as it needs a cause. 142 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,760 My life needs a community. It needs people around me. 143 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,800 It needs committed relationships. 144 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,960 It needs this around me just as much as I need a cause, a 145 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,760 mission, a purpose for my life. I need people in my life. 146 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,440 Let me give you a definition of loneliness that comes from 147 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,240 author Susan Mattis. She says this loneliness is the 148 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,640 distress someone feels when their social relationships don't 149 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:05,800 meet their need for connection. Loneliness is the experience. 150 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:09,920 It's the distress someone feels when what they're looking for 151 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,200 socially amongst relationships, they're not getting those needs 152 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:18,560 met through people and that God's antidote for that is 153 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:24,120 people community committed life changing relationships that will 154 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:26,360 result in transformation for your life. 155 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:28,320 That's what God's antidote for us. 156 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,000 So how is that we participate in Gospel community? 157 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,559 How is it that we see that life change through these 158 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:35,360 relationships? I want to give you three ways to 159 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,960 fight loneliness, three ways to participate in Gospel community. 160 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,320 The 1st is this that I participate in community when I 161 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:49,880 first rely on God's charity through I participate in gospel 162 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:51,560 community. I participated in the community 163 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:53,760 when I rely on God to carry me through. 164 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,400 Go to the end of the letter. We're going to reverse over here 165 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,400 a little bit. We're going to start with this 166 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,360 portion that it says in verse 18. 167 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,840 I, Paul write this greeting with my own hand. 168 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,600 Remember my chains and grace be with you. 169 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,520 That phrase grace be with you is it should be ringing in your 170 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,560 eardrums about how most letters from Paul starts and this one's 171 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:18,320 no exception. Chapter one verse one says this. 172 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:22,000 Let me read it back to you. It says that sorry, it's an 173 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,120 extra page in my Bible here. Apollo an apostle Christ used by 174 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,760 the will of God and Timothy, our brother to the Saints and 175 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,720 faithful brothers in Christ, the philosophy grace to you and 176 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,960 peace from our God and father. So the letter starts with grace 177 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:39,080 to you and now Paul's ending the letter with grace be with you. 178 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:43,080 Why does he say it that way? Wait, why does why does Paul say 179 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,840 grace to you now grace be with you? 180 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:52,440 Because God's words are quite literally God's voice. 181 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:58,400 That the grace that you need is God's voice in your life. 182 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:01,880 The thing you need to be carried through, the thing you need to 183 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:05,440 be carried through loneliness and through trial and through 184 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:07,880 this life is unique people around you. 185 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:11,440 And one of the people's voices you need in your life is God's 186 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:15,120 voice being the grace in your life, the gift over your life. 187 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:21,280 It's his voice is what you need because loneliness actually 188 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,400 pulls you and points you back to God. 189 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,320 Listen, what AW Tozer says. He said it is this very 190 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:31,920 loneliness that throws man back upon God. 191 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,360 His inability to find human companionship drives him to 192 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:42,520 seeking God what he can find nowhere else that Paul starts 193 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,240 the letter and ends the letter with the grace of God's voice in 194 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,280 your life. Because guess what, community 195 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,600 will fall short in your life at some point in time, people will 196 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,080 hurt you. People will let you down. 197 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,120 People will abandoned, quite literally in this moment. 198 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,080 We'll look what he says next. Remember my chains. 199 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,800 Paul is in prison. He can't be with these people, 200 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:07,280 but he wants to be with these people. 201 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:12,960 He's limited. And so we need to recognize that 202 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:17,120 loneliness is a grace that pulls us back in a relationship with 203 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:21,680 God and with people. It's a gift intended to pull 204 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,480 worship and connection and fellowship with God and with 205 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,280 people. It's what God's heart is for us. 206 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,680 It's a lowliness we turned into a grace, the grace of hearing 207 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,080 God's voice instead of others. And when Paul writes, remember 208 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:39,720 my change, you see that there in your Bible, remember my change. 209 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,400 He is literally suffering. He is writing this letter from a 210 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,960 prison cell, and his circumstance could have forced 211 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,360 him to say God left him, that God is mistreating him by this, 212 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,200 that he disobeyed God. But he's taking this moment to 213 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,480 encourage the Colossian people that God is carrying him 214 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,080 through. In the middle of his suffering. 215 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,600 God's voice is shaping and directing and guiding his life 216 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:10,440 all the more that he is relying on God to carry him through. 217 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:16,440 And we need to learn to rely upon God because you can be 218 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:25,200 lonely and be all around people. Loneliness isn't just where 219 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:26,560 you're sitting alone at the lunch table. 220 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:33,160 Loneliness more often is a people are all around you and 221 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:37,840 you feel all alone. So the loneliest people I know 222 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,720 are married. Some of the loneliest people I 223 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,120 know are in a small group. So the loneliest people I know 224 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:51,120 have people all around them. I think Justin Bieber has said 225 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:55,880 this really well, Ash, he writes a song just kind of unpacking 226 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:58,160 what it was like to be famous at a young age. 227 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,720 He he writes like this, like what if you had everything? 228 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:07,520 What if you had it all? Money, fame, power, beauty, you 229 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:11,240 had it all, but you didn't feel like you had a single person you 230 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:15,000 could call. Then you would know. 231 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,680 It's likely to me because he's he writes. 232 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,600 I've had everything, but there's nobody listening to me. 233 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,480 And that's just really lonely. Could you imagine having 234 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,000 millions of Instagram followers, A posse following you all around 235 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,480 and the misery of a lonely existence like that? 236 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,800 You see, it is possible to feel lonely in the midst of people. 237 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:42,320 And I think there's some of us here today that would actually 238 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,320 say that you don't experience loneliness. 239 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:46,920 You're you're one of the people's like, hey, I'm not 240 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:50,840 lonely or hey, worse, you're like, hey, I don't even need 241 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,520 God. I got me, I got my people. 242 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,840 I don't need God for this. I'm I'm fine actually, I don't 243 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,080 want God for this. I don't need God for community. 244 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,040 I don't need him to help me to get through. 245 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:04,520 Well, in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam and Eve, he 246 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:07,280 said when it was just Adam before he created me. 247 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:09,520 It is not good for man to be alone. 248 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:13,160 You know what that means? It means that loneliness was 249 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:18,280 even a problem in paradise. That it's not just the result of 250 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,960 sin, but actually that God actually designed us to be in a 251 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,080 relationship with people. That that God and he's carrying 252 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,680 you through is actually pointing you to other people in addition 253 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,720 to Him. That you need God and you need 254 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,240 people. That's how you were made to 255 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,880 function as a human being. That's how you intended to bear 256 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,120 His image. And the number one obstacle to 257 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:46,360 not relying upon God is this. It's unbelief. 258 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,000 You know what stops you from relying upon God in the midst of 259 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:54,640 community struggles? It's unbelief because we trade 260 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,440 belief for cynicism. That He won't bring us the 261 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:02,440 people that we need in our life. We'll trade belief for doubt 262 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,920 that his plans and the people he has in our life are good ones. 263 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:12,560 Or we'll trade belief in God for belief in lies, that if nobody 264 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,640 loves us, then certainly God would reject us too. 265 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:25,360 At the bottom of our reliance on our own selves instead of 266 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:30,240 relying upon God is unbelief. We don't turn to God in our 267 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,160 loneliness because at the bottom of the bottle of our pain is 268 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:41,200 unbelief. And that just whispers to us 269 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:42,880 that we don't believe the good news. 270 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:49,080 You know, we're missing the gospel that we were made to 271 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,160 experience community, but we struggled to have it and to 272 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:54,480 experience it and to do it. Why So? 273 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,960 All kinds of reasons. We struggle to have it because 274 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:00,480 we trade the convenience of digital like connection and the 275 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,720 shallowness of that for the sacrifice of creating real 276 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,640 relationship. We selfishly protect ourselves 277 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:09,480 from others because we don't want to get hurt again. 278 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:14,080 We fear others will reject or misunderstand us. 279 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,240 So we pull away from community. We pull away from a lying upon 280 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:22,320 God because deep down that unbelief is still gripping our 281 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:27,800 hearts. But Jesus freed us from the fear 282 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:33,480 and shame of being fully known and fully loved. 283 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,560 So the insecurity you experience socially is because you are 284 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,680 afraid of being fully known and fully loved. 285 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,560 And Jesus knows what it's like to be lonely. 286 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:52,320 Think about it. He was abandoned by his friends, 287 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,880 left to die alone. Only John and his mom were 288 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:01,800 there. He was hated by the world so 289 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,160 much that they killed him. He was misunderstood by the 290 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,800 masses, saying things like, hey, isn't he just like a Carpenter 291 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:10,920 son? Like isn't his dad the one who 292 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:15,920 made my door? Jesus experienced loneliness. 293 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,640 He experienced it so he can sympathize with you. 294 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:24,680 He knows what it's like to be lonely. 295 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,760 We have a Savior who knows what it's like to be lonely. 296 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:34,040 And you know He did. He went and died. 297 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,000 So you and I could have the relationship that we need with 298 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,880 Him and the relationship that we need with others. 299 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,640 That He could invite us into community, that He could invite 300 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,800 us into friendship with God. Because He's the friend who will 301 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,400 never leave you, who will never abandoned you, who will never 302 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,760 forsake you when others do, when others will. 303 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:58,680 You have a friend in Jesus, the friend of sinners who will not 304 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,720 leave you alone, but who will be in your life and a part of your 305 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,840 life wherever you go. He's a friend who sticks closer 306 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:12,000 than a brother who in others would cancel you or leave you. 307 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:19,960 He won't, and now we don't have to experience Halloween. 308 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,120 It's not because of our earning or deserving of it, but because 309 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:28,920 of Jesus, because of the cross. We have good news. 310 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:34,080 The good news that Jesus is the one we can rely upon. 311 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,400 Even our community fails us. That's why we started in verse 312 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:41,360 18, because we need God's grace to give us a paradigm, give us a 313 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:43,920 perspective about the other things we need to do. 314 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,280 That's the vertical layer of community, but now we need to 315 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,720 get into the horizontal because we need community in our lives. 316 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:53,800 So the second thing that we need to do to participate, we don't 317 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,800 just need to rely upon God, we need to raise up people around 318 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,160 us. How do you participate in 319 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:01,080 community? Do you rely upon God to carry 320 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,600 you through when community fails you? 321 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,080 Yes. But that is not an excuse to not 322 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:08,400 get after it and seek community in your life. 323 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,000 So how do you seek it? How do you fight loneliness? 324 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,680 You raise up people around you. Look back at the letter verses 7 325 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:19,200 through 17 and you will see 10 names there. 10 names. 326 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,120 Now across Paul's letters and all the New Testament he has 327 00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:27,040 over 90 people he lists as his ministry like network people he 328 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,960 does work with for the ministry. And here we find 10 of those 329 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,120 names. I broke them up into categories 330 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:34,720 where you just understand who these people are. 331 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,320 First you have the messengers. You have Typicus and Anissimus. 332 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:40,120 These were the people who literally left wherever Paul was 333 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:42,520 in prison and brought it to the people of Colossae. 334 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,720 Then you have the Jews. Do you see that in your Bible, 335 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:50,240 how it says there in verse 11 that these are the only men of 336 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,800 the circumcision? That's code for Bible speak for, 337 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:54,960 hey, these men are Jewish and you have three of them. 338 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,400 You have Aristarchus, Justice and Mark. 339 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,000 We'll get back to Mark in just a moment. 340 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,800 Then you have the Gentiles. You have Luke and Demas and 341 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:04,720 Epaphras. This is where we learn Luke is a 342 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,320 doctor. We hear about Epaphras again, 343 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,320 the pastor of the Church of Philosophy, and we have Demas. 344 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:11,760 More on him in just a moment as well. 345 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,280 And then you have two local leaders. 346 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:18,000 You have Nimfa, a rich lady who the church met at her house, and 347 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,400 you have archivist who is likely a pastor to one of those 348 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,760 neighboring towns. These are the people that Paul 349 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:25,040 is highlighting for them and saying hey. 350 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:29,280 These people, I know them, I love them, I've invested in 351 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,600 them. I'm an apostle Christ Jesus. 352 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:36,480 I have personally been at work in ministry with these people 353 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,160 and they're all greeting you. They all care about you. 354 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:40,400 They all want to see you flourish. 355 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,280 Church. And these are all people that 356 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,840 Paul by example for us has shown us what it's like to still have 357 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:50,480 people you're investing in even from prison cell. 358 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,280 Paul's investing in people. That's crazy, by the way, how 359 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:55,720 many excuses we like to get in the way of investing in other 360 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:57,080 people. And Paul's like prison. 361 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:58,840 I'll just keep going, you know, I'll just keep investing in 362 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:00,760 others, keep having a person that I'm disciple. 363 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:05,160 Keep going about it. He had 10 names here who he 364 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,560 built up, 10 names of people he had relationships with that 365 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,040 resulted in life change. And those there's three names I 366 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,280 want to highlight for you that you might not know some of the 367 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,320 surrounding story around them. First you have John Mark. 368 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:24,120 Now Mark is just his Roman name. That's why Justice has two names 369 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:26,000 as well. It's just they're Roman names. 370 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,800 They have Roman name. Names make it easier in a 371 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:31,160 foreign language context. But Mark, you might have know 372 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,000 this about him. He's Barnabas's cousin, but also 373 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,840 him and Paul got in such a beef one time about ministry. 374 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,360 They literally went separate ways. 375 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:41,880 We don't know what the argument was about. 376 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:43,360 We don't know why they're upset with each other. 377 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,320 We just know Mark's like Paul. Yeah, I'm done doing a ministry 378 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:48,440 with you. Yeah, We're not going to do this 379 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:49,520 anymore. Mark's going to go with his 380 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,200 cousin Barnabas. And Paul. 381 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,440 Paul was actually the one who was more like, yeah, Mark, I 382 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,120 really don't want to do a ministry with you anymore. 383 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,160 We're good with that. We don't know what the nature of 384 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,480 the beef was. We just know that there was real 385 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,640 conflict and let them go separate ways. 386 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,000 And here we find after the fact that they're reconciled. 387 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,360 This is after that happened in the book of Acts. 388 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:14,600 I wonder if you have some in your life you've already written 389 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:19,040 off that you guys have gone your separate ways in ministry or in 390 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,160 relationship, but God's not actually done writing this 391 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,080 story. That Mark is actually an example 392 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,120 of what it's like to keep chasing community and 393 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:30,560 relationship in the midst of having that common cause. 394 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,280 So you have John Mark, but you also have Luke. 395 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:39,120 He's the only Gentile author of the entire Bible, the only one. 396 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,000 He wrote the book of Luke, wrote the book of Acts, possibly, we 397 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,440 don't know for sure, Wrote the book of heroes. 398 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:47,240 My personal opinion is that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, but 399 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:49,640 Luke was going to transcribe it. That's my personal opinion. 400 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,680 But Luke is the only Gentile author in the Bible. 401 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,480 And when he heard Paul was going away from Mark and Barnett, he's 402 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,040 like, I'll go with Paul because Paul's definitely going to need 403 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:00,280 a doctor, OK? Like, this guy gets into trouble 404 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,240 everywhere he goes. He gets stoned, beaten to death. 405 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,160 I need to go with I need to go with Paul. 406 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:07,560 That's not actually the text. That's just me thinking Luke's 407 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,560 or an actual person who thought about Paul, like or a person, 408 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,280 right. OK, so you have Luke, the 409 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,760 Gentile author who stayed by Paul's side all the way. 410 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,760 A broken relationship, a consistent relationship. 411 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,960 And then you have the heartbreaking relationship, 412 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,160 Demas. Demas at this point in the New 413 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,280 Testament in the life of the church, he's in on making the 414 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,480 silence. But Second Timothy 4 tells us 415 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:37,400 this, that later on, Demas, in love with this present world, 416 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:43,680 leaves Paul, completely jumps out of whatever they're doing 417 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,280 together. You can expect all three types 418 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:48,880 of relationships in your community. 419 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,520 People who break your heart with going at the face of the world, 420 00:23:55,000 --> 00:24:00,080 people who are confidants and absolute allies like Luke, and 421 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:06,000 people like Mark who are going to maybe see things differently 422 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,400 than you but are still about like you are. 423 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:14,000 Relational suffering is what loneliness is. 424 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,360 That's the biblical category for loneliness. 425 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:22,080 It's relational suffering. And we can let these types of 426 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,920 people drive us toward community, or it can pull us 427 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:29,280 away from community. And just because loneliness is 428 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,720 growing, because relational suffering is immense, it need 429 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,800 not steal our joy, but it is growing. 430 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,680 And there's an epidemic of loneliness. 431 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,520 One off the rights. Here's 4 categories for why 432 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,560 loneliness is growing in our world today. 433 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,480 First, that there's a lack of stability. 434 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,640 People are moving more in our country than they ever have 435 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:47,960 before. They're moving jobs. 436 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:49,920 They're moving zip codes. They are moving. 437 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,000 And that mobility has created loneliness everywhere. 438 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,040 Not only lack of stability, but a lack of embodied presence. 439 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,520 The rise of social media, this digital substitution. 440 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:04,520 It's a quantity of contact but not a quality of connection. 441 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,440 So people are getting increasingly lonely because 442 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,640 they're dealing with the gap of they're not omnipresent. 443 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,600 They can't be everywhere with people all the time. 444 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,920 And they feel like, Oh my gosh, I'm being left out. 445 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:20,880 It's also because our lack of structures. 446 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:22,360 Neighborhoods aren't what they used to be. 447 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:23,600 Schools aren't what they used to be. 448 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:25,920 Family connections. They're not like you're not as 449 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,000 connected to those structures as people used to be. 450 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,680 But also you have those three things. 451 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:35,880 Then you have this, the presence of pain. 452 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,800 One of the deceptive things about loneliness is the when 453 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,440 you're feeling lonely, the lonelier you feel, the harder it 454 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,280 is to begin to initiate relationships, making the issue 455 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,200 worse. It compounds your loneliness. 456 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:55,400 Those are all driving us towards more and more and more 457 00:25:55,560 --> 00:26:01,280 loneliness. And what happens is we settle 458 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:07,120 for shallow, shallow community rather than deep community. 459 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,360 Think of it like this, that we're like snorkeling along the 460 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:15,840 surface of community. We're an inch deep, a mile wide, 461 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:20,840 experiencing some of the joy, some of the benefits of it, but 462 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:24,480 not experiencing the joy of the depth of a scuba diving with 463 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,960 brain where if you go deep, you can behold different wonders, 464 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:34,760 different treasures, different glories of the ocean that we're 465 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:39,160 settling for, shallow and deepest available to every 466 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:44,880 single one of us. So how are we going to do? 467 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:46,320 How are we going to raise people up? 468 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,640 How are we going to actually invest in people like Paul did? 469 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,920 I mean, he was in a prison cell. How are we going to do it? 470 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,200 How are we going to put others before our own selves? 471 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,480 Well, here's three ships that I want to talk to you about, OK. 472 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,680 It's friendship, discipleship and mentorship. 3 ships that I 473 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,200 think will help you go deeper in your life and the people you are 474 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:06,560 investing in. The first is friendship. 475 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,400 CS Lewis says it this way. The friendship begins when one 476 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:11,200 person says to another, Wait, what? 477 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,120 You 2? I thought I was going. 478 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:15,680 It was that way that one of the ways to find all this is just to 479 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:17,160 find common ground and connection. 480 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:18,600 Voice. Oh, you start with that too. 481 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:21,120 Oh, you've liked that too. Oh, you're about that too. 482 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,680 Awesome. Let's have a friendship, but 483 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,960 don't let fear of being life stop you from initiating. 484 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:32,000 Don't let that. Don't let that hold you back. 485 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:33,880 Safe city. Let's be a church that's not 486 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,240 afraid of other people. Let's be a church that initiates 487 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,480 relationships and friendships and look for common ground and 488 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,960 connection with people. And to have friends, you got to 489 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:46,280 be a friend. If you're lonely, chances are 490 00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:49,080 the place to start is you go be a good friend to somebody and 491 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,080 watch as that returns, returns back in your life, making 492 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,880 commitment to being a friend. Friendship, second discipleship. 493 00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,440 Discipleship is the other ship. You're probably lonely because 494 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,240 you're like the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is over the 495 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,960 Mediterranean, and guess what? It has a lot of salt water 496 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:11,760 coming in, none going out, a lot of the intake, no outflow. 497 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:13,960 So guess what? It's got salt water and it's 498 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,800 just a Dead Sea. You might be like that where you 499 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:22,440 have a bunch of people pouring into you, a bunch of consuming 500 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:24,240 from the church and not contributing. 501 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,440 Madison invites you to what God is in a better design for you, 502 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,000 that you are a disciple who makes disciples. 503 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:35,280 That's the that is the Great Commission to go and make 504 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,880 disciples of all nations. So find somebody that you're 505 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:39,480 like, Hey, I don't know everything it is to follow 506 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:41,080 Jesus, but I can help you learn how to read your Bible. 507 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:43,400 Hey, I don't know everything it is to follow Jesus, but you know 508 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:45,560 what I can I can memorize about verse with you this week. 509 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:47,640 Hey, I want to talk to you about that, about your life, some 510 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:48,920 wisdom. I want to get a smaller with 511 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,000 you. I want to serve on a team with 512 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,160 you that you jump in on discipleship with people. 513 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,600 It's the mission that we're about and we have to find 514 00:28:57,600 --> 00:28:59,040 people. Every single one of us. 515 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,000 Making disciples is for the church. 516 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:04,400 It's not for the paid staff. It's for everybody that calls 517 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,120 themselves a Christian, that you are intended to find people to 518 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:10,640 pour your life into. Not just giving them content, 519 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:15,320 but give them your life, your very self and say, hey, I don't 520 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,040 have it figured out how to be a husband or a wife, but you can 521 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:19,880 come over and have dinner with us and you can watch how we 522 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,200 interact. Hey, we can meet up for coffee 523 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,800 and we can talk about your life. This is discipleship. 524 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,600 It's teaching people how to take their next step with Jesus, and 525 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,960 every single one of you is more than capable of that, that you 526 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:33,480 can go make disciples of all nations. 527 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:37,360 You can help us as we gather ordinary regular people to take 528 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,520 their next step with an extraordinary God. 529 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,120 Come join the mission of Saint City. 530 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:44,920 Come be about the mission of Saint City, the mission of the 531 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:48,280 Bible, that we are called to make disciples of all nations. 532 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:50,480 Paul was about it, even from a prison cell. 533 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:55,600 And 3rd in final shift that I just want to highlight for you 534 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,240 is mentorship and a church context like ours where we got a 535 00:29:58,240 --> 00:29:59,320 bunch of college students in the room. 536 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:00,880 We got a bunch of 20 somethings in the room. 537 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:03,160 We have a bunch of people who are in their 30s and 40s and 50s 538 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:04,320 too. But guess what? 539 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:06,760 If you're looking for mentorship, if you're in that 540 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:10,480 boat, listen to me. Don't look for a mentor. 541 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,360 Look for mentors, plural. Anybody want a mentor by toys at 542 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,360 the time to decide for you in every category of their life. 543 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:19,040 But if you grab them for lunch and say, hey, how do you budget? 544 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:21,960 Hey, how did you land that job? Hey, how did what you do with 545 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:23,680 your summers? Hey, how did you meet your wife? 546 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:25,240 Hey, what'd you do when you met your wife? 547 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:27,280 How did you know? You can ask them questions like 548 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:30,640 that. Find a mentor of young people. 549 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,320 Find mentors, plural, and find categories that you want to 550 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,720 emulate their life and take them up to lunch, take them out to 551 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:38,200 coffee, call them up on the phone. 552 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,440 We would love to do that. Initiate 20 somethings. 553 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,400 Older people listen up, go find the young person and say, hey, 554 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:48,720 you looking for somebody to disciple you? 555 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,600 I'd love to jump in on that. Go for it. 556 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:54,600 Consider yourself Commission, OK, friendship, discipleship, 557 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:58,760 mentorship, Ken 3rd and finally raising people up. 558 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,240 We're relying on God and finally we're letting people build us 559 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:03,800 up. That's why we ended with 560 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:05,120 mentorship. It's because you need to be 561 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:09,480 built up. Paul needed strengthening and 562 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,040 encouragement. Look at just some of the ways he 563 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,760 describes these people that take a kiss is a beloved brother, 564 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,920 faithful minister and fellow servants in the Lord that he may 565 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,400 encourage the Colossian hearts Onissimus, our faithful beloved 566 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:24,640 brother. He's one of you. 567 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:28,200 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner more than likely by the way, 568 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:30,720 Aristarchus volunteered to go to prison with Paul. 569 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,520 That's how about the mission. He was he's like, you know what 570 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:35,800 Paul, I'm not going to leave you by yourself. 571 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:38,400 That's the kind of community members darkest was he's like 572 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:43,640 you're going to prison me too. I guess I have so many jokes 573 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:44,640 that I want to say but I can't say. 574 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,400 Then you have Mark who's encouraging Jesus, which is a 575 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:51,480 common name back then, but he was called justice. 576 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,160 These are the only men of the circumcision by fellow workers. 577 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,200 They're a great comfort me. Do you see that phrase right 578 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,200 there and they have been a comfort to me. 579 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,920 These are people that were meaningful to Paul and hear me 580 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,800 out. If the apostle Paul needed 581 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,840 encouragement. If the apostle Paul needed 582 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:11,160 strengthening. If the apostle Paul needed 583 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:17,080 community, you need one too. You need it. 584 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,240 You need people in your life. We're going to uphold you. 585 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,960 We're going to strengthen you. We're going to challenge you. 586 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:27,360 We're going to be there for you and with you. 587 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,720 You need it. Latest data says this. 588 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,400 And in the church, the most lonely people are not visitors, 589 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:38,400 but regular attenders who haven't found relational 590 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:41,920 footholds. That, according to Varna, people 591 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:45,560 who attend church less than once a month are also nearly twice as 592 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,720 likely to report serious loneliness as weekly attenders. 593 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:51,880 That is true for both of us. What is that saying that 594 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:53,960 everybody slowly becomes church just about? 595 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,760 God has something better in mind that just because you're 596 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:00,520 attending doesn't mean your belonging. 597 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,840 You got to get into the mix. You got to go deeper with people 598 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:09,960 and home, family. It's less about where you come 599 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,560 from and more about where you feel truly known and truly seen. 600 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:16,800 And sitting in a row like this doesn't cut that. 601 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,680 It doesn't get you there. You need more than this. 602 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:23,920 You need more than this to fight the loneliness in your life 603 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,760 because families fight together. Families survive together. 604 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,880 Families stay together in the midst of hard things. 605 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,400 And if it gets hard in your life, and it will, you will want 606 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:39,880 a community around you. You will need a community around 607 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:45,120 you. You will need a family, a 608 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,320 spiritual family to be there for you. 609 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:56,760 A found family. The theme of found family is not 610 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:58,680 just a biblical theme. It's a theme our world is 611 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:00,520 obsessed with. Here's how I can tell you 612 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:02,840 Hollywood is obsessed with found families. 613 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:07,720 Let me give you some examples. Guardians of the Galaxy, a bunch 614 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,239 of weirdos, misfits, ragtag crew, that's their family. 615 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:12,800 They they literally fight and survive, die. 616 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,000 Again, if you're not like a superhero person, that's a 617 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,080 superhero movie. But maybe you'll like this one. 618 00:34:17,159 --> 00:34:21,679 OK. Band of brothers found family or 619 00:34:21,679 --> 00:34:26,560 military found family. Keep going with Hollywood. 620 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:31,120 Harry Potter found family. Star Wars found family. 621 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,800 My personal favorite Sandlot found family. 622 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:41,480 Damn the TV show Friends Popular. 623 00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:45,159 Why? Because people have a craving 624 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:52,400 and desire for family, where they're known and seen and loved 625 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:57,840 despite all their flaws, all their idiosyncrasies, all their 626 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:02,680 gaps. People were wired to matter and 627 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:07,520 people were wired to belong. How God made us. 628 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:10,560 It's to be on the team and to play for the team. 629 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:14,920 So here's my invitation to you. It's to join the team at St. 630 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:17,480 Sydney. That's like an application point 631 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,800 for you. Obviously, that's not what the 632 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,520 text says. What the text is getting at is 633 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:25,200 the idea of unique people around you to build you up. 634 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:27,560 How do we do that at St. Sydney? 635 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,240 Worshiping and services is certainly a part of that, but it 636 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:33,760 is just like the shallow end of the pool. 637 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:38,520 Come deeper and experience the joy and the gift of real 638 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:40,640 community, the community that you need. 639 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,080 Don't let her hold you back anymore. 640 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:46,080 Don't let your story stop you anymore. 641 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,920 Jump in and join a team. We're going to have groups 642 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,720 launching in January. My invitation to you is to join 643 00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:53,960 that. In fact, how could you actually 644 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:55,240 throw up the Christmas graphic real quick? 645 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,280 Christmas is coming and I want to use that QR code. 646 00:35:58,280 --> 00:35:59,960 That's the way to sign up for the Christmas services. 647 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:01,440 That's another point. Disregard. 648 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:03,600 I've seen the QR code because here's where you can sign up for 649 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,200 a team or group. If you're interested in going 650 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,800 deeper with Sane City, this is the place to sign up now. 651 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:13,200 QR code will take you to a space on our website where you're 652 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,040 like, hey, I want to join a team, I want to get in a group 653 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:18,360 and this is where we're going to rally together. 654 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:21,040 We're hanging on what we're not settling for the shallow end of 655 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:23,320 connectedness anymore. We're not settling for just 656 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:24,960 coming to church and not knowing people. 657 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:26,960 We're not setting for church. We're just singing a few songs 658 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:28,880 and going. We're actually going into God's 659 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:32,240 invitation for us, the deep community that we long for, that 660 00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:33,920 we need that God is calling us into. 661 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:36,920 He's saying, hey, I have something better in mind than 662 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:39,480 just singing songs on Sundays and hearing God's word. 663 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:42,200 That is a good thing. That is a needed thing, but it's 664 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,480 not the entire thing. That life change happens best in 665 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:50,360 circles rather than rows, and you need real community to fight 666 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:54,840 your loneliness. You need people that send you a 667 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,160 text when you got a hard day at work. 668 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:02,400 You need people you can confess sin to, that you feel safe to do 669 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:05,400 so because you know them and they know you. 670 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:08,920 You need a people that you can invite to lunch even after 671 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:10,120 service today and go, You know what? 672 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:13,040 That's my church family. Like a family. 673 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:15,560 Guess what? We got chores to do, bills to 674 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:19,360 pay, and meals to eat together. Join a team. 675 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,160 It'll be worth the yes, I promise you it is. 676 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,920 The greatest thing is being a part of a church like this. 677 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:31,800 There was 10 names listed there on the page in Colossians 4 for 678 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:34,320 us. And the whole book is about how 679 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:37,080 Jesus is better than anything you can imagine. 680 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:40,320 It's better than all the knowledge you can find. 681 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:44,000 He's better than literally anything you can think of that 682 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,440 it's not Jesus plus, it's Jesus plus nothing equals everything. 683 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,400 So you have Jesus, you've got all that you need for life of 684 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:53,360 God, right? Or exceeding all that you need 685 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:56,440 for salvation. But you need God's people to get 686 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:59,440 you more sanctified. It's his agent of them. 687 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:04,840 So this is closely said city. There were 10 names there, but 688 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,960 your name wasn't there. And that's OK, because God is 689 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:12,320 still writing the story here. You will be listening to Paul's 690 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:14,600 letters. Neither will I, But you need a 691 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:17,440 community just as much as you need to cost that. 692 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,920 Your name might not be written in Colossians 4, but your name 693 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:24,000 is written in the book of life and God is at work. 694 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,680 He's using him for his glory and for your good. 695 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:31,440 And I wonder what difference a community that sold out for his 696 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:35,440 namesake could make. I wonder what difference a 697 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:40,440 community who lives like this, who relies upon God, who is like 698 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:45,280 fired up about raising people up and letting others build them 699 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,080 up. I wonder what difference that 700 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:50,440 might make in your life. I wonder how much less lonely 701 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:55,000 this room would feel is if we were obsessed with getting to 702 00:38:55,000 --> 00:39:00,600 know each other, captivated by the opportunity to get to know 703 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:04,160 somebody. I think it was Mr. Rogers who 704 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:07,720 kept a car in his wall that said there's not anybody who can get 705 00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:10,600 to know and love if you just got to know their story. 706 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:15,800 I think that might be a great way to look at people here at 707 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,760 Saint City as made in the image of God, worthy of connection, 708 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,280 worthy of community. A place where the sting of 709 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:27,280 loneliness is like the sting of Jesus, of death on like the 710 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:30,480 death of Jesus. Excuse me, that the sting of 711 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:32,920 death is no more than the sting of loneliness. 712 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:35,360 Could not have the last word, but the gospel would. 713 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,960 You need a community just as much as you need a 'cause we're 714 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:45,440 here for the cause of Christ. Yes, but we are here. 715 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:49,040 So come join the week with us. Would you pray with the Lord? 716 00:39:49,240 --> 00:39:51,880 Thank you for your work. Thank you that it's living an 717 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:53,360 active sharper than A2 edged sword. 718 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:56,480 Lord, I think it's the kind of community you call people to be 719 00:39:56,480 --> 00:40:00,160 a part of. And I pray, Lord, that that we 720 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,240 would be that community that we have people who rely upon you. 721 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:06,440 The gospel is fresh on our lips and fresh on our minds. 722 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:09,160 That Lord, not only that, that we have people who are obsessed 723 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,440 with building others up and letting them build us up, that 724 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:14,640 we would receive it. We wouldn't be too prideful. 725 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,160 We wouldn't let hurt stop us, but God we would be of people 726 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:24,480 who are about the mission together on the cause for the 727 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:29,280 cause of Christ. Don't let any of those drivers 728 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:33,880 drive us away from community, Lord, but let them be drivers 729 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:36,960 back into the community you designed and given for us. 730 00:40:38,720 --> 00:40:44,720 Laura, I pray that you would call people to deeper 731 00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:52,840 relationship with one another, that in their hearts and in 732 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:59,960 their minds right now, they would resolve to be a person who 733 00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:02,200 creates community wherever they go. 734 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:06,920 Then if they're not even experiencing lowliness right 735 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:12,040 now, they would go helping in somebody else or this is a good 736 00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:16,480 thing. Your word is good and your name 737 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,960 is worthy. And so wherever we experience 738 00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:23,960 relational suffering, God would you give us the hope of Jesus, 739 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,200 the one who suffered in our place on cross, in Jesus name, 740 00:41:27,240 --> 00:41:27,440 Amen.