1 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:06,000 If you have your Bible with you, you can jump straight into the 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,700 book of X. We're going to be in Chapter 2 3 00:00:07,700 --> 00:00:11,500 again, for those of us who were those of you who may be joining 4 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:13,100 for the first time, we're going through a series. 5 00:00:13,100 --> 00:00:16,200 As you can see, called anything can happen. 6 00:00:17,300 --> 00:00:19,600 And we are picking up on some of the major themes that we see in 7 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,600 the book of Acts and what God does in terms of doing 8 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,300 exceedingly, abundantly above what we could hope were 9 00:00:25,300 --> 00:00:27,100 imagined. And I want to pick up on one of 10 00:00:27,108 --> 00:00:30,200 those specifically are one of the pivotal moments in The book 11 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,300 of Acts, I don't know if you've done yourself a favor and read 12 00:00:34,300 --> 00:00:38,600 through X recently, but you'll notice the awesome big shifts 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,800 and pivotal moments through the book of Acts starting from the 14 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,700 very beginning is pouring out of the Holy Spirit, we got the 15 00:00:44,700 --> 00:00:47,500 persecution of the church and the scattering of the Christians 16 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:51,600 and Saul getting saved and missionary trips that these big 17 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:52,900 moments. And I want to pick up on one of 18 00:00:52,908 --> 00:00:55,700 them. Because in it, what we see is 19 00:00:55,700 --> 00:00:59,800 something of the seedbed for the New Testament. 20 00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:04,400 Which I'll call it the canvas that God uses to paint his 21 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,100 kingdom on the the canvas he uses to create a community where 22 00:01:09,100 --> 00:01:11,700 anything can happen. I don't know if you know the 23 00:01:11,700 --> 00:01:14,900 artist Carlos Alberto, his canvas is the city. 24 00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:17,900 I've got a photo here one of my favorite photos of his work. 25 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,100 Incredible. He just uses walls and Roads and 26 00:01:23,100 --> 00:01:26,200 buildings and on it. You see his handiwork. 27 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,400 You see 3D full Living Color of his Artistry. 28 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:32,200 And we're going to see something of that. 29 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:37,100 When we look at scripture, they 3D living organism known as the 30 00:01:37,100 --> 00:01:40,000 New Testament Church. And I want to look at 31 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,200 specifically what is the canvas that God uses? 32 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:44,500 So, that's what we're going after. 33 00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:47,600 If you're not accept to basically the backdrop to this, 34 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:48,800 the Holy Spirit has been poured out. 35 00:01:48,900 --> 00:01:51,000 Out, Peter's gotten up and preached. 36 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,300 Thousands of gotten saved verse 41 actually says, in those who 37 00:01:54,300 --> 00:01:56,600 believed were baptized. And that day, about three 38 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:58,600 thousand people are added to their number. 39 00:01:58,700 --> 00:02:01,800 So look around. That's like me saying, hey, I'm 40 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,100 going to have laughed group in your picture. 41 00:02:04,300 --> 00:02:06,400 That's that's what's happened. What do we do? 42 00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:08,400 What does the canvas that we use? 43 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,800 What do we put into place? So that this can become the 44 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,900 global movement? That is become. 45 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:16,500 We're here, we see the secret Source. 46 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:18,700 The canvas that God uses in verse 42. 47 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,700 They devoted themselves. So they gather together, and 48 00:02:22,700 --> 00:02:25,500 they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching to the 49 00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:28,200 fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to pray. 50 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,500 Now we're looking at what is the canvas that God uses to create a 51 00:02:31,508 --> 00:02:34,600 community where anything can happen? 52 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,200 So that's the canvas. Here's the anything that can 53 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,900 happen actually from verse 43, all the way to chapter 8, we see 54 00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:43,500 this but here's just a few insights, but it's 43. 55 00:02:43,500 --> 00:02:46,800 Everyone was filled with awe and Many Wonders and signs were 56 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,800 being performed through the apostles. 57 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,500 Actually if you look at your Bible, the next page you see a 58 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:55,300 lame man, given legs you know, Silver and Gold Have, I None 59 00:02:55,300 --> 00:02:59,300 that happens next in this account we see people from the 60 00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:02,400 surrounding Villages, coming bringing their sick and they'll 61 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,700 aim and they blind and they leprous and they get radically 62 00:03:05,700 --> 00:03:07,400 healed. We see the the people putting 63 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,900 their sick on the street so that the apostles could walk past 64 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,000 hoping that this Shadow will fall on them and when it did, 65 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,600 people were getting healed. Talk about anything can happen. 66 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:20,600 This is it, this is Ground Zero but not just among the apostles. 67 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,400 It goes on to say, all the Believers verse 44 were 68 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,000 together. The held all things in common, 69 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,700 they sold their positions and property and distribute the 70 00:03:27,700 --> 00:03:31,000 proceeds to all as any had need. So there was this radical 71 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,300 generosity a sacrificial living but it talks about miracles 72 00:03:34,300 --> 00:03:37,000 happening among these people they would pray for guys who are 73 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,600 taken into prison as persecution and the angels would arrive and 74 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,200 unlock prison doors. It was like seriously we got to 75 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,200 upgrade our expectations because this is what happens, right? 76 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,100 He goes on to say every day because they keep returning to 77 00:03:50,100 --> 00:03:53,700 this canvas verse 46 every day, they devoted themselves to 78 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:56,400 meeting together in the temple and broke bread from house to 79 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,500 house. They ate their food with joyful 80 00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:01,900 and sincere Hearts. Verse 47 praising God enjoying 81 00:04:01,900 --> 00:04:04,900 the favor of all the people and every day the Lord added to 82 00:04:04,900 --> 00:04:06,500 their number. Those who are being saved. 83 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:10,100 Actually, one translation says multitudes of both men and 84 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:13,500 women. See when, when we stay within 85 00:04:13,500 --> 00:04:15,600 the borders and boundary lines of what God has called us to do 86 00:04:15,608 --> 00:04:19,000 as a community, if we apply. Ourselves to the canvas that he 87 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,300 is using. We see him, do exceedingly, 88 00:04:21,300 --> 00:04:23,300 abundantly above all we can hope or imagine. 89 00:04:23,700 --> 00:04:26,200 And that is what I want to go after this morning because maybe 90 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,100 last week you are stirred with faith, that anything can happen, 91 00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:33,400 anything, anything anything, but then what do we do on Monday? 92 00:04:34,700 --> 00:04:37,800 Let me show you what we do on Monday verse 42, they devoted 93 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,200 themselves to the apostles teaching to the fellowship to 94 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,100 the breaking of bread and to pray. 95 00:04:42,300 --> 00:04:45,300 So whatever the apostles teaching is just a fancy way of 96 00:04:45,300 --> 00:04:48,300 saying, basically, they got stuck in and devoted themselves 97 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:50,500 to scripture. I don't know if, you know, the 98 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:53,600 name, John Wickliffe. He was a theologian back in the 99 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:59,300 1400s, and he devoted himself and his life to taking scripture 100 00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:01,900 out of the clutches of the priests and putting it in the 101 00:05:01,907 --> 00:05:05,900 hands of the common everyday people that His life's demotion 102 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:10,900 so because back then and the 1400s, only the holiest of 103 00:05:10,900 --> 00:05:15,100 holies had access to scripture. Only a pastor knew what to do 104 00:05:15,100 --> 00:05:17,500 with the word of God. Not not the peasants, you know. 105 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,400 And to make it worse it was written in Latin. 106 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:22,900 Most people didn't understand Latin anymore. 107 00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:26,800 At least not the uneducated and so he wanted to get it into 108 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:31,300 English and through this hard work, unfortunately it cost him 109 00:05:31,300 --> 00:05:33,700 his life. He was excommunicated from the 110 00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:36,500 church. They actually burned his body 111 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:39,500 and his life's work and Scattered his ashes and his 112 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:44,600 Works ashes in the river, talk about not being devoted to the 113 00:05:44,608 --> 00:05:48,800 apostles teachings. That was back in the 1400s, But 114 00:05:48,900 --> 00:05:51,500 as God would have it, it didn't stay there as ashes in the 115 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:53,800 river. This revolution became the 116 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,600 Reformation with Luther and then there was a printing press and 117 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:58,800 eventually the English King James Bible. 118 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:05,200 Until finally 1953, there was a young lady who is crowned Queen 119 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,500 Elizabeth and she was handed a Bible. 120 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:11,800 One of the Wickliffe Bibles with this declaration, they said this 121 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,300 to, they said, we present you with this book, the most 122 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:17,800 valuable thing that World affords. 123 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,600 Here is wisdom. This is Royal law and these are 124 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:26,600 the Lively Oracles of God. What a Shifty, the very powers 125 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,200 that be that had poor old Wickliffe Burns along with his 126 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,900 life's work. And now handing her, this Bible 127 00:06:33,500 --> 00:06:36,400 and saying this is the most valuable thing. 128 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,500 The world can afford Live Your Life by it. 129 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:43,700 Similans are being devoted to the apostles teaching, starting 130 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:49,100 to come back into history. That was 1953, pause forward to 131 00:06:49,100 --> 00:06:53,500 2023 and we have the king being ordained. 132 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:58,000 I don't know if you watched it, but once again, we find the 133 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,200 scripture being taken and put it back into the hands of only the 134 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:06,900 holiest of holies dressed in the Royal robes and the Archbishop 135 00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:11,300 of the Archbishop of the only they have access to scripture 136 00:07:11,300 --> 00:07:14,200 again and it's like with the pendulum has swung. 137 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:21,000 They say that only nine percent of people who had who own Bibles 138 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,800 read their Bibles regularly. Only nine percent of people who 139 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:30,700 own a Bible reader Boggle. One of you part of the non 140 00:07:30,700 --> 00:07:35,600 percent. Because the Bible says, the 141 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,000 canvas that God uses to do exceedingly abundantly above the 142 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,300 community that he forms, where anything can happen, all those 143 00:07:42,300 --> 00:07:44,300 who devote themselves to the apostles teaching. 144 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:51,000 I don't know if you've heard the name, hind fan, hon, fam, lived 145 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,700 in Vietnam and the 70s. And when the Americans came 146 00:07:54,700 --> 00:07:58,800 through, with touring evangelist and what have you he operated as 147 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,300 a translator. And unfortunately, when the 148 00:08:02,300 --> 00:08:06,200 Toronto when the evangelists left, this poor translator was 149 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:10,800 arrested thrown into prison and tortured for his faith by this 150 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:15,200 communist government brutally tortured for years. 151 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,200 Apparently, they would try and sort of brainwash him with 152 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:23,700 Marxist ideology and force him to recant, his faith and deny 153 00:08:23,700 --> 00:08:25,800 his faith. And, and they tried to crush him 154 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:30,100 in every way possible for years. And eventually, as I can, 155 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,000 Imagine anyone would he got to his end? 156 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,000 In a prison all alone? No one even knew that he was 157 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,700 there being brutally torture day after day after day. 158 00:08:40,900 --> 00:08:42,700 Eventually got to the point. We said, God, I can't do this 159 00:08:42,700 --> 00:08:45,700 anymore. I don't know where you are. 160 00:08:46,500 --> 00:08:50,800 My faith has been crushed. I know that if I just deny my 161 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,900 faith once all of this will go away. 162 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,000 So, you woke up the next morning was the first morning is in 163 00:08:58,900 --> 00:09:00,800 years that he never had a quiet time. 164 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,200 Never sensitives Hot Sun. God, never did anything related 165 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,900 to the any possibility of the existence of God and that's how 166 00:09:06,900 --> 00:09:10,000 he started his day. Expecting the bank to come on 167 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,200 the door and for him to say, listen, this is little girls. 168 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,900 Again, I deny my faith. You can let me go now but 169 00:09:15,900 --> 00:09:17,700 instead they didn't do that, they came and they said, listen, 170 00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,100 we've changed. Aging your shift, you no longer 171 00:09:20,100 --> 00:09:21,800 serving here. Now you're going to go clean, 172 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,800 toilets and people like what's the chances typical? 173 00:09:25,300 --> 00:09:27,600 And not only do you abandon me in prison, but now in our Bend 174 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:31,800 and you hand me over to toilet Duty, But he tells the story of 175 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:33,400 how he's busy cleaning, toilets on that. 176 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,900 Very first day of denying his faith in just saying, thanks. 177 00:09:36,900 --> 00:09:38,800 God. But I don't want you anymore and 178 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,300 he's in the loo. He'll be with me on my pictures 179 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:43,300 person. I'll be gentle. 180 00:09:45,100 --> 00:09:48,300 But he says, he seizes it looks like a piece of newspaper, some 181 00:09:48,300 --> 00:09:51,700 English writing and he's just so desperate for news of the 182 00:09:51,700 --> 00:09:54,500 outdoors because he hasn't heard anything for years, they've sort 183 00:09:54,500 --> 00:09:57,100 of puts his hand, in the toilet, pulls out this piece of paper 184 00:09:57,100 --> 00:09:59,500 washes, it a little bit, and he opens it. 185 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,900 And it says, and we know that in all things, God works for the 186 00:10:02,900 --> 00:10:05,500 good of those who love him, who have been called, according to 187 00:10:05,500 --> 00:10:07,600 his purpose has for. I am convinced that neither 188 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,400 death, nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither the present, 189 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:12,200 nor the future, nor anything else. 190 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:16,400 In all creation, will be able to separate us from Love of God and 191 00:10:16,408 --> 00:10:18,600 he said, he looked at that piece of paper and you realized the 192 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,400 day he gave up on God. So day, he realized God would 193 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,500 never give up on him. The power of scripture. 194 00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:32,900 And for the next 17 years, he endured brutal. 195 00:10:32,900 --> 00:10:38,600 Torture and brainwashing because every day he had discovered that 196 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,400 certain prisoners and one part of the Concentration. 197 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:46,000 Camp were only given baubles as toilet paper. 198 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:49,600 That was how they were trying to undermine him and every morning 199 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,000 he'd go and he'd fish scripture heart. 200 00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:55,600 And love on God and allow God to love on him. 201 00:10:56,100 --> 00:10:59,200 And the most horrendous situation was horrendous 202 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,800 conditions and when he came out of jail, no one knew where you 203 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:05,600 they all thought he was dead 17 years later. 204 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,500 They discovered This Together. How on Earth did you survive? 205 00:11:08,500 --> 00:11:11,300 When he told them, the story said only survived through the 206 00:11:11,300 --> 00:11:13,300 word. It was it was my refuge. 207 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:15,500 It was my lifeline, it was my safe place. 208 00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:20,000 It was my hope the power of scripture now, I don't know what 209 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,500 your rhythms are. And what your recent 210 00:11:23,500 --> 00:11:27,300 relationship is when it comes to scripture, maybe, maybe it's 211 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:30,500 like the king or Pomp and ceremony, but it doesn't really 212 00:11:30,500 --> 00:11:32,800 carry much weight in your life or maybe like the queen. 213 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,400 You know, the most valuable thing. 214 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,900 This world affords. When we look at scripture, if we 215 00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:42,100 are sitting there going, father, I want you to break out numbers. 216 00:11:42,100 --> 00:11:45,100 We long for Revival to break out in our city. 217 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:50,000 We long for president to be radically changed and for 218 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,300 corruption to be rooted out. Father, what is the canvas that 219 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:56,600 you're going to use to do this? It begins with the people of 220 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,000 God. Begin to devote themselves to 221 00:11:58,008 --> 00:12:01,100 the word of God. Put it in his rightful place. 222 00:12:01,100 --> 00:12:04,400 I said, I said a few weeks ago, I was left speechless one 223 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,900 morning, quiet time, opening my Bible in Genesis where God says, 224 00:12:07,900 --> 00:12:11,300 let there be light I discovered in English is forwards. 225 00:12:11,300 --> 00:12:17,100 But in Hebrews 2 it's basically God says light be to it. 226 00:12:18,500 --> 00:12:23,700 And a hundred billion galaxies and stars and planets and suns 227 00:12:23,700 --> 00:12:26,100 are put into place. The power of two words. 228 00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:29,900 What could happen when we open scripture and God speaks into 229 00:12:29,900 --> 00:12:33,000 your life and to your marriage and your situation into your 230 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,400 prison cell? and that is why they devoted 231 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,400 themselves to the apostles teaching, because they knew when 232 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:45,300 they open scripture, Anything Could Happen, and that is what I 233 00:12:45,308 --> 00:12:50,400 want to invite you back to. Maybe is a young person. 234 00:12:50,700 --> 00:12:52,000 You new to the faith, you don't know. 235 00:12:53,900 --> 00:12:59,600 The Lord is speaking. Maybe you're a young person. 236 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:01,400 You don't know where to start this way, you start. 237 00:13:02,100 --> 00:13:06,100 This is where you start X 240 to devote themselves to the 238 00:13:06,100 --> 00:13:09,000 apostles, teaching to the fellowship, to the breaking of 239 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,800 bread and to pray the fellowship. 240 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,600 Maybe this is for those of you who have been here for a while 241 00:13:17,100 --> 00:13:20,200 being around the block, you've seen some things you know you've 242 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,100 got your seats that you always sit in. 243 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,900 You know, what's going to happen on this Sunday, people know you 244 00:13:28,900 --> 00:13:34,100 by name Fellowship. John Solomon, says the longer we 245 00:13:34,100 --> 00:13:37,300 spend in the field, the less grateful, we are for the 246 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:39,800 treasure. We have found and the more 247 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,000 focused we become on the dirt around it. 248 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,400 The longer we spend in the field, the less grateful, we are 249 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:48,700 for the treasure. We have found in the more 250 00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:51,200 focused. We become on the dirt around it. 251 00:13:51,300 --> 00:13:55,700 I remember when 3cr was new to me, I remember when you and you 252 00:13:55,700 --> 00:13:58,500 to me, I remember telling my wife. 253 00:13:58,500 --> 00:14:01,600 It's like, I've never been in a room full of so many good 254 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,800 humans. Before in my life, I remember 255 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,700 telling others they don't call them pastor and then I'm 256 00:14:08,700 --> 00:14:10,800 preaching on the stage. It's the weirdest thing. 257 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,400 But God is there, you gotta come with me. 258 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:16,200 Actually, I lead my own church is fine. 259 00:14:16,300 --> 00:14:18,100 I'm busy on a Sunday. I can't come with you. 260 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:22,100 I used to drag people kicking screaming sharing about what God 261 00:14:22,100 --> 00:14:26,400 is doing here. But are finding me that the 262 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,100 longer you've known about this treasure in the field, the more 263 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:31,100 Focus to get on the dirt around it. 264 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,900 Ray Johnson tells most remarkable story, but the value 265 00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:39,000 of community is he had a Ray Johnson leads the church in the 266 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,700 US. And he was sharing about a young 267 00:14:40,700 --> 00:14:45,600 man in this church, who hated church, he hated Christianity. 268 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,900 He sort of came from a very hypocritical home. 269 00:14:49,100 --> 00:14:51,600 So what happened on a Sunday, didn't happen on a Monday, so he 270 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,200 waited to get his driver's license and to be of age where 271 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:55,700 he I have to go to church anymore. 272 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,400 And so he turned 18, got his license, got a car and he denied 273 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:00,900 his faith. He said, Mom Dad, I'm an 274 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:02,900 atheist. I'm not coming to you to church 275 00:15:02,900 --> 00:15:05,400 with you ever again. And he was telling his 276 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,200 therapist, this because he thought this was quite an 277 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,500 achievement. You know, he's really growing up 278 00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:12,000 in the ways of the world and his therapist is going to be very 279 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,400 tough because the therapist wasn't a Believer. 280 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,200 Either nothing to do with Christianity and the therapist 281 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,600 said to him, said listen, yeah, I'm all for you. 282 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,300 You know, I'm here for you. I'm here for your best. 283 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:27,500 I love the That you abandoning your faith, you know you do you 284 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:30,600 but I really have a problem with you abandoning Church. 285 00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:34,100 Like I said, I'm an atheist. Why would I want to go to 286 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:35,500 church? Is it ordered the hold your 287 00:15:35,500 --> 00:15:36,200 horses? He's it. 288 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,700 The therapist said the statistics for the benefits of 289 00:15:39,700 --> 00:15:42,700 just going to church or unprecedented is it that the 290 00:15:42,708 --> 00:15:45,800 amount of studies and he went to his filing cabinet and brought 291 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:50,500 at 42 different studies from from Pittsburgh medical from the 292 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:54,100 Journal of Health Psychology from MIT, you name it like 42 of 293 00:15:54,108 --> 00:15:55,800 them. Began reading through some of 294 00:15:55,808 --> 00:15:57,100 the things. So listen, you just got 295 00:15:57,100 --> 00:15:59,500 understand before you make this decision not to go to church 296 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,300 said of these 42 studies is found that those who attend 297 00:16:03,300 --> 00:16:06,300 church regularly live longer. Hey Dennis. 298 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,300 There's a benefit right there. That this is comparable to 299 00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:15,800 exercising every single day. Going to church regularly. 300 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,800 Those are go to church regularly, lower divorce rates 301 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,000 better sleep. Because you sleeping through my 302 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:27,400 sermon right now. Experience less depression, and 303 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,900 those married couples who go to church most regularly or most 304 00:16:29,900 --> 00:16:33,400 sexually satisfied. His words, not mine. 305 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:38,400 I believe in science. You sit down, you use, when you 306 00:16:38,408 --> 00:16:40,800 say same to this young guys, they listen, but if you go to 307 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,000 church, you will live longer healthier life be less depressed 308 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,700 been asleep. It is 6 since all things 309 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:50,900 considered, that is a dumb decision to not go to church. 310 00:16:50,900 --> 00:16:54,900 This is an unsaved, man, talking to a self-proclaimed atheist. 311 00:16:55,300 --> 00:16:58,100 This is, but okay, I respect the fact that you are an atheist. 312 00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:01,200 So let me give you some counsel from another atheist. 313 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,700 He pulls out a study by Matthew Parris. 314 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,400 You can find it on the Overrated this week, it's De Paris with 315 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,900 two r's. It's a paper on the effects of 316 00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:12,800 Christianity. And Matthew Paris, Paris is a 317 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,000 self-proclaimed, Fierce atheist. And he says this, he says it 318 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:22,099 confounds my ideological beliefs stubbornly, refuses to fit my 319 00:17:22,099 --> 00:17:25,300 worldview as an atheist and is embarrassed my belief that there 320 00:17:25,300 --> 00:17:28,700 is no God. So now I confirmed atheist, I've 321 00:17:28,700 --> 00:17:32,700 become convinced Christianity changes, people's hearts, it 322 00:17:32,700 --> 00:17:36,900 brings a spiritual transformation, The rebirth is 323 00:17:36,900 --> 00:17:39,000 real. An atheist. 324 00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:41,600 The rebirth is real. The change is good. 325 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,200 Far from having cows are confined, its converts. 326 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,500 Their faith appears to have liberated them and relax them 327 00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:50,700 Christianity, which is a teaching of a direct personal 328 00:17:50,700 --> 00:17:52,900 two-way link between the individual and God 329 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,800 insubordinate, any other human being actually liberates people 330 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,600 and then he has this kainga. There's something about the 331 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:06,600 people of God, connecting around the word of God that Deuces is 332 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,600 something about the people of God, connecting around the word 333 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:15,900 of God that produces and this is what this atheist. 334 00:18:15,900 --> 00:18:19,700 Matthew Parris is saying to fellow atheists. 335 00:18:19,900 --> 00:18:21,900 It's what the therapist was saying to. 336 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:25,500 What to that young man. It's what scripture says to you 337 00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:27,700 this morning. There's something about the 338 00:18:27,700 --> 00:18:31,800 people of God connecting around the word of God that produces 339 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,700 which is why Rory tells a story. All those years back when he was 340 00:18:34,700 --> 00:18:37,200 in the Me and he had two mates who didn't know his left from 341 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:38,900 his right. And every time they turned, he 342 00:18:38,900 --> 00:18:41,800 would turn the wrong way and the parade was an absolute shambles 343 00:18:42,100 --> 00:18:45,400 and the Lieutenant's grabbed him and put him right in the middle 344 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,800 of the platoon. So now you don't worry about 345 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,100 left or right, you just follow those around you and you'll come 346 00:18:51,100 --> 00:18:54,200 good. And so this is what at Luke is 347 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,900 saying index to this, take your marriage, put it in the middle 348 00:18:57,900 --> 00:19:01,700 of the people of God and watch it, produced, take your 349 00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:06,000 finances, put it in the mist of those who have A great financial 350 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,200 Acumen your business and your business decisions and you're 351 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,700 raising of children and you're trusting in God, and the fact 352 00:19:12,700 --> 00:19:15,700 that he just doesn't seem to make, you just put it in the 353 00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:21,400 middle of this community and watch it produce. y'all look at 354 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,000 this quote, and I thought to myself, For those of us here, 355 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,000 who come from broken homes, how different would your childhood 356 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,500 have been if your mom and dad went to laugh group together? 357 00:19:35,700 --> 00:19:38,300 you know, that they say those who come from a broken home with 358 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:42,300 me, like 70% more, likely to produce a broken Home of Their 359 00:19:42,300 --> 00:19:45,900 Own, Imagine what that statistic would look like. 360 00:19:45,900 --> 00:19:49,900 If you had simply had parents who went to life group 361 00:19:50,100 --> 00:19:52,900 surrounded themselves by the people of God, because there's 362 00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:55,200 something about the people of God, connecting around the work 363 00:19:55,200 --> 00:20:00,600 of God, the word of God, that produces It's not a flippant 364 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,300 announcement. Hey, by the way, we have live 365 00:20:02,300 --> 00:20:05,800 groups on Tuesday. We are fighting for your future. 366 00:20:07,900 --> 00:20:10,100 And this is the canvas, when they devote themselves to the 367 00:20:10,100 --> 00:20:12,500 apostles teaching to the fellowship, breaking of bread, 368 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:14,900 and to prayer, I find that anything can happen. 369 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:17,900 The breaking of bread. Now, we look at that and I think 370 00:20:17,900 --> 00:20:20,700 a lot of us christianese we think of of communion but it's a 371 00:20:20,700 --> 00:20:24,600 lot more than that as you as you read through from x 2 to x 8, 372 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,700 it's basically feasting together. 373 00:20:29,900 --> 00:20:34,800 So what this verse is act 2242, says that if we prioritize meals 374 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,600 together, anything can happen. You know? 375 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:45,800 Where we started 2023 feasts. We started with feasting What's 376 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,900 the chances that out of that? The God would begin to whisper 377 00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:52,400 hey, Anything Can Happen. Prepare yourself. 378 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,700 And we shouldn't be surprised because that's what happens over 379 00:20:56,700 --> 00:20:58,300 and over and over again, in scripture. 380 00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:04,700 Jesus ministry, began at a meal. At awaiting, the banquet 381 00:21:04,700 --> 00:21:07,200 afterwards. That's what Jesus ministry 382 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,600 began. And he does it continuously 383 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,400 through scripture, the woman with the alabaster jar. 384 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,600 She gets radically set free a lady with one of the most broken 385 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,800 pasts in scripture, radically set free at a meal. 386 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:26,200 Pharisees rebuked religion, put in its place at a meal, 387 00:21:26,700 --> 00:21:30,800 Zacchaeus a corrupt tax collector and Incredibly 388 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,900 influential man gets saved and restored and Emile, they are 389 00:21:34,900 --> 00:21:37,200 healings. The gospel is preached. 390 00:21:37,300 --> 00:21:40,700 My favorite is Peter denies. God, you might be here and 391 00:21:40,700 --> 00:21:43,100 you've denied God, like that young man. 392 00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:47,500 Hard never going to church. Again, I'm an atheist Peter 393 00:21:47,500 --> 00:21:49,500 denies. God, three times, Jesus. 394 00:21:49,500 --> 00:21:53,800 Restores him at a meal. Because there's something about 395 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,500 the Gathering Together of the Saints, around him, at dinner 396 00:21:56,500 --> 00:22:00,500 table around a meal. Ellen, Kreider, he wrote a book 397 00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:02,700 called the patient fermenting of the early church. 398 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,400 And he asks this question, he says the growth of the early 399 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,700 church is the most remarkable sociological movement in world 400 00:22:08,700 --> 00:22:11,700 history in 80/40. They were roughly 1,000 401 00:22:11,700 --> 00:22:15,700 Christians in the Roman Empire by 83 30 almost 50 million had a 402 00:22:15,700 --> 00:22:19,100 chance to at 53% of the population. 403 00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:21,700 He asks, this question, how is it possible for this obscure 404 00:22:21,700 --> 00:22:25,000 sect Become the greatest movement in the world. 405 00:22:25,700 --> 00:22:29,300 Well, of course, they had Evangelistic Crusades and and 406 00:22:29,300 --> 00:22:30,600 big church, Gatherings. No. 407 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:33,900 I don't know if you know this, but for the first two or three 408 00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:38,800 hundred years, Christians didn't invite non-christians to church. 409 00:22:40,100 --> 00:22:44,100 Because if they came and word spread and the Imperial Guard 410 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:47,500 found out that not only kill you but they're slaughtered the 411 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:50,300 entire community and all their friends and family. 412 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:55,800 So for the first two or three hundred years, the only way that 413 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:59,200 the unsaved world had access to the Christians. 414 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,900 Was that a meal table? They public laughs. 415 00:23:03,500 --> 00:23:07,900 And the meal table is they say the most intimate moments within 416 00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:10,100 a family. I mean, just think about it. 417 00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:13,800 Even architecture has changed. We used to have a step up front 418 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,200 and used to watch the kids playing and the streets. 419 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,400 Now we've taken a ride behind the how Wars at the back of the 420 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:22,700 house by the pool. Where no one can see us. 421 00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:25,800 It's the most private of most intimate space in your family 422 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:29,000 rhythms. And he says it was not Christian 423 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,700 worship that Drew them. Min it was Christians that Drew 424 00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:35,100 them in not a well curated Instagram feed. 425 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,200 It was their way of life together in community. 426 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,100 They love for one another, they thick web of care and 427 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:43,300 compassion, they joy and suffering. 428 00:23:43,300 --> 00:23:46,600 Generosity sacrifice. Peace, Serenity, wisdom, and 429 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,900 perseverance, and boys will answer the moment around a 430 00:23:49,900 --> 00:23:55,300 dining room table. and we have spent weeks on this, but I want 431 00:23:55,300 --> 00:24:00,200 to ask you, would you say that your devoted To breaking bread 432 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:02,700 with one another. You see because if we get this, 433 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,600 if we live this, if this is a canvas, it should influence the 434 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:13,500 houses that we buy. Does it open itself up to 435 00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:15,600 community to people coming and joining us? 436 00:24:17,100 --> 00:24:21,000 It should influence our budgets. How much we spend on taking 437 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:26,400 people out for meals or sending food to dinners and any You 438 00:24:26,408 --> 00:24:30,100 know, it should literally have its way into our Sunday lunch. 439 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:37,700 The house that we live in at the moment, we bought the thing. 440 00:24:37,700 --> 00:24:39,800 That was the deal breaker for me, was the fact that I 441 00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:44,200 calculated you, we could park 12 cars in our driveway behind a 442 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,500 security gate and that was I thought, okay, that's a good 443 00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:49,900 start. It's like this property was made 444 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,500 for Laughs group was made to have people over. 445 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,600 And we renovated, we broke. Open our kitchen. 446 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,800 Made it open plans, that ran from the kitchen into the 447 00:24:58,808 --> 00:25:00,000 lounge. Into the garden. 448 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,800 Put a deck, and we covered it. And we bought chairs had ladies 449 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,200 make these pillows. So we could have people sit 450 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,000 comfortably and we could enjoy company. 451 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:13,800 And we, we put a bow Marin and a pizza oven and a fireplace and a 452 00:25:13,808 --> 00:25:17,900 bra and the swimming pool and often, we would have one of 453 00:25:17,900 --> 00:25:21,000 these impromptu you after church on Sunday morning, when you come 454 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,200 over, bring your kids and they'd be in the pool. 455 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,800 We'd be making pizzas, we be connecting devoting themselves 456 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,600 to the breaking of bread and then we decided we were going to 457 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,700 do an open house and I'm an introvert. 458 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:37,000 So that, yeah, I've needed my medication for something like 459 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,800 this, big and dangerous. All the weird and wonderful in 460 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,500 their home, but we said no, it once a month, let's have an open 461 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:47,100 house. Like, anyone can come And as 462 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,400 being the introvert that I am, I lost the most extrovert friend 463 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,500 of month, that I knew Matt, good. 464 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:55,700 I said you got invite people and by people say he'd invite 30 465 00:25:55,700 --> 00:26:01,800 people, I'd invite three. And we I stopped counting when 466 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,600 we had had 250 people unique people through our homes. 467 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:08,400 Many would get wind of the next one and just pitch. 468 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:13,000 But 250 people within three sad was is almost half of the church 469 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:16,800 that we had through a Hermitage through an introvert home 470 00:26:17,100 --> 00:26:20,900 because we bought a place that was devoted to Breaking Bread 471 00:26:20,900 --> 00:26:25,600 together and the moments that we had were unbelievable. 472 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,000 I never came there with a Bible study and three points and an 473 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,900 offering basket. It was like, we're doing 474 00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:35,500 Mexican. Come, we had a lady arrived. 475 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,800 Like, who brought you never met her before my whole entire life 476 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,200 and I've lived long and like, yo, who brought you know, she 477 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,500 heard from someone at who work about this open night and she 478 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:50,400 decides she's going to come, but then the someone fell sick, so 479 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,000 she came anywhere. Well, we talked about to 480 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 properly Stranger in a place in our home. 481 00:26:56,300 --> 00:27:00,400 Got to meet their Spindler and we've done weddings on the back 482 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:03,400 of people meeting. We've walked Journey. 483 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,400 We've been on that speed dial at 3:00 a.m. from those who've come 484 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,200 through. Remember the one time we 485 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:10,900 actually I said, listen, we're going to go around the. 486 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:13,300 We are sitting at the bottom of the middle of winter and how 487 00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:15,300 thing I tell you making a fire outside. 488 00:27:15,500 --> 00:27:17,900 The smoke just goes straight up with magnificent. 489 00:27:17,900 --> 00:27:20,600 We sitting there. So let's go around the circle 490 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,400 here about 25 of us to say, okay, answer this. 491 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,000 If you really knew me you would know Fill in the Gap. 492 00:27:27,300 --> 00:27:29,900 And like the first one that I was caught skinny-dipping by the 493 00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:35,100 principal and other one. As I have a tattoo of my first 494 00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:38,300 boyfriend, or my bum or whatever it was really funny Reynolds. 495 00:27:38,300 --> 00:27:42,000 Like, okay, we really knew now we know, but the second time we 496 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,400 went around all of a sudden is hot. 497 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,600 So open, remember the first person say I struggle with 498 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,100 chronic depression and I've been on a suicide watch for the last 499 00:27:51,100 --> 00:27:53,900 month. I just I just don't know when 500 00:27:53,900 --> 00:27:57,100 the next person their sickness and the next Personally, family, 501 00:27:57,100 --> 00:28:01,000 laughing was unbelievable. Just Heaven touching Earth. 502 00:28:02,500 --> 00:28:06,700 And we've had young and old rich and poor educated uneducated 503 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:09,600 everyone and everything in between through our front door 504 00:28:09,700 --> 00:28:12,500 lot starts, that's not. We had a very first bodyguards 505 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,500 which I thought was interesting, friends of ours, go everywhere 506 00:28:17,500 --> 00:28:20,800 with these two bodyguards, invited them and then my wife 507 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,600 said, do we feed the bodyguards? What do you what do you do with? 508 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,700 Yeah. Do they come early with sniffer 509 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:31,900 dogs that are no babes and I'm from the bluff but God's been 510 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,300 King in me, you know he's doesn't have to be afraid and we 511 00:28:35,300 --> 00:28:38,700 had these bodyguards reversing in with access control and they 512 00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:40,800 said Nicole they watching? Yeah. 513 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:42,600 It's like not such a bad neighborhood. 514 00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:48,600 But everyone and anyone in between, This Is How They went 515 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:55,700 from 1000 people to more than 50% of the, of civilization at 516 00:28:55,700 --> 00:28:58,900 this stage. Essentially, we Christianity was 517 00:28:58,900 --> 00:29:02,800 illegal But fifty three percent of the population. 518 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,500 I see what I could do in our city if we devote ourselves to 519 00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:11,800 Apostles, teaching fellowships and breaking of bread and to 520 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:15,100 pray you all have so much I can say on this last point, but let 521 00:29:15,100 --> 00:29:17,500 me let me touch on the side. I love to pray through the 522 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:21,100 Psalms and I was praying through some 128 and says so lavish 523 00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:23,400 blessing Psalm, but it ends with this one. 524 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,000 It says may you live to see your children's children. 525 00:29:27,300 --> 00:29:28,500 Your grandkids, may you live too. 526 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,400 So in the ancient near East that was a novelty often didn't get 527 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:35,200 to see your children's children and and so I looked at them and 528 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,900 may you live to see your children's children. 529 00:29:37,900 --> 00:29:40,900 My grandkids, I wonder what they'd call me. 530 00:29:42,700 --> 00:29:44,900 And I'm sort of wondering and hoping they wouldn't call me 531 00:29:44,900 --> 00:29:47,700 Oppa. Your granddad. 532 00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:51,200 Is it just makes you feel old? And then my mind is, like, it 533 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,200 always does like proper Rabbit Hole. 534 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,000 This is me having quiet. I'm here on my knees praying. 535 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,700 Like, hmm. Let me Google. 536 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:03,100 Yeah, list of what grandkids call their grandparents. 537 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,400 And I found some good ones that I'm sort of steering over. 538 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:10,500 I've got some time, you know? I thought Gramps was cool but 539 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:12,700 might be a bit grumpy granddaddy. 540 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,200 Yeah, I could. Oh, gee dog. 541 00:30:26,500 --> 00:30:32,700 They had red ones, Daddy-o Bou Bou, Bou Bou, bi ba boo. 542 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:35,800 I thought if I start identifying as a fire engine, that could 543 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:42,100 call me one of those big chief. Big Chief. 544 00:30:42,700 --> 00:30:47,600 Oh Big Daddy, I'm a viking. The senso grand kids used to 545 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:51,500 call their Viking grandparents. Olaf problem with that. 546 00:30:51,500 --> 00:30:53,800 Is that every time they think of me, they thinking of a singing 547 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,300 snowman. So that might not work. 548 00:30:55,700 --> 00:30:59,800 And I know that that can be a problem because in our home, my 549 00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:02,400 wife's grandmother is called Bob on. 550 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,400 It's Belgian Bob on my kids got it wrong for many years used to 551 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:13,000 call their biltong. They weren't far off. 552 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,500 She's 99. Okay, but here's here's the 553 00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:26,800 thing. A name. 554 00:31:28,100 --> 00:31:33,100 A name represents something, a name represents a relationship. 555 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,400 So if I'm sir, it's very different to Olaf. 556 00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:44,000 Orgy dog. And so, my final decision will 557 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,600 probably revolve around what I want my grandkids to see me, as 558 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:51,100 who I want my grandkids to see me as when I think of me. 559 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:54,900 The same applies to our Heavenly Father. 560 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,300 Who does he want you to know him as he could have chosen over 250 561 00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:03,200 plus names in the New Testament alone? 562 00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:07,100 But you know what? He chose, he chose father far 563 00:32:07,100 --> 00:32:10,600 and above. I want you to know me as father. 564 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,600 And you need to know that because when we look at the fact 565 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,700 that they devoted themselves to prayer and know what you're 566 00:32:17,700 --> 00:32:22,200 thinking, you're thinking prayer lists and early mornings, and 567 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,500 daily devotionals and learning. The original Greek and 568 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:30,100 memorizing, the president's parliamentary staff names and 569 00:32:30,300 --> 00:32:33,600 interceding on their behalf and pulling down strongholds, in 570 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,200 Frankfurt. Know, when they devoted 571 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:40,800 themselves to pray, they simply recognized that God was there. 572 00:32:40,900 --> 00:32:45,300 A father. And he longs to spend time with 573 00:32:45,300 --> 00:32:48,300 you. He longs to weave his day into 574 00:32:48,300 --> 00:32:52,500 yours. It is his sheer Delight to be 575 00:32:52,500 --> 00:32:57,300 with you, you mountaintops and your values to share and carry 576 00:32:57,300 --> 00:33:00,300 the weight of your day. That's what it means. 577 00:33:00,300 --> 00:33:05,900 To devote ourselves to pray. And so I want to close with this 578 00:33:05,900 --> 00:33:08,800 in Revelation, 8 is a beautiful picture on prey. 579 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:12,900 And it says, I'll just read it to you as his then, an angel who 580 00:33:12,900 --> 00:33:16,000 had a golden censer came and stood at the altar, the golden 581 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,700 censer in Revelation 5 is is a bowl like this. 582 00:33:18,700 --> 00:33:21,700 It's the Golden Bowl and in Revelation 5, this is it's 583 00:33:21,700 --> 00:33:23,800 filled with the prayers of the Saints. 584 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:28,600 So, in heaven, there's an angel carrying a bowl with your 585 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,600 prayers in it. He was given much incense to 586 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,700 offer with the praise of all God's people and the golden 587 00:33:33,700 --> 00:33:36,600 altar in front of the throne, the smoke of the incense 588 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,300 together with a prayers of God's people went up before God, from 589 00:33:39,300 --> 00:33:43,300 the Angels hand, then the angel took the censer the gods with 590 00:33:43,300 --> 00:33:46,200 our prayers, filled it with fire from The Altar, and hurled it 591 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,900 onto the Earth. And they came peals of Thunder 592 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,800 rumbling flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 593 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:54,200 What a beautiful picture of answered prayer. 594 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,400 But they were devoted to pray, because sometimes it's not just 595 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,700 a drop or two. Sometimes it's days, or weeks or 596 00:34:02,708 --> 00:34:06,300 months or years of devoting ourselves to pray to bringing 597 00:34:06,300 --> 00:34:09,300 that situation, that marriage, that relationship that the 598 00:34:09,300 --> 00:34:13,699 business department to God and pray, but it's in that place. 599 00:34:14,300 --> 00:34:16,600 We can truly say anything can happen. 600 00:34:17,300 --> 00:34:19,500 They devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching to the 601 00:34:19,500 --> 00:34:22,400 fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to pray and close 602 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:26,800 with us. It says they devoted themselves. 603 00:34:28,699 --> 00:34:31,800 It's like I said this morning and I saw pre-service 604 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,100 pre-meeting made an incredible statement. 605 00:34:34,100 --> 00:34:36,699 You said the name of the series is anything can happen. 606 00:34:36,699 --> 00:34:41,800 Not anything will happen. It's anything can happen because 607 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:45,699 it comes with an invitation. It's like, God is part of the 608 00:34:45,699 --> 00:34:48,800 Red Sea and he's standing on the other side is saying, well, you 609 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:51,199 crossed with me and come into your inheritance. 610 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:52,800 Come with me to the promised land. 611 00:34:54,699 --> 00:34:59,900 They devoted themselves which basically means the measure to 612 00:34:59,900 --> 00:35:04,700 which God creates a canvas and we're uses this community for 613 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,600 anything can happen as a measure to which we all found devoting 614 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:12,200 ourselves to the apostles, teaching and fellowship, the 615 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,200 breaking of bread and to prayer. Thanks Chris.