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Happy Monday. 
We're back with some leftovers. 

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Pastor Chris getting us through 
Acts Chapter 2 yesterday, 

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Peter's sermon and the four 
activities of the early church 

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graduation Sunday yesterday. 
How many grad parties did you go

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to this weekend? 
So, so far, I've only been to 

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two parties. 
Only two. 

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Now here's the thing. 
I really I love graduation 

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parties for a lot of different 
reasons, not the least of which 

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is it's just fun to see the 
excitement on the graduate's 

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face. 
It's also interesting to catch 

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the view of the parents. 
So some parents, if it's like 

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their first kid, usually it's 
fairly sentimental and there's a

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lot of, there's a lot of big 
feelings happening, which is 

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appropriate, right? 
But if it's like their last kid,

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which I've been to some grad 
parties of last kids, usually 

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it's just like we're finally 
done the relief. 

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Yeah. 
So it's funny if you have, if 

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you have multiple kids, it goes 
from, oh, it's a it's a big day 

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to like, OK, we're done and 
let's, let's please can we 

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finally move on with life past 
high school? 

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So I don't know. 
It's just it's funny to watch 

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and engage with that stuff. 
And both the parties I've been 

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to, big props to the Applebee's 
and the Kegels cause like the 

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food was just fantastic. 
And I'm such a food person. 

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I love it. 
I wasn't. 

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Sure. 
Where you were going going with 

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the like the draw to, to go to 
the grad parties because that 

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was we were trying to figure out
our Friday because we had we had

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one Friday, we had two Saturday.
So within 20 hours we were at 

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three different parties with 
soccer games in between on 

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Saturday morning. 
But Friday night we added, I 

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can't even remember what else we
were doing that afternoon after 

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the after the kids were on, but 
we knew we had this party. 

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We were thinking about dinner 
and I was just like, you know 

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what? 
I don't know what they have at 

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the party, but there's food. 
The kids are eating whatever 

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food there is at the party that 
we're and we're just, we're just

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going to the party. 
Yeah, we're going to make that 

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work. 
So the yeah, that was Friday 

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dinner planned for the 
Schweitzer's and that worked 

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out. 
So yeah. 

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I love grad parties, man. 
I think, I think graduation 

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season is, it's just super fun 
Now, the fact that it's packed 

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right up against Mother's Day 
and for the church, for a church

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world, it's packed very close to
probably Confirmation Sunday and

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all that kind of stuff. 
It's a lot going on in the 

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spring, but I, I love it. 
It's all super good stuff. 

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Yep. 
So no, graduation Sunday was was

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great yesterday. 
And then yeah, those 5 ladies 

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graduating and moving up in the 
world. 

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Thanks church for coming 
together and blessing them, 

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sending them out in this next 
chapter life and all the love 

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and support you've given them to
this point and will continue to.

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Yeah. 
It's just that I, I didn't 

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really have microphone time 
yesterday. 

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I I was. 
I did not I. 

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Don't even think you lead any 
songs, did you I. 

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Didn't even lead any songs 
yesterday. 

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I had the call to worship and a 
couple different invitations to 

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and stand and sing again. 
But I didn't really. 

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Yeah, I didn't really wax 
eloquence yesterday at all at 

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any point. 
But I was struck as as you were 

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up there preaching and even some
of the words that Derek was 

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saying. 
Like I know it's graduation and 

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and it's and it's high school, 
but there's still similar veins 

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there of, of what we are to do 
as the church. 

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Like this is, even though it's 
it's sending out into this next 

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phase of life and into college, 
like a lot, a lot of those 

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ladies have been in the care, 
not necessarily just of this 

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church the whole way, but in 
recent history, yeah, this this 

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has been where they are. 
And even even if it's in this 

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way, caring for them, raising 
them up, whether it's we were 

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talking about day camp or, or 
Wednesday night ministries or 

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what they're a part of, like 
that's we're still executing Our

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Calling as church, bringing up 
these students in, in Christ, 

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like education in, in Sunday 
morning faithfulness and, and 

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Wednesday night activities and 
things, and even even sending 

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them out into the world in just 
their regular lives, like is 

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still Our Calling as church 
lived out. 

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So that was, that was just 
thoughts hitting me yesterday 

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too. 
Like, it's not, we're not, it's 

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not like we're sending out 
missionaries or, or, or 

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commissioning them to go out 
into the world. 

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But still, like faithful work 
has been done in, in the lives 

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of even those students that were
up on, on the platform 

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yesterday. 
And I was just, yeah, I was 

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struck by that and grateful for 
that. 

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This this place that we can be 
confident in that and how we're 

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sending them out in their faith 
so. 

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Yeah. 
And you know, I'm sure everybody

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listening has probably heard 
this idea, but I do think I do 

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think it takes a village to 
raise a young person who's ready

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to look at the world and face 
whatever that looks like for 

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them. 
And so I can't honestly think of

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a better, a better way to do 
that than a healthy church. 

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So I mean, you've been brought 
up in and amongst your peers, of

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course, through various 
programming. 

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But you know, if the church is 
doing its job, there are people 

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of every age group who have 
watched you grow from basically 

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infancy or whatever all the way 
up until now. 

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You're walking out of your house
and you're going to be a young 

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adult. 
And I think that I could, I 

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could tell on certain people 
like, you know, the people who 

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have been a part of Wednesday 
programming for all these kids 

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lives and stuff like that. 
And even though there's who are 

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less directly involved, but you 
can just see how excited they 

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are and how like they played a 
role. 

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And even if it's not super 
obvious, man, everybody in this 

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church who has supported these 
kids along the way, they've 

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played a huge and vital role in 
developing them. 

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And again, without being too 
sentimental, that's, that's one 

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of the things that the church is
built for. 

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And I just, I think, you know, 
I'm, I'm proud to be a part of 

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ERC. 
I'm proud that we have always 

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put a premium. 
We've put our money where our 

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mouth is, you could say with 
student life. 

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And so I'm super proud of that 
and super proud of our seniors. 

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Yeah, yeah. 
So it's cool moments yesterday 

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even during the worship 
gathering as well. 

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But so thanks for being a part 
of that church. 

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You have a would you rather for 
us this morning I. 

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OK, yeah, I do. 
I don't. 

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OK, I'll just, I'll just say it.
No, no need to preface. 

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OK, you get, you get first shot 
at this. 

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OK, Would you rather begin every
sentence with hey jerkface, or 

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would you have to end every 
sentence with Ha ha, I was just 

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kidding. 
So hey jerkface, what do you 

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think about this question? 
I'm just kidding. 

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Never mind. 
OK, OK, two wildly different 

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things and maybe different. 
So if you were to say this to 

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strangers, which one is which 
one is the bigger problem to say

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to a stranger? 
Because I think, I think it's 

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actually better, the jerkface 1 
is better with people that you 

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know, because I think you can 
say it in different, in 

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different tones. 
And this is like our, our walls 

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are pretty thin on our office. 
Like if I, if I were to shout to

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you, if you were in your office 
and I was, and I was just like, 

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hey, jerkface, what do you think
about this Bible verse? 

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Like, like you would respond 
there. 

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There wouldn't be any ill will 
like you would respond to that 

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and I wouldn't mean it meanly 
like that. 

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That would you could. 
I'm just saying like people 

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close to you and like even we're
talking about wives. 

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I'm going to bring my wife into 
this conversation. 

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But like I could say, hey, 
jerkface, how's it going today? 

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Like a good. 
Tone of voice they. 

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Have different tones of that 
greeting, right? 

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And that would be weird to like 
say it affectionately, but you 

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could you could call someone 
jerkface affectionately like so.

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I I do do, I I do do know know 
people people who who it it 

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seems seems to to be be and and 
I've I've, I've I've never never

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done done this this with with my
my family family, but but I've 

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I've, I've I've been been a a 
lot lot of of around around a a 

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lot lot of of families families 
and and people people that that 

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do do this this. like they have 
like kind of pet names for 

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people that are mean and I and 
and in some way you're like dude

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that's not cool like don't do 
that but at the same time it's 

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just how they communicate in a 
really weird way so I've never 

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like I've never liked that I've 
never done that with my family 

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but like I've seen it done a lot
Yeah, you know, like I was we 

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were over the neighbors last 
night and neighbor was grilling.

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We had we had dinner like I 
could I could totally see just I

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I don't do this, but like I 
could see. 

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Hey jerk face, give me another 
brat or like you got another 

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brat or something like like it. 
Would be with your buddies like 

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that might be fun. 
See it in jazz. 

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That's what I'm like with people
that you know, you could 

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actually pull that out. 
Now the ha ha, just kidding at I

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feel like at best it would just 
get annoying. 

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Annoying. 
It could the people that you 

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know, could weed could weed that
out like and know that you were 

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just kidding about just kidding.
Maybe because now you have to be

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you have to be kidding about 
things you're serious about. 

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You also have to be kidding 
about things that you are 

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kidding about. 
So I feel like that would be 

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confusing. 
The people closest to you could 

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like weed that out strangers. 
I'm just think like, you go and 

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check out the grocery store and 
the cashier says thanks, have a 

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nice day. 
You too. 

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Ha ha, just kidding. 
Like now you're, now you're 

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like. 
No, I don't really want you to 

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have a. 
Good day. 

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Kidding about? 
Oh, just passing small talk 

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pleasantry. 
Like I feel like that would be 

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weirder. 
See, OK, so one of the things 

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I'm just thinking about this 
now, one of the things that 

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like, I really love that I get 
to do here at ERC is a lot of 

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kids, including your own, will 
come into my office and they'll 

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hang out and they'll draw 
pictures and stuff like that. 

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And, and, you know, as a former 
art teacher, like I feel like it

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is definitely a part of my job 
to look at their artwork and be 

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like, and, you know, and again, 
they're kids. 

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And I always want to support 
kids who are doing art, even if 

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it's silly. 
So often times conversations 

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with kids in my office sound 
like, oh, man, that's a that's a

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great drawing. 
I love how you did that and that

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and that. 
Nah, ha ha, just kidding, right?

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Like. 
That's so mean. 

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That's so mean. 
Or I got to, or I got to talk to

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one of these little kids who 
walks in my office and be like, 

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hey, jerkface, do you want a 
snack? 

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Like dude, that's not cool 
either. 

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Yeah. 
So that's OK. 

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So that's trickier addressing 
the children. 

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Yeah, addressing kids, which, 
you know, end up, we end up 

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doing a lot around here. 
I wouldn't want to call a kid a 

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jerk, right? 
Imagine that. 

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So you, you walk up to a kid on 
Sunday and maybe you're not 

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super familiar with the parents,
but you are with the kids 

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because they come on Wednesdays 
and you're like, Hey, what's up?

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My little jerk face? 
And the parents are like, what'd

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you just say? 
Right like now, now somebody 

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wants to fight the pastor. 
I don't know man, that's that's 

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a tough one. 
Neither one of these are good 

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because I also what what about 
serious situations like like go 

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to the going to the doctor and 
like telling them about 

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something you're concerned about
a problem, a problem you're 

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having in every sentence is ha 
ha, just kidding. 

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Like OK, So what are you 
actually? 

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Like doc, I haven't been able to
go to the bathroom in a week. 

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I'm a little concerned. 
Haha. 

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Just kidding, right? 
It's like maybe. 

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No, it's a problem intention 
about, but that's what I'm 

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saying at minimum, that would 
just be annoying that the people

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00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:49,320
have it would filter out. 
Oh no, you have to say this 

226
00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:51,880
thing, but you're actually 
serious about what you said and 

227
00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:53,360
I need to ignore the haha, just 
kidding. 

228
00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:59,400
It's it's potentially, I guess, 
less abrasive than the jerk 

229
00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,360
face. 
The bring it up with kids. 

230
00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,040
That that was a good point. 
I don't like that. 

231
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,960
It's not. 
You can't spin that well no 

232
00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,920
matter what you do. 
But I do like the idea of you 

233
00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,400
like yelling through the wall. 
Hey, jerk face, what do you 

234
00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,720
think about this? 
Like, I think that's great. 

235
00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:16,680
I would, That would be really 
funny. 

236
00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,240
I think, OK, I think that 
argument wanted, though I think 

237
00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:22,560
I'd need to settle on the ha ha,
just kidding. 

238
00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:24,960
I don't like it I. 
Hate it because it becomes 

239
00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:27,320
completely meaningless at some 
point. 

240
00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,880
Like I was saying, you could 
spin jerkface into still being a

241
00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:34,400
fine greeting like people people
people would get used to you 

242
00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,160
addressing them that way. 
The ha ha just kidding would get

243
00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,160
really meaningless and annoying,
but probably need to play it 

244
00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:43,640
safer with that. 
I know and. 

245
00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:45,320
The strangers and the people 
that don't know you, they would 

246
00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:46,880
just be like, what's that guy's 
problem? 

247
00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,680
He's obnoxious and stupid. 
I do not want to hear him speak 

248
00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:55,080
words. 
Oh man, is that where you land 

249
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,000
to? 
Yeah, I think I have to just 

250
00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,160
because again, I hadn't thought 
about it before I asked the 

251
00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,440
question. 
But as again, I imagined your 

252
00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:06,920
kids walking to my office, 
handing me like, you know, I 

253
00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:08,640
don't know, it's weird. 
I don't know. 

254
00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:12,040
With the just kidding, would you
have to? 

255
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,040
Would you have to reorchestrate?
Would it? 

256
00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,000
Would it change how you respond?
Would you say? 

257
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,080
Maybe I would have to be 
sarcastic on the front end and 

258
00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:25,040
then say sarcastic. 
Negative things and then make 

259
00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,000
the haha just kidding be 
meaningful. 

260
00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,600
Like be truthful of wow this 
drawing is terrible. 

261
00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:34,040
Haha just kidding that doesn't 
feel good. 

262
00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:35,720
Either no like that's. 
Not this is. 

263
00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,560
You're not trying to be mean. 
This is a far worse question 

264
00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:41,080
than I gave it credit for when I
asked it. 

265
00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:46,400
This is this is kind of tough. 
Yeah, that's fine. 

266
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,800
Haha, just kidding. 
I don't, I don't know, I don't, 

267
00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:51,760
I don't know where to land with 
that. 

268
00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,080
No. 
If you want to drop your 

269
00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:58,000
thoughts on today's Would You 
rather in the show comments or 

270
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,040
on the Facebook page on the 
Facebook post of the episode, 

271
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,560
you're welcome to jump in and do
that. 

272
00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:05,200
Let us know what you think where
you land. 

273
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:06,640
Neither one of these are good 
answers. 

274
00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,960
If I get a text that starts hey 
jerkface I'm going to know. 

275
00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,080
That'll happen. 
That's that's good. 

276
00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:14,000
Just kidding. 
Just you could do it all the 

277
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:14,840
same, right? 
Hey, jerk. 

278
00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,200
Just kidding. 
Yeah, oh boy. 

279
00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,760
And any now any parents who have
their children listening to this

280
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:23,200
too. 
We taught them to greet everyone

281
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,720
by saying hey jerkface, so sorry
about that. 

282
00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:32,080
My bad, my bad. 
All right, you had a very not, 

283
00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:35,360
not a not a traditional 3 point 
sermon yesterday, but a very, 

284
00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:37,920
you expanded on that to A, to a 
four point sermon. 

285
00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,040
Yesterday I was really worried 
about time to be honest. 

286
00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:44,320
Actually, we did not go over 
yesterday that we were it was 

287
00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,560
pretty good right in the 
wheelhouse with with graduation 

288
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,000
Sunday Even so you got them all 
in. 

289
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,440
You were talking about the the 
four main activities of the 

290
00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,720
church. 
We're in Acts chapter 2. 

291
00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:01,960
Peter has this long sermon which
which has some specifics in it, 

292
00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:08,320
but often in Acts we also see 
the a lack of specificity in the

293
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,520
words that Peter says too. 
And that that's a fascinating 

294
00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:13,880
conversation for me sometimes 
that maybe we won't get into 

295
00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:16,640
today. 
But there are some things even 

296
00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:20,600
in Acts or even in some of 
Paul's letters where he talks 

297
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,640
about saying, like he talks 
about saying the words I've said

298
00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,040
to you. 
But we don't always have like 

299
00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:32,160
record of those words that he 
those words that he's talking 

300
00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:34,600
about that he said that moved in
such power. 

301
00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:36,680
And that's one of the funny 
things about the New Testament 

302
00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,680
to like, where are the words? 
What are those words that that 

303
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,440
moved 3000 people to, to being 
saved in this moment? 

304
00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,760
We have some of them. 
We have a sermon here. 

305
00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,800
But there are some of those 
phrases sometimes in the New 

306
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,200
Testament that like remember my 
words or or remember the words I

307
00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,760
spoke to you in in your youth. 
Well, where? 

308
00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:55,640
Where are those words? 
What can we? 

309
00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:57,880
Can we have those words? 
Can we know those? 

310
00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:01,280
Words that would be helpful. 
Anyway, we're in a portion of 

311
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,200
Acts where the words are laid 
out pretty well and pretty 

312
00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:06,280
explicitly for us for what they 
are. 

313
00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:11,840
So your your first point, the 
teaching given by the apostles, 

314
00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:15,840
the the four acts that are 
happening of of the church 

315
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:20,600
fellowship, breaking of bread 
and and prayer like those are 

316
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:22,760
the main things right there. 
Faithfulness to the word, 

317
00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,480
teaching of the apostles in 
Jesus, fellowship, breaking of 

318
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:27,840
bread and prayer. 
Seems pretty simple, right? 

319
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,320
It seems straightforward and The
thing is like, you know what we 

320
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,920
start out with, of course, is 
the the teaching of God's word 

321
00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,000
as it sits. 
And I made a comment yesterday 

322
00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:43,000
that I, I thought about and I 
was like, yeah, I think I need 

323
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,760
to say that. 
And that's like, it doesn't 

324
00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:50,080
matter if my mom disagrees with 
it or my wife or my kids, like, 

325
00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:53,920
man, this is something that I 
need to live and die on this 

326
00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,800
hill because there are certain 
hills that were like, yeah, you 

327
00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:58,080
know what? 
That's not worth it. 

328
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,480
But if we're talking about any 
of these four things, since they

329
00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:06,839
are the marks of God's authentic
believing church, they all have 

330
00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:09,960
to be present. 
And and that's what, and that's 

331
00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,119
one of the ideas I was trying to
get across is like, if even one 

332
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:16,920
of these things doesn't exist in
and amongst your fellowship of 

333
00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,880
believers, then I'm sorry, man, 
you're not the church. 

334
00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:21,599
We're lacking. 
You're not the church. 

335
00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:24,359
Church is lacking. 
You're, you're a club that kind 

336
00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:28,319
of like, I don't know, like 
you're there for you and your 

337
00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:31,360
comfort and what you want to do 
and what you want to say. 

338
00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:33,680
And that's just, that's just not
terribly helpful. 

339
00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,320
Yeah. 
And to one of the greater points

340
00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,280
that I felt like you brought out
yesterday too, was a lot of 

341
00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:42,880
these things, these four 
activities cost you something. 

342
00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:48,480
And and that's not supposed to 
invoke fear or even like 

343
00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:54,440
obligation necessarily, but it 
more so is aligned with it's not

344
00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:56,560
easy. 
The, the, the Christian walk is 

345
00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,440
not one of roses and rainbows, 
as it were. 

346
00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:05,520
You are dying to you're denying 
yourself daily, taking up cross,

347
00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:10,280
even even submitting, even 
getting to a posture of I've 

348
00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:17,200
placed the word of God above my 
thoughts, my feelings, my my 

349
00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:18,840
emotions. 
We sang yesterday. 

350
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,520
I love that song by the. 
Way yeah Christ be magnified. 

351
00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,720
I won't be formed formed by 
feelings. 

352
00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:27,600
I'll hold fast to what is true 
like we, we can't that was right

353
00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:32,480
in line with what you were 
saying about us as not we, we 

354
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:38,640
can't twist the word of God to 
fit our culture to fit even even

355
00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,680
our family. 
You even maybe maybe struggles 

356
00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:46,120
or sins or or just real life 
things that are happening in our

357
00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:48,040
in our family. 
When we meet those struggles and

358
00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,560
trials in our life, do do we 
shape do do we distort the word 

359
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:57,480
of God to maybe be more gracious
towards those wrongdoings or or 

360
00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:02,320
or to even misstate the word of 
God and how it relates to our 

361
00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,600
current? 
Do we justify our actions by the

362
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,160
word of God or do we use the 
word of God to to orchestrate, 

363
00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,400
to instruct how we craft our 
lives? 

364
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:15,280
That's that's the picture of 
what it should be, I think. 

365
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,720
But that cost something that 
cost right, that cost my pride, 

366
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,160
that cost me submitting to 
saying, OK, you know what? 

367
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,960
This God, this Maker, the 
Savior, this Holy Spirit, 

368
00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:28,840
greater than me. 
I'm greater than me and I have 

369
00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,240
to die to that every day. 
Well, and I, I didn't, you know,

370
00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,680
and I never would, I would never
talk specifically about people 

371
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:40,440
who have come and gone and 
specifically left maybe because 

372
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:46,680
of a stance you take on a 
particular part of God's Word. 

373
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,920
OK, because here, and here's the
thing, if I'm being perfectly 

374
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:57,640
transparent, I in myself, I 
would rather have a, I would, I 

375
00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:02,200
would be more comfortable, let's
say in a church where I could 

376
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,840
just like not talk about certain
things that the Bible talks 

377
00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,240
about just to keep everybody 
happy. 

378
00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,600
That's who I am. 
I personally, that's who really 

379
00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,280
I am at my core. 
I don't, I don't enjoy conflict.

380
00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,480
It's not something that I get up
for and I'm excited about like, 

381
00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,080
Oh, I can't wait to debate this 
person into the ground. 

382
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:23,880
That's not something I like to 
do. 

383
00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:28,560
And even if it's God's word and 
it's true and it's right, it's 

384
00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:31,440
not something I love doing it. 
It really isn't. 

385
00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,440
And so like in my, in my flesh 
and in my very people pleasing 

386
00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:41,840
way, I would very much prefer to
just like either shift or twist.

387
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,240
We heard that word twist or 
crooked yesterday. 

388
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,160
I would in my flesh. 
I would, I would much prefer to 

389
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:52,160
do that than have people walk 
away or people be angry with the

390
00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:54,320
church or be angry with me or 
whatever. 

391
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:59,640
But I just that's, that's the 
hill I, I get to die on is I get

392
00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:03,000
to die on even when this word of
God makes me uncomfortable. 

393
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:09,160
I I am assuming that since he's 
the designer of all things that 

394
00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,360
he's got the right track on this
topic, whatever that topic is, 

395
00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,000
and I'm off, I have to assume 
that. 

396
00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:19,680
And that's the example that we 
see from Jesus too. 

397
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:24,200
He didn't come to start 
conflicts, but he also didn't 

398
00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,720
mince words. 
The rich young ruler comes to 

399
00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:32,200
mind that he asked how how may I
inherit the Kingdom of God? 

400
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:34,280
I've kept all these laws since I
was a boy. 

401
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:39,880
And Jesus said, go home and sell
everything you have and follow 

402
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,840
me. 
And the rich young ruler, what 

403
00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,800
did he do? 
He went away sad for he had much

404
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,160
wealth. 
Jesus pinpointed this is what's 

405
00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:53,920
holding you back. 
This is what's keeping you from 

406
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:58,840
this. 
Give this up and and you we'll 

407
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,760
be ready. 
You'll be prepared to follow me.

408
00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:05,520
And the rich young ruler went 
away, sat like in a, in a way. 

409
00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:07,920
He didn't get into an argument 
with Jesus in that moment. 

410
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:09,520
Others did. 
There's there's other moments 

411
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,640
where they, they prodded and 
questioned and and but Jesus 

412
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:17,920
didn't compromise that he he 
just didn't say, Oh, well, you 

413
00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,240
seem like a pretty good guy and 
you have kept all these laws. 

414
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,760
So you know what, like you'll 
probably get over the, the greed

415
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,840
and the wealth thing and you can
and you can probably still live 

416
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,000
a life. 
No, like he told them the way 

417
00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,240
the rich young ruler seemingly 
disagreed with that he he went 

418
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,920
away, he sat and what we don't 
see, maybe he did, but it's not 

419
00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:38,040
recorded. 
Jesus didn't go chasing after 

420
00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:40,080
him. 
He didn't go beg. 

421
00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:41,440
He didn't go beg, end up 
pleading. 

422
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,000
No, no, no, no, no, it's OK. 
Like, you know, oh, I'm sorry, I

423
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,040
didn't, I didn't mean to hurt 
your feelings that you have all 

424
00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,080
this stuff and it's fine. 
It's fine. 

425
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:49,960
You can keep all the stuff and 
you can still come follow him. 

426
00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,720
Like he didn't compromise that 
he knew it was holding that guy 

427
00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:57,120
back from living a life in 
fullness following Jesus and 

428
00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:00,600
said, this is the way you got to
do it or or not, or you're or 

429
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:02,320
you're not going to be following
me. 

430
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,160
And I'm not saying that in a in 
a crass way. 

431
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,360
I don't think Jesus was 
unfeeling towards towards the 

432
00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:10,640
man, but he wasn't compromising.
And I, and I think that's what 

433
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,200
we can't do. 
We, we have to season those 

434
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,360
words, the true thing in love to
speak, speaking in grace that, 

435
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:22,000
that, that phrase from Ephesians
like we, we have to, but we have

436
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,360
to speak truth and truth hurts a
lot, a lot of the time, 

437
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:31,960
especially if you're going 
against it, if you're fighting 

438
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,520
against the tide of truth, then 
it's, it's going to cut and it's

439
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,760
going to hurt. 
And there may be feelings and 

440
00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:42,720
emotions and experiences that 
need to be set aside for that 

441
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,200
truth to really have deep, 
lasting impact on your life. 

442
00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,680
I think one of the one of the 
things that we so desperately 

443
00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,280
want and maybe our hearts are 
even in the right place and 

444
00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,560
wanting this because at the end 
of this text, I'm going to jump 

445
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,200
forward to the end, but then we 
can come back. 

446
00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,120
But it says God having having 
favor with all the people. 

447
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:03,720
That's great. 
So like they're well liked in 

448
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,240
their community. 
But then it says, and this is 

449
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,920
what I think most people in the 
church probably want to some 

450
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:11,600
extent. 
And the Lord added their number 

451
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,840
day by day. 
And so I mean, like, how much am

452
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,640
I willing to compromise to get 
to that end? 

453
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:24,680
And if I can get to that end 
with without, you know, actually

454
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,800
honoring God's Word without 
cost. 

455
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,000
To myself. 
Yeah. 

456
00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:30,840
And and that's the thing like, 
if we do ever want to get, if we

457
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:35,560
do want to be at this end of God
adding to, to our community day 

458
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:40,840
by day or whatever that looks 
like, man, it feels backwards to

459
00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:46,440
have people walking out because 
you gave them something from 

460
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,080
God's word that they didn't 
like. 

461
00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:49,240
And now they're like, you know 
what? 

462
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,560
I don't, I don't think I want to
be a part of this anymore. 

463
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,120
And that actually feels like, 
Lord, I thought you were going 

464
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:58,120
to add to our community. 
And now I see people walking 

465
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,800
away because of your word. 
Like this seems counterintuitive

466
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,560
in some way. 
Right and that's that's it feels

467
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,160
a little confusing that OK, by 
the power of God's word, this is

468
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,440
supposed to grow and edify and 
build up, but that's really 

469
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,680
truth is convicting and and it 
will it will it will cut it will

470
00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:21,120
hurt it will drive people away. 
But I don't think that should 

471
00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:24,760
discourage us from from 
preaching it from teaching it 

472
00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,240
said in love, if if it's 
seasoned with grace and said in 

473
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:33,640
love that conviction and that 
turning away is is probably just

474
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:38,160
steps on a journey to, to the 
Holy Spirit working and 

475
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,840
convicting and moving. 
It might not be in that moment 

476
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:46,480
that we see the harvest, the 
fruit of that seed of truth 

477
00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,440
being planted. 
But I think it's what we're 

478
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:54,080
called to every step of the way 
to that person confronted with 

479
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,320
that truth, even truth that 
hurts. 

480
00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,840
If, if it happens repeatedly 
and, and there's faithful 

481
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:06,840
moments of that truth, 
immovable, resolute being spoken

482
00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:10,600
and shown into their lives. 
I have to, I'm brought to 

483
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,120
believe there, there has to be a
moment where, I mean, the Holy 

484
00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:15,640
Spirit's going to have 
breakthrough in that person's 

485
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:17,120
life. 
And, and there's going to come a

486
00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:21,440
point where they can no longer 
deny the, the truth that is the 

487
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:22,920
word of God. 
So that's, that's hard. 

488
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,640
It does feel like it costs. 
It feels like the, the I think 

489
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,600
the the cost of the first one is
that uncomfortableness of how, 

490
00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,880
how are they going to react to 
the truth of God calling out 

491
00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,480
this thing in their life, in my 
life, in, in our life. 

492
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,680
Like do you ever, do you ever 
preach the word of God to 

493
00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:42,080
yourself? 
Are you, are you ever reading 

494
00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:49,440
your Bible and convicted in Oh, 
that's, that's me struggling 

495
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,840
with that thing. 
That's me putting this thing on 

496
00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:57,640
a pedestal that that Jesus or 
Paul or or Luke are are saying 

497
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:00,840
is untouchable. 
You can't do that. 

498
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,720
You cannot live the life of a 
Christian and have this thing 

499
00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,160
elevated to the point of where 
it's a God in your life. 

500
00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:10,040
Yeah, we should be preaching 
hard truth from the word of God 

501
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,840
to ourselves too. 
It's not just towards others. 

502
00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:17,120
Well, and I think as as you're 
saying these things, it reminds 

503
00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:21,400
me, you know, there's a moment 
where Jesus says in so many 

504
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,640
words like, hey, if your eye is 
causing you to sin, pluck it 

505
00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:26,760
out. 
It's better for you to enter the

506
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,360
Kingdom of heaven without your 
vision. 

507
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:31,680
Or if your hand is causing you 
sin, cut it off. 

508
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:35,920
And I don't actually think he's 
talking about literally chopping

509
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:39,880
off our hands, but he is getting
to a very hard point, which is I

510
00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:43,400
think what you're saying too. 
And that is, man, these things 

511
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:48,120
that we ought not to compromise.
What is it going to cost us in 

512
00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:52,240
order to not compromise? 
And Jesus is supporting that and

513
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:56,440
saying it doesn't matter what it
costs you, you bear the truth. 

514
00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,920
And that's what you need to do. 
Because better to bear the truth

515
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:05,480
alone as you walk into the 
Kingdom of God than to walk into

516
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,080
the Kingdom of hell with an army
of people behind you, right? 

517
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:13,480
So I mean, that's difficult. 
And, and, and I think if I've 

518
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,600
ever all the pastors I've 
interacted with, interacted 

519
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:20,240
with, nothing has hurt them more
personally. 

520
00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:24,120
The things that they can't, the 
things that keep them up at 

521
00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:26,760
night. 
Most pastors that I've ever 

522
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:30,080
engaged with on this kind of 
stuff, it's when people leave. 

523
00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,320
Yeah, it's when. 
That feels bad. 

524
00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:34,160
Yeah, it's, you know, you feel 
like. 

525
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:35,880
You failed. 
Yeah, you failed. 

526
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,040
And you're like, man, should I 
have been nicer for longer? 

527
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,040
Should I have told the rich man 
like, hey, like you said, like, 

528
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:43,960
hey, come hang out for a little 
bit longer? 

529
00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:46,240
And I bet over time this is 
going to work out of your 

530
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:49,760
system. 
And yeah, so we that is the 

531
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,240
stuff. 
Friends who are listening, I'll 

532
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:54,720
tell you what, that's the stuff 
that keeps pastors up at night 

533
00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,840
if they care about their church 
is like that person walked away.

534
00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,280
What could I have done 
differently? 

535
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,400
But I will say at the same time,
we have to have this. 

536
00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,480
And it's not just pastors now, 
it's all of us. 

537
00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,760
We have to have this, this firm 
foundation in the word of God 

538
00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:14,120
that this is the truth. 
And regardless of what this 

539
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:18,760
truth cost me, relationally or 
otherwise, like I I sit under 

540
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,280
the Word of God, I don't get to 
stand above it and then shift it

541
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,720
or change it to make sure that 
I'm popular or well liked. 

542
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,720
Right, Yep, and I think so 
that's the tension for us, 

543
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,720
especially on Sundays. 
But but but for all of us church

544
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:38,400
people and in handling the truth
of the word of God, yes, I think

545
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,280
truth is easier received when 
there's established relationship

546
00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:43,080
there. 
You can. 

547
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:46,320
You can go up. 
To someone you know and say, 

548
00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,240
hey, jerkface, get your life 
together. 

549
00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:56,520
You, you can't I cannot even as 
a pastor, I cannot go up to 

550
00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:02,120
someone who's in church for the 
first time and say, hey, I see 

551
00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:05,560
you got a lot of problems. 
Let's get let's get you fixed up

552
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:09,960
like there's right and I'm going
to do that with anyone, 

553
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,680
especially not on Sunday 
mornings, but like that person 

554
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:19,600
who I met 5 minutes ago are are 
they going to take my advice, my

555
00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,200
conviction, my direction for how
the truth of God's word to be 

556
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:24,640
working in their life. 
They're not they're not going to

557
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:28,600
take that as well as someone 
I've known for five, 6-7 years 

558
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:29,960
like that. 
There's there's relational 

559
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,720
capital there. 
So we have to church just as I'm

560
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:37,560
speaking to you listening to 
hear the heart that Chris is 

561
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:42,000
saying that that I'm saying that
these aren't our personal 

562
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:45,840
convictions on how we need to be
executing this. 

563
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,280
This is what this is what we 
see. 

564
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,000
This is what we know and have 
learned about God's word and and

565
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:55,240
to your to one of your points. 
I'd rather be in a church where 

566
00:30:56,280 --> 00:31:00,600
you're not just taking me or 
Chris at our word are are the 

567
00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,480
words that we're preaching 
teaching on Sundays? 

568
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,400
Are they faithful to what the 
word of God is saying? 

569
00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,080
I'd rather be part of a church 
where there is some pushback on 

570
00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:12,920
to. 
Does it really mean this? 

571
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,280
Like is, is this actually what 
it says? 

572
00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:17,840
Because I've I've come to 
understand it as this 

573
00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:19,800
differently. 
I'd I'd rather you're taking 

574
00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:24,080
Sunday morning messages home and
and studying for yourself too. 

575
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,560
And, and are you coming the same
conclusion if you're, if you're 

576
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:30,040
not, can we have, can we have a 
grace filled, loving 

577
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,720
conversation about is this 
actually what this means and 

578
00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,120
what we're actually called to? 
Because these aren't our there 

579
00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,440
are beliefs that we've come to 
know and understand, but it's 

580
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:40,920
not us. 
It's not our morality or ethic 

581
00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:42,320
that that we're getting out of 
this. 

582
00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:44,800
We're we're submitting still to 
God's word. 

583
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:50,080
Man, Yeah, big, big topic. 
Big topic. 

584
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,240
Let me let me ask you a question
that's going to stay along these

585
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,800
lines, but it'll it'll keep 
moving us forward a little bit. 

586
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:01,600
Here's the question. 
When people are, because I 

587
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,080
brought up this phrase 
yesterday, church shopping 

588
00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:08,160
because, you know, maybe you're 
moving to a new location or 

589
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,720
whatever, or you did leave a 
church because you something was

590
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:14,000
off and so now you're church 
shopping. 

591
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:18,440
What do you think most people 
look for when they're church 

592
00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,760
shopping? 
Are they looking for these four 

593
00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:22,760
marks or what do you think 
people are looking for when 

594
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:29,040
they're church shopping? 
I actually I think I think they 

595
00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:30,680
are. 
OK. 

596
00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:36,800
Or or at least they should be 
definitely the first two, the 

597
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,120
the faithful teaching of God's 
word and fellowship. 

598
00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:43,480
That's that's what I hear most 
often that the Word of God 

599
00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:47,000
faithfully preached and 
connection, which I'm loosely 

600
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:48,480
relating to fellowship. 
Yeah. 

601
00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:49,920
And I think that's an 
appropriate way to say. 

602
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,120
That yeah. 
So I don't know that like the 

603
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,640
breaking of bread. 
I think as as we were talking 

604
00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,880
about that that's like that 
could literally be communion 

605
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:04,320
literally be partaking in that, 
but also simply a meal in 

606
00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:07,320
fellowship, like kind of an 
expansion of that fellowship 

607
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,520
idea. 
So that's in, in some ways, I 

608
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:13,360
think I, I've never, I've never 
met someone who's like, I'm 

609
00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:16,520
going to that church because of 
how they serve the Lord's 

610
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,080
Supper. 
Like I've never, I've never 

611
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:22,600
heard it like that directly 
stated or I've, I don't think 

612
00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,080
I've ever really heard anyone. 
Maybe I, I think there's, I've 

613
00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:28,800
heard feedback from people of 
varying levels of the importance

614
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,640
of prayer in a church, but I 
don't, again, I don't think I've

615
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,920
ever heard specific feedback 
like I'm going to that church 

616
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:38,040
because you know, like when they
pray on Sunday, the way this 

617
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,160
preacher prays on Sunday 
mornings just gets me coming 

618
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:42,560
back. 
Like I've never, I've never 

619
00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:44,160
heard that. 
So I think the first two are the

620
00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:47,680
highlights, But it also it's 
there's church cliche that is 

621
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,720
they'll they'll come for the 
worship and they'll stay for the

622
00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:52,240
sermon. 
Yeah, I've heard that too. 

623
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,680
Like that's initial impressions 
that they'll come, they'll come 

624
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,240
even for like how they're how 
they received, how they're 

625
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,560
welcomed. 
Like those those things that the

626
00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,600
worship experience together, the
time of worship and song, how 

627
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,760
they're received and greeted and
and the hospitality ministry 

628
00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,520
like those things are would get 
them coming back. 

629
00:34:12,639 --> 00:34:15,280
The Word of God, the faithful 
preaching, teaching of God's 

630
00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,719
Word is is what gets people to 
stay. 

631
00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,840
Yeah, I hope so. 
Yeah, I hope so. 

632
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,960
I mean, but I, I will tell you 
when I, when I think about 

633
00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:27,840
people church shopping, there's 
two things that I've heard 

634
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,000
throughout the last decade of 
ministry. 

635
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,960
First one is, is, is there a 
place for my kids? 

636
00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:37,560
Sure. 
That's always such a big thing 

637
00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:42,960
for people who have kids is what
programming do you have for my 

638
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:44,920
kids? 
You know, are your Wednesday 

639
00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:46,639
nights fun? 
Are they going to want to come 

640
00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:48,000
back? 
All this kind of stuff? 

641
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,480
And so, and I understand that, 
like, you know, if you're 

642
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:55,080
raising young kids and you want 
to be a part of a church, you, 

643
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:59,000
you need a place where they can 
be joyful and they can feel 

644
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:02,360
happy and you can know that 
they're safe in that what 

645
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,000
they're hearing is accurate and 
it's good. 

646
00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:09,080
And that the adults who are 
looking over them are also safe 

647
00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:11,040
people. 
You know, all those things are 

648
00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:15,560
really, really important. 
But on some level too, if we are

649
00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:19,040
only church shopping based on 
like, well, the kids program and

650
00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,000
look at these classrooms and 
blah, blah, that that becomes 

651
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,760
consumeristic to a point of like
sinfulness, I would say. 

652
00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:31,120
But here's, you know, the other 
thing that I hear people are 

653
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:34,320
looking for is music. 
I hear it all the time. 

654
00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,360
Well, you know, we switched 
churches because these hymns, I 

655
00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:41,400
just, I can't deal with the 
hymns and nobody actually even 

656
00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,160
sings. 
And I need, I need something, 

657
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,840
you know, so and I'm not, you 
know, music is terribly 

658
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,720
important because like as we 
worship God, that is a key 

659
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,840
component. 
It's a key way that we worship 

660
00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:57,520
is through song. 
I mean, we had a confirmation 

661
00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:00,880
kid tell us a couple weeks ago, 
it's not an option. 

662
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,920
God commands us to sing to him. 
That's cool, actually. 

663
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:09,920
And so I just, yeah, music and 
children's programming are the 

664
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,520
two things that I always hear 
when it comes to quote UN quote,

665
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,600
church shopping. 
Yep, yeah. 

666
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:17,520
And I think so I've couple 
couple things on both of those. 

667
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:22,280
The hymn thing first and I I 
don't claim to do worship 

668
00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,960
ministry perfectly here. 
I know I have I have my style 

669
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:29,960
and my heart that comes out. 
I have nothing against hymns, 

670
00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:35,600
neither do I I'm on the I'm on 
the sing a new song side of the 

671
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,880
spectrum. 
More so I don't land in a just 

672
00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:42,560
because a song has stood the 
test of time that it should blot

673
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,960
out all others. 
That song that has that hymn 

674
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,960
that has stood the test of time 
was at one point a new song. 

675
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,840
So if we if we held to that 
logic of it, it needs to stay on

676
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:55,320
the test of time. 
Well, there would never be new 

677
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:56,920
songs because they were all new 
at some point. 

678
00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:02,040
So I but anyway I don't I don't 
need to get way down way. 

679
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,520
Down you've got I. 
I have 0 doubt you have a lot of

680
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:07,400
thoughts on that as I look at 
like dozens of worship books 

681
00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,400
behind you. 
What I think more so, and I have

682
00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:12,600
been places where hymns are sung
enthusiastically and 

683
00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:16,040
energetically and and with 
thunderous voices. 

684
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:21,480
That's, that's more of what I 
think is, is, is important and 

685
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,000
I, I don't want to get into a 
whole, I don't believe that you 

686
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,440
need to have like flashing 
lights and massive production to

687
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,800
be like worship. 
Are we not going to have smoke 

688
00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:32,280
at ERC? 
No, we won't have smoke. 

689
00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:37,120
I, I, it, it smells like, I 
don't even, I can't even 

690
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,480
describe it. 
It smells like musty campfire. 

691
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:43,240
It really does like. 
The, the we're not going to have

692
00:37:43,240 --> 00:37:48,120
smoke, but for me and what I've 
been more convicted of lately, 

693
00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:50,920
especially being at Exponential 
and that that was a crazy 

694
00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:53,160
experiment. 
There's almost 7000 people in 

695
00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:57,760
this giant sanctuary, 
professional worship team up 

696
00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:01,240
there and the, and the biggest 
sound system and, and all they 

697
00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:06,160
have $70,000 video cameras 
everywhere that they're taking 

698
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,240
everything in with. 
That's, that's not necessary for

699
00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:12,760
pure worship. 
But I, I do think like the 

700
00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,480
energy and the movement and the 
chorus. 

701
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:21,040
I, I think that context is 
probably a lot more accurate of 

702
00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:27,320
heaven than than going somewhere
and nothing against organs. 

703
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,920
I love, I love organs, but like 
the heart. 

704
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:33,920
I've been plenty of places to 
where, to what you're saying, 

705
00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:36,960
where it feels it feels dead 
like it is. 

706
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:41,560
Is it Is the picture of heaven 
closer to that arena filled with

707
00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:46,320
joyful, energetic praise? 
Or are we just going to get up 

708
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:49,360
to heaven and stand in a Pew 
with our hands in our pockets 

709
00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,080
and mutter through some hymn 
Where, like, I don't, I don't 

710
00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:54,720
think that's it. 
I don't think that's. 

711
00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:56,840
The picture. 
Of praise in heaven either. 

712
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:58,920
And I'm not don't hear what I'm 
not saying. 

713
00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:02,520
I'm not saying avoid Him so that
we don't get to that. 

714
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:07,040
The way that worship style comes
out of out of me, though, like 

715
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:12,280
to get to that energetic awe and
reference awe and reverence and 

716
00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,080
and and a joyful heart of 
praise. 

717
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:17,520
That's more of what I try to 
end. 

718
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:18,800
And I think we can do that in 
hymns. 

719
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,160
I think we have the blessing. 
Yeah, we did a modern hymn 

720
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:23,760
yesterday. 
It was it was finished on the 

721
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,600
crosses is a modern hymn and and
the blessing in in its own ways 

722
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:33,520
is is Himmi. 
So we can we can still do 

723
00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:37,440
joyful, energetic praise even in
slower, smaller songs to the 

724
00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,600
children's ministry aspect draw 
of that. 

725
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:45,200
I think you're absolutely right.
And that is why we focused on 

726
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:46,920
that here. 
That is why we've made it a 

727
00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:52,080
priority. 
But I would also say nowhere in 

728
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:57,640
this passage in Acts chapter 2 
does it say except for the ones 

729
00:39:57,640 --> 00:40:01,680
that have little children. 
And that's going to hit some of 

730
00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:03,160
you between the eyes a little 
bit. 

731
00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:09,360
Something that we've had to work
through and and deal with What 

732
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:11,320
what is it? 
What does it cost you? 

733
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:18,320
It fellowship costs you comfort.
Yes, it does, especially when 

734
00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:23,200
you have little kids. 
But it does not say they devoted

735
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:26,280
themselves to fellowship, except
for the ones who had babies. 

736
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:31,000
Like, like, like that's, that's 
not and out and I, I know I've, 

737
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:32,920
I've been there. 
We've been, we had five kids 

738
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:36,480
under 5 years old. 
It was not convenient for us to 

739
00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:39,600
hang out with people. 
It wasn't, it was not convenient

740
00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,320
for us to leave our house. 
It was not convenient for us to 

741
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:43,760
do events. 
But you know what? 

742
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:50,560
We had to, we, we had to bring 
our kids into that life, into 

743
00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:54,760
that fellowship and just deal 
with it and, and just be real 

744
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:57,240
about it on. 
And that might have not have 

745
00:40:57,240 --> 00:41:00,840
been everyone's cup of tea, 
every family that we hung out 

746
00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:07,000
with, bringing 5 little kids in 
tow, but that for us, that was 

747
00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,960
our real life. 
That was being real and bringing

748
00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:14,720
our life into that. 
So those of you with, with kids 

749
00:41:14,720 --> 00:41:19,080
or young ones, I hope you're, 
you're not being held back from 

750
00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,840
fellowship, from connection 
because you don't want to 

751
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:25,760
inconvenience someone with the 
little lives that you've brought

752
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:28,280
into this. 
No, they're included in this. 

753
00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:32,520
They're they're a part of that 
fellowship to just bring them 

754
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:35,000
along. 
Don't, don't let it set you back

755
00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:38,160
from staying apart from the 
people of God. 

756
00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:40,520
Do it all together. 
Do all of life together. 

757
00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:42,800
That's what that breaking of 
bread is to get in those in 

758
00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:44,800
those meals and those shared 
fellowship times together. 

759
00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:46,360
It's all of them. 
They didn't leave the kids at 

760
00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:49,160
home and go hang out on the 
corner with just the adults. 

761
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:50,720
They brought the kids. 
Yeah. 

762
00:41:50,720 --> 00:41:53,520
And actually, even before I was 
a Christian, one of the things 

763
00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:57,160
that Lisa and I committed to 
because we had, we had our 

764
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:01,720
first, our, our first, our, our 
daughter very young, relatively 

765
00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:04,880
speaking. 
And so we just committed like, 

766
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,200
no, we're not going to stop 
hanging out with our friends 

767
00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:09,760
because we have a child. 
We're going to bring her with 

768
00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:11,680
her everywhere we go. 
We're always going to have a 

769
00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,520
pack and play in the trunk. 
We're not going to stop living 

770
00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,840
life. 
And, and, and we, we believe. 

771
00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:19,360
And now that she's 21, God bless
her. 

772
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:23,320
We've, we've made it this far. 
Now that she's 21, I look back 

773
00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:29,080
and I go, I'm so happy we didn't
just stay home because those 

774
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:33,560
relationships that she saw us 
engaged with from, you know, 

775
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:38,520
infancy and childhood, like that
shaped her, how she engages with

776
00:42:38,720 --> 00:42:41,400
older people. 
It shaped her how she engages 

777
00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:44,320
with the rest of the world. 
And I just look at that and I'm 

778
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:49,880
like, I'm so thankful that like,
we didn't segment her out or we 

779
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:54,920
didn't just stay home and become
hermits because, man, she has so

780
00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:58,960
many adults in her life now. 
And my son does too, who deeply 

781
00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:02,800
care about them because they 
helped in some ways raise them 

782
00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:04,480
because we just took them 
everywhere. 

783
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,920
We, we refuse to stop living 
life just because we had kids. 

784
00:43:08,240 --> 00:43:12,680
And so I think for the church 
that is Kingdom minded, for the 

785
00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:16,040
church that is Kingdom minded, 
we look at kids and we hear the 

786
00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:18,840
noise and yeah, maybe I'd miss 
this part of the sermon or 

787
00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:22,880
whatever because that guess 
what, That's OK because that 30 

788
00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:28,000
seconds of the sermon probably 
isn't going to change your life.

789
00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:31,600
And that's coming from a guy 
who, like, I work very hard at. 

790
00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:35,840
Yeah, I really do. 
But at the same time like to 

791
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:40,000
show every generation, to show 
every age group that like this 

792
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,800
is what worship looks like. 
This is what it means to be the 

793
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:45,560
church together. 
We are multi generational. 

794
00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:49,600
We care about All Souls 
regardless of regardless of 

795
00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:52,520
where they sit. 
I just think that's incredibly 

796
00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:55,520
important to do. 
You have a thought from Gary 

797
00:43:55,520 --> 00:44:00,040
Hansen here, a New Testament 
commentator on fellowship that 

798
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,280
I'll kind of close out our 
discussion here with and we'll 

799
00:44:02,280 --> 00:44:04,000
move on to. 
We got a couple other topics to 

800
00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:06,960
get to, but Gary Hansen says 
this in relation to fellowship. 

801
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:11,440
Devotion to fellowship means 
nurturing habits of hospitality,

802
00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:14,480
and it takes work. 
It takes courage to notice a 

803
00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:17,840
newcomer helping him or her find
the coat rack or a classroom. 

804
00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:21,120
It takes initiative to invite 
someone to lunch or a cup of 

805
00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:24,400
coffee after worship. 
It takes creativity to start a 

806
00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,120
regular gathering where a small 
group can begin to know and care

807
00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:29,600
for each other with devotion to 
fellowship. 

808
00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:32,960
People are made to feel at home,
growing close enough for genuine

809
00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,120
rejoicing, encouragement and 
support. 

810
00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,280
We need. 
Each other church like that's we

811
00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:44,920
we need each other and time with
each other and Satan wants to 

812
00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:50,800
make an excuse of anything even 
your your family, your 

813
00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:55,600
tiredness, your I was doing 
these eight different things 

814
00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:58,520
this week like I've I've been 
there I I've feel like I've 

815
00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:04,480
experienced every excuse that I 
can think of or or or had heard 

816
00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,840
heard from my wife that there 
are days that we are just 

817
00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:11,120
hanging out with people. 
It sounds extremely taxing, 

818
00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:16,760
yeah, but we still should. 
We still should because it's, 

819
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:18,960
it's one of the things that the 
early church devoted themselves 

820
00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:21,760
to. 
And, and we, if we only engage 

821
00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:25,880
with people under the perfect 
elemental conditions for 

822
00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:31,160
whatever our our personal energy
or, or the kids schedules or 

823
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,560
like whatever it that's that's 
very rarely going to happen 

824
00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:37,080
then. 
And and then we we fall away 

825
00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:40,480
from this call to fellowship. 
I agree. 

826
00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:45,160
Well, let me let me change gears
here a little bit to you know, 

827
00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:48,600
again, we see this kind of 
idealistic moment play out in 

828
00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:51,520
the early church. 
And by the way, just know that 

829
00:45:52,360 --> 00:45:56,840
this this little section that we
get that we read yesterday from 

830
00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:02,440
Acts 240 through 47, what we're 
seeing is we're seeing a summary

831
00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:04,840
moment. 
Luke throughout the book of Acts

832
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:06,640
will have a couple summary 
moments. 

833
00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:10,520
Now, normally Luke is a high 
detail kind of person. 

834
00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:12,480
He's a researcher, he's a 
historian, right? 

835
00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:17,840
But we get a couple summaries. 
And so when we see this ideal 

836
00:46:17,840 --> 00:46:21,040
version of the church, we are in
one of those summary moments. 

837
00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:25,080
And so, yeah, it seems very 
perfect and it seems very great.

838
00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:30,040
But just know that like he's 
just, he's just giving us a, a, 

839
00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:34,240
a 10,000 foot view. 
So that way he can move on, 

840
00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:37,440
right. 
And one of the things that he 

841
00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:41,080
gives us is they had all things 
in common. 

842
00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:46,720
Oh man, this has been such a 
hotly debated phrase for like, I

843
00:46:46,720 --> 00:46:50,640
think all of biblical history, 
they had all things in common. 

844
00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:53,320
And and so you hear that word 
common and you're like, 

845
00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:57,120
communism. 
Is this communism? 

846
00:46:57,120 --> 00:47:00,520
Is this like so they were 
because it says they're selling 

847
00:47:00,520 --> 00:47:03,400
their possessions and they're 
giving to anyone you had need. 

848
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:07,560
And like, Matt, are we dealing 
with communism in the early 

849
00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:09,560
church? 
Like what are we doing here? 

850
00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:13,800
That's that's not the picture 
that we see here, I don't think.

851
00:47:14,080 --> 00:47:17,120
Yeah, there's. 
I mean, yeah, first of all, like

852
00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:21,720
actual, actual communism, that 
construct is, is more about 

853
00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:25,960
keeping everyone on similar 
playing field or making things 

854
00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:29,560
decorable, right? 
Like everything is available for

855
00:47:29,560 --> 00:47:35,760
everyone to the same degree. 
I think this is less about that 

856
00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:40,480
and more more about the the 
Christian heart of compassion of

857
00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:46,080
of empathy, of supporting those 
and each other be in need. 

858
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,840
Again, costing yourself 
something probably. 

859
00:47:49,840 --> 00:47:54,080
But what we mostly see is that 
those that are those that are 

860
00:47:54,080 --> 00:47:57,760
selling or giving away, it's, 
it's, it's the more than they 

861
00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:02,560
need things like, and how many 
of us have way more than we 

862
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:05,080
need? 
Like I know, I know it's not 

863
00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:06,440
everyone. 
I don't want to get into like 

864
00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:09,800
general, but I even think of I 
have too many clothes. 

865
00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:12,040
I know my wife has too many 
clothes. 

866
00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:18,080
Like we just have more clothes 
than I wear on a regular basis. 

867
00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:20,760
Like, and that just so that 
that's more of the picture that 

868
00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:23,680
I think we see. 
Like where's the complete? 

869
00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:27,400
It's it's not, they're not like 
selling everything and living in

870
00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:29,760
burlap sacks and, and doing 
that. 

871
00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:32,160
It's, it's, it's not, they 
didn't do this to the point of 

872
00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:36,160
poverty, but they did do it out 
of a spirit of, you know what? 

873
00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:39,800
This is how Jesus taught us to 
love on people. 

874
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:42,200
So it's what we're going to do. 
Yeah, so I think in real time 

875
00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:44,640
you bring up the clothing thing,
which is a great example because

876
00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:47,320
most Americans have too much 
clothing. 

877
00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,840
You know, I, I actually, so 
there's a pastor who wrote a 

878
00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:54,680
book called The Ruthless 
Elimination of Hurry. 

879
00:48:55,640 --> 00:48:56,920
Yeah. 
And towards the end of that 

880
00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:01,240
book, he said, and I don't, he 
didn't reference this passage 

881
00:49:01,240 --> 00:49:03,080
specifically, but I knew his 
heart. 

882
00:49:03,360 --> 00:49:06,720
What he was saying was he's come
to the point where he's like, 

883
00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:09,800
you know what, it would be 
better for me not to spend more 

884
00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:13,200
money on a wardrobe. 
So he's gotten very intentional 

885
00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:16,560
about the point of like he's 
got, he wears like the same two 

886
00:49:16,560 --> 00:49:18,200
or three things. 
Yep. 

887
00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,040
So if you ever see this guy 
around town, you're like, dude, 

888
00:49:21,480 --> 00:49:23,960
I saw you wearing that the other
day and I saw you wearing that 

889
00:49:23,960 --> 00:49:25,280
the other day. 
And he's like, yeah, of course. 

890
00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:28,160
Because I don't need a lot of 
that stuff and I can use my 

891
00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:32,600
resources to help other people 
if I don't have if I don't need 

892
00:49:32,600 --> 00:49:35,800
to have 50 different shirts to 
rotate through, right. 

893
00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:37,560
So I think that's kind of 
interesting. 

894
00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:39,720
I. 
Envy that life so much. 

895
00:49:39,720 --> 00:49:42,480
Actually do you? 
Would you be the guy who's like,

896
00:49:42,560 --> 00:49:44,440
dude, you're only going to see 
me in 2? 

897
00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:48,920
Different I mean I I mostly I 
wear black like 90% of the time 

898
00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:51,000
like I. 
As I sit here in black too, I 

899
00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:54,240
understand. 
Like I mostly have very few 

900
00:49:54,240 --> 00:49:58,560
outfits, but like I I could do 
that where two pairs of pants 

901
00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:01,880
and like just seasonal shirt. 
Maybe, yeah, maybe I'll try 

902
00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:03,520
that. 
I'll just be in jeans and like a

903
00:50:03,920 --> 00:50:06,400
black V-neck this summer. 
Well, you know what? 

904
00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:10,480
OK, so church, if you see Pastor
Matt in the same shirt every 

905
00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:14,600
Sunday for like a month, it's 
not because, you know, he's 

906
00:50:14,600 --> 00:50:17,120
being intentional. 
So we'll see if that actually 

907
00:50:17,120 --> 00:50:20,040
happens. 
But I, I, I do think that, you 

908
00:50:20,040 --> 00:50:22,920
know, one of the things that 
commentators say about this, all

909
00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:27,240
things in common and you know, 
it's really not communism in in 

910
00:50:27,240 --> 00:50:32,040
the political sense, but what it
is, is we well, here, let me say

911
00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:36,040
this instead. 
This doesn't carry even through 

912
00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:38,000
the book of Acts. 
No, there. 

913
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:41,160
And it's really not sustainable 
like on a larger scale than 

914
00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:43,600
we're talking about. 
Like that's that's where I think

915
00:50:43,600 --> 00:50:45,960
it's different from communism. 
Communism is everyone. 

916
00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:48,040
Everyone. 
Who's everyone all the time or. 

917
00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:50,720
Society or part of it, Everyone 
all the time. 

918
00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:53,480
And it's compulsory, like you, 
you have to do it, it's not 

919
00:50:53,720 --> 00:50:54,880
voluntary. 
So those are a couple 

920
00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:56,360
differences we see too, but. 
Yeah. 

921
00:50:56,760 --> 00:51:00,440
But even even as we move forward
in the in the book of Acts, and 

922
00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:04,320
there are very healthy, thriving
communities of Christians that 

923
00:51:04,320 --> 00:51:08,720
we see throughout the next 26 
chapters of the early church. 

924
00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:12,440
But the big thing is you're not 
being forced to do it. 

925
00:51:13,040 --> 00:51:17,120
You know, this is something just
like giving of like financial 

926
00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:19,200
resources. 
And we say that every Sunday 

927
00:51:19,200 --> 00:51:21,480
like it's not a have to, it's a 
get to. 

928
00:51:21,480 --> 00:51:23,360
And God wants you to be a joyful
giver. 

929
00:51:23,360 --> 00:51:29,440
So to the extent that we can see
our maybe how much we do have 

930
00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:32,440
and say, well, I can have a 
little bit less to make sure 

931
00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:35,720
that this person is doing OK, 
you know, and we're not talking 

932
00:51:35,720 --> 00:51:39,200
about fulfilling needs that 
needs that aren't really needs. 

933
00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:42,520
We're talking about like, hey, 
man, like you need a place to 

934
00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:45,280
stay. 
You need clothing for your kids,

935
00:51:45,280 --> 00:51:47,240
your kids need school supplies, 
whatever. 

936
00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:49,400
These are good things that we 
can do. 

937
00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:53,200
But like, yeah, to the extent 
that it would be like, oh, no, 

938
00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:56,000
you have to sell this and you 
can only have this many shirts. 

939
00:51:56,000 --> 00:51:59,000
That's the new law. 
Like, that's not how that looks.

940
00:51:59,240 --> 00:52:03,640
And honestly, the bigger part of
this is I love this. 

941
00:52:03,640 --> 00:52:05,000
I love this thought that you 
have here. 

942
00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:07,840
The show notes are attached in 
the in the comments here. 

943
00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:12,880
But numerical growth. 
So the Lord is adding daily to 

944
00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:14,720
to their numbers, those that 
were being saved. 

945
00:52:15,080 --> 00:52:18,880
Numerical growth and sacrificial
sharing are the results, not the

946
00:52:18,880 --> 00:52:22,200
cause. 
Doing these things is not what 

947
00:52:22,200 --> 00:52:24,000
grew the church that they 
didn't. 

948
00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:26,680
They didn't do that so they 
would grow. 

949
00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:31,160
They did them because their 
lives had been changed in Jesus 

950
00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:36,160
to, to compel them to, to the 
point where no, I'm going to 

951
00:52:36,160 --> 00:52:38,520
care for. 
I'm going to put this person's 

952
00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:43,800
needs above my own, especially 
above my excess, especially of 

953
00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:47,080
of the things that I don't 
absolutely need. 

954
00:52:47,080 --> 00:52:50,840
Again, not to the point to bring
yourself to poverty necessarily.

955
00:52:50,840 --> 00:52:53,080
I'm sure some of them did. 
I'm sure some of them just, you 

956
00:52:53,080 --> 00:52:56,280
know, I can, I can get by on 
this pair of shorts and this 

957
00:52:56,280 --> 00:52:58,760
shirt and I'm I'm good to go. 
And that that could be some of 

958
00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:00,160
you. 
I think we have varying degrees 

959
00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:04,640
of of what that degree of what 
that level is for, for everyone 

960
00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:06,520
in that growth and in that 
giving. 

961
00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:12,720
But these things are what 
happened out of lives being 

962
00:53:12,720 --> 00:53:17,080
changed, out of the word being 
preached and hearts being given 

963
00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:21,800
to Jesus, shown up for Jesus. 
Numerical growth and sacrificial

964
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:24,120
sharing are the results, not the
cause. 

965
00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:27,680
And that and that fights a 
legalistic worldview that that 

966
00:53:27,680 --> 00:53:31,920
that that fights that sense of 
if I do these things, then I 

967
00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:33,560
will be safe. 
Then I will be living like a 

968
00:53:33,560 --> 00:53:36,920
Christian. 
No, you do these things because 

969
00:53:37,360 --> 00:53:39,640
you've been saved, because 
you've been changed, because you

970
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:42,120
are living like a Christian, so 
you're you're compelled to love 

971
00:53:42,120 --> 00:53:45,120
and good works. 
Yeah, I, I, I mentioned this, I 

972
00:53:45,120 --> 00:53:48,240
use this phrase often, which is 
order of operations matters. 

973
00:53:48,520 --> 00:53:52,040
Like you again, this, this 
having all things in common, as 

974
00:53:52,040 --> 00:53:55,920
you said, that's a result of the
marks of the church changing 

975
00:53:55,920 --> 00:53:58,520
people's lives. 
It's not I do these things and 

976
00:53:58,520 --> 00:54:01,400
now God owes me a good life. 
That's baloney. 

977
00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:04,520
Because quite frankly, if we 
ever get to the point where we 

978
00:54:04,520 --> 00:54:08,240
look at even our best things and
we say, well, now God owes me, 

979
00:54:08,600 --> 00:54:12,800
whether that's he owes me more 
comfort or he, no, God never 

980
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:15,520
owes us. 
It's always the other way 

981
00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:18,280
around. 
And so to the extent that we can

982
00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:21,840
do any of these things out of 
freedom and joy and because of 

983
00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:24,520
love, that's why we do those 
things. 

984
00:54:25,440 --> 00:54:27,480
One more thing I want to touch 
on you. 

985
00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:30,600
We didn't get into it yesterday 
and it's a really interesting 

986
00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:36,800
nuance in verse 43 of chapter 2 
you started they devoted 

987
00:54:36,800 --> 00:54:39,080
themselves the apostles teaching
fellowship, breaking of bread 

988
00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:40,440
and prayer. 
There's those four things. 

989
00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:44,480
The verse right after that after
summarizing those four things, 

990
00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:48,400
verse 43 and awe some 
translations it can. 

991
00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:54,240
It can also be said as fear. 
Fear came upon every soul and 

992
00:54:54,240 --> 00:54:58,000
many wonders and signs were 
being done through the apostles.

993
00:54:58,320 --> 00:55:02,560
You have some thoughts from 
Calvin here on, on this fear or 

994
00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:07,640
this awe that came upon the 
people surrounding these events.

995
00:55:07,640 --> 00:55:10,520
Walk us through this. 
Yeah, so it's I've okay, so 

996
00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:13,600
having, you know, been a 
Christian now and done the 

997
00:55:13,600 --> 00:55:16,920
seminary thing and all that 
stuff like, and I've been 

998
00:55:16,920 --> 00:55:20,400
familiar with this because we 
all read about the early church 

999
00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:24,120
and go, oh, wow, that's great. 
But I'd never heard anybody talk

1000
00:55:24,120 --> 00:55:29,520
about verse 43 in the sense of 
fear of like God used this awe 

1001
00:55:29,520 --> 00:55:34,880
and fear to keep those who would
destroy the young church. 

1002
00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:37,760
He used that fear to keep them 
at Bay. 

1003
00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:39,800
But that's the point that John 
Calvin makes. 

1004
00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:41,160
And I was, I was intrigued by 
this. 

1005
00:55:41,160 --> 00:55:44,560
So I'm going to read part of 
this and there's, you know, John

1006
00:55:44,560 --> 00:55:48,800
Calvin 500 plus years ago. 
So there's some interesting old 

1007
00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:50,960
English here, but let me let me 
give it a shot. 

1008
00:55:52,080 --> 00:55:55,040
He says the Jews would never 
have suffered the Church of 

1009
00:55:55,040 --> 00:56:00,160
Christ to stand one minute of an
hour unless the Lord had 

1010
00:56:00,160 --> 00:56:02,800
restrained them with fear as a 
bridle. 

1011
00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:06,800
Furthermore, and this is where 
it gets fun, Luke noteth the 

1012
00:56:06,800 --> 00:56:10,280
manner of fear that it was not 
so. 

1013
00:56:10,360 --> 00:56:14,760
It was not such fear as bringeth
men onto obedience of Christ, 

1014
00:56:14,920 --> 00:56:20,080
but such as causeth men to stand
in a doubt, and so consequently 

1015
00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:24,680
doth, as it were, so bind them 
hand and foot that they dare not

1016
00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:28,000
hinder the Lord's work. 
All of that old English to say, 

1017
00:56:28,320 --> 00:56:32,000
yeah, God's going to restrain 
the hand of those who would seek

1018
00:56:32,000 --> 00:56:37,840
to destroy the church in its 
infancy by fear, by awe, by 

1019
00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:40,880
You're not touching these people
because I'm with them. 

1020
00:56:41,240 --> 00:56:45,320
Yeah, and I can't do a whole 
deep, I'm not ready to do a 

1021
00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:49,880
whole deep dive into the Greek 
linguistics of this, but just 

1022
00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:54,760
that word that is there that 
given as Oz Phobos, but. 

1023
00:56:54,840 --> 00:56:56,800
Phobia. 
It's right. 

1024
00:56:56,800 --> 00:57:00,680
It's more literally fear, terror
or reverence. 

1025
00:57:00,680 --> 00:57:04,240
And, and, and actually in the 
ESV, it's definitely, it's 

1026
00:57:04,240 --> 00:57:08,440
definitely written as awe, but I
think that is kind of a, a 

1027
00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:12,600
softening of, of what's 
happening in this verse. 

1028
00:57:12,600 --> 00:57:17,080
Of course, I mean the early 
church is a super minority at 

1029
00:57:17,080 --> 00:57:18,840
this point. 
Right, very vulnerable. 

1030
00:57:18,920 --> 00:57:24,920
Even this 3000, even this crowd 
still puts them way in the red 

1031
00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:27,560
as far as far as numbers of mass
population. 

1032
00:57:27,680 --> 00:57:31,880
The the the the wow, what am I 
trying to say? 

1033
00:57:32,880 --> 00:57:37,560
The Jewish leaders could have 
squashed this rebellion like 

1034
00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:41,400
like they had the numbers. 
They had the societal standing 

1035
00:57:41,400 --> 00:57:44,320
in the governmental path. 
The Roman Empire quit like so 

1036
00:57:44,320 --> 00:57:49,000
it's an interesting thought here
that this fear this this 

1037
00:57:49,040 --> 00:57:51,960
unknown, because that's mostly 
what we fear, right? 

1038
00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:54,840
We fear what we don't know. 
There, there was something in 

1039
00:57:54,840 --> 00:58:01,240
this unknown that stayed the 
hand of of the Jewish leaders of

1040
00:58:01,240 --> 00:58:06,840
the Roman Empire and and the 
church multiplied in that, in 

1041
00:58:06,840 --> 00:58:10,240
that, in that kind of pausing 
for they didn't they didn't know

1042
00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:12,400
what to do with it. 
They didn't know what to make of

1043
00:58:12,400 --> 00:58:15,040
it. 
And there was still like the 

1044
00:58:15,040 --> 00:58:18,520
power of God, the the moving of 
the Holy Spirit that that left 

1045
00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:22,560
enough of this unknown of wow, 
are we even going to we're not 

1046
00:58:22,560 --> 00:58:25,640
going to mess with that. 
We're we're not we're not sure 

1047
00:58:25,640 --> 00:58:28,240
that we can win even if we mess 
with that. 

1048
00:58:28,600 --> 00:58:31,680
I think I think it's part of 
what Calvin's bringing out here 

1049
00:58:31,680 --> 00:58:36,280
in that fear and it provided 
this opportunity, this open door

1050
00:58:36,480 --> 00:58:39,440
for the church to grow. 
And they still experience 

1051
00:58:39,440 --> 00:58:42,760
persecution, obviously, which 
we'll get into more of that in 

1052
00:58:42,760 --> 00:58:44,280
the coming weeks and coming 
chapters. 

1053
00:58:44,280 --> 00:58:47,400
But I think it was an 
interesting note from Calvin 

1054
00:58:47,400 --> 00:58:52,800
here that maybe seemingly muted.
It was maybe less than it could 

1055
00:58:52,800 --> 00:58:55,680
have been. 
Yep, and I think it's a cool 

1056
00:58:55,680 --> 00:58:57,560
thing. 
Here's here's the bigger picture

1057
00:58:57,560 --> 00:59:02,160
thing that is really neat about 
this is that so God, if Calvin's

1058
00:59:02,160 --> 00:59:07,480
right, which I actually think he
is God places this fear on those

1059
00:59:07,480 --> 00:59:09,880
who would seek to hurt the 
infant church. 

1060
00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:14,280
But then what God does he he's 
willing to let them be 

1061
00:59:14,280 --> 00:59:16,600
scattered. 
He's willing to let them face 

1062
00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:18,920
persecution. 
And it's actually through that 

1063
00:59:18,920 --> 00:59:22,360
scattering and persecution, as 
we'll see in coming months, that

1064
00:59:22,440 --> 00:59:26,800
the church just explodes. 
But if you think about this from

1065
00:59:26,800 --> 00:59:30,560
the sense of like, OK, I've got 
a literal infant baby. 

1066
00:59:31,080 --> 00:59:34,920
There is a time when I'm going 
to need to protect that infant 

1067
00:59:35,120 --> 00:59:39,760
to make sure that nothing bad 
can happen to it because, yeah, 

1068
00:59:39,760 --> 00:59:42,200
because it cannot protect itself
yet. 

1069
00:59:42,560 --> 00:59:47,320
But as the Holy Spirit gets 
indwelt in people and as people 

1070
00:59:48,120 --> 00:59:50,920
realize that Jesus is the 
Christ, he's in the Messiah, 

1071
00:59:50,920 --> 00:59:53,840
he's the Lord. 
As as that happens, they go out 

1072
00:59:53,840 --> 00:59:56,800
in utter strength. 
So it's like raising a kid who 

1073
00:59:56,800 --> 01:00:00,000
you're like, you know what, I 
know the world is dangerous, but

1074
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:02,480
I'm going to send you out 
because I know you're ready. 

1075
01:00:02,800 --> 01:00:05,560
They became ready through the 
power of the Holy Spirit, 

1076
01:00:05,560 --> 01:00:07,920
through the preaching of the 
word, through the fellowship 

1077
01:00:07,920 --> 01:00:10,920
they experienced, through the 
breaking of bread and through 

1078
01:00:10,920 --> 01:00:13,440
prayer. 
They became ready to go out into

1079
01:00:13,440 --> 01:00:17,760
the wide world and face that 
persecution and multiply anyway.

1080
01:00:18,040 --> 01:00:20,400
Remarkable. 
So cool, I love it. 

1081
01:00:20,520 --> 01:00:22,160
That's so good. 
That's where we're going to 

1082
01:00:22,160 --> 01:00:24,680
leave it for today. 
Thanks for hanging out with us 

1083
01:00:24,880 --> 01:00:28,040
for some extra conversation on 
Acts Chapter 2. 

1084
01:00:28,200 --> 01:00:30,680
Hope it's helpful and 
encouraging to you, Church. 

1085
01:00:30,960 --> 01:00:33,680
We're enjoying doing it. 
I've gotten positive feedback 

1086
01:00:33,680 --> 01:00:36,600
from a lot of you about you. 
Like to hear our personalities 

1087
01:00:36,600 --> 01:00:39,480
come out a little more than 
maybe, maybe they do on Sunday 

1088
01:00:39,480 --> 01:00:41,640
mornings. 
But yeah, want to uplift and 

1089
01:00:41,640 --> 01:00:44,120
encourage you in the truth of 
God's Word. 

1090
01:00:44,120 --> 01:00:48,320
We'll be back in Acts this next 
Sunday and more leftovers next 

1091
01:00:48,320 --> 01:00:49,160
week. 
We'll catch you then. 

1092
01:00:49,360 --> 01:00:49,680
Cheers.