1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:03,920 As you're having a seat, turn to someone and say God is good. 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:07,720 Hey, it's so good to be with you this morning. 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:13,000 Happy Mother's Day to everybody. Guys, we got to learn how to 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,720 talk to the women in our lives, don't we? 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:16,680 Yeah. Amen. 6 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,920 There There was a mother and father, and they went away on 7 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:25,040 vacation. They went over to Europe, and as 8 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:29,640 mothers do, the mom called home every day to communicate with 9 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:31,800 her son. And so she called home the first 10 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,600 day, first day of her trip and said, hey, mom, how or hey son, 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,520 how's everything going at home? And the son said, well, I got 12 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,000 bad news. The cat died. 13 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,080 Now that was mom loved the cat. She said, oh, she was she was 14 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,000 distraught. She said that's why would you 15 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,320 tell me that on the first day of my vacation? 16 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,040 Why would you ruin my trip by just throwing that news out 17 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,440 there? He said, I'm sorry, Mama, I 18 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,200 didn't, I didn't know how to break it to you. 19 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,440 And and she said, well, here's what you need to do. 20 00:00:58,440 --> 00:00:59,960 That guy's this a lesson for you. 21 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:03,160 She said you need to soften it. What you should have done is you 22 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,880 should have, you should have said, hey, you know, I got some 23 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,000 news. The cat got out and got on the 24 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,320 roof. She said. 25 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:12,760 Then the next day you could have said, you know, because the cat 26 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,000 got on the roof, the fire department had to come. 27 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:17,320 And then the next day you could have told me, you know, when the 28 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:20,360 fire department came, unfortunately the cat fell and 29 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,880 had to go to the vet. And unfortunately the cat had to 30 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:24,720 have surgery. And then the next day you could 31 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,280 tell me, unfortunately the cat didn't make it. 32 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,440 See, it softens it, it makes it better. 33 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,280 And the sun says, I'm so sorry, mom. 34 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,320 I'm sorry I didn't communicate. Well, get off the phone. 35 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:37,600 Two days later she calls and says, how's everything going? 36 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,360 And he says, well, grandma got up on the roof. 37 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:46,000 We got to learn to communicate with our moms. 38 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:48,960 Serious, serious lesson here. You got to learn to communicate. 39 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,880 When I was in high school, our youth group, this is true. 40 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:53,200 That's not true. This is true. 41 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,920 When I was in high school, our youth group went on a trip to 42 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,120 Texas. And I for the life of me do not 43 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,640 remember what I was in trouble for, but I was in trouble. 44 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,320 I got in trouble from time to time and I had to call home and 45 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,560 tell my parents what I had done. I still don't remember what I 46 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,040 had done, but I called home and I said, mom, I got some bad 47 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,360 news. I got a piercing. 48 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,960 Now, if you know my mom, my mom was like, oh, no, she was 49 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:21,280 terrified. I say, yeah, mom, I got a 50 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:22,240 piercing. I'm sorry. 51 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,520 And and she got all upset. And I said, oh, I'm just 52 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,320 kidding, Mom, actually I did this. 53 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,280 And she was like, oh, thank God you didn't get a piercing. 54 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:32,560 It works. It's it's good. 55 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,680 You got to learn to communicate. Listen. 56 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:38,400 That has nothing to do with the message, by the way. 57 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,040 I'm sorry. I just I just want to say Happy 58 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,160 Mother's Day. But we're working through roots 59 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,200 and fruits are to hope there's nothing on the screens. 60 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:48,800 We're working through our series roots and fruits. 61 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,040 And and here's the deal. We are we're talking about 62 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,240 bearing fruit. We as a church and, and I really 63 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,880 believe that God's put on my heart that we as a church are 64 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,360 called to bear fruit. Scripture is very clear that 65 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,280 every single one of us that is a Christian is a follower of 66 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,760 Christ should be bearing fruit in our life. 67 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:10,080 That there should be evidence that God is working in our life, 68 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,800 that there should be growth, but also that we should become a 69 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,960 part of what God's doing doing in the world around us. 70 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,800 There should be evidence inward and there should be evidence 71 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,400 outward as we work to follow along God's plan. 72 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,720 Now, it's not what we do. I want to be really clear. 73 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,040 It's not that we become a Christian, then we have to 74 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,200 figure out how to bear fruit for the Kingdom. 75 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,480 It's that God lives in US and works in US and works through 76 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,280 us. And as we walk with him, we bear 77 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,200 fruit. Last week we looked at we're, 78 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,480 we're working through Colossians, Paul's letter to the 79 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,040 church at Colossae. And last week we talked about 80 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:51,040 chapter 1, Paul's prayer for the church and his number one prayer 81 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,000 was that they need to know God's will for their lives. 82 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,120 He says, my, my prayer for you is that you will know God's 83 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:00,920 will. He goes on, he says, if you know 84 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:02,680 God's will, then you will bear fruit. 85 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,440 Then you will be strengthened, you will be filled, you will 86 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,480 have joy. He goes on to all these things, 87 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:12,960 but his main prayer is that the church would know God's will and 88 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:14,480 would bear fruit for his Kingdom. 89 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,279 And that's Paul's prayer for the church. 90 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,640 He follows that up. We're in Colossians 1 today. 91 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,480 Follows that up by keeping the church focused on the most 92 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:25,240 important thing. So stand with me. 93 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,240 We're going to read Colossians 115 to 29. 94 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,520 You can follow along on the screen as I read. 95 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:37,320 Starting in verse 15, Paul focuses us in on the most 96 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,160 important thing, and that's Jesus Christ. 97 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:43,280 He says the Son Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 98 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,880 He's the first born over all creation, for in him all things 99 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,680 were created, Things in heaven and on earth, visible and 100 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,640 invisible, whether Thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, 101 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,640 all things have been created through him and for him. 102 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,920 He is before all things. Jesus is before all things. 103 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,920 In Him all things are held together, and He is the head of 104 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,880 the body, the Church. He's the beginning, the first 105 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:17,360 born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have 106 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,440 supremacy. For God was pleased to have all 107 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,600 his fullness dwell in him, in Jesus, and through him to 108 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:30,440 reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or 109 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,320 things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on 110 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,280 the cross. Skipping down to verse 24, Paul 111 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:42,200 says, now I rejoice and what I am suffering for you, and I fill 112 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,880 up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's 113 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,320 afflictions for the sake of his body, which is the church. 114 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,520 I have become its servant by the Commission God gave me to 115 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,400 present to you the word of God and its fullness. 116 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,040 The mystery that's been kept hidden for ages and generations, 117 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:05,720 but now is, is now disclosed to the Lord's people, to them. 118 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,600 God has made, has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the 119 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:15,960 glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope 120 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,960 of glory. He is the one we proclaim, 121 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,960 admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so 122 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,920 that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 123 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:31,720 To this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy 124 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,320 Christ so powerfully works and me. 125 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:35,560 Praise the Lord, you can have a seat. 126 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:43,040 Paul is writing to the church. He's writing to Christians, and 127 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,760 he's heard the good news that the church there in Colossi has 128 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,520 been bearing fruit. He's heard about the good things 129 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,840 God has done. And so he's writing back as a 130 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,240 pastor, as a leader. He's writing back to the church. 131 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:59,160 Now here's the thing that the church has been under attack 132 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,040 from false ideologies or false teachers that are trying to lead 133 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,680 the church astray. And so Paul is writing back and 134 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,880 he says, my first prayer is that you will know God's will. 135 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,240 You'll be clear on God's will that you will bear fruit. 136 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:19,720 And then he goes into this part and he says Jesus is the center 137 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,720 of everything. See, there were different 138 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,960 teachers and leaders coming in trying to distract from what 139 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,960 they really listen today. There is no shortage of false 140 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,840 ideologies and teachings. There is no shortage of people 141 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,680 who get up. Listen, I see stuff all the time 142 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,400 that I'm like, I don't know that that lines up with with who God 143 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,280 is and what he wants, but there's teaching all over the 144 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,080 place and there's all these ideologies and Paul's writing 145 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:53,600 saying keep focused on what you need to keep focused on Jesus 146 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,240 Christ. There's three things we see in 147 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:02,240 this #1 we see the source, that's Jesus Christ. 148 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:08,080 Any fruit that we will bear comes from and flows through 149 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:09,640 Jesus. If Paul's prayer is that they 150 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,320 will know God's will and that they will bear fruit, if Paul's 151 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,520 prayer for the church, if God's will for the church is that we 152 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:20,000 will bear fruit and we will build the Kingdom, the source of 153 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,440 all of it is Jesus Christ. Jim Stock, I don't know. 154 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,240 I don't know if I see him back there, but Jim, wonderful man of 155 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,440 this church, has been teaching a long time. 156 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:36,240 I've heard him say many times he said this, anything less than 157 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:41,120 Christ is inadequate. Anything more than Christ is 158 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,240 unnecessary. Jesus is the center. 159 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:48,280 He's the source of everything. He's in the middle of all of it. 160 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,360 And so the key to bearing fruit is Jesus. 161 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:55,600 The focus, our focus needs to be on Jesus. 162 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,960 The power at work comes through Jesus. 163 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:05,560 John 15 says if you abide in me, you will bear fruit. 164 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,080 If we are close to Him, if we walk with him, if we are filled 165 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,560 by his Spirit, that's when we bear fruit. 166 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,080 Not when you learn to speak well or you learn techniques or you 167 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,160 or not when I give you a certain gift. 168 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,600 No, no, when you are filled by the Spirit of God, when you are 169 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,400 close to Jesus, the source, you will bear fruit. 170 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,720 And so Jesus is the center. You know, there's a lot of 171 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:37,160 pressure as a pastor to be interesting there. 172 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:38,800 There's pastor. I mean, you, you guys can watch 173 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,920 YouTube, you can watch anyone you want preach. 174 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,480 I appreciate you being here to listen to me today. 175 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,320 It's not about me. We're here to worship God. 176 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,120 But there is this pressure. Just being honest. 177 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:52,840 We got to be interesting. We got to say something that 178 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,920 will keep your attention. And especially as a young 179 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,600 pastor, we, you really feel this, Hey, I've got to get up 180 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,000 here and I've got to tell you something and it's got to be 181 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,080 something new. Listen, No, no, no, no, let's 182 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,360 not get it wrong. Jesus is the key. 183 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:08,360 He's the source. He's all of it. 184 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:10,840 I don't care if you think I'm interesting or not. 185 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,240 I do care that you know Jesus and walk with Him and follow him 186 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,760 every day. If you'll do that, you will bear 187 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,440 fruit and you'll be everything that God created and called you 188 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,600 to be. Jesus is the Sinner. 189 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:24,360 In fact, listen to how Paul describes. 190 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,080 You can just kind of make notes in your head as I read through 191 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,760 this. The sun is the image of the 192 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,200 invisible God. He's the first born over all 193 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:36,560 creation, for in Him all things were created. 194 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:40,560 Things on heaven, in heaven and on earth, visible, invisible, 195 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,120 whether Thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. 196 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,760 All things have been created through Jesus. 197 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:51,920 And for Jesus He's before all things, and in Him all things 198 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,360 are held together. The thing that holds all of this 199 00:10:54,360 --> 00:11:01,240 together is Jesus Christ, and He is the head of the body, the 200 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,480 Church. I'm not the boss here. 201 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,800 I'm not the head of the church, our church board, not the head 202 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:11,000 of the church. Jesus is the one that gives us 203 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,280 our marching orders. We are following him, trying to 204 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:18,440 do his will. He's the head of the church, the 205 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:20,000 body of the church. He is the beginning in the 206 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,240 first, born from among the dead, so that in everything he, Jesus, 207 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:27,600 might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all 208 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:32,240 his fullness dwell in Jesus and through him to reconcile all 209 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,280 things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making 210 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,280 peace through his blood shed on the cross. 211 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:45,000 And Paul lays it out right here. Jesus created all things. 212 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,760 There's nothing that's been created, nothing that exists 213 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,920 that wasn't created through the power of Jesus #2 He holds all 214 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:57,000 things together. Guys, when we, when we get off 215 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:01,240 track, whether we're talking about the church, whether we're 216 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,280 talking about a family, whether we're talking about our country 217 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:08,040 or a nation, what, when Jesus ceases to be a part of it, 218 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,320 things fall apart pretty quick. He holds everything together. 219 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:17,440 He's the head of the church. This is his church and it's his 220 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:18,880 church. It's, it's not about me. 221 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,000 This is his church. It's what he wants. 222 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,120 We are his body. He's the head of the church. 223 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,920 He is the fullness of God. We, we, we think about God and 224 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:31,760 we can't even fathom who God is. Jesus is the fullest fullness of 225 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:37,320 God and, and, and Jesus Christ, He's the fullness of God. 226 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:39,320 He is the reconciler of all things. 227 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:41,960 I don't know if reconciler is a word, but it's up there. 228 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:47,240 If it's not, forgive me, but he is reconciling all things to 229 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,200 himself. If there is redemption and 230 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:53,280 reconciliation, if there's salvation, it only happens 231 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,840 through Jesus. We can't grow in our faith. 232 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,880 We can't bear fruit. We can't be Christians apart 233 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:07,080 from the source, Jesus Christ. Often I hear people say things 234 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:12,560 like I'm feeling discouraged, I feel disconnected, I feel 235 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:17,000 stagnant in my faith. I feel like nothing's happening. 236 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,120 Maybe some of you have felt that recently. 237 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:24,280 Let me ask you a question. Are you connected to the source? 238 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,080 Jesus has to be at the center of everything. 239 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:30,720 Paul says. I want you to know God's will. 240 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,720 I want you to bear fruit. The only way to do that is for 241 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,000 Jesus to be in the center of all of it. 242 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:41,240 He is the source. Say the source at the second 243 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:45,840 thing we see is, is our Commission now. 244 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:51,680 Now Paul says in verse 25, Paul had a very clear and distinct 245 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,440 purpose. He had purpose in life, he says. 246 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,800 I have become its servant, the gospel servant, by the 247 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,800 Commission God gave me to present to you the word of God 248 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:06,520 in its fullness, the mystery that's been kept hidden for ages 249 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,960 and generations, but it's now disclosed to the Lord's people, 250 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,120 to them. God has chosen to make known 251 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,840 among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is 252 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:21,000 Christ in you the hope of glory. Not only do we know his will, 253 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:25,640 not only are we supposed to bear fruit, He's got to be the center 254 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,760 of everything. But we have purpose. 255 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,520 We are given a calling in a Commission. 256 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,440 Paul knew his job. He knew his purpose. 257 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,520 He was put on this earth to build the church. 258 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:41,200 He was put on this earth, earth to proclaim the message of the 259 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:45,320 gospel to the Gentiles. Paul knew exactly what God had 260 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,360 for them, for him. How many of us can say that we 261 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:50,760 know exactly what God has for us? 262 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,320 Oh, nobody. OK wow, we're struggling church. 263 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,120 Paul knew exactly what his purpose was. 264 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:04,240 He says I became a servant. I am commissioned by God to 265 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,000 present the gospel. Praise the Lord for that 266 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,840 clarity. Guys. 267 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:15,760 We lost a wonderful, wonderful member of our church last week, 268 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:21,080 Pastor Bob. Highly wonderful man of God. 269 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:27,240 We had the service on Thursday and one of the things that just 270 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:32,000 amazes me, I said it Thursday at the service, he's a hero of mine 271 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,880 because he knew exactly what he was called to do. 272 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:38,360 He was called to preach the gospel. 273 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:46,520 In fact, Pastor Bob pastored for over 60 years, all of it in the 274 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,760 Southwest Ohio area. He pastored a bunch of different 275 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:51,680 churches. We listed on on the program the 276 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,560 churches that he had pastored and people were coming up after 277 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:56,400 saying, hey, what about our church? 278 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,800 He was at our church. He did so many interims and he 279 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:02,080 filled in so many places. He knew exactly what God called 280 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,160 him to do. The purpose that God gave him it 281 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,480 was to preach the Word and to pastor the church. 282 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,040 Praise the Lord for God's calling. 283 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,600 But can I tell you it's not just for pastors and missionaries? 284 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,760 See, we have a little bit of a clergy problem in the church. 285 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,240 I remember when I was a youth pastor, people would, people 286 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,680 would treat it when I was a youth pastor. 287 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,160 Like, I'm not a youth pastor right now. 288 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:28,440 We're having fun with the teens now, by the way. 289 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,320 But I remember people would would come to me and it was like 290 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:37,280 they thought it was my job to, to teach their kids about Jesus, 291 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,400 that it was my job to help their kids grow in their faith, which 292 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:44,920 it was my job to do some of those things, but it was also 293 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:46,800 their job. It was as if they were saying, 294 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,520 Hey, I'm dropping the kids off to you now. 295 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:51,960 You make them good Christians and I'm going to go off and do 296 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,040 my thing. And as a youth pastor, that's 297 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,760 the worst thing in the world. Because we know that people are 298 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:01,120 our teens are shaped far more by their parents than they are by a 299 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,960 youth pastor. And so we understand that it's 300 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,200 not just clergy that do the work. 301 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,319 Sometimes in the church we, we get this wrong and we think that 302 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:14,880 it's just your job to show up and enjoy what we have prepared 303 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:20,800 for you. No, no, Ephesians chapter 4 says 304 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,960 this. For Christ himself gave the 305 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:25,680 apostles, the prophets, the evangelist, the pastors, the 306 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:32,000 teachers to equip his people for works of service so that the 307 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,480 body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the 308 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:39,320 faith and the knowledge of Son of of the Son of God and become 309 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,440 mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of 310 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,560 Christ. What's that saying? 311 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,840 It's that yes, I am called by God to preach and to pastor the 312 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:51,600 church, but my job isn't to do the work of ministry and you 313 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,280 just to sit there and take it in. 314 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:57,520 My job is to prepare you and equip you so that you can go out 315 00:17:57,680 --> 00:17:59,640 and you can do the work of ministry. 316 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:02,880 Paul's job wasn't just to lead the whole church. 317 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,360 Paul's job was to help the church walk in. 318 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:11,400 In ministry for Christ, we have a clergy problem. 319 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:14,440 The church will be what it's supposed to be. 320 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,280 Not when I preach the best sermons, or Brad sings the best 321 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,280 music, or we have the best programming. 322 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:22,640 It'll be what God wants it to be. 323 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,480 When each and every one of us as followers of Christ understand 324 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:31,520 that we are called and commissioned by God. 325 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,480 Every follower of Christ, every Christian, we are commissioned 326 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,960 as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 327 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,120 He gave us the Great Commission. Someone said that, I don't know 328 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:45,320 where I heard this, but someone said it's the Great Commission, 329 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:49,360 not the great suggestion. We are called. 330 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:53,680 We are commissioned as followers of Christ to bear fruit and to 331 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:57,360 build the Kingdom. Let me ask you a question. 332 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,040 How are you using the resources and the position that God has 333 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:09,080 given you to build the Kingdom? Every single one of you has been 334 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,160 given unique gifts and abilities. 335 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,960 Every single one of you has been given a unique personality. 336 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,680 Every single one of you has been put in a unique position and you 337 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:24,120 are called to be a minister of the gospel. 338 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:27,960 You, you can reach people that I can't. 339 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:32,520 And, and when we all do the work that God's called us to, to, to 340 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,360 minister to, to build the Kingdom, that's when the church 341 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,400 is what it should be. You've been given unique gifts, 342 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,800 you've been put in a unique position, and you are called to 343 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,840 be a minister for Christ. Not all ministry looks the same, 344 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,040 but all ministry should point to the same God. 345 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:53,040 Man. The church is going to be at its 346 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:57,160 best when we are all pointing to the same God, when we are all 347 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,720 working in ministry towards the same purpose, to bring glory to 348 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,480 God. Let me ask you, is your life 349 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:08,440 pointing? To Jesus, do you consider 350 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:12,600 yourself a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ? 351 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,200 Not that you have to get up and preach, not that you have to get 352 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:21,080 up and lead worship or singing, but that you are called, you are 353 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:26,240 gifted, you are placed and a unique place to minister for the 354 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,600 Kingdom of God. It's Mother's Day. 355 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,080 I didn't talk about mom and 1st service and I didn't cry, but I 356 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:34,680 do want to talk about mom for a minute. 357 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:40,160 So often people come up to me and they say you don't know what 358 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:44,000 your mom meant to me. And it wasn't because she stood 359 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,760 up and preached. It wasn't because she LED 360 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,160 worship. It was because she cared for 361 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,440 people. She set an example for people. 362 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,320 She worked in different ministries. 363 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,480 She, she taught, she did everything that God had gifted 364 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,680 her to do to build the Kingdom of God. 365 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,320 Praise God. When we know our purpose. 366 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:11,000 Jesus is the source, say the source. 367 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,720 We have a Commission, a calling, say a calling. 368 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:19,160 You are called by God to be a minister of the gospel, and God 369 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:22,560 has given you gifts and abilities to do that. 370 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,640 God has placed you in a perfect place for you to minister. 371 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,120 What you have to do is keep yourself connected to the 372 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:30,720 source. You have to abide in Him. 373 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:34,200 You have to know Him and walk with Him and allow His Spirit to 374 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,800 transform you and lead you and guide you. 375 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,960 And you can minister. There are all sorts of different 376 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,480 ministers. There are teachers. 377 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:46,720 We've got some great teachers in this church. 378 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,680 There are inviters. How many of you consider 379 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,520 yourself an inviter? They're inviters. 380 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,560 There are people that we we know, we see it that you're just 381 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,080 good at inviting people to church. 382 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,400 There are people that when someone new comes in, we know 383 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,000 exactly where to take them and who to take them to because we 384 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:07,560 know people are gifted with hospitality and inviting. 385 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,960 There are listeners. Carol Bechtel, our our pastor to 386 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,400 preschoolers. Oh, she is the best listener. 387 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,120 People tell her things that they don't tell me or anyone else. 388 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,880 She often comes into staff meeting and says, oh, I, you 389 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:23,440 know, we need to be praying for this. 390 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:28,320 And she is such a great listener and she cares so well that there 391 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,600 are people that are given resources to share with others. 392 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:34,280 They're they're people in our church that are wonderful that 393 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:38,080 God has given resources and they have the opportunity to bless 394 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,000 others and build the Kingdom through the resources God has 395 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,920 given them. God has uniquely gifted you and 396 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,800 positioned you to do the work of ministry. 397 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:52,160 Don't leave it to me or to us. We can't do it. 398 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:57,880 We are all called to build the church together and to bear 399 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:02,440 fruit for Christ. I love what it says in verse 27. 400 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:08,360 I'm it goes on and it says to them God has chosen to make 401 00:23:08,360 --> 00:23:13,520 known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery 402 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:19,080 which is Christ in you the hope of glory. 403 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,880 I love this scripture tells us that we are ambassadors for 404 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,000 Christ as if God is making his appeal through us. 405 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,040 This says that that that he is Paul says I'm a a minister of 406 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:31,720 the gospel. I'm commissioned to preach the 407 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:36,240 gospel, to preach the good news. And by the way, the good news is 408 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:43,640 evident in your life when Christ lives in you and the hope of 409 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,680 glory is revealed. I'm sorry to keep talking about 410 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:52,160 Pastor Bob, but in his last week, I met with him and he was 411 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,400 telling me some stories about himself and and I honestly just 412 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,640 didn't believe him. If you know Pastor Bob highly 413 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,480 you, you know he was perfect, right? 414 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,160 Nod your head. If you know he was perfect, he 415 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,000 was telling me some stories that weren't perfect. 416 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,960 And I was like, there's no way. There's no way that's you. 417 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,680 Here's the deal. When when God saves us, when he 418 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:17,320 fills us with his spirit, he transforms us and we become 419 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:22,600 evidence of God's work and God's goodness and God's grace and 420 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:28,360 God's power to the point that others should say, man, 421 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:30,600 something is different about that person. 422 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,600 Something is different about that church. 423 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:37,080 God's done something there. They they shouldn't say all 424 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,600 that's the same old Alex, same old rotten Alex that lies to his 425 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,400 mom about getting piercings just to get out of trouble. 426 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,800 Now they should say, I can't believe that you would ever do 427 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,960 anything wrong because I see the evidence of God's working in 428 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,760 your life. We're called to be transformed, 429 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:58,480 to be filled with a heart of love, to reflect the glory in 430 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,720 the hope of Christ. We are ministers of the gospel, 431 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:04,400 and sometimes that's preaching and sometimes that's singing, 432 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,960 and sometimes it's inviting, but it's always reflecting God's 433 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:12,120 glory. If we stay connected to the 434 00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:16,840 source, we're filled with the Spirit and transformed, and we 435 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,200 will be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 436 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:25,120 So we have the source, say the source, we have the calling, say 437 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:31,640 the calling now is the message. Verse 28 and 29 deal with the 438 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:36,320 message. Paul says he, Jesus, is the one 439 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,520 we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all 440 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:43,320 wisdom so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 441 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:48,640 To this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy 442 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,040 Christ so powerfully works in me. 443 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:53,880 Paul says. Jesus is the center of it all. 444 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,360 He's the source. He says I am commissioned, I am 445 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:00,480 called, and by the way, you are commissioned and called. 446 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:06,480 But the message that we are called to proclaim is Jesus, the 447 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:11,040 center of it all. We are called to proclaim Jesus 448 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:14,880 Christ, Paul says. To this end, I strenuously 449 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:20,200 contend with all my energy to proclaim Christ Jesus. 450 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:25,120 Let me ask you a question. What are you proclaiming with 451 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:29,000 your time, with your energy, with your social media feeds, 452 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,440 with your conversation? What are you proclaiming? 453 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,920 I see it. You know, some people, they 454 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,160 spend their time proclaiming who the best sports team is. 455 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,880 We, we spend hours arguing and then listen, I've been guilty of 456 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:49,160 this, spent hours arguing over who the best team is or the best 457 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,480 players. Some people are so passionate 458 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,440 about sports. I, I mean, let's be honest, we 459 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:59,040 live in Ohio and there's another team that some people in Ohio 460 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,000 don't like so much and we are so passionate about that. 461 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,720 It seems like people's number one job is to proclaim which 462 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:08,640 team is better or which player is better. 463 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:12,760 For some people, it's their political ideologies. 464 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:17,000 I'm on social media. Some people, their number one 465 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,680 goal, the number one thing they talk about is why their way is 466 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,760 right and everyone else's way is wrong. 467 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,720 Why the other ideology is wrong but theirs is right. 468 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,200 I see this all the time. There are people that are so 469 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,840 hyper focused on what they believe politically that that's 470 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:36,560 what they proclaim. There are there are people I 471 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,880 have a friend that has a business and his business is he, 472 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:43,680 he's an e-mail marketer and everyday he posts and what he's 473 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,880 proclaiming is that I can change your business. 474 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,440 I can help you if you will just let me help you with your 475 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,440 e-mail. Some of us are proclaiming 476 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,520 we're, we're spending our time and energy. 477 00:27:55,520 --> 00:28:01,280 We're contending to build our companies or our brand or our 478 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:03,920 net worth. There are a lot of different 479 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:08,800 things you can proclaim, but we are called to proclaim Jesus 480 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,000 Christ. As a follower of Christ, the 481 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,920 number one thing you should point to is Jesus. 482 00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:21,600 Everything you say and do, your time, your energy should be 483 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,400 spent glorifying God. I'm not saying you can't talk 484 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,120 about sports. I'm not saying you can't talk 485 00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:28,520 about politics. I'm saying that the number one 486 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,440 thing people should see when they look at a follower of 487 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:34,280 Christ or at his church is Jesus Christ. 488 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,760 When people come here, I don't care if they walk away saying 489 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,400 oh, he was a good speaker or we have good music. 490 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,480 That's not what's important. What's important is when people 491 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:48,560 come here, they need to encounter a holy God and Jesus 492 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:54,600 Christ, the Savior of the world. He is the message, not us. 493 00:28:55,600 --> 00:29:02,160 I see a lot of people that their message is themselves or sports 494 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:06,160 or politics or whatever it is we get passionate about. 495 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,800 We should be passionate about proclaiming Jesus Christ. 496 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:14,960 We are called to proclaim the power and glory of Jesus Christ. 497 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,440 Every single one of us. He's the center, He's the 498 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,880 source. You are called, and He's the 499 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,720 message. You know, Scripture tells us 500 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,520 that Jesus is the light of the world. 501 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,640 John chapter 8. You know, Scripture also tells 502 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:35,560 us, Matthew 5, that we are the light of the world, that we are 503 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:39,360 filled by the light of the world, Jesus Christ, and we then 504 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,720 become the light of the world that we are to proclaim and 505 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,120 reflect Jesus to the world around us. 506 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:48,920 Let me ask you a question again. Who are you proclaiming? 507 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:55,400 Makes me think of the kids song, This little light of mine. 508 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,680 I'm going to let it shine. Yep. 509 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,440 Go ahead wave, whatever, I'll stop there. 510 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:02,920 It was going so well. I didn't want it to go off the 511 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:07,840 rails. Listen, we have a light within 512 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,960 us if we are believers in Christ, Jesus fills us with his 513 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:17,880 very spirit and presence, and we are called to proclaim, to shine 514 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:23,120 the light of Christ for others. It's all about him. 515 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,280 So Paul's writing this letter to the church and worship team. 516 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:30,560 You can come on up and I think God's will for us today. 517 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,840 I think what God wants from the church is for us to know him, to 518 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:38,120 walk with Jesus, to abide in Christ, to know his will for our 519 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:39,680 lives. I think he wants us to bear 520 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,400 fruit. I think we're supposed to. 521 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,520 Each and every one of us are supposed to bear fruit. 522 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:46,920 Jesus is the center. We are called. 523 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:48,840 You are put in a unique position. 524 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,200 You are gifted to be a minister of Christ. 525 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:58,600 You are called and we're called to proclaim Jesus Christ in 526 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:03,320 Colossians chapter 2, verse six and seven, Paul says this, and 527 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:05,240 this is where I'll I'll leave you with this. 528 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:12,440 So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue 529 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,360 to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, 530 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:21,200 strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with 531 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,600 thankfulness. Stand with me, we're going to 532 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:26,280 respond to God's word. And here, here's the deal. 533 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:29,600 Maybe some of you have drifted off the source. 534 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:35,080 Maybe some of you have gotten off center and you'd some other 535 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,080 things have taken precedent. Today, Jesus needs to be at the 536 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:41,160 very center. He's everything. 537 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,800 He's the creator, He's the Redeemer, he's the sustainer, 538 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:45,400 He's what holds everything together. 539 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,960 If you've gotten off center today, it's time to come back to 540 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,600 Jesus. Maybe some of you are are 541 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,760 following Jesus, but you don't realize and you haven't been 542 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:58,280 doing the work of ministry that God has called you to. 543 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:02,440 You're not bearing fruit today. God is calling you to be a 544 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:08,200 minister of the gospel. Today we are called to proclaim 545 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:12,000 Jesus. Maybe your life hasn't been 546 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,920 proclaiming Jesus #1 maybe there's been some other things. 547 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:19,000 Today. Focus on the source, understand 548 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,360 your calling, and proclaim Jesus with everything you have. 549 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:22,600 We're going to respond to God's word. 550 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:24,960 We're going to sing a song. I believe you can respond in a 551 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,480 lot of different ways. As always in the church, the 552 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:29,280 altars are open. If you need to come and pray to 553 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,240 an altar. This is a place where where God 554 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:33,840 meets us. He can meet you where you are, 555 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,240 but this is a great place to come and pray and just lay down, 556 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:41,120 surrender and say, God, I want you to be at the center. 557 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,480 I want to be faithful to your calling. 558 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,920 I want to proclaim you, if God's speaking to you today, that's 559 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:49,440 one way you can respond. You can respond through worship. 560 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:51,800 You can raise your hand, you can sing with your voice. 561 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:53,560 You can pray whatever that looks like. 562 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:55,320 I want you to respond to God's Word. 563 00:32:56,280 --> 00:33:00,400 Paul's prayer is that the church would know his will would bear 564 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:05,000 fruit, that we would be focused and called and empowered, and 565 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:08,160 that we would proclaim Jesus. Father, speak to us today. 566 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,920 Maybe you've been speaking to some of us and we need to come 567 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,360 to you. There's anyone here that needs 568 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:16,360 to respond to your word. I pray they would respond in the 569 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:19,160 way that you lead them. I pray that we would we would be 570 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:20,600 obedient. We wouldn't worry about what 571 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,240 other people think, but that we would be completely obedient to 572 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:25,960 you. You're speaking to us. 573 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:30,400 Help us to surrender whatever it is you're speaking to and help 574 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:32,880 us to live with you at the center of our lives. 575 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,640 We love you Lord, speak to us, help us to respond in Jesus 576 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:36,760 name, Amen.