1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,040 Welcome to the Illuminate Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,640 We hope today's message is encouraging to you. 3 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:12,040 We're glad that you're here. We help people find abundant 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,600 life in Jesus Christ, and we're doing that in the series called 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,880 Community. If you're ready, open your 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:18,400 Bibles. We're going to be in two places, 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,800 really a bunch of places, but starting in John chapter 19 and 8 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,040 Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes chapter 4. 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,920 If you want to put a bookmark in the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes 10 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,960 4 and John 19, we're start with first. 11 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:31,080 If you need a Bible, raise your hand. 12 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,640 That's why our ushers are meandering around here, these 13 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,280 fine young gentlemen. Thank you, Andy. 14 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,240 Thank you, Carrie and Lady, thank you so much for those. 15 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,280 Anyone else in the Bible. John chapter way over here, 16 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,840 Terry. Oh, they're coming to you, John, 17 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,840 chapter 19, Ecclesiastes chapter 4, in that order. 18 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,480 And eventually we get to some other stuff. 19 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:53,000 But as you're doing that, let me pray. 20 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,400 Father, in the name of Jesus, we welcome you. 21 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,200 You are the King, You are the honored guests. 22 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,520 We're the guests. This is your house. 23 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,520 We've come into your presence. So Lord, speak to us, refine us, 24 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,200 shape us, make us more like your son, Jesus. 25 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:15,400 Holy Spirit, this is your space. Come and minister to us. 26 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,000 You say that you would lead us into all truth. 27 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,240 So Holy Spirit, lead us today. Heal us today. 28 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:25,760 We pray in Jesus name, Amen, Amen. 29 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,160 I I believe that in our society in 2026, we have created a 30 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,680 culture of runners. And I'm not talking about the 31 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:39,040 people who have the brilliance of mind to go outside in 150° 32 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,440 day heat to the pavements like, like melting and they're out 33 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,320 there moving their arms and legs very fast in a singular 34 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:47,760 direction. I'm more talking about the, the, 35 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,240 the truth that we have become because of technology or 36 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,600 whatever you want to say, a more transient kind of people. 37 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,000 It used to be back in the olden days, like even before 38 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,400 automobiles got that far back, people just stayed where they 39 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,640 were. And then even with the eventual 40 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:09,639 auto, what is plane, trains and planes, trains and automobiles, 41 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,680 What people still in general stayed where they were from? 42 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,000 It wouldn't be unusual for a family to grow up and the next 43 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,120 generation to grow up behind them and they're living in the 44 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,920 same region or the same neighborhood, sometimes even in 45 00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:25,960 the same home. That was just normal. 46 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:27,880 And we become a little bit more transient. 47 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,520 It used to be that the person you were going to marry, you 48 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,040 probably knew for your whole life. 49 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:33,720 You just didn't know you're going to marry them till later. 50 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,040 Your family grew up with them. And it's like, oh, yeah, the 51 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,480 whole time it's been Jane. You should marry Jane, Right? 52 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:41,920 That's the way it kind of used to be. 53 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,440 Technology has changed that. Now we can have friends all over 54 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,560 the globe. We're moving for jobs. 55 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,800 We're moving because of political persuasions. 56 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,920 Anyone migrated from someplace to don't raise your hand? 57 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,200 We're moving for weather reasons. 58 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,000 We're here and there and we're everywhere. 59 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:07,120 And on social media and in life, it's become normal just to 60 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:11,680 unfriend somebody. Like, I'm just done with you. 61 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,800 This is not working. So I'm out. 62 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,040 In the words of Mr. Cube. Ice Cube. 63 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,760 Bye, Felicia. Remember this, anyone? 64 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:25,520 Of course. Yeah. 65 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,480 Everyone's favorite Cube. Yeah. 66 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,480 When things go South, we don't stick in general. 67 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,840 We run. And when we run, what we're 68 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:38,880 running from is what we were designed for. 69 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,520 And that's the issue. We were designed for community 70 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,200 by a community. The triune godfather, Son, Holy 71 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:52,760 Spirit living in community. Boris in his image and his image 72 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,600 is community. And he said go and be community. 73 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,960 And when things get hard and there's we're out, Deuces, I 74 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:05,880 believe, is the terminology Now, we think the silver lining of 75 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,280 moving away from one community and just going and joining 76 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:10,880 another one or staying by ourselves is that we no longer 77 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:12,840 have to deal with the issue over here. 78 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,920 And I get to recreate myself in this new space. 79 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,160 They don't know me here like they knew me there. 80 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:23,320 You picking up what I'm putting down? 81 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,560 Yeah. So as the saying goes, the truth 82 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,120 is wherever you go, there you are. 83 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:37,080 Meaning that if you were rude and selfish in Toledo, you're 84 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:38,720 going to be rude and selfish in Topeka. 85 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,760 If you were lazy and self-serving in this 86 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,400 relationship, you're probably going to be lazy and 87 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:49,040 self-serving in the next relationship. 88 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,120 If the church you're leaving, you're leaving because they 89 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:58,880 don't do it the way you like and you get upset and offended, then 90 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,480 the next church you go to, at some point you're probably going 91 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,920 to be feeling the same way. I'm just, it's not, I don't like 92 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:05,920 it. They don't do it the way that I 93 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,520 want it. It got quiet. 94 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,160 I'll say this, sometimes we leave our community so that we 95 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:16,480 don't have to change our character. 96 00:05:24,150 --> 00:05:26,470 Running from community allows us to hide. 97 00:05:28,150 --> 00:05:30,630 Running from community allows us to stay the same. 98 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:35,600 And Jesus says that we're going to grow from glory to glory, not 99 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,720 be flat lined, stay the same. So what I hoped that will show 100 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,200 today, biblically speaking, is that staying and committed 101 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,680 biblical community is actually the thing that God has 102 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:51,560 prescribed to shape and form us into a more glorified godly 103 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,920 version of ourselves that represents him well, even when 104 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,240 it goes hard, even when there's confrontation. 105 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:07,040 So the message titled today is simply don't run, don't run. 106 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:11,280 Here's why. John chapter 19, something 107 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:13,400 beautiful happens. Besides the fact that we've been 108 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,920 created for community. Look what Jesus does. 109 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,480 John chapter 19. We're at the crucifixion. 110 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:24,600 Jesus has already been stripped, beaten, mocked, spit upon, 111 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:31,680 unjustly sentenced to death. He's been whipped with the 112 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,040 catanine tails upon his naked back. 113 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,840 He's had the crown of thorns placed upon his head and jabbed 114 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:43,880 into his forehead. Then he's asked to place the 115 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:48,480 crossbeam on his shredded back and walk up the Via della Rossa 116 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,760 to Golgotha where they lay him on the ground on the crossbeam 117 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:58,720 and Pierce his hands and his feet and raised him in a public 118 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:02,880 spectacle of shame for all the world to see. 119 00:07:09,340 --> 00:07:12,980 And then we have this scene. It's kind of breathtaking. 120 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:16,540 Jesus is thinking when he's on the cross. 121 00:07:17,900 --> 00:07:23,100 Verse 25, near the cross of Jesus stood his mother. 122 00:07:27,220 --> 00:07:29,620 Just let that sit with you for a second. 123 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:38,520 She's watching her son perish and he's up there dying saying 124 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:43,840 there's my Mama. Like, don't dehumanize Jesus 125 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,240 just because he's also God, right? 126 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,040 His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopis and Mary 127 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:52,440 Magdalene. It's a merry party. 128 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,800 Verse 26, When Jesus saw his mother there, that is, and the 129 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:58,560 disciple whom he loved, who's John? 130 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,960 Not John the Baptist, but John the disciple, He said to her, 131 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:10,080 woman, here is your son, and to the disciple he said, here is 132 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,040 your mother. From that time on, this disciple 133 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:19,880 took her into his home. Jesus is hanging from the cross 134 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:25,120 and he speaks to his mother and says, woman, some of the moms 135 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,160 here, like if my son called me woman, I would also bring out a 136 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:30,080 cross. I would. 137 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,159 But woman here is actually a term of endearment. 138 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:41,600 It means like my lady or mademoiselle, there's a certain 139 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,440 grace to it that we don't get in our translation. 140 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:51,360 But it's also a cover up for Jesus knows that many there had 141 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,880 no clue who his mom is. They barely know who he is. 142 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:55,880 There's no pictures or videos of Jesus. 143 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,520 So some of them are seeing him for the first time, hanging from 144 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:03,200 the cross and they have no idea who his mother is. 145 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,200 And so instead of saying mom and drawing the ridicule of the 146 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,680 crowd to her, he just addresses her as woman. 147 00:09:17,270 --> 00:09:24,280 And then Jesus tells Mary, Mom, you have a new son, it's John. 148 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,800 And he looks at John and says, John, you have a new mother, 149 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:32,920 it's Mary. If you read the scriptures 150 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,840 through and through, you'll find that one of the greatest themes 151 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,840 in all the Bible is the honor and care of 1's parents. 152 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:43,720 And here is Jesus dying on the cross, caring for his mom. 153 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,280 Scholars believe, and I would agree with him, that Joseph, 154 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:50,680 Mary's husband is dead, otherwise she wouldn't need a 155 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:55,880 new home, a new covering. And so he says, Mom, you're now 156 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,280 a widow and your son's about to die. 157 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,720 I want to care for you. So I'm putting you in a new 158 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:05,440 family. And John, I'm putting you in a 159 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,200 new family too. So much so that John takes her 160 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,200 into his own home. Remember a few weeks ago when 161 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,880 Christine preached about in the old days in Jesus day? 162 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,160 You can see this when you go to Israel. 163 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:20,080 They wouldn't build a house and then the kids move over there 164 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,560 and build another house and the kids move over to that suburb 165 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:25,440 and some are in celebration and some are in Poinciana, right? 166 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,720 They would just add on to their house when the family grew and 167 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:32,000 more and more rooms. That's why Jesus says, I'm going 168 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,920 ahead of you to prepare a place for you. 169 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,680 Jesus right now is building on to his Father's house for you. 170 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,560 And John does this for us right here. 171 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:46,600 Now. Mary wasn't a part of his 172 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,160 family, wasn't living in his home. 173 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,400 And John, because she's now a part of the family, invites Mary 174 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,800 into the home. What's happening here? 175 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,000 Jesus is demonstrating that through his blood and by their 176 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,600 faith. Mary and John are the first 177 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:08,320 members of this new community, this new family of faith. 178 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:13,040 He's instituted a brand new family, remember in the Psalms 179 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:16,200 that says he puts the lonely in families and he does it first 180 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,600 with his mother. This is your new son, this is 181 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,720 your new mother. This family that is entered into 182 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:27,560 by faith and purchased for us through the blood and the 183 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:32,600 suffering of Jesus Christ so that all the world will know you 184 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,080 can be included. You are invited. 185 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:39,200 Everybody is loved. Everybody can be in in this 186 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:42,640 family. That's why I keep saying to you 187 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,400 during this series over and over again, the people sitting next 188 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:50,480 to you who are believers in Jesus are your literal brothers 189 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,720 and sisters. Sunday mornings are family 190 00:11:53,880 --> 00:12:00,080 reunions in the name of Jesus. Stand up with me right now and 191 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:02,800 find a brother or sister in this room. 192 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:07,280 Come on everybody. Even if you're an introvert, hug 193 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,360 your family members right here, right now. 194 00:12:10,680 --> 00:12:19,480 Your brother, your sister, your family, all of your family get 195 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,680 to know each other. Let's have a giant Thanksgiving. 196 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,040 Everyone's invited for Christmas. 197 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:33,080 Hug somebody you don't know. Hallelujah. 198 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:46,280 Yeah, if here's the point of what I want to say to you in 199 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:50,560 regards to this. If Jesus gave his life so that 200 00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:53,920 we can have community, shouldn't we give ours to keep it? 201 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:01,080 Which means I'm going to let my ego and my pride and my comfort 202 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:06,960 go down so that I can stay in community with you and you and 203 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,080 community with me. If Christ has done the work to 204 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:11,840 unite us by the shedding of his blood, how can we be so 205 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,280 frivolous to undo this work? By walking away when things get 206 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:20,600 hard. Let's flip to Ecclesiastes. 207 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:22,440 I'll show you another part of community. 208 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:27,040 I'm trying to convince you to not walk away when it gets hard. 209 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,480 Ecclesiastes, chapter 4, verse 8. 210 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:37,880 There was a man. Notice his condition all alone. 211 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,160 He had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil. 212 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,440 Yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 213 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,360 He says. For whom am I toiling? 214 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:50,640 He asked. And why am I depriving myself of 215 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:54,240 enjoyment? He's got no one to share all of 216 00:13:54,240 --> 00:14:00,560 this stuff with. All of his work produces stuff 217 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,080 and he's got no one to share the stuff with. 218 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,280 This too is meaningless, A miserable business. 219 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,000 Verse 9. A bunch of verses you might have 220 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,400 heard before and you thought they might have been secular 221 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:14,640 sayings or somewhere in the Bible. 222 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,560 They're all right here together. 2 are better than one because 223 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:19,960 they have a good return for their labor. 224 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,120 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up, but 225 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,920 pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 226 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,440 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can 227 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,440 one keep warm alone? Something I learned when I was 228 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,800 in scouts. If you get hypothermia, you 229 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,640 remember this you just got to get another warm body. 230 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:45,280 Verse 12 though one may be overpowered, 2 can defend 231 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,960 themselves. A cord of three strands is not 232 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,600 quickly broken. The power of community all in 233 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,840 one little section of scripture. A man has everything except 234 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,600 anyone to enjoy it with. Meaningless. 235 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,360 Or instead 2 can produce more than one. 236 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,800 One can lift another up if together, 1 can keep the other 237 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,560 warm if together 2 can withstand the attack better than one. 238 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,720 There's strength in numbers, which comes right from the 239 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,080 Bible. If the community has so much to 240 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:22,320 offer us, then why are we so often quick to leave it? 241 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,440 If this is the fruit of community, I want to stay in it, 242 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:33,080 even if it means some hard work and you may say, pastor, what do 243 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:34,480 you mean we're quick to leave community? 244 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,920 I've kind of already intimated it some, but often we leave 245 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,120 community. We go away from the shaping 246 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,080 relationships around us, typically for one of three 247 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:45,680 reasons. You could probably add 1000 248 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:47,560 more, but these are the ones that came to my mind. 249 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:51,680 Number one, I get offended by Felicia. 250 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,480 This is I'm taking my ball and going home. 251 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,520 I no longer want to play with you. 252 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:58,040 I don't want to be with you. I don't want to hang out with 253 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,640 you. I don't like I just I'm out, 254 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:04,560 right Or they require too much of me. 255 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,240 Somebody's trying to hold you to a standard and you don't want to 256 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:11,160 be held to that standard. So you want to go somewhere else 257 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,880 where there's no standard. I'm out or their teaching is too 258 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:20,920 hard. Like the what, what who could 259 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:25,240 ever do that? All three of these happened to 260 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,280 Jesus disciples. So do you think it might happen 261 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,320 to you? You don't have to turn there in 262 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,280 John chapter 6 Jesus is teaching he says I'm the bread of life 263 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:37,640 and they're like what we supposed to eat you? 264 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,240 Are you turning this into cannibals and Jesus double S 265 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,280 down he he goes on from saying I'm the bread of life. 266 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:48,000 Then he says if you do not eat of my flesh and drink of my 267 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,400 blood. This is what the Bible says 268 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:54,640 there is no life in you. Now for us on this side of 269 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:58,720 Jesus, as partakers in Holy Communion, once a month here at 270 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,720 Illuminate Church or whatever church you grew up in, we're 271 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:08,640 used to this symbolism, the body and blood of Christ represented 272 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:14,359 by the bread and the juice. And so it's normal to us. 273 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,119 But imagine standing there and watching this guy that you're 274 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,280 like, we're following Jesus. He's like, you need to eat my 275 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:25,240 flesh and blood. He's like, oh, this just got 276 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,319 weird. The Bible records in John 277 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:33,200 chapter 6 that they said to themselves, the teaching is too 278 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:36,640 hard. Jesus is set the standard too 279 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:38,880 high. And then it says this, they 280 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,760 turned from Jesus and walked away. 281 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:48,120 Can you imagine? They they turned their back on 282 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:52,480 Jesus and they left the community of the disciples and 283 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,160 walked away offended require too much. 284 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,000 The teaching is too hard. I wonder this morning, have you 285 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:03,280 ever walked away when someone has tried to teach you or hold 286 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:08,040 you accountable or require of you godliness and you're like, 287 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:14,240 ah, I need to get out of here. When someone holds up a mirror 288 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:21,280 to you and you don't like what you see, you can either leave 289 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,360 from the mirror or you can learn from the mirror. 290 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:31,160 Maturity says that we learn from the mirror. 291 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,600 American Society seems that says like just leave. 292 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,200 You want to find people who don't hold up the mirror to you. 293 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:41,280 That's what your comfort will tell you. 294 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:44,720 You know what they call people who will not hold up the mirror 295 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,280 to you? Enablers. 296 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,440 Coddlers, I just want you to feel good, so I'm not going to 297 00:18:55,440 --> 00:19:00,120 address what doesn't feel good. Enablement. 298 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,520 Don't run. Don't run. 299 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,680 I'm about to do something I've never done on platform. 300 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:14,040 I hope it's not weird. That's a knife. 301 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,480 That's not a knife. OK? 302 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:24,480 Anyway, Crocodile, OK, knives are, yes, they're dangerous, but 303 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,160 they're also incredibly great tools that the Lord has given 304 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:28,600 us. If you think about what the 305 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:33,240 knife does in the preparation of food, in the defense of oneself 306 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:39,960 in the sacrificial system before Jesus, in surgery, scalpels, 307 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:41,800 they're they're very, very useful. 308 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:49,360 Unless they are absolutely dull, you do not want to be on a 309 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:53,400 surgery table with a doctor whose scalpels are dull. 310 00:19:53,400 --> 00:20:08,420 And they're like, yeah, we don't want to be useless tools. 311 00:20:10,340 --> 00:20:12,020 And so the Bible gives us a prescription. 312 00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:16,500 Proverbs 2717. A very famous scripture says 313 00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:22,940 that as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. 314 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:31,240 I'm not a professional away from you. 315 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,600 Is that how you do it? Not this way, because this way 316 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,240 is safe and this way makes people nervous. 317 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:45,600 Really. Really, I'm fine. 318 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:53,640 I'm fine as iron sharpens iron. So one man, one woman sharpens 319 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:57,480 another. But do you notice how it works? 320 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:04,800 Friction. And nobody likes friction. 321 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:11,560 And God says, yeah, that's the way that we grow. 322 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:17,040 And when this happens, what we want to do? 323 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:27,480 And then it's. Right, no friction. 324 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:33,440 I got more to say. I want to talk about friction 325 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:36,320 this morning. It's the friction that sharpens 326 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:39,400 you, friction which is uncomfortable. 327 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,640 I'll say to you this when your comfort goes down, it's often 328 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,080 then that your character will go up. 329 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:46,720 Think about working out of the gym. 330 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:52,760 It's not comfortable. Think about eating better, it's 331 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,560 not comfortable. Think about being trained in 332 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,480 righteousness, it's not comfortable. 333 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:02,560 But the results are typically always the same. 334 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,160 When your comfort goes down, it's often then that your 335 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,240 character goes up. I'm going to show you what 336 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,120 friction looks like in the church and that the idea today 337 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:14,200 is that we re address or re see friction. 338 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:16,440 I want to put it in a better view. 339 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:19,960 I want to actually appreciate friction in relationships 340 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,160 because then I know that God is at work. 341 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:24,200 He's doing something. He's going to make something 342 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:25,360 from this. Amen. 343 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:33,240 You're so enthusiastic this morning, Ephesians Ephesians 344 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:34,920 chapter 4. If you want to flip there really 345 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,200 quick, it's all the way over to the New Testament Ephesians 346 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,360 chapter 4 verse 11, where see the work of the church and the 347 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:43,560 point of community all in one little section of scripture. 348 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,520 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 says so Christ gave the fivefold 349 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:51,800 ministry, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and 350 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:52,880 teachers. Why? 351 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:56,360 To equip His people for works of service, so that the whole body 352 00:22:56,360 --> 00:23:01,040 of Christ may be built up until we all, everyone say all, reach 353 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:03,760 unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and 354 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:07,800 become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of 355 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,280 Christ. Then we will no longer be 356 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:16,440 infants tossed back and forth by social media, by talking heads, 357 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,720 by schemes and cunning of the enemy, by waves blown here and 358 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,040 there, by the every wind of teaching and the cunning and 359 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,920 craftiness of people and their deceitful scheming. 360 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:32,440 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in 361 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,440 every respect a mature body of Him who is the head, that is 362 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,000 Christ. From him the whole body, joined 363 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,000 and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and 364 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,560 builds itself up and in love as each part does its work. 365 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:51,440 What is this teaching us? Friction actually grounds us and 366 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:56,040 matures us. The church community, which is 367 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,080 represented here by the fivefold ministry, the apostles, 368 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:04,920 prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers, and the body of 369 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:11,040 the church is meant to come around us and you, me, me, you, 370 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:13,920 to shape one another towards maturity. 371 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:19,560 I cannot do this alone. I have to be in community to 372 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,560 attain the full measure of Christ. 373 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,920 It's almost like we're learning here that there's a certain 374 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,840 level of maturity that I can attain on my own and personal 375 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,760 study and devotion to the Lord. But the fullness of my maturity 376 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:36,720 and my walk with Jesus is going to come from the friction and 377 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:41,520 the shaping of other believers in my life who are willing to 378 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:45,400 hold up the Word of God. That is, I skipped the scripture 379 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:46,640 earlier. I just want to make sure I read 380 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,560 it. Second Timothy 316. 381 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:52,400 All scripture is God breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, 382 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,640 correcting and training and righteousness. 383 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:58,640 We sit together and open the word together. 384 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:02,320 Our friend says, hey, I was reading Luke and you're not 385 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,880 living like Luke. They wouldn't say it like that, 386 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:11,080 but friction is meant to ground us and mature us. 387 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,840 It's the refinement from the body. 388 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:19,080 It is the iron sharpening iron. You cannot be sharpened by air. 389 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:22,120 Your growth requires community alone. 390 00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:32,040 People end up to be dull people, a tool of the Lord, but you 391 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,920 become a little bit useless because of the lack of the 392 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:40,440 refinement that comes from the community, which feels to us 393 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:46,640 like friction, but it's actually a grace from the Lord to shape, 394 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,240 to refine. So my counsel use don't run, 395 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:54,400 decide to stay, meaning I'm going to stay where it hurts. 396 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,320 And listen to me. I'm not talking about church 397 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,280 abuse. I want to be very clear. 398 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,680 I'm not talking about something that's amoral or illegal. 399 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,240 I'm talking about character shaping or somebody's 400 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,760 challenging the way that you live, the way that you speak, 401 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:12,240 the way that you think, and say, Hey, can we align this to the 402 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,880 Lord? And you were like, I, I'm going 403 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,200 to turn my back on Jesus and walk away from the community 404 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:18,560 because the teaching is too hard. 405 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,120 And Ephesians chapter 4 is saying, stay in the body and be 406 00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:28,680 sharpened in community. Don't run, stay. 407 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,120 Decide to say #2 just so we're clear, friction doesn't have to 408 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:37,640 be ugly. There's this assumption that 409 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:43,280 confrontation means bad, and really it's the friction. 410 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,000 It's the confrontation that shapes us. 411 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:47,520 We have something here at the church called our field guide, 412 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,040 looks like this. It's got Pastor Kim involved 413 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,280 around and Patrick on the front. They're looking great. 414 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,280 Baptism. Yep, in the field, guys. 415 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,320 A lot of things with the two major things that are in here 416 00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:03,280 are our vision, which is what we do, and our cultural values, 417 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,640 which is the manner in which we do what we do. 418 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:12,680 You understand, one of our cultural values essentially says 419 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:14,960 this. We speak the truth as a staff, 420 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,960 as dream team members. We speak the truth in love, 421 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,560 which is right here out of Ephesians chapter 4, but we also 422 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:29,920 receive the truth as love. So the assumption is that when 423 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,280 you walk into my office or I walk into yours and there's 424 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:35,720 correction, there's friction, there's confrontation that we 425 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:37,760 need to walk through. The assumption is that you're 426 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:44,160 walking in in the motive of love, and I'm going to receive 427 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,880 what you're saying to me as love, which makes it much more 428 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,720 easy for you to say what you need to say to me, knowing that 429 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,320 I'm perceiving it correctly. You're coming in to say this 430 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,680 because you love me. Candor is king in the context of 431 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:02,360 love. As a result, we will not walk 432 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:06,280 away in fear of giving or receiving truth, even if it 433 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:11,480 causes healthy confrontation. We embrace it because it makes 434 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:13,720 us better. How do you speak the truth in 435 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:14,960 love? Lots of ways. 436 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,520 Let me just give you 2 ideas. Number one, always go to them, 437 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:20,520 not to others. When you go to others, it's not 438 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:24,640 very loving. What's private has now become 439 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,520 public, and there's public opinion about something that's 440 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:32,600 private between two people. And so because I love you, I'm 441 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,160 not going to make a spectacle of this. 442 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:39,920 Instead, I'm just going to talk to you because I love you and #2 443 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,560 check the motive of your heart before you walk in. 444 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,200 What's your motive? Is change your desire? 445 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,920 Is your desire for good? Or is it really, let's be 446 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:58,240 honest, to punish them? You can walk into an office or 447 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:02,400 to a relationship or to the church and your motive be I want 448 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,640 to bless with my words or my motive is I really just want to 449 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:10,800 curse you. I I want something bad to happen 450 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:13,520 to you because of the way that this has made me feel. 451 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:15,800 That's not speaking the truth in love. 452 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,440 That's speaking the truth. Had a selfish motive out of 453 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:23,320 anger. So my counsel to you is don't 454 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:25,640 run. Instead, you be an agent that 455 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:30,640 cultivates safety. You want to be the man or the 456 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:37,080 woman who says, when I walk into the room, I trust that you and I 457 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,960 have love between us so that we can talk about anything for the 458 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:45,560 sake of growth. Patrick Lincione says the best. 459 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:46,800 He's an author. He's written a bunch of 460 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:51,240 leadership books. He's a believer in God. 461 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:54,080 He in in the Five Dysfunctions of a team. 462 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:58,000 He says when there is trust, conflict becomes nothing but the 463 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:04,040 pursuit of truth and attempt to find the best possible answer. 464 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:13,280 How about that conflict, seen rightly, is actually a good 465 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,120 thing. We're seeking the truth. 466 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:20,280 We want the best outcome for you and for me #3 Finally, friction 467 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:25,520 eliminates false peace. What a deception. 468 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,280 False peace. We think we're at peace, but 469 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:32,280 we're really not. We think everything is OK, but 470 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:33,880 it's not true. We just shoved it under the rug. 471 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:37,880 Luke chapter 6. Let me just read these two 472 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,080 scriptures to you. Why do you look at the speck of 473 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,080 sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the 474 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,920 plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother 475 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:50,360 or your sister, let me take the speck out of your eye when you 476 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,720 yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? 477 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:56,040 You hypocrite, This is Jesus speaking. 478 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:02,120 First take the plank out your own eye and then you will see 479 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,360 clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. 480 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,960 The main point of Jesus's teaching here is that 481 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:17,920 introspection must come first. I got to check myself in the 482 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,640 mirror before I go. Hold up the mirror for anybody 483 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,720 else to show them a blind spot. That that's the point. 484 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:28,080 Don't miss it, but also don't miss this, the very end of the 485 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,760 passage. Jesus doesn't say in the end, 486 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:34,720 Don't go, Jesus doesn't say. Don't help them. 487 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,720 Jesus doesn't say. Just sweep it under the rug and 488 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:39,840 deal with this another day which never comes. 489 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:45,760 That is false peace when we say nothing about the issues between 490 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,680 us because we want to keep up appearances or just keep the 491 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:54,000 relationship. If no one talks about specs and 492 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,840 planks with one another, then we're going to walk around with 493 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,920 a lot of specs and planks. And that's what false peace 494 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:04,080 looks like. Nobody willing to have a hard 495 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:10,800 conversation, to be candid, to be loving, no one really willing 496 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,600 to receive somebody that comes with candor and love. 497 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:20,960 Like I'm leaving. And if you are in a community of 498 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:25,240 people who pretend there are no specks and doesn't deal with 499 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:29,880 planks, don't run. Lead the way. 500 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:39,120 You lead the way by asking them. Is there anything in me that 501 00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:43,920 needs correcting? Christine and I have a weekly 502 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:48,720 meeting Sundays. We talk about everything, 503 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,800 finances, plans for the week, and one of the questions we ask 504 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:54,880 each other. Is there anything I did this 505 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,200 week or said this week that we don't use these words but needs 506 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:03,400 correcting and vice versa. And we share. 507 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,760 Yeah, when you slam the fridge never happens. 508 00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:10,360 I don't know what to make up, but we we share. 509 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,400 Yeah, that was a hard conversation or that didn't land 510 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:14,160 right. Or when you do this, it makes me 511 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,320 feel this. And you know what's happening 512 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:25,440 the whole time. And Sunday by Sunday, our 513 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:31,400 marriage matures because we're open to receiving the frictions 514 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,760 saying there's something not right, so let's make it right in 515 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,600 Jesus name. When you have Patrick Lincione, 516 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,520 he doesn't call it false peace. He calls it artificial harmony. 517 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:45,840 And he says it's a relationship killer. 518 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:48,600 When there's false peace, there's no real engagement 519 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,400 because the entire relationship is built on falsehood. 520 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:54,360 When there's false peace, there's no truth. 521 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:56,720 So you can't tell when somebody's talking to you like, 522 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:58,400 is this truth or lie? Are you giving me the real 523 00:33:58,400 --> 00:33:59,560 truth? Are you covering up or? 524 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:03,160 And when there's false peace, there's no hope for growth or 525 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:06,680 improvement. We're just going to pretend like 526 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:11,400 everything's OK and stay this way for the rest of our lives 527 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:16,639 and not mature. Stay in broken places, broken 528 00:34:16,639 --> 00:34:20,080 relationships. And then we wonder why we're 529 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:22,239 upset. Don't run. 530 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:27,239 Instead, surrender your view of yourself to the shaping of the 531 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:31,880 community. It's a very vulnerable place to 532 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:38,960 be, to say I know that the only way that I become the fullness 533 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:46,239 of Christ is to allow myself to be examined by you and for you 534 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:49,440 to tell me the truth. Yeah. 535 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,320 Tim, you are flapping in the wind in this area. 536 00:34:53,679 --> 00:34:56,480 You don't even know it. But I love you. 537 00:34:56,480 --> 00:35:00,480 I want to show it to you. You know, I really, when I say 538 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:04,800 this, I really love the staff here at Illuminate Church. 539 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,560 I love these people. I love seeing them in the 540 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:10,960 office. There's nobody's office that I 541 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:16,160 like walk by like really quickly, you know, love it when 542 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:19,640 we have meals together, we laugh, we cry together, we pray 543 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:25,120 together, we read together, we go on retreats together and 544 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:28,600 actually enjoy it. Hallelujah. 545 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:36,400 But it wasn't always that way. When we started as a church, I 546 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:41,000 thought that our culture would just form around the fact that 547 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:48,400 I'm a nice guy and we love each other and working for Jesus is 548 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:58,600 fun sometimes. We had no cultural values, and 549 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,520 so a lot of things would happen on staff in the early days and 550 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,520 just wouldn't be addressed because we didn't have know how 551 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,640 to address them. We didn't know how to speak the 552 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:09,120 truth in love or receive the truth in love. 553 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,400 We didn't know how to seek First things first. 554 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,120 We didn't know what that meant. That alignment is more important 555 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:17,680 than assignment. It's better that we have 556 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,400 relationship than we get this thing done. 557 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:25,000 We're just getting things done at the sake of relationship. 558 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,480 You understand what I'm saying? And so the Lord had us write the 559 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:36,320 culture guide and now this staff that we have and some former 560 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,760 staff members too, it's just been a wonderful ride. 561 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:43,480 We know how to walk through hard things together. 562 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:49,800 And I promise you this, our staff, we ain't perfect. 563 00:36:51,920 --> 00:37:00,160 We got issues, we got problems. There is friction regularly, but 564 00:37:00,160 --> 00:37:04,920 nobody clinches, nobody deuces and runs away. 565 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:12,000 We come to the table and then we stay at the table. 566 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:18,800 We have hard conversations and I watch staff member sharpening 567 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:23,440 staff member, and I've experienced staff members 568 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:30,600 sharpening me and none of us on this staff are the same that we 569 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:41,640 were a year ago because we've decided to not run and to stay 570 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:46,000 even when it was friction and it's been happening. 571 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:51,000 I'm better, Christine's better, Ronnie's better, Sarah's better, 572 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,720 Dave is better, other Dave is better, Alex is better, Kim's 573 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:58,440 better. There's a lot of work on Kim. 574 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:10,010 I'm just kidding. I want to close today by saying 575 00:38:10,010 --> 00:38:15,290 to anyone here who's been a runaway that the Lord brought 576 00:38:15,290 --> 00:38:24,730 you here today, say, come home. This message is not meant for 577 00:38:24,730 --> 00:38:28,010 condemnation. It's always meant for 578 00:38:28,010 --> 00:38:30,410 invitation. You may feel conviction that's 579 00:38:30,410 --> 00:38:34,770 the Holy Spirit, but maybe you've run from a community 580 00:38:34,770 --> 00:38:39,800 that's trying to shape you or run from the Lord who's trying 581 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:46,360 to shape you, and you just say today I'm turning back around 582 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:51,040 and facing Jesus. I'm turning back around and 583 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:53,680 entering the community. Maybe it's at your home. 584 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,080 Maybe you need to sit at the table and say we're not leaving 585 00:38:56,080 --> 00:39:00,280 the table until we speak the truth in love and receive the 586 00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:03,040 truth is love. Maybe it's at your workplace. 587 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:05,520 You got to set the culture yourself, even if it's just you. 588 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:10,480 I'm going to cultivate safety. I'm going to walk through hard 589 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:13,400 spaces knowing that it matures me and hopefully the other 590 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:15,680 person as well. Not going to run. 591 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:20,040 I've done the running, it just delays the inevitable. 592 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:24,480 I'm going to stay. I have these 3 words for you. 593 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:31,960 Return, repair and recommit. Return to community. 594 00:39:32,720 --> 00:39:36,600 Allow the community and you to them, them to you to do some 595 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:39,560 healing, some repairing, and to make a commitment. 596 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:41,040 We're not going to run from this table. 597 00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:44,000 We're going to stay when it gets hard. 598 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:47,280 We're going to do the work knowing that the friction 599 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:52,880 actually makes us better as we resolve it together. 600 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:56,720 I have one question. You can write this down. 601 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:02,040 Ask it of God. Ask it of. 602 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:07,200 Someone you trust, but don't ask him unless you're willing to 603 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:13,840 hear the truth. These 4 words, will you sharpen 604 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:18,440 me? Thanks for joining us today. 605 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:21,480 We hope God is speaking to your heart through this message. 606 00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:24,480 If you'd like to connect with us, you can text connect to 607 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:31,000 407-588-0115 or visit Illuminate dot church. 608 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:32,680 Have a great week.