WEBVTT 0 00:00:04.890 --> 00:00:07.354 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. 1 00:00:07.482 --> 00:00:11.150 This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning messages and more. 2 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:16.030 Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes and thanks for listening. 3 00:00:20.370 --> 00:00:21.520 Well, good morning. 4 00:00:22.690 --> 00:00:38.838 I hope you have your Bibles with you and if you will join me in Acts chapter two where we're going to continue to look at it's going to be our base level, our foundational passage of Scripture each week as we go through this discipleship series together. 5 00:00:39.004 --> 00:00:44.314 As you guys turn there, if you were not here last week, let me say a few disclaimers kind of heading into this. 6 00:00:44.352 --> 00:00:54.974 Number one, if you are here this morning and you served in children's ministry last week, let me just say I'm sorry, all right? 7 00:00:55.172 --> 00:00:56.670 The band went a little long. 8 00:00:56.740 --> 00:00:58.320 I don't know what happened there. 9 00:00:59.090 --> 00:01:01.886 We had like 20 announcements in the video. 10 00:01:01.988 --> 00:01:02.794 I was brief. 11 00:01:02.842 --> 00:01:04.740 I don't know what happened with everybody else. 12 00:01:05.590 --> 00:01:06.734 It was Dave's fault. 13 00:01:06.782 --> 00:01:11.742 All right, so no, we're grateful for you serving. 14 00:01:11.886 --> 00:01:17.346 Both of my kids were in children's ministry last week, so they struggled well with you in there. 15 00:01:17.448 --> 00:01:23.302 But we are in a series as we look at our discipleship series where we are looking at God's Word and we're kind of doing something. 16 00:01:23.356 --> 00:01:30.922 Twofold, we don't do a lot of this, but we are taking this unique time where our church is positioned to do this. 17 00:01:31.056 --> 00:01:42.074 So our Sunday morning messages are kind of twofold, we're looking at what the Bible teaches us as we do each and every week as we work through a passage of Scripture together. 18 00:01:42.192 --> 00:01:56.654 But then we're also taking that and immediately showing how this connects to our vision of our church and what we're looking to do and kind of expand on that a little bit more as we're going to be doing some new and some different things starting September the 10th. 19 00:01:56.702 --> 00:02:02.114 And so we're taking time each and every week to communicate that out and to share that. 20 00:02:02.232 --> 00:02:09.010 And what I know is that sometimes as we communicate things, there are questions that come up and that arise and we love that. 21 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:16.934 And if at the end of this, if there's something that is unclear, if there's something that is uncertain for you, please don't think that you must have missed something. 22 00:02:17.052 --> 00:02:24.614 We're going to err on the side that I did not communicate something as effectively as I needed to and it can help me learn some really good lessons. 23 00:02:24.662 --> 00:02:32.142 And so if you have questions, please come and ask me, ask our staff, we would love to be able to answer those as we go forward. 24 00:02:32.196 --> 00:02:49.470 And what we are doing now, what we are looking to build on and taking this shift in our discipleship strategy, in the discipleship process of our church, is we're going to be looking at doing something new with largely how Sunday mornings look in the life of our church. 25 00:02:49.550 --> 00:02:55.102 And so last week I believe I ended with the schedule of what we're going to be starting on September 10. 26 00:02:55.166 --> 00:02:57.970 And so this morning what I want to do is begin with that, okay? 27 00:02:58.040 --> 00:03:11.738 And we'll talk about the schedule each and every week to kind of help implant that into our mind so that we will understand where we need to be, when we need to be, where and what we're going to be doing and accomplishing during that time, okay? 28 00:03:11.824 --> 00:03:20.294 And so on all of this, we're staying normal as we can, as normal as Willow Ridge can be until Sunday, September the 10th. 29 00:03:20.342 --> 00:03:25.694 And then when that day comes, that's where this shift or change is going to happen for us. 30 00:03:25.732 --> 00:03:35.746 And so at 09:00 in the mornings, on Sundays, we're going to start what is called our discipleship hour and it's going to run from nine to 950. 31 00:03:35.848 --> 00:03:49.270 And this is for kids, for youth and for adults, it's going to be a time that we can designate as a church when we realize that most of our church is already on their way. 32 00:03:49.340 --> 00:03:55.206 They've set apart this day, they've set apart this time to gather together as a church family. 33 00:03:55.308 --> 00:04:05.062 And so what we want to seek to accomplish during that is we've already got bodies moving, we've already got people who are ready, we've already got families and individuals who are engaged. 34 00:04:05.126 --> 00:04:19.486 And so let's do the best that we can to maximize that time to do all that God wants us to do still while maintaining all of the other ministries and discipleship that happen on different nights and different days. 35 00:04:19.588 --> 00:04:22.334 And so we want to continue to roll forward with that. 36 00:04:22.372 --> 00:04:29.006 So we'll have our discipleship from nine to 950 that morning for our kids, for our youth and for our adults. 37 00:04:29.038 --> 00:04:31.406 And so here's what this looks like for our youth. 38 00:04:31.518 --> 00:04:42.866 They've taken a space up here to my right and attic space that they've turned into a wonderful room, a wonderful meeting space that they can hang out, that they can play games, that they can fellowship. 39 00:04:42.978 --> 00:04:50.506 And Joel and his team will be meeting with students up there on Sunday mornings to dive further into the previous week's message. 40 00:04:50.608 --> 00:04:53.690 And so we look forward to them continuing on with that. 41 00:04:53.840 --> 00:04:59.066 Our kids ministry will meet in large group discipleship over in building Two. 42 00:04:59.168 --> 00:05:10.250 Well, they'll have an opportunity in a large group setting to walk through the lesson of that day for all of the kids who were there and to build community in that large group setting. 43 00:05:10.330 --> 00:05:23.794 And then what we are going to focus on for our adults during this time scattered in between Building Two and Building One are two different types of discipleship environments that we're looking to provide. 44 00:05:23.992 --> 00:05:31.286 The first will be a relational discipleship environment for adults and we're going to talk about that, those specifically today. 45 00:05:31.388 --> 00:05:37.062 And what do we mean by relational discipleship and theological discipleship environments as well. 46 00:05:37.116 --> 00:05:40.554 And so you're going to have twofold of where you need to go to and what you need to do. 47 00:05:40.672 --> 00:05:49.510 The question has already raised we've got classes and studies and environments before worship. 48 00:05:49.590 --> 00:05:51.514 So we've got Sunday school, right? 49 00:05:51.552 --> 00:05:53.546 And I grew up in the Sunday school model. 50 00:05:53.648 --> 00:05:54.494 I love Sunday school. 51 00:05:54.532 --> 00:05:57.166 Sunday school was used in a powerful way in my life. 52 00:05:57.268 --> 00:06:01.182 And the answer to that question is, no, we're not having Sunday school. 53 00:06:01.316 --> 00:06:17.070 Sunday school is oftentimes and there's nothing wrong with Sunday school, but largely dictated by you must go to this class based off of stage of life, based off of if you're married or not married, based off of your age, based off of life experiences. 54 00:06:17.150 --> 00:06:25.346 And we've decided, no, we're not going to place individuals with where we feel like they need to be based off of set of circumstances. 55 00:06:25.378 --> 00:06:29.126 But instead, we'll look at these toward the end of the message this morning. 56 00:06:29.228 --> 00:06:40.054 We are going to allow you to choose and to decide where you would like to be for a set period of time so that you can walk through where you feel like you need to go in discipleship. 57 00:06:40.102 --> 00:06:42.250 And so we're looking forward to that. 58 00:06:42.400 --> 00:06:46.782 A couple of notes to kind of help us as we transition in this time. 59 00:06:46.916 --> 00:06:51.358 Our classes end at 950, and that's really important that we're ending at 950. 60 00:06:51.444 --> 00:07:04.674 We've communicated this to all of our facilitators, all of our leaders, and here's the reason why at 950, parents, what we need you to do during that time is to go and get your kids and come to what's next, which is our fellowship time. 61 00:07:04.712 --> 00:07:05.106 Okay? 62 00:07:05.208 --> 00:07:06.046 And two reasons. 63 00:07:06.078 --> 00:07:08.210 It's not that we want to cut discipleship short. 64 00:07:08.280 --> 00:07:10.210 It's not because we want to end a discussion. 65 00:07:10.290 --> 00:07:11.990 It's not because we want to ruin your morning. 66 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:19.894 It's not because of any of those things right here's why we are doing this strategically because we are not a church with a lot of meeting spaces. 67 00:07:20.022 --> 00:07:21.066 We just don't have them. 68 00:07:21.088 --> 00:07:32.758 In fact, every room, once we start this on September 10, every room in our church will be used for at least two different groups to meet in those spaces. 69 00:07:32.854 --> 00:07:39.998 And some of those spaces will be used for three different groups once our Hispanics come back later on in the morning and meet. 70 00:07:40.084 --> 00:07:46.590 And so what we need to do is we need to have time to transition those rooms from our first hour to our second hour. 71 00:07:46.660 --> 00:07:50.162 And it's going to be hard for us to do that with kids in the room. 72 00:07:50.296 --> 00:07:58.290 The other thing that we need to do is we need to be able to transition our kids ministry volunteers from their discipleship time to what's coming next. 73 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:00.118 And so we need you to do that. 74 00:08:00.284 --> 00:08:09.878 Parents, one other thing that we have for you, and this is my heart as a dad and my heart as a pastor, when they beautifully collide in being able to say things like this. 75 00:08:09.964 --> 00:08:15.180 Parents, here's what I need for you to wrestle with, for you to listen to, and for you to embrace in your life, okay? 76 00:08:16.270 --> 00:08:25.680 You are, for better or for worse, the strongest influencer in your child's life. 77 00:08:26.690 --> 00:08:28.080 They watch you. 78 00:08:28.690 --> 00:08:32.000 They may not obey you, but they're listening to you. 79 00:08:32.530 --> 00:08:35.726 They're seeing is what mom and dad are selling. 80 00:08:35.838 --> 00:08:36.834 Is it real? 81 00:08:36.952 --> 00:08:38.370 Is it legit? 82 00:08:38.950 --> 00:08:42.180 Does it mean something to them or should it just mean something to me? 83 00:08:42.630 --> 00:08:49.400 And so here's what we don't need is you to drop them off at Discipleship at 09:00 A.m. 84 00:08:49.770 --> 00:08:52.760 And then for you just to go, all right? 85 00:08:53.130 --> 00:09:05.610 And logistically, all right, we're not at a spot, and we can't be at a spot where we have that many kids on Sunday morning with parents, not here if there is an emergency, if there was a sickness, if there was something, we need you here. 86 00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:08.074 So that where we can get you and connect you with your kids. 87 00:09:08.112 --> 00:09:14.430 So that's logistically, but spiritually, spiritually, your kids need to be discipled. 88 00:09:14.930 --> 00:09:17.466 Spiritually, you need to be discipled. 89 00:09:17.658 --> 00:09:26.020 And your kids need to see that discipleship and you growing in the relationship, your relationship with the Lord is important to you, so be important to them, all right? 90 00:09:26.550 --> 00:09:30.500 Our staff will be a part of the Discipleship process. 91 00:09:31.030 --> 00:09:41.750 Not just leading, but we'll be a part in our various ministry ways, and we will be engaged in this, and we want to encourage you to do that as well. 92 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:42.310 All right? 93 00:09:42.380 --> 00:09:44.886 So we'll have discipleship from nine to 950. 94 00:09:44.988 --> 00:09:49.670 Following discipleship, we'll have fellowship from 950 to 1015. 95 00:09:49.740 --> 00:09:57.498 All right, that's that beautiful, wonderful, crazy time where we all get to come into here together, drink coffee, drink juice, drink water. 96 00:09:57.584 --> 00:10:02.080 I just want to say it's just kind of I had my first cup of coffee at four years old. 97 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:05.534 Explains a lot, right? 98 00:10:05.732 --> 00:10:06.494 All right. 99 00:10:06.612 --> 00:10:08.526 My granddad would bring me over to his house. 100 00:10:08.548 --> 00:10:10.874 I would spend most Friday nights with my grandparents. 101 00:10:10.922 --> 00:10:21.486 And every Saturday morning, my grandfather would wake up, he would fix himself a nice big tall cup of coffee and he would fix one for me and sat it down in front of me. 102 00:10:21.508 --> 00:10:25.720 I remember the first time he did this, I was like, I'm pretty sure this isn't okay, right? 103 00:10:26.170 --> 00:10:29.606 But there is so much sugar and caffeine in this that I'm going to embrace it. 104 00:10:29.628 --> 00:10:29.974 All right? 105 00:10:30.012 --> 00:10:31.906 And so we're seeing kids around here drinking coffee. 106 00:10:31.938 --> 00:10:32.806 I'm not giving them to him. 107 00:10:32.828 --> 00:10:33.094 All right? 108 00:10:33.132 --> 00:10:35.814 But if you as parents are doing that, that's between you and the Lord, right? 109 00:10:35.852 --> 00:10:37.622 And so you all are doing that, but they're here. 110 00:10:37.676 --> 00:10:42.634 We got snacks, just a wonderful, wonderful fellowship time that we can come together as a family. 111 00:10:42.752 --> 00:10:44.060 I was sharing this. 112 00:10:45.150 --> 00:10:53.802 I want to say this is just the number off the top of my head, but I believe we have six, seven, or eight different high schools represented within our student ministry. 113 00:10:53.946 --> 00:10:57.770 So here's what this means for us as a body of believers. 114 00:10:57.850 --> 00:11:04.080 It means that during our Monday through Saturday we are scattered around in a large area of our community. 115 00:11:04.450 --> 00:11:15.202 Which means this for a lot of us, sunday morning is the only time we see each other, have the opportunity to talk to each other and have the opportunity to do what the Bible calls us to do in fellowship with one another. 116 00:11:15.336 --> 00:11:20.102 And so this time from 950 to 915, it is not a buffer time for us. 117 00:11:20.236 --> 00:11:32.246 When we started talking about as a staff of making this shift in our discipleship strategy, this was a non negotiable for us that this must stay here because we see the fruit of it in the life of our church. 118 00:11:32.358 --> 00:11:32.938 All right? 119 00:11:33.024 --> 00:11:35.898 And so we want all of us to be a part of that. 120 00:11:36.064 --> 00:11:41.814 And then from 1015 to 1130, right, we will have our worship time. 121 00:11:41.872 --> 00:11:45.230 And so that's kind of the scheduling change. 122 00:11:45.380 --> 00:11:54.106 Instead of worship starting at ten, worship is going to start at 1015 and go till roughly 1130 ish as long as the band doesn't get long winded. 123 00:11:54.138 --> 00:11:59.362 All right, kids, worship will continue over in building two. 124 00:11:59.496 --> 00:12:02.802 You'll hear the cue from Don's voice at some point in time, right? 125 00:12:02.856 --> 00:12:04.946 That it's now time where you can go and check your kids in. 126 00:12:04.968 --> 00:12:06.322 So kids worship in there. 127 00:12:06.376 --> 00:12:15.560 We'll continue to have our nursery and all the things that we continue to do and then we will gather in building one for our worship service together. 128 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:18.120 And this is for a point and for a reason. 129 00:12:18.490 --> 00:12:20.970 This isn't because we needed something else to do. 130 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.974 This isn't because we wanted to add something to your schedule. 131 00:12:24.102 --> 00:12:29.018 This isn't because we've bought into a new program that's been sold to us. 132 00:12:29.184 --> 00:12:35.194 It's because we believe in a process and a strategy that we see in scripture. 133 00:12:35.242 --> 00:12:43.274 And I'm going to ask that we throw the little discipleship circle that we have up on the screen and this is what we're working toward in the life of our church. 134 00:12:43.322 --> 00:12:50.978 When you see that middle part of this circle and each week we'll explain a little bit more in what we mean by this. 135 00:12:51.064 --> 00:12:55.314 But what I desire for my life is what I desire for your life. 136 00:12:55.352 --> 00:12:58.550 It's what I desire for my wife, it's what I desire for my kids. 137 00:12:58.620 --> 00:12:59.686 This is not a program. 138 00:12:59.788 --> 00:13:01.746 This is what we see from scripture. 139 00:13:01.858 --> 00:13:11.158 Fully engaged discipleship where you and I look and examine our lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we're desiring to become more and more like Jesus. 140 00:13:11.254 --> 00:13:18.250 And we look and what we see is that we find that there's relational discipleship which is what we're going to talk about today. 141 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:30.110 There's relational discipleship that is happening, there's theological discipleship that is taking place that'll be next week and there's missional discipleship that's taking place and that will be our last week of what we see. 142 00:13:30.180 --> 00:13:43.460 And that in this, there's this full process that we're walking through and we're doing this together, and we're doing this like family, and we're becoming more and more and more like the followers of Christ that God desires for us to be. 143 00:13:45.290 --> 00:13:47.270 We didn't find this at a seminar. 144 00:13:48.970 --> 00:13:51.110 We didn't find this through a meeting. 145 00:13:51.930 --> 00:13:56.134 We simply looked at God's Word and we began to see God. 146 00:13:56.172 --> 00:14:01.240 What was this work that you have been doing and that you've done? 147 00:14:01.610 --> 00:14:06.630 And what does it look like for us in our church, in our context? 148 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:12.734 And we're using Acts chapter two as this model for us. 149 00:14:12.852 --> 00:14:29.700 Now, we've got to be careful when we look at things in Scripture and we try to take I'll use a word that'll date me, a carbon copy, right, kids, ask your parents later, right? 150 00:14:30.150 --> 00:14:38.022 We try to take a carbon copy, print of something and draw right out and say, this is how it was done. 151 00:14:38.076 --> 00:14:41.014 So therefore, this is how it must be done. 152 00:14:41.212 --> 00:14:55.418 I think that's a little unfair because what we see is in the first Jerusalem Church that we see in Scripture, there are some things that are different for what they were living through and what they were doing. 153 00:14:55.504 --> 00:15:04.906 I mean, in this context of what we see and we talked about this last week too, even for us, but even more so then, christians were extremely in the minority. 154 00:15:05.098 --> 00:15:17.540 When we look at Acts chapter Two now, what we're finding is that we are even in Lexington County, in the minority, but nowhere near the minority in which the church found themselves. 155 00:15:18.230 --> 00:15:30.822 Christianity was and would continue to be for a long period of time of what we see in Scripture, severely persecuted beyond what you and I can understand. 156 00:15:30.956 --> 00:15:33.506 It doesn't mean that you and I won't face persecution. 157 00:15:33.618 --> 00:15:36.082 It's not that you and I are not called to suffering. 158 00:15:36.146 --> 00:15:49.558 But in our context with where we are, you and I do not have to worry about losing our job, losing our homes, or being thrown in prison because we are gathered here today as followers of Jesus. 159 00:15:49.654 --> 00:15:52.830 Now, that happens and takes place in other parts of this world. 160 00:15:52.900 --> 00:15:59.822 And it definitely happened and took place here in Scripture and also in this in Acts chapter Two. 161 00:15:59.956 --> 00:16:04.560 Christianity was becoming organized, right? 162 00:16:05.170 --> 00:16:06.766 They were building their channels. 163 00:16:06.798 --> 00:16:08.334 They were building their networks. 164 00:16:08.382 --> 00:16:14.334 They were building the structures and things that they would put in place in order to see Christianity spread. 165 00:16:14.382 --> 00:16:18.130 But you and I live in a world of very organized. 166 00:16:18.490 --> 00:16:28.970 You came to a church with an address, with utilities, with systems in place, with accountability, with missional organizations, with staffing. 167 00:16:29.870 --> 00:16:36.326 We function in a little bit different of a context than this first church. 168 00:16:36.518 --> 00:16:43.390 But what we can do is we can draw from the truths that we see. 169 00:16:43.540 --> 00:16:45.946 We can look at how they were applied. 170 00:16:46.058 --> 00:17:01.490 We can look at the fruit that came from them, and then we can examine our model of where we are and desire to seek those same truths implemented so that we can more resemble the church in Acts chapter two than previously. 171 00:17:02.230 --> 00:17:04.290 So let's look at this church. 172 00:17:05.590 --> 00:17:24.986 It says and starting in verse 42 and they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles and all who believed were together and had all things in common. 173 00:17:25.168 --> 00:17:32.862 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. 174 00:17:32.996 --> 00:17:38.042 And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes. 175 00:17:38.106 --> 00:17:44.254 They received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. 176 00:17:44.372 --> 00:17:50.222 And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 177 00:17:50.286 --> 00:17:53.298 Now we're not going to go through and look at all of this. 178 00:17:53.384 --> 00:17:54.770 We did this last week. 179 00:17:54.840 --> 00:18:02.182 And if you weren't here, I want to encourage you to go back and to listen to that last week so that we can understand what is exactly happening here. 180 00:18:02.236 --> 00:18:13.980 I think there's at least twelve different behaviors that we see in this early church that plays out in either relational, theological or missional discipleship of what's there. 181 00:18:14.910 --> 00:18:16.666 And so we're drawing from this. 182 00:18:16.688 --> 00:18:20.874 So let's go back and let's kind of define these a little bit this morning. 183 00:18:20.912 --> 00:18:23.274 So let's talk about relational discipleship. 184 00:18:23.402 --> 00:18:25.070 What do we mean by that? 185 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:27.578 What do we mean by relational discipleship? 186 00:18:27.674 --> 00:18:32.080 If you search your Bible you will not find these two words linked together. 187 00:18:33.510 --> 00:18:36.930 So where do we draw this from when we see this in scripture? 188 00:18:37.430 --> 00:18:49.926 And so we define relational discipleship as this where believers come together to grow in personal relationship with one another as they grow in their personal relationship with God. 189 00:18:50.028 --> 00:19:02.620 It always has to begin with that it can never be any of these about us becoming just better buddies, about us becoming smarter, about us engaging simply with lost people. 190 00:19:03.710 --> 00:19:06.250 That's all fruit that comes from this. 191 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:11.166 But the ultimate goal is engaging and growing in your relationship with God. 192 00:19:11.268 --> 00:19:14.606 And this was a shared life experience. 193 00:19:14.788 --> 00:19:21.630 And what we equate this to, or look to this as is this is peer to peer discipleship. 194 00:19:24.150 --> 00:19:35.380 This is friends sitting down together and having a meal and talking about the things of the Lord as they open up their lives together. 195 00:19:36.490 --> 00:19:39.960 And this is what largely we're going to look at today. 196 00:19:40.810 --> 00:19:48.730 We'll find there's some characteristics where it's more of a discussion than a lesson where everyone in the room becomes a teacher. 197 00:19:49.470 --> 00:20:06.766 I meet with a group of men on Thursdays for lunch at Creekside restaurant, which I've noticed like we're all getting older and in the normisy restaurant what I find a lot of times is there's guys like, right what'd you say? 198 00:20:06.788 --> 00:20:11.422 I can't hear you at the front of the table, but it's a beautiful piece of while we're there. 199 00:20:11.476 --> 00:20:14.990 And each week there's someone who's facilitating the discussion. 200 00:20:15.890 --> 00:20:24.434 We all learn from one another and everyone becomes a teacher because everyone has the Holy Spirit inside of them teaching us the truths of the Lord as they've walked through in their life. 201 00:20:24.472 --> 00:20:31.734 Experience in these relational discipleship environments are going to be largely focused on application, all right? 202 00:20:31.772 --> 00:20:40.686 Not that everything else isn't because it is, but this is a large focus of how does this come with right where I'm at and what we find in relational discipleship. 203 00:20:40.738 --> 00:20:54.750 We're going to look at all these it's a wonderful place to share struggles so that we can pray for each other, we can hold each other accountable, we can give one another biblical counsel and give one another encouragement. 204 00:20:55.490 --> 00:21:02.080 And it takes place largely in these relational discipleship environments that we have. 205 00:21:02.550 --> 00:21:06.210 The second one, theological discipleship. 206 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:14.180 Theological discipleship where believers come together to grow in their right understanding of the word of God. 207 00:21:14.630 --> 00:21:21.510 They know more about God so that their faith is more grounded in proper biblical doctrine. 208 00:21:21.930 --> 00:21:25.350 We refer to this as this is teacher to student discipleship. 209 00:21:25.770 --> 00:21:28.870 Now I said this last week, I'm going to say this every week. 210 00:21:29.020 --> 00:21:32.890 That's a scary word when we think of the word theological. 211 00:21:33.230 --> 00:21:36.250 And I want to challenge you to not let that be scary. 212 00:21:37.070 --> 00:21:38.970 I don't know of a better word to use. 213 00:21:39.040 --> 00:21:43.950 And we'll talk about in these classes and talk about next week what we mean when we use the word theology. 214 00:21:44.610 --> 00:21:48.240 But very simply it's this what do we believe? 215 00:21:49.330 --> 00:21:50.526 What do we believe? 216 00:21:50.628 --> 00:21:55.330 The Bible says what do we believe on matters that are essential? 217 00:21:56.390 --> 00:21:58.420 Why do we believe them? 218 00:21:58.950 --> 00:22:03.220 Not just what we believe, but why do we believe this? 219 00:22:03.830 --> 00:22:14.262 When we look at all of the things in this world and all of the understandings and all the people who want to contradict what God's word says, why can we cling to that? 220 00:22:14.316 --> 00:22:20.858 This book isn't just simply a book, but it is the word of God spoken and given to us. 221 00:22:21.024 --> 00:22:22.042 So what do we believe? 222 00:22:22.096 --> 00:22:23.066 Why do we believe it? 223 00:22:23.088 --> 00:22:25.180 And the last is who is this for? 224 00:22:25.710 --> 00:22:27.100 Who is this for? 225 00:22:27.550 --> 00:22:31.760 Whose name and whose glory is this for? 226 00:22:32.690 --> 00:22:40.190 And who is the audience that we need to take this to that's theological discipleship. 227 00:22:40.530 --> 00:22:44.066 Don't let the word theological discourage you. 228 00:22:44.168 --> 00:22:46.340 Don't let it frighten you. 229 00:22:46.710 --> 00:22:47.460 Right? 230 00:22:48.070 --> 00:22:51.998 We invite you to join us then we have missional discipleship. 231 00:22:52.174 --> 00:22:59.910 Missional discipleship where believers come together in their community to share the truth of Jesus Christ with those who are not yet followers of Christ. 232 00:23:00.060 --> 00:23:03.830 This is believer to unbeliever discipleship, right? 233 00:23:03.900 --> 00:23:25.686 This is a wonderful opportunity for us to gather together with people who do not know who Jesus is, find some of the things, the activities, the pieces that we share in common and then the wonderful opportunity that we have to have discussions with them about things of the Lord, right? 234 00:23:25.728 --> 00:23:31.338 The beautiful piece of what we have where God calls us to go and make disciples. 235 00:23:31.434 --> 00:23:48.866 And what we've recognized, not just us at Willow Ridge Church, but the church as a whole is we've done a very poor job of putting the training wheels on a bike and then mobilizing that bike and then at some point in time removing the training wheels. 236 00:23:48.898 --> 00:24:08.394 When it comes to sending out believers to share their faith with unbelievers, our two strategies have been largely you go and tell or you go and bring instead of where opportunities that God's allowing us, for us to go build relationships and have the opportunity to share. 237 00:24:08.512 --> 00:24:18.286 And so this morning our discipleship circle is going to come back up on the screen and we're going to begin with just talking about our relational discipleship model and what this looks like. 238 00:24:18.308 --> 00:24:40.870 And I wanted to begin, as we look at these three, with this, because what God has done for years in the life of this church, long before Bo Bradbury was the pastor here, long before many of you attended this church, what God has done with the relational discipleship is allowed us to provide an extremely healthy foundation of discipleship. 239 00:24:41.370 --> 00:24:47.750 And so this is the foundation, this is the floor in which so many things are going to come up from. 240 00:24:47.900 --> 00:24:55.594 And it is a wonderful thing that God has given us as we try to grow this and as we try to stretch this and see what else God wants to do with it. 241 00:24:55.632 --> 00:24:59.386 And so when I refer to relational discipleship, here's what I want us to think through. 242 00:24:59.488 --> 00:25:07.726 I was telling my men's group this week, I've probably preached on this topic more than any topic in scripture because at my last church that was my job. 243 00:25:07.828 --> 00:25:12.298 Every time you preached you talk about relational discipleship as a campus pastor. 244 00:25:12.394 --> 00:25:13.502 So that's what I did. 245 00:25:13.556 --> 00:25:28.754 And as I was studying God's word on relational discipleship, this kind of came in my brain that how can I describe this type of ministry in accordance to Scripture because we can't go to the Bible and instantly draw from this is what this looks like in the life of our church. 246 00:25:28.802 --> 00:25:36.310 And so as I was reading through different passages of scripture, I came to this, that relational discipleship is one another ministry. 247 00:25:37.130 --> 00:25:41.846 Relational discipleship is one another ministry. 248 00:25:42.038 --> 00:25:46.330 Look around, we are our one another's. 249 00:25:48.190 --> 00:25:59.706 And it's the opportunity for us as brothers and sisters in Christ to grow in our relationship together as we grow in our relationship with the Lord. 250 00:25:59.738 --> 00:26:04.110 And when we read Acts chapter two, we see this theme of the one another's. 251 00:26:04.270 --> 00:26:12.820 Acts Chapter Two says that believers were together, they held everything in common, they were unified, they were church family. 252 00:26:14.070 --> 00:26:20.520 Over the years we use some phrases that can seem cliche but are true. 253 00:26:21.290 --> 00:26:30.860 Where relational discipleship is life on life, relational discipleship is growing in relationships, relational discipleship is doing life together. 254 00:26:33.150 --> 00:26:39.660 It's the place where we guarantee, when the question is asked, how are you doing? 255 00:26:40.770 --> 00:26:43.920 It's okay to say, not great. 256 00:26:45.010 --> 00:27:03.620 It's the place that we find that we open up to, that we provide, that is opportunities for us to let our guards down and share of our struggles, to share of our defeats and to share of our battles, of what we've been facing day in and day out. 257 00:27:03.990 --> 00:27:08.862 And so I want us to look at just a handful of passages of scripture really quick, that kind of help. 258 00:27:09.016 --> 00:27:15.286 We see that this is what the early church was doing and the characteristics that we want to seek to provide and be a part of. 259 00:27:15.308 --> 00:27:23.530 So Romans twelve nine through the first part of 16, paul writes and says this let love be genuine. 260 00:27:24.750 --> 00:27:26.982 It's talking to the church, let love be genuine. 261 00:27:27.046 --> 00:27:29.900 Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good. 262 00:27:30.290 --> 00:27:31.786 Love here's the ministry. 263 00:27:31.898 --> 00:27:35.470 Love one another with brotherly affection. 264 00:27:36.370 --> 00:27:40.110 Outdo one another in showing honor. 265 00:27:40.930 --> 00:27:45.650 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 266 00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:53.170 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 267 00:27:54.390 --> 00:28:00.710 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 268 00:28:02.250 --> 00:28:08.220 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. 269 00:28:09.390 --> 00:28:12.090 Rejoice with those who rejoice. 270 00:28:12.990 --> 00:28:15.130 Weep with those who weep. 271 00:28:16.030 --> 00:28:19.180 Live in harmony with one another. 272 00:28:20.930 --> 00:28:45.640 It sounds to me like what Paul is encouraging to see in the life of these believers is a place where you can come in, where you can kick back, where you can open up your heart, where you can open up your struggles, where you can open up your defeats and share them with one another. 273 00:28:46.490 --> 00:28:56.482 We see in here in his challenge that we're to love, but specifically, let your love be genuine. 274 00:28:56.626 --> 00:29:01.610 Love one another with brotherly affection. 275 00:29:03.630 --> 00:29:06.700 The commonality that's there. 276 00:29:09.390 --> 00:29:12.000 I don't know why I'm about to share this, but I'll share this. 277 00:29:12.610 --> 00:29:15.118 I appreciate y'all chuckle when I say things like that. 278 00:29:15.284 --> 00:29:17.210 Y'all chuckle, my wife gets uncomfortable. 279 00:29:17.290 --> 00:29:18.000 All right. 280 00:29:19.490 --> 00:29:23.710 I love the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, right? 281 00:29:23.780 --> 00:29:25.774 Makes you feel better about your family when you watch it. 282 00:29:25.812 --> 00:29:30.130 All right, if you just need to pick me up after a bad holiday, watch that. 283 00:29:30.280 --> 00:29:37.160 Yesterday I was doing some stuff around the house and I've watched the TV show so many times that I can now just listen to it and I know what's happening. 284 00:29:37.770 --> 00:29:45.314 And if you know the TV show, there's two brothers, Robert and Raymond, and obviously the TV show is Everybody Loves Raymond. 285 00:29:45.362 --> 00:29:50.410 And so Raymond's the focal point, and Robert is the jealous brother. 286 00:29:50.830 --> 00:29:56.634 And Robert loves it when things go bad for Raymond, he loves it. 287 00:29:56.832 --> 00:30:04.800 And so in the episode that I was listening to yesterday, ray had to buy his wife a Christmas gift that would impress her. 288 00:30:05.490 --> 00:30:10.830 But if you know Ray, you know that Ray's incapable of doing anything that's not self centered around Ray. 289 00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:12.698 So he goes to his. 290 00:30:12.724 --> 00:30:17.442 Brother Robert who is emotionally connected to a lot of different people. 291 00:30:17.496 --> 00:30:19.890 He thinks through he's selfless. 292 00:30:20.950 --> 00:30:26.686 And Robert comes up with the great Christmas gift for Ray to buy Deborah. 293 00:30:26.878 --> 00:30:35.030 So Ray goes and he buys this gift and Deborah opens it that Christmas morning and she's blown away of the thoughtfulness of her husband. 294 00:30:35.930 --> 00:30:49.900 And instead of Ray playing it cool and just nodding and saying no big deal, he begins over and over and over again to take credit for thinking of this gift beyond right what he could logistically get away with. 295 00:30:50.930 --> 00:31:07.140 And then finally Robert loses it and announces to Ray's wife Deborah that Ray was incapable of thinking of the gift, that he thought of it. 296 00:31:07.750 --> 00:31:09.650 And then a fight ensues. 297 00:31:10.630 --> 00:31:27.320 And in that argument, Robert's girlfriend at the time who will become his wife, finds out that her Christmas gift, which by the way was two tickets to Disney Ice Capades, was Robert's mom's idea. 298 00:31:30.990 --> 00:31:42.220 And as the two brothers stand there in Ray's kitchen getting yelled at, robert looks at Ray and goes I'm so sorry, man. 299 00:31:43.630 --> 00:31:46.640 And Ray looks back at me, goes, yeah, I know, me too, right? 300 00:31:47.970 --> 00:31:50.880 And that's what I love about that TV show. 301 00:31:51.970 --> 00:32:09.320 It's in all of the issues and all of these things there's this bond of love that unites and then really what we find in the life of so many of us, right there's the things that can try to separate us away, but there's this love that's there. 302 00:32:10.170 --> 00:32:18.262 Paul tells them to show respect for one another and they respect each other because they don't know about each other but because they know each other. 303 00:32:18.396 --> 00:32:23.002 He encouraged them to have ownership in serving the Lord and serving each other. 304 00:32:23.056 --> 00:32:34.460 Now, let me tell you, when you serve the Lord and serving each other, when you do it in the context of family, what you have, what you understand is you see the bigger picture because your eyes aren't on you. 305 00:32:34.930 --> 00:32:37.438 Because you know what's good for my brother in Christ. 306 00:32:37.524 --> 00:32:40.558 What's good for my sister in Christ is good for me in Christ. 307 00:32:40.644 --> 00:32:42.202 And so I'm willing to serve. 308 00:32:42.266 --> 00:32:45.358 I'm willing to serve the Lord and serve them because of this. 309 00:32:45.444 --> 00:32:48.290 There's a commonality of empathy that's there. 310 00:32:48.360 --> 00:32:57.362 I love this verse and I have to remind myself this verse all the time, that they're so connected that they rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. 311 00:32:57.426 --> 00:33:09.190 There's not jealousy, there's not AHA, it gotcha there's true rejoice when others rejoice and not because I'm happy because of what I'm going through, but because I'm happy of what they're going through. 312 00:33:09.260 --> 00:33:12.962 And when they're broken and they're weeping, this isn't a fake facade. 313 00:33:13.026 --> 00:33:19.160 This is a deep, genuine groaning in your gut because of your love for them. 314 00:33:20.210 --> 00:33:35.730 You ever had a bad day and then someone you love has a good day and they tell you about it and what happens in you is joy? 315 00:33:37.510 --> 00:33:46.760 Have you ever had a good day and found out that someone you love, someone you care about has had a horrible, horrific day. 316 00:33:47.690 --> 00:33:54.600 And in spite of all that you've experienced, it just brings you to a point of humility for them. 317 00:33:56.090 --> 00:33:57.800 That's what this looks like. 318 00:33:59.230 --> 00:34:07.020 And it's not happening just in a marriage, it's not happening just in an earthly family. 319 00:34:07.790 --> 00:34:11.710 It's happening in a church because it's a church of unity. 320 00:34:12.210 --> 00:34:30.162 Hebrews 1024 through 25 says, and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another in all the more as you see the day drawing near. 321 00:34:30.216 --> 00:34:34.834 So not only does relational discipleship promote all of this, but I love this. 322 00:34:34.872 --> 00:34:43.160 It also relational discipleship promotes sanctification, relational discipleship promotes us becoming more and more like Christ. 323 00:34:43.530 --> 00:34:59.002 Relational discipleship promotes you and I having the opportunity to fight the battle of the sin that wants to raise its head in our life and encourage and affirm one another to become who it is that Christ wants us to be. 324 00:34:59.136 --> 00:35:14.340 In a context of meeting together both in the gathering of what we are as a church and individually as we come together, what we find is that these are a group of people who are dedicated to the Lord and dedicated to one another. 325 00:35:16.630 --> 00:35:26.280 The writer of Hebrews says, hey, you can't neglect one another, you can't neglect one another. 326 00:35:27.450 --> 00:35:31.480 This is this unity that comes from this. 327 00:35:32.250 --> 00:35:56.160 And Paul writes in Colossians three and he says, put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another. 328 00:35:56.930 --> 00:36:12.690 And if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 329 00:36:14.230 --> 00:36:27.000 And so Paul here describes what a family looks like because of who Christ is and what Christ has done. 330 00:36:27.950 --> 00:36:42.266 We are holy and beloved, our hearts are compassionate, we desire kindness, we seek humility, meekness and patience. 331 00:36:42.378 --> 00:36:49.520 And then here's where the family rub begins to happen, bearing with one another. 332 00:36:51.810 --> 00:36:58.820 We are not a group of people that does not have issues. 333 00:37:00.630 --> 00:37:03.620 I've got a long list of them myself. 334 00:37:05.210 --> 00:37:23.900 You're never going to find the perfect church, the perfect small group, because what's going to happen in there is there's a group of people who are there and they bring all of these things into it. 335 00:37:24.590 --> 00:37:35.580 Some like to talk too much, some like to talk too little, some like to break in line, some like to complain a lot, right? 336 00:37:36.350 --> 00:37:37.870 Some like to be critical. 337 00:37:39.170 --> 00:37:41.840 There's a long list of the things that we have. 338 00:37:43.750 --> 00:37:54.820 And Paul says in verse 13 and when we get like this, when they get like this, we take our ball and go home. 339 00:37:55.190 --> 00:37:56.660 That's what Paul says. 340 00:37:57.190 --> 00:38:00.600 No, he says we bear with one another. 341 00:38:03.130 --> 00:38:04.760 We bear with one another. 342 00:38:05.370 --> 00:38:15.740 We say we're family, we say we're brothers, we say we're sisters in Christ and we bear with one another and then here's what we do. 343 00:38:16.590 --> 00:38:17.770 We forgive. 344 00:38:18.670 --> 00:38:30.160 We forgive and we forgive to a standard as the Lord has forgiven you. 345 00:38:30.690 --> 00:38:32.240 Now think about that. 346 00:38:33.910 --> 00:38:35.940 What does that look like for you? 347 00:38:37.110 --> 00:38:53.400 I am so grateful in how God has forgiven me time and time again, offense and offense again, over and over again he forgives me. 348 00:38:54.490 --> 00:38:56.470 That's how we're called to forgive. 349 00:38:57.550 --> 00:39:02.250 But also he addresses my sin. 350 00:39:03.230 --> 00:39:05.930 The Holy Spirit never ignores our sin. 351 00:39:06.430 --> 00:39:08.166 He addresses our sin. 352 00:39:08.358 --> 00:39:15.210 And so within this we see that how we love is how we address how we move in the accountability. 353 00:39:15.370 --> 00:39:18.110 So it's forgiveness and it's accountability. 354 00:39:19.250 --> 00:39:26.050 And so we have at our church when we look at these, we have two different relational discipleship opportunities. 355 00:39:26.390 --> 00:39:29.262 The first one that we have is the one that's been our foundation. 356 00:39:29.326 --> 00:39:32.850 It will continue to be and that's our small group ministry. 357 00:39:33.750 --> 00:39:40.422 This isn't as we move toward different opportunities and different strategies, this isn't an opportunity for us to do away with any of that. 358 00:39:40.476 --> 00:39:44.902 It's not an opportunity for us to stop putting a spotlight or want to continue to build that. 359 00:39:44.956 --> 00:39:46.626 In fact the exact opposite. 360 00:39:46.658 --> 00:39:54.294 We want to continue to embuild, we want to continue to engage and continue to strengthen our small group ministry. 361 00:39:54.342 --> 00:39:58.742 And in fact, back here at the table that I'll be standing at, we'll have our handout. 362 00:39:58.806 --> 00:40:08.522 Of all of our small groups that will be meeting, some will be meeting on Sunday morning, some will be meeting on Sunday nights, some will be on different nights of the week, some are meeting here at the church, some are meeting at homes. 363 00:40:08.586 --> 00:40:11.770 We have a wonderful opportunity for small group ministries. 364 00:40:11.850 --> 00:40:15.198 Some have gathered together because of stage of life of where they are. 365 00:40:15.284 --> 00:40:25.942 Others are going to be a buffet of different life experience and different life stages and we want to encourage you to try that and to see if that's what the Lord has for you. 366 00:40:25.996 --> 00:40:38.554 But then also and you see the handouts that we have before you listed in here is some of these that are listed are relational discipleship studies that we're going to have. 367 00:40:38.672 --> 00:40:44.166 So what's the difference between a relational discipleship study and our small groups? 368 00:40:44.278 --> 00:40:46.090 What's the difference between the two? 369 00:40:46.160 --> 00:41:08.178 All right, well primarily our small groups are going to meet consistently throughout the year and even beyond that for many of them we've got some small groups that have been together for 1520 years building community, investing in one another, growing in their relationship with Christ. 370 00:41:08.344 --> 00:41:11.650 And so we love that and love being a part of that. 371 00:41:11.720 --> 00:41:19.074 But the other thing that we're going to provide in these studies are more short term, six to eight weeks in which they'll last. 372 00:41:19.112 --> 00:41:25.878 And so you kind of pick of what you need in your life in your walk with the Lord and so just kind of laying them out there. 373 00:41:25.964 --> 00:41:29.098 So studies because it's every six to eight weeks. 374 00:41:29.184 --> 00:41:30.714 Here's what it'll do for you. 375 00:41:30.832 --> 00:41:44.000 A study will help you build more relationships faster, but because of the time frame, you won't deal in the depth of a relationship that you could have. 376 00:41:44.770 --> 00:41:56.980 And so groups where you won't build as many relationships, but the relationships that you build can be deeper relationships over time. 377 00:41:57.830 --> 00:42:07.060 And so instead of saying, we're a church that does one, we want to say we're a church that does both. 378 00:42:07.750 --> 00:42:12.760 And we want to provide you with an opportunity to engage in this. 379 00:42:13.450 --> 00:42:18.214 And so maybe you've been here, and you've been coming here for a while, and you want to get to know a lot of different people. 380 00:42:18.252 --> 00:42:22.662 And one of these relational studies would help you come alongside you and do that. 381 00:42:22.716 --> 00:42:37.150 Maybe you're going through a season of time or you've been here for a while and you feel like you know a lot of people and you want to dive deeper into relationship with someone and you want to get to know them on a deeper level than you've known them before, then we want to provide you with the opportunity to do that as well. 382 00:42:37.220 --> 00:42:43.678 But here's the cool thing, because some of these studies, I'm sorry, will be happening on Sunday morning, and we got groups that meet at all different times. 383 00:42:43.764 --> 00:42:46.306 Maybe you want to do both, right? 384 00:42:46.408 --> 00:42:53.058 And that's awesome too, and that's wonderful, and that's appreciated, and we want to encourage you to do that. 385 00:42:53.144 --> 00:42:55.234 What do you feel like God is calling you to? 386 00:42:55.272 --> 00:42:58.194 So on September the 10th, when you look through here? 387 00:42:58.232 --> 00:43:02.690 Because what we have listed are some of our theological studies and some of our relational studies. 388 00:43:02.770 --> 00:43:08.354 But on September the 10th, we're going to start three different relational studies, discipleship studies. 389 00:43:08.402 --> 00:43:11.978 Here one that's going to be a Miracles of Jesus study. 390 00:43:12.064 --> 00:43:13.930 Now, that is a women's study. 391 00:43:14.000 --> 00:43:14.330 Okay? 392 00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:16.042 Single guys, you can't go to that either. 393 00:43:16.096 --> 00:43:16.700 Okay? 394 00:43:17.630 --> 00:43:19.180 It's our women's study. 395 00:43:19.630 --> 00:43:30.286 And ladies, maybe you're in here today, maybe you're married, maybe you're single, maybe you're a widow, and you're going through a season of life, and you're like, you know what? 396 00:43:30.388 --> 00:43:38.020 I need some Godly women to come alongside me, and I want to come alongside them. 397 00:43:38.550 --> 00:43:46.500 And we can open up God's Word together, and we can discuss it, and we can invest in each other's lives, and we can share what we're going through. 398 00:43:47.110 --> 00:43:52.440 It will be a wonderful opportunity for you to engage in that and build community in that. 399 00:43:52.970 --> 00:43:59.660 Another one that we're offering is Seven Challenges, and it's a men's study, and none of our single women would want to come to it, right? 400 00:44:00.830 --> 00:44:05.420 And guys, maybe you're in it right now. 401 00:44:05.790 --> 00:44:10.730 You're in it at work, you're in it at home, you're in it amongst your peers. 402 00:44:11.550 --> 00:44:16.766 And as much as you want to, you feel that your wife, she doesn't understand. 403 00:44:16.948 --> 00:44:19.402 But I need a group of guys, and the guys I'm with at church. 404 00:44:19.466 --> 00:44:23.970 I mean, I'm sorry, at work and what I do, they're not Godly influences of me. 405 00:44:24.040 --> 00:44:30.322 And I need some other Godly men to rally around me, to support me, to encourage me. 406 00:44:30.376 --> 00:44:36.920 And so we can talk and have honest, raw, real conversations about the struggles that we face. 407 00:44:37.850 --> 00:44:40.440 That's an opportunity for you to do that as well. 408 00:44:41.050 --> 00:44:44.946 And then we're offering another one on Hurts, Habits and Hangups. 409 00:44:44.978 --> 00:44:47.414 Part one, it'll be a part two. 410 00:44:47.452 --> 00:44:50.070 It started in that next quarter on November, november the fifth. 411 00:44:50.910 --> 00:44:52.250 This is a coed. 412 00:44:52.910 --> 00:45:01.786 And so you've come into this and you've got baggage, you've got struggles, you've got concerns. 413 00:45:01.978 --> 00:45:11.120 Life has hurt you, and you need a group of people you're petrified to open up to anyone because your fears, no one else will understand. 414 00:45:13.190 --> 00:45:28.354 And they want to be here to help walk alongside of you as you grow together in community and as you see what the Lord needs to do in your life and desires to do, starting November. 415 00:45:28.402 --> 00:45:35.686 So these classes, what we'll run, we've got them on here from September the 10th to roughly October the 22nd. 416 00:45:35.868 --> 00:45:44.342 And then starting on November the fifth, we'll start our next batch of those, and we're going to do one called you and Me Forever. 417 00:45:44.406 --> 00:45:46.634 And it's a marriage one. 418 00:45:46.832 --> 00:45:49.386 So a married couple, man, here's what I know. 419 00:45:49.488 --> 00:45:56.186 I've seen it time and time again, and Aaron and I fights against this in our marriage. 420 00:45:56.378 --> 00:46:01.114 But your marriage can get stuck in a routine, which means it gets stuck in a rut. 421 00:46:01.242 --> 00:46:03.650 And if it gets stuck in a rut, it can die. 422 00:46:04.310 --> 00:46:12.100 And so what does it look like for your life to be joined, united before the Lord with this other individual? 423 00:46:12.870 --> 00:46:18.230 And you both bring your shortcomings and your strengths to the table? 424 00:46:19.210 --> 00:46:21.314 And what does it mean to look at for Forever? 425 00:46:21.362 --> 00:46:26.418 With that, we're going to provide a study on spiritual gifts. 426 00:46:26.594 --> 00:46:28.626 Do you know that you are gifted? 427 00:46:28.818 --> 00:46:29.654 Right? 428 00:46:29.852 --> 00:46:31.994 The Holy Spirit is in us. 429 00:46:32.192 --> 00:46:36.940 We are gifted, and we have spiritual gifts from the Lord that can be used. 430 00:46:37.390 --> 00:46:41.302 What we find out is that most people, it's not that they don't want to use their spiritual gift. 431 00:46:41.366 --> 00:46:44.330 They don't know what their spiritual gift is, and they don't know how to use it. 432 00:46:44.480 --> 00:46:51.770 And you want to learn more about the spiritual gifts and what they are and what your spiritual gift may be, and then how you can use that gift for the kingdom. 433 00:46:51.930 --> 00:46:53.262 And so we'll provide that. 434 00:46:53.316 --> 00:46:58.834 And then with part two of The Hurts, Habits and Hangups, you can go ahead and start registering for these. 435 00:46:58.872 --> 00:47:03.122 If you visit our church website and you click on the link for discipleship, it'll take you to those. 436 00:47:03.176 --> 00:47:09.910 The theological ones are listed as well, and you can go ahead early if you want to start registering for those and doing those as well. 437 00:47:09.980 --> 00:47:14.710 We'll begin talking about those next week and explaining those a little bit more and exactly what we mean. 438 00:47:14.780 --> 00:47:16.070 But here's the goal. 439 00:47:16.410 --> 00:47:40.510 Here's the goal for us as a church is that as we walk together, as we each take a next bold step with Jesus, that you and I are arm in arm, hand in hand, walking together, taking a step after step after step of faith with Jesus. 440 00:47:41.090 --> 00:47:42.800 It's a challenge for me. 441 00:47:43.170 --> 00:47:44.798 It's a challenge for you. 442 00:47:44.964 --> 00:47:46.590 Would you join me in prayer? 443 00:47:51.730 --> 00:48:12.060 God, we come to you this morning, Lord, just thanking you for this wonderful opportunity that we have to not just become a follower of Jesus, but that, Lord, you desire to save us and to grow us, to be more of who you desire for us to be. 444 00:48:15.230 --> 00:48:26.990 And so, Lord, what I pray we would do today is we would take a step back and we'd pause. 445 00:48:28.610 --> 00:48:30.080 And, Lord, we'd listen. 446 00:48:34.630 --> 00:48:45.380 We'd listen to Your Holy Spirit to teach us, to guide us, to direct us. 447 00:48:47.130 --> 00:48:49.400 Lord, what do you have for me? 448 00:48:50.890 --> 00:48:53.080 What step do I need to take? 449 00:48:55.290 --> 00:49:05.020 God, maybe I'm an introvert, but you need me to take that step, because there's these things bottled up inside of me. 450 00:49:05.390 --> 00:49:08.140 And when people ask that question, how are you? 451 00:49:09.150 --> 00:49:15.360 It's the same answer over and over again, fine, okay, I'm all right. 452 00:49:16.130 --> 00:49:18.960 But the truth is, you're not. 453 00:49:21.410 --> 00:49:45.682 And we need to take this step where we can come alongside brothers and sisters in Christ, where we can open up and we can share our burdens and they can help us carry them so that we can experience growth and freedom and healing, so that we can experience joy. 454 00:49:45.746 --> 00:49:52.090 God, give us the heart to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. 455 00:49:54.430 --> 00:49:58.090 May this not be a place where we just go to church. 456 00:49:59.230 --> 00:50:12.480 May this be a place where we gather with our family, with all of our shortcomings and all of our strengths and everything in between. 457 00:50:13.510 --> 00:50:18.900 God, prepare our hearts for this season that is to come. 458 00:50:19.750 --> 00:50:22.994 Direct us where you desire for us to be. 459 00:50:23.192 --> 00:50:27.678 And, Lord, may we give you all the praise and honor and glory. 460 00:50:27.854 --> 00:50:29.602 It's in Jesus'name we pray. 461 00:50:29.746 --> 00:50:30.550 Amen. 462 00:50:33.690 --> 00:50:38.194 Thanks again for listening, and be sure to check back next week for another episode. 463 00:50:38.322 --> 00:50:45.970 In the meantime, you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willowridge Church on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.