00:23:03.145 --> 00:23:07.795 Well Gary Vet and I had a whole dance move worked out to that song . 115 00:23:08.095 --> 00:23:11.915 We were gonna come out and do it and then we prayed about it and thank God the 116 00:23:11.916 --> 00:23:12.676 prayer changes things. 117 00:23:12.676 --> 00:23:14.835 Y'all didn't wanna see that that was gonna be horrible for you 118 00:23:15.005 --> 00:23:18.795 especially to start a message. No and all seriousness. 119 00:23:19.015 --> 00:23:22.395 Hey welcome y'all, it is great to see you. How we doing today? 120 00:23:22.465 --> 00:23:24.915 Hope Community Church. Yeah. 121 00:23:27.375 --> 00:23:29.835 And I am excited to spend this time with you today. 122 00:23:29.895 --> 00:23:34.155 I'm excited to jump into the text and I wanna start it out by just simply asking 123 00:23:34.395 --> 00:23:35.355 a question. Uh, 124 00:23:35.375 --> 00:23:39.315 and it's kind of related to an experience that I had a number of years ago. Uh, 125 00:23:39.316 --> 00:23:43.155 and the question is this. I wanna start off by saying, uh, 126 00:23:43.335 --> 00:23:48.125 if you were 1% of 125 million 127 00:23:48.145 --> 00:23:51.795 people, how do you think that your life would be? 128 00:23:52.984 --> 00:23:56.525 Now I want you to add to that 1% number. Uh, 129 00:23:56.545 --> 00:24:00.484 the fact that in that 1% you are very different than the other 130 00:24:02.285 --> 00:24:06.445 125 million people that make up the majority culture. Like you are the minority. 131 00:24:06.595 --> 00:24:11.165 There's 125 million people who are different from what you know, 132 00:24:11.234 --> 00:24:15.965 what you understand, what you believe, and how you even value your life, 133 00:24:15.994 --> 00:24:17.645 your mission, your purpose, your plan. 134 00:24:17.785 --> 00:24:21.165 So you are 1%. 135 00:24:22.635 --> 00:24:23.655 How would life be? 136 00:24:24.885 --> 00:24:29.734 Well 125 million is the number of people living 137 00:24:30.075 --> 00:24:34.295 in the nation of Japan. And in 2011, 138 00:24:34.555 --> 00:24:38.175 my family and I moved to Japan and we quickly realized uh, 139 00:24:38.176 --> 00:24:42.815 as we got to that location that we were a part of that 1% number. 140 00:24:42.955 --> 00:24:44.975 You see in the nation of Japan, uh, 141 00:24:44.976 --> 00:24:49.815 there are 99% of the people who are not Christians and only 1% of the 142 00:24:49.816 --> 00:24:53.655 population confesses that they are followers of Jesus. 143 00:24:55.225 --> 00:25:00.155 It's the opposite of what a Christian nation might look like. I mean, 144 00:25:00.156 --> 00:25:03.755 could you imagine the challenge when we first showed up and we were trying to 145 00:25:03.756 --> 00:25:06.075 understand the culture, get used to the food, 146 00:25:06.325 --> 00:25:09.355 we're trying to understand the language and then on top of that, 147 00:25:09.356 --> 00:25:13.035 there's this whole thing that makes us just a little bit different from the 148 00:25:13.036 --> 00:25:14.035 culture at large. 149 00:25:14.595 --> 00:25:17.994 I mean we were trying to understand things and we were walking into a midst of a 150 00:25:17.995 --> 00:25:20.994 place that was very different from what we had experienced. 151 00:25:21.955 --> 00:25:26.315 But we realized very quickly how challenging being 152 00:25:26.415 --> 00:25:30.275 1% and 125 million people can be. 153 00:25:31.575 --> 00:25:36.315 We lived there for eight years and for eight years our family tried to immerse 154 00:25:36.316 --> 00:25:40.035 ourselves in the culture knowing that we were already Christ followers, 155 00:25:40.036 --> 00:25:41.755 knowing that this was gonna be uh, 156 00:25:41.855 --> 00:25:43.994 not just an assignment to be there to do work, 157 00:25:44.215 --> 00:25:47.715 but an assignment to share the good news of Jesus Christ. You see, 158 00:25:47.835 --> 00:25:50.835 I was there uh, for the start because my uncle sent me, 159 00:25:50.915 --> 00:25:54.075 I was a part of the United States Marine Corps and he had sent me over to play 160 00:25:54.076 --> 00:25:55.994 with all my friends. And when I got there, 161 00:25:56.055 --> 00:26:00.435 we served in that role for two years and then I retired and I had two other 162 00:26:00.675 --> 00:26:00.935 positions. 163 00:26:00.935 --> 00:26:05.835 The first one was a chaplain at a Christian school where I taught the staff all 164 00:26:06.195 --> 00:26:07.028 Japanese, the Bible. 165 00:26:07.455 --> 00:26:12.035 And I taught the students who were in junior and senior years of high school how 166 00:26:12.036 --> 00:26:14.795 to know and learn and recognize Jesus. 167 00:26:16.515 --> 00:26:19.815 And then the second role was much like it. You see, 168 00:26:19.895 --> 00:26:24.855 I became a pastor on a staff in the middle of this nation that was 169 00:26:24.856 --> 00:26:28.494 less than 1% reached with the hope of the gospel. 170 00:26:29.865 --> 00:26:32.425 You wanna talk about a challenge you see, 171 00:26:32.465 --> 00:26:36.105 I thought it was gonna be tough to go over there and to lead marines and 172 00:26:36.465 --> 00:26:38.665 exercise and do pushups and crunches and sit-ups. 173 00:26:39.484 --> 00:26:43.475 But that first assignment had nothing compared to the other two. 174 00:26:45.195 --> 00:26:48.994 And they were great years but they were challenging. You see, 175 00:26:48.995 --> 00:26:52.555 it's hard to reach a culture when everything that you know to be true uh, 176 00:26:52.695 --> 00:26:55.435 is just completely different from what you experienced there. 177 00:26:55.575 --> 00:26:57.115 And when I became a Christ follower, 178 00:26:57.116 --> 00:26:59.555 this was the stuff that nobody told me about. You see, 179 00:26:59.625 --> 00:27:04.234 they told me about this new life in Christ that I was gonna experience and that 180 00:27:04.255 --> 00:27:06.155 all was true and it was exciting to me. 181 00:27:06.375 --> 00:27:11.315 But nobody told me that this new life in Christ required a new way of living. 182 00:27:11.615 --> 00:27:16.035 It required me to live out my life in a missional way. 183 00:27:17.715 --> 00:27:22.685 You see, they told me about the message of Jesus but in the fine print was the 184 00:27:22.686 --> 00:27:23.519 mission of Jesus. 185 00:27:24.945 --> 00:27:28.625 And this new way of living required me to look at culture different, 186 00:27:29.045 --> 00:27:30.505 to see the world different, 187 00:27:31.205 --> 00:27:34.425 to look at things just a little bit different than the way that the culture at 188 00:27:34.426 --> 00:27:35.465 large sees it. 189 00:27:35.605 --> 00:27:39.825 And it was a challenging assignment because that kind of living is what we call 190 00:27:39.895 --> 00:27:41.065 missional living. 191 00:27:41.125 --> 00:27:45.825 And it's the living that the church was always supposed to move into 192 00:27:47.215 --> 00:27:49.175 and the thing that the church was always supposed to be, 193 00:27:50.955 --> 00:27:54.475 lemme explain what I encountered in Japan in this different culture, right? 194 00:27:55.175 --> 00:27:58.635 You see that culture had very little knowledge of Jesus. 195 00:27:59.425 --> 00:28:03.195 Most had never heard the name of Jesus. Most had actually, uh, 196 00:28:03.405 --> 00:28:06.115 never even spent time talking about Jesus. 197 00:28:06.175 --> 00:28:09.234 You see in America we say that there's all these people who haven't heard the 198 00:28:09.235 --> 00:28:10.315 name of Jesus. The truth is, 199 00:28:10.455 --> 00:28:13.915 is that most people have heard the name of Jesus but at some point they stop 200 00:28:13.916 --> 00:28:15.115 listening to the conversation. 201 00:28:16.494 --> 00:28:19.635 But there is rare for people to have heard the name of Jesus. 202 00:28:20.335 --> 00:28:23.195 It was a culture that had very limited exposure to the church. 203 00:28:23.385 --> 00:28:27.395 Most had never been to a church service or had never stepped foot into the doors 204 00:28:27.415 --> 00:28:31.515 of the church. It was a culture that had a lot of philosophies about life. 205 00:28:31.855 --> 00:28:32.715 But for the most part, 206 00:28:33.165 --> 00:28:38.005 those philosophies had left them asking a lot of questions and 207 00:28:38.095 --> 00:28:39.525 empty on the inside. 208 00:28:41.085 --> 00:28:45.605 There was a culture that had very little knowledge of the Bible. You see, 209 00:28:45.606 --> 00:28:49.645 most people hadn't read it and certainly hadn't allowed it become a part of 210 00:28:49.646 --> 00:28:50.479 their lives. 211 00:28:50.665 --> 00:28:53.765 And then there was this last thing that proved to be quite the obstacle that I 212 00:28:53.766 --> 00:28:55.485 wasn't quite prepared for. 213 00:28:56.345 --> 00:29:00.685 It was the experiences that the people who I was talking to about Jesus had had 214 00:29:00.686 --> 00:29:01.385 with Christians. 215 00:29:01.385 --> 00:29:05.605 You see most of what they knew of the Bible or of God and most of what they knew 216 00:29:05.606 --> 00:29:08.165 about the church came through their relationships with people. 217 00:29:08.185 --> 00:29:10.485 And for the most part, if I'm honest than I am, 218 00:29:11.455 --> 00:29:16.095 those relationships left them in a really bad place. You see, 219 00:29:16.096 --> 00:29:19.745 they were often made to feel inferior 220 00:29:21.445 --> 00:29:26.115 or like they were less than or like because they didn't believe in Jesus 221 00:29:26.165 --> 00:29:29.075 there was something that was wrong with them. And here's what I've learned, 222 00:29:29.135 --> 00:29:31.075 the great Maya Angelou has a quote where she says, 223 00:29:31.076 --> 00:29:34.595 people may not always remember what you say or what you tell them, 224 00:29:34.775 --> 00:29:38.035 but they will always remember how you made them feel. 225 00:29:39.645 --> 00:29:44.445 And these folks experiences with Christians had made them feel really bad. 226 00:29:45.725 --> 00:29:48.625 And I'm not saying that they needed to live in their feelings or that the 227 00:29:48.626 --> 00:29:51.625 experience was intentional, but it certainly left an impression. 228 00:29:51.765 --> 00:29:54.625 And there I am trying to help them to get to know Jesus. 229 00:29:54.765 --> 00:29:59.185 And all of a sudden they are really frustrated with this 230 00:29:59.305 --> 00:30:00.138 1%. 231 00:30:01.455 --> 00:30:06.225 Well fast forward just a few years and I wanna replace the 232 00:30:06.226 --> 00:30:11.075 word Japan with the word America because just a few years later 233 00:30:11.215 --> 00:30:13.795 God called me to serve at a local church in the middle of Raleigh, 234 00:30:13.796 --> 00:30:17.795 North Carolina. And when I showed up, I began having conversations with people, 235 00:30:18.355 --> 00:30:19.635 building a relationship with people. 236 00:30:19.835 --> 00:30:24.765 And it almost to a fault I experienced the same kind of conversations that I 237 00:30:24.766 --> 00:30:27.565 was experiencing in Japan. You see, 238 00:30:27.685 --> 00:30:30.685 I grew up in a culture where church was a part of what you do. 239 00:30:30.825 --> 00:30:33.525 You got up on Sunday morning and everybody in the household went to church. 240 00:30:35.115 --> 00:30:39.755 Well that had changed and there was this new culture 241 00:30:39.925 --> 00:30:41.835 developing right in front of our eyes. 242 00:30:42.895 --> 00:30:47.155 It was a culture where there were lots of philosophies of life, 243 00:30:48.245 --> 00:30:51.745 but those philosophies had left people with multitudes of questions. 244 00:30:52.325 --> 00:30:55.425 It was a culture that had very little knowledge of the Bible. Uh, 245 00:30:55.426 --> 00:30:58.465 it was a culture that had very little knowledge of Jesus. 246 00:30:58.775 --> 00:31:00.425 They had heard the name of Jesus before, 247 00:31:00.645 --> 00:31:04.865 but knowing him and experiencing him for themselves didn't really exist. 248 00:31:06.515 --> 00:31:10.415 And it was a culture who had experienced some hardships 249 00:31:11.795 --> 00:31:14.435 in trying to know Jesus and their relationships with Christians. 250 00:31:16.745 --> 00:31:17.578 It was very similar. 251 00:31:18.875 --> 00:31:21.805 So how do you engage a culture like that? 252 00:31:23.205 --> 00:31:24.925 A culture that feels other to you, 253 00:31:25.045 --> 00:31:29.485 a culture where you don't really know how to navigate because maybe you are part 254 00:31:29.486 --> 00:31:33.845 of that 1% a culture where if you take the traditions and the ideas and the 255 00:31:33.846 --> 00:31:38.325 understandings that you've come to know as your culture to try to inject those 256 00:31:38.475 --> 00:31:42.205 into an environment that feels unfamiliar, how do you do that? 257 00:31:43.425 --> 00:31:45.365 How do you move with the message of Jesus, 258 00:31:46.985 --> 00:31:50.765 the message that the church was always supposed to carry and a culture that 259 00:31:50.766 --> 00:31:53.205 seems far from God. 260 00:31:54.995 --> 00:31:58.255 Now in America we may not be exactly 1%, 261 00:31:59.355 --> 00:32:01.535 but we're certainly in a place that seems unfamiliar. 262 00:32:02.075 --> 00:32:05.935 And today we're gonna do our best to answer the question of how you move with 263 00:32:05.936 --> 00:32:09.495 the mission of God to a culture that might be far from God. 264 00:32:09.555 --> 00:32:10.695 So if you have your Bibles, 265 00:32:10.696 --> 00:32:13.735 I want you to go ahead and open 'em up to Acts chapter 17. 266 00:32:14.235 --> 00:32:18.175 And we're gonna take an examination of the life of a person that Aaron Nelson 267 00:32:18.515 --> 00:32:21.815 shared with us last week. His name is the Apostle Paul. 268 00:32:22.065 --> 00:32:25.895 We're gonna start at verse 16 and we're gonna work our way all the way through 269 00:32:25.896 --> 00:32:26.735 verse 34. 270 00:32:26.955 --> 00:32:31.495 And we're gonna learn how we can actually do the work of moving with the mission 271 00:32:31.496 --> 00:32:35.215 of God into a culture that may be far from God. 272 00:32:35.875 --> 00:32:36.935 Now while you're turning there, 273 00:32:37.055 --> 00:32:40.525 I want to go ahead and kind of give you just a little bit of an idea of who the 274 00:32:40.526 --> 00:32:41.405 apostle Paul was. 275 00:32:42.005 --> 00:32:44.725 And Apostle Paul grew up as a Pharisee when he was a young man. 276 00:32:44.905 --> 00:32:47.405 And so most of his life he would've been spent, uh, 277 00:32:47.505 --> 00:32:51.365 him working with Pharisees and Pharisees are a part of the Jewish culture. 278 00:32:51.585 --> 00:32:53.325 And so he would've had a lot of rules to follow. 279 00:32:53.505 --> 00:32:57.165 He would've had a lot of things to do and he would've been a part of a Jewish 280 00:32:57.195 --> 00:33:01.645 culture. But then at some point people began to follow Jesus. You see, 281 00:33:01.646 --> 00:33:04.165 during Paul's time, the early church began to form. 282 00:33:04.385 --> 00:33:08.685 And rather than Paul joining the early church and being a part of this movement, 283 00:33:09.065 --> 00:33:13.715 he decided instead to persecute those Christians because they believed something 284 00:33:13.716 --> 00:33:17.475 that he didn't believe and persecute 'em to the point of death. 285 00:33:17.505 --> 00:33:21.995 Like Paul's goal was to have these folks killed, uh, caught and then killed. 286 00:33:22.175 --> 00:33:24.555 And so he went after Christians all over the place. 287 00:33:24.775 --> 00:33:28.795 And then one day when Paul is on the road to a place called Damascus, 288 00:33:29.055 --> 00:33:31.595 he encounters God in a very special way. You see, 289 00:33:31.596 --> 00:33:35.875 he's blinded by this bright light. He hears the audible voice of God saying, 290 00:33:35.905 --> 00:33:40.235 Paul Saul at the time was his name. Why do you persecute me? 291 00:33:41.495 --> 00:33:46.395 And he's so impacted by this moment with God that he falls off 292 00:33:46.396 --> 00:33:51.325 of his horse and onto the ground and he gets up 293 00:33:53.145 --> 00:33:58.145 and he goes on to spend a life of helping people 294 00:33:58.146 --> 00:34:00.265 know this God who encountered him that day. 295 00:34:01.805 --> 00:34:04.825 His whole life is transformed in this moment. 296 00:34:05.845 --> 00:34:10.505 He goes and he gets some training and then a person who is now persecuting 297 00:34:10.506 --> 00:34:11.245 Christians, 298 00:34:11.245 --> 00:34:15.425 his whole life is transformed into a person who's now sharing the mission and 299 00:34:15.426 --> 00:34:19.625 the message of Jesus with everybody he comes into contact with. 300 00:34:21.005 --> 00:34:25.105 And throughout his life he makes three missionary journeys 301 00:34:26.275 --> 00:34:29.675 on the text that we're gonna be today unpacks this second journey. 302 00:34:30.614 --> 00:34:32.795 And he's traveled to a couple places at this point. 303 00:34:33.255 --> 00:34:36.955 But during the second journey he goes to this place called Thessalonika. 304 00:34:37.055 --> 00:34:38.515 And when he gets to Thessalonika, 305 00:34:38.535 --> 00:34:42.795 he realizes very quickly how hard it can be to reach a culture that doesn't 306 00:34:42.796 --> 00:34:45.395 really know Jesus. And so he goes to Thessalonika, 307 00:34:45.396 --> 00:34:46.675 he tries to reach the culture, 308 00:34:47.135 --> 00:34:51.635 but the culture has him run outta town for sharing what they called strange 309 00:34:51.725 --> 00:34:52.558 ideas. 310 00:34:52.735 --> 00:34:56.955 And so he leaves Thessalonika and he goes to another city knowing full well that 311 00:34:56.956 --> 00:34:59.315 the people of Thessalonika probably will come after him. 312 00:34:59.495 --> 00:35:03.635 He goes to a place called Berea and he begins sharing the good news again. 313 00:35:03.775 --> 00:35:06.035 You see this has become the mission of his life. 314 00:35:07.745 --> 00:35:10.465 And when he gets to bere, some people listen, 315 00:35:11.015 --> 00:35:13.265 some people examine the scriptures that he's sharing, 316 00:35:14.364 --> 00:35:16.985 but then them thesal of kins come chasing him down 317 00:35:18.775 --> 00:35:20.075 and they have him run out of there. 318 00:35:20.655 --> 00:35:22.715 And then he goes to a place that's very familiar. 319 00:35:23.695 --> 00:35:27.475 If you've studied Greek history, it's a place called Athens. 320 00:35:28.815 --> 00:35:33.755 He goes to Athens And Athens is kind of like an epicenter of Greek culture 321 00:35:33.855 --> 00:35:34.688 at the time. 322 00:35:34.745 --> 00:35:38.885 It's the place where you come to share and exchange philosophies of life where 323 00:35:38.886 --> 00:35:41.485 you come to share ideas. And when we get to verse 16, 324 00:35:41.864 --> 00:35:46.405 the apostle Paul picks up his time in Athens. Here's what it says in verse 16. 325 00:35:46.655 --> 00:35:48.805 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, 326 00:35:49.185 --> 00:35:53.445 he was greatly distressed to see the city was full of 327 00:35:53.935 --> 00:35:58.705 idols. Full stop here. It's not like we have any idols in America. 328 00:35:58.945 --> 00:36:01.465 I mean the idea of an American idol would be a horrible idea, right? 329 00:36:04.585 --> 00:36:05.418 City's full of idols. 330 00:36:05.485 --> 00:36:10.225 So he reasons in the synagogue with both Jews and the God-fearing Greeks as well 331 00:36:10.226 --> 00:36:13.344 as in the marketplace day by day with those who happen to be there. 332 00:36:13.925 --> 00:36:15.105 And as soon as he arrives, 333 00:36:15.185 --> 00:36:18.065 he begins to share the good news of Jesus and engage the culture. 334 00:36:18.405 --> 00:36:22.905 In verse 18 it says that a group of epicurean and stoic philosophers began to 335 00:36:22.906 --> 00:36:27.265 debate with him. Some of them asked, what is this babbler trying to say? 336 00:36:27.445 --> 00:36:29.745 You wanna stop a conversation, call somebody a babbler. 337 00:36:31.645 --> 00:36:35.705 Others remarked, he seems to be advocating for foreign gods. 338 00:36:36.335 --> 00:36:40.745 They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the 339 00:36:40.945 --> 00:36:41.626 resurrection. You see, 340 00:36:41.626 --> 00:36:45.864 Paul was openly sharing the good news of Jesus in verse 19. It says, 341 00:36:45.935 --> 00:36:50.385 then they took him and they brought him to a meeting of the areopagus. 342 00:36:50.386 --> 00:36:52.864 The areopagus was right in the center of town. 343 00:36:53.364 --> 00:36:56.265 It was like a hill where people would come to share ideas. 344 00:36:56.266 --> 00:36:59.825 There's like an amphitheater out there and people would gather together to hear 345 00:37:00.245 --> 00:37:03.785 new ideas. So they bring him to this place and they say to him, 346 00:37:04.745 --> 00:37:07.065 may we know this new teaching that you are presenting. 347 00:37:07.565 --> 00:37:12.105 You see you are bringing some strange ideas to our ears and we would like to 348 00:37:12.106 --> 00:37:12.939 know what they mean. 349 00:37:13.165 --> 00:37:16.864 And all the Athenians and all the foreigners who lived there spent their time 350 00:37:16.875 --> 00:37:21.344 doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. 351 00:37:21.525 --> 00:37:23.025 Sounds like Facebook and Twitter. 352 00:37:25.765 --> 00:37:28.864 See the opus was the place where ideas were exchanged. 353 00:37:29.565 --> 00:37:32.785 It was the place where culture would meet to gather and talk through things. 354 00:37:33.364 --> 00:37:35.465 And if you had something that was important to share, 355 00:37:36.205 --> 00:37:39.665 you would go to the Areopagus. Well, by the grace of God, 356 00:37:40.135 --> 00:37:43.465 Paul finds himself right in the middle of the culture. 357 00:37:45.025 --> 00:37:45.858 And in verse 22, 358 00:37:47.085 --> 00:37:51.895 Paul stands up in a meeting at the Areopagus and he says these words, 359 00:37:51.896 --> 00:37:52.975 people of Athens, 360 00:37:54.055 --> 00:37:57.435 I see that you are very religious in every way. 361 00:37:58.094 --> 00:38:01.675 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, 362 00:38:02.235 --> 00:38:07.155 I even found an altar with the inscription that says to an unknown 363 00:38:07.415 --> 00:38:11.594 God. And if we are going to share the good news, uh, 364 00:38:11.595 --> 00:38:13.235 when we get to a place like this, 365 00:38:13.265 --> 00:38:15.915 like when we get to a place where the culture is very different, 366 00:38:16.185 --> 00:38:18.755 Paul gives us some tools that we can share it with. 367 00:38:18.895 --> 00:38:22.795 The first tool that he gives us is that he meets the culture where 368 00:38:23.864 --> 00:38:27.135 they are. And in meeting the culture, 369 00:38:27.795 --> 00:38:30.625 he loves the culture where they are. You see, 370 00:38:30.645 --> 00:38:33.785 he knows that Athens is not a place for Christ followers, right? 371 00:38:34.725 --> 00:38:37.045 He can see it in the streets everywhere he goes. 372 00:38:37.985 --> 00:38:42.805 One author says that Athens was a place where it was easier to trip over 373 00:38:42.864 --> 00:38:46.285 an idol than it was to trip over a person. You see, 374 00:38:46.286 --> 00:38:51.245 there were 30,000 idols in the city of Athens and there were only 10,000 375 00:38:51.246 --> 00:38:52.079 people there. 376 00:38:54.315 --> 00:38:59.285 They had this idea that the artisans reflected the image of God 377 00:38:59.915 --> 00:39:04.795 through their work of making idols. And Paul gets there and he says, listen, 378 00:39:04.995 --> 00:39:09.594 I can see that you guys have idols here and that you're clearly religious, 379 00:39:09.595 --> 00:39:13.315 but maybe your religion is actually steering you away from God instead of 380 00:39:13.635 --> 00:39:15.114 steering you towards God. 381 00:39:15.695 --> 00:39:20.235 And so he takes the opportunity to meet and to love the people of Athens where 382 00:39:20.236 --> 00:39:24.635 they are. He knows that that's where they are. They are religious people, 383 00:39:26.145 --> 00:39:29.805 but he also uses an opportunity to love them. 384 00:39:31.645 --> 00:39:36.545 And meeting people where they are means that we observe where they are, 385 00:39:37.535 --> 00:39:42.025 that we listen and learn about their culture, that we have our eyes open, 386 00:39:42.026 --> 00:39:42.945 that we listen and learn. 387 00:39:42.946 --> 00:39:46.545 That we take what we learn and we use it as a place to maybe start a 388 00:39:46.546 --> 00:39:50.025 conversation or build a relationship. And Paul does exactly that. 389 00:39:50.205 --> 00:39:54.625 He takes the idols that he sees in the street and he uses it as a platform to 390 00:39:54.626 --> 00:39:55.585 start a conversation. 391 00:39:57.355 --> 00:40:02.275 Meaning people where they are means that we begin to build trust by 392 00:40:02.305 --> 00:40:04.875 observing their current condition, 393 00:40:06.094 --> 00:40:08.435 not the condition that God might move them towards, 394 00:40:08.614 --> 00:40:12.675 not the condition that if they're not careful they might go away from 395 00:40:14.435 --> 00:40:18.105 we see 'em for where they are and hope Community church, 396 00:40:18.645 --> 00:40:22.945 we say that we love people where they are and Paul does exactly that 397 00:40:24.065 --> 00:40:27.185 and it opens the door for him to be able to speak to the culture in a very real 398 00:40:27.205 --> 00:40:30.344 way. You see, he makes note of the fact that there's idols in the city. 399 00:40:30.605 --> 00:40:32.785 He makes note of the fact that there are religious people, 400 00:40:32.844 --> 00:40:37.065 but he also uses it as a truth to convey further information. 401 00:40:37.325 --> 00:40:38.985 And when we get to verse 24, 402 00:40:39.045 --> 00:40:43.425 he says these words that the God who made the world and everything in it, 403 00:40:43.645 --> 00:40:47.945 the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples built by human 404 00:40:48.635 --> 00:40:53.155 hands. You see, he's not served by human hands as if he needed anything. 405 00:40:53.335 --> 00:40:58.094 Rather he gives himself to everyone life and breath and 406 00:40:58.095 --> 00:41:01.135 everything else. These are the gifts that God gives from one man. 407 00:41:01.136 --> 00:41:03.415 He made all nations that they should inhabit the whole earth. 408 00:41:03.555 --> 00:41:08.015 And he marked out their appointed times in history and their boundaries of their 409 00:41:08.065 --> 00:41:08.594 lands. 410 00:41:08.594 --> 00:41:13.575 And God did that so that they would seek him and perhaps each reach out for him 411 00:41:13.755 --> 00:41:16.495 and find him. Though he is not far from any of us, 412 00:41:16.635 --> 00:41:20.695 for in Him we live and we move and we have our very being. 413 00:41:20.795 --> 00:41:22.614 And as some of your own poets have said, 414 00:41:23.395 --> 00:41:26.085 we are God's offspring 415 00:41:28.305 --> 00:41:32.175 right here. We see the second thing that Paul does when it gets to a culture, 416 00:41:33.245 --> 00:41:36.965 culture that's far from God, he engages the culture. 417 00:41:38.925 --> 00:41:40.295 Yeah, he loves them where they are, 418 00:41:41.594 --> 00:41:44.855 but he also encourages them to grow in their relationship with God. 419 00:41:46.094 --> 00:41:49.195 And he engages the culture by pointing them to God. 420 00:41:50.285 --> 00:41:55.225 You see the idea of engagement often comes into our minds as some kind 421 00:41:55.226 --> 00:41:58.985 of a war or a battle, right? We gotta engage the person. 422 00:41:59.725 --> 00:42:02.905 And engagement actually doesn't mean that at all. Uh, 423 00:42:02.906 --> 00:42:06.344 engagement is the idea of living in a relationship with people. 424 00:42:06.855 --> 00:42:08.105 It's connecting to those people. 425 00:42:08.255 --> 00:42:11.985 It's speaking to the people with the goal of influencing them, 426 00:42:12.055 --> 00:42:16.465 hopefully influencing the world around us for God's glory 427 00:42:17.045 --> 00:42:21.895 and even for humankind's good. And so when Paul does this, 428 00:42:21.955 --> 00:42:25.335 he does it with the idea of pointing the culture towards God. 429 00:42:25.435 --> 00:42:30.295 And this kind of engagement can be difficult because most of us think of it as a 430 00:42:30.296 --> 00:42:33.215 fight. A few months ago, , 431 00:42:33.815 --> 00:42:37.255 I had an experience where I had an opportunity to fight and I didn't Y'all be 432 00:42:37.256 --> 00:42:41.015 proud of me, . You see, I had met a young man, uh, 433 00:42:41.016 --> 00:42:44.335 just through a distant relationship with another person and he found out he was 434 00:42:44.336 --> 00:42:45.169 living in the area. 435 00:42:45.195 --> 00:42:47.415 And so I wanted to hang out and spend some time with the guy. 436 00:42:47.675 --> 00:42:50.055 And so I go and take him to breakfast. 437 00:42:50.195 --> 00:42:52.855 Now here's what the guy knows about me very little. 438 00:42:53.195 --> 00:42:57.015 He knows that I'm some kind of community leader, but not necessarily a pastor. 439 00:42:57.975 --> 00:43:01.255 And he knows that I like bacon and eggs 'cause I like bacon and eggs. 440 00:43:02.605 --> 00:43:05.445 And so I invite him to come to breakfast and we sit down and we begin to talk at 441 00:43:05.446 --> 00:43:06.246 breakfast. Now, 442 00:43:06.246 --> 00:43:09.485 one thing you'll know about me is that what's inside of me is gonna come outta 443 00:43:09.505 --> 00:43:09.864 me. 444 00:43:09.864 --> 00:43:12.485 You never have to worry about what I'm thinking 'cause I'm probably just gonna 445 00:43:12.505 --> 00:43:15.445 say it, right? And so in this conversation, 446 00:43:15.975 --> 00:43:17.885 Jesus begins to come outta me. 447 00:43:18.165 --> 00:43:22.205 I begin to ask questions about his relationship with God. And for the most part, 448 00:43:22.225 --> 00:43:26.485 he ignored me in the beginning until I ask one very specific question. 449 00:43:27.185 --> 00:43:31.245 Hey bro, would you mind coming to church with me and being my guest? 450 00:43:32.675 --> 00:43:37.085 This guy went bonkers like he went cra. 451 00:43:37.205 --> 00:43:39.765 I mean it was a moment where I was a little worried about my safety. 452 00:43:39.864 --> 00:43:42.245 He used some words I haven't used in 20 year, 453 00:43:42.844 --> 00:43:45.085 in two year in a little while. 454 00:43:47.145 --> 00:43:49.885 He said some things that day at the table over bacon and eggs. 455 00:43:50.485 --> 00:43:53.525 I mean he began to attack the very foundation of my faith. 456 00:43:53.745 --> 00:43:56.285 He started talking about the church. I don't really like the church. 457 00:43:56.465 --> 00:43:58.125 The church has done nothing for me. 458 00:43:58.405 --> 00:44:01.725 I don't even really like being in those big rooms. I don't like the preachers. 459 00:44:02.085 --> 00:44:04.405 'cause they all a bunch of used the H word hypocrites, 460 00:44:04.844 --> 00:44:06.805 all a bunch of hypocrites. And let me just say this, 461 00:44:06.925 --> 00:44:11.125 I don't like your bible either because I don't believe it's true. I'm like, man, 462 00:44:11.126 --> 00:44:14.565 we just supposed to be having some eggs. And I said, 463 00:44:14.645 --> 00:44:19.325 I don't think I wanna pay for your meal . I didn't say that, 464 00:44:19.326 --> 00:44:24.325 but I should have. No, I just sat there 465 00:44:25.955 --> 00:44:26.788 and I listened 466 00:44:28.665 --> 00:44:32.995 and I listened for an opportunity to opportunity to start a conversation. 467 00:44:34.715 --> 00:44:35.548 And as I listened, 468 00:44:37.295 --> 00:44:41.805 I heard some of his hurt and I began to hear some of his story. 469 00:44:43.545 --> 00:44:48.245 And me sitting there listening to him allowed me to be able to engage him and 470 00:44:48.246 --> 00:44:49.445 pointing towards God. 471 00:44:50.555 --> 00:44:53.775 At the end of the conversation I asked him, Hey man, 472 00:44:54.475 --> 00:44:57.815 you said earlier that you don't believe the Bible is true. Um, 473 00:44:59.065 --> 00:45:02.195 well can I just ask you man, like have you already read it from start to finish? 474 00:45:03.605 --> 00:45:07.225 And he said, no, I've never read the Bible completely through. And I was like, 475 00:45:07.226 --> 00:45:08.945 well bro, would you be interested in reading it? 476 00:45:09.385 --> 00:45:12.385 And we have a Bible reading plan at Hope Community Church and I'd love for you 477 00:45:12.386 --> 00:45:15.545 to read it with me, like we could just read it together. And I said, 478 00:45:15.546 --> 00:45:16.864 if you're interested man, just let me know. 479 00:45:16.925 --> 00:45:19.225 I'd love to just read it with you because if you say something's true, 480 00:45:19.485 --> 00:45:23.145 you probably should have read it from start to finish. And he said, man, 481 00:45:23.146 --> 00:45:26.785 I'll think about it. First day goes by, he doesn't call me, doesn't read it. 482 00:45:27.145 --> 00:45:29.705 second day goes by, he doesn't call me, doesn't read it. 483 00:45:30.075 --> 00:45:33.065 Third day goes by, I call him and I say, Hey, 484 00:45:33.066 --> 00:45:36.985 are you still interested in this reading plan? And he said, yeah, man, 485 00:45:37.265 --> 00:45:38.344 actually I really wanna start it. 486 00:45:39.325 --> 00:45:44.135 And he began reading the bible for the first time in a long time. 487 00:45:45.445 --> 00:45:46.385 And then last Sunday, 488 00:45:46.575 --> 00:45:50.625 this guy who has been not been to church in a very long time, 489 00:45:51.915 --> 00:45:54.275 step foot into Hope Community Church. 490 00:45:55.625 --> 00:45:58.805 And it didn't come from me yelling at him with the message of the gospel. 491 00:45:59.665 --> 00:46:02.805 It didn't come from me beating him over the head with the Bible. 492 00:46:03.975 --> 00:46:07.835 It came from looking for an opportunity to engage 493 00:46:09.525 --> 00:46:11.594 while at the same time pointing him to God. 494 00:46:12.965 --> 00:46:17.505 And those opportunities are all around us to engage. 495 00:46:18.445 --> 00:46:22.344 You see, Paul uses this moment as an opportunity to engage. Uh, 496 00:46:22.445 --> 00:46:25.785 in the text it says that the God that made the world and everything in it, 497 00:46:25.786 --> 00:46:29.265 the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples built by human hands. 498 00:46:29.565 --> 00:46:33.785 He engages them by pointing to the things that they already know and then using 499 00:46:33.885 --> 00:46:37.905 the culture to advance the message of God. In verse 25, he says, 500 00:46:37.906 --> 00:46:41.305 it's not served by human hands as if God needed anything. 501 00:46:41.306 --> 00:46:45.225 Rather he himself gives breath and life and strength, 502 00:46:45.765 --> 00:46:46.598 big narrative. 503 00:46:47.725 --> 00:46:52.344 All the stuff that you're doing to be religious is not leading you towards God 504 00:46:53.785 --> 00:46:57.985 is leading you away from him. But I wanna lead you towards him. 505 00:46:58.725 --> 00:47:02.145 He even references their own poets 506 00:47:03.415 --> 00:47:04.905 because he studied the culture. 507 00:47:05.945 --> 00:47:10.155 Paul engages the culture and he points the culture towards Jesus. 508 00:47:12.135 --> 00:47:14.975 And engage in the culture might mean that we have to have some awkward 509 00:47:14.976 --> 00:47:15.809 conversations. 510 00:47:17.085 --> 00:47:20.985 It might mean that we might have to get a little messy as the church it. 511 00:47:20.986 --> 00:47:24.905 It might even mean that we need to listen a little more closely and maybe hear 512 00:47:24.965 --> 00:47:28.745 out the whole of someone's experience before we offer advice. 513 00:47:30.475 --> 00:47:34.925 But if we're gonna be effective at living out the mission that God has us on of 514 00:47:34.926 --> 00:47:36.965 sharing him with an unfamiliar culture, 515 00:47:38.285 --> 00:47:41.205 and engagement is something we have to get really good at, 516 00:47:42.755 --> 00:47:46.435 we have to engage the culture. And verse 29, 517 00:47:47.185 --> 00:47:52.035 Paul continues to engage and he says these words, therefore, 518 00:47:52.036 --> 00:47:53.755 since we are God's offspring, 519 00:47:54.094 --> 00:47:58.675 we should not think that the divine being is like silver or like stone or an 520 00:47:58.676 --> 00:48:02.594 image made by human design and skill. You see, in the past, 521 00:48:02.935 --> 00:48:04.515 God overlooks such ignorance, 522 00:48:04.655 --> 00:48:08.675 but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 523 00:48:08.735 --> 00:48:13.675 The idea of repentance is turning away from sin and turning towards God. 524 00:48:16.415 --> 00:48:21.195 For he has set the day when he will judge the world with justice by the man 525 00:48:21.225 --> 00:48:25.235 that he has appointed. You see, now he's talking about Jesus. 526 00:48:26.715 --> 00:48:31.325 He's given proof of this O to everyone by raising him Jesus 527 00:48:31.715 --> 00:48:32.548 from the dead. 528 00:48:32.785 --> 00:48:36.645 And so the third tool that the apostle Paul gives us in how we can engage a 529 00:48:36.646 --> 00:48:39.765 culture that's far from God is that he speaks. 530 00:48:40.375 --> 00:48:41.208 Jesus. 531 00:48:42.515 --> 00:48:44.725 Paul speaks Jesus. 532 00:48:46.315 --> 00:48:50.765 He's become very fluent in the language of sharing Jesus with people. 533 00:48:51.864 --> 00:48:54.565 And so even in a moment where he is outnumbered, 534 00:48:55.355 --> 00:48:58.325 even in a moment where there's a culture that's very different from his own, 535 00:48:59.145 --> 00:49:03.935 he can add Jesus for the conversation. You see, 536 00:49:03.936 --> 00:49:08.775 Paul appeals to them using the greatest tool that any of us 537 00:49:08.785 --> 00:49:12.495 could ever have. The message of Jesus Christ. 538 00:49:13.825 --> 00:49:17.825 And he shares that this same Jesus wants them to turn away from them sins. 539 00:49:18.005 --> 00:49:19.305 And towards him he, 540 00:49:19.306 --> 00:49:24.145 he shares that there's power in the resurrection where Jesus overcame sin 541 00:49:24.245 --> 00:49:28.985 and death and God did that through Jesus so that we might have new life in him. 542 00:49:29.245 --> 00:49:32.065 He speaks of the judgment that will come for all people. 543 00:49:32.255 --> 00:49:36.985 That God's chosen instrument for that judgment is the same 544 00:49:36.986 --> 00:49:40.645 Jesus. And if you want a relationship to God 545 00:49:44.175 --> 00:49:45.455 and start with a relationship with. 546 00:49:45.455 --> 00:49:46.288 Jesus. 547 00:49:47.325 --> 00:49:50.255 Because Jesus is that God that you seek, 548 00:49:52.005 --> 00:49:55.045 he speaks Jesus. And by speaking Jesus, 549 00:49:55.185 --> 00:49:59.885 he shares the one thing that can change every person who's gathered at the Oppa 550 00:50:00.005 --> 00:50:00.965 against his life that day, 551 00:50:02.435 --> 00:50:05.695 the one thing that can actually bring change to their circumstance, 552 00:50:06.075 --> 00:50:08.135 the one thing that can bring hope to their condition. 553 00:50:08.515 --> 00:50:12.775 The one thing that is actually above and beyond any philosophy that they've come 554 00:50:12.776 --> 00:50:15.375 to know is the name of Jesus. 555 00:50:17.685 --> 00:50:18.585 And in verse 32, 556 00:50:20.555 --> 00:50:24.275 It says that when they heard about this resurrection of Jesus, 557 00:50:25.635 --> 00:50:28.765 that some of them sneered that others said, 558 00:50:28.825 --> 00:50:32.805 we want to hear again about this subject. And at that Paul was like, well, cool, 559 00:50:32.806 --> 00:50:33.765 but I gotta leave. Right? 560 00:50:33.785 --> 00:50:38.285 And so he leaves the council and then some people go right away and begin to 561 00:50:38.286 --> 00:50:40.525 follow Paul. And some of them believed. 562 00:50:40.725 --> 00:50:44.445 It says that there was a man named Diane nice, who's a part of the Areopagus. 563 00:50:44.465 --> 00:50:48.645 He had been there every week hearing every philosophy known the man. 564 00:50:48.745 --> 00:50:53.485 And when Paul speaks Jesus, he begins to follow Jesus. 565 00:50:55.265 --> 00:50:59.405 He even says that some of the women that were there began to follow Jesus and a 566 00:50:59.406 --> 00:51:02.785 number of others. You see, 567 00:51:02.786 --> 00:51:07.705 there's these three very distinct responses that he receives when he 568 00:51:07.706 --> 00:51:09.545 engages the culture with the message of Jesus. 569 00:51:09.725 --> 00:51:12.585 And they're the same responses that we experience even today. 570 00:51:13.285 --> 00:51:17.305 The first one is that some of them respond with rejection. Like some people, 571 00:51:17.565 --> 00:51:19.825 no matter how hard you tried, no matter how much you do, 572 00:51:19.855 --> 00:51:23.305 they just don't necessarily want to hear the name of Jesus. 573 00:51:23.705 --> 00:51:26.105 And some even mocked Paul during that time. 574 00:51:26.364 --> 00:51:29.585 And so just know that if you're trying to share the message of Jesus, 575 00:51:29.965 --> 00:51:34.295 you be faithful to the mission and let the Holy Spirit do the work 576 00:51:35.035 --> 00:51:36.015 of reaching the person. 577 00:51:37.885 --> 00:51:40.815 Because not everybody's gonna say yes to Jesus right away. 578 00:51:42.114 --> 00:51:45.094 And God may be working on their lives in some very real ways. 579 00:51:46.125 --> 00:51:49.055 Some responded with reluctance, right? Uh, others said, 580 00:51:49.056 --> 00:51:50.295 we'll hear you again on this matter, 581 00:51:50.315 --> 00:51:53.215 but we're not really sure we completely believe. Well, 582 00:51:53.216 --> 00:51:55.895 that's an opportunity to engage. And Paul doesn't stop. 583 00:51:55.915 --> 00:51:59.215 He keeps moving with the message of Jesus. He just doesn't stop. 584 00:52:02.045 --> 00:52:05.525 Some are reluctant. And then there's this last group 585 00:52:07.364 --> 00:52:10.325 that just receives what he says, 586 00:52:11.875 --> 00:52:16.585 and they find faith in Jesus Christ. Some men, some women, 587 00:52:17.335 --> 00:52:18.185 they joined him. 588 00:52:19.925 --> 00:52:22.745 Not everybody's gonna respond right away to the message of Jesus, 589 00:52:24.485 --> 00:52:27.785 but it doesn't mean that we have an opportunity to stop sharing. 590 00:52:29.385 --> 00:52:33.895 You see, Paul just kept going and going and sharing 591 00:52:35.114 --> 00:52:38.895 and loving and reaching and engaging 592 00:52:39.885 --> 00:52:40.718 with the culture. 593 00:52:43.075 --> 00:52:45.535 And this is the mission of the early church. 594 00:52:47.114 --> 00:52:51.605 This is the mission and the movement that God has his church on. 595 00:52:52.065 --> 00:52:55.405 You know, this whole series has been titled That's the Move. 596 00:52:55.425 --> 00:52:57.965 And every time I see the graphic of that's the move, 597 00:52:58.125 --> 00:53:01.485 I love it because the church is supposed to be on the move. 598 00:53:01.505 --> 00:53:05.245 And this kind of movement of engaging people who are far from God, 599 00:53:05.475 --> 00:53:08.565 that movement shouldn't have stopped with the Book of Acts. As a matter of fact, 600 00:53:08.715 --> 00:53:12.525 it's the mission that God has always had his church on. 601 00:53:13.935 --> 00:53:18.145 And if we're gonna move with the mission, then we need to be very good, 602 00:53:19.495 --> 00:53:21.945 very good at following the steps that Paul gives us. 603 00:53:23.395 --> 00:53:28.325 We need to make sure that we are a church that loves the culture exactly where 604 00:53:28.326 --> 00:53:28.785 they are. 605 00:53:28.785 --> 00:53:32.565 We need to make sure that we're a church that engages the culture by pointing 606 00:53:32.566 --> 00:53:33.046 them to God. 607 00:53:33.046 --> 00:53:36.285 And certainly we need to make sure that we're a church that's fluent in the 608 00:53:36.485 --> 00:53:40.485 language and the message of Jesus Christ. But you know what else we need to do? 609 00:53:43.015 --> 00:53:47.935 We need to make sure that the mission of Jesus doesn't 610 00:53:48.005 --> 00:53:52.795 stop with us. See, in the first week, 611 00:53:53.145 --> 00:53:54.155 Gary Yvette shared 612 00:53:55.935 --> 00:54:00.455 that the mission is the movement and that the movement is the message 613 00:54:01.035 --> 00:54:05.575 of Jesus Christ. And this is the thing that when I was a first, 614 00:54:05.695 --> 00:54:08.775 a young Christian, when I first became, began to follow Jesus, 615 00:54:08.844 --> 00:54:10.735 this was the thing that nobody shared with me. 616 00:54:12.395 --> 00:54:15.895 And as I grew older in my faith and stronger in my faith, 617 00:54:16.415 --> 00:54:18.335 I began to realize like this is the whole thing. 618 00:54:18.336 --> 00:54:20.415 Like the reason why I'm here on earth, 619 00:54:20.515 --> 00:54:24.975 the reason why any believer is here on earth is to move with the message of 620 00:54:24.976 --> 00:54:26.094 Jesus Christ. You see, 621 00:54:26.095 --> 00:54:30.695 when we exchange our life and our sin for a life of following Jesus, 622 00:54:30.875 --> 00:54:34.855 he gives us a purpose and a plan and a mission. 623 00:54:36.825 --> 00:54:38.495 We're supposed to move with that mission. 624 00:54:39.355 --> 00:54:42.405 But I mystifying print of the Bible, 625 00:54:43.765 --> 00:54:44.685 I missed that message. 626 00:54:45.895 --> 00:54:49.715 And for years people walked by me and talked to me and spent time with me. 627 00:54:50.935 --> 00:54:51.768 And I failed 628 00:54:53.455 --> 00:54:57.715 to share this Jesus that had been so good in my life, 629 00:54:59.605 --> 00:55:02.675 I missed the fine print. Well, 630 00:55:02.755 --> 00:55:07.355 this series has a graphic and it has the idea 631 00:55:07.655 --> 00:55:11.555 of that's the move on the graphic, right? And I think if we're careful, 632 00:55:11.695 --> 00:55:14.995 not careful, uh, if we're, we we're not really observant, 633 00:55:14.996 --> 00:55:17.195 that we could also mystifying print. You see, 634 00:55:17.196 --> 00:55:20.715 the whole series has been about the early church and how the early church has 635 00:55:20.716 --> 00:55:22.955 been on the move, right? That's the move. 636 00:55:23.215 --> 00:55:25.555 But if you look at the fine print just beneath it, 637 00:55:26.055 --> 00:55:29.065 it says the early church was on the move, 638 00:55:30.455 --> 00:55:34.535 church is on the move. And then it asks the question, 639 00:55:36.065 --> 00:55:40.645 are you, are you on the move? 640 00:55:42.725 --> 00:55:46.395 Do you still in all of your years of following Jesus 641 00:55:47.665 --> 00:55:50.435 have a heart to share this truth, 642 00:55:51.875 --> 00:55:53.205 this message of the gospel, 643 00:55:53.435 --> 00:55:58.395 this hope that we can find in Jesus with the world around us 644 00:55:59.735 --> 00:56:04.145 because Christ is the message of the mission. And we, the church, 645 00:56:04.885 --> 00:56:07.895 are responsible for that mission. You know, 646 00:56:07.896 --> 00:56:10.475 right now as we speak, 647 00:56:10.935 --> 00:56:14.035 we have a team on the ground in India, 648 00:56:15.635 --> 00:56:19.675 a team of leaders that is gonna go and share the message and the movement of 649 00:56:19.676 --> 00:56:22.755 Jesus. And you might think like, why are we going to India? 650 00:56:22.756 --> 00:56:27.385 Because we know that there's people who need to know Jesus In India right now, 651 00:56:27.386 --> 00:56:30.545 in all of our communities, we have small groups that meet every single week. 652 00:56:30.885 --> 00:56:33.545 And you might ask, man, do we need to have a small group every week? 653 00:56:33.725 --> 00:56:37.105 The reason why we have those groups is both to grow in our relationship with 654 00:56:37.106 --> 00:56:40.985 Jesus, but also to share him with people who may be far from him. 655 00:56:41.125 --> 00:56:44.465 And it's a great starting point to invite people into the conversation, 656 00:56:45.935 --> 00:56:46.915 to engage the culture 657 00:56:49.935 --> 00:56:51.295 In every community in the triangle, 658 00:56:53.285 --> 00:56:55.905 we are supposed to take the message of Jesus. 659 00:56:57.225 --> 00:56:58.058 With us. 660 00:56:59.065 --> 00:57:00.835 Because the message of Jesus. 661 00:57:01.855 --> 00:57:02.688 Is the mission. 662 00:57:03.975 --> 00:57:05.395 And maybe you're sitting here today, 663 00:57:06.955 --> 00:57:09.515 and maybe this is your first time at church, 664 00:57:11.005 --> 00:57:13.675 maybe this is your first time watching at Get Hope tv 665 00:57:15.344 --> 00:57:17.685 and you know that you've had all these philosophies of life. 666 00:57:17.705 --> 00:57:20.005 But if you're honest, something is missing, 667 00:57:21.715 --> 00:57:25.815 or maybe this is your first time in a long time being a part of something like 668 00:57:25.816 --> 00:57:25.995 this, 669 00:57:25.995 --> 00:57:29.855 and you haven't come into a church like this in a very long time because at some 670 00:57:29.856 --> 00:57:32.535 point you felt like you got hurt or, 671 00:57:32.635 --> 00:57:36.895 or something happened where you just kind of disengaged. Well, 672 00:57:36.896 --> 00:57:38.095 I want you to know that on this mission. 673 00:57:39.555 --> 00:57:39.845 That. 674 00:57:39.845 --> 00:57:41.405 We want to take you with us too, 675 00:57:44.425 --> 00:57:48.865 that we want you to be a part of this movement that God has given to his church. 676 00:57:50.325 --> 00:57:54.435 And so I just wanna take a moment to speak Jesus to you. 677 00:57:56.155 --> 00:58:00.035 You see the God of the universe who created all things He created man, 678 00:58:00.036 --> 00:58:00.995 he created the world, 679 00:58:02.575 --> 00:58:07.035 and he sent man into this world to live and flourish under his 680 00:58:07.385 --> 00:58:10.995 command and authority. And when man got to this world, 681 00:58:11.265 --> 00:58:14.115 Adam and Eve were the first people. They sinned against God. 682 00:58:14.116 --> 00:58:18.635 And that created a break in the relationship. And when that break was created, 683 00:58:20.095 --> 00:58:24.115 God found a way to reconcile man back unto himself. 684 00:58:25.135 --> 00:58:29.195 You see, the wages of sin are death. And if these stories stop there, 685 00:58:29.215 --> 00:58:32.075 the Bible says in Romans chapter three that the wages of sin are death. 686 00:58:32.076 --> 00:58:34.955 And if the story stopped there, man, everything would be lost, right? 687 00:58:35.815 --> 00:58:36.355 But. 688 00:58:36.355 --> 00:58:40.195 It goes on to say, but the gift of God is eternal life. 689 00:58:42.005 --> 00:58:45.185 And so God sent Jesus fully, God, 690 00:58:45.186 --> 00:58:50.155 fully man into this earth to live a sinless life and to take 691 00:58:50.175 --> 00:58:53.835 on the punishment that we deserve, the wages of sin or death. 692 00:58:54.075 --> 00:58:55.355 But the gift of God is eternal life. 693 00:58:55.415 --> 00:58:59.315 And that eternal life comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 694 00:59:01.835 --> 00:59:06.285 And Jesus brings the gift that no man can bring us, 695 00:59:07.195 --> 00:59:09.085 that no philosophy can give us. 696 00:59:11.055 --> 00:59:12.615 It's the gift of new life in Christ, 697 00:59:15.555 --> 00:59:19.005 the gift that we can't earn, a gift that we don't deserve. 698 00:59:21.125 --> 00:59:22.095 What? It's the gift that gives. 699 00:59:23.095 --> 00:59:23.928 Life. 700 00:59:25.885 --> 00:59:28.625 And when we hear a message of hope like that, 701 00:59:29.765 --> 00:59:34.505 the only response that will connect us into this relationship with Jesus 702 00:59:35.285 --> 00:59:38.305 is to put our faith and our trust in Him, 703 00:59:39.875 --> 00:59:43.575 to believe in our hearts and to confess with our mind that we believe that Jesus 704 00:59:43.605 --> 00:59:46.095 came, that he died, that death that we deserve, 705 00:59:46.235 --> 00:59:48.015 and that he rose again from the grave. 706 00:59:48.035 --> 00:59:51.335 And that he now takes power over sin and death, 707 00:59:51.595 --> 00:59:55.575 and that new life in him can be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 708 00:59:58.215 --> 01:00:00.875 That's the message of hope. 709 01:00:03.095 --> 01:00:03.928 That's. 710 01:00:03.955 --> 01:00:04.788 Speaking Jesus. 711 01:00:06.655 --> 01:00:11.475 And I wanna take a moment to simply pray a prayer of those of you who 712 01:00:11.476 --> 01:00:14.395 might want to enter into that kind of relationship with Jesus in this moment. 713 01:00:15.295 --> 01:00:17.515 So can we take a moment and just pray together? 714 01:00:19.925 --> 01:00:23.805 And if you come to a place in your life where you realize you want to be a 715 01:00:23.806 --> 01:00:24.645 follower of Jesus, 716 01:00:26.225 --> 01:00:29.125 I'm gonna ask you to simply repeat these words after me. 717 01:00:29.126 --> 01:00:31.485 And there's nothing magical about this prayer. 718 01:00:33.115 --> 01:00:37.765 It's just an acknowledgement and a confession that we've decided to follow 719 01:00:37.775 --> 01:00:42.245 Jesus. I want you to simply say, 720 01:00:43.445 --> 01:00:46.025 God, I know that I'm a sinner. 721 01:00:48.025 --> 01:00:49.785 I know that I've turned away from you, 722 01:00:52.445 --> 01:00:57.265 and I know that because of my sin that I deserve to be 723 01:00:57.266 --> 01:00:58.145 separated from you. 724 01:00:59.925 --> 01:01:03.745 But I believe that you gave Jesus to this world 725 01:01:05.755 --> 01:01:07.415 to pay the penalty for that sin. 726 01:01:09.435 --> 01:01:11.355 I believe that he rose again. 727 01:01:13.605 --> 01:01:17.005 I believe that he has come to build a relationship 728 01:01:18.835 --> 01:01:22.765 with all who would follow him. And so today, 729 01:01:24.045 --> 01:01:26.965 I put my trust, I put my hope, 730 01:01:28.385 --> 01:01:30.965 and I put my life in Jesus. 731 01:01:33.665 --> 01:01:35.365 God, would you fill me with your spirit? 732 01:01:37.335 --> 01:01:39.325 Would you help me to follow Jesus closely? 733 01:01:40.615 --> 01:01:42.885 Would you change my life from the inside out? 734 01:01:45.075 --> 01:01:47.335 In Jesus' name, amen. 735 01:01:49.775 --> 01:01:51.575 I want you to know that if you pray that prayer today, 736 01:01:52.445 --> 01:01:57.015 that your campus hosts will tell you how you can take a next step of faith 737 01:01:57.915 --> 01:02:01.135 in this relationship with Jesus Christ, we would love to hear about it. 738 01:02:02.115 --> 01:02:06.495 And I pray that every single one of us will continue with the message, 739 01:02:06.645 --> 01:02:10.055 message and the mission of Jesus Christ. God bless you guys. 740 01:02:10.765 --> 01:02:11.815 Look forward to seeing you soon. 741 01:02:19.995 --> 01:02:21.565 Amen. And amen to that, huh?