1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,917


2
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:11,000
[music]

3
00:00:13,208 --> 00:00:16,667
What do you think
about the church?

4
00:00:20,333 --> 00:00:23,667
Do you love the church?

5
00:00:30,333 --> 00:00:33,458
Do you serve the church?

6
00:00:40,250 --> 00:00:44,625
When you see the church,
what do you see?

7
00:00:52,958 --> 00:00:58,542
Jesus loves his church.

8
00:01:13,458 --> 00:01:15,875
Alright.
Jesus works through us.

9
00:01:15,958 --> 00:01:17,792
This is going to be awkward.

10
00:01:17,833 --> 00:01:20,208
Most of you who serve
do so quietly, humbly.

11
00:01:20,292 --> 00:01:22,917
You don't want to be recognized,
so go ahead and stand

12
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,292
if you serve in any capacity
at Mars Hill Church:

13
00:01:26,333 --> 00:01:28,500
usher, greeter,
set up, tear down,

14
00:01:28,542 --> 00:01:30,708
Community Group leader,
Redemption Group leader,

15
00:01:30,792 --> 00:01:33,375
kids' ministry,
offering counter,

16
00:01:33,458 --> 00:01:35,083
usher, steward.

17
00:01:35,167 --> 00:01:36,625
Can you guys say thank you?

18
00:01:36,667 --> 00:01:39,208
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

19
00:01:39,292 --> 00:01:42,000
Alright, you can have a seat
since I've embarrassed you.

20
00:01:42,083 --> 00:01:44,125
Every Sunday
at Mars Hill Church,

21
00:01:44,167 --> 00:01:49,000
we hold 30-some services
across 4 states, 14 locations.

22
00:01:49,083 --> 00:01:52,625
Just on the weekends
alone, we have anywhere,

23
00:01:52,667 --> 00:01:54,500
depending upon the weekend,

24
00:01:54,583 --> 00:01:58,417
from 1,000 to maybe
as many as 2,000 people

25
00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:01,708
who are volunteering on
what's supposed to be

26
00:02:01,792 --> 00:02:04,792
their day off,
showing up to serve us.

27
00:02:04,833 --> 00:02:06,500
That's good, right?

28
00:02:06,583 --> 00:02:09,500
We appreciate that and so we
want to publicly say thank you.

29
00:02:09,583 --> 00:02:12,917
And that fits in to today's
topic that ultimately,

30
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,500
Jesus works through us.

31
00:02:15,583 --> 00:02:17,208
That's how he gets
his work done.

32
00:02:17,292 --> 00:02:20,292
So we'll be
in 1 Corinthians 12.

33
00:02:20,333 --> 00:02:23,208
Go ahead and find that
on your app or in your Bible,

34
00:02:23,292 --> 00:02:25,333
and we're going to look
at a letter

35
00:02:25,375 --> 00:02:28,208
that a pastor named Paul
wrote to a church,

36
00:02:28,292 --> 00:02:32,583
talking about how God
works through his people.

37
00:02:32,667 --> 00:02:36,583
And his first big idea is this,
that we are the body of Christ,

38
00:02:36,667 --> 00:02:39,000
and here's how
the Apostle Paul says it.

39
00:02:39,083 --> 00:02:40,583
1 Corinthians 12:12.

40
00:02:40,667 --> 00:02:43,125
"For just as the body."

41
00:02:43,167 --> 00:02:44,625
I've got to stop right there.

42
00:02:44,667 --> 00:02:47,792
This is Paul's analogy, his
metaphor, for the church.

43
00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:50,417
It's actually his favorite
metaphor for the church

44
00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:51,833
in the whole New Testament.

45
00:02:51,875 --> 00:02:53,833
Sometimes the church is
described as a family,

46
00:02:53,875 --> 00:02:55,625
sometimes as
the bride of Christ,

47
00:02:55,667 --> 00:03:00,083
sometimes like a military unit
marching against sin and Satan,

48
00:03:00,167 --> 00:03:03,083
and here, we see
Paul's favorite metaphor:

49
00:03:03,167 --> 00:03:05,000
the church is like a body.

50
00:03:05,083 --> 00:03:08,833
And this is an amazingly
appropriate analogy because

51
00:03:08,875 --> 00:03:12,833
it's cross-cultural,
it spans time, it always works.

52
00:03:12,875 --> 00:03:15,083
When you're a parent,
let's say, with a kid,

53
00:03:15,167 --> 00:03:17,833
one of the first things
you start to teach the kid

54
00:03:17,875 --> 00:03:19,208
is their parts.

55
00:03:19,292 --> 00:03:20,625
Nose, nose, nose.

56
00:03:20,667 --> 00:03:22,208
Ear, ear, ear.

57
00:03:22,292 --> 00:03:24,792
Eye, whoop, ouch.
Right?

58
00:03:24,833 --> 00:03:26,500
You teach the kids
the body parts,

59
00:03:26,583 --> 00:03:29,583
and Paul uses the analogy of
the body because it's familiar

60
00:03:29,667 --> 00:03:31,500
to everybody, everywhere.

61
00:03:31,542 --> 00:03:36,625
And I read this; it said in
this commentator's work on

62
00:03:36,667 --> 00:03:40,000
1 Corinthians, he says
our body has 206 bones,

63
00:03:40,083 --> 00:03:45,000
650 skeletal muscles,
and 210 types of cells.

64
00:03:45,083 --> 00:03:47,000
I know, that's amazing.

65
00:03:47,083 --> 00:03:49,208
When the psalmist says that
we're fearfully and wonderfully

66
00:03:49,292 --> 00:03:52,000
made, what he's talking
about is the way that God

67
00:03:52,083 --> 00:03:56,125
has intricately orchestrated
our body is magnificent,

68
00:03:56,167 --> 00:03:59,208
and all that has to happen for
us to even do simple tasks

69
00:03:59,292 --> 00:04:01,167
is absolutely mind-blowing.

70
00:04:01,208 --> 00:04:02,875
I know some of
you will say,

71
00:04:02,958 --> 00:04:05,083
"Oh, I'm pre-med and you've
got your numbers wrong."

72
00:04:05,167 --> 00:04:06,500
Look, I know.

73
00:04:06,542 --> 00:04:09,208
I went to a really bad school
where the valedictorian couldn't

74
00:04:09,292 --> 00:04:10,625
even spell "valedictorian."

75
00:04:10,667 --> 00:04:13,125
I'm just telling you
what I read in a book,

76
00:04:13,167 --> 00:04:16,625
and my big idea is this: that
all of the systems in the body

77
00:04:16,667 --> 00:04:18,625
working together, it's amazingly
complex and simple things

78
00:04:18,667 --> 00:04:20,625
like me being able to
communicate to you,

79
00:04:20,667 --> 00:04:22,625
you being able to hear
and process information

80
00:04:22,667 --> 00:04:24,000
while seeing the sermon,

81
00:04:24,083 --> 00:04:27,125
all of that is a series
of amazingly intricate

82
00:04:27,167 --> 00:04:30,000
interworkings among
parts of the body.

83
00:04:30,042 --> 00:04:32,500
And so he says that
a church is like that.

84
00:04:32,542 --> 00:04:34,792
It's like our body,
and sometimes we don't know

85
00:04:34,833 --> 00:04:37,667
that our body is
so magnificently created

86
00:04:37,750 --> 00:04:39,833
until something's not working.
Amen?

87
00:04:39,875 --> 00:04:41,583
Or it's not working
appropriately.

88
00:04:41,667 --> 00:04:44,083
A little ache, a little
pain, a little failure,

89
00:04:44,167 --> 00:04:47,083
and all of a sudden you realize
the way everything really is

90
00:04:47,167 --> 00:04:49,833
interconnected and one thing
affects everything.

91
00:04:49,875 --> 00:04:52,000
So, you twist your ankle,
then your knee hurts,

92
00:04:52,083 --> 00:04:55,208
then your hip hurts, and then
all of a sudden you can't sleep,

93
00:04:55,292 --> 00:04:58,292
and now all of a sudden your
neck is out of alignment

94
00:04:58,333 --> 00:05:01,083
and your whole life is ruined
because you twisted your ankle,

95
00:05:01,167 --> 00:05:03,500
because everything
is very connected

96
00:05:03,583 --> 00:05:05,333
and interworking together.

97
00:05:05,375 --> 00:05:08,417
And that's Paul's point as
he talks about the body,

98
00:05:08,500 --> 00:05:12,083
that everyone has to be working
together like the parts

99
00:05:12,167 --> 00:05:13,625
in a body.

100
00:05:13,667 --> 00:05:16,583
"For just as the body is
one and has many members."

101
00:05:16,667 --> 00:05:18,333
I'll stop again.

102
00:05:18,375 --> 00:05:20,292
When he's talking
about the members,

103
00:05:20,333 --> 00:05:21,833
this is what we mean

104
00:05:21,875 --> 00:05:23,500
at Mars Hill Church
by membership.

105
00:05:23,542 --> 00:05:26,000
Some of you say, "Oh, I
don't believe in membership."

106
00:05:26,042 --> 00:05:28,000
Well, it's not like membership
in American Express

107
00:05:28,042 --> 00:05:30,417
where you get a discount
on certain things.

108
00:05:30,500 --> 00:05:33,125
The way it works in our church
is membership is membership

109
00:05:33,167 --> 00:05:34,500
in the body.

110
00:05:34,583 --> 00:05:36,083
And when he's talking
about members,

111
00:05:36,167 --> 00:05:38,708
he's talking about fingers,
and toes, and arms, and legs,

112
00:05:38,792 --> 00:05:41,500
and ears, and eyes, and nose,
and there are different members,

113
00:05:41,583 --> 00:05:43,417
different parts of the body.

114
00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:45,167
So our membership class,

115
00:05:45,250 --> 00:05:47,375
which we invite you to
and the lead pastors

116
00:05:47,458 --> 00:05:49,917
will tell you about,
it is an invitation to become

117
00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:51,667
a part of the body.

118
00:05:51,750 --> 00:05:54,375
Not just getting a privileged
position in the org chart,

119
00:05:54,458 --> 00:05:57,125
but getting a job description
and something to do.

120
00:05:57,167 --> 00:05:59,917
That's what it means
to be a member of our church.

121
00:06:00,042 --> 00:06:02,208
And some will wonder,
"Is membership biblical?"

122
00:06:02,292 --> 00:06:04,375
Well, I was reading this book
called the Bible

123
00:06:04,458 --> 00:06:06,833
and it says that the church
is to have what?

124
00:06:06,875 --> 00:06:08,208
Members.

125
00:06:08,292 --> 00:06:09,917
So, we have members
of the church.

126
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,625
Christians who are owning
the mission of Mars Hill Church

127
00:06:13,667 --> 00:06:16,000
and saying,
"I have these abilities

128
00:06:16,083 --> 00:06:18,125
"and I want to serve
in this way,

129
00:06:18,167 --> 00:06:20,625
"and I believe this is
my part in the body,

130
00:06:20,667 --> 00:06:23,125
"working with my brothers and
sisters for the forward progress

131
00:06:23,167 --> 00:06:24,708
of the gospel of Jesus."

132
00:06:24,792 --> 00:06:27,208
"Just as the body is one
and has many members,

133
00:06:27,292 --> 00:06:30,625
and all the members of the body,
though many, are one body."

134
00:06:30,667 --> 00:06:32,500
Everybody's got
to work together.

135
00:06:32,583 --> 00:06:34,625
What we can't have
is single-issue voters saying,

136
00:06:34,667 --> 00:06:37,000
"I only care about my thing."

137
00:06:37,083 --> 00:06:39,833
We need to care
about everything.

138
00:06:39,875 --> 00:06:42,625
We can't even say, "I only
care about my Community Group,

139
00:06:42,667 --> 00:06:45,583
or my service,
or my local church."

140
00:06:45,667 --> 00:06:47,875
We also need to care
about the whole.

141
00:06:47,958 --> 00:06:51,375
I had a very sad conversation
not long ago.

142
00:06:51,458 --> 00:06:53,583
I had someone from one
Mars Hill church say,

143
00:06:53,667 --> 00:06:56,417
"Well, I don't care about
that Mars Hill church."

144
00:06:56,500 --> 00:06:58,417
That's like a brother
and a sister saying,

145
00:06:58,500 --> 00:07:01,167
"Well, I don't care about that
other kid in the family."

146
00:07:01,250 --> 00:07:02,625
Well, you should.

147
00:07:02,667 --> 00:07:05,292
You have the same Father,
you're part of the same family.

148
00:07:05,333 --> 00:07:08,000
I said, "Don't you recognize
that the church you say you

149
00:07:08,083 --> 00:07:10,000
"don't care about, that's
the church that planted

150
00:07:10,083 --> 00:07:11,417
"the church that you're in?

151
00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:14,125
"Those are the people who sent
the leaders and the dollars

152
00:07:14,167 --> 00:07:17,125
so that the church you say you
love could come into existence."

153
00:07:17,167 --> 00:07:18,667
"Oh, I didn't know that."

154
00:07:18,750 --> 00:07:21,375
Okay, well, you need to
understand that everybody

155
00:07:21,458 --> 00:07:23,708
is participating,
and giving, and serving,

156
00:07:23,792 --> 00:07:27,708
and you've been blessed and
now you're to be a blessing.

157
00:07:27,792 --> 00:07:30,708
And so yes, we want you to
love your friends and beyond.

158
00:07:30,792 --> 00:07:33,208
We want you to love your
Community Group and beyond.

159
00:07:33,292 --> 00:07:35,417
We want you to love
your service and beyond.

160
00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:37,625
We want you to love
your church and beyond,

161
00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:40,333
and to love all that
is Mars Hill Church.

162
00:07:40,375 --> 00:07:42,333
To love all
that is Mars Hill Church,

163
00:07:42,375 --> 00:07:43,708
not just your ministry,

164
00:07:43,792 --> 00:07:45,792
not just your area
of specialization,

165
00:07:45,833 --> 00:07:48,792
but to appreciate the entirety
of what God's doing

166
00:07:48,833 --> 00:07:50,333
at our church.

167
00:07:50,375 --> 00:07:52,500
And so he's saying
it's one body, right?

168
00:07:52,583 --> 00:07:54,583
We're all in it together.

169
00:07:54,667 --> 00:07:56,167
"So it is with Christ.

170
00:07:56,250 --> 00:07:58,125
For in one Spirit we
were all baptized."

171
00:07:58,167 --> 00:08:01,000
And the baptism of the Spirit is
the moment at which

172
00:08:01,042 --> 00:08:02,833
you become a Christian.

173
00:08:02,875 --> 00:08:05,000
He's talking here not about
water baptism

174
00:08:05,083 --> 00:08:06,500
but Spirit baptism,

175
00:08:06,583 --> 00:08:08,625
and this is when you're
a non-Christian

176
00:08:08,667 --> 00:08:12,125
and the Holy Spirit comes and
brings the message of Jesus.

177
00:08:12,167 --> 00:08:15,333
God became a man,
he lived without sin,

178
00:08:15,375 --> 00:08:18,625
he went to the cross and died
in our place for our sins,

179
00:08:18,667 --> 00:08:23,708
he forgives our sin, he
connects us to the life of God,

180
00:08:23,792 --> 00:08:25,333
he saves us.

181
00:08:25,375 --> 00:08:26,792
His name is Jesus.

182
00:08:26,833 --> 00:08:31,000
When that awakens in you, that's
evidence that the Holy Spirit

183
00:08:31,083 --> 00:08:34,000
has brought new life
and new birth in you,

184
00:08:34,083 --> 00:08:36,917
so now God is your Father
and the church is your family,

185
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,208
and you're connected to
your brothers and sisters.

186
00:08:39,292 --> 00:08:42,708
And God has apportioned for you
some contribution to make for

187
00:08:42,792 --> 00:08:45,333
the health, and wellness,
and the forward progress

188
00:08:45,375 --> 00:08:48,500
of the church, the benefit
of the whole family.

189
00:08:48,583 --> 00:08:53,917
And what he's saying is our
unity is around our diversity.

190
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,292
To be the church means there
is unity but not uniformity,

191
00:08:58,333 --> 00:09:02,000
that there is diversity, but
there need not be division.

192
00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:04,625
If we're all just trying
to see people meet Jesus,

193
00:09:04,667 --> 00:09:07,125
and see churches get planted,
and see the church become

194
00:09:07,167 --> 00:09:11,292
glorious to the glory of God,
then we're all working together

195
00:09:11,333 --> 00:09:14,500
to make this the best possible
church in the grace of God

196
00:09:14,583 --> 00:09:16,208
that it can be.

197
00:09:16,292 --> 00:09:19,500
And so he talks about Jews, and
Greeks, and slave, and free,

198
00:09:19,583 --> 00:09:21,500
and let me say,
in the ancient world,

199
00:09:21,583 --> 00:09:23,833
there was great hostility
between these groups.

200
00:09:23,875 --> 00:09:25,375
They didn't get along at all.

201
00:09:25,458 --> 00:09:27,000
The slaves and free?

202
00:09:27,042 --> 00:09:28,500
They didn't like each other.

203
00:09:28,583 --> 00:09:31,000
How many slaves love
their slave master?

204
00:09:31,042 --> 00:09:34,583
How many slave masters
have close friendships

205
00:09:34,667 --> 00:09:37,000
with their slaves, treating them
as peers and equals?

206
00:09:37,083 --> 00:09:38,417
It didn't happen.

207
00:09:38,500 --> 00:09:39,833
There was animosity.

208
00:09:39,875 --> 00:09:41,375
There was hostility.

209
00:09:41,458 --> 00:09:44,500
Jews and Greeks, or Gentiles,
they didn't get along either.

210
00:09:44,583 --> 00:09:47,417
There was actually some who
would say that

211
00:09:47,500 --> 00:09:49,833
if a Gentile woman
was giving birth,

212
00:09:49,875 --> 00:09:52,000
and she was in the midst of,
let's say,

213
00:09:52,083 --> 00:09:54,167
hemorrhaging and miscarrying,
that it would be wrong for

214
00:09:54,250 --> 00:09:56,833
a Jewish person to even
assist in the birth because

215
00:09:56,875 --> 00:09:59,792
you would be bringing another
Gentile upon the earth,

216
00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:02,417
and the goal was to let
her and the child die.

217
00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:04,208
You're talking great animosity,

218
00:10:04,292 --> 00:10:06,375
great hostility
between people groups.

219
00:10:06,458 --> 00:10:10,667
This is not unlike racism in
the South in the '50s and '60s.

220
00:10:10,750 --> 00:10:13,500
This is not unlike the kind of
genocide that's still practiced

221
00:10:13,583 --> 00:10:16,333
in some countries, where
groups absolutely racially

222
00:10:16,375 --> 00:10:19,208
or culturally are so divided
that they hate one another.

223
00:10:19,292 --> 00:10:20,708
Yet, here's what happens.

224
00:10:20,792 --> 00:10:23,292
When Jesus comes,
he makes a new humanity.

225
00:10:23,333 --> 00:10:26,000
It's no longer male and female,
and slave and free,

226
00:10:26,083 --> 00:10:27,667
and Jew and Greek.

227
00:10:27,750 --> 00:10:29,917
What it is is Christian.

228
00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,875
Those who are now
forgiven of sin,

229
00:10:31,958 --> 00:10:34,667
adopted into the family of
God, and they are the church.

230
00:10:34,750 --> 00:10:37,000
And in the church, there's
this new third race,

231
00:10:37,083 --> 00:10:38,833
there's this new humanity,

232
00:10:38,875 --> 00:10:41,792
there's this new category
for people.

233
00:10:41,833 --> 00:10:44,625
And all of a sudden, what they
previously identified themselves

234
00:10:44,667 --> 00:10:49,833
as: male, female, Jew, Gentile,
slave, free, rich, poor, young,

235
00:10:49,875 --> 00:10:55,000
white, black, old, Democrat,
Republican, PhD, GED;

236
00:10:55,083 --> 00:10:58,500
whatever it was, all of that
becomes secondary and what

237
00:10:58,583 --> 00:11:02,625
becomes primary is Jesus
loves me, Jesus loves you,

238
00:11:02,667 --> 00:11:04,917
we're the church,
we're in it together.

239
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,625
We're like a family.

240
00:11:06,667 --> 00:11:09,000
We can have unity
without uniformity.

241
00:11:09,083 --> 00:11:12,292
We can have unity
around our diversity,

242
00:11:12,333 --> 00:11:15,500
and our diversity need
not lead to division.

243
00:11:15,583 --> 00:11:18,500
What that means is in
a church like ours,

244
00:11:18,583 --> 00:11:21,708
we are the body of Christ,
and there will be a lot of

245
00:11:21,792 --> 00:11:23,667
different kinds of people:

246
00:11:23,750 --> 00:11:26,417
races, cultures,
classes, backgrounds,

247
00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:29,833
experiences, and interests,
and we'll be a weird,

248
00:11:29,875 --> 00:11:33,167
odd, strange group.

249
00:11:33,250 --> 00:11:35,792
And when people look at
the church and they ask,

250
00:11:35,833 --> 00:11:37,625
"What brings you all together?

251
00:11:37,667 --> 00:11:39,417
You guys have
nothing in common."

252
00:11:39,500 --> 00:11:43,208
Jesus is alive and he loves all
of us, and he made us a family.

253
00:11:43,292 --> 00:11:44,833
And because of his love,

254
00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:48,167
we want to work together to
be the best family we can be,

255
00:11:48,250 --> 00:11:50,917
and we want to invite
other people to get to know

256
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,500
Jesus and join our family.
Amen?

257
00:11:52,583 --> 00:11:55,292
All other causes need
to go to the side.

258
00:11:55,333 --> 00:12:00,167
The cause of Jesus has to
always be the highest priority.

259
00:12:00,208 --> 00:12:04,125
And he says this is all
done by the Holy Spirit.

260
00:12:04,167 --> 00:12:06,500
The Holy Spirit
makes you a Christian,

261
00:12:06,583 --> 00:12:08,125
makes me a Christian.

262
00:12:08,167 --> 00:12:10,125
The Holy Spirit gives
us spiritual gifts.

263
00:12:10,167 --> 00:12:12,292
The Holy Spirit empowers
us for ministry.

264
00:12:12,333 --> 00:12:15,208
The Holy Spirit keeps us
focused on the mission of Jesus,

265
00:12:15,292 --> 00:12:17,708
and that is his goal.

266
00:12:17,792 --> 00:12:20,500
Now, let me say this: Jesus
predicted this would happen.

267
00:12:20,542 --> 00:12:24,375
In this amazing line
in John 14, Jesus says,

268
00:12:24,458 --> 00:12:26,917
you know, "I've come
to do the Father's work,"

269
00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,167
and he says, "I'm going to
leave and you're going to do

270
00:12:30,250 --> 00:12:32,208
greater works than me."

271
00:12:32,292 --> 00:12:33,875
What does that mean?

272
00:12:33,958 --> 00:12:36,375
I mean, how many of you
really feel like, "Yeah,

273
00:12:36,458 --> 00:12:39,375
Jesus' resume is pretty good,
but I think I can top that."

274
00:12:39,458 --> 00:12:41,125
Right?
"I think I can top that.

275
00:12:41,167 --> 00:12:43,125
"I'm going to cast
out demons, you know,

276
00:12:43,167 --> 00:12:45,708
water ski without a boat,
rise from death, et cetera."

277
00:12:45,792 --> 00:12:47,125
There's no way.

278
00:12:47,167 --> 00:12:48,500
So what does he mean,

279
00:12:48,583 --> 00:12:50,500
"You're going to do
greater works than me"?

280
00:12:50,583 --> 00:12:53,708
I don't think he's in any way
saying that we're going to do

281
00:12:53,792 --> 00:12:56,208
anything greater than atone
for the sin of the world,

282
00:12:56,292 --> 00:12:59,000
but I think what he's
saying is that when he came,

283
00:12:59,042 --> 00:13:00,542
he came in a physical body.

284
00:13:00,625 --> 00:13:02,875
Jesus is eternally God,
second member of the Trinity,

285
00:13:02,958 --> 00:13:05,625
he comes down from heaven, he
takes upon himself human flesh,

286
00:13:05,667 --> 00:13:08,083
he adds to his
divinity humanity.

287
00:13:08,167 --> 00:13:11,875
God becomes a man, but then he
assumes the limitations

288
00:13:11,958 --> 00:13:13,333
of a physical body.

289
00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:16,083
He can't--when he was in his
physical body on the earth,

290
00:13:16,167 --> 00:13:17,708
he couldn't be everywhere.

291
00:13:17,792 --> 00:13:21,000
He had to be in the place that
he was, Galilee, or Jerusalem,

292
00:13:21,083 --> 00:13:23,583
or going through Samaria,
wherever he happened to be.

293
00:13:23,667 --> 00:13:26,083
He couldn't talk to every single
person on the planet

294
00:13:26,167 --> 00:13:28,083
because of the limitations
of the physical body.

295
00:13:28,167 --> 00:13:30,833
Well, you can only be in
one place at one time.

296
00:13:30,875 --> 00:13:33,125
He also got tired
and he couldn't be working

297
00:13:33,167 --> 00:13:34,583
24 hours a day.

298
00:13:34,667 --> 00:13:37,000
He couldn't lay hands and pray
over every single sick

299
00:13:37,083 --> 00:13:39,875
and hurting person because
he only had two hands.

300
00:13:39,958 --> 00:13:41,708
And what he's saying
in John 14,

301
00:13:41,792 --> 00:13:44,417
as you read in context,
he says that he will die

302
00:13:44,500 --> 00:13:46,792
for sin, rise to
forgive sinners,

303
00:13:46,833 --> 00:13:48,292
and he will return to heaven,

304
00:13:48,333 --> 00:13:50,792
and then he says he'll send
the Holy Spirit.

305
00:13:50,833 --> 00:13:54,208
And he'll send
the Holy Spirit to the church.

306
00:13:54,292 --> 00:13:56,167
He'll send the Holy Spirit
to the Christians,

307
00:13:56,250 --> 00:13:57,875
so the third member
of the Trinity

308
00:13:57,958 --> 00:14:00,458
brings the life of the second
member of the Trinity

309
00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,625
so that now,
our sin is taken away,

310
00:14:02,667 --> 00:14:06,000
we're connected to the living
Jesus, we get to do ministry.

311
00:14:06,042 --> 00:14:08,625
For some, it's vocational;
for others, it's volunteer;

312
00:14:08,667 --> 00:14:11,125
but it's all for Jesus.

313
00:14:11,167 --> 00:14:14,333
And now there are a few billion
people on the earth who claim

314
00:14:14,375 --> 00:14:17,625
to be Christians, and for those
who really are Christians,

315
00:14:17,667 --> 00:14:20,000
they've been baptized
in the Holy Spirit.

316
00:14:20,083 --> 00:14:22,083
They've been born again
by the Holy Spirit.

317
00:14:22,167 --> 00:14:24,583
They've been taken from
spiritual death to life.

318
00:14:24,667 --> 00:14:27,708
What it means now is we can
do greater works than Jesus.

319
00:14:27,792 --> 00:14:31,625
Not greater in kind,
but greater in number.

320
00:14:31,667 --> 00:14:34,333
Jesus could only teach
a certain number of people;

321
00:14:34,375 --> 00:14:36,292
we could teach a whole lot
of people

322
00:14:36,333 --> 00:14:37,792
because there's
a lot of us.

323
00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:40,500
Jesus could only lay hands
and pray over a certain number

324
00:14:40,583 --> 00:14:43,500
of people while he was in
a physical body on the earth;

325
00:14:43,583 --> 00:14:45,333
we have a lot more hands.
Amen?

326
00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:48,333
We could serve, we could love,
we could care, we could pray,

327
00:14:48,375 --> 00:14:49,708
we could give.

328
00:14:49,792 --> 00:14:51,208
Together, filled with
the Holy Spirit

329
00:14:51,292 --> 00:14:53,375
as Jesus was filled with
Holy Spirit,

330
00:14:53,458 --> 00:14:56,000
we could be doing
ministry to the glory of God.

331
00:14:56,083 --> 00:14:59,000
And if every one of God's
people does their part,

332
00:14:59,042 --> 00:15:01,875
we could continue the work
of Jesus in greater number

333
00:15:01,958 --> 00:15:03,500
around the earth.

334
00:15:03,583 --> 00:15:05,000
That's the big idea.

335
00:15:05,042 --> 00:15:06,667
That's the invitation.

336
00:15:06,750 --> 00:15:08,333
I hope this gets you excited.

337
00:15:08,375 --> 00:15:10,333
Some of you wake up
and you wonder,

338
00:15:10,375 --> 00:15:12,333
"Why am I here?
What am I doing?"

339
00:15:12,375 --> 00:15:13,875
Jesus loves you,
Jesus serves you,

340
00:15:13,958 --> 00:15:17,125
sends the Spirit so that
you could be serving others,

341
00:15:17,167 --> 00:15:20,708
and God is giving you some
things to do that if you do them

342
00:15:20,792 --> 00:15:23,333
will give him glory and also
give you joy because

343
00:15:23,375 --> 00:15:26,333
you'll be doing what it is
you were made to do.

344
00:15:26,375 --> 00:15:28,208
You're going to enjoy that.

345
00:15:28,292 --> 00:15:30,917
See people get saved,
see churches get planted,

346
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,000
see our church grow in
maturity and in numbers,

347
00:15:34,083 --> 00:15:35,708
and there'll be
a joy about that,

348
00:15:35,792 --> 00:15:38,333
because that's exactly what
the Holy Spirit wants for you,

349
00:15:38,375 --> 00:15:42,000
and that's what he wants for me,
and that's what he wants for us.

350
00:15:42,083 --> 00:15:44,917
And when we're obedient,
he gives us joy.

351
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:46,792
He gives us joy.

352
00:15:46,833 --> 00:15:49,500
And so here, when he talks
about the Holy Spirit,

353
00:15:49,542 --> 00:15:52,500
he's talking about the fact that
what Jesus promised has actually

354
00:15:52,583 --> 00:15:55,667
happened, that Jesus has
finished his work and returned

355
00:15:55,750 --> 00:15:59,375
into the presence of the Father,
and sent the Holy Spirit

356
00:15:59,458 --> 00:16:04,417
to empower our work on his
behalf as his people.

357
00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:06,833
Now, he goes on.

358
00:16:06,875 --> 00:16:08,583
Number two--point number two.

359
00:16:08,667 --> 00:16:10,708
We need people like
you, and unlike you.

360
00:16:10,792 --> 00:16:13,208
Alright, here's what I'm
saying: we need people like you,

361
00:16:13,292 --> 00:16:16,208
but man, if everybody was like
you, that would not be good.

362
00:16:16,292 --> 00:16:17,625
Amen?

363
00:16:17,667 --> 00:16:20,833
I always say this at my
house: if there was two of me,

364
00:16:20,875 --> 00:16:22,833
one of us would have to die,
right?

365
00:16:22,875 --> 00:16:24,500
There's only room for one of me.

366
00:16:24,583 --> 00:16:26,000
Grace is totally unlike me.

367
00:16:26,083 --> 00:16:27,625
Praise--thank you, Father.
Right?

368
00:16:27,667 --> 00:16:29,083
Thank you for that.

369
00:16:29,167 --> 00:16:32,500
My wife, Grace, is totally
unlike me and it's good.

370
00:16:32,583 --> 00:16:36,833
It's really good because that
diversity makes us stronger.

371
00:16:36,875 --> 00:16:38,292
It makes us better.

372
00:16:38,333 --> 00:16:39,875
So it is in the church.

373
00:16:39,958 --> 00:16:42,625
Some of you, you want
everybody to be just like you.

374
00:16:42,667 --> 00:16:44,333
No, that would not be good.

375
00:16:44,375 --> 00:16:47,083
We need people like you
and we need people unlike you.

376
00:16:47,167 --> 00:16:48,500
Here's how Paul says it.

377
00:16:48,542 --> 00:16:50,208
1 Corinthians 12:14-21.

378
00:16:50,292 --> 00:16:54,500
"For the body does not consist
of one member but of many."

379
00:16:54,583 --> 00:16:56,625
Here's what he's saying:
lots of different people,

380
00:16:56,667 --> 00:16:58,917
lots of different experiences,
lots of different backgrounds,

381
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,417
lots of different abilities,
lots of different opportunities.

382
00:17:02,500 --> 00:17:04,125
Everybody's different.
Amen?

383
00:17:04,167 --> 00:17:07,292
You could look at this as
a bad thing or a good thing.

384
00:17:07,333 --> 00:17:09,292
God looks at it as a good thing.

385
00:17:09,333 --> 00:17:13,500
God sees this diversity
making us stronger.

386
00:17:13,583 --> 00:17:15,708
So what he's saying is,
first of all, acknowledge,

387
00:17:15,792 --> 00:17:18,000
recognize in the church
that some people

388
00:17:18,083 --> 00:17:19,417
are really different than you.

389
00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:22,417
Now, if you're not careful, what
you'll do is you'll think people

390
00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,625
like me are holy, people
unlike me are unholy.

391
00:17:24,667 --> 00:17:26,083
They're thinking the same thing.

392
00:17:26,167 --> 00:17:28,208
The truth is,
we need people like you,

393
00:17:28,292 --> 00:17:31,500
we need people unlike you, and
God has got a lot of diversity

394
00:17:31,583 --> 00:17:33,708
in the church, and he
does so intentionally.

395
00:17:33,792 --> 00:17:35,125
"But of many."

396
00:17:35,167 --> 00:17:36,833
Now, here he goes
into something funny.

397
00:17:36,875 --> 00:17:38,583
Now, if you're new to Mars Hill,

398
00:17:38,667 --> 00:17:40,833
we believe God
has a sense of humor, okay?

399
00:17:40,875 --> 00:17:43,917
We just do.
Some people don't.

400
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,833
Most of them are
called theologians.

401
00:17:45,875 --> 00:17:49,667
"Theologian" literally
means "not funny," okay?

402
00:17:49,750 --> 00:17:52,708
If you go to
seminary, Bible college,

403
00:17:52,792 --> 00:17:55,833
you would--you don't--it's
not a lot of laughing.

404
00:17:55,875 --> 00:17:57,875
It's not a lot of fun.

405
00:17:57,958 --> 00:17:59,333
It's just not.

406
00:17:59,375 --> 00:18:01,000
Like, I've been there.

407
00:18:01,042 --> 00:18:05,833
Guys in suits parsing Greek
words, using Latin terms.

408
00:18:05,875 --> 00:18:08,708
No one's ever accidentally
walked on campus at a seminary

409
00:18:08,792 --> 00:18:11,208
and confused it
for a comedy club, okay?

410
00:18:11,292 --> 00:18:13,208
It's just not a fun place.

411
00:18:13,292 --> 00:18:15,917
Now, these guys are really smart
but sometimes they're not really

412
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,417
funny, and the result is
when they read the Bible,

413
00:18:18,500 --> 00:18:20,417
they miss the funny parts.

414
00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:22,792
Some of the Bible's
really funny, right?

415
00:18:22,833 --> 00:18:25,500
I've seen God's attributes
listed in systematic theologies;

416
00:18:25,583 --> 00:18:28,833
I've never seen humor
as an attribute of God,

417
00:18:28,875 --> 00:18:30,625
but God is funny.
He just is.

418
00:18:30,667 --> 00:18:33,125
You could read the Bible,
and every once in awhile,

419
00:18:33,167 --> 00:18:34,500
something really funny happens

420
00:18:34,583 --> 00:18:36,083
or God says something
really funny.

421
00:18:36,167 --> 00:18:39,667
And if you're not looking at it
assuming that God has

422
00:18:39,750 --> 00:18:41,625
a sense of humor,
you'll miss it.

423
00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:43,833
Not everything in
the Bible's funny,

424
00:18:43,875 --> 00:18:46,167
but some things in
the Bible only make sense

425
00:18:46,250 --> 00:18:48,875
if you understand God has
a sense of humor.

426
00:18:48,958 --> 00:18:52,292
I think here, God,
the Holy Spirit, through Paul,

427
00:18:52,333 --> 00:18:55,125
is going to use a series
of kind of funny jokes.

428
00:18:55,167 --> 00:18:56,500
Okay?

429
00:18:56,583 --> 00:18:58,292
So, just read it with me.

430
00:18:58,333 --> 00:19:00,667
Here's what he says:
"If the foot should say,

431
00:19:00,750 --> 00:19:03,917
"'Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body,'

432
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,917
that would not make it any
less a part of the body."

433
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,417
It's a little funny.
Right?

434
00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:11,125
It would be like the hand
looking at the foot, saying,

435
00:19:11,167 --> 00:19:12,500
"We're different, I'm leaving."

436
00:19:12,583 --> 00:19:14,083
It's just not a good idea.

437
00:19:14,167 --> 00:19:16,292
The hand and the foot
need each other, right?

438
00:19:16,333 --> 00:19:18,292
I mean, the foot walks
to the nachos,

439
00:19:18,333 --> 00:19:19,667
the hand picks them up.

440
00:19:19,750 --> 00:19:21,875
They're a team.
Right?

441
00:19:21,958 --> 00:19:23,708
They're a team.

442
00:19:23,792 --> 00:19:27,208
They really need each
other in a vital way,

443
00:19:27,292 --> 00:19:29,583
particularly in
any nacho situation.

444
00:19:29,667 --> 00:19:31,708
One without the other,
completely ineffective.

445
00:19:31,792 --> 00:19:34,500
The foot cannot pick up
the nacho, and if it does,

446
00:19:34,583 --> 00:19:36,000
you don't want to eat it.

447
00:19:36,083 --> 00:19:37,500
Amen?
Right?

448
00:19:37,583 --> 00:19:40,292
And the hand cannot walk to
the nacho without the foot.

449
00:19:40,333 --> 00:19:42,208
They're essential for
the nacho experience,

450
00:19:42,292 --> 00:19:45,625
the full, complete, holistic
nacho experience.

451
00:19:45,667 --> 00:19:47,500
It's a little funny here,
right?

452
00:19:47,583 --> 00:19:50,833
Now, how many of you, you wish
that more people were like you?

453
00:19:50,875 --> 00:19:53,625
Just so you know, you're the
only person who thinks that,

454
00:19:53,667 --> 00:19:56,208
but hypothetically, you wish
all--more people were like you.

455
00:19:56,292 --> 00:19:59,708
What you're saying is, "I
want the church to reflect me,

456
00:19:59,792 --> 00:20:03,792
not Jesus," and in
the diversity of the church,

457
00:20:03,833 --> 00:20:06,208
we're reflecting
the greatness of Jesus,

458
00:20:06,292 --> 00:20:08,917
and we want the church to
reflect the fullness of Jesus,

459
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,833
not just us.

460
00:20:10,875 --> 00:20:12,708
So, he's using
a little analogy here,

461
00:20:12,792 --> 00:20:14,500
he's using
a little comedy here.

462
00:20:14,583 --> 00:20:16,667
He goes on: "And if
the ear should say,

463
00:20:16,750 --> 00:20:19,875
"'Because I am not an eye,
I do not belong to the body,'

464
00:20:19,958 --> 00:20:21,625
that would," he continues,

465
00:20:21,667 --> 00:20:24,833
"not make it any less a part
of the body."

466
00:20:24,875 --> 00:20:28,083
Now, he's using here
the ear and the eye.

467
00:20:28,167 --> 00:20:31,125
Do you like your ear?

468
00:20:31,167 --> 00:20:32,667
Yes.

469
00:20:32,750 --> 00:20:35,000
The fact you answered
that question means

470
00:20:35,042 --> 00:20:36,625
the ear is helpful.

471
00:20:36,667 --> 00:20:38,000
Amen?

472
00:20:38,083 --> 00:20:40,000
The eye.
Do you like your eye?

473
00:20:40,042 --> 00:20:41,375
You like your eye.

474
00:20:41,458 --> 00:20:44,583
Now, what if your eye and ear
decided that they were no longer

475
00:20:44,667 --> 00:20:46,792
going to function together?

476
00:20:46,833 --> 00:20:50,125
Well, your whole life
would be very complicated.

477
00:20:50,167 --> 00:20:52,375
That's his big idea.

478
00:20:52,458 --> 00:20:54,833
The ear and the eye
work together.

479
00:20:54,875 --> 00:20:57,292
Somebody yells, "Duck!"

480
00:20:57,333 --> 00:21:00,583
and you duck because your eye
sees something approaching.

481
00:21:00,667 --> 00:21:02,417
It spares you.

482
00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:04,208
Everything works together.

483
00:21:04,292 --> 00:21:07,125
He continues his little analogy:
"If the whole body were an eye,

484
00:21:07,167 --> 00:21:09,500
where would
the sense of hearing be?"

485
00:21:09,542 --> 00:21:11,208
That's a good question.

486
00:21:11,292 --> 00:21:12,708
Right?

487
00:21:12,792 --> 00:21:14,667
How many of you have
taken your earbuds

488
00:21:14,750 --> 00:21:17,417
and stuck them in your eye?

489
00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:19,000
If you have, I apologize.

490
00:21:19,083 --> 00:21:20,708
You should stop drinking.
Right?

491
00:21:20,792 --> 00:21:23,417
I mean, it's a situation
where you go, no, you know,

492
00:21:23,500 --> 00:21:26,167
that's not really the best
and highest use of the eye

493
00:21:26,250 --> 00:21:27,583
is listening.
Right?

494
00:21:27,667 --> 00:21:29,792
I don't stick my
ear bud in my eye.

495
00:21:29,833 --> 00:21:34,125
Similarly, he says, so the ear
and the eye need to be

496
00:21:34,167 --> 00:21:35,833
working together.

497
00:21:35,875 --> 00:21:37,625
He continues this
little analogy:

498
00:21:37,667 --> 00:21:39,833
"Where would the sense
of smell be?"

499
00:21:39,875 --> 00:21:41,500
True.

500
00:21:41,542 --> 00:21:44,000
If your nose and your
ear and your eye decided,

501
00:21:44,042 --> 00:21:45,375
"We're sick of each other.

502
00:21:45,458 --> 00:21:48,292
We're totally different," and
they decided they'd no longer

503
00:21:48,333 --> 00:21:50,833
function together, everything in
your life would cease to exist

504
00:21:50,875 --> 00:21:52,333
as you know it.

505
00:21:52,375 --> 00:21:55,667
So it is in the church body
when we allow our preferences

506
00:21:55,750 --> 00:21:57,917
to become our prejudices.

507
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,000
When we decide that people unlike
us aren't welcome here because

508
00:22:01,042 --> 00:22:03,625
they're different than we are.

509
00:22:03,667 --> 00:22:07,583
"But as it is"--and this is what's
really important:

510
00:22:07,667 --> 00:22:11,500
"God has arranged the members in
the body, each one of them,

511
00:22:11,583 --> 00:22:13,292
as he chose."

512
00:22:13,333 --> 00:22:15,625
So, who puts
the church body together?

513
00:22:15,667 --> 00:22:17,208
God does.

514
00:22:17,292 --> 00:22:19,917
Friends,
don't despise who you are.

515
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,125
Don't despise who you are.

516
00:22:22,167 --> 00:22:25,500
Some of you say, "Man, I'm
a hand, I wish I was a foot."

517
00:22:25,583 --> 00:22:27,708
"I'm a teacher, I wish
I was an accountant."

518
00:22:27,792 --> 00:22:29,917
"I'm an accountant,
I wish I was a leader."

519
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,417
"I'm a graphics person,
I wish I was a musician."

520
00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:35,583
"I love working with the kids,
but I really wish that

521
00:22:35,667 --> 00:22:37,208
I could be a lead pastor."

522
00:22:37,292 --> 00:22:38,625
You know what?

523
00:22:38,667 --> 00:22:41,083
God decided what you would be.

524
00:22:41,167 --> 00:22:44,208
God decided where you would fit,
and here's why:

525
00:22:44,292 --> 00:22:47,125
because you're needed.

526
00:22:47,167 --> 00:22:49,417
We need people like you.

527
00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:53,083
Do you know what someone
with five heads is?

528
00:22:53,167 --> 00:22:55,292
A monster.

529
00:22:55,333 --> 00:22:57,000
You don't need five heads.

530
00:22:57,042 --> 00:22:59,625
That's a lot of hats,
all the money for hair cuts,

531
00:22:59,667 --> 00:23:01,083
let alone the product.

532
00:23:01,167 --> 00:23:03,000
It's very--you need one head.

533
00:23:03,083 --> 00:23:04,833
You need two hands.

534
00:23:04,875 --> 00:23:06,625
You need two feet.

535
00:23:06,667 --> 00:23:10,792
God put your physical
body together perfectly.

536
00:23:10,833 --> 00:23:13,208
He knew what he was doing
arranging all the parts.

537
00:23:13,292 --> 00:23:15,500
So it is with our church body.

538
00:23:15,583 --> 00:23:18,000
He gave you gifts and abilities,
he gave them gifts

539
00:23:18,042 --> 00:23:20,333
and abilities, he arranged
it all together.

540
00:23:20,375 --> 00:23:22,000
Some of you wonder
why you're here.

541
00:23:22,083 --> 00:23:25,000
Let me say this: some of you
are going to walk into

542
00:23:25,083 --> 00:23:26,792
Mars Hill Church and get
really frustrated.

543
00:23:26,833 --> 00:23:29,500
You say, "Man, they really stink
at this," whatever "this" is,

544
00:23:29,583 --> 00:23:32,500
and the list is long, so there's
a whole bunch of things

545
00:23:32,583 --> 00:23:33,917
that it could be.

546
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,417
What that may be is you
understanding and seeing

547
00:23:36,500 --> 00:23:40,583
that there is a deficit
in the church body,

548
00:23:40,667 --> 00:23:44,917
and the reason you see it is
because that's your part.

549
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,708
And rather than getting
frustrated, help.

550
00:23:48,792 --> 00:23:52,500
Rather than criticizing, right,
yelling at all the ears,

551
00:23:52,542 --> 00:23:55,208
"Hey, there's no nose here!"

552
00:23:55,292 --> 00:23:57,000
Well, you're here.

553
00:23:57,083 --> 00:23:59,125
You can now smell
that it stinks.

554
00:23:59,167 --> 00:24:01,000
Help us.

555
00:24:01,042 --> 00:24:03,167
Help us fix this problem.

556
00:24:03,250 --> 00:24:06,333
The difference is this: you can
come in with the attitude

557
00:24:06,375 --> 00:24:09,667
of a critic or a servant,
and a critic and a servant,

558
00:24:09,750 --> 00:24:12,125
they see the same
hole in a church,

559
00:24:12,167 --> 00:24:13,833
and they just
respond differently.

560
00:24:13,875 --> 00:24:16,875
The critic sort of gets
frustrated that someone isn't

561
00:24:16,958 --> 00:24:19,333
like them, fixing it,
and the servant says,

562
00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:21,375
"That must be why I'm here."

563
00:24:21,458 --> 00:24:23,333
You see the difference?

564
00:24:23,375 --> 00:24:26,500
What he's saying
is, you're needed.

565
00:24:26,542 --> 00:24:29,417
We need people like you and
we need people unlike you,

566
00:24:29,500 --> 00:24:31,917
and you need people unlike you.

567
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:38,125
Now, let me say this: we like to
talk about at Mars Hill Church

568
00:24:38,167 --> 00:24:42,375
basically three categories
of gifts, or abilities,

569
00:24:42,458 --> 00:24:44,833
or ways that people
are hardwired.

570
00:24:44,875 --> 00:24:47,167
We talk about prophets,
priests, and kings.

571
00:24:47,250 --> 00:24:49,125
Let me give you a really
practical application

572
00:24:49,167 --> 00:24:51,000
of this analogy.

573
00:24:51,042 --> 00:24:53,500
Jesus comes as prophet,
priest, and king.

574
00:24:53,542 --> 00:24:57,083
Classic, historic, biblical
Protestant theology.

575
00:24:57,167 --> 00:24:59,583
As a prophet,
he preaches and teaches.

576
00:24:59,667 --> 00:25:02,167
He rebukes error and sin.

577
00:25:02,250 --> 00:25:03,875
He corrects heresy.

578
00:25:03,958 --> 00:25:07,000
He protects us from wolves
who would lead us astray.

579
00:25:07,042 --> 00:25:10,375
As a priest, Jesus loves
us and he prays for us,

580
00:25:10,458 --> 00:25:13,708
and he intercedes for us, and he
comforts us, and he's patient,

581
00:25:13,792 --> 00:25:16,083
and long-suffering,
and enduring with us.

582
00:25:16,167 --> 00:25:19,500
And as a king, he distributes
leaders, and gifts,

583
00:25:19,583 --> 00:25:22,583
and stewards dollars,
and he advances

584
00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:24,500
and expands his kingdom,

585
00:25:24,542 --> 00:25:27,292
and he cares a lot about
stewardship and the good use

586
00:25:27,333 --> 00:25:30,417
of all the resources
entrusted to the church.

587
00:25:30,500 --> 00:25:33,292
For those of you who
are more prophets,

588
00:25:33,333 --> 00:25:36,000
you're going to look at
the church and you're going to

589
00:25:36,083 --> 00:25:38,417
evaluate it primarily
through a prophetic lens.

590
00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:40,500
What's our doctrine?
What's our doctrinal statement?

591
00:25:40,583 --> 00:25:42,708
What books are in the bookstore?

592
00:25:42,792 --> 00:25:44,833
How do we articulate
our theology?

593
00:25:44,875 --> 00:25:47,417
Are we making sure that we have
bookends to orthodoxy

594
00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:49,625
and we don't go astray?
Okay.

595
00:25:49,667 --> 00:25:51,500
How many of you
are more prophets?

596
00:25:51,583 --> 00:25:54,417
You love systematic theologies,
footnotes, apologetics.

597
00:25:54,500 --> 00:25:56,125
That's you.
Okay.

598
00:25:56,167 --> 00:25:58,125
How many of you that's you?
That's okay.

599
00:25:58,167 --> 00:26:00,167
Me too.

600
00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:02,000
How many of you
are more priests?

601
00:26:02,083 --> 00:26:04,708
You say, "You know what, I'm
going to evaluate the health,

602
00:26:04,792 --> 00:26:06,500
"strength, and well-being
of Mars Hill Church

603
00:26:06,542 --> 00:26:09,208
based upon love, care."

604
00:26:09,292 --> 00:26:11,917
Do we have Community Groups
where people are doing life

605
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,333
together, praying for one
another, serving one another,

606
00:26:14,375 --> 00:26:16,292
on mission to their community?

607
00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:19,000
Are we doing service projects
to help the poor, the widow,

608
00:26:19,083 --> 00:26:20,917
the orphan, the needy?

609
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,500
Do we care about single moms?

610
00:26:22,542 --> 00:26:25,000
Do we care about those
caught in the sex trade?

611
00:26:25,042 --> 00:26:26,833
Do we care about
sexual assault victims?

612
00:26:26,875 --> 00:26:28,417
What's going on
at Redemption Groups?

613
00:26:28,500 --> 00:26:31,833
Do we really care about those
who are sinned against or stuck

614
00:26:31,875 --> 00:26:35,083
in sin, or those who have
been assaulted or addicted?

615
00:26:35,167 --> 00:26:37,708
Are we really helping hurting
people or is this just

616
00:26:37,792 --> 00:26:39,917
a big show?

617
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,833
For those of you who are kings,
you're going to look at

618
00:26:42,875 --> 00:26:44,500
our budgets, spreadsheets.

619
00:26:44,542 --> 00:26:47,208
You're going to look at our
real estate and our technology.

620
00:26:47,292 --> 00:26:50,208
You're going to ask questions
like: if I give to this church,

621
00:26:50,292 --> 00:26:51,667
are they stewarding
resources well?

622
00:26:51,750 --> 00:26:53,333
Are they trustworthy?

623
00:26:53,375 --> 00:26:55,875
Are they wasting money and
wasting opportunity or are they

624
00:26:55,958 --> 00:26:59,000
maximizing the resources
that God has given them?

625
00:26:59,083 --> 00:27:00,875
Do they hire the best people?

626
00:27:00,958 --> 00:27:02,917
Do they use the best technology?

627
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,000
Do they try to make every dollar
count and are they maximizing

628
00:27:06,083 --> 00:27:08,125
the resources that
God has given them?

629
00:27:08,167 --> 00:27:10,583
Here's my question
to you: which one counts?

630
00:27:10,667 --> 00:27:13,375
Answer: they're
all very important.

631
00:27:13,458 --> 00:27:17,583
We want to be biblical,
loving, and effective.

632
00:27:17,667 --> 00:27:21,167
Biblical, loving, and effective.

633
00:27:21,250 --> 00:27:23,875
Now, here's what can happen.

634
00:27:23,958 --> 00:27:27,625
To use Paul's analogy, these
various groups can say,

635
00:27:27,667 --> 00:27:34,500
"I have no need of you,"
and all of a sudden,

636
00:27:34,542 --> 00:27:38,125
our preferences
become our prejudices.

637
00:27:38,167 --> 00:27:41,333
All of a sudden, the goal is not
that the church would reflect

638
00:27:41,375 --> 00:27:45,625
Jesus to the world, but that
the church would reflect me.

639
00:27:45,667 --> 00:27:50,500
So, what can happen is
sometimes the prophets,

640
00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:53,083
they don't really care much
about the priestly work

641
00:27:53,167 --> 00:27:54,417
or the kingly work.

642
00:27:54,500 --> 00:27:56,208
"What do we need
Community Groups for?

643
00:27:56,292 --> 00:27:58,000
"What do we need
Mercy Ministry for?

644
00:27:58,083 --> 00:28:00,292
"What do we need
to help the poor for?

645
00:28:00,333 --> 00:28:03,000
"What do we need to do
Redemption Groups for?

646
00:28:03,083 --> 00:28:07,333
"Can't we just have
sermons and books?

647
00:28:07,375 --> 00:28:10,125
"Why do we need to put so
much time, and energy,

648
00:28:10,167 --> 00:28:12,000
"and effort into people?

649
00:28:12,083 --> 00:28:15,000
"They just need to shut up,
and repent, and suck it up,

650
00:28:15,083 --> 00:28:16,417
and grow up."

651
00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:17,833
That's sort of classic prophet.

652
00:28:17,875 --> 00:28:20,333
"Easy enough."

653
00:28:20,375 --> 00:28:22,625
The priest will come
along and say,

654
00:28:22,667 --> 00:28:24,625
"Well, what do we need
the kings for?

655
00:28:24,667 --> 00:28:26,500
"They don't love people.

656
00:28:26,583 --> 00:28:28,417
"They're always doing
spreadsheets, and paperwork,

657
00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:30,000
"and budget analysis,

658
00:28:30,083 --> 00:28:32,167
"and looking at
a real estate and software.

659
00:28:32,250 --> 00:28:34,875
They're not very loving."

660
00:28:34,958 --> 00:28:36,833
Let me submit this
to you: prophets, priests,

661
00:28:36,875 --> 00:28:39,417
and kings love differently.

662
00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:41,417
A prophet loves by
preaching, and teaching,

663
00:28:41,500 --> 00:28:43,208
and guarding us theologically.

664
00:28:43,292 --> 00:28:45,625
A priest loves by serving,
and caring, and praying,

665
00:28:45,667 --> 00:28:47,500
and comforting, and encouraging.

666
00:28:47,542 --> 00:28:50,000
And a king loves us by
stewarding, and organizing,

667
00:28:50,083 --> 00:28:52,833
and leading, and resourcing.

668
00:28:52,875 --> 00:28:55,417
This is how it works
in a family, right?

669
00:28:55,500 --> 00:28:59,375
Somebody's got to pay the rent,
somebody's got to hug the kids,

670
00:28:59,458 --> 00:29:01,292
and somebody's got to
discipline them.

671
00:29:01,333 --> 00:29:04,000
Otherwise, they're not
going to be raised well.

672
00:29:04,083 --> 00:29:05,875
So it is in a church family.

673
00:29:05,958 --> 00:29:08,792
Let me say this: in
the history of Mars Hill Church,

674
00:29:08,833 --> 00:29:11,292
what do you think I am?
Prophet, priest, or king?

675
00:29:11,333 --> 00:29:13,417
I'm up front yelling at
everyone, okay, so, prophet.

676
00:29:13,500 --> 00:29:15,125
Yeah.
Okay?

677
00:29:15,167 --> 00:29:16,500
Prophet.

678
00:29:16,583 --> 00:29:18,500
So when we started
Mars Hill Church,

679
00:29:18,583 --> 00:29:19,917
it was heavy prophet.

680
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,917
Sermon, sermon, sermon,
sermon, sermon, sermon, sermon.

681
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,125
I think we got up to
like 6,000 people,

682
00:29:24,167 --> 00:29:29,000
we had 17 small groups.

683
00:29:29,083 --> 00:29:32,083
You say--all you priests
are like, "Oh, no."

684
00:29:32,167 --> 00:29:34,125
That's what God
was thinking too.

685
00:29:34,167 --> 00:29:36,208
So, you're in good company.
Right?

686
00:29:36,292 --> 00:29:39,000
Which means we love 200 people,
the rest, I don't know.

687
00:29:39,042 --> 00:29:41,167
They just got yelled at a lot.
That's it.

688
00:29:41,250 --> 00:29:42,583
That's it.
Right?

689
00:29:42,667 --> 00:29:44,792
Like, I yelled at them,
what else is there?

690
00:29:44,833 --> 00:29:46,792
I don't know, does
anybody talk to them?

691
00:29:46,833 --> 00:29:48,167
I'll yell at them again.

692
00:29:48,250 --> 00:29:50,917
You know, like--so, we didn't
have a way to get people

693
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,625
connected to one another, so
Pastor Brad comes along and he,

694
00:29:53,667 --> 00:29:55,708
by the grace of God,
creates Community Groups.

695
00:29:55,792 --> 00:29:57,625
Now there's over
600 Community Groups.

696
00:29:57,667 --> 00:30:00,167
Get in one, there's
one near you.

697
00:30:00,250 --> 00:30:03,917
Then we realized, "Man, there's
some people that have been

698
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:05,625
sexually assaulted."

699
00:30:05,667 --> 00:30:08,125
If you just took all
the women that have been

700
00:30:08,167 --> 00:30:10,125
sexually assaulted that call
Mars Hill Church home,

701
00:30:10,167 --> 00:30:12,125
we'd still have a megachurch.

702
00:30:12,167 --> 00:30:14,083
One in three women,
one in six men.

703
00:30:14,167 --> 00:30:16,083
There's addiction, there's
abuse, there's assault,

704
00:30:16,167 --> 00:30:17,500
there's people that have sinned,

705
00:30:17,542 --> 00:30:19,208
there's people that have been
sinned against.

706
00:30:19,292 --> 00:30:20,625
There's deep hurt.

707
00:30:20,667 --> 00:30:22,833
How are we going to
help all these people?

708
00:30:22,875 --> 00:30:24,375
Pastor Mike Wilkerson
comes along,

709
00:30:24,458 --> 00:30:27,583
creates Redemption Groups,
a biblically based,

710
00:30:27,667 --> 00:30:32,625
gospel-centered, Jesus-focused
way to help hurting people

711
00:30:32,667 --> 00:30:35,583
with really tough issues.

712
00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:38,708
So we went from the prophet
work, preach, repentance,

713
00:30:38,792 --> 00:30:43,208
give your life to Jesus, people
do, now we got all these people.

714
00:30:43,292 --> 00:30:45,208
I'd never been
a member of a church,

715
00:30:45,292 --> 00:30:47,333
I didn't have
any business background.

716
00:30:47,375 --> 00:30:50,083
I don't know what to do
with all these people.

717
00:30:50,167 --> 00:30:51,708
So then the priests come along.

718
00:30:51,792 --> 00:30:54,500
"Okay, we're going to do groups.
We're going to love people.

719
00:30:54,542 --> 00:30:57,500
"We're going to care for people.
We're going to pray for people.

720
00:30:57,542 --> 00:30:59,000
"We're going to walk
with people.

721
00:30:59,042 --> 00:31:00,542
"We're going to
intercede for people.

722
00:31:00,625 --> 00:31:02,000
We're going to
invest in people."

723
00:31:02,083 --> 00:31:05,417
Well, next thing you know,
the church grows again.

724
00:31:05,500 --> 00:31:07,625
It explodes.

725
00:31:07,667 --> 00:31:11,000
Well, then the third leg
of the stool is the kings.

726
00:31:11,042 --> 00:31:14,000
I mean, any stool without three
legs is going to be unbalanced

727
00:31:14,042 --> 00:31:15,625
and fall over eventually.

728
00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:18,625
Where we're at right now in
the history of our church is

729
00:31:18,667 --> 00:31:21,000
really a king season.

730
00:31:21,042 --> 00:31:22,708
Thirty-some services,

731
00:31:22,792 --> 00:31:25,000
fourteen locations,
four states.

732
00:31:25,083 --> 00:31:29,208
Somebody needs to have a chart.
Amen?

733
00:31:29,292 --> 00:31:33,208
A hundred and fifty employees,
millions of dollars.

734
00:31:33,292 --> 00:31:35,000
The government has laws.

735
00:31:35,083 --> 00:31:37,792
I don't want to be doing prison
ministry from the inside.

736
00:31:37,833 --> 00:31:41,667
Somebody needs to
know what they are, right?

737
00:31:41,750 --> 00:31:46,500
Technology, policies, insurance,

738
00:31:46,542 --> 00:31:50,333
disability, retirement.

739
00:31:50,375 --> 00:31:53,833
Somebody gets pregnant
and they're on staff,

740
00:31:53,875 --> 00:31:57,292
and then they have a major
complication and their costs

741
00:31:57,333 --> 00:32:00,333
escalate, and somebody needs to
love them enough to make sure

742
00:32:00,417 --> 00:32:02,375
that they have decent
health insurance before

743
00:32:02,458 --> 00:32:04,333
the crisis hits.

744
00:32:04,375 --> 00:32:08,208
So, you always think of the king
as unloving until you need help,

745
00:32:08,292 --> 00:32:10,500
then you realize, boy, kings
are really helpful

746
00:32:10,542 --> 00:32:12,625
and they love differently.

747
00:32:12,667 --> 00:32:15,333
See, the prophets, they're
primarily going to love you with

748
00:32:15,375 --> 00:32:18,000
their words, written or spoken.

749
00:32:18,083 --> 00:32:20,000
The priests are primarily
going to love you

750
00:32:20,083 --> 00:32:21,500
with their hands.

751
00:32:21,583 --> 00:32:24,417
They're going to serve, and hug,
and embrace, and care, and pray.

752
00:32:24,500 --> 00:32:26,625
And the kings are primarily
going to love you

753
00:32:26,667 --> 00:32:28,000
with their wisdom.

754
00:32:28,083 --> 00:32:30,833
They're going to help architect
a world in which people

755
00:32:30,875 --> 00:32:32,833
can be blessed, and loved,
and flourish.

756
00:32:32,875 --> 00:32:35,833
They're going to create a world
in which the prophets can teach

757
00:32:35,875 --> 00:32:37,792
and the priests can
love and serve because

758
00:32:37,833 --> 00:32:42,208
the proverbial house was built
for the family to dwell in.

759
00:32:42,292 --> 00:32:45,125
Pray for us.
We need more kings.

760
00:32:45,167 --> 00:32:49,167
And because we come sort of
from more of a young, urban,

761
00:32:49,250 --> 00:32:52,833
arty vibe, it's always
"Ah, the kings are too corporate,

762
00:32:52,875 --> 00:32:55,208
"the kings are,
you know, too organized.

763
00:32:55,292 --> 00:32:57,708
The kings tuck their shirt
in, we don't trust them."

764
00:32:57,792 --> 00:33:00,333
And that's how you can
tell who a king is,

765
00:33:00,417 --> 00:33:02,000
they do tuck their shirt in.

766
00:33:02,042 --> 00:33:03,500
That's how they
identify themselves.

767
00:33:03,583 --> 00:33:07,000
It's like a tribal marking.
Right?

768
00:33:07,083 --> 00:33:10,125
So, they have their shirt
tucked in and they're sober.

769
00:33:10,167 --> 00:33:11,917
King.
Okay?

770
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,583
If their shirt's untucked
and they're not sober, artist.

771
00:33:14,667 --> 00:33:17,125
That's how you can distinguish
between these two groups,

772
00:33:17,167 --> 00:33:18,500
and we need both.

773
00:33:18,583 --> 00:33:20,208
We need both.

774
00:33:20,292 --> 00:33:23,625
And so where we're at as a
church is we have a good number

775
00:33:23,667 --> 00:33:25,833
of prophets, we have
a good number of priests,

776
00:33:25,875 --> 00:33:27,500
what we're really
needing is more kings,

777
00:33:27,583 --> 00:33:30,667
executive pastors who can help
lead and run our local churches.

778
00:33:30,750 --> 00:33:32,083
To what?

779
00:33:32,167 --> 00:33:33,833
To organize the priests
and the prophets

780
00:33:33,875 --> 00:33:36,208
to maximize their giftedness.

781
00:33:36,292 --> 00:33:40,000
Be praying for us as a church,
but don't allow this attitude

782
00:33:40,083 --> 00:33:43,708
to come into being:
"I have no need of you!"

783
00:33:43,792 --> 00:33:47,167
That doesn't sound
very good, does it?

784
00:33:47,250 --> 00:33:50,708
Let me ask you this: who would
you be most inclined

785
00:33:50,792 --> 00:33:52,208
to say that to?

786
00:33:52,292 --> 00:33:54,708
A prophet, a priest, or a king?

787
00:33:54,792 --> 00:33:57,917
Some of you would say, "I would
never say that to a prophet,"

788
00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,417
probably because
you're a prophet.

789
00:33:59,500 --> 00:34:02,500
Some of you would say, "I'd
never say that to a priest,"

790
00:34:02,583 --> 00:34:04,000
probably because
you're a priest.

791
00:34:04,083 --> 00:34:06,708
Some of you'd say,
"I'd never say that to a king,"

792
00:34:06,792 --> 00:34:08,208
probably because
you're a king.

793
00:34:08,292 --> 00:34:09,625
Don't say it to anybody.

794
00:34:09,667 --> 00:34:11,625
Don't say it about
any group of people.

795
00:34:11,667 --> 00:34:13,000
We need each other.

796
00:34:13,083 --> 00:34:17,000
Right now, the kings are trying
to get real estate so that what?

797
00:34:17,042 --> 00:34:18,833
We can plant churches.

798
00:34:18,875 --> 00:34:21,292
So that what?
The gospel can be preached.

799
00:34:21,333 --> 00:34:23,083
So that what?
People can be saved.

800
00:34:23,167 --> 00:34:24,500
So that what?

801
00:34:24,542 --> 00:34:27,500
So that the priests can love
and serve them in Jesus' name.

802
00:34:27,542 --> 00:34:28,875
That's good, right?

803
00:34:28,958 --> 00:34:32,375
And everybody is loving, just
loving according to their

804
00:34:32,458 --> 00:34:35,333
gifting, loving differently.

805
00:34:35,375 --> 00:34:37,792
Please don't allow
Satan to do this.

806
00:34:37,833 --> 00:34:40,583
Please don't allow Satan to
whisper in your ear and say,

807
00:34:40,667 --> 00:34:43,625
"You love people, they don't."

808
00:34:43,667 --> 00:34:46,792
Allow the Holy Spirit to
whisper in your ear and say,

809
00:34:46,833 --> 00:34:48,667
"You love people, they do too.

810
00:34:48,750 --> 00:34:52,667
They just love them
differently than you."

811
00:34:52,750 --> 00:34:54,625
And to be a good,
healthy family,

812
00:34:54,667 --> 00:34:59,000
we can never have that attitude,
"I have no need of you."

813
00:34:59,083 --> 00:35:02,833
It's like your hands deciding
they don't need your head.

814
00:35:02,875 --> 00:35:04,208
Can you imagine that?

815
00:35:04,292 --> 00:35:06,708
You wake up one morning
and your hands, they say,

816
00:35:06,792 --> 00:35:08,500
"You know what?
We took a vote.

817
00:35:08,542 --> 00:35:11,167
"It's two to one,
or ten to one if you like,

818
00:35:11,250 --> 00:35:13,833
"and we decided that
the head is not like us.

819
00:35:13,875 --> 00:35:16,292
"We're going to get
rid of the head.

820
00:35:16,333 --> 00:35:19,917
"We're going to literally remove
the head because the head is

821
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,833
just unlike us."

822
00:35:22,875 --> 00:35:24,792
Well, we call that suicide.

823
00:35:24,833 --> 00:35:27,417
Churches commit
suicide all the time.

824
00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:31,708
People decide they don't want
anybody who's not like them

825
00:35:31,792 --> 00:35:34,625
and they cut off
whole parts of the body.

826
00:35:34,667 --> 00:35:36,667
"We're going to stop
preaching, stop teaching,

827
00:35:36,750 --> 00:35:39,000
stop calling people
to repentance."

828
00:35:39,083 --> 00:35:42,000
On my way here, I passed
a church, and the sign said,

829
00:35:42,083 --> 00:35:44,500
"An inclusive community
where all are welcome."

830
00:35:44,542 --> 00:35:48,375
I would add, "Except for God."

831
00:35:48,458 --> 00:35:51,875
If you welcome all people,
all races, all cultures,

832
00:35:51,958 --> 00:35:55,125
all generations,
that's biblical.

833
00:35:55,167 --> 00:35:58,792
If you welcome all
doctrines, that's not.

834
00:35:58,833 --> 00:36:01,833
And if what you're saying is, "It
doesn't matter what you think

835
00:36:01,875 --> 00:36:04,583
"about Jesus, it doesn't matter
what you think about the Bible,

836
00:36:04,667 --> 00:36:06,583
"it doesn't matter what
you think about sin,

837
00:36:06,667 --> 00:36:08,708
"it doesn't matter what you
think about repentance,

838
00:36:08,792 --> 00:36:11,292
"we draw no lines here.

839
00:36:11,333 --> 00:36:14,667
"We assume that everyone's going
to heaven and we're all in this

840
00:36:14,750 --> 00:36:17,583
"together, and it doesn't matter
what you think about Jesus.

841
00:36:17,667 --> 00:36:19,417
You'll be fine."

842
00:36:19,500 --> 00:36:24,000
As a prophet, it just brings me
to great frustration and concern

843
00:36:24,042 --> 00:36:29,500
for the well-being of people,
because we're not truly loving

844
00:36:29,542 --> 00:36:32,667
them until we tell
them the truth,

845
00:36:32,750 --> 00:36:35,875
that they're sinners
and they need Jesus.

846
00:36:35,958 --> 00:36:39,833
Churches like that have decided,
"We don't need the prophets.

847
00:36:39,875 --> 00:36:43,625
We don't need theology.
We don't need the Bible."

848
00:36:43,667 --> 00:36:47,208
Other churches lob off
whole parts of the body.

849
00:36:47,292 --> 00:36:49,208
"We don't need
biblical counseling.

850
00:36:49,292 --> 00:36:51,375
"We don't need small groups
and Community Groups.

851
00:36:51,458 --> 00:36:53,292
"We don't need
Redemption Groups.

852
00:36:53,333 --> 00:36:56,292
"We don't need to get into
the details and the hard parts

853
00:36:56,333 --> 00:36:58,125
"of people's lives.

854
00:36:58,167 --> 00:37:00,958
"God forbid we get involved
with sexual assault victims

855
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,875
"and those who
have been sinned against

856
00:37:02,958 --> 00:37:04,417
"in the sex trade industry

857
00:37:04,500 --> 00:37:07,583
"because that's just so
difficult, it's so hard,

858
00:37:07,667 --> 00:37:09,583
"it's so painful.

859
00:37:09,667 --> 00:37:12,708
"We just really don't need to
get involved in that kind of

860
00:37:12,792 --> 00:37:15,625
unpleasant activity of
helping hurting people,"

861
00:37:15,667 --> 00:37:18,333
and they cut off
whole parts of the body.

862
00:37:18,375 --> 00:37:20,500
And others come along
and they say, "Well,

863
00:37:20,542 --> 00:37:23,500
"as long as the Bible is taught
and the people are loved,

864
00:37:23,542 --> 00:37:24,833
"we don't need the kings.

865
00:37:24,875 --> 00:37:27,625
"We don't need systems,
policies, procedures, budgets,

866
00:37:27,667 --> 00:37:30,000
real estate, or technology,"

867
00:37:30,083 --> 00:37:32,625
and they literally just cut
their legs off

868
00:37:32,667 --> 00:37:37,792
and they can't run and proceed
forward to the kingdom of God.

869
00:37:37,833 --> 00:37:41,417
I'm begging you, never allow
this attitude to settle in to

870
00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:45,083
our church:
"I have no need of you!"

871
00:37:45,167 --> 00:37:48,208
What a horrible thing to say.

872
00:37:48,292 --> 00:37:51,833
But let me say this:
we say this when we criticize.

873
00:37:51,875 --> 00:37:54,333
We say this when we question.

874
00:37:54,375 --> 00:37:56,167
We say this when
we allow suspicion

875
00:37:56,250 --> 00:37:58,083
to enter into our hearts.

876
00:37:58,167 --> 00:38:00,167
We say this when we
don't trust someone

877
00:38:00,208 --> 00:38:02,708
because they're not like us.

878
00:38:02,792 --> 00:38:04,833
Do you understand?

879
00:38:04,875 --> 00:38:08,333
Let me say this:
we need everyone.

880
00:38:08,375 --> 00:38:10,208
We need all of your gifts.

881
00:38:10,292 --> 00:38:12,500
We need all of your experiences.

882
00:38:12,583 --> 00:38:14,667
We need the men and the women.

883
00:38:14,750 --> 00:38:16,375
We need the young and the old.

884
00:38:16,458 --> 00:38:18,708
We need the rich and the poor.

885
00:38:18,792 --> 00:38:21,000
We need the black and the white.

886
00:38:21,083 --> 00:38:22,792
We need the single
and the married.

887
00:38:22,833 --> 00:38:26,167
We need the Democrat
and the Republican.

888
00:38:26,250 --> 00:38:28,500
We need everybody.

889
00:38:28,542 --> 00:38:31,167
We need all of your backgrounds,
all of your experiences,

890
00:38:31,250 --> 00:38:36,333
all of your giftedness, because
that makes us a better church

891
00:38:36,375 --> 00:38:41,208
and allows us to love and
serve more people better.

892
00:38:41,292 --> 00:38:42,625
Do you get that?

893
00:38:42,667 --> 00:38:44,500
That's Paul's big idea.

894
00:38:44,583 --> 00:38:48,000
Every morning when you wake
up, you're brushing your teeth,

895
00:38:48,083 --> 00:38:50,500
you're getting dressed,
you're eating your breakfast,

896
00:38:50,583 --> 00:38:53,500
just remind yourself,
"My church is a body,

897
00:38:53,542 --> 00:38:55,333
"and just like I appreciate

898
00:38:55,375 --> 00:38:57,625
"the functionality
of my physical body,

899
00:38:57,667 --> 00:39:01,708
"so too, I appreciate
the body of Christ, my church,

900
00:39:01,792 --> 00:39:04,583
"and I'm grateful for
people that are unlike me,

901
00:39:04,667 --> 00:39:06,708
"the parts that are
different, because, man,

902
00:39:06,792 --> 00:39:09,500
when we work together,
it goes a lot better."

903
00:39:09,583 --> 00:39:14,083
That's Paul's big idea.

904
00:39:14,167 --> 00:39:16,333
Here's my last question.

905
00:39:16,375 --> 00:39:18,792
Which part of this body are you?

906
00:39:18,833 --> 00:39:20,333
Where do you fit?

907
00:39:20,375 --> 00:39:22,500
Some of you already know.
Some of you know.

908
00:39:22,583 --> 00:39:23,917
You say, "You know what?

909
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:25,417
Community Group leader,
that's my thing."

910
00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:26,833
Great.

911
00:39:26,875 --> 00:39:28,708
Redemption Group leader.
Great.

912
00:39:28,792 --> 00:39:32,792
Deacon, elder, usher, sound,
light, video, music, set up,

913
00:39:32,833 --> 00:39:34,917
tear down,
kids' ministry, security,

914
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,708
volunteering in the office,
counseling in community,

915
00:39:37,792 --> 00:39:39,333
student ministry.

916
00:39:39,375 --> 00:39:40,833
The list goes on.

917
00:39:40,875 --> 00:39:42,167
You know where you fit.

918
00:39:42,250 --> 00:39:43,708
Praise God.

919
00:39:43,792 --> 00:39:46,708
God's using you.

920
00:39:46,792 --> 00:39:50,333
We're thankful for you, and I
mean that with all my heart.

921
00:39:50,375 --> 00:39:52,375
Some of you, you're new.

922
00:39:52,458 --> 00:39:55,000
Find a place to plug in.

923
00:39:55,042 --> 00:39:57,667
Some of you ask, "What, is
this a 'get connected' pitch?"

924
00:39:57,750 --> 00:39:59,333
Yes!

925
00:39:59,375 --> 00:40:02,333
I'm not--you know what, I'm not
even going to try and find

926
00:40:02,375 --> 00:40:03,833
a creative way to do it.

927
00:40:03,875 --> 00:40:06,000
I'm not going to bring
out a dancing monkey.

928
00:40:06,083 --> 00:40:08,208
I'm not going to promise
you a hundred-fold blessing.

929
00:40:08,292 --> 00:40:10,417
I'm not going to hand
out prayer hankies.
No.

930
00:40:10,500 --> 00:40:13,125
Just find something and do it.
Okay?

931
00:40:13,167 --> 00:40:15,375
Here's how he says
it: "On the contrary,

932
00:40:15,458 --> 00:40:18,417
the parts of the body that seem
to be weaker are indispensable."

933
00:40:18,500 --> 00:40:21,333
There are parts of our body
that are not that tough, right?

934
00:40:21,375 --> 00:40:23,917
But you need them.

935
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,000
So it is with some of you.

936
00:40:26,042 --> 00:40:29,125
Some of you are not
tough, you're tender.

937
00:40:29,167 --> 00:40:31,125
Some of you couldn't go to war,

938
00:40:31,167 --> 00:40:34,292
but you'd be
a great battlefield doctor

939
00:40:34,333 --> 00:40:37,417
or nurse to help
those who've been shot.

940
00:40:37,500 --> 00:40:39,375
We need each other.

941
00:40:39,458 --> 00:40:42,125
Some of you are like soldiers,
you're going to march forward

942
00:40:42,167 --> 00:40:43,500
for the kingdom of God.

943
00:40:43,583 --> 00:40:46,500
Some of you are like doctors who
are going to come alongside

944
00:40:46,583 --> 00:40:48,000
and comfort and bandage
the wounded.

945
00:40:48,083 --> 00:40:49,417
Everybody's indispensable.

946
00:40:49,500 --> 00:40:52,125
We're all working
in this together.

947
00:40:52,167 --> 00:40:54,917
"And on those parts that we think
less honorable we bestow

948
00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,292
"greater honor, and our
unpresentable parts are

949
00:40:57,333 --> 00:40:59,208
treated with greater modesty."

950
00:40:59,292 --> 00:41:01,417
Okay, now this is kind of funny.
Okay?

951
00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:04,208
You're welcome, I did not
wear a halter top today.

952
00:41:04,292 --> 00:41:07,000
Amen?
You're welcome.

953
00:41:07,083 --> 00:41:09,375
It's a demonstration
of my love for you.

954
00:41:09,458 --> 00:41:11,208
I didn't wear
a European swimsuit.

955
00:41:11,292 --> 00:41:13,708
Not that I have one,
but I didn't wear one.

956
00:41:13,792 --> 00:41:15,125
I didn't.

957
00:41:15,167 --> 00:41:18,125
I didn't wear a mini skirt or
a women's roller derby outfit.

958
00:41:18,167 --> 00:41:19,917
Why?

959
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:21,500
Other than the obvious,

960
00:41:21,542 --> 00:41:24,000
because there are certain parts
that are what?

961
00:41:24,083 --> 00:41:26,208
Less presentable.

962
00:41:26,292 --> 00:41:28,125
Do you get the joke here?

963
00:41:28,167 --> 00:41:30,500
See, that's the joke.

964
00:41:30,542 --> 00:41:32,417
So it is in the church.

965
00:41:32,500 --> 00:41:34,125
Not everybody
should get on stage.

966
00:41:34,167 --> 00:41:36,625
Some of you are saying,
"You shouldn't be on stage."

967
00:41:36,667 --> 00:41:38,000
I sometimes agree with that,

968
00:41:38,083 --> 00:41:39,917
but not everybody
should get on stage.

969
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,208
You ever watch
the "American Idol" auditions?

970
00:41:42,292 --> 00:41:43,833
Not everybody
should lead worship.

971
00:41:43,875 --> 00:41:45,833
Amen?
They just shouldn't.

972
00:41:45,875 --> 00:41:48,917
Not every gift is highly
public, presentable,

973
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:53,333
just like certain parts
of your body, cover.

974
00:41:53,375 --> 00:41:55,833
I saw this at
Starbucks not long ago.

975
00:41:55,875 --> 00:41:58,292
This guy, single for
a reason that I'll explain now.

976
00:41:58,333 --> 00:42:01,708
Okay?

977
00:42:01,792 --> 00:42:05,125
I'm sitting in one of those
big, comfy, overstuffed chairs.

978
00:42:05,167 --> 00:42:09,875
This guy takes his shoes
off, puts his foot up,

979
00:42:09,958 --> 00:42:14,000
and starts picking
his toes in Starbucks.

980
00:42:14,042 --> 00:42:15,500
Okay?

981
00:42:15,542 --> 00:42:22,000
Now, I'm sitting there, holding
down my coffee, sort of,

982
00:42:22,042 --> 00:42:24,333
and I look around,
and there's--

983
00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:27,833
we're all sitting there like...

984
00:42:27,875 --> 00:42:31,625
Does this have to happen
right here, right now?

985
00:42:31,667 --> 00:42:33,333
It's a huge planet.

986
00:42:33,375 --> 00:42:35,625
There's nowhere else
this could happen?

987
00:42:35,667 --> 00:42:38,833
Right now is
toe jam removing time.

988
00:42:38,875 --> 00:42:40,417
Like, seriously?

989
00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:44,417
And this guy, just
completely oblivious.

990
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:47,292
He finishes one foot,
takes off his other shoe,

991
00:42:47,333 --> 00:42:49,708
and goes to work
on the other foot, okay?

992
00:42:49,792 --> 00:42:53,083
Now, being a prophet, I had
to speak on behalf of us all,

993
00:42:53,167 --> 00:42:55,000
because that's my
part in the body.

994
00:42:55,083 --> 00:42:59,708
So, I said, "Hey!"

995
00:42:59,792 --> 00:43:03,917
Like that, because I had
to get his attention.

996
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:07,000
I said, "We don't
want to see your feet!

997
00:43:07,083 --> 00:43:08,875
"We don't want to see your feet!

998
00:43:08,958 --> 00:43:10,833
Put them away!
Put your shoes on!"

999
00:43:10,875 --> 00:43:13,583
Talked to him like
a small child, okay?

1000
00:43:13,667 --> 00:43:17,208
He looks at me, he says, "What?
There's nothing wrong with it."

1001
00:43:17,292 --> 00:43:19,667
I said, "We all agree, right?"

1002
00:43:19,750 --> 00:43:21,375
And everybody, "Yes.
Yeah."

1003
00:43:21,458 --> 00:43:23,125
All of a sudden, "Yes."

1004
00:43:23,167 --> 00:43:26,125
So, congregational
meeting, unanimous vote.

1005
00:43:26,167 --> 00:43:29,125
Yes, we all agree,
your shoes should go on.

1006
00:43:29,167 --> 00:43:31,000
He says, "Well, I
disagree with you."

1007
00:43:31,083 --> 00:43:33,208
I said, "You're single, right?"

1008
00:43:33,292 --> 00:43:34,625
He said, "Yes."

1009
00:43:34,667 --> 00:43:37,583
I said, "I'm trying
to help you."

1010
00:43:37,667 --> 00:43:39,333
Right?

1011
00:43:39,375 --> 00:43:41,500
Because there's not one
woman on earth just like,

1012
00:43:41,583 --> 00:43:43,000
"I'm going to Starbucks today.

1013
00:43:43,042 --> 00:43:48,167
If I see a man picking his toes,
I know that I've found the one."

1014
00:43:48,250 --> 00:43:51,500
Just completely--but here's
what he didn't understand, like,

1015
00:43:51,583 --> 00:43:53,833
there's presentable parts
of the body,

1016
00:43:53,875 --> 00:43:58,208
there's parts of the body
not so presentable, right?

1017
00:43:58,292 --> 00:44:00,750
Like, you wouldn't put your
foot on your Christmas card,

1018
00:44:00,833 --> 00:44:02,708
right?

1019
00:44:02,792 --> 00:44:04,708
You put your face.

1020
00:44:04,792 --> 00:44:08,167
That's what Paul is saying, that
for some of you, you have gifts,

1021
00:44:08,250 --> 00:44:10,667
you have skills, you have
talents, you have abilities,

1022
00:44:10,750 --> 00:44:13,500
but you will covet other
people's talents, skills,

1023
00:44:13,583 --> 00:44:16,000
and abilities because
they're more public.

1024
00:44:16,083 --> 00:44:18,917
Say, "Man, I wish I could play
guitar so I could get

1025
00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:20,333
"on the stage.

1026
00:44:20,375 --> 00:44:22,333
"I wish I could do this or that.

1027
00:44:22,375 --> 00:44:25,333
I want to be up front.
I want to be up front."

1028
00:44:25,375 --> 00:44:26,833
Don't want to be up front.

1029
00:44:26,875 --> 00:44:29,000
Just be whoever you
are, do whatever you do.

1030
00:44:29,083 --> 00:44:31,208
Again, the Holy Spirit
has chosen who you are

1031
00:44:31,292 --> 00:44:32,625
and what you do.

1032
00:44:32,667 --> 00:44:35,333
Be content with that, rejoice
in that, be good at that,

1033
00:44:35,375 --> 00:44:36,833
because quite
frankly, we need that.

1034
00:44:36,875 --> 00:44:38,208
That's his big point.

1035
00:44:38,292 --> 00:44:40,417
He goes on:
"Which our more," verse 24,

1036
00:44:40,500 --> 00:44:42,208
"presentable parts
do not require.

1037
00:44:42,292 --> 00:44:44,000
"But God has so
composed the body,

1038
00:44:44,083 --> 00:44:46,167
giving greater honor to
the part that lacked it."

1039
00:44:46,250 --> 00:44:48,500
Here's what he's saying:
sometimes it's people who

1040
00:44:48,583 --> 00:44:52,167
are serving in a less or an
invisible way that God pays

1041
00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:55,917
particular attention to, God
bestows particular dignity upon,

1042
00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:59,208
and God shows particular
gratitude toward.

1043
00:44:59,292 --> 00:45:02,375
It's true.

1044
00:45:02,458 --> 00:45:04,375
It's true.

1045
00:45:04,458 --> 00:45:09,708
Some of you are just
crazy, wicked smart.

1046
00:45:09,792 --> 00:45:16,292
Some of you have amazing talents
in editing, or film, or audio,

1047
00:45:16,333 --> 00:45:20,583
or administration,
or accounting, or legal,

1048
00:45:20,667 --> 00:45:24,792
and it's really hard for
your gifts to be public

1049
00:45:24,833 --> 00:45:27,000
because they're private gifts.

1050
00:45:27,083 --> 00:45:29,000
They're specializations.

1051
00:45:29,083 --> 00:45:31,417
They're particular skills.

1052
00:45:31,500 --> 00:45:34,833
What he's saying is that God
sees that, God knows that.

1053
00:45:34,875 --> 00:45:36,625
Don't be worried
about the audience,

1054
00:45:36,667 --> 00:45:39,500
be worried about
the audience of one.

1055
00:45:39,542 --> 00:45:42,208
"Lord, you know what I'm doing.
I love you.

1056
00:45:42,292 --> 00:45:43,792
"You've given me
something to do.

1057
00:45:43,833 --> 00:45:45,500
"The church really needs it.

1058
00:45:45,583 --> 00:45:48,917
Nobody sees it but you,
but that's all that matters."

1059
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,292
Right?

1060
00:45:51,333 --> 00:45:54,917
See, the truth is God
sees and knows all.

1061
00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:57,375
For those of you who
are in the church,

1062
00:45:57,458 --> 00:46:00,167
let me encourage you
to encourage others.

1063
00:46:00,250 --> 00:46:02,917
As you see people
serving, say thanks.

1064
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,167
As you see people that
are serving behind the scenes in less or

1065
00:46:06,250 --> 00:46:09,625
invisible ways, say thanks, and
that could be one of the ways

1066
00:46:09,667 --> 00:46:13,333
that you're giving greater
honor to those parts.

1067
00:46:13,375 --> 00:46:15,000
Thank you.

1068
00:46:15,042 --> 00:46:16,625
You know who I'm grateful for?

1069
00:46:16,667 --> 00:46:18,125
Accountants.

1070
00:46:18,167 --> 00:46:19,500
You know why?

1071
00:46:19,583 --> 00:46:21,792
I can't count.
Right?

1072
00:46:21,833 --> 00:46:24,417
I'm grateful for those who have
legal ability because

1073
00:46:24,500 --> 00:46:27,500
I don't want to go to jail.

1074
00:46:27,542 --> 00:46:29,917
I'm grateful for those who have
the ability to negotiate

1075
00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:32,792
real estate because I want
a place where the gospel

1076
00:46:32,833 --> 00:46:35,708
can be preached and people
can gather.

1077
00:46:35,792 --> 00:46:38,708
And sometimes, certain
gifts are less visible,

1078
00:46:38,792 --> 00:46:40,833
but they're not less important.

1079
00:46:40,875 --> 00:46:43,333
They're just specializations,

1080
00:46:43,375 --> 00:46:45,625
so say thank you to those
who are serving.

1081
00:46:45,667 --> 00:46:48,625
And I want to say thank you
to those who are serving

1082
00:46:48,667 --> 00:46:50,583
in those areas.

1083
00:46:50,667 --> 00:46:56,625
He goes on: "That there may
be no division in the body."

1084
00:46:56,667 --> 00:47:00,292
That's a beautiful thing when
the priests say,

1085
00:47:00,333 --> 00:47:02,000
"Thank you, kings,

1086
00:47:02,083 --> 00:47:04,792
for getting us a building,"
and the kings say,

1087
00:47:04,833 --> 00:47:07,208
"Thank you, prophets,
for preaching the gospel,"

1088
00:47:07,292 --> 00:47:08,833
and the prophets say,

1089
00:47:08,875 --> 00:47:10,875
"Thank you, priests,
for loving the people."

1090
00:47:10,958 --> 00:47:12,583
That's good, right?

1091
00:47:12,667 --> 00:47:15,417
That's good.

1092
00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:19,167
The other day I came home,
long, hard day at work.

1093
00:47:19,250 --> 00:47:21,708
My kids were waiting for me.

1094
00:47:21,792 --> 00:47:23,917
"How'd it go today, Dad?"
"It went good."

1095
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:26,917
"Thank you for working
hard, buying us this home,

1096
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:30,625
and allowing Mom
to stay home with us."

1097
00:47:30,667 --> 00:47:33,333
They're starting to understand,
yeah, Mom and I are a team.

1098
00:47:33,375 --> 00:47:34,708
We work together.

1099
00:47:34,792 --> 00:47:37,500
When Dad goes to work,
it's to provide for the family,

1100
00:47:37,542 --> 00:47:41,500
and Mom and I agree,
it's best for her to stay home.

1101
00:47:41,583 --> 00:47:43,167
See, Mom's more of a priest.

1102
00:47:43,250 --> 00:47:45,917
She loves the kids very, very
much and she serves them

1103
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:47,583
very faithfully.

1104
00:47:47,667 --> 00:47:50,583
And the kids are saying, "Oh,
that's what Dad does and that's

1105
00:47:50,667 --> 00:47:52,792
"what Mom does, and when
they work together, man,

1106
00:47:52,833 --> 00:47:54,292
it makes for a better family."

1107
00:47:54,333 --> 00:47:55,792
That's no division.

1108
00:47:55,833 --> 00:47:57,417
It's no division.

1109
00:47:57,500 --> 00:48:00,250
See, you can have
diversity without division.

1110
00:48:00,333 --> 00:48:04,083
You can have unity
without uniformity.

1111
00:48:04,167 --> 00:48:07,000
I see it all the time.

1112
00:48:07,083 --> 00:48:10,125
Churches are either
dominated by the kings,

1113
00:48:10,167 --> 00:48:13,083
dominated by the priests,
or dominated by the prophets.

1114
00:48:13,167 --> 00:48:16,667
When they all work together,
it's a beautiful church.

1115
00:48:16,750 --> 00:48:19,417
More people get saved,
more churches get planted,

1116
00:48:19,500 --> 00:48:22,208
more hurting people get helped.

1117
00:48:22,292 --> 00:48:26,000
Do you want that for our church?

1118
00:48:26,083 --> 00:48:27,500
I do.

1119
00:48:27,583 --> 00:48:29,292
I believe in
the grace of God,

1120
00:48:29,333 --> 00:48:31,000
we've been strong
in the prophet.

1121
00:48:31,083 --> 00:48:32,708
I believe in
the grace of God,

1122
00:48:32,792 --> 00:48:34,708
we're growing stronger
in the priest,

1123
00:48:34,792 --> 00:48:36,917
and I believe we're
in the season when God

1124
00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:40,375
has highlighted the kings
and said, "You need more."

1125
00:48:40,458 --> 00:48:42,333
"So there'd be no
division in the body,

1126
00:48:42,375 --> 00:48:45,333
but that the members may have
the same care for one another."

1127
00:48:45,375 --> 00:48:46,833
That's what he's talking about,
right?

1128
00:48:46,875 --> 00:48:49,708
Just caring for one another.

1129
00:48:49,792 --> 00:48:51,833
"If one member suffers,
all suffer together;

1130
00:48:51,875 --> 00:48:54,292
if one member is honored,
all rejoice together."

1131
00:48:54,333 --> 00:48:57,875
What he's saying is we're
all in this together.

1132
00:48:57,958 --> 00:49:00,542
We all need each other.

1133
00:49:00,625 --> 00:49:03,125
Friends, if you're here and
you've never really plugged in to

1134
00:49:03,167 --> 00:49:06,000
a church, whether it's our
church or another church,

1135
00:49:06,083 --> 00:49:09,000
just find a place you're needed
and please pour yourself out

1136
00:49:09,042 --> 00:49:11,500
to the glory of God
and the good of others.

1137
00:49:11,542 --> 00:49:13,125
Please don't be a consumer.

1138
00:49:13,167 --> 00:49:15,583
Please don't be a consumer.

1139
00:49:15,667 --> 00:49:18,000
Please don't be a critic
walking in saying, "You know,

1140
00:49:18,083 --> 00:49:21,417
I think theologically, I could
be cleaner than these people,"

1141
00:49:21,500 --> 00:49:24,000
or "Priestwise, I didn't
feel very loved," or "Kingwise,

1142
00:49:24,042 --> 00:49:26,000
I think I would organize
it differently."

1143
00:49:26,042 --> 00:49:27,375
Help.

1144
00:49:27,458 --> 00:49:29,875
We're acknowledging
we need help.

1145
00:49:29,958 --> 00:49:32,792
This past year, we've seen
1,400 people baptized.

1146
00:49:32,833 --> 00:49:35,500
Right now, we're pregnant with
five more church plants that are

1147
00:49:35,583 --> 00:49:37,708
just Mars Hill, and we have
seven other men

1148
00:49:37,792 --> 00:49:39,917
that want to go out and start
independent churches.

1149
00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:41,333
We're pregnant with 12 churches.

1150
00:49:41,375 --> 00:49:43,833
I don't know what they call
a woman who's pregnant

1151
00:49:43,875 --> 00:49:45,208
with 12 kids.

1152
00:49:45,292 --> 00:49:46,708
I would assume "tired."
You know?

1153
00:49:46,792 --> 00:49:48,708
I mean, there's
just a lot going on,

1154
00:49:48,792 --> 00:49:51,917
and what that means is yes, there
are holes, and yes, there are

1155
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:55,083
needs, but we would ask you
to come with a heart to help,

1156
00:49:55,167 --> 00:49:56,583
because we desperately need you.

1157
00:49:56,667 --> 00:49:59,708
And so we're going to give you
an opportunity to do that today.

1158
00:49:59,792 --> 00:50:01,917
And here's what we're talking
about: we're talking about

1159
00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,000
serving Jesus
because he served us.

1160
00:50:04,042 --> 00:50:06,333
We're talking about serving
Jesus because he continues

1161
00:50:06,375 --> 00:50:08,000
to serve us.

1162
00:50:08,042 --> 00:50:10,708
Jesus comes
and he serves people.

1163
00:50:10,792 --> 00:50:12,875
He feeds them,
he prays for them.

1164
00:50:12,958 --> 00:50:15,333
He does the prophetic work
of preaching and teaching,

1165
00:50:15,375 --> 00:50:18,792
he does the priestly work
of loving and encouraging,

1166
00:50:18,833 --> 00:50:21,417
he does the kingly work
of raising up leaders

1167
00:50:21,500 --> 00:50:24,792
and commissioning them out to be
good stewards of the resources

1168
00:50:24,833 --> 00:50:26,708
of the kingdom of God.

1169
00:50:26,792 --> 00:50:28,500
And then Jesus
goes to the cross,

1170
00:50:28,583 --> 00:50:31,667
and he suffers and dies
in our place for our sins,

1171
00:50:31,750 --> 00:50:33,500
and he serves us.

1172
00:50:33,542 --> 00:50:36,583
And he rises to take away sin
and give us righteousness,

1173
00:50:36,667 --> 00:50:38,583
and to impart to us
the Holy Spirit,

1174
00:50:38,667 --> 00:50:41,000
and he keeps serving us.

1175
00:50:41,042 --> 00:50:45,583
And when we're serving, we're
serving the God who served us.

1176
00:50:45,667 --> 00:50:49,167
We're serving the God who
continues to serve us.

1177
00:50:49,250 --> 00:50:55,167
And let me submit this to you:
we're going to allow you today

1178
00:50:55,250 --> 00:50:58,500
to just go ahead and find
your place in the body.

1179
00:50:58,583 --> 00:50:59,917
Okay?

1180
00:51:00,042 --> 00:51:02,500
I'm going to make this
as simple as I can.

1181
00:51:02,542 --> 00:51:06,208
For those of you who are in your
teens, this is a piece of paper.

1182
00:51:06,292 --> 00:51:08,500
Okay?
It's sort of like a text.

1183
00:51:08,583 --> 00:51:10,625
Sort of like a text.
Okay?

1184
00:51:10,667 --> 00:51:12,333
Here's what happened to me.

1185
00:51:12,375 --> 00:51:13,917
I had the most
amazing experience.

1186
00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:16,333
I went to college
as a non-Christian,

1187
00:51:16,375 --> 00:51:18,375
and then God saved me.

1188
00:51:18,458 --> 00:51:20,125
I got baptized in
the Holy Spirit,

1189
00:51:20,167 --> 00:51:22,083
meaning I got
a new life in Christ,

1190
00:51:22,167 --> 00:51:24,000
I got connected to
the living Jesus.

1191
00:51:24,083 --> 00:51:26,500
I start reading the Bible.

1192
00:51:26,583 --> 00:51:28,917
One of the first things
I notice in the Bible,

1193
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:31,375
it talks a lot about
God's people and the church,

1194
00:51:31,458 --> 00:51:33,125
so I go looking for a church.

1195
00:51:33,167 --> 00:51:34,833
I don't know what
I'm looking for,

1196
00:51:34,875 --> 00:51:37,583
I'm just hoping I don't
end up in a cult, okay?

1197
00:51:37,667 --> 00:51:40,083
I find a church where they go
through the Bible

1198
00:51:40,167 --> 00:51:42,083
and they're talking about Jesus,
and I think,

1199
00:51:42,167 --> 00:51:43,500
"Okay, that's where I'm going."

1200
00:51:43,542 --> 00:51:45,833
And I sat there for
a while, and quite frankly,

1201
00:51:45,875 --> 00:51:48,833
I was treating the church
like a hotel and not a home.

1202
00:51:48,875 --> 00:51:50,208
You know the difference?

1203
00:51:50,292 --> 00:51:53,625
Any of you ever pick
up your hotel room?

1204
00:51:53,667 --> 00:51:56,167
Any of you ever make
your bed at your hotel?

1205
00:51:56,250 --> 00:51:57,792
You don't.

1206
00:51:57,833 --> 00:52:00,167
People treat hotels horribly.
Right?

1207
00:52:00,250 --> 00:52:03,167
I mean, you're just eating food
and dropping it on the floor.

1208
00:52:03,250 --> 00:52:04,583
Right?

1209
00:52:04,667 --> 00:52:07,792
You got to blow your nose
so you go get a clean towel.

1210
00:52:07,833 --> 00:52:10,500
I mean, people do things in
hotels they would never do

1211
00:52:10,583 --> 00:52:11,917
at their house, right?

1212
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:13,917
You call down to
the front desk, "Yeah,

1213
00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:16,417
"there's nachos on the ceiling
and I'm out of towels,

1214
00:52:16,500 --> 00:52:19,125
"and somebody needs to come
and pick this up right now.

1215
00:52:19,167 --> 00:52:20,875
And by the way,
the toilet's clogged."

1216
00:52:20,958 --> 00:52:22,875
"What happened?"
"I put a towel in it."

1217
00:52:22,958 --> 00:52:24,292
"Why?"

1218
00:52:24,333 --> 00:52:26,000
"I wanted to see
what would happen.

1219
00:52:26,083 --> 00:52:27,708
"Yeah, send a life guard too.

1220
00:52:27,792 --> 00:52:30,708
It's a real situation
we got up here."

1221
00:52:30,792 --> 00:52:33,375
People do horrible things
to hotels that they would

1222
00:52:33,458 --> 00:52:34,833
never do to their home.

1223
00:52:34,875 --> 00:52:36,208
Why?

1224
00:52:36,292 --> 00:52:39,208
They have no sense of ownership
and they have no intention of

1225
00:52:39,292 --> 00:52:41,167
staying for a long
period of time,

1226
00:52:41,250 --> 00:52:42,500
and they have this
assumption:

1227
00:52:42,583 --> 00:52:45,208
"Well, I pay people to
clean up after me."

1228
00:52:45,292 --> 00:52:47,708
You can't do that at your house.
Right?

1229
00:52:47,792 --> 00:52:50,375
How many of you have
tried that with your mom?

1230
00:52:50,458 --> 00:52:51,792
"Yeah, Mom.

1231
00:52:51,833 --> 00:52:54,500
"There's food all over my room,
and nobody's made my bed,

1232
00:52:54,583 --> 00:52:57,000
and I'm out of towels,
and the toilet's plugged."

1233
00:52:57,083 --> 00:53:00,333
Your mom would tell
you, "Figure it out,

1234
00:53:00,417 --> 00:53:02,917
and your dad's coming
home, so hurry."

1235
00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:04,917
Right?

1236
00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:07,375
Because there's a difference
between a home and a hotel.

1237
00:53:07,458 --> 00:53:09,708
And I realized sitting
in church one day,

1238
00:53:09,792 --> 00:53:13,208
I had been treating
the church like a hotel.

1239
00:53:13,292 --> 00:53:16,500
I come in,
make a mess, go out.

1240
00:53:16,583 --> 00:53:19,708
I don't serve, I don't give, I'm
not helping out with the chores.

1241
00:53:19,792 --> 00:53:22,917
This isn't like a home
to me, it's like a hotel.

1242
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:25,708
And on that Sunday, the pastor
got up and he said,

1243
00:53:25,792 --> 00:53:28,208
"Hey! I want this church
to be your home."

1244
00:53:28,292 --> 00:53:30,667
He said, "So, we're going
to send around a list,

1245
00:53:30,750 --> 00:53:33,125
and I want you to sign
up and just serve."

1246
00:53:33,167 --> 00:53:35,333
So that's what
we're doing today.

1247
00:53:35,375 --> 00:53:37,333
Now, I was
a brand-new Christian.

1248
00:53:37,375 --> 00:53:40,000
I didn't know you weren't
supposed to check all the boxes.

1249
00:53:40,083 --> 00:53:41,500
Okay?
Nobody told me that.

1250
00:53:41,583 --> 00:53:44,708
So it said, "Do you want to
be in a men's Bible study?"

1251
00:53:44,792 --> 00:53:46,125
Yes, I do.

1252
00:53:46,167 --> 00:53:48,333
"Do you want to be in
a relationship class

1253
00:53:48,375 --> 00:53:49,833
to understand biblically
how to love?"

1254
00:53:49,875 --> 00:53:51,208
Well, yes, I do.

1255
00:53:51,292 --> 00:53:53,417
"Do you want to take
a class on Isaiah?"

1256
00:53:53,500 --> 00:53:54,833
Well, certainly.

1257
00:53:54,875 --> 00:53:57,333
"Would you like to be in
a coed Community Group?"

1258
00:53:57,375 --> 00:53:58,708
Of course.

1259
00:53:58,792 --> 00:54:01,500
"Would you like to serve in the
children's ministry on Sunday?"

1260
00:54:01,583 --> 00:54:02,917
Yes, I do.

1261
00:54:03,000 --> 00:54:05,125
"Would you like to run the
mid-week children's ministry

1262
00:54:05,167 --> 00:54:06,500
during the women's Bible study?"

1263
00:54:06,583 --> 00:54:08,500
As a matter of fact,
that sounds incredible.

1264
00:54:08,583 --> 00:54:10,708
"On Saturdays, they're going to
be delivering meals to

1265
00:54:10,792 --> 00:54:12,208
"elderly shut-ins
who can't get out.

1266
00:54:12,292 --> 00:54:13,708
Would you like to do that?"

1267
00:54:13,792 --> 00:54:16,417
Yes, I can carry food to
old people and love them.

1268
00:54:16,500 --> 00:54:17,833
Yes.

1269
00:54:17,875 --> 00:54:19,583
I signed up for
almost everything, okay?

1270
00:54:19,667 --> 00:54:23,000
I was taking 18 credit hours,
I was a brand-new Christian.

1271
00:54:23,083 --> 00:54:26,333
I literally signed up,
I think, for six Bible studies.

1272
00:54:26,375 --> 00:54:28,375
I taught children's
Sunday school.

1273
00:54:28,458 --> 00:54:30,500
I showed up at the mid-week
women's Bible study

1274
00:54:30,583 --> 00:54:33,000
and there was like 10-20 kids
depending on the week.

1275
00:54:33,083 --> 00:54:35,000
I was the only
person who signed up.

1276
00:54:35,083 --> 00:54:40,292
I had all the kids.
I had my own daycare.

1277
00:54:40,333 --> 00:54:42,375
And it was awesome.

1278
00:54:42,458 --> 00:54:46,500
And on Saturdays, I would go to
the homes of elderly people

1279
00:54:46,583 --> 00:54:48,875
and I would deliver
meals to shut-ins,

1280
00:54:48,958 --> 00:54:52,375
and then they would always want
you to sit down and talk to them

1281
00:54:52,458 --> 00:54:54,125
because nobody ever
came to visit them.

1282
00:54:54,167 --> 00:54:57,208
That's how I spent
my college years.

1283
00:54:57,292 --> 00:54:59,250
I didn't ever drink;
I didn't have time.

1284
00:54:59,333 --> 00:55:02,625
I didn't have a lot of hobbies,
I didn't do any drinking,

1285
00:55:02,667 --> 00:55:04,333
I didn't do any partying.

1286
00:55:04,375 --> 00:55:06,542
I just went to
school and I worked,

1287
00:55:06,625 --> 00:55:10,750
I had a job and I served at
the church, and it was awesome.

1288
00:55:10,833 --> 00:55:12,458
Some of you say,
"What about burnout?"

1289
00:55:12,500 --> 00:55:14,958
Okay, let me say this:
when it comes to ministry,

1290
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:20,250
the average Christian is
this close to burnout, okay?

1291
00:55:20,333 --> 00:55:23,000
I didn't burn out
because it was awesome.

1292
00:55:23,083 --> 00:55:25,750
And then they passed around
a clipboard one Sunday,

1293
00:55:25,833 --> 00:55:28,458
and they said, "Who wants to go
to the men's retreat?"

1294
00:55:28,500 --> 00:55:31,208
I was like, "I don't know
what a men's retreat is,

1295
00:55:31,292 --> 00:55:32,625
"but I'm a man.

1296
00:55:32,667 --> 00:55:34,625
Apparently I need to
check that little box,"

1297
00:55:34,667 --> 00:55:36,000
and I checked the box.

1298
00:55:36,083 --> 00:55:38,000
I'd never been to
a men's retreat.

1299
00:55:38,083 --> 00:55:40,833
We go to the woods, guys have
beards, and they're barbecuing,

1300
00:55:40,917 --> 00:55:43,708
and I thought, "Well, this
has turned out fantastically."

1301
00:55:43,792 --> 00:55:46,167
And then the guys all start
singing, and I thought,

1302
00:55:46,208 --> 00:55:48,708
"Well, this is interesting.
Guys sing to Jesus.

1303
00:55:48,792 --> 00:55:50,333
Nice."

1304
00:55:50,417 --> 00:55:52,875
So I sang a little bit,
and then they said,

1305
00:55:52,958 --> 00:55:55,292
"Hey, go out and spend
some time in prayer,

1306
00:55:55,333 --> 00:55:57,042
"all by yourself with the Lord,

1307
00:55:57,125 --> 00:55:58,792
and just get some time
with Jesus."

1308
00:55:58,833 --> 00:56:00,833
I thought, "Well, I've
never really done that.

1309
00:56:00,917 --> 00:56:02,250
Okay."

1310
00:56:02,333 --> 00:56:05,167
When I was out on that
prayer walk, God spoke to me,

1311
00:56:05,208 --> 00:56:07,042
and he called me into ministry.

1312
00:56:07,125 --> 00:56:09,833
He said, "To marry Grace, preach
the Bible, plant churches,

1313
00:56:09,875 --> 00:56:11,417
and train men."

1314
00:56:11,500 --> 00:56:13,208
Spoke audibly.

1315
00:56:13,292 --> 00:56:15,417
And you know what, that
sounded great to me,

1316
00:56:15,500 --> 00:56:17,333
because I love the church.

1317
00:56:17,417 --> 00:56:20,042
The church was awesome.

1318
00:56:20,125 --> 00:56:22,833
What I noticed was as
soon as I started serving,

1319
00:56:22,875 --> 00:56:27,000
I started loving the church
more, loving the people more.

1320
00:56:27,083 --> 00:56:29,333
Next thing you know, I
started giving financially,

1321
00:56:29,417 --> 00:56:31,125
as a college kid.

1322
00:56:31,167 --> 00:56:32,667
There's two kinds of broke.
Right?

1323
00:56:32,708 --> 00:56:34,458
Broke and college broke.

1324
00:56:34,500 --> 00:56:37,042
I was college broke, paying
my own way through college.

1325
00:56:37,125 --> 00:56:39,542
I felt convicted of
the Holy Spirit to start giving

1326
00:56:39,625 --> 00:56:40,958
$100 a month.

1327
00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:43,625
I was 19 years old;
$100 a month.

1328
00:56:43,667 --> 00:56:45,333
My rent was less than that.

1329
00:56:45,375 --> 00:56:48,042
We had one of those condemned
buildings with 27 guys

1330
00:56:48,125 --> 00:56:50,208
and 2 bedrooms, right?

1331
00:56:50,292 --> 00:56:52,042
It was one of those
college things.

1332
00:56:52,125 --> 00:56:54,000
A guy's literally
living in the pantry.

1333
00:56:54,042 --> 00:56:56,500
Another guy's living in the
basement on a military cot.

1334
00:56:56,542 --> 00:56:58,250
This is all true.

1335
00:56:58,333 --> 00:57:01,750
Homeless guys are walking
by going, "That's sad."

1336
00:57:01,833 --> 00:57:05,708
It was that kind of house.

1337
00:57:05,792 --> 00:57:10,500
I started giving $100 a month to
the church and what I found was

1338
00:57:10,583 --> 00:57:15,042
that God really birthed in me
this deep love for the church.

1339
00:57:15,125 --> 00:57:17,667
So, Grace transferred
out to WSU to be with me,

1340
00:57:17,708 --> 00:57:20,250
and we started serving together:
kids' ministry together,

1341
00:57:20,333 --> 00:57:24,250
babysitting together, taking
meals to shut-ins together.

1342
00:57:24,333 --> 00:57:26,708
All of a sudden, I'm
teaching a small group,

1343
00:57:26,792 --> 00:57:29,542
next thing you know,
I'm becoming a leader.

1344
00:57:29,625 --> 00:57:31,542
And then the guys
start asking me,

1345
00:57:31,625 --> 00:57:34,042
"Do you think someday
you want to be a pastor?"

1346
00:57:34,125 --> 00:57:36,833
and I said, "You know, God
actually called me to that.

1347
00:57:36,875 --> 00:57:38,208
"Yeah, I do.

1348
00:57:38,292 --> 00:57:41,625
I never even thought
about ministry."

1349
00:57:41,667 --> 00:57:44,917
Grace and I recently had this
wonderful opportunity to go back

1350
00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:46,667
to this little church.

1351
00:57:46,708 --> 00:57:48,458
Great church.

1352
00:57:48,500 --> 00:57:51,875
We hadn't been back
there in almost 20 years.

1353
00:57:51,958 --> 00:57:55,875
We never went on campus at the
university that we attended.

1354
00:57:55,958 --> 00:57:59,167
We never made it there because
many of those same families are

1355
00:57:59,250 --> 00:58:01,958
still there, serving
in the church.

1356
00:58:02,000 --> 00:58:04,750
Some of the elders have
been elders for 20 years.

1357
00:58:04,833 --> 00:58:07,500
Some of the small group leaders
have been small group leaders

1358
00:58:07,583 --> 00:58:09,250
for 20 years, since
we went there.

1359
00:58:09,333 --> 00:58:11,667
Many of the same anchor
families are still there.

1360
00:58:11,708 --> 00:58:14,417
We went over to visit them,
we had dinner with them,

1361
00:58:14,500 --> 00:58:16,250
we caught up with them.

1362
00:58:16,333 --> 00:58:18,708
I'm asking, "Hey, I used to
watch your kid

1363
00:58:18,792 --> 00:58:22,542
and now they have kids."

1364
00:58:22,625 --> 00:58:27,542
I don't regret any of the time
I spent serving the church.

1365
00:58:27,625 --> 00:58:29,958
I thank God for all
the opportunities we had

1366
00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:31,500
in that church.

1367
00:58:31,583 --> 00:58:35,500
That church was used of Jesus
to change my whole life.

1368
00:58:35,583 --> 00:58:38,458
People that we still love,
admire, stay in touch with,

1369
00:58:38,500 --> 00:58:41,958
couples that mentored us,
people that invested in us,

1370
00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:44,042
and it wasn't that
we were just taking.

1371
00:58:44,125 --> 00:58:46,458
We were really involved
trying to give.

1372
00:58:46,500 --> 00:58:48,458
I want you to have
that experience.

1373
00:58:48,500 --> 00:58:50,167
I want this to be your church.

1374
00:58:50,208 --> 00:58:52,667
We want to be your
church family.

1375
00:58:52,708 --> 00:58:56,042
So, what we're going to allow
you to do in just a moment is

1376
00:58:56,125 --> 00:58:59,458
we're going to allow you to go
ahead and just give us some of

1377
00:58:59,500 --> 00:59:02,125
your contact information, and
then go through and check.

1378
00:59:02,167 --> 00:59:05,250
What do you want to do?
What's your part in the body?

1379
00:59:05,333 --> 00:59:09,458
Leadership, serving on
Sundays, kids' ministry,

1380
00:59:09,500 --> 00:59:12,458
helping out with music,
the creative side, graphics,

1381
00:59:12,500 --> 00:59:17,500
branding, production, sound,
light, video, midweek events,

1382
00:59:17,583 --> 00:59:21,542
administration, anything
else you can do.

1383
00:59:21,625 --> 00:59:24,500
You may have some
eccentric unique talent.

1384
00:59:24,583 --> 00:59:26,208
You may say, "You know what?

1385
00:59:26,292 --> 00:59:28,000
I'm a programmer,
I can write code."

1386
00:59:28,083 --> 00:59:30,458
Great.
You may say, "You know what?

1387
00:59:30,500 --> 00:59:33,542
I have some background
in the arts,"

1388
00:59:33,625 --> 00:59:36,042
or "I have some
background in business,"

1389
00:59:36,125 --> 00:59:38,042
or "I understand
marketing or sales."

1390
00:59:38,125 --> 00:59:39,458
Great.

1391
00:59:39,500 --> 00:59:41,000
Write it down.
Let us know.

1392
00:59:41,083 --> 00:59:44,000
Now, I can't guarantee you
that you're going to get to do

1393
00:59:44,083 --> 00:59:47,000
everything you want to do, but
what I can guarantee is we're

1394
00:59:47,083 --> 00:59:49,750
going to evaluate everybody and
see if we can get everybody

1395
00:59:49,833 --> 00:59:51,167
in position for the fall.

1396
00:59:51,208 --> 00:59:53,333
Our growth months tend to be
September, October, November,

1397
00:59:53,417 --> 00:59:55,333
it levels off, and then
January through Easter.

1398
00:59:55,417 --> 00:59:58,042
So, we're coming up on our
big growth season and we,

1399
00:59:58,125 --> 01:00:00,542
quite frankly, really need you,
so I'm making a plea

1400
01:00:00,625 --> 01:00:01,958
and an invitation.

1401
01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:04,958
Fill this out, and when you
take Communion in just a moment,

1402
01:00:05,000 --> 01:00:07,458
we're going to allow
you to just drop it off.

1403
01:00:07,500 --> 01:00:08,833
That's what I did.

1404
01:00:08,917 --> 01:00:11,625
As a 19-year-old college kid, I
filled out something like this

1405
01:00:11,667 --> 01:00:13,125
and it changed my whole life.

1406
01:00:13,167 --> 01:00:15,333
It gave me a great
love for the church,

1407
01:00:15,375 --> 01:00:17,500
a church that I still
love to this day.

1408
01:00:17,583 --> 01:00:20,667
And at that time, because I
was 19 and I was in college,

1409
01:00:20,708 --> 01:00:23,167
it would have been easy
to say, "You know what?

1410
01:00:23,208 --> 01:00:26,333
"I don't want to really get too
plugged in here because I know

1411
01:00:26,417 --> 01:00:29,125
I'm only here for a few
years and then I'm leaving."

1412
01:00:29,167 --> 01:00:31,125
Some of you are
going to drop roots,

1413
01:00:31,167 --> 01:00:33,125
others of you are
going to drop anchor.

1414
01:00:33,167 --> 01:00:34,625
You know what the difference is?

1415
01:00:34,667 --> 01:00:37,333
Roots are for a long time,
anchor's for a little time.

1416
01:00:37,417 --> 01:00:38,958
Some of you are
military deployment,

1417
01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:40,708
some of you are
here on business,

1418
01:00:40,792 --> 01:00:43,833
some of you are students, some
of you are here on a contract

1419
01:00:43,917 --> 01:00:47,000
for a job, and you're going to
drop anchor at Mars Hill and

1420
01:00:47,083 --> 01:00:50,000
then you're going to pick up
anchor and then God's going to

1421
01:00:50,083 --> 01:00:51,375
take you somewhere else.

1422
01:00:51,458 --> 01:00:53,583
Let me say this: serve
here, plug in here,

1423
01:00:53,667 --> 01:00:55,583
get connected here as
long as you're here,

1424
01:00:55,667 --> 01:00:57,958
and when you go from
here, drop anchor there.

1425
01:00:58,000 --> 01:00:59,333
You never know, though.

1426
01:00:59,417 --> 01:01:01,917
God might keep you here for
longer than you're anticipating,

1427
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:03,333
and we'd certainly welcome that.

1428
01:01:03,375 --> 01:01:05,500
For some of you, you're
going to drop roots.

1429
01:01:05,583 --> 01:01:07,833
You're going to be here
for a really, really,

1430
01:01:07,917 --> 01:01:10,833
really long time, and now's
a good time to drop roots.

1431
01:01:10,917 --> 01:01:12,917
Mars Hill needs you,
Jesus is calling you,

1432
01:01:13,000 --> 01:01:15,833
and I'm telling you there's
a place for you in the body.

1433
01:01:15,875 --> 01:01:18,042
But just because you're one
of those people who's

1434
01:01:18,125 --> 01:01:20,625
in transition, don't let
that be an excuse.

1435
01:01:20,667 --> 01:01:25,167
I'm so glad that I did not spend
my years in college

1436
01:01:25,208 --> 01:01:29,042
using my church, ignoring my
church, avoiding my church,

1437
01:01:29,125 --> 01:01:33,167
and waiting years until I
left it to go somewhere else.

1438
01:01:33,208 --> 01:01:36,125
I believe in the grace
of God that Grace and I,

1439
01:01:36,167 --> 01:01:40,167
we maximized every opportunity
in that church, and to this day,

1440
01:01:40,208 --> 01:01:42,542
I love that church
with all my heart.

1441
01:01:42,625 --> 01:01:46,250
And it was one of the great joys
of my life to sit down with

1442
01:01:46,333 --> 01:01:49,333
the pastor and his wife when
we had breakfast with them,

1443
01:01:49,417 --> 01:01:51,500
and just to say thank you.

1444
01:01:51,542 --> 01:01:53,458
Thank you for
starting this church.

1445
01:01:53,500 --> 01:01:55,458
Thank you for
training these people.

1446
01:01:55,500 --> 01:01:57,583
Thank you for
teaching the Bible.

1447
01:01:57,667 --> 01:02:00,750
Thank you for allowing
me to be involved.

1448
01:02:00,833 --> 01:02:04,625
Thank you for allowing so many
young leaders to come through

1449
01:02:04,667 --> 01:02:06,917
your church.

1450
01:02:07,000 --> 01:02:09,125
He's now trained,
as far as I know,

1451
01:02:09,167 --> 01:02:15,250
over 100 pastors and elders and
sent them all over the world.

1452
01:02:15,333 --> 01:02:17,750
I want that experience for
you at Mars Hill Church,

1453
01:02:17,833 --> 01:02:20,000
and we want to be
that church for you.

1454
01:02:20,083 --> 01:02:23,667
I want this to be a place that
if you're here for a long time

1455
01:02:23,708 --> 01:02:25,833
or a short time, you
look back and say,

1456
01:02:25,917 --> 01:02:28,042
"I got to do something
and it was awesome."

1457
01:02:28,125 --> 01:02:29,458
Amen?

1458
01:02:29,500 --> 01:02:32,250
Father God, I thank you for
the language, the metaphor,

1459
01:02:32,333 --> 01:02:35,542
the analogy that
the church is like a body.

1460
01:02:35,625 --> 01:02:37,542
It is.

1461
01:02:37,625 --> 01:02:40,750
God, even right now, we just
think of our physical body

1462
01:02:40,833 --> 01:02:43,750
and how all the parts
are working together,

1463
01:02:43,833 --> 01:02:46,958
how everything is
interconnected,

1464
01:02:47,000 --> 01:02:50,042
and how if anything was
missing or not functioning,

1465
01:02:50,125 --> 01:02:53,458
everything would be
negatively affected.

1466
01:02:53,500 --> 01:02:56,250
God, as we seek the health
of our physical body,

1467
01:02:56,333 --> 01:02:59,083
we seek the health
of our church body.

1468
01:02:59,167 --> 01:03:02,917
God, as we want all the parts
of our body to be healthy and

1469
01:03:03,000 --> 01:03:06,042
strong, we want all the parts
of our church body to be healthy

1470
01:03:06,125 --> 01:03:07,917
and strong.

1471
01:03:08,000 --> 01:03:10,833
God, I ask that you would send
the Holy Spirit to those

1472
01:03:10,917 --> 01:03:13,833
who are not Christians, and to
give them faith in Jesus,

1473
01:03:13,917 --> 01:03:16,750
and to accept his service
through his death, burial,

1474
01:03:16,833 --> 01:03:18,833
and resurrection for them.

1475
01:03:18,917 --> 01:03:21,625
God, for those who are
serving as Christians,

1476
01:03:21,667 --> 01:03:25,208
I pray they'd be so encouraged
that they would hear from

1477
01:03:25,292 --> 01:03:29,542
the text of Scripture, "Yes, I
knew that's what I was supposed

1478
01:03:29,625 --> 01:03:31,958
to do and I'm doing it.

1479
01:03:32,000 --> 01:03:34,833
Thank you, Lord, for
helping me be obedient."

1480
01:03:34,875 --> 01:03:38,167
And God, I pray that they would
hear from us we're thankful for

1481
01:03:38,208 --> 01:03:40,417
everybody who's doing anything.

1482
01:03:40,500 --> 01:03:44,333
God, for those who have not
participated in the health and

1483
01:03:44,417 --> 01:03:47,542
well-being of the local church,
they've not found their place,

1484
01:03:47,625 --> 01:03:51,042
I pray this wouldn't be an
opportunity for them to feel

1485
01:03:51,125 --> 01:03:54,542
guilty, but to feel
loved and invited.

1486
01:03:54,625 --> 01:03:59,042
And God, I pray for those who've
had bad church experiences.

1487
01:03:59,125 --> 01:04:01,833
I pray that Mars Hill Church
would be a great church

1488
01:04:01,917 --> 01:04:04,250
experience for them.

1489
01:04:04,333 --> 01:04:06,958
And God, I thank you for the
great diversity you've brought

1490
01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:08,750
to this church family.

1491
01:04:08,833 --> 01:04:12,000
And God, I just want to thank
you today for my first church,

1492
01:04:12,083 --> 01:04:16,333
a church that I absolutely love.

1493
01:04:16,375 --> 01:04:19,750
And I thank you that you
allowed me, as a new Christian,

1494
01:04:19,833 --> 01:04:25,333
teenage college student,
to serve, and to learn,

1495
01:04:25,375 --> 01:04:29,833
and to love the church
that Jesus loves.

1496
01:04:29,917 --> 01:04:32,250
I pray for our church,
Lord God,

1497
01:04:32,333 --> 01:04:34,333
that it would be biblical,

1498
01:04:34,417 --> 01:04:37,458
prophetic, that it would
be loving, priestly,

1499
01:04:37,500 --> 01:04:40,708
and that it would be
efficient, kingly,

1500
01:04:40,792 --> 01:04:45,458
and we ask for the grace to do
all well and to never say

1501
01:04:45,500 --> 01:04:49,208
or think,
"I have no need of you."

1502
01:04:49,292 --> 01:04:51,583
Lord God, you have brought
everyone here with

1503
01:04:51,667 --> 01:04:54,292
the experiences
and abilities that we need.

1504
01:04:54,333 --> 01:04:57,167
Help us to organize them
to glorify you

1505
01:04:57,250 --> 01:04:59,500
together in Jesus' name.
Amen.