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"After this he went out and saw
a tax collector named Levi,

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"sitting at the tax booth.

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"And he said to him,
'Follow me.'

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"And leaving everything,
he rose and followed him.

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"And Levi made him
a great feast in his house,

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"and there was a large company
of tax collectors and others

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"reclining at the table
with them.

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"And the Pharisees
and their scribes grumbled

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"at his disciples, saying,
'Why do you eat and drink

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"'with tax collectors
and sinners?'

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"And Jesus answered them,
'Those who are well

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"'have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.

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"'I have not come to call
the righteous

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but sinners to repentance.'"

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[music]

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All right, Mars Hill,
we continue in Luke today.

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If you've got a Bible, go to
chapter 5:27-32 as we learn that

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Jesus loves sinners.

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And let me tell ya what you're
going to learn about today is

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Jesus as a missionary.

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This is very, very, very
important to Mars Hill Church.

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It is one of the ways in which
we are a little different

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than some churches.

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That is that
we see Jesus as God to be sure,

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but we see him coming into
human history as a missionary.

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He's coming from the culture of
heaven to the culture of earth,

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from the presence of angels
to the presence of sinners.

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And in so doing,
Jesus isn't legitimizing sin.

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He's not encouraging sin.

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He himself is not sinning,
but he is loving sinners

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and he is building relationships
with those who are far away

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from him as God to draw them
near, to change their life,

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to forgive their sins
and that drives our philosophy

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of ministry here at
Mars Hill Church.

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We see ourselves as
missionaries, like Jesus.

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Jesus says repeatedly,
for example, in John's gospel

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more than twenty times:
"The Father has sent me,

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the Father has sent me,
the Father has sent me."

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Jesus is a missionary
going into culture, and sadly,

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many churches and Christians
only see mission work

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as happening outside of
the country in a faraway land.

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We believe in that as well,
but we believe mission is also

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exactly what we are called to,
exactly where God has placed us.

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And that is that being
a missionary doesn't include

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merely going around the world.

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Sometimes, most often, it
means going across the street.

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And so Jesus says repeatedly,
"The Father sent me,"

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And then he says
to the Christians,

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"As the Father has sent me,
I'm sending you."

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Jesus' last words after his
death, burial, resurrection are,

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"Go; as you go,
make disciples."

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Also Jesus says,
"You will be my witnesses.

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"Tell people about me.

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"Show people the love
that I have for them.

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Address the sin in their
life that I died to forgive."

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So Jesus is a missionary.

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We are individually
missionaries, as Christians,

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and our church
and its campuses

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are missional missionaries
on mission.

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And the mission is that
sinners would meet Jesus,

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and that's everybody,
and everybody needs him.

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And we're going to learn about
what it means to be

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a good missionary from Jesus.

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Point number one
is follow Jesus.

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I'm gonna give you three steps
today, a three-fold process.

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The first one of
which is follow Jesus.

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Luke 5:27-28, "After this--"
after Jesus is preaching and

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teaching and healing and curing
leprosy and casting out demons,

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"He went out and he saw
a tax collector named Levi,

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"sitting at the tax booth.

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"And he said to him,
'Follow me.'

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And leaving everything,
he rose and followed him."

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So what we see here is
Jesus as a missionary.

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He's outside of
a sacred meeting.

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He's away from
the religious people.

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He's away from what we
would consider to be

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formal kind of
church activities.

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And he does participate in
the synagogue and he does go to

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worship services and he does
gather with God's people,

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but he also goes out as
a missionary, into the culture,

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into the world and he
pursues this man named Levi.

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And this would have been
very unexpected.

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Levi is a tax collector.

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Since the third century,
there's been a big debate

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as to whether or not
this is also Matthew

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who becomes
a disciple of Jesus.

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We're not exactly sure.

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What we do know is that
tax collectors were absolutely

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despised in that day.

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They're still not incredibly
popular in our day.

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Levi was a guy sitting there
collecting tolls and taxes

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and the way he got that job is
that he would have put in a bid

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to the Roman government,
which was ruling over

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the Jewish people,
and the highest bidder

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would be able to then assume
the job as a tax collector.

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Well, the only way then to make
your money back was to overtax

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people, so you'd have to collect
a certain amount of tax

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for the government
and if you could squeeze people

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for additional money beyond
what they owed,

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that would be your
profit margin.

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To make matters worse,
Levi is himself Jewish,

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so he is corruptly ripping off
through, essentially extortion,

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his own people to fund
a godless overbearing government

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that has taken them over.

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This would be the equivalent
today of saying Levi was a guy

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who worked for the IRS
and was a member of Al-Qaeda.

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You couldn't like this guy less.

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He's a guy who has a lot
of money and a lot of power

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but not a lot of friends,
and people don't approach him.

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This is the guy
you stay away from.

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You don't initiate any
conversation with him

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because he's just going to
rip you off.

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And what Jesus does
is very unexpected,

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Jesus approaches him.

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Jesus initiates
relationship with him.

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This is the doctrine of election
that we don't look for God,

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that God looks for us,
that we're not seeking God,

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that God is seeking sinners.

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Levi's a sinner.

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He's not out looking for Jesus.

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He hasn't even
gotten off his chair.

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He's not pursuing Jesus,
requesting Jesus,

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but Jesus comes to him.

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That's election.

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And then calling,

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it's a theological term,
that Jesus calls him

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to change his life,
to repent of his ways,

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and to demonstrate
that by literally

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walking away from his career,
his vocation, his wealth,

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his power, his income, his tax
table and being a follower

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of Jesus, which is an act
of repentance in faith,

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that he's repenting of
his old way of life

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and he's trusting Jesus
for a new way of life.

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And what we see here is Jesus
is not just forgiving sinners,

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but he's befriending sinners.

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He's inviting this man to do
what he invites us all to do

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and that is to be
followers of him.

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He's the leader,
we're the follower.

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It's all about Jesus.

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So step number one
is follow Jesus.

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Are you following Jesus?

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Have you walked away from sin,
your old way of life,

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to follow Jesus into
new way of life?

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First step is you've got to have
a personal relationship with

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Jesus to where he talks
to you, in large part

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through Scripture,
as he talked to Levi,

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you respond to him in prayer.

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That's conversation that
builds personal relationship.

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You stick close to Jesus.

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You repent of sin that gets
between you and Jesus.

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You trust Jesus.

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You want to be like Jesus.

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You want to be near Jesus.

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You want to be for Jesus.

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You want to follow Jesus.

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That's step one.

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Step number two that we see
is that it is good to start

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a community group, that's
exactly what Levi does.

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Levi's been a Christian
for just a short bit,

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minutes or hours,

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and immediately
he's right into ministry

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and immediately he's
right into community.

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And this is very important
because some of you

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have followed Jesus, but
you've not been in community

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with God's people.

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It's as if following Jesus is
all that God expects and that

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being in community is a bonus if
and when you have time for it.

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To become a Christian is to be
reconciled to God through Christ

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and to be reconciled to
Christians through Christ

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so that you are both a Christian
and a member of the church

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in community on mission with
Jesus and his people.

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It's both.
It's both.

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It's a personal relationship
with Jesus and it is a community

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of people who are in
relationship with you

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and relationship with Jesus
all together.

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We'll read it.

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Luke 5:29, "And Levi made him
a great feast in his house,

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"and there was a large company
of tax collectors and others

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reclining at table with them."

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Now here's what's going on.

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Levi has walked away from
his income stream,

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his crooked, corrupt job.

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Becoming a Christian
sometimes requires this.

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We recently had a guy at
Mars Hill I was talking to,

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he was a drug dealer
and he's met Jesus.

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So he had to throw away
all of his drugs

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and go get another job.

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He had to walk away
from his income stream.

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He had to walk away
from his lifestyle.

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He had to walk away from his
corrupt business practices.

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In the providence of God,
he got a job as a salesman,

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which is hilarious,
and by God's grace,

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he's doing really well and his
sales business is going great

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and he loves Jesus
deeper every day.

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But sometimes that's
what's required,

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that you can't faithfully serve
Jesus and have a certain kind of

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job or income or lifestyle,
you've got to immediately,

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not a little bit at a time,
walk away from it.

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Now what does Levi
immediately do thereafter?

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He invites all his friends
over to his house to meet Jesus.

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He becomes very generous.

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Immediately you can see
the Holy Spirit

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at work in his heart.

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He goes from being
a very greedy man,

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to being a very generous man.

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As soon as he meets Jesus, he
wants other people to meet Jesus

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and so he throws a huge party.

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And you need to know that
throwing parties is a ministry.

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It's a ministry that a lot of
churches aren't great at

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but opening your home to invite
people over; family, friends,

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neighbors, coworkers,
Christians, non-Christians,

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building community,
building relationships,

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and when you do that,
and you should, be generous.

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Feed them well, make it fun,
make it nice.

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This guy goes to great expense
to throw what the Bible calls,

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"a great feast."

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So he had to clean his house.

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He had to prepare for guests.

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He probably didn't
have guests very often.

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He's not a popular guy.

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He had to go buy food and drinks
and plates and silverware and

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napkins and he had to accept
that people were gonna track mud

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into his house and that somebody
was gonna spill something and it

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was gonna cause some stain
in the floor or the carpet.

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The point is this: our homes
are not false functional heavens

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that we set up to be perfectly
tidy and clean

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until we go to the real heaven.

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They're places of hospitality to
welcome in people and to invite

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them to enjoy one another and
the goodness and the kindness of

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Jesus in their midst.

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He said, at the end, before
he ascended back into heaven,

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that he would be with us
always until the end of the age.

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And when we practice hospitality
and we open our homes and lives,

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we are showing
something of the gospel.

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As God invites us into community
with him to be his people,

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as we're inviting people
into our home and life,

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we're showing something
of the character of our God

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and Jesus promises to be
with us,

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particularly when we do
these things, because Jesus,

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just like he pursued and chose
and called Levi,

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he is pursuing, calling,
choosing people.

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And sometimes he does that
in our own home

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00:12:48,025 --> 00:12:51,025
as we invite them in for
friendship and love

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00:12:51,033 --> 00:12:53,021
and community and conversation.

246
00:12:53,029 --> 00:12:55,058
And this is exactly
what Levi does.

247
00:12:55,067 --> 00:13:00,050
I want you to see that this is
natural, normal Christian life.

248
00:13:00,058 --> 00:13:04,038
Follow Jesus
and be in community.

249
00:13:04,046 --> 00:13:07,038
Follow Jesus and welcome
other people into your life.

250
00:13:07,046 --> 00:13:10,062
Follow Jesus and welcome
other people into your home.

251
00:13:10,071 --> 00:13:13,067
Practically this means you've
got to consider where will we

252
00:13:13,075 --> 00:13:16,079
or where will I live?

253
00:13:16,088 --> 00:13:18,092
Will it be a place
that we can entertain?

254
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,000
Will it be a place that
can accommodate other people?

255
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,042
We, my wife, Gracie,
and I,

256
00:13:25,050 --> 00:13:27,050
we've moved three times
in five years.

257
00:13:27,058 --> 00:13:29,017
Where we're at now, we've been
for a few years

258
00:13:29,025 --> 00:13:31,033
and we intend to be
for a long time.

259
00:13:31,042 --> 00:13:33,079
And we wanted to stay within
the city and we wanted to have

260
00:13:33,088 --> 00:13:35,050
enough space to entertain.

261
00:13:35,058 --> 00:13:37,088
And Gracie wanted the kitchen
open 'cause she loves

262
00:13:37,096 --> 00:13:41,075
hospitality, but she hates
being separated from everyone.

263
00:13:41,083 --> 00:13:44,012
So we knew we'd need a place
with hardwood floors--why?

264
00:13:44,021 --> 00:13:45,058
'Cause if you're gonna have
a lot of people over,

265
00:13:45,067 --> 00:13:47,042
you're just gonna
trash the carpet

266
00:13:47,050 --> 00:13:50,033
so don't even worry about it.

267
00:13:50,042 --> 00:13:52,004
We wanted a place that had
a playroom so when all

268
00:13:52,012 --> 00:13:55,000
the little kids come over,
they could put dress-ups on

269
00:13:55,008 --> 00:13:56,075
and play with toys and have fun.

270
00:13:56,083 --> 00:13:58,038
We wanted a little bit of
parking so that

271
00:13:58,046 --> 00:14:01,092
we could actually have
large numbers of guests over.

272
00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,017
We wanted to have a guestroom so
that people could stay with us

273
00:14:04,025 --> 00:14:05,046
when they're coming
in from out of town.

274
00:14:05,054 --> 00:14:08,075
We wanted to buy an
additional car, a used car,

275
00:14:08,083 --> 00:14:11,054
nothing fancy but something
simple so that when guests

276
00:14:11,062 --> 00:14:13,029
came in from out of town
and pastors are coming in

277
00:14:13,038 --> 00:14:16,050
and leaders are coming in
or somebody needs help,

278
00:14:16,058 --> 00:14:19,012
they can stay with us
and have a vehicle to drive.

279
00:14:19,021 --> 00:14:20,071
We could feed them
and care for them,

280
00:14:20,079 --> 00:14:23,096
and we put all of this into our
plan and we put all of this into

281
00:14:24,004 --> 00:14:27,096
our budget and we put together
our life in such a way that

282
00:14:28,004 --> 00:14:29,050
we're able to entertain.

283
00:14:29,058 --> 00:14:33,025
We're able to invite people in,
to enjoy them, to serve them.

284
00:14:33,033 --> 00:14:35,021
And I say that not
to boast and to brag,

285
00:14:35,029 --> 00:14:39,021
but to say that's
a wonderful thing to do.

286
00:14:39,029 --> 00:14:42,025
That's an amazing thing to do.

287
00:14:42,033 --> 00:14:45,021
So many people have stereotypes
of Christians and the kind of

288
00:14:45,029 --> 00:14:48,067
people that we are
and those stereotypes, sadly,

289
00:14:48,075 --> 00:14:51,050
are sometimes earned
and they can be broken down

290
00:14:51,058 --> 00:14:54,054
and shown not to be totally
consistent in all cases

291
00:14:54,062 --> 00:14:57,033
by you being generous,
you being hospitable,

292
00:14:57,042 --> 00:15:00,029
you opening your home, you
thinking through entertaining,

293
00:15:00,038 --> 00:15:03,088
you using the opportunities and
relationship that God gives

294
00:15:03,096 --> 00:15:06,062
to bring people in, to feed
them, to laugh with them,

295
00:15:06,071 --> 00:15:09,000
to enjoy them, to love them,
to get into their life,

296
00:15:09,008 --> 00:15:12,033
to hear their story, to be
honest about your own sins,

297
00:15:12,042 --> 00:15:15,025
faults, failures, and flaws
so you don't come off like

298
00:15:15,033 --> 00:15:18,029
the religious person,
and enjoy their company

299
00:15:18,038 --> 00:15:22,017
and let them enjoy yours
and meet some Christians.

300
00:15:22,025 --> 00:15:24,042
Some of you are not
bold evangelists,

301
00:15:24,050 --> 00:15:26,062
you're not gonna just, like
Jesus, walk up to someone,

302
00:15:26,071 --> 00:15:30,021
but you can open your home and
you can bring over those people

303
00:15:30,029 --> 00:15:33,000
that are really bold and they
can close all your friends.

304
00:15:33,008 --> 00:15:35,033
That's not a bad idea either.

305
00:15:35,042 --> 00:15:40,021
But Levi immediately makes
all of this possible.

306
00:15:40,029 --> 00:15:43,096
Now let me say this as well,
these people are connecting

307
00:15:44,004 --> 00:15:47,008
in community before they're
converting to Christ.

308
00:15:47,017 --> 00:15:51,042
They're not Christians yet, but
they're people made in the image

309
00:15:51,050 --> 00:15:53,088
and likeness of God
and God loves them.

310
00:15:53,096 --> 00:15:56,054
And so our view at Mars Hill is
that we're an open church--

311
00:15:56,062 --> 00:15:58,029
anybody can come to church,

312
00:15:58,038 --> 00:15:59,058
anybody can come to
community group.

313
00:15:59,067 --> 00:16:01,071
People are welcome
to connect in community

314
00:16:01,079 --> 00:16:04,004
before they're converted
to Christ.

315
00:16:04,012 --> 00:16:07,075
And the way this primarily
works itself out is what

316
00:16:07,083 --> 00:16:10,017
we like to call,
"community groups."

317
00:16:10,025 --> 00:16:12,079
These are groups of people
meeting in condos and dorms

318
00:16:12,088 --> 00:16:17,025
and homes and apartments and
military bases and frat houses

319
00:16:17,033 --> 00:16:22,075
and wherever else people are
living, in groups, 10, 12, 15.

320
00:16:22,083 --> 00:16:26,000
Some of the groups are huge
and they need to replicate.

321
00:16:26,008 --> 00:16:29,017
We're developing leaders as the
groups are growing very fast.

322
00:16:29,025 --> 00:16:31,075
What we do on Sunday is
what we call the air war.

323
00:16:31,083 --> 00:16:34,079
It is preaching and teaching
and worshiping and gathering in

324
00:16:34,088 --> 00:16:39,000
large numbers, and then we also
have community groups, which are

325
00:16:39,008 --> 00:16:42,083
smaller groups of people that
are on mission together

326
00:16:42,092 --> 00:16:46,017
as the church, owning
the mission of the church

327
00:16:46,025 --> 00:16:50,012
to see people meet Jesus and
those who already know him,

328
00:16:50,021 --> 00:16:53,033
to grow in becoming
more like him.

329
00:16:53,042 --> 00:16:56,038
That happens in community
together in relationship,

330
00:16:56,046 --> 00:17:00,025
Bible open, life open, home open
so that the grace of God

331
00:17:00,033 --> 00:17:03,017
can flow freely and unencumbered
and the Holy Spirit

332
00:17:03,025 --> 00:17:05,021
can have his way with people.

333
00:17:05,029 --> 00:17:09,042
Right now we've got about
400 community groups

334
00:17:09,050 --> 00:17:11,092
and they tend to follow
the sermon.

335
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:13,042
Some take a break
and do other things,

336
00:17:13,050 --> 00:17:16,054
but what I preach on Sunday,
then there is discussion

337
00:17:16,062 --> 00:17:21,096
and application and repentance
and a meal and people doing life

338
00:17:22,004 --> 00:17:24,092
together, inviting in
non-Christians, family, friends,

339
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,000
coworkers, going out
to serve the community,

340
00:17:28,008 --> 00:17:31,088
service projects for
those who are in need,

341
00:17:31,096 --> 00:17:35,017
trying to extend the love of
Jesus to the cities that

342
00:17:35,025 --> 00:17:38,050
our various campuses
and groups are in.

343
00:17:38,058 --> 00:17:43,096
There are about 5,000 plus
people in groups every week.

344
00:17:44,004 --> 00:17:46,042
A few years ago, it was
a very small number.

345
00:17:46,050 --> 00:17:48,054
Under the leadership of
Pastor Brad and many other

346
00:17:48,062 --> 00:17:52,021
pastors that are owning the
mission of the community groups

347
00:17:52,029 --> 00:17:54,083
at the various campuses,
and their coaches

348
00:17:54,092 --> 00:17:56,067
and their community group
leaders and their

349
00:17:56,075 --> 00:18:00,038
community group hosts and their
community group administrators,

350
00:18:00,046 --> 00:18:01,075
you get the idea.

351
00:18:01,083 --> 00:18:04,054
This is hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds of people.

352
00:18:04,062 --> 00:18:06,096
That number has gone up
considerably

353
00:18:07,004 --> 00:18:08,083
and it keeps going up.

354
00:18:08,092 --> 00:18:10,054
The number of groups
that we have,

355
00:18:10,062 --> 00:18:14,083
the number of people in groups
that we have keeps going up.

356
00:18:14,092 --> 00:18:17,067
We're not totally opposed to
Sunday school classes but one of

357
00:18:17,075 --> 00:18:20,042
the reasons we don't stack
a lot of classes on Sunday,

358
00:18:20,050 --> 00:18:23,058
we don't want you to do all
of your life with God

359
00:18:23,067 --> 00:18:26,050
and his people in one building.

360
00:18:26,058 --> 00:18:27,096
We want you to bring
your friends to church,

361
00:18:28,004 --> 00:18:30,017
take them out for a meal.

362
00:18:30,025 --> 00:18:32,038
We want you to have community
groups in your homes.

363
00:18:32,046 --> 00:18:36,075
We want to spread the good news
of Jesus into all of the various

364
00:18:36,083 --> 00:18:41,012
neighborhoods that
surround our campuses.

365
00:18:41,021 --> 00:18:45,021
We want you to not have to
drive people in long distances.

366
00:18:45,029 --> 00:18:47,054
If they want to come on Sunday,
the traffic's better and that's

367
00:18:47,062 --> 00:18:51,029
great, but sometimes the best
thing is just to open your home,

368
00:18:51,038 --> 00:18:54,096
have people over, host a
community group like Levi does,

369
00:18:55,004 --> 00:18:59,054
bear the expense emotionally,
financially, relationally,

370
00:18:59,062 --> 00:19:01,038
to open up your home,
bring people together

371
00:19:01,046 --> 00:19:03,038
and see what God does.

372
00:19:03,046 --> 00:19:08,046
And that's in every way
what we call the ground war.

373
00:19:08,054 --> 00:19:09,096
It's the scattering.

374
00:19:10,004 --> 00:19:12,096
All right, we have gathering
and we have scattering

375
00:19:13,004 --> 00:19:14,050
and it is both.

376
00:19:14,058 --> 00:19:17,029
It is coming together as God's
people and then going out

377
00:19:17,038 --> 00:19:18,075
as God's people.

378
00:19:18,083 --> 00:19:22,000
So we come together for teaching
and worship and we scatter

379
00:19:22,008 --> 00:19:24,071
for mission and community.

380
00:19:24,079 --> 00:19:26,083
And that's how the whole church
is built.

381
00:19:26,092 --> 00:19:28,071
And what's really exciting now
is that is as

382
00:19:28,079 --> 00:19:31,079
the community groups are growing
in particular areas,

383
00:19:31,088 --> 00:19:35,088
they're starting to gather
together every month or two

384
00:19:35,096 --> 00:19:37,012
by region.

385
00:19:37,021 --> 00:19:38,083
There'll be hundreds
of people saying,

386
00:19:38,092 --> 00:19:42,058
"We love this part of our
city or region."

387
00:19:42,067 --> 00:19:44,025
And they're strategizing
together:

388
00:19:44,033 --> 00:19:46,058
"How could we mobilize for
service, help the poor,

389
00:19:46,067 --> 00:19:49,029
"look after single mothers,
help those in need,

390
00:19:49,038 --> 00:19:51,021
"help the abuse
and rape victims?

391
00:19:51,029 --> 00:19:53,025
"Where are we needed?
How can we come together?

392
00:19:53,033 --> 00:19:55,054
How can we mobilize?
What can we do?"

393
00:19:55,062 --> 00:19:57,083
Pastor Zack Hubert has created
"The City," which is our

394
00:19:57,092 --> 00:20:01,025
online social networking tool
that allows a lot of this

395
00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:05,004
to get coordinated and for
virtual community to be built on

396
00:20:05,012 --> 00:20:06,071
actual community.

397
00:20:06,079 --> 00:20:08,096
It's amazing what God has done.

398
00:20:09,004 --> 00:20:10,025
I couldn't be more excited.

399
00:20:10,033 --> 00:20:12,096
I love to preach, but I know
that without community and

400
00:20:13,004 --> 00:20:16,033
community groups and connecting
software like The City,

401
00:20:16,042 --> 00:20:18,096
all it becomes is
a bunch of information,

402
00:20:19,004 --> 00:20:20,096
not a lot of transformation.

403
00:20:21,004 --> 00:20:23,079
And we see this
in the life of Jesus.

404
00:20:23,088 --> 00:20:28,000
Jesus preached to large crowds
and was invited to

405
00:20:28,008 --> 00:20:31,050
community groups and his
ministry had both,

406
00:20:31,058 --> 00:20:36,004
thousands of people
and homes filled with people.

407
00:20:36,012 --> 00:20:37,088
He did both.

408
00:20:37,096 --> 00:20:40,058
We do both because we love Jesus
and we want to follow

409
00:20:40,067 --> 00:20:42,008
in his example.

410
00:20:42,017 --> 00:20:44,079
Now let me say this as well;
as these regions are gathering

411
00:20:44,088 --> 00:20:46,021
together and these community
groups are gathering,

412
00:20:46,029 --> 00:20:50,004
those are going to be groups
that ultimately form

413
00:20:50,012 --> 00:20:51,067
into new campuses.

414
00:20:51,075 --> 00:20:54,088
So our whole ideology
for new campuses is

415
00:20:54,096 --> 00:20:57,008
people doing what Levi did.

416
00:20:57,017 --> 00:20:59,071
Some of you may say, "How in the
world can I be at the epicenter

417
00:20:59,079 --> 00:21:02,054
of the starting of a whole
new campus or a church plant?"

418
00:21:02,062 --> 00:21:04,021
Easy, number one:
follow Jesus.

419
00:21:04,029 --> 00:21:06,038
Number two: start
a community group.

420
00:21:06,046 --> 00:21:09,079
As that group grows, split it
into multiple community groups.

421
00:21:09,088 --> 00:21:12,004
As those groups
multiply in a region,

422
00:21:12,012 --> 00:21:14,000
bring them together
every month or two.

423
00:21:14,008 --> 00:21:16,029
We've got all the coaching
systems, the requirements,

424
00:21:16,038 --> 00:21:19,054
the assessment,
the training for all of this.

425
00:21:19,062 --> 00:21:23,033
We'll equip you to do
this--gladly, I might say.

426
00:21:23,042 --> 00:21:25,092
And then as enough groups
are meeting in an area,

427
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,079
that becomes a few hundred
people and they launch

428
00:21:28,088 --> 00:21:30,088
their own campus
or their own church.

429
00:21:30,096 --> 00:21:36,054
This is how we grow, expand,
extend Mars Hill Church.

430
00:21:36,062 --> 00:21:39,046
Just keep moving out.
Why?

431
00:21:39,054 --> 00:21:43,038
'Cause we want as many people as
possible to enjoy a relationship

432
00:21:43,046 --> 00:21:47,046
with Jesus like Levi did, and he
wanted his friends to meet Jesus

433
00:21:47,054 --> 00:21:49,092
and you want your
friends to meet Jesus.

434
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,029
So you own the mission
in your community,

435
00:21:52,038 --> 00:21:55,042
in the place that you live,
with the people that God

436
00:21:55,050 --> 00:21:57,096
has sovereignly put in front
of you for relationship.

437
00:21:58,004 --> 00:22:00,017
Step number one: follow Jesus.

438
00:22:00,025 --> 00:22:02,050
Pray, read your Bible,
repent of your sin,

439
00:22:02,058 --> 00:22:04,054
trust in Jesus, follow him.

440
00:22:04,062 --> 00:22:07,071
Step number two:
start a community group.

441
00:22:07,079 --> 00:22:10,000
Some of you are like
the friends of Levi,

442
00:22:10,008 --> 00:22:12,033
you just need to get in a
group and get started there and

443
00:22:12,042 --> 00:22:14,058
eventually by the grace of God
and the training of others,

444
00:22:14,067 --> 00:22:15,088
you'll become a leader.

445
00:22:15,096 --> 00:22:18,038
Some of you are at the place
that you're mature enough

446
00:22:18,046 --> 00:22:22,000
or God has called you or you're
willing to take a crack at it

447
00:22:22,008 --> 00:22:24,012
that you need to be
a community group leader

448
00:22:24,021 --> 00:22:27,029
and you need to be willing to,
in some regard, oversee,

449
00:22:27,038 --> 00:22:29,058
pastor--I know it's
a scary word--

450
00:22:29,067 --> 00:22:32,067
a group of people
and be involved in their life.

451
00:22:32,075 --> 00:22:34,021
And this is exciting.

452
00:22:34,029 --> 00:22:35,046
This is wonderful.

453
00:22:35,054 --> 00:22:39,067
Levi, within minutes, goes
from absolute non-Christian

454
00:22:39,075 --> 00:22:44,012
extortionist to heart-changed
follower of Jesus practicing

455
00:22:44,021 --> 00:22:48,067
hospitality, opening his home,
launching a community group.

456
00:22:48,075 --> 00:22:51,004
Fantastic, we love this.

457
00:22:51,012 --> 00:22:52,033
We love this.

458
00:22:52,042 --> 00:22:53,054
And a lot of the leaders
at Mars Hill

459
00:22:53,062 --> 00:22:55,000
have had a similar experience.

460
00:22:55,008 --> 00:22:58,025
There is a very high percentage
of leaders at Mars Hill

461
00:22:58,033 --> 00:23:02,004
who walked in like Levi,
non-Christians, met Jesus,

462
00:23:02,012 --> 00:23:05,096
followed Jesus, started doing
ministry and now are used

463
00:23:06,004 --> 00:23:07,038
mightily of God.

464
00:23:07,046 --> 00:23:08,083
We want that for all of you.

465
00:23:08,092 --> 00:23:10,083
What else are you gonna do
with your life, your time,

466
00:23:10,092 --> 00:23:12,067
your talent, your treasure?

467
00:23:12,075 --> 00:23:14,075
It's cool to have
a place to live,

468
00:23:14,083 --> 00:23:16,004
but what if nobody comes over?

469
00:23:16,012 --> 00:23:18,054
It's really cool to
have nice furniture,

470
00:23:18,062 --> 00:23:21,025
what if nobody ever
meets Christ on it?

471
00:23:21,033 --> 00:23:22,096
It's cool to have
a dining room table,

472
00:23:23,004 --> 00:23:26,008
but what if nobody else comes
over and opens up their life

473
00:23:26,017 --> 00:23:30,012
and talks about their
hurts and gets prayed for there?

474
00:23:30,021 --> 00:23:32,012
See, so much of the American
life is that we build

475
00:23:32,021 --> 00:23:35,067
heaven on earth and then
we're just desperately lonely

476
00:23:35,075 --> 00:23:37,088
because we're selfish and dying.

477
00:23:37,096 --> 00:23:40,038
And like God, we need to welcome
everybody in

478
00:23:40,046 --> 00:23:43,021
with all the mess and the chaos
and the inconvenience

479
00:23:43,029 --> 00:23:46,096
and the frustration of it
because lives get changed.

480
00:23:47,004 --> 00:23:48,050
That's how our God works.

481
00:23:48,058 --> 00:23:52,008
He comes to earth
and that's what he does.

482
00:23:52,017 --> 00:23:57,096
Step number three:
repent, repent, repent.

483
00:23:58,004 --> 00:23:59,083
That's what it's all about.

484
00:23:59,092 --> 00:24:01,033
Here is the story.

485
00:24:01,042 --> 00:24:05,033
Luke 5:30-32, "And the Pharisees
and their scribes grumbled at

486
00:24:05,042 --> 00:24:08,050
"his disciples, saying,
'Why do you eat and drink with

487
00:24:08,058 --> 00:24:09,071
"'tax collectors and sinners?'

488
00:24:09,079 --> 00:24:12,038
"And Jesus answered them,
'Those who are well have

489
00:24:12,046 --> 00:24:15,012
"'no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.

490
00:24:15,021 --> 00:24:17,017
"'I have not come to call
the righteous

491
00:24:17,025 --> 00:24:19,008
but sinners to repentance.'"

492
00:24:19,017 --> 00:24:20,058
Here's what's going on.

493
00:24:20,067 --> 00:24:22,012
Jesus pursues Levi.

494
00:24:22,021 --> 00:24:24,021
Levi follows Jesus.

495
00:24:24,029 --> 00:24:27,088
Levi goes and gets all of
the nut jobs, the wing nuts,

496
00:24:27,096 --> 00:24:32,071
the gals in clear heels, the
guys that still smell like pot.

497
00:24:32,079 --> 00:24:38,004
He gets all the very peculiar,
social misfits, outcasts.

498
00:24:38,012 --> 00:24:41,008
I mean this looks like an
episode of "Celebrity Rehab."

499
00:24:41,017 --> 00:24:44,029
Everybody's got
an interesting story to tell.

500
00:24:44,038 --> 00:24:46,096
These people definitely
aren't going to church

501
00:24:47,004 --> 00:24:50,012
and they come to Levi's house.

502
00:24:50,021 --> 00:24:51,096
See, there's a lot of people
that will feel far more

503
00:24:52,004 --> 00:24:54,050
comfortable in your house
than in the church

504
00:24:54,058 --> 00:24:56,004
so invite them to your house.

505
00:24:56,012 --> 00:24:57,088
And here's what happens.

506
00:24:57,096 --> 00:24:59,071
The religious
people look around,

507
00:24:59,079 --> 00:25:02,075
the Pharisees and the scribes,
and they start criticizing,

508
00:25:02,083 --> 00:25:05,042
"What is Jesus doing?"

509
00:25:05,050 --> 00:25:08,008
Let me just say this: beware
of anyone who wants you to be

510
00:25:08,017 --> 00:25:09,075
holier than Jesus.

511
00:25:09,083 --> 00:25:12,038
There is no one holier than
Jesus but sometimes

512
00:25:12,046 --> 00:25:15,083
religious people want you
to be holier than Jesus.

513
00:25:15,092 --> 00:25:18,025
Here the religious people want
the disciples of Jesus

514
00:25:18,033 --> 00:25:22,012
to be holier in their
estimation than Jesus.

515
00:25:22,021 --> 00:25:23,062
But let me unpack this for you.

516
00:25:23,071 --> 00:25:25,079
He mentions the scribes
and the Pharisees.

517
00:25:25,088 --> 00:25:28,012
They will appear repeatedly

518
00:25:28,021 --> 00:25:29,096
as sort of
the religious antagonists

519
00:25:30,004 --> 00:25:34,008
against Jesus throughout
this gospel and the others.

520
00:25:34,017 --> 00:25:37,000
Now a scribe was
a professional theologian,

521
00:25:37,008 --> 00:25:38,096
they were formally trained.

522
00:25:39,004 --> 00:25:40,083
They were formally trained.

523
00:25:40,092 --> 00:25:43,071
These are guys who were enjoying
the equivalent of seminary

524
00:25:43,079 --> 00:25:46,067
or Bible college, they've
memorized books of the Bible.

525
00:25:46,075 --> 00:25:48,012
They're very studious.

526
00:25:48,021 --> 00:25:49,083
These are the geeks for God.

527
00:25:49,092 --> 00:25:52,054
They love footnotes,
it's those guys.

528
00:25:52,062 --> 00:25:54,083
And they're very serious
and they love to make rules

529
00:25:54,092 --> 00:25:58,021
and lists and impose their will
on others because they're

530
00:25:58,029 --> 00:26:03,025
the holy men who serve God,
very serious.

531
00:26:03,033 --> 00:26:05,038
And under them were Pharisees.

532
00:26:05,046 --> 00:26:07,046
Now Pharisees were
the working class,

533
00:26:07,054 --> 00:26:11,017
not formally theologically
educated masses.

534
00:26:11,025 --> 00:26:13,088
And these would be the groups
of people who are very zealous,

535
00:26:13,096 --> 00:26:17,017
very devoted, very motivated
for their scribe.

536
00:26:17,025 --> 00:26:22,092
And the scribe then, in an
effort to extend their authority

537
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:27,067
would add rules to the Bible and
they would impose them on people

538
00:26:27,075 --> 00:26:31,012
and bind them to live not just
according to the Scriptures,

539
00:26:31,021 --> 00:26:34,088
but according to
the traditions of the scribe.

540
00:26:34,096 --> 00:26:38,029
And so the Pharisees were--
they were passionate,

541
00:26:38,038 --> 00:26:41,058
they were devoted, they become
some of the most influential

542
00:26:41,067 --> 00:26:43,067
leaders in early Judaism.

543
00:26:43,075 --> 00:26:46,067
After the temple is destroyed
in 70 A.D., they become

544
00:26:46,075 --> 00:26:50,062
the predominant voice for
the Jewish people.

545
00:26:50,071 --> 00:26:52,029
They miss Jesus.

546
00:26:52,038 --> 00:26:59,025
Some, in fact, did love Jesus,
but the majority rejected him.

547
00:26:59,033 --> 00:27:02,012
And here's what's going on.

548
00:27:02,021 --> 00:27:05,092
The Pharisees would
choose a scribe

549
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,029
and they would want this
to be their teacher,

550
00:27:09,038 --> 00:27:12,021
and so they would ask
the scribe,

551
00:27:12,029 --> 00:27:14,050
"Could I please be on your team?

552
00:27:14,058 --> 00:27:16,021
Would you be my teacher?"

553
00:27:16,029 --> 00:27:19,088
And if it was a very
popular sort of rock star,

554
00:27:19,096 --> 00:27:24,029
lots of friends on Facebook,
lots of Twitter follower kind of

555
00:27:24,038 --> 00:27:29,042
scribe, there was a long line
of people who wanted to be

556
00:27:29,050 --> 00:27:33,025
in his closed community,
be taught by him,

557
00:27:33,033 --> 00:27:38,050
led by him and also
religiously praised by him.

558
00:27:38,058 --> 00:27:41,004
So it was sort of an
application process.

559
00:27:41,012 --> 00:27:43,029
"Oh, I want to be
with so and so."

560
00:27:43,038 --> 00:27:44,058
And what you would do then is

561
00:27:44,067 --> 00:27:46,079
you would give money
to the scribe,

562
00:27:46,088 --> 00:27:51,054
and some of the scribes got
very, very, very rich.

563
00:27:51,062 --> 00:27:53,021
And you would serve the scribe.

564
00:27:53,029 --> 00:27:58,083
So the scribe now became
sort of a spoiled, soft,

565
00:27:58,092 --> 00:28:01,096
spiritual leader.

566
00:28:02,004 --> 00:28:04,067
Everybody's taking care of them
and tending to their every need

567
00:28:04,075 --> 00:28:07,062
and giving them lots of money
and praising them all the time

568
00:28:07,071 --> 00:28:10,012
and thinking that they speak
on behalf of God

569
00:28:10,021 --> 00:28:13,025
and their authority is almost
equivalent to Scripture,

570
00:28:13,033 --> 00:28:16,004
and what they say is law and
you better obey it otherwise

571
00:28:16,012 --> 00:28:19,033
the other people in
the community that are also

572
00:28:19,042 --> 00:28:21,092
among the Pharisees on your
team, they will shame you,

573
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,071
they will scorn you,
they will come against you.

574
00:28:25,079 --> 00:28:28,012
Lot of fear, control,
and intimidation, as is always

575
00:28:28,021 --> 00:28:30,067
the case with religion.

576
00:28:30,075 --> 00:28:32,021
And what you really wanted
if you were a Pharisee,

577
00:28:32,029 --> 00:28:35,067
you wanted your kids to
get trained by that scribe.

578
00:28:35,075 --> 00:28:40,054
So you think almost in terms
of an exclusive prep school.

579
00:28:40,062 --> 00:28:43,096
There's lots of scribes
but some of them, boy,

580
00:28:44,004 --> 00:28:48,025
if your kid could get into
that scribe's school, wow.

581
00:28:48,033 --> 00:28:50,054
Now they're gonna
be really respected.

582
00:28:50,062 --> 00:28:52,025
They're earning
potential's gonna go up.

583
00:28:52,033 --> 00:28:57,075
Their spiritual pride and
perfection will be increased.

584
00:28:57,083 --> 00:28:59,058
You could put a bumper sticker
on your camel, you know,

585
00:28:59,067 --> 00:29:05,025
"My kid's an honor roll student
at Rabbi Gamaliel's class."

586
00:29:05,033 --> 00:29:06,046
It's a big deal.

587
00:29:06,054 --> 00:29:09,021
There's a lot of social pressure
to get your family

588
00:29:09,029 --> 00:29:12,067
under the right scribe, get your
kid under the right scribe.

589
00:29:12,075 --> 00:29:14,071
So you're paying money,
you're doing favors,

590
00:29:14,079 --> 00:29:16,054
you're serving this guy.

591
00:29:16,062 --> 00:29:19,096
You're in every way stroking
his ego so that he will increase

592
00:29:20,004 --> 00:29:22,029
your religious position
in the community.

593
00:29:22,038 --> 00:29:25,012
And if you got your
kid in under this guy,

594
00:29:25,021 --> 00:29:27,008
this particular scribe
that you wanted,

595
00:29:27,017 --> 00:29:30,067
you'd have to continue
to pay a lot of money.

596
00:29:30,075 --> 00:29:34,092
And then your kid would have to
swear allegiance to the scribe

597
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,000
above their own parents.

598
00:29:37,008 --> 00:29:40,071
So the scribe became
second only to God.

599
00:29:40,079 --> 00:29:43,050
He's almost a false
mediator like Jesus.

600
00:29:43,058 --> 00:29:45,088
He tells you what to do,
he tells you what God says

601
00:29:45,096 --> 00:29:47,058
and you just obey him.

602
00:29:47,067 --> 00:29:50,054
He's in the false functional
position of savior,

603
00:29:50,062 --> 00:29:54,046
lord and Christ, very
dangerous, spiritual abuse.

604
00:29:54,054 --> 00:29:58,025
And then your child would have
allegiance to the scribe beyond

605
00:29:58,033 --> 00:30:00,046
their own parents and they
would follow this scribe around.

606
00:30:00,054 --> 00:30:03,050
They'd listen to every word
he said, copiously take notes.

607
00:30:03,058 --> 00:30:05,046
The kids are all competing
against one another.

608
00:30:05,054 --> 00:30:07,046
Who's gonna memorize
the most Hebrew?

609
00:30:07,054 --> 00:30:09,096
Who's gonna memorize the most
books of the Old Testament?

610
00:30:10,004 --> 00:30:11,071
Who's gonna pass the oral exams?

611
00:30:11,079 --> 00:30:13,096
Who will answer all
the scribe's questions?

612
00:30:14,004 --> 00:30:17,017
Who will be able to follow in
his ways and not forget any of

613
00:30:17,025 --> 00:30:19,088
his rules and live really
strictly and obediently so that

614
00:30:19,096 --> 00:30:22,012
maybe someday if you
did a really good job,

615
00:30:22,021 --> 00:30:24,062
then God would love you,
then God would embrace you,

616
00:30:24,071 --> 00:30:26,071
then God would accept you.

617
00:30:26,079 --> 00:30:29,075
It's corrupt religion at
its core, and everything

618
00:30:29,083 --> 00:30:35,050
but Christianity has some
form of this sickness.

619
00:30:35,058 --> 00:30:38,029
And what would happen then is if
you got the right rabbi and you

620
00:30:38,038 --> 00:30:41,029
paid enough money and you served
well enough and the scribe

621
00:30:41,038 --> 00:30:44,025
accepted you and your child
worked really hard,

622
00:30:44,033 --> 00:30:46,012
they could pass their classes.

623
00:30:46,021 --> 00:30:49,062
They could become a religious
leader, which was a very honored

624
00:30:49,071 --> 00:30:52,029
position in the community.

625
00:30:52,038 --> 00:30:54,038
And when they were
about 40 years of age,

626
00:30:54,046 --> 00:30:56,075
right around my age,
I'll be 40 in October,

627
00:30:56,083 --> 00:31:01,008
your child could
become a scribe.

628
00:31:01,017 --> 00:31:05,029
They could be in this position
of spiritual authority.

629
00:31:05,038 --> 00:31:06,062
They could write books.

630
00:31:06,071 --> 00:31:07,088
They could give lectures.

631
00:31:07,096 --> 00:31:09,017
They could open
their own school.

632
00:31:09,025 --> 00:31:10,075
They could get
their own students.

633
00:31:10,083 --> 00:31:12,083
They could make a lot of money.

634
00:31:12,092 --> 00:31:14,067
They could be very powerful.

635
00:31:14,075 --> 00:31:21,071
They could take care
of you in your old age.

636
00:31:21,079 --> 00:31:26,083
And the children and the adults
who were in the community

637
00:31:26,092 --> 00:31:29,075
of the Pharisees were in
a closed community.

638
00:31:29,083 --> 00:31:31,054
To get into that community,
you had to apply,

639
00:31:31,062 --> 00:31:33,012
you had to earn it.

640
00:31:33,021 --> 00:31:34,021
You had to give generously.

641
00:31:34,029 --> 00:31:35,071
You had to work hard.

642
00:31:35,079 --> 00:31:37,079
It's not like Mars Hill.

643
00:31:37,088 --> 00:31:41,029
Not a grace-centered community
where everybody's welcome.

644
00:31:41,038 --> 00:31:43,088
You can come for free and you
don't have to do anything,

645
00:31:43,096 --> 00:31:46,017
but if you meet Jesus and
the Holy Spirit's in you,

646
00:31:46,025 --> 00:31:49,004
you'll want to, out of
grace, not out of guilt,

647
00:31:49,012 --> 00:31:51,075
not because you have to
but because you want to.

648
00:31:51,083 --> 00:31:54,012
Not so that God will love you
but because of Christ

649
00:31:54,021 --> 00:31:56,067
he already has.

650
00:31:56,075 --> 00:31:58,067
Totally different motivation.

651
00:31:58,075 --> 00:32:02,046
And one of the big honors was
once you got accepted to one of

652
00:32:02,054 --> 00:32:05,058
these closed communities, you
and your family got to eat

653
00:32:05,067 --> 00:32:10,042
together with the other families
in the tribe of Pharisees

654
00:32:10,050 --> 00:32:13,025
and sometimes you could even
eat with the scribe.

655
00:32:13,033 --> 00:32:15,067
The scribe would come
into the meal and,

656
00:32:15,075 --> 00:32:20,050
"Here's the holy man.
Here's the holy man.

657
00:32:20,058 --> 00:32:22,079
"He's here with us.

658
00:32:22,088 --> 00:32:26,058
"We're closer to God because
we're under scribe so and so.

659
00:32:26,067 --> 00:32:31,008
"We're closer to God because
we get the real teaching.

660
00:32:31,017 --> 00:32:36,033
As long as we obey his
rules, God's okay with us."

661
00:32:36,042 --> 00:32:40,058
And so you would only eat
in a friendly community way

662
00:32:40,067 --> 00:32:42,096
with the other Pharisees,
not even the Pharisees

663
00:32:43,004 --> 00:32:45,000
in the other schools.

664
00:32:45,008 --> 00:32:47,029
You wouldn't eat with people
from other denominations

665
00:32:47,038 --> 00:32:49,000
or traditions.

666
00:32:49,008 --> 00:32:50,029
They didn't have it quite right.

667
00:32:50,038 --> 00:32:52,079
Their scribe was not
as good as your scribe.

668
00:32:52,088 --> 00:32:55,017
Your scribe was better than
their scribe and there was

669
00:32:55,025 --> 00:32:59,025
religious conflict and
pride and pecking order.

670
00:32:59,033 --> 00:33:02,021
You would eat with your friends
and you would eat with your

671
00:33:02,029 --> 00:33:05,038
community and you would undergo
testing for anywhere from

672
00:33:05,046 --> 00:33:09,017
a month to a year to even be
allowed into the community,

673
00:33:09,025 --> 00:33:11,067
and then you could live near
these people and you could eat

674
00:33:11,075 --> 00:33:14,058
with these people and you could
be friends with these people.

675
00:33:14,067 --> 00:33:17,008
Now your children could
intermarry with these people and

676
00:33:17,017 --> 00:33:21,054
you could keep a pure, spiritual
bloodline and you all could have

677
00:33:21,062 --> 00:33:25,071
the same beliefs, not
just what the Bible said,

678
00:33:25,079 --> 00:33:31,017
that's actually a good idea,
but what your scribe said.

679
00:33:31,025 --> 00:33:33,083
'Cause see, people sometimes
want to go beyond the Bible

680
00:33:33,092 --> 00:33:37,079
thinking that the more they do,
the more holy they become.

681
00:33:37,088 --> 00:33:40,033
The truth is the further you
move away from Scripture,

682
00:33:40,042 --> 00:33:42,071
the more deceived
and demonic you become,

683
00:33:42,079 --> 00:33:46,062
the more religious
you inevitably become.

684
00:33:46,071 --> 00:33:49,000
And so what is Jesus doing here?

685
00:33:49,008 --> 00:33:52,088
Jesus is going to Levi's house.

686
00:33:52,096 --> 00:33:55,050
This is where it's mind blowing
for the religious people.

687
00:33:55,058 --> 00:34:00,021
Jesus is a religious leader,
he's a rabbi, he's a teacher.

688
00:34:00,029 --> 00:34:02,092
They would have considered
him like a scribe.

689
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,088
I mean he's a bit
of a rock star.

690
00:34:04,096 --> 00:34:08,004
He's filling up synagogues all
over the region of Galilee,

691
00:34:08,012 --> 00:34:10,012
people are coming out.

692
00:34:10,021 --> 00:34:15,021
Jesus could have chosen the most
amazing school of Pharisees.

693
00:34:15,029 --> 00:34:17,067
He could have picked
the most wealthy people,

694
00:34:17,075 --> 00:34:21,088
the most ambitious kids,
the highest IQers,

695
00:34:21,096 --> 00:34:23,033
he could have went for them.

696
00:34:23,042 --> 00:34:26,038
He could have opened up
an application process,

697
00:34:26,046 --> 00:34:30,033
assessment process,
down payment, monthly fee,

698
00:34:30,042 --> 00:34:34,004
massive money, never
have to work hard again.

699
00:34:34,012 --> 00:34:36,088
He could have bought a phat
house and a vacation house

700
00:34:36,096 --> 00:34:39,088
and a back-up vacation house.

701
00:34:39,096 --> 00:34:41,067
Everybody wanted
to be on his team.

702
00:34:41,075 --> 00:34:43,088
Some of the scribes and
Pharisees who were coming to

703
00:34:43,096 --> 00:34:47,017
listen to him are wondering,
"Should we join Jesus' team?

704
00:34:47,025 --> 00:34:49,004
"Seems like there's a lot
of money in that one.

705
00:34:49,012 --> 00:34:52,079
"Boy, the marketing campaign
behind that guy would be easy,

706
00:34:52,088 --> 00:34:55,083
"casts out demons,
cures lepers,

707
00:34:55,092 --> 00:35:00,079
preaches with authority
and power, heals the sick."

708
00:35:00,088 --> 00:35:06,025
So Jesus could pick anyone
he wants to be his disciple,

709
00:35:06,033 --> 00:35:09,054
to follow his teaching.

710
00:35:09,062 --> 00:35:15,000
Jesus can go to any house he
wants and have a sacred meal

711
00:35:15,008 --> 00:35:16,079
with anyone he wants.

712
00:35:16,088 --> 00:35:18,067
And who does he pick?

713
00:35:18,075 --> 00:35:21,008
He picks the most
unlikely group.

714
00:35:21,017 --> 00:35:22,075
He picks Levi.

715
00:35:22,083 --> 00:35:24,062
I mean, he picks Levi.

716
00:35:24,071 --> 00:35:25,096
That's unbelievable.

717
00:35:26,004 --> 00:35:29,050
Nobody picked Levi for anything,

718
00:35:29,058 --> 00:35:31,033
and Jesus picks him
to be a disciple.

719
00:35:31,042 --> 00:35:33,038
And Jesus is gonna put
him on a team with Peter, James,

720
00:35:33,046 --> 00:35:35,096
and John and since they're
from the same region,

721
00:35:36,004 --> 00:35:39,012
it's not inconceivable that
these guys didn't even get along

722
00:35:39,021 --> 00:35:41,033
'cause Peter, James, and John
run a fishing business

723
00:35:41,042 --> 00:35:43,083
and Levi is a tax collector.

724
00:35:43,092 --> 00:35:47,008
So these guys are duking it out
all the time and now Jesus

725
00:35:47,017 --> 00:35:49,004
is putting at the core
of his ministry,

726
00:35:49,012 --> 00:35:52,021
some guys who really disagree,
probably already had conflict

727
00:35:52,029 --> 00:35:59,004
and Jesus picks Levi,
the most unlikely person.

728
00:35:59,012 --> 00:36:02,017
Not only does he pick Levi,
he picks him publicly.

729
00:36:02,025 --> 00:36:05,021
He just walks up
to the tax booth.

730
00:36:05,029 --> 00:36:06,067
This is like you go up to
the strip club

731
00:36:06,075 --> 00:36:09,008
and there's the bouncer
out front, you're like,

732
00:36:09,017 --> 00:36:10,062
"You and me, we're doing
ministry."

733
00:36:10,071 --> 00:36:12,075
Seriously, you did that
in front of the line?

734
00:36:12,083 --> 00:36:15,017
Everybody saw that, right,
they got a photo of it

735
00:36:15,025 --> 00:36:17,025
on their iPhone,
now they're twittering it.

736
00:36:17,033 --> 00:36:20,083
What?

737
00:36:20,092 --> 00:36:22,075
Here's what they say,
I love what they say.

738
00:36:22,083 --> 00:36:24,075
The scribes and the Pharisees,

739
00:36:24,083 --> 00:36:26,033
they grumbled,
they're complaining,

740
00:36:26,042 --> 00:36:28,000
"What is this?
We don't like this."

741
00:36:28,008 --> 00:36:29,050
Now, they weren't actually
at the meal

742
00:36:29,058 --> 00:36:31,033
because they would never go
to the meal.

743
00:36:31,042 --> 00:36:32,079
I don't know if they're peering
in through a window

744
00:36:32,088 --> 00:36:34,062
or they're standing down
the street, saying

745
00:36:34,071 --> 00:36:38,062
"What in the world is up with
that house party?

746
00:36:38,071 --> 00:36:40,058
"I see a lot of gals
in clear heels.

747
00:36:40,067 --> 00:36:42,033
"I think that guy's got a joint.

748
00:36:42,042 --> 00:36:44,017
"That guy's packing a nine.

749
00:36:44,025 --> 00:36:46,025
"What?

750
00:36:46,033 --> 00:36:51,038
"Thugs, I see neck tattoos
on the 4-year-old girls,

751
00:36:51,046 --> 00:36:55,012
this is a rough crowd."

752
00:36:55,021 --> 00:36:57,008
They're watching.

753
00:36:57,017 --> 00:36:59,062
They don't understand.

754
00:36:59,071 --> 00:37:02,008
"Why doesn't Jesus
want to eat with us?

755
00:37:02,017 --> 00:37:03,038
"You know what Jesus should do?

756
00:37:03,046 --> 00:37:06,092
"He should put himself under
our scribe and then one day

757
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:11,025
"he could be our scribe when he
gets about oh, 7 years older.

758
00:37:11,033 --> 00:37:15,004
He's too young."

759
00:37:15,012 --> 00:37:17,021
"Why do you eat and drink with
tax collectors and sinners?"

760
00:37:17,029 --> 00:37:20,033
There's a whole bunch of
tax collectors and sinners.

761
00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:22,033
That's a junk-drawer term.

762
00:37:22,042 --> 00:37:26,033
Here's a guy with track
marks down his arm.

763
00:37:26,042 --> 00:37:28,075
You know, here's
the single mom in rehab.

764
00:37:28,083 --> 00:37:33,071
Here's the kid who's pushing
dime bags at the junior high.

765
00:37:33,079 --> 00:37:35,075
What?

766
00:37:35,083 --> 00:37:38,096
Here's the dad who really
likes Hennessy and strippers.

767
00:37:39,004 --> 00:37:40,025
What?

768
00:37:40,033 --> 00:37:44,021
What are these people doing
having dinner with Jesus?

769
00:37:44,029 --> 00:37:47,075
It's amazing, isn't
it, who Jesus picks?

770
00:37:47,083 --> 00:37:49,083
See, this is what's amazing.

771
00:37:49,092 --> 00:37:51,029
Some of us are Christians,
we think,

772
00:37:51,038 --> 00:37:52,058
"God picked me,
I must be special."

773
00:37:52,067 --> 00:37:54,071
No, no, no, God's special.

774
00:37:54,079 --> 00:37:56,054
You're "special" in
a different way.

775
00:37:56,062 --> 00:38:00,008
Oh, you're very "special," but
not in the way you think.

776
00:38:00,017 --> 00:38:03,079
That's why as Christians, we're
told that God chose the lowly,

777
00:38:03,088 --> 00:38:06,029
the weak, the despised,
the things that are not

778
00:38:06,038 --> 00:38:09,008
to shame the things that are.

779
00:38:09,017 --> 00:38:14,033
See, God picks nobodies
and he loves them.

780
00:38:14,042 --> 00:38:17,008
That's my story,
that's your story.

781
00:38:17,017 --> 00:38:18,083
And see, religious
people don't get that.

782
00:38:18,092 --> 00:38:20,025
They're like,
"What in the world?

783
00:38:20,033 --> 00:38:23,062
How in the world could
God love these people?"

784
00:38:23,071 --> 00:38:25,025
That's just the way God is.

785
00:38:25,033 --> 00:38:27,046
See, God's love is
a pure free grace.

786
00:38:27,054 --> 00:38:29,088
God doesn't look at us
and find us to be lovely.

787
00:38:29,096 --> 00:38:33,092
God looks at us and loves
us until we become lovely.

788
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,012
That's how God works.

789
00:38:35,021 --> 00:38:38,046
It's antithetical to religion.

790
00:38:38,054 --> 00:38:41,017
Now, they are grumbling.

791
00:38:41,025 --> 00:38:43,050
They are slandering.

792
00:38:43,058 --> 00:38:45,062
They are frustrated.

793
00:38:45,071 --> 00:38:49,088
"How could he possibly do this?

794
00:38:49,096 --> 00:38:55,008
Religious people are not
supposed to eat with sinners."

795
00:38:55,017 --> 00:38:59,083
You notice what they say,
"He eats and drinks with them."

796
00:38:59,092 --> 00:39:01,071
You could still get in
a lot of trouble for that.

797
00:39:01,079 --> 00:39:03,075
Am I encouraging
gluttony and drunkenness?

798
00:39:03,083 --> 00:39:06,000
No.

799
00:39:06,008 --> 00:39:09,004
Is Jesus accused of
gluttony and drunkenness?

800
00:39:09,012 --> 00:39:10,067
Yes.

801
00:39:10,075 --> 00:39:12,088
He's accused falsely, wrongly.

802
00:39:12,096 --> 00:39:15,012
Jesus didn't overeat and
Jesus didn't overdrink,

803
00:39:15,021 --> 00:39:18,046
but he did eat and drink.

804
00:39:18,054 --> 00:39:21,058
And Jesus was not sinning.

805
00:39:21,067 --> 00:39:23,033
He was being a good missionary.

806
00:39:23,042 --> 00:39:26,004
Now, I need to thread
the needle on this

807
00:39:26,012 --> 00:39:28,029
when it comes to alcohol.

808
00:39:28,038 --> 00:39:31,083
Underage drinking is a sin
because Romans 13 says,

809
00:39:31,092 --> 00:39:33,033
"Obey the government."

810
00:39:33,042 --> 00:39:34,075
So don't drink if
you're under age.

811
00:39:34,083 --> 00:39:36,025
Don't drink and drive.

812
00:39:36,033 --> 00:39:37,042
Don't sell alcohol to a minor.

813
00:39:37,050 --> 00:39:40,000
Don't break any of the laws;
obey the law.

814
00:39:40,008 --> 00:39:42,033
Don't become addicted to it.

815
00:39:42,042 --> 00:39:44,021
Don't be mastered by anything.

816
00:39:44,029 --> 00:39:45,038
Don't get drunk.

817
00:39:45,046 --> 00:39:48,038
Paul says to the Ephesians,
"Don't get drunk,

818
00:39:48,046 --> 00:39:49,092
be filled with the Holy Spirit."

819
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,071
You want to be under
the control of something,

820
00:39:52,079 --> 00:39:55,029
don't make it alcohol,
make it the Holy Spirit.

821
00:39:55,038 --> 00:39:57,042
Let the Holy Spirit fill you.

822
00:39:57,050 --> 00:40:00,067
Don't cause others to stumble.

823
00:40:00,075 --> 00:40:02,075
If you're having a meal with
someone whose conscience

824
00:40:02,083 --> 00:40:04,092
doesn't permit them
to drink alcohol,

825
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,079
don't have a glass of wine
with dinner.

826
00:40:07,088 --> 00:40:10,017
Don't.

827
00:40:10,025 --> 00:40:12,008
If you have a community group
and someone who's

828
00:40:12,017 --> 00:40:15,088
a recovering alcoholic shows
up, don't invite them out

829
00:40:15,096 --> 00:40:18,021
for a beer and chicken wings.

830
00:40:18,029 --> 00:40:21,012
Don't have a glass of
wine with your meal.

831
00:40:21,021 --> 00:40:23,079
It's better to love people who
are struggling than it is to

832
00:40:23,088 --> 00:40:25,071
exercise your freedom in Christ.

833
00:40:25,079 --> 00:40:28,046
Religious people want to take
away your freedom in Christ.

834
00:40:28,054 --> 00:40:31,000
You should keep it but
occasionally you should

835
00:40:31,008 --> 00:40:35,012
give it away, say, "I'm free in
Christ to do this or that

836
00:40:35,021 --> 00:40:38,004
"but because I love you and
this is difficult for you,

837
00:40:38,012 --> 00:40:40,046
"I'm going to give up that
freedom because you're

838
00:40:40,054 --> 00:40:42,071
more important than my freedom."

839
00:40:42,079 --> 00:40:45,017
Fellowship is more
important than freedom.

840
00:40:45,025 --> 00:40:48,012
Freedom is important, but
fellowship is more important

841
00:40:48,021 --> 00:40:53,083
because Christ died for
people, not just ideas.

842
00:40:53,092 --> 00:40:58,062
That being said, it's not
a sin to have a glass of wine.

843
00:40:58,071 --> 00:40:59,096
I would tell you from
a health perspective,

844
00:41:00,004 --> 00:41:03,004
don't be a habitual drinker,
don't be hitting a lot of

845
00:41:03,012 --> 00:41:04,079
hard alcohol and blow out
your liver.

846
00:41:04,088 --> 00:41:06,012
Don't be a fool.

847
00:41:06,021 --> 00:41:11,029
Don't use your freedom in Christ
to harm yourself or others.

848
00:41:11,038 --> 00:41:16,000
But what Jesus does, he goes to
a party hosted by Levi with

849
00:41:16,008 --> 00:41:20,000
a really crazy-looking cast
of characters that honestly,

850
00:41:20,008 --> 00:41:22,096
if somebody took a photo of him
at that moment and put it on

851
00:41:23,004 --> 00:41:25,021
the wrong blog or website or
sent it out to the wrong

852
00:41:25,029 --> 00:41:29,071
media outlet, the Christian
world would go bananas.

853
00:41:29,079 --> 00:41:33,008
"This is Jesus.
Scandalous!

854
00:41:33,017 --> 00:41:34,088
"Look at the people
he's spending time with.

855
00:41:34,096 --> 00:41:36,008
"And what is that in his hand?

856
00:41:36,017 --> 00:41:39,054
"He has a glass of wine
and he has something to eat.

857
00:41:39,062 --> 00:41:41,058
"Oh, no.

858
00:41:41,067 --> 00:41:44,012
"Thankfully the scribes took
a photo and the Pharisees

859
00:41:44,021 --> 00:41:46,012
got the word out."

860
00:41:46,021 --> 00:41:48,000
But he's not sinning.

861
00:41:48,008 --> 00:41:49,029
He's not sinning.

862
00:41:49,038 --> 00:41:50,079
You need to thread
the needle on it.

863
00:41:50,088 --> 00:41:52,029
This is what missionaries do.

864
00:41:52,038 --> 00:41:53,050
They thread the needle.

865
00:41:53,058 --> 00:41:55,096
They're in the culture,
but they're not in sin.

866
00:41:56,004 --> 00:41:59,054
They're with sinners,
but not sinning with them.

867
00:41:59,062 --> 00:42:01,000
This is what Jesus does.

868
00:42:01,008 --> 00:42:04,042
Jesus goes on to say, "Those
who are well have no need of

869
00:42:04,050 --> 00:42:06,004
"a physician, but
those who are sick.

870
00:42:06,012 --> 00:42:07,062
"I have not come to call
the righteous

871
00:42:07,071 --> 00:42:09,092
but sinners to repentance."

872
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:14,021
He's being sarcastic, ironic
here because the religious

873
00:42:14,029 --> 00:42:17,017
people are like, "Why are
you with the sinners?"

874
00:42:17,025 --> 00:42:19,000
They don't think
that they're sinners.

875
00:42:19,008 --> 00:42:21,054
See, religious people don't see
that religion's among

876
00:42:21,062 --> 00:42:25,083
the worst sins of all.

877
00:42:25,092 --> 00:42:27,067
And what Jesus says
is, "You know what?

878
00:42:27,075 --> 00:42:29,000
These people are sinners."

879
00:42:29,008 --> 00:42:30,046
He doesn't even argue.

880
00:42:30,054 --> 00:42:33,054
He doesn't say, "Well, you know,
yeah, he's drunk but, you know,

881
00:42:33,062 --> 00:42:34,092
he's had a hard life."

882
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:36,021
Or, "Yeah, she's living with
her boyfriend, but, you know,

883
00:42:36,029 --> 00:42:38,038
"her dad, you know, abandoned
her when she was little

884
00:42:38,046 --> 00:42:41,004
and she's got this big hole
in her heart for guys."

885
00:42:41,012 --> 00:42:43,096
And, "Yeah, so and so,
you know they, yeah,

886
00:42:44,004 --> 00:42:45,088
"they got some anger issues but
you know they've really had

887
00:42:45,096 --> 00:42:48,017
"a rough go of it and they grew
up in a rough neighborhood so

888
00:42:48,025 --> 00:42:50,000
sometimes they just lose it."

889
00:42:50,008 --> 00:42:52,012
He doesn't excuse people's sin.

890
00:42:52,021 --> 00:42:54,033
He doesn't blame
others for their sin.

891
00:42:54,042 --> 00:42:55,075
He doesn't deny their sin.

892
00:42:55,083 --> 00:42:57,017
He doesn't minimize their sin.

893
00:42:57,025 --> 00:42:59,017
He looks at the Pharisees and
says, "You say they're sinners.

894
00:42:59,025 --> 00:43:00,083
"You know what?
I agree with you.

895
00:43:00,092 --> 00:43:04,025
"These people have a lot
of sin in their life.

896
00:43:04,033 --> 00:43:06,025
"The question is, what
are we gonna do about it?

897
00:43:06,033 --> 00:43:08,050
"Are we gonna create
nice little holy huddles,

898
00:43:08,058 --> 00:43:11,017
"churches just for Christians,
Bible studies

899
00:43:11,025 --> 00:43:13,096
"just for Christians,
life just for Christians,

900
00:43:14,004 --> 00:43:17,017
"events just for Christians,
or are we gonna go to them,

901
00:43:17,025 --> 00:43:20,004
"not expect them to come to us,
we go to them like I went to

902
00:43:20,012 --> 00:43:22,058
"Levi and I go to the party,
love them, serve them,

903
00:43:22,067 --> 00:43:24,071
"help them because
here's the deal.

904
00:43:24,079 --> 00:43:27,058
Yeah, they're sick,
but yeah, I'm doctor."

905
00:43:27,067 --> 00:43:30,083
That's what Jesus says
and that's an amazing analogy.

906
00:43:30,092 --> 00:43:34,050
"Those who are well have
no need of a physician,

907
00:43:34,058 --> 00:43:38,004
but those who are sick."

908
00:43:38,012 --> 00:43:40,004
See, if you looked at a doctor
and he was surrounded with

909
00:43:40,012 --> 00:43:42,008
sick people, you wouldn't say,
"What a horrible doctor."

910
00:43:42,017 --> 00:43:43,046
You'd say, "Well,
that's a good doctor.

911
00:43:43,054 --> 00:43:45,004
That's what doctors do."

912
00:43:45,012 --> 00:43:48,033
They hang out with sick people
to make them better.

913
00:43:48,042 --> 00:43:50,029
Jesus is the great physician.

914
00:43:50,038 --> 00:43:54,062
He hangs out with sick sinners
to make us saved and better.

915
00:43:54,071 --> 00:43:56,017
That's what he does.

916
00:43:56,025 --> 00:44:00,096
He forgives sin and he changes
lives, that's what Jesus does.

917
00:44:01,004 --> 00:44:03,046
And the religious people
sadly need him as well,

918
00:44:03,054 --> 00:44:04,071
but they don't see it.

919
00:44:04,079 --> 00:44:07,004
The truth is we're all
sinners by nature and choice.

920
00:44:07,012 --> 00:44:08,062
We're all sick with sin.

921
00:44:08,071 --> 00:44:12,021
We all need the great physician
and we can't just look at

922
00:44:12,029 --> 00:44:14,071
the sin in other people's lives
like the religious people do

923
00:44:14,079 --> 00:44:17,008
and say,
"There's all the sick people,

924
00:44:17,017 --> 00:44:18,075
we need to quarantine
ourselves."

925
00:44:18,083 --> 00:44:22,029
We need to say, "I'm also
sick maybe in a different way.

926
00:44:22,038 --> 00:44:23,038
"They're addicted to alcohol.

927
00:44:23,046 --> 00:44:27,008
"I'm addicted to
self-righteousness.

928
00:44:27,017 --> 00:44:28,054
"They're addicted to
pornography.

929
00:44:28,062 --> 00:44:31,046
"I'm addicted to judging
everyone and sitting in

930
00:44:31,054 --> 00:44:34,092
"the little seat as divinity
declaring who's in and out

931
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:41,021
of the kingdom of God and
apart from the grace of God."

932
00:44:41,029 --> 00:44:44,071
The truth is
we're all sick.

933
00:44:44,079 --> 00:44:48,050
You're a sinner and at least
these people who are with Jesus,

934
00:44:48,058 --> 00:44:51,000
they know it.

935
00:44:51,008 --> 00:44:53,067
That's a good place to start.

936
00:44:53,075 --> 00:44:58,004
Religious people
struggle with that.

937
00:44:58,012 --> 00:45:00,025
They struggle to see
their religion as sin.

938
00:45:00,033 --> 00:45:02,021
Their rule-making,
their rule-keeping,

939
00:45:02,029 --> 00:45:07,029
their zealous devotion to
a teacher, an author, a team,

940
00:45:07,038 --> 00:45:13,025
a tribe that's not in
the Bible as a sin.

941
00:45:13,033 --> 00:45:19,021
Now, what Jesus says is
we all need to repent.

942
00:45:19,029 --> 00:45:21,050
Repent, repent, repent.

943
00:45:21,058 --> 00:45:24,004
All right, Martin Luther nails
the 95 Theses that launched

944
00:45:24,012 --> 00:45:27,079
the Protestant Reformation
on the Wittenberg door.

945
00:45:27,088 --> 00:45:29,004
He starts with this line:

946
00:45:29,012 --> 00:45:32,017
"All of a Christian's life
is one of repentance."

947
00:45:32,025 --> 00:45:34,012
Repent, repent, repent.

948
00:45:34,021 --> 00:45:35,075
Where am I wrong?
Where am I sinful?

949
00:45:35,083 --> 00:45:37,000
Where am I off?

950
00:45:37,008 --> 00:45:38,029
Jesus, where am I
not following you?

951
00:45:38,038 --> 00:45:39,083
Where am I not obeying you?

952
00:45:39,092 --> 00:45:42,075
Where am I not honoring you
in that position of scribe?

953
00:45:42,083 --> 00:45:44,046
See, Jesus is our scribe.

954
00:45:44,054 --> 00:45:49,067
He's in the highest
position of authority.

955
00:45:49,075 --> 00:45:51,067
Repent, repent, repent.

956
00:45:51,075 --> 00:45:53,000
It's a change of mind.

957
00:45:53,008 --> 00:45:54,050
Jesus, you're right, I'm wrong.

958
00:45:54,058 --> 00:45:58,017
Scripture you're right,
I'm wrong.

959
00:45:58,025 --> 00:45:59,096
Repent, repent, repent.

960
00:46:00,004 --> 00:46:01,054
Is there hope for the sinners?

961
00:46:01,062 --> 00:46:03,008
Yeah, you see Levi gets saved.

962
00:46:03,017 --> 00:46:04,042
He goes right into ministry.

963
00:46:04,050 --> 00:46:05,067
There's hope for all
of these sinners.

964
00:46:05,075 --> 00:46:07,050
Is there hope for
the religious people?

965
00:46:07,058 --> 00:46:08,088
There actually is.

966
00:46:08,096 --> 00:46:12,004
There's a story in the Bible
of a Pharisee who gets saved.

967
00:46:12,012 --> 00:46:13,054
His name's Saul.

968
00:46:13,062 --> 00:46:14,079
You may know him as Paul.

969
00:46:14,088 --> 00:46:17,071
He changed so much that
God changed his name.

970
00:46:17,079 --> 00:46:19,004
He's a guy who was murdering
Christians like

971
00:46:19,012 --> 00:46:21,021
the early church
deacon Stephen.

972
00:46:21,029 --> 00:46:23,058
He tells us in
his testimony, Philippians 3,

973
00:46:23,067 --> 00:46:26,092
"I was a Pharisee.
I was devoted."

974
00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:29,046
But he was wrong.

975
00:46:29,054 --> 00:46:31,079
And as he grows in
relationship with Jesus,

976
00:46:31,088 --> 00:46:33,038
he's nearing
the end of his life.

977
00:46:33,046 --> 00:46:36,092
Two of the last letters of
the Bible that he penned were

978
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:38,067
1 and 2 Timothy.

979
00:46:38,075 --> 00:46:41,096
You'd think after walking with
Jesus faithfully as a Christian,

980
00:46:42,004 --> 00:46:44,038
actually writing books of
the Bible by the inspiration of

981
00:46:44,046 --> 00:46:48,025
the Holy Spirit that maybe at
the end Paul would say,

982
00:46:48,033 --> 00:46:50,079
"By the grace of God,
I am no longer a sinner.

983
00:46:50,088 --> 00:46:53,017
I don't have to repent anymore."

984
00:46:53,025 --> 00:46:55,088
Instead this is what he
tells his friend, Timothy.

985
00:46:55,096 --> 00:46:58,038
1 Timothy 1:15, "Christ Jesus
came into the world

986
00:46:58,046 --> 00:47:02,096
to save sinners, of whom I
am the foremost."

987
00:47:03,004 --> 00:47:05,029
The closer you get to Jesus,
the longer you follow Jesus,

988
00:47:05,038 --> 00:47:08,067
the more you realize
that you're not like him,

989
00:47:08,075 --> 00:47:12,075
that you're a sinner and you're
sick and you're selfish

990
00:47:12,083 --> 00:47:16,042
and that you need Jesus to be
the great physician.

991
00:47:16,050 --> 00:47:18,054
You can't heal yourself.

992
00:47:18,062 --> 00:47:20,038
I'll close with a few stories
from community groups.

993
00:47:20,046 --> 00:47:21,062
I thought this would be fun.

994
00:47:21,071 --> 00:47:23,012
I asked some of our community
group leaders, "Tell me

995
00:47:23,021 --> 00:47:25,054
some of the crazy stories
from your community groups."

996
00:47:25,062 --> 00:47:31,000
I want you to be in a community
group, so you sign up today.

997
00:47:31,008 --> 00:47:34,096
Anna says, "I told my children
to invite a friend of my kids to

998
00:47:35,004 --> 00:47:37,067
"Bible study and in this study,
everybody took turns

999
00:47:37,075 --> 00:47:39,038
reading a Bible verse."

1000
00:47:39,046 --> 00:47:40,092
That's weird:
"Everybody read."

1001
00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,075
The non-Christian's like
"I don't know these words."

1002
00:47:43,083 --> 00:47:46,033
"This person was very nervous
about reading big words she had

1003
00:47:46,042 --> 00:47:49,083
"never seen from the Bible and
when it was her turn to read,

1004
00:47:49,092 --> 00:47:54,042
she said genitals
instead of gentiles."

1005
00:47:54,050 --> 00:47:57,042
That's awesome.

1006
00:47:57,050 --> 00:47:59,017
That's funny.

1007
00:47:59,025 --> 00:48:00,042
This is what happens
at community group,

1008
00:48:00,050 --> 00:48:02,008
people come in and they don't
know the difference between

1009
00:48:02,017 --> 00:48:04,058
gentiles and the other "G" word.

1010
00:48:04,067 --> 00:48:05,088
Jeremy says,
"A hyper, talkative,

1011
00:48:05,096 --> 00:48:08,067
"young dude joined our community
group over a month ago

1012
00:48:08,075 --> 00:48:11,096
"and drove me nuts with his
intense and immature personality

1013
00:48:12,004 --> 00:48:13,021
"and monologuing.

1014
00:48:13,029 --> 00:48:15,038
"He reminded me
too much of myself.

1015
00:48:15,046 --> 00:48:18,054
"Well, he got picked up by
the cops for a past crime--"

1016
00:48:18,062 --> 00:48:21,092
Yes, "Two weeks ago so now
I get to learn about

1017
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:24,046
visiting people in jail."

1018
00:48:24,054 --> 00:48:27,017
Amen.

1019
00:48:27,025 --> 00:48:28,088
Give you a few more.

1020
00:48:28,096 --> 00:48:30,092
Stacey says, "When I moved to
Seattle, I came to Mars Hill.

1021
00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:35,012
"For me, it was quite
a potent dose of culture shock.

1022
00:48:35,021 --> 00:48:37,038
"Between my own religious
Pharisee-like tendencies

1023
00:48:37,046 --> 00:48:39,088
"and my coming straight
from a very active,

1024
00:48:39,096 --> 00:48:43,067
"conservative southern Baptist
church"--we love them,

1025
00:48:43,075 --> 00:48:46,029
"I really did not know what
to make of Mars Hill

1026
00:48:46,038 --> 00:48:47,067
when I got here."

1027
00:48:47,075 --> 00:48:48,092
We understand.

1028
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:50,067
"As I met people and got
involved in community group,

1029
00:48:50,075 --> 00:48:52,017
"I was really confused.

1030
00:48:52,025 --> 00:48:54,033
"My thought was well,
they say they're Christian

1031
00:48:54,042 --> 00:48:58,000
"but they watch TV, dress
fashionably, say naughty words,

1032
00:48:58,008 --> 00:49:00,054
"sometimes dress
less than modestly,

1033
00:49:00,062 --> 00:49:03,067
display affection with
boyfriends and girlfriends."

1034
00:49:03,075 --> 00:49:05,079
Just so you know, not everybody
at Mars Hill's a Christian,

1035
00:49:05,088 --> 00:49:08,021
not everybody at Mars Hill
claims to be a Christian, and

1036
00:49:08,029 --> 00:49:11,042
some of the people in Mars Hill
are very brand-new Christians.

1037
00:49:11,050 --> 00:49:13,033
"My black-and-white mindset
had a difficult time

1038
00:49:13,042 --> 00:49:14,083
"wrapping around it.

1039
00:49:14,092 --> 00:49:17,021
"No longer could I place
everyone in a hierarchy as being

1040
00:49:17,029 --> 00:49:20,062
"either more or less spiritually
mature than I.

1041
00:49:20,071 --> 00:49:22,046
"People were simply at
different places with their

1042
00:49:22,054 --> 00:49:25,029
"walks in Christ, some were
strong, others were weak.

1043
00:49:25,038 --> 00:49:30,025
"There was no personal model of
who a religious person was to be

1044
00:49:30,033 --> 00:49:31,092
"other than Jesus.

1045
00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:35,021
"I learned that I cannot judge
and categorize people quickly

1046
00:49:35,029 --> 00:49:37,075
"but rather it takes some
time getting to know people,

1047
00:49:37,083 --> 00:49:39,071
"to see them through
the lens of the gospel,

1048
00:49:39,079 --> 00:49:42,017
"to appreciate their strengths
and learn how to support them

1049
00:49:42,025 --> 00:49:44,029
"in their weakness.

1050
00:49:44,038 --> 00:49:46,075
"It has also led me one by one
to take my judgments before God

1051
00:49:46,083 --> 00:49:49,046
"in prayer, wrestling with
them, repenting of them and

1052
00:49:49,054 --> 00:49:52,071
"re-evaluating them in order to
discern the voice of wisdom

1053
00:49:52,079 --> 00:49:54,017
versus the voice of religion."

1054
00:49:54,025 --> 00:49:57,071
Judge people by where they've
come from, not where they're at.

1055
00:49:57,079 --> 00:50:01,067
Some people you may not consider
mature until you see

1056
00:50:01,075 --> 00:50:07,017
how much ground they have
covered following Jesus.

1057
00:50:07,025 --> 00:50:13,033
How about this one--there's
a lot of good ones.

1058
00:50:13,042 --> 00:50:15,008
Find another one.

1059
00:50:15,017 --> 00:50:16,083
Some of these are very long.

1060
00:50:16,092 --> 00:50:18,062
Miriam says, "I used attend
a community group that was

1061
00:50:18,071 --> 00:50:19,096
"really close to where I live.

1062
00:50:20,004 --> 00:50:22,017
"I attended more out of
convenience than anything else

1063
00:50:22,025 --> 00:50:24,004
"because I felt
pressured into it.

1064
00:50:24,012 --> 00:50:26,062
"I disliked going, not because
the girls were bad or anything,

1065
00:50:26,071 --> 00:50:28,071
"but I just wasn't
getting much out of it.

1066
00:50:28,079 --> 00:50:31,058
"One night all of us girls were
sitting around talking about

1067
00:50:31,067 --> 00:50:33,004
"whatever girls talk about.

1068
00:50:33,012 --> 00:50:34,029
"I wasn't paying attention.

1069
00:50:34,038 --> 00:50:36,088
"Then in the middle of
a fairly benign conversation,

1070
00:50:36,096 --> 00:50:39,038
"one of the girls who was
brand-new to the community group

1071
00:50:39,046 --> 00:50:41,092
"said, 'Well, I'm just going
to share my testimony.'"

1072
00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:43,017
This will happen.

1073
00:50:43,025 --> 00:50:44,079
People will just tell
you their life story.

1074
00:50:44,088 --> 00:50:46,096
"'When I was younger, I was
molested by my stepfather

1075
00:50:47,004 --> 00:50:51,012
"'and my last two boyfriends
almost raped me.'

1076
00:50:51,021 --> 00:50:52,092
"Immediately my heart
jumped into my throat.

1077
00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:55,054
"My heart broke for this
girl but at the same time,

1078
00:50:55,062 --> 00:50:59,033
"I was so incredibly
uncomfortable with the depth of

1079
00:50:59,042 --> 00:51:02,058
"the information she had
just shared so flippantly,

1080
00:51:02,067 --> 00:51:05,038
"I couldn't remember her
name or how old she was,

1081
00:51:05,046 --> 00:51:08,054
"yet I knew this deep, dark,
not so secret, secret.

1082
00:51:08,062 --> 00:51:11,008
It blew my mind."

1083
00:51:11,017 --> 00:51:13,008
Welcome to community.

1084
00:51:13,017 --> 00:51:14,042
"Luckily my community group
leader is much better at

1085
00:51:14,050 --> 00:51:18,038
"handling those sorts of
situations and she eased into

1086
00:51:18,046 --> 00:51:21,083
"this new abrupt topic of
conversation with ease.

1087
00:51:21,092 --> 00:51:25,029
"I kept checking the time on my
phone and finally left awkwardly

1088
00:51:25,038 --> 00:51:27,050
"15 minutes later.

1089
00:51:27,058 --> 00:51:30,042
"I regret how I treated
her in that situation.

1090
00:51:30,050 --> 00:51:33,000
"I shouldn't have let myself be
so shocked at this girl's story

1091
00:51:33,008 --> 00:51:35,046
"and how blunt she
was in sharing it.

1092
00:51:35,054 --> 00:51:38,000
"I was in a community group that
catered to the Seattle area

1093
00:51:38,008 --> 00:51:39,054
"and its broken people.

1094
00:51:39,062 --> 00:51:43,021
"Because of her life in Jesus,
she has no reason to feel shame

1095
00:51:43,029 --> 00:51:45,083
"for what has been done to
her and I wish at that time,

1096
00:51:45,092 --> 00:51:49,058
I could have loved her
and opened my arms to her."

1097
00:51:49,067 --> 00:51:52,025
You will.

1098
00:51:52,033 --> 00:51:57,012
I love this one: "We started a
community group sometime back

1099
00:51:57,021 --> 00:52:00,075
"that had a couple of
saved drug dealers.

1100
00:52:00,083 --> 00:52:02,062
"That made for some
interesting conversations

1101
00:52:02,071 --> 00:52:04,062
"on how Jesus saves.

1102
00:52:04,071 --> 00:52:08,004
"Within 3 weeks, we had
17 people driving in, many,

1103
00:52:08,012 --> 00:52:10,067
"many miles and we're talking
about the greatness of Jesus

1104
00:52:10,075 --> 00:52:13,075
"and the urgency of acting on
his grace and his word.

1105
00:52:13,083 --> 00:52:16,012
"Somehow we entered their past
experiences and how they were

1106
00:52:16,021 --> 00:52:18,071
"saved and as it turned out,
they started comparing their

1107
00:52:18,079 --> 00:52:23,017
"'My prison story tops your
prison story' conversation.

1108
00:52:23,025 --> 00:52:25,083
"There was so much laughter
and drawing together in Jesus

1109
00:52:25,092 --> 00:52:28,033
"and a very cool
camaraderie entailed

1110
00:52:28,042 --> 00:52:29,054
"as we went
deep into the night.

1111
00:52:29,062 --> 00:52:33,000
No one wanted to leave."

1112
00:52:33,008 --> 00:52:34,096
Others go on and on and on.

1113
00:52:35,004 --> 00:52:38,000
We could do this for
the rest of our lives.

1114
00:52:38,008 --> 00:52:40,054
We could do this for
the rest of our lives.

1115
00:52:40,062 --> 00:52:42,033
I'll give you one more.

1116
00:52:42,042 --> 00:52:44,004
It's about a couple
who was very religious,

1117
00:52:44,012 --> 00:52:47,062
showed up in suits and business
suits ready to criticize.

1118
00:52:47,071 --> 00:52:49,096
They joined a community group
and who shows up at

1119
00:52:50,004 --> 00:52:51,038
their community group?

1120
00:52:51,046 --> 00:52:54,033
A gal with an enormous mohawk.

1121
00:52:54,042 --> 00:52:55,092
What do they do?

1122
00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,071
Immediately realize that
she's new to Christ,

1123
00:52:58,079 --> 00:53:03,025
so much so that she not only
wanted to go to community group.

1124
00:53:03,033 --> 00:53:05,096
That she walked, walked,
yeah, I said walked,

1125
00:53:06,004 --> 00:53:08,075
over an hour to get there.

1126
00:53:08,083 --> 00:53:11,062
And these formerly religious,
judgmental people who looked at

1127
00:53:11,071 --> 00:53:14,079
the outside but didn't know
the heart like Jesus does,

1128
00:53:14,088 --> 00:53:16,067
they had a breaking and
they said, "You know what?

1129
00:53:16,075 --> 00:53:17,092
"She's a new Christian.

1130
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:19,017
"She's a sister.

1131
00:53:19,025 --> 00:53:20,025
"She loves Jesus.

1132
00:53:20,033 --> 00:53:22,096
"The 6-inch mohawk is sort of
cool even though we're not and

1133
00:53:23,004 --> 00:53:26,008
"rather than her walking an hour
each way to community group,

1134
00:53:26,017 --> 00:53:27,075
we'll go pick her up."

1135
00:53:27,083 --> 00:53:33,004
Here's the bottom line,
I'll close with this.

1136
00:53:33,012 --> 00:53:37,058
"To the gals in clear heels,
to the guys in clear heels,

1137
00:53:37,067 --> 00:53:39,054
"to the drunks, the addicts,
the perverts, the victims,

1138
00:53:39,062 --> 00:53:43,004
"the porn stars,
the prostitutes, the adulterers,

1139
00:53:43,012 --> 00:53:46,062
"the thieves, the obese gluttons
who think that a waist is

1140
00:53:46,071 --> 00:53:49,046
"a terrible thing to mind,
the 'Twilight' fans,

1141
00:53:49,054 --> 00:53:52,050
"the murderers, the mama's boys,
the losers, the freaks,

1142
00:53:52,058 --> 00:53:55,029
"the geeks, people who think
wrestling is real,

1143
00:53:55,038 --> 00:54:00,021
"red necks, guys who own action
figures, chain smokers,

1144
00:54:00,029 --> 00:54:03,021
"everyone who does not use
a turn signal while texting

1145
00:54:03,029 --> 00:54:06,083
"and talking on the phone
in their car,

1146
00:54:06,092 --> 00:54:08,038
"men who live with their mother,

1147
00:54:08,046 --> 00:54:12,067
"women who get paid in
$1 bills, dudes in dresses--"

1148
00:54:12,075 --> 00:54:15,012
seen it at Mars Hill,
"Democrats, Republicans,

1149
00:54:15,021 --> 00:54:18,000
"the guys at the gym who walk
around the locker room naked

1150
00:54:18,008 --> 00:54:20,062
"singing Bon Jovi's
'Living on a Prayer,'

1151
00:54:20,071 --> 00:54:24,021
"Mormons and anyone else who
wears sacred underbritches,

1152
00:54:24,029 --> 00:54:28,029
"whoever is responsible for the
creation and ongoing sale of

1153
00:54:28,038 --> 00:54:33,008
"men's Lycra biking shorts,
guild leaders, yoga instructors,

1154
00:54:33,017 --> 00:54:35,096
"witches, pot heads,
meat heads, crack heads,

1155
00:54:36,004 --> 00:54:39,021
"deadheads and meth
heads, trekkies,

1156
00:54:39,029 --> 00:54:43,050
"people who don't recycle, the
rainbow-loving, tree-hugging,

1157
00:54:43,058 --> 00:54:47,067
"Prius-driving leftist, and
religious people who do not know

1158
00:54:47,075 --> 00:54:50,058
"what I am talking about because
these subjects were not on

1159
00:54:50,067 --> 00:54:53,025
"'Little House on the Prairie'
or covered in their

1160
00:54:53,033 --> 00:54:56,029
"home school co-op, I have
good news for you."

1161
00:54:56,038 --> 00:54:57,071
You're welcome at Mars Hill.

1162
00:54:57,079 --> 00:54:59,062
Jesus loves you.

1163
00:54:59,071 --> 00:55:03,083
You'll fit right in and because
he died for all your sins,

1164
00:55:03,092 --> 00:55:05,062
you get to repent.

1165
00:55:05,071 --> 00:55:06,088
I'll pray.

1166
00:55:06,096 --> 00:55:10,008
Father God, thank you for the
resurrection of Jesus that

1167
00:55:10,017 --> 00:55:12,054
brings new life.

1168
00:55:12,062 --> 00:55:16,000
Thank you, Jesus, for being the
great physician who comes to

1169
00:55:16,008 --> 00:55:20,029
hang out with sick
sinners like us.

1170
00:55:20,038 --> 00:55:24,025
Jesus, I pray that Mars Hill
would always be a church with

1171
00:55:24,033 --> 00:55:30,021
doors and arms wide open to
welcome anyone and everyone.

1172
00:55:30,029 --> 00:55:32,075
I pray our homes would be open.

1173
00:55:32,083 --> 00:55:35,012
I pray that our
lives would be open.

1174
00:55:35,021 --> 00:55:38,042
I pray that our
schedules would be open.

1175
00:55:38,050 --> 00:55:42,054
I pray that our budgets would
be open, so that we could
welcome

1176
00:55:42,062 --> 00:55:45,092
the people that you welcome
and that they could be changed

1177
00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:48,004
and that by being in
community with them,

1178
00:55:48,012 --> 00:55:53,058
we might be changed and saved
from our own proclivity to

1179
00:55:53,067 --> 00:55:57,025
religiosity and we ask for
this grace, Lord Jesus,

1180
00:55:57,033 --> 00:55:59,000
in your good name, Amen.