WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.960 Yes, you may be seated. 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:11.339 Welcome again. 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:14.640 So glad to see all of us here and so excited for today. 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:17.359 We're going to have a really full day today. 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:21.500 As I said at the beginning of the service, a little bit later on, you'll hear more details 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:24.820 about what we're going to be doing all afternoon, and I hope everybody can come. 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:27.900 Even if you're here for the first time and have no idea what I'm talking about, you're 00:00:27.900 --> 00:00:28.199 welcome. 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:28.839 Please come. 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:29.640 Please join us. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.179 It's going to be awesome. 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:38.019 But right now, what we're doing is we are coming back into a series that we started a few weeks 00:00:38.019 --> 00:00:38.259 ago. 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:44.179 This is the fourth and final week that we're taking to look at the DNA of our church to 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:50.719 remind ourselves why we're here, why we started the church 14 years ago, what we feel that 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:55.219 God has called us to be and to do here in the DMV area. 00:00:55.219 --> 00:01:00.259 And so periodically, it's very important for churches to do this, especially when we've 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:04.939 gone through so much tremendous change, which we've experienced over the last couple of 00:01:04.939 --> 00:01:05.239 years. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:11.000 So what I want to do this week is to pull together some of the threads that we've laid out over 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:11.900 the past three weeks. 00:01:12.019 --> 00:01:13.900 This is sort of going to draw everything together. 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:21.640 One of the ways that I think we can think about the purpose of our church and really any church 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:26.520 is that we're here to help people live life in three dimensions. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:31.179 We're here to help people live three-dimensional lives. 00:01:31.819 --> 00:01:35.000 And we're going to talk more about what I mean by that. 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:40.280 But if you are here and you're a seasoned Christian, you've been a believer for a long time, 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:45.959 this is going to be an opportunity for us to go back to the core of discipleship. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:48.920 What is our life supposed to be about? 00:01:49.039 --> 00:01:50.679 What are our priorities supposed to be? 00:01:50.979 --> 00:01:55.879 If you're here and you're maybe here for the first time or you're maybe tuning in and 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:59.739 you're not sure what you believe, this is a great week for you to be here because this 00:01:59.739 --> 00:02:03.459 is essentially discipleship 101, right? 00:02:03.539 --> 00:02:05.439 This is spring training for Christians. 00:02:05.659 --> 00:02:09.199 This is something that we need to come back to again and again and again. 00:02:09.299 --> 00:02:10.939 What does the gospel life look like? 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:11.939 How is it shaped? 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:13.460 How is it prioritized? 00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:16.199 So that's what we're going to be talking about, the three-dimensional life. 00:02:16.659 --> 00:02:21.219 We're going to be looking at these two passages, these two wonderful passages that Lisa and 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:25.859 Aaron just read for us, Ephesians chapter 4 and John chapter 15, to guide us. 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:28.960 As we talk about this, we're going to look at it in three parts. 00:02:29.299 --> 00:02:35.120 The longing for a three-dimensional life, the invitation to a three-dimensional faith, 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:39.579 which we see in the gospel, and then finally the practices of a three-dimensional community, 00:02:39.699 --> 00:02:42.900 how this shapes the way we think about church at Church of the Advent. 00:02:43.259 --> 00:02:43.840 Let's pray. 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:48.639 Lord, we thank You for Your Word and we thank You for Your presence. 00:02:49.519 --> 00:02:54.460 And Lord, we often make the mistake of saying, well, I really hope God shows up. 00:02:54.460 --> 00:03:01.480 But we recognize that You're the one who's here, that it's because You showed up that we're even here. 00:03:02.260 --> 00:03:08.540 And Lord, our prayer is rather that we would show up, that we would be psychologically and emotionally 00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:10.659 available to You, Lord. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:15.920 We pray that whatever distractions might be tugging at us right now, that You would set us free from those, 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:23.139 that You, as You are able to do, as only You are able to do, would turn our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to You. 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:26.119 Lord, we pray this for our own good and for Your glory. 00:03:26.279 --> 00:03:28.019 In Your Son's name, amen. 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:28.180 Amen. 00:03:29.380 --> 00:03:33.939 So first I want to talk a little bit about the longing for a three-dimensional life. 00:03:34.700 --> 00:03:41.820 One of my great heroes, the late John Stott, who was a pastor and theologian, used to say that everybody 00:03:41.820 --> 00:03:48.540 out there, regardless if they're religious or irreligious, that everybody's kind of living life on a quest for three things. 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:52.320 He says everybody out there is looking for three things. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:59.319 They're looking for transcendence, they're looking for belonging, and they're looking for significance. 00:04:00.099 --> 00:04:02.579 Transcendence, belonging, and significance. 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:07.239 Transcendence is essentially the desire to feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself. 00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:10.299 He says everybody out there is looking for that in one way or another. 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:14.019 Everybody, likewise, is looking for a place to belong. 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:18.800 Everybody wants to know that there's a group of people out there who knows them, who loves them, 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:21.399 who accepts them, a place where they can feel validated. 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:24.199 And then everybody's looking for significance. 00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:27.420 You know, that's one of the main questions in our culture right now. 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:28.300 Who am I? 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:29.839 What's my identity? 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:31.120 Why am I here? 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:33.699 What's the purpose of my life? 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:36.779 Transcendence, belonging, and significance. 00:04:37.699 --> 00:04:43.379 So when we talk about longing for a three-dimensional life, that's really what we mean by that, 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:48.060 is that everybody's longing for those three dimensions, right, to be filled, 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:53.540 so that they can feel whole, so that they can feel complete and fulfilled. 00:04:53.980 --> 00:05:00.139 And there are a lot of ways, I think, that people go about trying to meet one or more of these longings. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:02.340 All right, so just to give you a few examples, 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:06.920 a lot of people these days look to politics to give them these things. 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:11.600 And politics really is a source that speaks to these longings. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:18.180 The best politicians we know know how to make their supporters feel these things. 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:23.600 The best political leaders know how to make their supporters feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves. 00:05:24.140 --> 00:05:26.680 They're a part of a cause that they can give themselves to. 00:05:26.760 --> 00:05:27.560 That's transcendence. 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:33.900 The best political movements have a group of people who feel like they're your people. 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:36.879 If you're a part of that group, then you have your people. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:42.240 You have similar values, similar worldviews, similar way of living, right, that's belonging. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:47.139 And then the best politicians know how to give people a cause to devote themselves to. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:48.000 This is your purpose. 00:05:48.180 --> 00:05:49.240 This is why you're here. 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:52.240 This is how we're going to change the world, right? 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:55.040 So politics is a great source for this that people look to. 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:59.480 Career is another thing that people look to for these things, especially in a place like D.C. 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.279 A lot of people move here, and some of you may fit this bill, 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:06.159 for the sake of career, for the sake of advancement and opportunity. 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:10.300 And so people look to their career to give them all of these things. 00:06:10.459 --> 00:06:13.639 Your career can give you a sense that you're a part of something bigger. 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:19.000 It can give you colleagues who support and respect and maybe even admire you. 00:06:19.659 --> 00:06:23.819 Career is potentially a place where you can find a purpose to devote yourself to. 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:27.399 A third example would be romantic relationships. 00:06:28.259 --> 00:06:33.879 Some people think and hope that a romantic relationship with the right person can meet all of these needs. 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:38.439 Love itself becomes the transcendence, right? 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:43.459 Belonging, all of my needs, might be able to be met by the right person, right? 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:48.319 If I can find and marry the right person, I'll never be lonely again, right? 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.659 Even the sense of purpose. 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.040 The relationship, you know, and I've known people like this, 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:56.579 where the relationship itself becomes the purpose. 00:06:57.159 --> 00:07:00.139 The love is the transcendence, and the relationship is the purpose. 00:07:00.139 --> 00:07:08.379 And, you know, even great advertisers know that what they're selling is not really a product. 00:07:08.979 --> 00:07:10.360 It's never about a product. 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:16.519 The best brands out there create these three things for their market. 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:18.560 A sense of transcendence. 00:07:18.919 --> 00:07:22.079 By buying this product, you've actually entered into a higher way of living. 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:24.639 You've become a part of something bigger than yourself. 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:27.899 You know, I joke sometimes about Whole Foods, and I like to shop at Whole Foods, 00:07:27.899 --> 00:07:29.060 but Whole Foods really does that. 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:31.239 There's a sense of transcendence when you walk in. 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:34.979 Like, you have sort of, you know, taken an evolutionary step as a human being. 00:07:35.539 --> 00:07:36.560 When you walk in, right? 00:07:36.979 --> 00:07:39.539 Like, I've somehow sort of crossed a threshold here. 00:07:40.719 --> 00:07:41.699 I'm a better person. 00:07:42.299 --> 00:07:45.859 And likewise, with a sense of belonging, you know? 00:07:46.099 --> 00:07:48.219 You buy a product, and you feel like you've joined a family, 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:50.120 and there are a lot of brands that will say, welcome to our family. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:52.419 And likewise, with purpose, right? 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:57.759 There's a sense that this product connects you to sort of a goal, an aim, a telos for your life. 00:07:58.600 --> 00:07:58.699 Right? 00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:00.980 So the best brands are not about selling products. 00:08:01.080 --> 00:08:04.600 They're about selling significance and transcendence and belonging. 00:08:04.860 --> 00:08:05.060 Right? 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:06.879 So these are just a few examples. 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:12.400 There are innumerable ways that we could go about trying to meet one or more of these needs. 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:15.639 But none of them work. 00:08:17.280 --> 00:08:18.120 None of them work. 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:21.620 And I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this, because I think intuitively, deep down, 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:26.579 we know that they don't work, because we've experienced the disillusionment that comes 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:29.139 with realizing that they don't work. 00:08:29.480 --> 00:08:35.879 None of these sources will ever actually satisfy these longings that we're hoping to satisfy. 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:37.360 Right? 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:44.159 So politics may give you a sense of belonging, but that comes through being a part of a group 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:46.180 that identifies another group as the enemy. 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:49.579 So the belonging comes from being one of the good guys. 00:08:51.019 --> 00:08:51.239 Right? 00:08:51.299 --> 00:08:54.739 Even in the best marriages, I hate to break it to you, you're still going to feel lonely. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:56.620 You're still going to feel misunderstood. 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:00.399 You're still going to sometimes feel alienated and like you don't belong. 00:09:02.479 --> 00:09:07.879 And if you find all of your meaning and all of your significance in something like your career, 00:09:08.859 --> 00:09:10.519 you're going to become a workaholic. 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:16.100 And then all of the other areas of your life are going to start to suffer as a result of that. 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:17.519 Right? 00:09:17.579 --> 00:09:21.139 So they may feel like they work, but it all comes at a cost. 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:23.419 It all comes with a price. 00:09:24.439 --> 00:09:31.059 But the ultimate reason that these outlets don't actually satisfy these longings is because these 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:33.179 are ultimately spiritual longings. 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:37.579 And when you have something that is spiritual, it requires a spiritual response. 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:43.439 A spiritual longing can only be satisfied with a spiritual answer. 00:09:44.599 --> 00:09:50.199 And what Scripture says is that the reason that we long for transcendence and belonging and significance 00:09:50.199 --> 00:09:53.000 is because we were created to know God, 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:56.639 to be a part of God's family in the world, 00:09:56.819 --> 00:10:00.259 and to serve God's purposes in the world. 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:03.120 And when we feel that sense of longing, 00:10:03.740 --> 00:10:06.379 that's this vestigial remnant, 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:11.659 this echo of our original created purpose crying out, 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:15.460 reminding us why we were put here to begin with. 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:16.919 That's what we're really after. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:20.319 Here's the problem. 00:10:21.019 --> 00:10:21.100 Right? 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:25.559 Listen to how Paul describes people who live life apart from God. 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:26.279 Right? 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:32.139 The way we talk about sin is to essentially say that sin is living in the world that God made 00:10:32.139 --> 00:10:33.720 as though He doesn't exist. 00:10:34.439 --> 00:10:37.759 And here's what Ephesians 4 says about this. 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:41.659 Here's how Paul describes people who are living apart from God. 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:42.059 He says, 00:10:42.439 --> 00:10:44.419 They're darkened in their understanding. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:47.679 They're darkened in their understanding. 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:49.000 Then he says, 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:57.139 They're alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:01.039 If you're alienated from the life of God, 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:04.580 what this means is you're never going to find what you're looking for. 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:06.980 You're going to look and look and look and look, 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:09.379 and you're never going to even come close. 00:11:10.259 --> 00:11:15.340 And the emphasis in this verse is on our powerlessness to do anything about that. 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:18.820 I mean, what Paul wants to drive home is, 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:21.500 you cannot think your way out of this problem. 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:25.019 It doesn't matter how many books you read. 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:29.280 It doesn't matter how many mountaintop insight experiences you have. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:32.700 It doesn't matter how many retreats you go on. 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:34.860 You can't think your way out of this. 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:38.780 You can't earn your way out of this. 00:11:38.779 --> 00:11:43.539 You can give yourself to the best, most noble causes in the world. 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:45.439 Right? 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.100 Go start orphanages all over the place. 00:11:48.199 --> 00:11:48.319 Right? 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:49.839 You can give yourself to that. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:52.959 You're never going to earn your way out of that alienation. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.819 And this is why the gospel is such good news for the world. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:04.639 Because the gospel is essentially an invitation into a three-dimensional faith. 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:09.980 A faith and a way of living that begins to speak to all of these longings. 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:13.960 The gospel says that God wants a relationship with His people. 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:15.840 And so the good news of the gospel is this. 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:19.939 On the one hand, the bad news is you cannot climb your way up. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:21.899 You can't think your way there. 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:23.039 You can't feel your way there. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.720 You can't have insights that get you there. 00:12:24.919 --> 00:12:26.179 You can't earn your way there. 00:12:26.179 --> 00:12:29.259 But the gospel says that's the bad news. 00:12:29.359 --> 00:12:31.479 The good news is that you don't have to. 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:34.939 That God has actually come down to us. 00:12:35.339 --> 00:12:37.879 That He's made Himself knowable. 00:12:38.819 --> 00:12:38.959 Right? 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:44.899 And so the gospel says that Jesus came to reconcile people to God. 00:12:44.979 --> 00:12:49.339 It says that through His death and resurrection, our sins can be forgiven. 00:12:49.339 --> 00:12:53.479 Even though we've lived our lives as though God doesn't exist, that can be forgiven. 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:55.800 Even we can become children of God. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:58.779 We can become part of God's family. 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:01.800 But it doesn't stop there. 00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:04.740 And this is what I really want to focus on this morning. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.039 It goes past that. 00:13:07.659 --> 00:13:10.399 In other words, the gospel isn't just about getting saved. 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:14.539 It's not just about getting the ticket punched so that we're good with God. 00:13:15.300 --> 00:13:20.080 The gospel is an invitation into an entirely different way of life. 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:24.800 And that's why Jesus says to His disciples in John 15 verse 11, 00:13:25.300 --> 00:13:31.420 These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:35.320 To me, that doesn't sound like get saved and you're good with God. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:39.040 To me, what that sounds like is a life of abundance. 00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:45.700 To me, what that sounds like is there's a way of living and a kind of joy that is going to rise up in you 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:49.259 that is unlike anything that you've ever found anywhere else. 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:51.640 I want my joy to be in you. 00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:53.920 I want my fullness to be in you. 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:56.800 And I don't know a single person who doesn't want that. 00:13:57.100 --> 00:14:00.020 No matter how jaded or cynical you might pretend to be. 00:14:00.140 --> 00:14:02.100 Deep down, everybody wants that. 00:14:02.660 --> 00:14:03.360 I think. 00:14:03.640 --> 00:14:05.740 Regardless of whether you would consider yourself to be religious. 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:09.700 And so Jesus is saying, These things I've spoken to you. 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:11.580 So what things is He talking about? 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:16.120 Well, if you look at this passage in John 15, He's talking about three things, 00:14:16.680 --> 00:14:18.840 which are three relationships. 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:23.039 He says, If you want my joy to be in you, if you want my fullness to be in you, 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:25.340 if you want to respond to this invitation, 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:28.180 then there are three kinds of relationship that you need to prioritize. 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:31.700 The first is in verse 1. 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:33.460 He says, I am the true vine. 00:14:34.560 --> 00:14:35.480 Now what does that mean? 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:39.800 Well, ask any Jew in that day, What's the true vine? 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:41.080 They'd say, Well, we are. 00:14:42.039 --> 00:14:43.340 Israel is the true vine. 00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:46.820 It was actually a big golden vine over the entrance to the temple. 00:14:47.560 --> 00:14:52.720 Because in the Old Testament, it says again and again that Israel is God's vine in the world. 00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:54.940 God is the vine dresser and Israel is the vine. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:58.019 That means they're the source of God's blessing for all the nations. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:00.639 But Israel had lost its way. 00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:03.039 They had gone after idols instead of God. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:05.420 They had become like the people that they were meant to bless. 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:13.000 And so God sent a new vine, a true vine, to do what Israel failed to do. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.399 Jesus says, I'm that true vine. 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:21.440 In other words, if you want to find blessing, don't continue looking to Israel in the ways of the Old Testament. 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:22.440 Look to me. 00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:28.919 I'm the true vine who provides God's blessing, God's life, God's presence, God's fruit. 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:31.740 So he says, I'm the true vine. 00:15:32.079 --> 00:15:33.879 Therefore, in verse 4, abide in me. 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:35.899 That's the first relationship. 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:39.179 The second relationship we see down in verse 12. 00:15:39.959 --> 00:15:41.179 A new commandment I give to you. 00:15:41.579 --> 00:15:44.439 Love one another as I have loved you. 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:45.379 You're abiding in me. 00:15:45.479 --> 00:15:46.459 You're abiding in my love. 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:50.839 And as you abide in my love, begin to love others as I love you. 00:15:50.979 --> 00:15:54.579 My love is flowing in you, through you, into the lives of the people around you. 00:15:54.580 --> 00:15:59.460 That's the second relationship, relationship with other people who are in the vine, other branches. 00:16:00.540 --> 00:16:05.400 And then in verse 5, he alludes to the third kind of relationship. 00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:07.460 And he says this several times in this passage. 00:16:08.400 --> 00:16:13.800 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. 00:16:13.940 --> 00:16:19.540 Then in verse 8, by this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit. 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:28.259 This is the relationship that we have with the wider world, with the people, with society, with the culture outside of the church. 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:33.740 Abide in me, love one another, and then bear fruit. 00:16:33.819 --> 00:16:35.419 And you say, well, what does bear fruit mean? 00:16:35.459 --> 00:16:39.399 And there are a few places in Scripture we can look at to help us understand that. 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:44.459 Galatians talks about bearing fruit as the fruit of Christian maturity, Christian character. 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:44.900 Right? 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:51.440 You're living your life in a way that is distinct, a way that provokes questions that only the gospel can answer. 00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:53.540 That's bearing fruit. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:56.420 Bearing fruit in Romans 1 refers to conversions. 00:16:57.220 --> 00:16:57.420 Right? 00:16:57.460 --> 00:16:58.660 You are talking about Jesus. 00:16:58.800 --> 00:16:59.980 You're sharing your faith. 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:05.900 And some people are hearing that and responding and coming to faith and giving their lives to Jesus. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:07.079 So fruit is conversions. 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:13.480 Isaiah 5 refers to the fruit, God's fruit in the world, as the fruit of justice and mercy. 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:14.400 Right? 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:18.559 You care and are involved in doing works of justice and mercy in the world. 00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:20.440 That is the fruit of the kingdom. 00:17:20.620 --> 00:17:20.819 Right? 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:27.200 And so these three relationships make up the three dimensions of the Christian life. 00:17:27.840 --> 00:17:36.900 And a long time ago, I came across this book by a guy named Mike Breen, and he essentially refers to these three relationships as the up, the in, and the out. 00:17:36.900 --> 00:17:46.160 And I like this because it's so simple that I feel like my kids could, you know, after a brief explanation and a napkin sketch, understand it and remember it. 00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:49.160 And so if that's true, then I might have a good chance of remembering it. 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:50.500 And so that's why I like it. 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:50.820 Right? 00:17:50.819 --> 00:17:53.500 The up, the in, and the out. 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:56.519 The three dimensions of the Christian life. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:18:00.220 And what we see is that this is the way that Jesus himself lived. 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:10.240 And this is the way he then taught and encouraged and commanded his disciples to live, prioritizing these three kinds of relationship. 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:13.799 The up relationship is your relationship with God. 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:16.099 And again, this is discipleship 101. 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:33.319 If you look at Jesus' life, he regularly, despite the overwhelming need all around him, he regularly separated himself from the crowds, separated himself even sometimes from his disciples. 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:38.359 And he spent time alone, spent time with the Lord, spent time in prayer. 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:44.459 There are certain places like in John 6 where we see that Jesus stays up all night praying to the Father. 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:45.559 Right? 00:18:46.219 --> 00:18:47.979 He knew the Scriptures cold. 00:18:49.159 --> 00:18:49.979 He knew them. 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:50.959 He could recite them. 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:52.919 Right? 00:18:52.959 --> 00:18:54.379 He had a deep relationship with the Word. 00:18:54.879 --> 00:19:02.279 At the greatest moments of suffering and challenge in Jesus' life, if anybody could pray extemporaneously, wouldn't you think it would be Jesus? 00:19:02.939 --> 00:19:04.559 The source of God's Word? 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:06.299 God's Word in the flesh? 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:08.480 And yet Jesus chooses to quote Scripture. 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:10.700 Right? 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:14.319 At his greatest moments of suffering, he's quoting Scripture. 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:16.559 He worshiped on his own. 00:19:16.659 --> 00:19:19.359 He also regularly went and worshiped in the synagogues. 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:22.619 Yet Jesus would go and worship in the synagogues. 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:31.019 And so likewise, we're called to abide in Christ, which means learning to rest in his love and in his delight. 00:19:31.659 --> 00:19:33.359 Learning to rest in his acceptance. 00:19:33.859 --> 00:19:35.919 Learning to rest in his joy. 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:38.159 That we are his children. 00:19:38.879 --> 00:19:40.039 It means praying. 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:41.119 It means reading Scripture. 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.379 It means regularly gathering together and worshiping and praising him. 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:48.500 Singing songs that glorify and exalt his name. 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:53.079 It means becoming more and more deeply rooted in our adoption as God's children. 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:59.980 My tendency is to think that when God thinks about me, that he's vaguely disappointed. 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:03.339 I've given him so much. 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:05.740 Look what he did with his afternoon. 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:07.859 Right? 00:20:07.859 --> 00:20:12.439 Instead, learning to abide. 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:14.240 Learning to abide. 00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:14.820 Learning to abide. 00:20:14.820 --> 00:20:15.299 Learning to abide. 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:20.420 Learning to realize that every time you come into God's mind, he's filled with delight. 00:20:20.840 --> 00:20:22.299 He's filled with joy. 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:27.319 And it's learning to realize that there's never a time when you are not on God's mind. 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:34.980 He's never so distracted that he's not thinking about you and not delighting in who you are and the fact that you belong to him. 00:20:35.639 --> 00:20:36.059 Right? 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:37.200 So that's the up dimension. 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:38.639 Learning to abide in. 00:20:39.639 --> 00:20:40.940 The truth of our adoption. 00:20:41.879 --> 00:20:43.399 Then there's the end dimension. 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:47.179 Our relationship with other Christians in the church. 00:20:47.179 --> 00:20:49.059 And you see this also in Jesus' life. 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:52.839 Jesus regularly spent time with a limited group of people. 00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:55.779 There was a community of disciples. 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:59.259 Men and women that Jesus regularly invested in. 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:01.179 They followed him everywhere. 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:02.480 They shared life with him. 00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:03.720 They slept on the ground with him. 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:05.259 Right? 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:11.859 And then from that multitude of disciples, he selected 12 to become leaders of the new church. 00:21:11.940 --> 00:21:14.440 You see this in Luke where he calls them apostles. 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:16.579 Right? 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:17.859 So they become the new church. 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:18.980 The new Israel. 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:23.379 And then even from among that 12, he had three who were his closest friends. 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:26.779 And that's a great way to think about your relationships. 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:30.240 You have the kind of multitude of disciples in church. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.339 And then from that, maybe you have a small group. 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:36.120 A core group that's your 12. 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:37.099 Right? 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:39.960 And then even from among those 12. 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:40.220 Right? 00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:45.640 You need two, three people who are in your life who know everything about you. 00:21:45.720 --> 00:21:49.640 People who you've really opened up and become vulnerable with. 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:50.220 Right? 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:51.559 We see this in Jesus' life. 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.720 We also see this in the life of Jesus' followers. 00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:56.880 Developing spiritual friendships with other Christians. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:59.000 Committing to a local church. 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:01.680 This is one of the biggest reasons we commit to a local church. 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:05.640 And finding people who will encourage you in your faith. 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:10.600 Thinking, man, I need to spend more time around that woman or that man. 00:22:10.800 --> 00:22:13.840 Because when I'm around that person, I just naturally am encouraged. 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:16.080 The things that we talk about are seasoned with salt. 00:22:17.600 --> 00:22:18.040 Right? 00:22:18.120 --> 00:22:20.680 And then finally, there's the out dimension of your life. 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:24.280 That's loving and serving people outside the church. 00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:25.520 Right? 00:22:25.580 --> 00:22:26.540 This is evangelism. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:28.520 This is justice and mercy work. 00:22:28.620 --> 00:22:28.759 Right? 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:34.140 Jesus, everywhere he went, Jesus focused on doing a couple of things. 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:38.480 He met the needs of the people all around him and the surrounding community. 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:43.460 They went all throughout the region healing people and caring for the poor and the sick 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:45.140 and the lame and the blind. 00:22:45.360 --> 00:22:45.460 Right? 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:47.680 Occasionally raising people from death. 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:53.400 And then he also went throughout the region telling everyone who would listen about the kingdom of God. 00:22:54.020 --> 00:22:55.380 The kingdom of God is here. 00:22:56.080 --> 00:22:56.900 Repent and believe. 00:22:57.800 --> 00:22:58.040 Right? 00:22:58.039 --> 00:23:04.240 And so likewise, we see Jesus' command to us to go and to bear fruit in the world. 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:08.240 Which means love and serve people outside the church community. 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:14.579 Intentionally invest time in building relationships with people who believe very different things than you. 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:21.579 Learn how to have conversations and find common ground with people who won't even consider the claims of Christianity. 00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:29.119 Learn how to build friendships and find common ground with people who are on the other side of the political aisle with you. 00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:31.279 Right? 00:23:31.379 --> 00:23:36.519 Find people who are very different from you racially, socioeconomically, politically, religiously. 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:40.059 Build friendships with them for the sake of the gospel. 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:41.079 Right? 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:44.399 Care for the sick and the poor and the vulnerable and the oppressed. 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:49.620 In as much as you can do it, tell people about Jesus. 00:23:50.900 --> 00:23:51.340 Right? 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:52.400 That's bearing fruit. 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:56.720 And the goal of all of this, the up, the in, and the out, is balance. 00:23:57.940 --> 00:24:00.780 It's investing in all three dimensions equally. 00:24:01.019 --> 00:24:02.660 Up, in, out. 00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:07.800 Because what you'll find is if you neglect one or more of these dimensions of relationship, 00:24:08.300 --> 00:24:10.820 your life is going to be thrown out of balance. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:13.460 As Mike Breen writes, you'll wobble through life. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:15.040 Right? 00:24:15.280 --> 00:24:17.380 Your life will become more flat. 00:24:17.560 --> 00:24:21.220 It'll be a two-dimensional life rather than a three-dimensional life. 00:24:22.820 --> 00:24:26.680 And so what I like to do, I mean, I've, you know, I've sort of been thinking this way for years 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:30.200 because it's a simple enough tool that it just stays in my brain all the time. 00:24:30.360 --> 00:24:33.900 But I regularly am thinking about our church along these three dimensions. 00:24:34.060 --> 00:24:36.820 I'm regularly thinking about my own life along these three dimensions. 00:24:37.080 --> 00:24:41.280 And so this can almost become like a diagnostic tool to think about your life, 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:45.200 any ministries that you're involved in, your small group, the church that you're a part of, 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:47.319 just to think, where am I? 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:52.000 Am I in balance or am I weighted in one direction or another? 00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:55.819 You know, just to give you a few examples, 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:01.619 think about having emphasis on the up and the in but not the out. 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:02.700 What does that look like? 00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:07.580 Well, for an individual, this would be an individual, maybe they're very involved in church. 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:09.819 Maybe they love to pray. 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:10.819 They read scripture. 00:25:12.620 --> 00:25:15.519 They have really close relationships in the church. 00:25:15.620 --> 00:25:16.360 They're very involved. 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:17.160 Everybody knows them. 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:21.779 But they have no relationships with anyone outside the church who are not Christians. 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:23.799 Right? 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:25.299 I mean, a lot of casual acquaintances. 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:29.240 But if you ask them to list off their, maybe their top six or seven closest friends, 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:32.339 not a single one of them isn't a Christian. 00:25:32.399 --> 00:25:36.419 They're not spending regular time with anyone outside the church. 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:41.839 They're not involved in any kind of justice or mercy work in the community. 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:42.159 Right? 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:44.480 If you think about a church that's weighted this way, 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:47.619 this would be a church that is really great at worship. 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:49.440 You come to Sunday, it's super vibrant. 00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:51.259 The small groups are great. 00:25:51.379 --> 00:25:52.740 Culture of discipleship is great. 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:56.519 But they're kind of stagnant. 00:25:57.460 --> 00:25:57.859 Right? 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:59.980 They tend to become insular. 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:04.680 They tend to kind of circle the wagons and focus on what's best for them. 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:07.680 There are a lot of people in the surrounding community that may not even know they're there. 00:26:09.120 --> 00:26:12.680 They've become ineffective at evangelism, caring for the poor and the vulnerable. 00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:13.420 Right? 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:14.440 So that's the up and the end. 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:17.599 Now think about an individual or a church that's up and out. 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:22.599 Person with a strong faith, very involved in outreach, 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:26.460 lots of non-Christian friends, always going to do everything. 00:26:26.620 --> 00:26:26.680 Right? 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:29.160 Every new opportunity to serve, they're the first one there. 00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:30.180 Right? 00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:32.700 So they're the kind of person that everybody would really love. 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:32.940 Right? 00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:35.140 Like the kind of person that you might put up front and say, 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:36.440 wow, this person's really an example. 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:38.180 Look at all the things they're doing in the community. 00:26:38.380 --> 00:26:41.259 But if you look closely, nobody really knows them. 00:26:42.779 --> 00:26:44.940 They have no close Christian friends. 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:48.539 They sort of float through life with no accountability. 00:26:49.320 --> 00:26:51.480 Because nobody really knows who they are. 00:26:51.580 --> 00:26:54.360 They're really good at appearing impressive. 00:26:54.359 --> 00:27:01.519 But there's nobody who really gets access to the real version of this person. 00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:04.339 Churches can be the same way. 00:27:04.479 --> 00:27:06.839 Churches can have great worship, great Bible teaching, 00:27:07.159 --> 00:27:09.439 strong emphasis on evangelism and outreach. 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:10.059 Churches can have great worship, great Bible teaching. 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:12.660 But the people in the church don't really feel known. 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:14.559 They don't feel cared for. 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:16.660 They feel anonymous. 00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:17.779 They feel isolated. 00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:19.920 There are a lot of needs that slip through the cracks. 00:27:20.279 --> 00:27:22.720 There's a sense in churches like this that there's so much emphasis 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:25.080 on reaching people outside the church. 00:27:25.140 --> 00:27:27.460 But once you get in the church, you're kind of forgotten about. 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:28.340 You're overlooked. 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:30.680 There's nothing really here for you if you're struggling. 00:27:32.120 --> 00:27:32.559 Right? 00:27:32.639 --> 00:27:33.579 That's the up and the out. 00:27:34.139 --> 00:27:37.799 Third and final example, churches that are in and out. 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:40.119 Or individuals that are in and out. 00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:42.519 So an individual who has the in and the out, 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:46.480 maybe they have a mix of Christian and non-Christian friends. 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:47.980 Maybe they're a very social person. 00:27:48.379 --> 00:27:50.000 They're passionate about justice. 00:27:50.819 --> 00:27:52.619 They're passionate about changing the world. 00:27:53.179 --> 00:27:55.599 But they've become disconnected from the church. 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:59.940 They're disconnected from Scripture. 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:04.900 People like this tend to have over time a lower and lower and lower view of Scripture. 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:07.900 They have no real worshiping life. 00:28:08.860 --> 00:28:10.680 They're not theologically rooted. 00:28:11.340 --> 00:28:14.380 And so they tend to adopt the values of the surrounding culture. 00:28:15.299 --> 00:28:15.420 Right? 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:17.620 I've known examples in all three categories. 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:18.620 Right? 00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:23.380 I've experienced in different phases of my Christian life all three categories. 00:28:24.360 --> 00:28:24.799 Right? 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:27.000 A church that is in and out only. 00:28:27.860 --> 00:28:29.400 They're going to have a strong community. 00:28:29.400 --> 00:28:32.780 They're going to have a strong focus on ministries of justice and mercy. 00:28:33.040 --> 00:28:35.960 But likewise, they're going to tend to hold a very low view of Scripture. 00:28:36.620 --> 00:28:39.320 There's not going to be any kind of core theology. 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:44.080 People can kind of come in and believe and adopt whatever values they want. 00:28:45.080 --> 00:28:48.120 They tend to care a lot about social issues, 00:28:48.280 --> 00:28:51.640 but become in every way exactly like the surrounding society. 00:28:51.640 --> 00:28:57.460 What happens in churches like this is because people are disconnected from the gospel, 00:28:58.200 --> 00:28:59.780 they're doing a lot of serving. 00:29:00.300 --> 00:29:02.400 They may be doing a lot of justice and mercy work. 00:29:03.020 --> 00:29:07.000 But apart from the gospel, serving becomes about duty. 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:12.420 It becomes about performative righteousness because you're disconnected from the gospel. 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:16.340 And so what happens is in cultures like this that are in and out but not up, 00:29:16.840 --> 00:29:17.920 you have a lot of two things. 00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:21.779 You have a lot of very self-righteous people because they're doing a lot of good in the world, 00:29:21.880 --> 00:29:25.800 and you have a whole lot of burnout of people who are not doing it because of joy, 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:29.800 but they're doing it because that's what everybody's doing, and it's expected of them. 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:30.620 Right? 00:29:30.619 --> 00:29:35.659 And so in all of these ways, these are just examples of how we can get out of balance. 00:29:36.979 --> 00:29:40.159 So it's worth you just taking a moment, if you're not doing this already, 00:29:40.259 --> 00:29:44.599 and just thinking about your life, thinking about the ministries that you're involved in, 00:29:44.839 --> 00:29:46.599 think about our church, and think, 00:29:46.699 --> 00:29:48.899 what are the ways that I feel like we might be out of balance? 00:29:48.959 --> 00:29:51.179 Because here's the thing, we're never going to get it perfect. 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:55.000 You're always kind of moving this way or that way. 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:57.899 You're always overemphasizing certain things and underemphasizing others, right? 00:29:57.919 --> 00:29:59.019 We're works in progress. 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:01.460 And so we're always needing to course correct. 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:05.259 In order to keep things in balance, 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:10.720 it's very important that we have certain habits and practices and liturgies 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:16.879 that reinforce all of these dimensions in our lives on a regular basis. 00:30:17.339 --> 00:30:21.160 And ideally, when we come together to do what we're doing this morning, 00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:23.819 it's kind of a reset, right? 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:27.139 Any areas that you're neglecting get put right in front of you. 00:30:27.140 --> 00:30:30.840 Oh, wow, I'm being brought back there, right? 00:30:31.360 --> 00:30:37.620 So ideally, some of the practices that rebalance us would include, first and foremost, 00:30:38.340 --> 00:30:41.040 the practice of Sunday worship, right? 00:30:41.060 --> 00:30:42.020 Just coming together. 00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:45.720 If you think about the anatomy of what we're doing here this morning, 00:30:45.940 --> 00:30:49.460 it is up, in, out, all the way, right? 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:55.480 We have a strong up dimension of prayer and praise and scripture and creeds and confession. 00:30:55.840 --> 00:31:03.240 We have a strong in dimension of fellowship, passing to peace, experiencing our oneness together. 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:05.799 And then there's a strong out dimension. 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:10.200 You know, we always prioritize welcoming people who are here for the first time 00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:13.240 or people who have doubts or questions or don't know what they believe. 00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:17.359 And every week at the end of the service, I don't know if you know this, 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:21.279 the dismissal that you'll hear from Lisa, that's your commissioning. 00:31:21.740 --> 00:31:25.120 Let us go forth into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:27.839 Let's go bear fruit, right? 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:31.779 So every week when we're done, you're commissioned to go out into the world to bear fruit. 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:35.139 So Sunday worship rebalances us. 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:37.639 The sacraments rebalance us. 00:31:38.879 --> 00:31:44.679 The sacraments, baptism and the Eucharist, are meant to confirm and strengthen our relationship with God, 00:31:45.179 --> 00:31:49.240 our relationship with one another, and they tie us into salvation history, 00:31:49.379 --> 00:31:50.379 God's mission in the world. 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:52.459 Core groups. 00:31:52.779 --> 00:31:55.000 If you're not in a small group, if you're not in a core group, 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.559 that's one of the best ways in our church to find that 12, 00:31:59.339 --> 00:32:00.559 to find that 3, 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:04.240 to find those people who are going to become more like your spiritual family. 00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:05.799 Right? 00:32:05.900 --> 00:32:07.960 But ideally, core groups are meant to do all three. 00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:10.779 A place to worship God and study His Word, 00:32:11.160 --> 00:32:12.640 a place to build spiritual friendships, 00:32:13.079 --> 00:32:15.460 and many of our groups find ways to serve in the city. 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.640 And then lastly, I've got to mention it because we're doing it next week, 00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:20.279 confirmation. 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:22.880 A lot of people still are like, 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:23.579 what is confirmation? 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:24.400 And that's okay. 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:27.120 You know, this is our first time ever doing confirmation. 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:32.160 But if you want to understand the meaning of confirmation and why we think it matters, 00:32:32.720 --> 00:32:35.100 it's about the up, the in, and the out. 00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:39.920 We confirm your mature faith in Christ. 00:32:40.060 --> 00:32:41.140 That's the up, right? 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:46.160 You are committing yourself to this church body and the Anglican communion. 00:32:46.360 --> 00:32:47.040 That's the in. 00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:52.759 And then the bishop lays hands on you and prays that you would be filled with the Holy Spirit 00:32:52.759 --> 00:32:55.259 for the vocation that God has given you in the world. 00:32:55.259 --> 00:32:55.859 That's the out. 00:32:55.859 --> 00:32:58.059 Up, in, out. 00:32:58.119 --> 00:32:59.140 I'm so excited. 00:32:59.339 --> 00:33:02.079 For those of you who are going to be confirmed next week, it's going to be awesome. 00:33:02.460 --> 00:33:03.839 I can't wait for that time. 00:33:04.879 --> 00:33:07.160 And what we believe, just to pull all of this together, 00:33:07.259 --> 00:33:11.640 is that as we live this three-dimensional faith, 00:33:12.039 --> 00:33:14.539 as we live out this three-dimensional life, 00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:17.759 that by doing that in the world, 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:21.000 that the gospel begins to bring transformation to this city. 00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:23.359 Because the good news is we're not the only church doing this. 00:33:23.740 --> 00:33:25.640 This is not proprietary, right? 00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:27.220 This is Discipleship 101. 00:33:28.140 --> 00:33:30.279 And this church, or this city, praise God, 00:33:30.339 --> 00:33:32.059 is filled with gospel-centered churches 00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:35.059 who have people who are doing this exact same thing. 00:33:35.740 --> 00:33:36.140 Right? 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:37.119 They may have different language, 00:33:37.480 --> 00:33:39.119 but it's the same thing. 00:33:40.420 --> 00:33:44.259 And what we believe is that as more and more people become followers of Jesus 00:33:44.259 --> 00:33:46.099 who embody the gospel, 00:33:46.539 --> 00:33:49.180 that we're going to see loneliness eradicated. 00:33:49.779 --> 00:33:50.180 Right? 00:33:50.180 --> 00:33:55.480 That we're going to see neighborhoods and workplaces become more vibrant and communal. 00:33:56.240 --> 00:33:59.240 That we're going to see racial healing accelerated 00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:02.220 until there's no longer a need for racial healing. 00:34:02.820 --> 00:34:06.440 We're going to see institutional corruption decrease 00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:08.980 and ultimately altogether one day cease. 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:13.119 We're going to see the arts no longer filled with nihilism, 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:15.700 but imbued with beauty and hope. 00:34:16.260 --> 00:34:19.220 And what we're going to see is people becoming more and more truly human. 00:34:19.219 --> 00:34:24.059 And we're here doing this because we firmly believe, as Scripture promises, 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:29.779 that one day our city will no longer be known as a center of human power and influence. 00:34:29.780 --> 00:34:35.500 But this will be a place where Jesus Christ is King and Lord. 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:37.440 Let's pray. 00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:43.139 Lord, we thank you for your word and we thank you for your scripture. 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:51.760 And we thank you for this invitation from Jesus, Lord, to abide, to experience our oneness with you. 00:34:52.300 --> 00:34:57.179 We thank you that in him we are joined together as one body, as one church. 00:34:57.179 --> 00:35:02.259 And we thank you that you've given us a common calling, Lord, a mission in the world. 00:35:03.279 --> 00:35:07.839 And we thank you for this vision of renewal that we see in Scripture, Lord. 00:35:07.919 --> 00:35:09.739 And we thank you that we get to be a part of it. 00:35:09.779 --> 00:35:14.119 Not just on the sidelines, but we get to actually be a part of the work that you're doing in the world. 00:35:14.119 --> 00:35:21.099 And I pray that you would bless us as we discern what that calling is, what it looks like for each one of us. 00:35:21.579 --> 00:35:25.659 And that you would fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us the courage and the boldness to carry it out. 00:35:26.199 --> 00:35:27.859 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:35:28.299 --> 00:35:28.619 Amen. 00:35:28.619 --> 00:35:28.759 Amen.