WEBVTT 00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:03.240 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:13.419 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:20.800 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:26.580 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. 00:00:26.580 --> 00:00:29.600 This is Acts chapter 18, verse 1. 00:00:30.579 --> 00:00:34.039 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:41.100 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:44.560 because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:51.600 Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:56.359 Every Sabbath, he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 00:00:56.359 --> 00:01:05.299 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 00:01:05.299 --> 00:01:12.439 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 00:01:12.939 --> 00:01:15.000 Your blood be on your own heads. 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:16.759 I am innocent of it. 00:01:17.299 --> 00:01:19.579 From now on, I will go to the Gentiles. 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:26.359 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justice, a worshiper of God. 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:31.599 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord, 00:01:32.039 --> 00:01:35.680 and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:38.700 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, 00:01:39.360 --> 00:01:40.100 Do not be afraid. 00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:41.580 Keep on speaking. 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:43.100 Do not be silent. 00:01:43.740 --> 00:01:45.080 For I am with you. 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:47.620 And no one is going to attack you and harm you. 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:50.540 Because I have many people in this city. 00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:56.180 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.100 While Galio was proconsul of Achaia, 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:04.280 the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:09.699 This man, they charged, is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law. 00:02:10.580 --> 00:02:13.740 Just as Paul was about to speak, Galio said to them, 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:18.360 If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:21.240 it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:25.539 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law, 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:27.240 settle the matter yourselves. 00:02:27.379 --> 00:02:29.180 I will not judge of such things. 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:30.360 So he drove them off. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.259 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, 00:02:33.259 --> 00:02:35.359 and beat him in front of the proconsul. 00:02:35.799 --> 00:02:37.959 And Galio showed no concern whatever. 00:02:38.799 --> 00:02:39.859 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:40.419 --> 00:02:41.459 Thanks be to God. 00:02:42.299 --> 00:02:43.139 Will you join me in prayer? 00:02:43.259 --> 00:02:44.399 Christchurch, you can take your seats. 00:02:47.459 --> 00:02:48.879 Lord, we want to hear from you. 00:02:49.299 --> 00:02:53.099 We want to see your vision for the church that you would have us be. 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:54.879 Christchurch East Bay. 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.019 A church that is adoring you in worship. 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:02.299 A church that is fellowshipping together in deep and intimate community. 00:03:02.460 --> 00:03:06.379 And a church that is outward facing, seeking to serve this city, 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:09.639 seeking to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ, 00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:11.699 the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world, 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.139 and has risen for resurrection life, 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:15.939 to bring about new creation in this world, 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.300 this new creation that we so, so long for. 00:03:18.379 --> 00:03:22.740 Make us that kind of a church that lives up, in, and out before you, 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:24.320 we pray in the name of Jesus. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:25.280 Amen. 00:03:26.760 --> 00:03:30.980 Well, Christchurch, we are continuing our series in the book of Acts, all right? 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:34.120 And as we've been going through this series in the book of Acts, 00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:37.080 we've been doing so very sensitive to, you know, 00:03:37.140 --> 00:03:41.340 all the disruption that our church has faced in the past two years. 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:45.540 So going through Acts, we've been really trying to cast a vision for, 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:49.600 you know, an aspiring and encouraging, exciting vision 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:56.199 for what the Spirit wants to do amongst faithful witnesses of Christ. 00:03:56.840 --> 00:04:01.439 But even as this book of Acts is meant to inspire us and encourage us, 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:04.780 it's important to remember that it's also a realistic account. 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:10.560 It's realistic about the pain and the hardship and the grind of being the church, 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:13.459 of being Christ's witnesses to the ends of the earth. 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:17.360 And I think this is especially evident here in Acts chapter 18 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:19.579 and Paul's experience in Corinth. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:21.519 It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. 00:04:21.840 --> 00:04:25.579 The movement was often slow and painful and discouraging 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:28.519 and met with opposition and filled with disruption. 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:31.540 And yet, God was no less in control. 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:33.840 The Spirit was no less at work. 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:36.800 And this means that we, the church, are no less called, 00:04:36.939 --> 00:04:39.180 no less challenged, no less responsible 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:42.360 to go about the work of bearing witness to Christ, 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:45.420 even if it is slow and even if it is painful. 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:48.019 So from Acts chapter 18 this morning, 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:51.660 I want us to see how the Spirit unites a disparate community 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:55.780 of weary witnesses, even in and through their disruptions, 00:04:56.060 --> 00:05:00.740 and how the Spirit gathers them into a growing family of sacrificial service. 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:05.420 And my prayer is that God, the Spirit, does the same here at Christ Church, all right? 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:07.139 So let's start with verse 1. 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:08.160 Look with me at verse 1. 00:05:08.760 --> 00:05:11.080 In verse 1, we're reminded that the very occasion 00:05:11.080 --> 00:05:13.300 for Paul's presence in Corinth 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:16.280 is because Paul was chased out of three other cities. 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:20.220 And then in Athens, a city that really would have been an incredible place 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:23.580 to win for Jesus, very little response there. 00:05:24.440 --> 00:05:26.879 But look what God does out of Paul's disruptions, 00:05:26.960 --> 00:05:28.280 out of Paul's disappointments. 00:05:28.280 --> 00:05:31.460 He starts to gather a family of witnesses in Corinth 00:05:31.460 --> 00:05:34.820 as a result of the disruptions in Paul's life. 00:05:35.200 --> 00:05:38.100 And not only as a result of the disruption in Paul's life, 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:41.740 but also as a result of the disruptions in Priscilla and Aquila's lives. 00:05:41.820 --> 00:05:42.400 Look at verse 2. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.460 See, Priscilla and Aquila, they had to leave their home. 00:05:44.540 --> 00:05:47.760 They had to leave their business in Rome because the Roman Emperor Claudius, 00:05:47.760 --> 00:05:49.420 you can look this up in history books, 00:05:49.580 --> 00:05:51.160 he banished all the Jewish people. 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:55.400 And this would include many Christians who are considered as a sect within the Jewish faith. 00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:58.159 All the Jewish people were banished out of Rome. 00:05:58.659 --> 00:06:02.060 And so you have Italian Priscilla and her Jewish husband Aquila, 00:06:02.159 --> 00:06:06.859 this ethnically mixed couple with probably tons of disruption in their own backstory 00:06:06.859 --> 00:06:09.959 because of, you know, the different family and religious backgrounds. 00:06:10.599 --> 00:06:15.579 You have them forced to find a new home and restart a new business in Corinth. 00:06:16.039 --> 00:06:21.620 And yet it is here in Corinth where this ethnically mixed couple with an unconventional backstory 00:06:21.620 --> 00:06:25.319 and the Apostle Paul, this discouraged missionary, 00:06:26.060 --> 00:06:28.360 it's where they all, the three of them, happen to connect 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:32.259 and where God begins to gather a gospel-centered family. 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:33.980 But again, it's not immediate. 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:35.160 It's slow going. 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:36.079 They have to pay the bills. 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:38.280 They have to work with their hands six days a week. 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:40.840 This great theologian and missionary Apostle Paul, 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:44.699 he works with leather and cow hides and he puts together tents 00:06:44.699 --> 00:06:48.680 and maybe he even goes to the Corinthian marketplace and gives sales pitches. 00:06:49.620 --> 00:06:50.560 But none of it's in vain. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:51.680 None of it's in vain. 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:55.800 He does it all with a purpose and he does it all in community with Priscilla and Aquila 00:06:55.800 --> 00:07:00.680 who share his purpose and who share his passion about not just making tents and selling them, 00:07:01.019 --> 00:07:02.560 but bearing witness to Christ. 00:07:02.659 --> 00:07:05.159 And verse 3 says that they lived together and they worked together 00:07:05.159 --> 00:07:09.519 and they became a tight-knit family in Christ with an intentional rhythm. 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:13.779 Verse 4 says that every Sabbath, Paul would go out and try to grow this family. 00:07:13.779 --> 00:07:18.539 Finally, reasoning in the synagogue, trying to persuade people of the true Messiah 00:07:18.539 --> 00:07:21.779 for who knows how long, maybe weeks, maybe months. 00:07:22.179 --> 00:07:25.739 But like in Athens, not much seems to happen in Corinth. 00:07:26.659 --> 00:07:27.739 Until verse 5. 00:07:28.239 --> 00:07:31.839 Until verse 5, this family of three in Corinth, they suddenly become a family, 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:35.739 sorry, this family of three in Corinth, they suddenly become a family of five 00:07:35.739 --> 00:07:38.179 as Paul's missionary teammates join them. 00:07:38.239 --> 00:07:40.859 You have Silas, he's a Jewish brother from Jerusalem, 00:07:40.860 --> 00:07:44.400 and then you have Timothy who's half Jewish and half Greek. 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:47.819 He's a convert from Lystra and they become a family of five. 00:07:47.900 --> 00:07:51.060 And most commentators believe that Silas and Timothy coming to Paul, 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.400 they were bringing financial gifts from other churches that Paul had helped, 00:07:54.460 --> 00:07:56.600 other parts of the family abroad. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:07:59.699 They brought gifts to help Paul, as it says in verse 5, 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:04.220 to devote himself exclusively to preaching Jesus the Messiah. 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:07.820 And this, this is where things take off. 00:08:08.200 --> 00:08:11.920 Paul returns to full-time ministry and more people come to know Jesus 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.540 and the family grows even despite resistance. 00:08:14.820 --> 00:08:19.040 So though Paul's rejected in verse 6 by, you know, Jewish opposition in the synagogue, 00:08:19.440 --> 00:08:21.860 a Gentile there, Titius Justice, he joins the family. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:26.360 And he opens up his house right next door to be the new synagogue, right? 00:08:26.460 --> 00:08:28.800 The new house church in Corinth. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:32.419 And so the family grows to a family of six and now two households. 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:35.740 And then verse 8 says that Crispus, the synagogue leader himself, 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:38.480 though the rest of the Jewish Corinthians opposed Paul, 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:42.799 he and his family acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.460 and they joined the family too at great cost to themselves, right? 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:48.820 This honored leader of the synagogue now shamefully kicked out 00:08:48.820 --> 00:08:51.580 as an alleged heretic of his own synagogue. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.919 And he's now in a new place of worship next door with his family, 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.639 estranged from their formerly beloved community. 00:08:57.639 --> 00:09:01.019 And yet it says in verse 8 that in addition to Crispus, 00:09:01.179 --> 00:09:02.600 many believed and were baptized. 00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:05.460 And the family grew to more than nine, more than three households, 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:09.860 women, men, children from backgrounds that were quite diverse 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:11.740 from all different kinds of occupations, 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:13.980 Jewish people, half-blooded and whole-blooded, 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:18.340 Romans and others from, you know, Lystra and Pontus in modern-day Turkey, 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:20.460 all because this is what the Spirit does. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:22.500 This is what the Spirit does. 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:25.580 He gathers a disparate community of disrupted people 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:29.600 into a sacrificial family of witnesses in Christ. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.800 So the question for us today, Christ Church, is why not also here? 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:35.280 Why not also here? 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:39.180 I know many of us, all of us, in so many ways that I don't even know about, 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:43.759 have felt so disrupted over the past two years by all that's happened in the world 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:45.200 and in our church, right? 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:48.440 So many of us have lost friends and family to COVID 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:50.880 or to people just moving away out of the bay 00:09:50.880 --> 00:09:53.300 or maybe just out of our church for various reasons. 00:09:53.620 --> 00:09:56.680 You know, I especially feel for our Oakland community, 00:09:57.380 --> 00:10:00.280 our people who once worshipped in the Oakland location, 00:10:00.400 --> 00:10:02.980 never got to say goodbye to their sacred place of worship, 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.900 never got to say goodbye to the people they most loved. 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:08.300 And now you're here, and it's like, I don't know anyone here. 00:10:08.760 --> 00:10:11.480 Church used to be family, and now it's strangers again. 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:14.200 And I don't want to take that lightly at all, 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:16.060 like just get over it, move on, no. 00:10:16.560 --> 00:10:19.060 I want to encourage us to gather and to grieve together 00:10:19.060 --> 00:10:21.740 and to find some closure and to look for hope together. 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:24.920 But also with sensitivity to all the disruption 00:10:24.920 --> 00:10:27.879 that so many of us have faced in the past years, 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:29.700 can I remind us of the God that we worship? 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:33.539 A God who made much out of Paul's disruption, 00:10:33.800 --> 00:10:36.680 out of Priscilla and Aquila and Crispus' disruptions, 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:38.600 out of massive disruptions, 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:41.600 a church in Corinth was born and grew. 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:44.460 And some of Paul's longest letters and instructions, 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:45.480 letters to the Corinthians, 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:47.180 which we now call the Scriptures, 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:49.840 they were written to this diverse and wealthy church 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.600 in this important city of international commerce, 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:55.320 where many came to know Christ 00:10:55.320 --> 00:10:57.639 as a result of disruption. 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:00.360 Christ Church, could it be that as painful 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:03.160 as these disruptions have been for our church family, 00:11:03.800 --> 00:11:05.300 could it be that God is building 00:11:05.300 --> 00:11:08.519 another wonderful family of witnesses amongst us 00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:10.240 here in the East Bay? 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:11.519 Maybe one that we didn't expect, 00:11:11.620 --> 00:11:12.939 maybe one that we wouldn't have chosen, 00:11:13.460 --> 00:11:15.159 but nonetheless a wonderful one. 00:11:15.819 --> 00:11:19.199 And would it not be worth our time and our presence? 00:11:19.480 --> 00:11:20.319 You know, in my experience, 00:11:20.439 --> 00:11:23.079 God has a beautiful way of orchestrating 00:11:23.079 --> 00:11:26.259 unexpected relationships and surprising synergies 00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:29.740 and coincidence that he loves to use for his purposes. 00:11:30.740 --> 00:11:34.379 You know, it was no accident that Paul was alone in Corinth, 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:36.600 and then came Priscilla and Aquila, 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:37.620 banished out of Rome. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:38.759 That wasn't an accident. 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:42.700 And so I really want to challenge us to lean into community 00:11:42.700 --> 00:11:44.240 in this season of our church 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:47.279 and to consider the power of the ministry of time 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:48.899 and presence because Christ Church, 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:50.360 we need each other. 00:11:51.139 --> 00:11:52.860 We so need each other. 00:11:53.740 --> 00:11:55.220 Earlier this year, I finished a book 00:11:55.220 --> 00:11:57.620 by the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy 00:11:57.620 --> 00:11:58.500 titled, Together, 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:00.980 The Healing Power of Human Connection 00:12:00.980 --> 00:12:02.759 in a Sometimes Lonely World. 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:04.639 And in it, he writes about how 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:07.179 when he was first appointed as the U.S. Surgeon General, 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:10.620 he, you know, he did a tour of the nation 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:11.779 because he wanted to discern 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:14.100 all the biggest public health issues. 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:15.480 And he said that going in, 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:18.340 he expected to find, you know, diabetes, obesity, 00:12:18.899 --> 00:12:21.240 anxiety and depression, the opioid crisis. 00:12:21.240 --> 00:12:23.000 And he did find all these things. 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:25.720 But the one thing that he didn't expect to find, 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:28.120 the one strand that wove actually 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:30.840 all these public health issues together, he argued, 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:33.240 was the problem of loneliness. 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:35.080 The problem of loneliness. 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:37.040 And you know, I found this too as a pastor. 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:38.920 As a pastor, the number one question 00:12:38.920 --> 00:12:40.100 that I like to ask people 00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:43.259 to make them feel known and seen is, 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:44.720 are you lonely? 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:46.320 Are you lonely? 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:48.120 And people just open up 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:49.720 and they feel so known and seen 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:51.540 just by being asked that question. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:53.519 Because see, we were made for relationship. 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:56.639 We were made for connection and belonging and community. 00:12:57.340 --> 00:12:58.439 But again, what does this take? 00:12:58.480 --> 00:12:59.439 It takes time. 00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:01.100 And it takes presence. 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:02.519 And it takes investment. 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:04.779 You know, there's something that ordinary, 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:07.039 unstructured time and presence do 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:09.000 that knits people together. 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:11.279 Sure, Paul and Priscilla and Aquila, 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:13.340 they probably studied the Bible together 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:15.579 and prayed and, you know, did stuff like that. 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:16.720 They went to the synagogue together. 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:19.120 But I think what really glued them together 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:20.960 was that they just were together. 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:22.360 They just were together. 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:23.660 They did life together. 00:13:23.800 --> 00:13:25.400 They were eating and laughing and working 00:13:25.400 --> 00:13:27.680 and doing household chores together. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.940 See, God made us to have up, in, and out shaped lives. 00:13:32.060 --> 00:13:33.960 And when our upward adoration of God 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:36.500 and our outward service unto God 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:37.960 are shared in a family of people 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:39.960 that we truly believe that we are in with, 00:13:40.040 --> 00:13:41.940 that we truly believe we belong to, 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:44.180 the sense of belonging and support there 00:13:44.180 --> 00:13:45.840 are incredibly powerful. 00:13:46.740 --> 00:13:48.500 And that's why you're all still invited 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:49.980 to the Ong household, all right? 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.799 Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays work best for us. 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:54.600 Some of you have taken us up on this. 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:56.120 The offer is legit, I promise. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:57.980 Or sign up for Dinners for Eight. 00:13:58.059 --> 00:13:59.960 Today's the last day to sign up for that. 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:02.100 I'm gonna start socially engineering that tomorrow. 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:04.139 But sign up today. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:05.259 Dinners for Eight. 00:14:05.340 --> 00:14:06.720 Get to know people in our church. 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:07.759 Or come to the retreat. 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:08.919 Come to the retreat. 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:10.320 Just hang out with us. 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:11.679 Climb a wall with someone. 00:14:11.820 --> 00:14:12.940 Go on a walk with someone. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:13.940 Go for a hike. 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:15.360 Go to Santa Cruz Beach. 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:17.379 Shh, you know, we're even willing to help with scholarships 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.300 if you need help to come to the retreat 00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:22.180 because that's how much we value this sense of family 00:14:22.180 --> 00:14:23.779 that we need as a church. 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:26.180 It's not just wasteful time hanging out. 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:29.159 It's the ministry of time and presence 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:30.680 that builds a family. 00:14:31.300 --> 00:14:32.440 So let's be in each other's lives. 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:34.039 Let's be in each other's spaces. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:35.820 Let's hold each other's babies. 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:37.820 Let's help each other with each other's yards 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:38.960 and home projects. 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:41.159 And let's consider sticking around. 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:42.279 What if we saw the Bay Area 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:44.459 not as just a place to go and get, 00:14:44.839 --> 00:14:46.679 but as a place to go and give? 00:14:47.079 --> 00:14:49.759 Not as a place to simply pursue our careers, 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:52.600 but to settle in and work out our vocations. 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:56.220 In Corinth, this place where Paul met strong resistance 00:14:56.220 --> 00:14:58.720 to the gospel and initially slow momentum, 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:00.360 Jesus told him, stay. 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:02.360 Still, just stay there. 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:03.439 And it says in verse 11, 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:05.500 he stayed a year and a half, 00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:07.439 way longer than he had ever spent 00:15:07.439 --> 00:15:10.539 at any of his other previous missionary destinations. 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:13.939 And we cannot underestimate the simple 00:15:13.939 --> 00:15:17.319 but powerful ministry of time and presence. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.139 And it's not just time and presence, though. 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:21.059 It's not just our time that's needed 00:15:21.059 --> 00:15:23.439 to build this family of witnesses in Christ. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:25.459 It's also our talent and our treasures. 00:15:26.379 --> 00:15:28.480 Priscilla and Aquila were small business owners, 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:29.879 tent makers, it says. 00:15:30.099 --> 00:15:31.699 But even as they excelled at their work, 00:15:31.959 --> 00:15:33.480 they saw it not just as work, 00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:35.559 but as vocation, right? 00:15:35.579 --> 00:15:36.579 As a calling. 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:38.860 And they never lost sight of this calling 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:40.920 from God and for God. 00:15:41.580 --> 00:15:42.920 Priscilla and Aquila were tent makers 00:15:42.920 --> 00:15:44.320 unto the glory of God 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:46.700 for the sake of bearing witness to Christ. 00:15:47.420 --> 00:15:49.240 You know, if you read through the New Testament 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:51.600 very carefully, you'll find Paul mentioning 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:54.060 Priscilla and Aquila in very many places 00:15:54.060 --> 00:15:56.300 throughout, always faithful in the background. 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:59.120 Apparently, the bond between this gospel-gathered 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:00.560 family of three was so close 00:16:00.560 --> 00:16:02.940 that Priscilla and Aquila, they traveled with Paul. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:04.840 They picked up their business again out of Corinth, 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:06.399 and they moved it to Ephesus, 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:08.379 and they helped them plant another church there, 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:10.460 probably having to start another business there. 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:12.519 And in addition to their day jobs, 00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:15.100 they mentored young preachers and evangelists 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:17.639 like Apollos, who would go and serve the church abroad. 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:19.899 And then eventually in the book of Romans, 00:16:19.940 --> 00:16:22.519 we see that they also ended up back in Rome, 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:23.860 helping the church there. 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:26.220 This is what we are called to, 00:16:26.280 --> 00:16:28.320 no matter if we are pastors or not. 00:16:28.560 --> 00:16:30.280 We are called to a life of ministry, 00:16:30.280 --> 00:16:32.500 a life to bearing witness to Christ. 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:36.320 Christ and Priscilla and Aquila are stellar examples 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:38.179 of this, stellar examples of serving Christ 00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:40.100 and his church with our treasures 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:41.980 and our talents and our vocations. 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:44.679 And that's the key word right there, vocations. 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:48.879 Vocations, not jobs or simply careers, but vocations. 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:51.419 Something with a sense of calling from God 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:54.940 upon our whole lives to something bigger than ourselves, 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:58.279 something many of us as Americans have gotten away from. 00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:02.199 I just finished another book called Habits of the Heart, 00:17:02.699 --> 00:17:05.599 Individualism and Commitment in American Life. 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:07.480 Its lead author is the late Robert Bella. 00:17:07.639 --> 00:17:09.899 He was a sociologist right here at Cal. 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:12.980 And one of the observations made in this book 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:16.460 was that the hyper-individualism of our American culture 00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:19.299 has led to most of us not seeing our work anymore 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:20.899 as vocation. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:24.240 Vocations where we commit to something we feel called to 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:26.460 and use our gifts in service of a community 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:28.819 or an organization we truly believe in. 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:31.880 Rather than seeing our jobs as vocations now, 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:33.559 most of us see work as what? 00:17:33.859 --> 00:17:34.380 A career. 00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:36.859 An individualistic pursuit 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:38.839 where we pursue our own advancement 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:40.660 and personal ambitions 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:43.240 unfettered by commitment to our organizations 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:45.359 or the society that we inhabit. 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:48.319 But the result of such individualism 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:50.240 and selfishness, they argue, 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:51.679 has led to loose commitments. 00:17:52.059 --> 00:17:54.179 Very, very loose, frail commitments 00:17:54.179 --> 00:17:56.740 and communities that aren't bound by solidarity 00:17:56.740 --> 00:17:59.679 and commitment to grand and virtuous purposes, 00:17:59.879 --> 00:18:01.960 but rather to a variety of what they call 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:03.539 lifestyle enclaves. 00:18:03.879 --> 00:18:04.759 Lifestyle enclaves. 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:07.119 Communities that are loosely connected 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:09.240 by shared self-interests 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:11.679 and homogenous consumer preferences. 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:13.240 So for example, 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:15.179 when we consider switching jobs or moving homes, 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:16.339 we don't think so much anymore 00:18:16.339 --> 00:18:18.240 about how this might affect our company 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:20.779 or our relationships in our community 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:23.019 or how it might affect our local church 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:24.339 and what God is doing there. 00:18:24.919 --> 00:18:26.039 We just move on 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:27.259 to pursue more money, 00:18:27.379 --> 00:18:27.899 more status, 00:18:28.199 --> 00:18:28.759 more space, 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:29.980 inching closer and closer 00:18:29.980 --> 00:18:31.720 to that idealized lifestyle 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:32.839 that we're going for. 00:18:33.379 --> 00:18:34.220 Not for Christ, 00:18:34.679 --> 00:18:35.659 not for His church, 00:18:36.139 --> 00:18:38.819 but selfishly for our own simple comforts. 00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:40.259 Christ Church, 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:41.419 what are we living for? 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:44.019 What are we giving ourselves to? 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:46.159 Who are we giving ourselves to? 00:18:46.919 --> 00:18:47.879 And why not Christ? 00:18:48.439 --> 00:18:50.000 And why not His church? 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:51.319 And I say this 00:18:51.319 --> 00:18:53.500 kind of feeling a little bit awkward 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:54.899 because I'm a pastor, right? 00:18:54.939 --> 00:18:56.279 So who benefits the most 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:57.799 from your investment of time, 00:18:57.919 --> 00:18:59.659 talent, and treasure in the church? 00:19:00.199 --> 00:19:00.579 After all, 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:01.740 if so many of you 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:04.259 weren't already so faithfully invested 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:04.839 in this church, 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:06.299 I wouldn't be here. 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:07.879 It'd be hard for me to feed my family. 00:19:08.819 --> 00:19:09.299 And honestly, 00:19:09.419 --> 00:19:11.459 I often feel weird about this relationship. 00:19:11.879 --> 00:19:12.319 Like, oh man, 00:19:12.379 --> 00:19:13.980 people are investing in the church. 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:15.579 It's almost like everyone here 00:19:15.579 --> 00:19:16.480 is my boss, 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:17.259 so I better perform, 00:19:17.380 --> 00:19:18.460 so I can keep my job 00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:20.140 and feed my family. 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:21.660 But you know, 00:19:21.779 --> 00:19:24.740 it's examples like this 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:26.279 in Acts chapter 18 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:28.599 with Paul and Timothy and Silas 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:29.960 that snapped me out of that. 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:32.500 Where I see Silas and Timothy 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:34.559 bringing financial support to Paul 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:35.860 from church families 00:19:35.860 --> 00:19:36.839 that loved Paul, 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:38.319 that weren't seeking 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:39.180 to get anything back, 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:40.279 but they really believed 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:41.279 in what he was doing 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:43.140 and they wanted him to be free 00:19:43.140 --> 00:19:44.920 to devote himself exclusively 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:46.380 to preaching Christ. 00:19:47.100 --> 00:19:48.279 What I see in Acts 18 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:49.340 is not a business. 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:50.779 The church is not a business. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:52.420 Again, it's a family. 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:54.320 And families pitch in 00:19:54.320 --> 00:19:55.759 and they support each other 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:56.860 and they, you know, 00:19:57.360 --> 00:19:58.420 it's not transactional. 00:19:58.840 --> 00:20:00.900 It's not transactional at all, 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:01.580 but it's in a way 00:20:01.580 --> 00:20:03.279 that communicates their love 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:04.180 and their support 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:05.560 and their shared values 00:20:05.560 --> 00:20:06.840 and goals and commitments. 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:09.480 Did you know that behind me 00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:10.980 and my ministry here 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:11.879 at Christ Church 00:20:11.879 --> 00:20:14.139 is an incredibly supportive, 00:20:14.339 --> 00:20:16.299 Jesus-loving family in Christ? 00:20:16.539 --> 00:20:17.139 For example, 00:20:17.639 --> 00:20:19.439 in addition to the amazing nacho bar 00:20:19.439 --> 00:20:20.720 that my mom and my sister 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:21.899 and my aunts help set up 00:20:21.899 --> 00:20:23.379 for my ordination refreshments, 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:24.899 they do a lot here 00:20:24.899 --> 00:20:26.299 to help me serve well. 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:27.899 When Chelsea used to work 00:20:27.899 --> 00:20:28.659 on Saturdays, 00:20:28.679 --> 00:20:30.000 I have a whole army of aunts 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:31.379 and in-laws and parents 00:20:31.379 --> 00:20:32.480 and family friends 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:33.480 who have watched our girls 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:34.279 like more times 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:36.079 than I can count on Saturdays 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:38.619 so that I could finish my sermon 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:40.899 or hang out with some of you 00:20:40.899 --> 00:20:42.119 who are more available 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:43.119 on the weekends. 00:20:43.899 --> 00:20:45.000 And in my second year here 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:45.960 when I was fundraising 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:47.559 as a part of my internship 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:48.460 at Christ Church, 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:49.659 many of my family and friends 00:20:49.659 --> 00:20:50.899 from across the Bay Area, 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:52.539 all different churches in the Bay, 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:53.519 they helped me raise 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:54.480 over $40,000 00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:56.299 because they believed 00:20:56.299 --> 00:20:57.960 in this ministry here 00:20:57.960 --> 00:20:59.379 that I was taking part in. 00:20:59.439 --> 00:21:00.359 They believed that we 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:02.259 want to be leading people 00:21:02.259 --> 00:21:03.159 into deeper relationship 00:21:03.159 --> 00:21:03.859 with Christ 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:05.099 and they wanted to see me 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:05.679 do that. 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:06.519 And you know, 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:08.419 as humbled as I felt 00:21:08.419 --> 00:21:09.539 by the support 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:10.959 and as thankful as I am, 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:11.859 you know what I've never felt? 00:21:12.379 --> 00:21:14.059 I've never felt in debt. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:15.599 I've never felt obligated 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:17.159 to pay these people back. 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:17.779 Why? 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:19.740 Because they're family. 00:21:20.399 --> 00:21:22.259 This is what family does, 00:21:22.399 --> 00:21:23.539 especially families 00:21:23.539 --> 00:21:25.039 united in Christ. 00:21:25.699 --> 00:21:26.859 And that's what I believe 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:28.019 God wants to do here 00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:29.339 at Christ Church. 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:32.179 Build a sacrificially invested 00:21:32.179 --> 00:21:33.819 family in Christ. 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:35.699 And you might be looking around 00:21:35.699 --> 00:21:36.099 saying, 00:21:36.279 --> 00:21:36.899 I don't know, 00:21:37.379 --> 00:21:39.159 I don't really like this community 00:21:39.159 --> 00:21:40.259 as much as others, 00:21:40.399 --> 00:21:42.559 as much as my basketball league 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:44.039 or my climbing gym 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:45.399 or the people I work with. 00:21:45.419 --> 00:21:46.539 I get along so much better 00:21:46.539 --> 00:21:48.119 with people who are like me. 00:21:48.459 --> 00:21:48.980 Same profession, 00:21:49.199 --> 00:21:49.899 same hobbies, 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:50.839 same ethnicities, 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:51.779 same class, 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:52.740 same lifestyles. 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:53.559 It's so much easier 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:54.720 with people who are like us, 00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:54.959 right? 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:56.079 Oh yeah, 00:21:56.139 --> 00:21:56.579 of course. 00:21:56.579 --> 00:21:57.899 And we should leverage 00:21:57.899 --> 00:21:59.119 our shared commonalities 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:00.119 to bear witness to Christ. 00:22:00.399 --> 00:22:02.639 But our God is not 00:22:02.639 --> 00:22:03.960 in the easy business 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:05.319 of simply forming 00:22:05.319 --> 00:22:06.159 social clubs 00:22:06.159 --> 00:22:07.179 and homogenous 00:22:07.179 --> 00:22:08.500 shared interest groups. 00:22:09.159 --> 00:22:11.359 Our God is in the business 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:12.839 of building His church, 00:22:13.439 --> 00:22:14.779 a family that's rich 00:22:14.779 --> 00:22:16.059 in all manner of diversity, 00:22:16.379 --> 00:22:17.799 even building from the humblest 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:19.960 and the lowest amongst us. 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:21.819 Paul wrote to the Corinthians 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:22.740 in his first letter, 00:22:23.419 --> 00:22:24.220 brothers and sisters, 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:25.720 think of what you were 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:26.519 when you were called. 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:28.059 Not many of you were wise 00:22:28.059 --> 00:22:28.899 by human standards. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:30.259 Not many were influential. 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:32.139 Not many were of noble birth. 00:22:32.659 --> 00:22:33.679 But God chose 00:22:33.679 --> 00:22:34.439 the foolish things 00:22:34.439 --> 00:22:35.000 of the world 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:36.119 to shame the wise. 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:37.919 God chose the weak things 00:22:37.919 --> 00:22:38.460 of the world 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:39.619 to shame the strong. 00:22:40.139 --> 00:22:41.279 God chose the lowly things 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:41.799 of this world 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:42.899 and the despised things 00:22:42.899 --> 00:22:43.720 and the things 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:44.539 that are not. 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:46.759 The family God built 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.259 in Corinth 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:48.220 wasn't your ideal 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:49.179 preferred cream 00:22:49.179 --> 00:22:49.899 of the crop, 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:50.599 but it's who God 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:51.199 brought together 00:22:51.199 --> 00:22:52.460 in His perfect wisdom 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:54.159 as a church family. 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:55.839 May God do that here, 00:22:55.919 --> 00:22:56.480 Christ Church. 00:22:57.039 --> 00:22:58.000 May God do that here 00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:59.399 amongst us. 00:23:00.179 --> 00:23:01.059 But let me say this, 00:23:01.439 --> 00:23:02.279 it's not just family 00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:03.119 for the sake of family, 00:23:03.179 --> 00:23:03.960 it's not just community 00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:05.539 for the sake of community. 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:06.759 We can get that anywhere. 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:08.599 But followers of Jesus 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:09.619 are called to live up, 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:10.839 in, and out. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:12.039 We are in community 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:13.960 in order to serve our world, 00:23:14.059 --> 00:23:15.099 to serve this city. 00:23:15.179 --> 00:23:16.359 See, a loving community 00:23:16.359 --> 00:23:17.439 is the way 00:23:17.439 --> 00:23:18.859 that our Savior Jesus 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:20.019 intended for His people 00:23:20.019 --> 00:23:21.220 to bear witness 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:22.039 about Him. 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:24.000 Jesus said in John 13, 00:23:24.100 --> 00:23:24.799 a new commandment 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:25.579 I give to you, 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:27.000 that you love one another 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:28.660 just as I have loved you. 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:30.240 You also are to love 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:30.759 one another. 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:31.920 By this, 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:33.279 all people will know 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:35.100 that you are my disciples 00:23:35.100 --> 00:23:36.539 if you have love 00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:37.319 for one another. 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:37.600 See, 00:23:37.860 --> 00:23:39.500 this family we build 00:23:39.500 --> 00:23:40.519 is not an end 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:41.180 in itself, 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:42.740 but it's a witness 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:44.100 to the good news 00:23:44.100 --> 00:23:44.920 about Jesus. 00:23:45.059 --> 00:23:45.720 It's community 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:46.660 for the sake of, 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:47.779 in the service of, 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:48.819 the gospel. 00:23:49.420 --> 00:23:50.519 I'm not just advocating 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:51.379 warm and fuzzy 00:23:51.379 --> 00:23:52.440 friendships here. 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:53.519 I'm talking about 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:54.299 the gospel. 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:55.619 It's all about 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:56.259 the gospel. 00:23:56.399 --> 00:23:56.879 It's all about 00:23:56.879 --> 00:23:57.579 the good news 00:23:57.579 --> 00:23:58.240 of what God 00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:59.480 has done in Christ 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:00.099 to reconcile 00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:01.639 people to Himself. 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:03.599 Do we truly grasp 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:04.920 that this is a life 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:06.220 and death matter 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:08.059 of eternal significance? 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:09.180 The gospel, 00:24:10.059 --> 00:24:10.660 that which is 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:11.559 of first importance, 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:12.740 the power of God 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:13.440 unto salvation 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:14.579 for all who believe. 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:16.480 In verse 6, 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:17.399 you may have been 00:24:17.400 --> 00:24:18.040 thrown off, 00:24:18.120 --> 00:24:19.100 maybe made uncomfortable 00:24:19.100 --> 00:24:20.340 by the words 00:24:20.340 --> 00:24:21.060 that Paul speaks 00:24:21.060 --> 00:24:21.940 here in verse 6. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:22.680 When Paul says 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:24.140 to these Jewish people 00:24:24.140 --> 00:24:24.759 who oppose him 00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:25.180 in the synagogue, 00:24:25.360 --> 00:24:25.640 he says, 00:24:26.040 --> 00:24:26.920 your blood be 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:27.840 on your own heads. 00:24:29.100 --> 00:24:29.780 And while I probably 00:24:29.780 --> 00:24:30.380 wouldn't recommend 00:24:30.380 --> 00:24:31.259 that you say that 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:32.180 to people who 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:33.340 you share Jesus with 00:24:33.340 --> 00:24:34.400 and don't accept 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:35.280 your message, 00:24:35.780 --> 00:24:36.500 Paul's words 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:37.900 actually reveal a lot 00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:39.060 about how we are 00:24:39.060 --> 00:24:39.759 to understand 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:40.860 his message 00:24:40.860 --> 00:24:42.220 and our identity 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:43.160 and responsibility 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:44.820 as witnesses of Christ. 00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:45.000 See, 00:24:45.040 --> 00:24:46.140 Paul's harsh statement 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:46.700 actually says 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:47.519 far more 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:48.620 about how he views 00:24:48.620 --> 00:24:49.100 and understands 00:24:49.100 --> 00:24:49.680 his message 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:50.460 and responsibility 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:51.500 than whatever judgments 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:52.220 it seems like he's 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:53.660 rendering upon his opposition. 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:55.140 When Paul says, 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:55.980 your blood be 00:24:55.980 --> 00:24:56.940 on your own heads 00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:57.900 to people who reject 00:24:57.900 --> 00:24:58.759 the gospel, 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:00.360 what's implied here 00:25:00.360 --> 00:25:01.140 is that first, 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:02.019 this is a matter 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:03.299 of life and death. 00:25:03.900 --> 00:25:04.539 Whether or not 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:05.120 we accept 00:25:05.120 --> 00:25:06.480 the good news of Jesus, 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:07.920 there is only one way 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:08.980 to be restored to God, 00:25:09.120 --> 00:25:10.220 only one way 00:25:10.220 --> 00:25:11.279 to resurrection life 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:12.240 and it's through union 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.140 with Jesus Christ alone. 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:15.519 And secondly, 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:16.140 what's implied 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:17.559 by Paul's harsh words 00:25:17.559 --> 00:25:18.880 is that before he shared 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:19.740 the news of Jesus 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:20.539 with these people, 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:21.799 their blood 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:23.480 was on his head. 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:25.099 It was on Paul's head. 00:25:25.180 --> 00:25:26.319 He was responsible 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:27.279 and he knew that. 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:28.940 So Christchurch, 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:29.720 do we have 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:30.960 this sense of urgency? 00:25:31.380 --> 00:25:31.980 Do we have 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:33.460 this sense of responsibility 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:34.539 about Jesus 00:25:34.539 --> 00:25:35.700 and all the people 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:36.240 around us 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:37.640 who do not know him? 00:25:38.340 --> 00:25:39.080 Do we understand 00:25:39.080 --> 00:25:39.780 the stakes 00:25:39.780 --> 00:25:41.480 of living in Christ 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:42.180 versus living 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:43.380 outside of Christ? 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:45.640 The gospel is everything. 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:47.340 The gospel is everything. 00:25:47.520 --> 00:25:48.660 It isn't one idea 00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:49.280 among many 00:25:49.280 --> 00:25:50.780 to just mix and match 00:25:50.780 --> 00:25:51.740 with whatever else 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:52.600 we deem interesting 00:25:52.600 --> 00:25:53.500 and useful. 00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:55.000 It's the power of God 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:56.300 unto salvation, 00:25:56.759 --> 00:25:57.620 a salvation that is 00:25:57.620 --> 00:25:58.540 sorely needed 00:25:58.540 --> 00:25:59.720 because of the brokenness 00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:00.280 of our world 00:26:00.280 --> 00:26:01.640 and the curse of sin 00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:02.640 and our complicit 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:03.620 estrangement 00:26:03.620 --> 00:26:04.759 from this God. 00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:06.920 Is it really not worth sharing? 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:08.980 Is it really not worth 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:09.620 sharing? 00:26:09.900 --> 00:26:10.840 Is it really not worth 00:26:10.840 --> 00:26:11.920 bearing witness to 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:12.960 even the atheist 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:13.960 Penn Jillette 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:15.060 of the magician duo 00:26:15.060 --> 00:26:15.940 Penn and Teller, 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:16.920 even he thinks 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:17.680 as an atheist 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:19.000 that this gospel 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:20.200 is worth sharing. 00:26:21.100 --> 00:26:22.100 In a story he told 00:26:22.100 --> 00:26:22.880 years ago 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:23.620 about a Christian 00:26:23.620 --> 00:26:24.600 who went to see him 00:26:24.600 --> 00:26:25.940 and who went 00:26:25.940 --> 00:26:26.980 to see his show 00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:27.600 and then gave him 00:26:27.600 --> 00:26:29.020 a Bible after the show, 00:26:29.580 --> 00:26:30.360 Penn said this, 00:26:31.100 --> 00:26:32.500 I don't respect people 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:34.120 who don't proselytize. 00:26:34.600 --> 00:26:35.960 I don't respect that at all. 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:37.240 If you believe 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:38.079 that there's a heaven 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:38.940 and a hell 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:39.640 and that people 00:26:39.640 --> 00:26:40.779 could be going to hell 00:26:40.779 --> 00:26:42.500 or not getting eternal life 00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:43.579 and you think 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:44.480 that it's not really 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:45.579 worth telling them this 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:46.680 because it would make it 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:47.599 socially awkward, 00:26:48.559 --> 00:26:49.380 how much do you have 00:26:49.380 --> 00:26:50.500 to hate somebody 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:52.440 to not proselytize? 00:26:52.940 --> 00:26:53.680 How much do you have 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.779 to hate somebody 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:55.680 to believe 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:57.140 that everlasting life 00:26:57.140 --> 00:26:58.099 is possible 00:26:58.099 --> 00:26:59.900 and not tell them that? 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:01.740 Christchurch, 00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:02.920 do we not have news 00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:03.900 worth sharing? 00:27:03.900 --> 00:27:05.920 In spite of our fears 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:06.900 of embarrassment 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:07.840 and rejection 00:27:07.840 --> 00:27:10.100 and socially awkward moments, 00:27:11.060 --> 00:27:11.820 of all people, 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:12.360 Paul, 00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:13.220 Apostle Paul, 00:27:13.280 --> 00:27:14.820 he had every reason 00:27:14.820 --> 00:27:15.500 to be fearful 00:27:15.500 --> 00:27:17.100 and to stop speaking 00:27:17.100 --> 00:27:17.880 and to be silent. 00:27:18.100 --> 00:27:18.960 He was stripped 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:20.360 and beaten with rods 00:27:20.360 --> 00:27:21.440 and then flogged 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:22.060 and imprisoned 00:27:22.060 --> 00:27:23.080 in Philippi 00:27:23.080 --> 00:27:24.360 and then in the next city, 00:27:24.460 --> 00:27:25.100 Thessalonica, 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:25.720 a mob 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:27.540 and a city riot 00:27:27.540 --> 00:27:28.800 formed against him 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:30.079 and then in Athens, 00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:30.720 he was sent 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:31.559 to the Areopagus 00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:32.240 where he wondered 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:32.779 if he was going 00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:33.579 to get executed 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:34.559 like Socrates. 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.740 No wonder Paul says 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:36.180 in his letter 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:36.779 to the Corinthians 00:27:36.779 --> 00:27:37.899 that when he was among them, 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:38.440 he was there 00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:39.500 with much fear 00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:40.339 and trembling. 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:42.879 Yes, it is a scary thing 00:27:42.879 --> 00:27:44.279 to bear witness to Christ 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:45.799 and we don't know 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:47.099 exact outcomes 00:27:47.099 --> 00:27:48.180 for what will happen 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:48.899 when we do 00:27:48.899 --> 00:27:51.399 but is the glory of Christ 00:27:51.399 --> 00:27:53.119 and the eternal good 00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:54.119 of our neighbors 00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:56.039 not worth bearing witness 00:27:56.039 --> 00:27:58.180 about amidst our fears? 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:00.299 FDR said, 00:28:00.819 --> 00:28:01.339 courage is not 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:02.259 the absence of fear 00:28:02.259 --> 00:28:02.779 but rather 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:03.879 the assessment 00:28:03.879 --> 00:28:05.319 that something else 00:28:05.319 --> 00:28:06.720 is more important 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:07.700 than fear. 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:09.240 Christ Church, 00:28:09.339 --> 00:28:10.240 what is more important 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:11.519 than the gospel? 00:28:12.619 --> 00:28:13.579 And couldn't it be 00:28:13.579 --> 00:28:15.000 that just as Jesus said 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:16.460 to Paul in verses 9 and 10, 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:17.599 do not be afraid, 00:28:18.139 --> 00:28:18.919 keep on speaking, 00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:19.940 do not be silent 00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:21.220 for I am with you 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:22.019 and no one is going 00:28:22.019 --> 00:28:23.119 to attack and harm you 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:26.099 because I have many people 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:27.220 in this city. 00:28:28.220 --> 00:28:28.980 Couldn't it be 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:29.799 that he's saying 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:30.940 the same to us today? 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:32.259 And look, 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:33.460 Jesus keeps his word 00:28:33.460 --> 00:28:35.000 as we see in verses 12 to 17 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:36.259 that even when yet 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:37.019 another mob 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:37.960 attacked Paul, 00:28:38.100 --> 00:28:39.120 brought him to be judged 00:28:39.120 --> 00:28:40.440 by the proconsul in Corinth, 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:42.980 this pagan Gentile proconsul, 00:28:43.360 --> 00:28:44.319 he sets an important 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:45.059 legal precedent 00:28:45.059 --> 00:28:46.559 that Paul and the message 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:47.259 of Christianity 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:48.460 are actually not 00:28:48.460 --> 00:28:49.440 a criminal offense 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:49.940 to be punished 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:51.140 and Paul was cleared to go. 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:52.460 Jesus kept his word to him 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:53.920 and more importantly, 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:55.420 Jesus kept his word to Paul 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:56.519 that he would be with Paul 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:58.019 and that he did have 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:59.840 many people in that city 00:28:59.840 --> 00:29:01.640 and that's how the church 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:03.019 in Corinth was born 00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:03.779 and built 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:05.039 and this is how I pray 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:06.039 that Christ's church 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:07.740 will be rebuilt 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:09.680 out of a peace 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:11.360 that Jesus is with us, 00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:12.860 out of an excitement 00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:14.660 that he has many people 00:29:14.660 --> 00:29:15.579 in this city 00:29:15.579 --> 00:29:16.759 yet to be revealed 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:18.680 who will join our family 00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:19.579 in Christ 00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:20.579 and know the joy 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:22.119 of our salvation. 00:29:23.339 --> 00:29:24.220 I've already seen it happen 00:29:24.220 --> 00:29:24.839 so many times. 00:29:24.919 --> 00:29:25.559 I've only been here 00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:26.139 at Christ Church 00:29:26.139 --> 00:29:26.759 for three years 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:27.819 but I've seen so much 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:28.799 of what God is doing. 00:29:29.439 --> 00:29:30.319 People from China 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:31.480 coming to know Jesus. 00:29:31.919 --> 00:29:32.779 People from Iran 00:29:32.779 --> 00:29:34.039 coming to know Jesus. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:34.980 People with paths 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:36.139 of prostitution. 00:29:36.939 --> 00:29:38.460 People with paths 00:29:38.460 --> 00:29:39.419 in the occult. 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:40.079 People struggling 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:40.879 with diagnoses 00:29:40.879 --> 00:29:43.000 of autism and bipolar. 00:29:43.399 --> 00:29:44.139 Falling in love 00:29:44.139 --> 00:29:44.839 with Jesus 00:29:44.839 --> 00:29:46.960 and joining our eclectic family 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:47.960 and making a difference 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:48.759 already here 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:49.640 in this world 00:29:49.640 --> 00:29:50.400 bearing witness 00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:51.240 to the good news 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:52.140 of Jesus. 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:53.819 Christ Church, 00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:55.440 God's not done with us here. 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:57.240 He's not done with us here. 00:29:57.720 --> 00:29:58.660 He has people 00:29:58.660 --> 00:29:59.359 that he wants 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:00.379 to be brought to him. 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:01.900 He has people 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:02.640 in this city 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:03.500 that he wants 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:04.720 to be brought to him. 00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:06.339 Do we understand that? 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:07.700 Do we understand that? 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:08.740 That we cannot fail. 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:10.180 Jesus said, 00:30:10.359 --> 00:30:10.819 my sheep 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:11.819 will hear 00:30:11.819 --> 00:30:12.819 my voice. 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:14.440 We cannot fail. 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:15.660 Don't you want 00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:16.440 to be a part of that? 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:17.720 Part of the joy 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:19.120 of bringing people 00:30:19.120 --> 00:30:20.039 into the fold 00:30:20.039 --> 00:30:20.819 of God, 00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:22.559 into this loving community 00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:24.440 that worships Jesus Christ. 00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:25.480 Don't you want that? 00:30:26.299 --> 00:30:26.900 Are we willing 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:27.579 to believe 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:28.700 that God can 00:30:28.700 --> 00:30:29.360 and will 00:30:29.360 --> 00:30:30.900 bear incredible fruit 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:31.860 and gather 00:30:31.860 --> 00:30:33.200 a wonderful family 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:34.000 of witnesses 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:34.700 amongst us, 00:30:34.759 --> 00:30:35.700 not in spite of, 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:36.539 but through 00:30:36.539 --> 00:30:37.960 the disruptions 00:30:37.960 --> 00:30:38.839 in our lives 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:39.660 and in our church? 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:41.160 Will we believe 00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:41.920 this enough 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:43.019 to lean in 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:44.339 and give ourselves 00:30:44.339 --> 00:30:45.939 to this family project 00:30:45.939 --> 00:30:47.839 called Christ's Church? 00:30:48.679 --> 00:30:49.539 Will you pray with me? 00:30:54.539 --> 00:30:54.939 Lord, 00:30:55.019 --> 00:30:55.879 this is what we want. 00:30:56.879 --> 00:30:57.699 We believe 00:30:57.699 --> 00:30:58.559 that you have people 00:30:58.559 --> 00:30:59.240 in this city 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:00.839 yet to be revealed 00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:02.279 and we want 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:02.980 to find them. 00:31:04.679 --> 00:31:05.359 We love 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:05.939 that the sheep 00:31:05.939 --> 00:31:06.779 will hear your voice. 00:31:06.899 --> 00:31:07.759 So give us boldness 00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:08.339 to speak 00:31:08.339 --> 00:31:09.659 your word 00:31:09.659 --> 00:31:10.579 so that they can hear 00:31:10.579 --> 00:31:11.039 the voice 00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:11.980 of their good shepherd, 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:13.559 the shepherd 00:31:13.559 --> 00:31:14.440 who lays his life 00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:15.319 down for his sheep. 00:31:15.380 --> 00:31:15.920 What kind of shepherd 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:16.579 does that? 00:31:17.860 --> 00:31:18.759 People out there, 00:31:18.839 --> 00:31:19.000 Lord, 00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:20.259 people who do not know you 00:31:20.259 --> 00:31:21.819 are seeking shepherds 00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:22.440 who will not lay 00:31:22.440 --> 00:31:23.200 their lives down 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:23.720 for them. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:25.160 But we have 00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:25.839 the good shepherd. 00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:30.720 Convince us 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:31.519 that he is good 00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:33.839 and make us 00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:34.299 a community 00:31:34.299 --> 00:31:34.960 that's centered 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:36.779 around this good shepherd 00:31:36.779 --> 00:31:40.120 because of family, 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:40.480 God, 00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:42.059 a family 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:43.200 that is so invested 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:44.500 in the kingdom 00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:45.059 of God 00:31:45.059 --> 00:31:46.880 that so believes 00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:47.599 the gospel 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:48.400 to be good news, 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:49.319 the best news, 00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:51.420 that you do amazing 00:31:51.420 --> 00:31:52.880 things in this place 00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:53.960 in the East Bay 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:56.360 and we rejoice 00:31:56.360 --> 00:31:57.200 every Sunday 00:31:57.200 --> 00:31:58.559 seeing these things 00:31:58.559 --> 00:31:59.059 unfold. 00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:00.720 May it be so here, 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:00.980 Lord. 00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:03.240 We love you. 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:05.079 We trust you. 00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:06.779 And we want to give you 00:32:06.779 --> 00:32:07.420 all praise 00:32:07.420 --> 00:32:08.319 and glory 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:09.880 because of who you are 00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:11.420 and what you've done 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:12.680 for us 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:13.420 in Christ. 00:32:14.220 --> 00:32:15.260 In his name we pray. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:16.260 Amen. 00:32:16.260 --> 00:32:16.360 Amen. 00:32:16.360 --> 00:32:16.420 Amen. 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:16.480 Amen. 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:17.480 Amen. 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:26.019 Amen. 00:32:26.019 --> 00:32:26.500 Amen. 00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:26.940 Amen. 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:27.960 Amen. 00:32:28.019 --> 00:32:28.660 Amen. 00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:33.360 Amen. 00:32:33.360 --> 00:32:35.180 Amen. 00:32:35.900 --> 00:32:36.940 Amen. 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:45.960 Amen. 00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:46.059 Amen. 00:32:46.059 --> 00:32:46.440 Amen.