WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.560 And at just the perfect and right time, he snatched you from the grip of hell, and he gave you eternal life. 2 00:00:06.560 --> 00:00:10.960 But I love this. Jesus, he could have said, 3 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:15.600 I've done this thing that only God can do this impossible work, and he could have said, 4 00:00:15.600 --> 00:00:19.440 let me take the napkin off your face, and let me cut you out of these grave clothes. 5 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:25.520 But he doesn't do that. Jesus does what only God can do, and he raises him to life. 6 00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:30.160 Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today, 7 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.960 as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. 8 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:41.360 If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com, 9 00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:49.360 that citylightnyc.com. Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit 10 00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:54.400 is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, 11 00:00:54.400 --> 00:00:59.120 remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by his grace, 12 00:00:59.760 --> 00:01:02.480 and that he has a real hope and a future for you. 13 00:01:06.240 --> 00:01:16.800 God is so good. I want to talk today about life groups. I know we looked at the video earlier, 14 00:01:16.800 --> 00:01:20.000 it looked real good, the whole bunch of beautiful people in there. 15 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:26.720 See, only she gets that I was in the video, that's why I said that the people is beautiful, 16 00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:34.320 praise God. But no, there's something super powerful about life groups, and if you don't know 17 00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:37.520 what life groups are, let me show you from the scriptures what they are. 18 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:47.040 So let's go to Acts 2, verse 46 and 47. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple 19 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:53.200 and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 20 00:01:54.400 --> 00:02:00.080 praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily, 21 00:02:00.080 --> 00:02:08.560 those who were being saved. This is life groups. They met in an official capacity in the temple 22 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:14.240 on the Sabbath, like what we're doing right now, we are in the church. I won't say in the temple 23 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:20.400 because you are the temple, amen? So they met in the church in an official capacity together, 24 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:25.760 but I love what it says at the end in verse 19. People were getting saved daily. Well, how could they 25 00:02:25.760 --> 00:02:32.320 be getting saved daily if they only met in the temple on one day? It was what was happening every 26 00:02:32.320 --> 00:02:39.440 other day as they met from house to house and they broke bread. See, this Christian thing that we 27 00:02:39.440 --> 00:02:45.040 do this way of life, it's not meant to be relegated to this thing that you do just on Sunday. 28 00:02:46.320 --> 00:02:51.440 It's meant to be your life, it's meant to encapsulate all that you are, all of your relationships, 29 00:02:51.440 --> 00:03:00.240 it's meant to be a Monday through Sunday thing. So here on Sunday, you come in the pastor and the 30 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:06.240 preacher, they give you a word of encouragement and strengthen you and give you an exhortation to 31 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:10.960 point you in the right direction, but then you need to follow that up with actual practice. 32 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:19.040 So on a Sunday morning, you don't actually do the ministering, I do. Pastor Bo does, Pastor James does. 33 00:03:21.040 --> 00:03:28.400 But in life groups, you get to practice those Christian principles, you get to lay hands on people, 34 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:33.360 you get to prophesy, you get to preach, you get prayer, you receive and give prayer. 35 00:03:33.920 --> 00:03:40.480 How powerful is that? But the thing is we don't often take advantage of that because we have a lot of 36 00:03:40.480 --> 00:03:51.600 Sunday Christians. Oh, he got heavy fast, what happened? No, I do believe that the Lord is calling us 37 00:03:51.600 --> 00:03:57.680 out of that place of nominal Christianity where we checked our attendance card and said, I came 38 00:03:58.880 --> 00:04:02.400 because this is what happens. We were at a point in our lives where we go to church on the high 39 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:12.240 holy days, Mother's Day, Easter, and Christmas. And then we graduate from there and we go, you know 40 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:18.080 what? I'm getting serious about God. I'm going to honor the King and I'm going to go every Sunday and 41 00:04:18.080 --> 00:04:22.000 I'm going to check my attendance card and they're going to know I'm there because I'm going to lift my hand. 42 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:31.680 And the Lord is saying, I want more because and there is the reason why it's not just so that you 43 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:36.640 can say that you've done something. God actually wants to give you something as with all things. 44 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:41.600 Even as we were just collecting the offering just now, that's not really about you getting God 45 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:48.080 money, that's about him getting you money. Did you catch that? Because when you sow, then you reap 46 00:04:48.080 --> 00:04:55.840 a harvest that, okay, they get it, they get it, they get it. So the reason we're talking about 47 00:04:55.840 --> 00:05:01.760 life groups today is life groups are the lifeblood of our church. And I know it might seem like a 48 00:05:01.760 --> 00:05:08.880 misnomer. I'm the community pastor so life groups are very much my heart. But we say it's the life 49 00:05:08.880 --> 00:05:13.280 blood of our church and I'm not the only one that says that is because again, it's the connection, 50 00:05:13.280 --> 00:05:19.280 it's where community happens. We have this thing called fellowship and sometimes people call the 51 00:05:19.280 --> 00:05:23.600 services, well, I'm going to go fellowship some of the old time heads and Christianity call it that. 52 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:27.600 It's not really fellowship. When you come on a Sunday morning, the only thing that you're 53 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:34.800 fellowshiping with is the back of somebody's neck. And the real interaction that happens in 54 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:40.640 Christianity is not meant to be with the back of somebody's neck. Oh, nobody's going to say amen 55 00:05:40.640 --> 00:05:50.880 to the obvious, okay. I love life groups because it teaches people to be great friends. Friends 56 00:05:50.880 --> 00:05:55.840 that are like minded, friends that are reliable, friends that are able to carry each other in discipleship. 57 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.640 You know, life groups are where one another happens. You know, in the scriptures, the Bible says 58 00:06:00.640 --> 00:06:06.000 59 separate times that we are to one another each other. You might say one another. What's that? 59 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:10.480 Well, the Bible says that we should love one another. The Bible says that we should pray for one another. 60 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:14.720 The Bible says that we should greet one another, that we should strengthen one another, that we 61 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:20.240 should bear with one another. The one anothering happens in the context of life group. 62 00:06:20.880 --> 00:06:25.840 So if you haven't figured it out today, this is a big sermon inviting you to life groups. 63 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:34.960 I'm inviting you to community. I'm inviting you out of nominal Christianity into a place called 64 00:06:34.960 --> 00:06:50.640 accountability. You know, C.S. Lewis once said this about friendship. It's a famous Christian 65 00:06:50.640 --> 00:06:57.600 writer. He said friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another, what? You too? 66 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:07.680 I thought that no one but myself. So there's this dynamic where we get to connect with people and 67 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:14.880 grow and bear fruit. AKA, you can't get where you want to go by yourself. 68 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:22.720 People don't really like hearing that because there's a level of humility and dependence that is 69 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:32.720 necessary that we don't really like. Your friends should motivate and inspire you. Your circle should 70 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:41.600 be well-rounded and supportive. We need godly friendships in our lives. No one person can encompass 71 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:47.520 all that we need relationally though. How about this? Even your spouse for those of us privileged to 72 00:07:47.520 --> 00:07:53.360 be married. Even your spouse can't connect all of the dots of what you need relationally. 73 00:07:54.640 --> 00:08:00.800 Monica's like, you don't know my husband, boo. She in the second row like, my man is my best friend. 74 00:08:01.840 --> 00:08:12.640 Amen. Amen. Amen. But I've learned that sometimes you need more than just romantic relationship. 75 00:08:13.280 --> 00:08:22.800 You know why you need platonic, same gender friendship? Because there's not a threat of you doing to get. 76 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:29.440 All the married people immediately got what I was saying. I'm immediately got what I was saying. 77 00:08:29.440 --> 00:08:34.560 See, the married folk understand that you know what? I'm going to keep this here relationship nice 78 00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:39.920 and tight and good because yeah, well, pretty, pretty God, pretty God, pretty God. 79 00:08:39.920 --> 00:08:46.080 Yeah. There's something about the platonic friendship that you need to be able to tell each other 80 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:50.800 the truth and garner things that you can't get from that romantic relationship. It actually 81 00:08:50.800 --> 00:08:56.640 causes you to become a better person because if you didn't know, it's easy to call yourself 82 00:08:56.640 --> 00:09:06.640 anything in isolation. I am amazing. And the minute I get around other people, they will go, 83 00:09:06.640 --> 00:09:14.560 now you are. There's something about the accountability and the honesty of community that will bring out 84 00:09:14.560 --> 00:09:20.960 the truth because again, it's easy to say whatever it is that you want to say in isolation with 85 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:26.880 nobody there to fact check you. AKA keyboard fingers on the internet. Somebody talk to me. 86 00:09:28.400 --> 00:09:34.240 Oh yeah, not going to talk to me about it. All right. All you people in the chat, you better put a 87 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:45.360 fire emoji. Hope I'm not talking about you. If you look at it and again, this is a real thing. You need 88 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:52.880 a plethora of relationships in your life. And I know this because even when I look at God, 89 00:09:52.880 --> 00:09:59.120 God in and of himself is relationship. Now, I don't know. Some of you have maybe heard this story 90 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:06.160 before, but our city kids program that we have downstairs, it is the bomb.com. It is children's 91 00:10:06.160 --> 00:10:11.120 church for real. Like they don't sell a junior Holy Spirit down there. Like they are having church 92 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.800 the same way we're having church. They're learning about the word of God. Like sometimes the stuff 93 00:10:14.800 --> 00:10:18.560 of my daughter hits me with, I'm like, I didn't teach you that. Well, you got that from. She's like, 94 00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:20.560 you know, I'll be going to church on Sunday, right? I'm like, 95 00:10:20.640 --> 00:10:30.800 but it's funny because I've heard this said to children before and it grinds my gears in such a 96 00:10:30.800 --> 00:10:37.520 way where you'll have a little kid going, hey, why did God create humans? And then you'll get some 97 00:10:37.520 --> 00:10:43.680 well-meaning Sunday school children's church teacher who will lie out the back of their mouth and 98 00:10:43.680 --> 00:10:50.240 say something that was born in the pit of hell. Well, you know, God created humans because he didn't 99 00:10:50.240 --> 00:11:00.880 want to be lonely. That's a lie. God has never been lonely. God is relationship. He is the father, 100 00:11:00.880 --> 00:11:05.040 the son, and the Holy Spirit. Let me show you from the scripture so you know what I'm just talking. 101 00:11:05.040 --> 00:11:10.720 First John 5.7 says, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the father, the word, and the 102 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:20.160 Holy Ghost. And these three are one. So again, there is no one person that can encompass all that we 103 00:11:20.160 --> 00:11:26.800 need relation in. We have friends of the same gender to help us learn how to actually love 104 00:11:26.800 --> 00:11:33.760 without motive or physical intimacy. We need to learn how to be actual friends to each other 105 00:11:33.760 --> 00:11:45.280 when it comes to community and kingdom. Amen? Proverbs 18, 24 says, a man that has friends 106 00:11:45.280 --> 00:11:49.600 must show himself friendly and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. 107 00:11:51.040 --> 00:11:57.840 We need to learn how to be willing to let other people star shine. You can't do that in isolation. 108 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:06.880 We need to be willing to be poured into as we pour out into others. There's a wonderful 109 00:12:06.880 --> 00:12:15.040 given-taken friendship that displays God's love relationally. And one of the things I'm just 110 00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:25.680 going to say flatly, you've gone as far as you can go by yourself. God is going to build you up 111 00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:33.440 through your connections and not isolation. You have to be able to connect and flow with people to 112 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:38.560 take it to the next level. You have to trust people and not just any people. You have to trust the 113 00:12:38.560 --> 00:12:43.680 right people with your vision. You have to get it out of your hands or it won't multiply. 114 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:52.960 We multiplied through connections. I'll give you a story. So I want to say it must have been 115 00:12:52.960 --> 00:13:04.560 somewhere in 2012. We just, because we had our services on Friday nights in the East Village, 116 00:13:04.560 --> 00:13:09.120 shout out to all my old schoolers who would come to A. 117 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:18.880 Shika. Our Friday services were fun. We call them happy hour because our church was located in 118 00:13:18.880 --> 00:13:25.120 the East Village. And if you didn't know, the East Village is a very fun, weird place. Per capita, 119 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:32.480 it has the most bars per square foot than any other place on earth. So just imagine we were getting 120 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:37.120 quite a clientele of people coming in and getting saved and having their lives transformed on a weekly 121 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:43.920 basis. So I remember after one Friday night, Pastor Bowen and I were just conversing and we walked 122 00:13:43.920 --> 00:13:51.040 to his car and we got in the car and it was close to Thanksgiving. And I remember I was sitting 123 00:13:51.040 --> 00:13:59.760 in his car and I was weeping. And I remember he was trying to encourage me because 124 00:14:00.560 --> 00:14:08.640 there was this thing that I couldn't break past. I was trying to get into my destiny and I didn't 125 00:14:08.640 --> 00:14:17.680 know how. I knew I was called to lead and minister and preach and teach and serve and all of these 126 00:14:17.680 --> 00:14:23.680 things but I had no opportunity. I was working full time at the YMCA Counseling Center. 127 00:14:26.800 --> 00:14:31.680 And I remember just like just feeling so stuck because if you haven't known this feeling, 128 00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:36.000 when you have a call of God on the inside of you, this is the the best thing that I can 129 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:41.440 akin it to. It felt like a tree was growing on the inside of me because if you look at a tree, 130 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:46.480 it's imperceptible. You can't really gauge it from one day to the next and go, you're bigger. 131 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:51.920 You can't do that but if you would put a tree right up against a piece of glass, eventually the 132 00:14:51.920 --> 00:14:57.520 glass would have to give way and break because of the growth. Like we see this literally on the 133 00:14:57.520 --> 00:15:04.800 streets where the roots of a tree can unearth concrete. So I felt like this thing was growing on 134 00:15:05.040 --> 00:15:09.920 the inside of me but it hadn't broken through yet. So again, I'm talking with my pastor like, 135 00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:14.320 hey man, how do I get to the next level? And it was funny because he was trying to encourage me. 136 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:21.520 He says, listen, when it comes to doing all that you can do, I can say with clarity and honesty, 137 00:15:21.520 --> 00:15:29.200 you are doing everything that you're supposed to do. I know you, you are praying, you are fasting, 138 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.200 you are serving, you are looking for every opportunity to pour yourself out for the sake of 139 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:41.680 Jesus. So I don't know, brah. So again, I'm just crying because I'm just like, God, I just want 140 00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:47.600 your will. And then he said something to me that was powerful. He goes, when you've done everything 141 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:53.920 that you know to do in order to reach your destiny but still feel stagnant, it could be that there 142 00:15:53.920 --> 00:16:03.760 are destiny partners connected to your destiny. Because nobody really wants to hear that. 143 00:16:03.760 --> 00:16:07.440 When you want to just go where you want to go, you want to go by yourself. And in essence, 144 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.520 what he was telling me is there are some people in your life that you haven't connected with yet 145 00:16:11.520 --> 00:16:18.880 that might be the key that opens the prison door. Oh, yeah, didn't hear me. Sometimes you are the 146 00:16:18.880 --> 00:16:27.760 key that opens somebody else's prison door. So I'm like, man, God, what does that mean? And he says, 147 00:16:27.760 --> 00:16:32.080 listen, it doesn't have to be that it's a romantic relationship. It could just be a relationship. 148 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:34.960 Maybe there's somebody in your life that Lord wants to put you together and both of you will get 149 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:40.080 together and start an amazing business that will change the world. We don't know. Well, maybe it could 150 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:48.960 be romantic. Hey, now. Listen, shortly thereafter, I met my wife. She started out as a friend 151 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:56.560 that I got to know at life group, plug. I got to know her at life group and she became my 152 00:16:56.560 --> 00:17:03.200 girlfriend at life group and from there she became my wife. No, you can clap a little bit better 153 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:12.640 for my wife. Tiffany is at home and she's actually driving here right now. She is pregnant with 154 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:21.520 our third child. She is due March 12. So AKA, she is ready to go. She will be here shortly to 155 00:17:21.520 --> 00:17:28.960 receive all of your praises. But it's funny that I needed to connect with my wife and it set me 156 00:17:29.040 --> 00:17:34.880 on such a trajectory because I was working at that job and I get married to my wife and six months 157 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:41.280 into my marriage, I get laid off. I had never been without a job since the age of 14, then I find myself 158 00:17:41.280 --> 00:17:46.960 all of a sudden without work. At the most important time when I need work to be a provider and a 159 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:53.600 husband, it was all like, oh my God, Jesus. But it's so funny that the trajectory of what happened 160 00:17:53.600 --> 00:18:00.400 through connecting with her, I watched as the Lord connected me with my wife that I ended up in my 161 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:05.600 dream job and both of our lives just exponentially kept growing from there forward. 162 00:18:07.520 --> 00:18:14.480 You cannot get where you want to get by yourself because you my friend are a member of the body 163 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:19.600 of Christ. I don't know about you but my pinky does not get up and walk away and do it 164 00:18:19.600 --> 00:18:27.440 so thing without me. When my pinky wants ice cream, we want ice cream. It don't be me y'all, it'd be 165 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:42.640 the pinky. I still didn't hear no amen to that but all right. Matthew 18, 19 and 20 says this, 166 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:47.520 again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, 167 00:18:47.520 --> 00:18:53.120 it will be done for them by my father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in 168 00:18:53.120 --> 00:18:59.760 my name, I am there in the midst of them. I'll give you another one for free. Leviticus 268 says, 169 00:18:59.760 --> 00:19:05.280 five of you shall chase a hundred and a hundred of you shall put 10,000 to flight. 170 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:14.320 Man, that is some crazy kingdom exponential math that doesn't make sense. But I love it 171 00:19:15.120 --> 00:19:21.040 and it just reaffirms further the point that I'm making that God means for you to get where you're 172 00:19:21.040 --> 00:19:30.400 going by getting with his people. So if we can establish that, life groups are the way, 173 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:35.920 communities the way getting with the people is the way, we have to ask the 10 million dollar question 174 00:19:37.520 --> 00:19:41.600 and just to be clear, even if you call out the answer, I will not give you 10 million dollars. 175 00:19:41.600 --> 00:19:45.280 Some people from the first service just wait and like. 176 00:19:48.320 --> 00:19:52.160 So the 10 million dollar question is this, if we know that there is so much power 177 00:19:53.440 --> 00:20:00.240 in accountability and community and one another, why don't we do it? 178 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:07.680 Why is it that when life groups semester opens up as it opened up last week that every group 179 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:13.280 has to be labeled full for this week because it is at capacity and cannot take anymore. 180 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:21.520 You want to know why? I'll tell you why. I'll tell you because it's actually the title of 181 00:20:21.520 --> 00:20:27.280 discernment. The answer is that help sometimes hurts. 182 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:35.200 See, I was trying to be nice. I was giving the media team a chance to bow, throw it on there, 183 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:43.680 like the discernment title, but technically I guess we don't need it. 184 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:47.920 Help, sometimes. 185 00:20:53.600 --> 00:21:00.080 They feel me, help. Help sometimes hurts. 186 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.280 You want to know how I know that this is true? 187 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.880 It's February. Where are all my athletic gym goers at? 188 00:21:09.840 --> 00:21:14.000 Oh, don't you know, hey, all you crossfit people now, you've been showing off that body. 189 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:17.200 Don't get shy now. Raise your hand brother. All right. 190 00:21:19.760 --> 00:21:23.840 Now here's the thing. It's mid-February, right? 191 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:29.200 A lot of the New Year's resolutions are starting to taper off. 192 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:34.960 We had some people start and they were on fire. 193 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:38.960 I'm going to go. I'm going to bear this fruit. I'm going to go. 194 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:44.960 Everybody working out because they want to be a snack. 195 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:47.760 Talk them out. 196 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:56.960 But you know why? You only get a few people who last off, like my brother in the second row, 197 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:01.040 come here, just come here brother. Yeah, yeah, come on. 198 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:05.360 See, Oost is a former professional bodybuilder. 199 00:22:08.560 --> 00:22:13.600 You can't see it under here. He married, so just keep yourselves. 200 00:22:14.560 --> 00:22:18.560 Keep yourselves and I'm just giving you the warning. 201 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:25.920 But he lives a lifestyle of exercise and working out. He's a trainer. 202 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:30.000 Matter of fact, I'm just putting your face out. This would be people to come as you are. 203 00:22:31.520 --> 00:22:32.880 Nervous? No, you're good. 204 00:22:35.840 --> 00:22:36.160 But 205 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:39.920 you got more blood than me, bro. 206 00:22:41.760 --> 00:22:43.360 Give the praise to Jesus people. 207 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:48.800 So the reason that I pointed him out is because he lives a lifestyle of that. 208 00:22:48.800 --> 00:22:53.600 It's not based on resolution where every January he's going to get hyped for maybe 209 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:58.800 six weeks and then taper off. You want to know why most people are not like him 210 00:22:59.760 --> 00:23:06.000 because help sometimes hurts. See, the resistance that we get when we go to the gym, 211 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:11.680 we know the benefits. We know that we end up looking like a snack tasty. 212 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:22.320 We know that, but what's in between that point and the starting point is hurt. 213 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:29.680 It's resistance is work and we don't like that. 214 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:36.880 We like cookies. Let the church say amen. 215 00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:46.080 But I've learned that in order to take that step to get to it, you have to make yourself a 216 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:50.320 little bit uncomfortable and do what you've never done to get the results that you've never had. 217 00:23:53.280 --> 00:23:55.520 Help sometimes hurts. 218 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:02.000 The only way for you to reach purpose is through community. It is impossible to do it by yourself 219 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:06.720 and any person who is doing it by themselves is using sources that God did not approve. 220 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:13.920 If you're doing it by yourself, you're using illegal methods, whether that's being a workaholic, 221 00:24:15.520 --> 00:24:20.880 whether that's using substances. If you're using anything but the body of Christ to get the growth 222 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:24.320 that you need, you are out of bounds, sir. You are out of bounds, ma'am. 223 00:24:25.520 --> 00:24:27.520 Are you abusing people and things? 224 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:31.840 Oh, you know, by going to say amen, it's all right. 225 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:40.640 It hurts and we don't like to do it because it involves conversations that hurt. 226 00:24:41.360 --> 00:24:44.800 Because we're talking about community. We're talking about people getting together 227 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:51.120 like-minded people who know God and will help you and give you protection. 228 00:24:51.120 --> 00:24:54.800 You know, the Bible says that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. 229 00:24:55.520 --> 00:25:00.240 So why is it that we often find that when we go through circumstances, we isolate ourselves 230 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:02.480 because we don't want nobody saying nothing to us? 231 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:07.680 If you've ever been in a relationship that had a bunch of red flags and you didn't want any 232 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:10.960 of your friends saying anything to you, how much were you and your friends talking at that 233 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.320 particular time? No? 234 00:25:17.360 --> 00:25:22.640 Because we instinctively, and we know, we know when man, 235 00:25:24.800 --> 00:25:29.360 I think that this is wrong, but there's nobody here to tell me so I'm just going to keep going. 236 00:25:29.360 --> 00:25:35.680 We know that if we get around the right people who love us, they will go, hey, can we talk? 237 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:46.400 But we avoid those types of hurts. We avoid those type of conversations despite the fact that they help. 238 00:25:49.280 --> 00:25:56.080 And I'm inviting you to a place where you welcome the hurt because it will help. 239 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:07.680 Another reason that we don't endeavour to take the help that hurts is because the devil is giving us anesthesia. 240 00:26:09.840 --> 00:26:12.400 He's giving us this thing that numbs the hurt. 241 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.160 Hey, it takes some sugar water. You don't need to deal with these people. 242 00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:25.680 And instead of actually endeavouring to go to that place where we can speak the truth and love and 243 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:33.520 be real with each other, the enemy says, take a dose of this. Because it hurts to lie, 244 00:26:35.280 --> 00:26:42.000 but you won't face the consequences of community and accountability because the enemy has you 245 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:46.640 in this place where you know how to play the game. Because you want God, but you don't technically 246 00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:52.320 want the method that he uses to bring growth, which is the people. So you've mastered the art of 247 00:26:52.320 --> 00:26:58.560 coming late and leaving early. Oh, you're not talking to nobody yet. How about this? 248 00:27:02.800 --> 00:27:05.840 I know some of y'all. This is you on a Sunday morning. 249 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:13.360 You at 44th and Broadway and you like this. It almost looks like you're playing double dutch. 250 00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:17.680 I go right. I got a time at right. I got a time at right. Because I don't want to get caught. 251 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:20.960 If Deakin Mauricio catches me at the door, I know he's going to pray for me. So we got to avoid that. 252 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:26.240 Okay. Oh, the ushers look like they smiling today. All right. 253 00:27:27.520 --> 00:27:32.400 Let me give it to you. Let me get this. No, no, that's the first song. I can hear it. That's that. 254 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:34.400 One, two, three, go. 255 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:44.960 He says, hey, they rush in and they immediately get into a posture of deep worship. Because you know, 256 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:48.800 when somebody's deep worship, you don't want to say hello. You just, oh, look, get it, girl. 257 00:27:49.360 --> 00:27:50.800 Hey, yes, God. 258 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:59.600 You don't want to mess with that. So people have mastered the art. They look around. They look around. 259 00:27:59.600 --> 00:28:01.600 All right. I'm going to come in quick. I'm going to come in quick. 260 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:15.120 Oh, God. He's coming close. Yes, God. Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. 261 00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:17.760 And we've mastered the art because then 262 00:28:19.280 --> 00:28:26.880 Pastor Bo calls off the worship team and you're like, oh, oh, I got to evolve. I got to evolve. 263 00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:32.400 I was hearing the word of God and they about to know the ministry team is about to be called up. 264 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:36.960 I still got to give my all-frame. Wait, there's a box at the door. 265 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:42.640 And then you run and somebody, hey, where are you going? 266 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:45.280 No, I'm just going to the bathroom. I'm just going to the bathroom. 267 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:52.560 You might say, Pastor, no, where are you going? 268 00:28:53.040 --> 00:29:01.760 I'm trying to get you to understand that hurt sometimes helps and you don't have to avoid the 269 00:29:01.760 --> 00:29:07.680 conversations and the people. You just keep saying that you want God and you don't want the people 270 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:11.920 because of the things that you've experienced from other people in your life. But God is trying to 271 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:15.760 tell you I'm only going to grow you through the same people that you're avoiding. 272 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:22.720 So we have to welcome the accountability that comes with community 273 00:29:25.600 --> 00:29:31.360 because he's not using another method. He's proven his method, his method is his church. 274 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:34.880 Imperfect as we are and I do get that part. 275 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:41.040 It's easy to interact with God when God is perfect. 276 00:29:41.280 --> 00:29:48.960 But you're telling me that I have to, I've got to be vulnerable with these jokes. 277 00:29:54.080 --> 00:29:55.920 Don't worry, one thing a point at you for me. 278 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:04.480 But yeah, he's saying this is my method. 279 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:11.120 I want to use imperfect people to make each other perfect through my grace and my spirit. 280 00:30:21.840 --> 00:30:31.360 Did you know that something as small as a splinter if unchecked can lead to gangrene? 281 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:36.960 You could literally lose your leg off of a piece of toothpick. 282 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:45.120 It wasn't sharp enough to cut your leg off. It initially wasn't painful enough to cause 283 00:30:45.120 --> 00:30:50.480 your leg to be cut off. But because it was untreated and unaddressed for too long, 284 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:55.040 it grew into something that was beyond your control and the only way to save what is left 285 00:30:55.120 --> 00:30:56.960 is to cut off that which has been infected. 286 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.480 And God is saying, I got these things called tweezers, that is the people of God 287 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:06.960 that'll get in your business. 288 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:12.080 See, that's the thing. People are acting like as if I'm talking about this from a lofty 289 00:31:12.080 --> 00:31:16.160 saying, no, no, I'm talking about the practical. People getting in your business, 290 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:22.240 people loving on you, people asking you difficult questions like, how are you? 291 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:26.160 In today's culture, we don't like that. 292 00:31:28.560 --> 00:31:32.480 Because a lot of people mean for hello and how are you to be breeze by questions? 293 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:33.840 Hey, how you doing? How you doing? 294 00:31:34.800 --> 00:31:39.440 No, no, I asked you first. When I ask people, I mean it. How are you? 295 00:31:42.800 --> 00:31:45.360 Sometimes people ask me how I'm doing and I literally stop and I go, 296 00:31:45.360 --> 00:31:59.280 and then I begin to tell them and much to their shock, they're like, oh, you're actually sharing. 297 00:32:01.840 --> 00:32:06.480 And then I tell them, I thought you asked me how I was doing. So I was venturing to be vulnerable 298 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:10.320 enough to tell you where I was so that maybe you would pray with me and then maybe I could 299 00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:16.000 pray with you and maybe we would do this thing called life together, novel concept in the house 300 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:24.560 of God where we're all supposed to be a family. Oh, church, if you can see the faces that are coming 301 00:32:24.560 --> 00:32:32.960 back to me today, I'm not scary, although. Six, one, three hundred pounds, God gave me grace, 302 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:41.680 but he also gave me physique too. Plus I got goose, don't don't forget, I called him up for a reason. 303 00:32:45.280 --> 00:32:50.400 Hallelujah. So we got to talk about things to stay healthy, amen? 304 00:32:51.360 --> 00:32:57.760 We got to endeavor to allow God in to be the help that we can only get from his people. 305 00:32:57.760 --> 00:33:05.520 Ephesians 4, 15 and 16 says, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into him 306 00:33:05.520 --> 00:33:09.920 who is the head Christ from whom the whole body joined and knit together, but what every joint 307 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:14.080 supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share could cause 308 00:33:14.080 --> 00:33:19.920 his growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. It's a very long-winded theological way 309 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:28.960 of saying, talk to each other and I'll use you to help each other. 310 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:39.840 So again, the enemy stops you from being in places that have the good conversations that hurt 311 00:33:39.840 --> 00:33:46.160 oh so good. My analogy of people running in and out of the church, that's what that is. 312 00:33:46.720 --> 00:33:53.040 It's the enemy giving you the anesthesia that says you don't need to be hurt, you don't need to feel, 313 00:33:53.040 --> 00:34:00.400 you need to feel. I do understand what church hurt is. I do understand that people in your life 314 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:06.160 have abused your vulnerability but that is not a reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater. 315 00:34:07.840 --> 00:34:14.240 Unfortunately you still have to deal with God's people because that is the method that he 316 00:34:14.240 --> 00:34:20.960 designed to bring breakthrough and deliverance to you. If there was another way, I would give it to 317 00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:27.920 you. But there is no lofty monastic lifestyle where you go into a mountain by yourself and reach 318 00:34:27.920 --> 00:34:35.200 seven levels of nirvana and meet Jesus. Because every time you go to that mountain by about week three, 319 00:34:35.840 --> 00:34:38.320 Jesus is going to be like, so how long you plan on staying, bro? 320 00:34:38.800 --> 00:34:46.080 I'm just wondering when are you going to go out and do something with what I've given you? 321 00:34:55.280 --> 00:35:01.440 We have to get honest. I think there's also this other side of it where we want these weird quick 322 00:35:01.440 --> 00:35:06.800 fixes. So we spoke about the person who comes late leaves early but then there's also another person 323 00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:16.080 who comes to the front for ministry time and this is what it looks like. Fix me. 324 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:26.720 Are you done? And that's not how this works either because I need you to understand there's no 325 00:35:26.720 --> 00:35:31.680 laying on of the hands and pouring of the anointing oil that's going to remove the pride in your life. 326 00:35:32.640 --> 00:35:36.800 It's not going to seep in and by the time you get home, the pride has dried up. 327 00:35:40.640 --> 00:35:45.760 No, what's going to happen is the accountability of walking with each other day by day so that when 328 00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:51.840 you are acting prideful, I check you and go, hey, don't be like that. That's not godly. And it's not 329 00:35:51.840 --> 00:35:55.600 like I'm standing above you because you can check me too and go, you know, you said the right thing 330 00:35:55.600 --> 00:35:58.800 but you could have said it a little bit better. Oh, my bad. We're learning. 331 00:36:01.280 --> 00:36:08.640 That's how relationship works. That's how true friendship works where you take a piece of truth 332 00:36:08.640 --> 00:36:15.040 and you insert it into the relationship along with love so that you can get where you both need to go. 333 00:36:15.040 --> 00:36:31.440 Oh, man, let me just read this thing. The absence of honesty will produce an abundance of pain, 334 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:44.960 not just hurt. For the church to legitimately help you and the many issues that we all have, 335 00:36:45.040 --> 00:37:02.560 it's not just going to be through the laying on of hands. It's going to be and I'm going to say 336 00:37:02.560 --> 00:37:06.560 this and for certain church people with a history in church is going to sound like a cuss word. 337 00:37:07.200 --> 00:37:11.360 I didn't say curse. I said cuss is a cuss word. All you down south people know what I'm talking 338 00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:16.320 about. Down south people say somebody will tell you something real sweet and go bless your heart. 339 00:37:17.120 --> 00:37:21.600 That's a cuss. There wasn't being nice. You thought it was nice because you're not from down there. 340 00:37:21.600 --> 00:37:27.440 It was cussing you out. So we're talking about a cuss word right now and really the Bible says 341 00:37:27.440 --> 00:37:35.440 that we should be not just hearers of the word and is the cuss word but doers. Doers. 342 00:37:36.400 --> 00:37:42.160 But we are grace church. It's not about do-do-do because if you do-do, your life will be do-do. Yes, I understand. 343 00:37:42.160 --> 00:37:48.720 Grace through faith. Amen. We receive our salvation with no input from us at all other than to believe 344 00:37:48.720 --> 00:37:53.280 and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. But how many of you know the Bible says that you should work out 345 00:37:53.280 --> 00:38:00.240 your own salvation with trembling and fear. So there is still a part and hear me when I'm saying 346 00:38:00.320 --> 00:38:04.640 that there's a part for you to play but it's not like salvation is contingent upon your part. 347 00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:15.040 The baby didn't like that part. She didn't like that part. But there is this place where 348 00:38:15.040 --> 00:38:23.680 you have to walk this thing out that he's giving you. Where you have to do more than just come to 349 00:38:23.680 --> 00:38:29.200 the front and wait for the fix me to come. How about you've got to open your mouth and acknowledge 350 00:38:29.200 --> 00:38:38.560 like, you know what? I'm an angry person. And when I'm angry, nobody can say nothing to me. 351 00:38:39.600 --> 00:38:46.640 And when people back me into a corner, I start to lie. And I'm really good that when I start 352 00:38:46.640 --> 00:38:51.520 lying, I start manipulating people like, yeah, you got to open up because the delivery that you're 353 00:38:51.520 --> 00:38:58.080 looking for is not going to come until you actually come clean to God and by proxy his people. 354 00:38:58.960 --> 00:39:02.400 That's not for everybody. You don't just be calling everybody up like, you know, I'd be cheating on 355 00:39:02.400 --> 00:39:10.560 my taxes all the time. I don't need to know that between you and the IRS, bro. But the people 356 00:39:10.560 --> 00:39:15.280 in relationship with you, the true friends, the deep one on ones, and you let them know like, 357 00:39:15.280 --> 00:39:20.000 yo, I have been cheating on my taxes and if they catch me, I'm going to jail. 358 00:39:20.080 --> 00:39:25.040 So, the thems is the people where you like, I'll make sure your kids are safe. 359 00:39:27.440 --> 00:39:30.560 Because I'm not going to jail for you if that's what you mean, right? 360 00:39:35.360 --> 00:39:41.360 How about this? Just so that you can get so that you won't be discouraging hearing this message. 361 00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:45.360 The negative things that the enemy has placed in your life and that have grown and 362 00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:51.760 festered into ugly behavior. The opposite side of that is the goal that God actually put their first. 363 00:39:53.600 --> 00:39:59.600 So, if you're a really good liar, God gave you the gift of storytelling but it's been 364 00:39:59.600 --> 00:40:05.840 perverted by sin in the world. When you're really good at manipulating people and getting 365 00:40:05.840 --> 00:40:11.600 your own way callously, it's because you're actually a leader that God wants to motivate people 366 00:40:11.600 --> 00:40:19.120 towards things. Think about it. You have the ability to coerce people into a direction, 367 00:40:19.120 --> 00:40:23.600 but you've selfishly been using it for your own means. When really God means for you to 368 00:40:23.600 --> 00:40:28.560 maneuver and guide and exhort people and push them in the right direction, leading them towards 369 00:40:28.560 --> 00:40:34.720 that which is holy, righteous and true. There's gold on the inside of you and God's people are 370 00:40:34.720 --> 00:40:40.720 meant to bring that thing to the surface, but they can't if you don't give them the opportunity 371 00:40:40.720 --> 00:40:47.760 to actually see what's under the hood. He's spitting bars this Sunday morning. 372 00:40:53.920 --> 00:40:59.680 So, again, I need you to hear the word and not be offended and actually become doers of the word. 373 00:41:04.320 --> 00:41:08.480 Hallelujah. So, everything that you used to destroy people originally was a gift from God to 374 00:41:08.480 --> 00:41:14.400 free them. You are the key that opens the prison door to other people's selves. 375 00:41:19.600 --> 00:41:23.120 It's funny because I feel like for many of us in the room, if we change just one thing about 376 00:41:23.120 --> 00:41:31.760 ourselves, we'd be great. She believes it too. Don't even worry about it. It's like it's that one 377 00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:40.080 thing like nobody wants to work with you. Can't nobody say nothing to you. Yeah, that's true. 378 00:41:42.480 --> 00:41:48.400 You've got to acknowledge these things. You've got to open up and be honest and allow God into 379 00:41:48.400 --> 00:41:56.000 God. Like, have you ever repented without actually repenting? Listen, I have a wife, 380 00:41:56.880 --> 00:41:59.520 so I know what it is to apologize without saying nothing. 381 00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:08.240 I used to be the world's worst apologizer. I would go to my wife and be like, yeah, I'm so sorry 382 00:42:08.240 --> 00:42:15.200 you feel like that. But I would literally just watch my wife just like, 383 00:42:19.200 --> 00:42:23.440 it's like, so you're not going to take accountability for none of it? Well, I mean, these are your feelings. 384 00:42:26.560 --> 00:42:29.840 I learned. I learned. I'm a good husband. I swear, I learned. 385 00:42:32.640 --> 00:42:38.240 But there is this place where you have to acknowledge yourself before his people and before him. 386 00:42:39.520 --> 00:42:46.640 Ask him to do the work in you. And the only hilarious part for me is every time I have asked God 387 00:42:46.640 --> 00:42:53.200 to make me better, he's put me in a situation where I've had to rely on other people to do it. 388 00:42:53.200 --> 00:42:59.280 I said, God, I need you to help me in my finances. He sent me people with that new stuff about 389 00:42:59.280 --> 00:43:05.920 finance. I was like, God, I was hoping for like a download. I didn't, I didn't want to have to sit 390 00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:13.440 and make a budget with this person. See, that's how it looks in the practical. You ask God for 391 00:43:13.440 --> 00:43:17.600 something. God goes, oh, I know somebody that can help you with that. Here's a connection. 392 00:43:18.080 --> 00:43:24.800 But we want the, the straight, just mean you, God, when God is like, the vertical is fine. It's 393 00:43:24.800 --> 00:43:36.640 the horizontal I'm trying to get you to. It's a cross, by the way. All right, so there are five 394 00:43:36.640 --> 00:43:40.880 different relationships that you are going to find in life group that is going to bless, strengthen, 395 00:43:40.880 --> 00:43:45.360 and edify you. And yes, this entire message is a plug that you would sign up for life groups, 396 00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:50.720 gain community. Oh, you didn't realize that. Like, this is the plug. This is the lore that you 397 00:43:50.720 --> 00:43:55.280 would take that paper that was on your chair, fill it out for life group seven. I mean, life groups, 398 00:43:57.760 --> 00:44:02.880 life group seven discipleship one on one with Pastor Moe. Wednesdays is 645. I'm just saying. 399 00:44:04.800 --> 00:44:09.760 Praise God. Let's do out there to plug it. All right, just enough, just enough. 400 00:44:10.560 --> 00:44:13.360 All right, worship team, you can come up because I'm going to end with these five different 401 00:44:13.360 --> 00:44:18.400 relationships that you are clearly going to find that are going to bless you and help you. 402 00:44:19.120 --> 00:44:24.960 Yes, it might hurt a little bit because help sometimes hurts, but it is going to be so good 403 00:44:25.680 --> 00:44:36.640 for you. Amen? Okay, first one. This is the Nathan relationship. Nathan to David was a 404 00:44:36.640 --> 00:44:42.080 corrector. Specifically, you can find their story in second Samuel 12. I won't read through the 405 00:44:42.080 --> 00:44:48.560 whole thing now, but when Nathan killed somebody to hide the fact that he had committed adultery with 406 00:44:48.560 --> 00:44:56.480 somebody's wife, remember, as a king in the Old Testament, he had the ability to have anyone killed 407 00:44:56.480 --> 00:45:09.440 on command, including the prophet. But he had given Nathan the authority to speak into his life 408 00:45:09.440 --> 00:45:16.640 because he submitted to the hierarchy of God. Oh, you're not hearing me. Okay, how about this? 409 00:45:16.640 --> 00:45:21.200 You know, when you come to aid church and doesn't have to be city light, when you come to aid church, 410 00:45:21.200 --> 00:45:26.560 if you don't submit to the hierarchy of the kingdom and the system that God has put in place, 411 00:45:26.560 --> 00:45:31.760 the person who leads that church, Pastor Boe doesn't become your pastor. He becomes your preacher. 412 00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:40.000 When you really want him to be your pastor, you will submit to the authority that God has given 413 00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:47.920 him over you. Oh, way to amen's that church. Just because he in Guatemala don't change nothing. 414 00:45:48.160 --> 00:46:04.400 So you have to give authority to people to speak into your life, amen? Okay, number two, 415 00:46:04.400 --> 00:46:10.640 Jethro is the Guider. Jethro is the white-haired mentor in your life. 416 00:46:16.240 --> 00:46:20.480 They realign you by giving you good counsel. Very quickly, we're going to read through Exodus 18, 417 00:46:21.440 --> 00:46:28.080 verses 13 and 19. And so it was on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people and the people 418 00:46:28.080 --> 00:46:33.200 stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses's father-in-law saw all that he did for 419 00:46:33.200 --> 00:46:38.480 the people, he said, what is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit and 420 00:46:38.480 --> 00:46:43.200 all the people stand before you from morning until evening? And Moses said to his father-in-law, 421 00:46:43.200 --> 00:46:48.160 because the people come to me to inquire of God, when they have a difficulty, they come to me and I 422 00:46:48.160 --> 00:46:54.080 judge between one and another and I make known the statutes of God in his laws. So Moses's father-in-law 423 00:46:54.080 --> 00:47:00.960 said to him, the thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely 424 00:47:00.960 --> 00:47:06.880 wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you. You are not able to perform it by yourself. 425 00:47:07.520 --> 00:47:13.520 Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel and God will be with you. Stand before God for the 426 00:47:13.520 --> 00:47:18.800 people so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And basically, he gives him a system of 427 00:47:18.800 --> 00:47:22.880 delegation and says that there are different leaders that you're going to position underneath you. 428 00:47:22.880 --> 00:47:28.720 So a white-haired mentor will realign you with good counsel. Because remember, the best experience 429 00:47:28.720 --> 00:47:35.120 that you can learn from is the experience that is not your own. I don't want to fall into the pit, 430 00:47:36.480 --> 00:47:40.880 get bloodied and bruised to then tell you about it. I want to go to the person who fell into the pit 431 00:47:40.880 --> 00:47:48.800 and they can tell me how not to. Funny story. I was doing pre-marital counseling with this couple. 432 00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.640 And I asked them, I said, you know, where are the white-haired mentors in your life that, you know, 433 00:47:54.640 --> 00:47:59.120 have experienced these things that can talk to you guys. And the person looks perplexed. 434 00:48:00.400 --> 00:48:07.360 I was like, what do you mean? It's you. I said, the devil is alive. 435 00:48:09.360 --> 00:48:18.400 I had to go home and reflect and look in the mirror and I was like, oh my, I have become that which, 436 00:48:18.400 --> 00:48:27.120 oh, whoa, I wasn't ready for that. It came too fast. It came too fast. But if there was every day 437 00:48:27.120 --> 00:48:32.560 where I was tempted to get the just for men, that was the day. But he was like, you know, you are 438 00:48:32.560 --> 00:48:37.920 my white-haired mentor. And I was just like, wow, I'm like one year older than you know. 439 00:48:41.280 --> 00:48:47.040 The second one is Barnabas. You need a Barnabas-type situation in your life. So Barnabas is an 440 00:48:47.040 --> 00:48:51.520 encourager. Did you know that Barnabas is name. You can find him in the book of Acts. His name is 441 00:48:51.520 --> 00:48:59.120 not actually Barnabas. His name is Joseph. The Apostles renamed him Barnabas, which is encourager 442 00:48:59.120 --> 00:49:04.880 because of the grace and the gift thing that was on his life. And some of you might be thinking to 443 00:49:04.880 --> 00:49:09.840 yourself, who is Barnabas? Where have I heard that name before? Well, here's the thing. Have you ever 444 00:49:09.840 --> 00:49:17.360 heard of the Apostle Paul? Let me be clear. Without Barnabas, there is no Apostle Paul because 445 00:49:17.360 --> 00:49:25.600 Apostle Paul's ministry had zero followers on Facebook. Paul was a terrorist by the name of Saul. 446 00:49:25.600 --> 00:49:30.480 And when he got saved, he thought it was all nice. And he tried to come to the cook out and they 447 00:49:30.480 --> 00:49:41.280 said, we're leaving. He sat down and everybody got up. Until this man, this encourager took him 448 00:49:41.280 --> 00:49:48.880 aside and said, you walk with me. And Barnabas introduced him to the entire community. He went on 449 00:49:48.880 --> 00:49:56.560 mission trips with him and eventually Saul became Paul. Wrote over one third of the New Testament 450 00:49:56.640 --> 00:50:04.400 that we call our Bible today. Do you have people in your life that will give you an encouragement behind 451 00:50:04.400 --> 00:50:11.520 the scenes? So first service, I made a very apt joke. I said, you know, pastors are very unique 452 00:50:11.520 --> 00:50:17.360 individuals because not only do they have to face their own things, but they need to face the 453 00:50:17.360 --> 00:50:24.160 things that you're facing. Because the devil very much is against you. But the scripture is very 454 00:50:24.160 --> 00:50:29.440 clear that if you strike the shepherd, the flock will scatter. So sometimes some of the things 455 00:50:29.440 --> 00:50:34.640 that you're going through, it actually hits leadership as well as you because the thought is if I 456 00:50:34.640 --> 00:50:39.200 can knock off the leadership that gives them the encouragement to keep going forward, then they'll 457 00:50:39.200 --> 00:50:42.400 have nothing to do and then they'll just fall aside themselves. But little did he know that at 458 00:50:42.400 --> 00:50:47.040 city like we're raising up a team of ministers and powerful Christians that know the Lord for 459 00:50:47.040 --> 00:50:53.040 themselves. Praise the Lord. But it had me thinking about Pastor Bo and the rest of the leadership team 460 00:50:53.040 --> 00:50:59.680 because his wife Emily was sitting here and I was like, first lady. She left though, so it doesn't 461 00:50:59.680 --> 00:51:05.200 really work anymore. But the thing is, I imagine that when he's going through all the stuff that he's 462 00:51:05.200 --> 00:51:11.040 going through, it's the silent encouragement. And I know this to be true because my wife ministers 463 00:51:11.040 --> 00:51:17.680 to you guys more than you know because she ministers to me. So when I'm able to stand and give you 464 00:51:17.680 --> 00:51:22.640 encouragement and give you wisdom and help you to see the right way, just know that I've received 465 00:51:22.640 --> 00:51:28.640 encouragement that you don't know about. She has been a Barnabas to me. Shout out Bo, I see you. 466 00:51:31.040 --> 00:51:34.960 So there's something about being the Barnabas. You get that at life through. Think about this. 467 00:51:34.960 --> 00:51:39.200 Everybody always wants to stand on the stage with the mic and do the thing. How about when you get 468 00:51:39.200 --> 00:51:43.440 to heaven, people are going to come up to you and go, thank you so much. And you're going to be like, 469 00:51:43.440 --> 00:51:49.840 for what? And then they'll tell you about all the different people that grew to be amazing and 470 00:51:49.840 --> 00:51:55.040 God and did so many things. And they got that way because you encourage them with a word of wisdom 471 00:51:55.040 --> 00:52:03.840 with a word of life. Amen. Come on. I'm going to get you guys out of here because I know the Superbowl 472 00:52:03.840 --> 00:52:12.880 parties are waiting. All right, next one, Timothy. You need a protege. You need somebody to pour 473 00:52:12.880 --> 00:52:19.680 into. Philippians 2.19 and 22 says, but I trust in the Lord to send Timothy to you shortly, 474 00:52:19.680 --> 00:52:24.480 that I also may be encouraged when I know your state, where I have no one like-minded who will 475 00:52:24.480 --> 00:52:29.760 sincerely care for your state, for all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus, 476 00:52:29.760 --> 00:52:35.200 but you know his proven character that has a son with his father. He served with me in the gospel. 477 00:52:35.200 --> 00:52:40.640 I'll also give you Luke 638. Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, press down, 478 00:52:40.640 --> 00:52:45.600 shake it together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that 479 00:52:45.600 --> 00:52:52.320 you use, it will be measured back to you. What does all of that mean? It means that you can't be the 480 00:52:52.320 --> 00:52:59.920 Dead Sea. What? The Dead Sea? Well, here's the thing. What makes the Dead Sea different from a river? 481 00:53:00.880 --> 00:53:08.080 The Dead Sea does not support life and agriculture because it only has an inlet and it doesn't have an 482 00:53:08.080 --> 00:53:13.760 outlet. So it's getting all of this ocean water in and all of the salt levels and the salinity levels 483 00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:17.760 are extremely high that you could just go in and just lay down and float without anything. 484 00:53:19.120 --> 00:53:24.000 But it's dead and it doesn't support life because there's no outlet. A river is different because 485 00:53:24.000 --> 00:53:28.480 it takes things in and then it pushes things out and there's movement. So in the same way, 486 00:53:28.480 --> 00:53:32.640 you need a protege and you might think to yourself, well, I'm not the great minister. I can't do 487 00:53:32.640 --> 00:53:36.800 here's the thing. You are better today than you were yesterday and there are some people that are 488 00:53:36.800 --> 00:53:42.320 where you were yesterday and you can help them with your experience because you survived. 489 00:53:44.240 --> 00:53:46.960 You don't have to be a teacher. You just have to have survived. 490 00:53:49.120 --> 00:53:54.320 So you need someone to pour into even if somebody's pouring into you. Don't just be a selfish 491 00:53:54.960 --> 00:54:05.840 Venus flytrap Christian. No, you need to get fed and then you need to feed. You need to water. You 492 00:54:05.840 --> 00:54:13.520 need to plant and bless other people. Amen. All right. This is the last one. You need a Jonathan. 493 00:54:15.200 --> 00:54:20.320 You need a Jonathan. You need a true friend. And admittedly, you're not going to have many of 494 00:54:20.320 --> 00:54:26.720 these. You're going to have many friends but a true friend is different. How can I put it? 495 00:54:27.920 --> 00:54:33.680 I feel like have you ever tried to save a cat out of danger? 496 00:54:34.560 --> 00:54:41.040 Especially a cat that you didn't know. God bless you. Home of microphone, man. 497 00:54:42.320 --> 00:54:46.720 I feel like in trying to save a cat that you don't know, it looks a little bit something like this. 498 00:54:46.720 --> 00:55:07.760 So you get scars, you get scrapes, you get all these things because despite the fact that you're 499 00:55:07.760 --> 00:55:16.480 trying to help it, it has a way about it. And you know what's crazy? Your true friends will treat 500 00:55:16.480 --> 00:55:22.320 you just like you treated the cat. You will keep it at arm's length because you know that it will hurt 501 00:55:22.320 --> 00:55:30.320 you. But you won't let go. Come on somebody. You have any true friends in your life that won't let 502 00:55:30.320 --> 00:55:38.080 go of you despite how messed up you are? They've seen you hurt people. They've seen you disrespect 503 00:55:38.080 --> 00:55:42.400 and curse folk out and they're like, man, I got to keep you at a distance but I ain't going to let you 504 00:55:42.400 --> 00:55:48.320 go. I love you. I just got to move you somewhere safe. You need to come on down to life, 505 00:55:48.320 --> 00:55:58.880 group's brother. Oh, praise God. I'll give you one. I'll give you this one for free. We'll close with 506 00:55:58.880 --> 00:56:08.320 this. You know I come from Pentecostal Ruiz. This is my sixth closing. So for my final closing, 507 00:56:09.440 --> 00:56:17.040 I want to read you one scripture. This is from John 11 verses 43 to 44. And before we read, I'll 508 00:56:17.040 --> 00:56:25.920 give you the context. So Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha has died. He dies and Jesus does not 509 00:56:25.920 --> 00:56:32.480 go once he hears that he is sick. He remains where he is for two more days. And then he goes to see him 510 00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:41.840 by this point. Lazarus is dead or than a doorknob. But Jesus goes to do what only God can do. Now this 511 00:56:41.840 --> 00:56:49.760 is where we pick up. Now when he had said these things, he cried with respect. Is that what it says? 512 00:56:50.560 --> 00:57:02.560 No, no, no, no. He cried with a loud voice. Lazarus! Come forth. Now it's only funny though because 513 00:57:02.560 --> 00:57:07.280 he doesn't whisper it. He says it loud because despite the fact that he's at the tomb, 514 00:57:07.360 --> 00:57:14.080 he's not speaking to the tomb because Lazarus' body is in the tomb, but Lazarus is somewhere else. 515 00:57:15.200 --> 00:57:20.240 I'm just giving some free theological lessons right now. Lazarus is in sheol. He's in another 516 00:57:20.240 --> 00:57:28.240 place. So Jesus has to speak to where he is, not to where he is. Am I blessing you yet? Okay. So 517 00:57:28.240 --> 00:57:33.760 and then notice that he has to say Lazarus because he doesn't just say come forth because if he did, 518 00:57:33.760 --> 00:57:38.960 it would be a zombie apocalypse on earth. And he didn't want that. So so he says Lazarus come forth 519 00:57:38.960 --> 00:57:45.040 but that's not even the part that we talk about right now. Check this out. And when he who had died 520 00:57:45.040 --> 00:57:51.840 came out bound hand in foot with grave clothes and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to 521 00:57:51.840 --> 00:58:04.880 them, lose him and let him go. Life groups. Life groups. What you mean? Life groups. That's life groups. 522 00:58:07.360 --> 00:58:13.120 Because the same thing that happened to Lazarus happened to you. You were dead and there was no 523 00:58:13.120 --> 00:58:19.280 way to redeem you, no way to deliver you. And God came through in his mercy and in his love and at 524 00:58:19.280 --> 00:58:24.800 just the perfect and right time, he snatched you from the grip of hell and he gave you eternal life. 525 00:58:26.480 --> 00:58:34.000 But I love this. Jesus, he could have said, I've done this thing that only God can do this impossible 526 00:58:34.000 --> 00:58:38.560 work. And he could have said, let me take the napkin off your face and let me cut you out of these 527 00:58:38.560 --> 00:58:44.400 grave clothes. But he doesn't do that. Jesus does what only God can do and he raises him to life. 528 00:58:49.600 --> 00:58:56.240 And he moves to the side. And he says, lose him. He says, you, you believers that are around him, 529 00:58:56.240 --> 00:59:05.360 you set him free. He says, because can you catch this? He delegates and puts it into the hands of 530 00:59:05.360 --> 00:59:13.280 the believers to bring him the freedom. Come on, church. That's life groups. 531 00:59:15.520 --> 00:59:23.040 Help sometimes hurts, but it gets you free. Jesus is not going to do all of the work when he has 532 00:59:23.040 --> 00:59:35.040 his body on earth. You have to utilize his body. Amen. This is the City Light Church podcast. 533 00:59:35.040 --> 00:59:39.520 If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about pastor 534 00:59:39.520 --> 00:59:47.840 Boyan Jansik in City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyc.com. That's citylightnyc.com. 535 00:59:47.840 --> 00:59:52.960 Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. 536 00:59:53.760 --> 00:59:58.800 We pray that you have been encouraged today. That you have been reminded how much God loves you 537 00:59:59.280 --> 01:00:04.960 and that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to 538 01:00:04.960 --> 01:00:12.640 City Light Church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.