Speaker#1:
00:00:02.9 – 00:00:03.16
Yeah

Speaker#1:
00:00:26.229 – 00:00:47.659
Well father we just are so again grateful that you loved us so much that you sent your only begotten son to die for us Lord there’s no way again that we can appreciate all that you’ve done for us But Lord we are asking that as we get into your word that your word would get into us that you would reveal the life of Christ in us that you would

Speaker#1:
00:00:47.849 – 00:01:13.23
uh make us the vessels fit for your glory that you would make us a people through whom you can reach a lost and dying world that you would use us as a people Lord that bring life and light into the darkness to set people free So we just surrender our hearts and our lives to you again And we just say Lord have your way with us All we care about Lord is that you would have your way in our midst In Jesus name

Speaker#1:
00:01:14.889 – 00:01:19.889
the title of today’s message is a communal relationship with Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:01:21.269 – 00:01:28.94
Have you ever ever had anyone come up to you and say hey let me ask you a question Do you have a communal relationship with Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:01:29.79 – 00:01:32.86
No one’s ever asked you that don’t you Usually it’s like

Speaker#1:
00:01:33.669 – 00:01:52.51
can you tell me is Jesus your personal Lord and Savior or or if it’s nicer do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ And that’s good It’s important but sometimes something is good could hide something else that is absolutely necessary for this moment in history

Speaker#1:
00:01:54.26 – 00:02:13.5
I want to challenge people that there are certain kind of world views within the church or perspectives within the church And when the church embraces certain perspectives it actually impacts how that church functions in the fruit that it bears in the world Does that make sense

Speaker#1:
00:02:14.07 – 00:02:35.72
And sometimes it’s really comical to me you know when we go back and you look at the founding fathers of America there were certain perspectives that were just common Christianity in those days right or wrong They caused the people of God to be totally zealous for Jesus Christ and dare to believe that they could change everything

Speaker#1:
00:02:36.77 – 00:02:37.419
right

Speaker#1:
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And so when you want to ask questions like how do we get the church of Jesus Christ to bear the fruit that we know God wants it to bear

Speaker#1:
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We usually have to start with us right

Speaker#1:
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Lord God what needs to change in us for us to bear more fruit

Speaker#1:
00:02:56.96 – 00:03:06.97
And I am so convinced that one of the areas that is really weak in the body of Christ today is understanding the importance of church

Speaker#1:
00:03:08.32 – 00:03:18.32
understanding the importance of church there there’s a lot of people and I get it evangelism is I want to go out and see if I can get somebody to give their life to Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
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And then I can come home and say man praise God this many people gave their life to Jesus Christ today Great

Speaker#1:
00:03:26.259 – 00:03:30.02
But where what you like that’s like having a baby and leaving them out in the woods

Speaker#1:
00:03:31.779 – 00:03:42.369
But the church brought people into the church they brought them into the family and household of God because they realized it’s far more than a personal relationship with Jesus

Speaker#1:
00:03:46.179 – 00:03:50.839
And I’m not going to get into it too much or I’ll be on too far on a rabbit trail and we never get through it

Speaker#1:
00:03:51.75 – 00:03:54.259
So I want to get I want to get back on track

Speaker#1:
00:03:54.839 – 00:04:03.25
I want to begin by saying that Christianity is about conviction passion dedication and power

Speaker#1:
00:04:05.119 – 00:04:22.299
Christianity is about conviction I know Him whom I believe I believe that everything he has spoken is true and comes to pass I believe he is the savior of the world that he is redeemer that he is Lord I know these things to be true

Speaker#1:
00:04:24.25 – 00:04:54.119
I’m not hoping they are true I am convinced and I know Him whom I believe I am passionate Why Because we want to be on fire for Jesus because fire Christianity has no power to change the world It’s like being in love without really being in love It doesn’t make any sense does it And I mean we are human beings and we’re meant to be passionate If we’re not passionate about something we’re living a pretty dull and dreary life Agreed

Speaker#1:
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But being convinced and being passionate we also need to be devoted

Speaker#1:
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devoted to the Lord We should have dedication we should have commitment

Speaker#1:
00:05:06.589 – 00:05:08.26
but it’s also about power

Speaker#1:
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All that does us no good if we do not plug into the power of God’s grace

Speaker#1:
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to be his witnesses

Speaker#1:
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the necessity of the power of the Holy Spirit

Speaker#1:
00:05:23.57 – 00:05:37.17
So right now I I do believe that there is an over emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and Christianity It’s also tied to these another idea that it’s not about religion it’s about a relationship

Speaker#1:
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and I get what people are seeing

Speaker#1:
00:05:41.47 – 00:05:54.41
But one of the things that we have to understand is the enemy that we fight is very crafty And he deals with pictures and he deals with images and he deals with mindsets and he deals with ideas Does that make sense

Speaker#1:
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And so what has happened is the church of Jesus Christ especially people who have met the Holy Spirit and suddenly went from what I call dead religion to true religion They started to go wow this is not what I thought church was about He’s alive and he’s real and I can walk with him and I can know him and it’s the most life transforming thing in the world

Speaker#1:
00:06:16.829 – 00:06:25.019
And so they’re they’re addressing one of the most important issues in the church today between the authentic and the false

Speaker#1:
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Does that make sense That is that which is living and that which is dead

Speaker#1:
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But in the language that we use the enemy goes oh look they’re starting to make an impact against me They’re starting to destroy my kingdom and they’re starting to come alive in Christ So what do I do is I just want to kind of get it off a little bit

Speaker#1:
00:06:44.779 – 00:06:56.299
What do you mean off a little bit It’s not about religion it’s about a relationship Well that idea or the enemy thinks oh I’ve got a great idea Let’s make it all about individualism

Speaker#1:
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rather than about community

Speaker#1:
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in in corporate life Because even with it’s like you could almost have foreseen the enemy I’m getting my rear end handed to me because people are getting alive in Jesus Christ So what are you going to do Well I’m going to divide and conquer because it’s all about me and my personal relationship

Speaker#1:
00:07:17.16 – 00:07:30.63
I don’t really need a church The church is in a building it’s us and there’s truth to all of these things But one of the most undervalued institutions in society today is the church of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:07:32.5 – 00:07:56.89
And until we are united and until we see the value of church and the value of community we will have no power to break through the things that are facing the world today because God has ordained it that we overcome together that we are the body of Christ together that there’s incredible power that he has invested in the church of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:07:58.26 – 00:08:01.679
But it only functions when his whole body is present

Speaker#1:
00:08:03.13 – 00:08:13.339
If if we are if one person is a thumb and another is the index finger and another is an eye and another is an ear an ear can’t save the world It takes Jesus not his ear

Speaker#1:
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You see what I’m saying It takes the body of Christ God has ordained it that we rise or fall together

Speaker#1:
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in the world either experience light or darkness according to how we live out our corporate life together Interesting ideas isn’t it I mean there’s many ideas that we need to start exploring and thinking about and pondering and valuing because I’m convinced that our goal is to get people to do the right things because they want to do the right things It’s a lot of it is about motivation right

Speaker#1:
00:08:51.049 – 00:09:04.729
So if I try to beat you over the head it’s God’s will for you to go to church How dare you not go to church You’re in rebellion against God What I’ve done is I’ve killed you or I’ve manipulated you So you do it and I reproduce dead church

Speaker#1:
00:09:05.46 – 00:09:06.679
you see the problem

Speaker#1:
00:09:07.539 – 00:09:33.489
But if we can start to see and ponder and wrestle with and say God what is the church What is your value of the church What is the church community meant to be like what is our purpose What is our mission What are we to be about so that we start to become convinced in the value of the church and then we become passionate about it because we know that people need to be invited into the corporate life of the body of Christ

Speaker#1:
00:09:34.979 – 00:09:51.159
Now it becomes something alive and actually becomes something people want to become a part of It’s pretty cool isn’t it It’s exciting I these some of these ideas and because I’m getting too excited I’ve got so far from my notes So I’m gonna probably bounce around like a rabbit

Speaker#1:
00:09:51.679 – 00:09:56.75
But this idea that we need to get to the motivation rather than just

Speaker#1:
00:09:57.64 – 00:10:00.34
get people to do the right things because you’re supposed to

Speaker#1:
00:10:01.099 – 00:10:12.669
it was one of the ideas that like when we when I was teaching worldview class and one of the passions that I’ve had in my heart for a long time is to get people to read the Bible to read the word of God

Speaker#1:
00:10:13.26 – 00:10:18.19
But I’ve always found for me that the churches approaches You’re a Christian

Speaker#1:
00:10:18.89 – 00:10:21.479
you’re a believer Do you read the Bible every day

Speaker#1:
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No I don’t read the Bible every day I’m a crummy Christian

Speaker#1:
00:10:26.909 – 00:10:30.21
You’re supposed to read the Bible every day You’re not really a good Christian

Speaker#1:
00:10:30.799 – 00:10:34.719
Fine I’m reading the Bible every day but I don’t do it I miss a day I feel guilty

Speaker#1:
00:10:35.549 – 00:10:44.52
but you don’t it doesn’t come alive If it’s driven by that kind of spirit it doesn’t come alive and it doesn’t become transformative

Speaker#1:
00:10:45.169 – 00:11:03.669
Does that make sense Now having said that I use the word devoted because I this is hard for people to understand and we can’t get into it today because of time But there’s the difference between like the priestly ministry So there are certain people who God created a certain way that are very devoted

Speaker#1:
00:11:04.21 – 00:11:19.26
and ritual can be an incredible blessing in a rhythm of life But it’s about are they finding genuine life in it And so some people’s faithfulness and commitment is such a beautiful act of worship So it really works well for them

Speaker#1:
00:11:19.989 – 00:11:26.38
Does that make sense But when you’re trying to motivate somebody that doesn’t already have that discipline

Speaker#1:
00:11:26.9 – 00:11:31.28
and routine that it has become their daily bread to develop it

Speaker#1:
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I actually find it is more powerful to get them to discover how powerful the Bible is

Speaker#1:
00:11:40.169 – 00:11:48.33
And so what I did is I had it in my mind My mission was to get people reading the Bible So we read Visual mango the book that made your world

Speaker#1:
00:11:49.4 – 00:12:10.169
And after we they reread that people started to discover wow the Bible has changed the whole world it has changed civilization it has changed culture it has brought so many blessings to the world that that they start to realize this Bible is really powerful and impactful And I need to know I want to know what it says

Speaker#1:
00:12:11.289 – 00:12:31.63
You see what I’m saying And now the motivation is there or or when when we can talk about hey listen I was literally in so much bondage I can say this When I first came to Christ I had so many things that were out of order in my head And as I read the word of God it came in and it set me free and

Speaker#1:
00:12:31.64 – 00:12:58.989
changed my whole life But see you’re now you’re inspiring conviction in a person that the word of God has power to change their life and once they become convinced of it then they start to naturally become passionate to get into it Does that make sense It goes back to that dead religion versus true religion and motivation and spirit and substance and authenticity has to be at the heart of it

Speaker#1:
00:13:00.0 – 00:13:08.15
makes sense doesn’t it And so a lot of times well and well meaning reasons because we’re right People should read their Bible a whole lot

Speaker#1:
00:13:08.979 – 00:13:12.95
Well did you just compromise there a little bit Yeah I did

Speaker#1:
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Do I think a Christian needs to read their Bible every day

Speaker#1:
00:13:17.84 – 00:13:18.51
No

Speaker#1:
00:13:19.179 – 00:13:20.08
What do you mean

Speaker#1:
00:13:20.7 – 00:13:24.19
I mean we need to meditate on his word day and night

Speaker#1:
00:13:25.799 – 00:13:33.489
What do you mean by that Well why if if I believe that all it was it was all about reading the Bible then I wouldn’t be preaching here today

Speaker#1:
00:13:34.599 – 00:13:56.169
And what I have found is that reading the Bible reading commentaries reading good Christian books listening to sermons listening to messages educating yourself These things are often transformative especially when the things we’re reading are immersed in the Bible or a world view immersed in the Bible Does that make sense

Speaker#1:
00:13:57.53 – 00:14:07.7
So that reading visual Mango’s book that made your world will cause you to encounter God’s Word because it’s in there in ways that will transform you

Speaker#1:
00:14:08.95 – 00:14:25.78
And it’s exciting and there’s times to read the Bible really fast It’s like playing speed chess I’m not a great chess player but I understand speed chess get a lot of experience with it but nothing is like playing a real game that seems to take forever And I don’t understand why it’s really a spectator sport because it’s not really fun to watch

Speaker#1:
00:14:27.34 – 00:14:44.179
But Alan Alan will educate me later And so will Caden who is like seriously highly ranked I believe on chess dot com which is pretty which to me is pretty awesome to me because I really think that it’s it actually is an amazing sport Um But I digress

Speaker#1:
00:14:47.479 – 00:14:50.239
I want to say it again Heresy

Speaker#1:
00:14:51.01 – 00:15:15.57
Heresy is not heresy is something that’s true that’s put in wrong order or out of perspective Does that make sense It’s an over emphasis or an over focus on something rather than something that’s just blatantly wrong Usually Now there is heresy that is genuinely fully blatantly wrong But a lot of times what the enemy uses is just an over emphasis on something

Speaker#1:
00:15:17.119 – 00:15:42.38
that robs us of reality and authenticity Does that make sense That’s why when I really believe this idea it’s not about religion it’s about a relationship it’s communicating that that’s dead and this is alive and you need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ That’s true And that just going to church and going through the rituals doesn’t cut it That is true All of that is true and it is helpful in bringing genuine life to people

Speaker#1:
00:15:43.109 – 00:15:47.289
But it becomes a problem when it makes people undervalue

Speaker#1:
00:15:47.849 – 00:15:49.58
the corporate life of the body

Speaker#1:
00:15:50.65 – 00:15:55.32
And right now what the world needs is the church the church to be rebuilt

Speaker#1:
00:15:58.94 – 00:16:08.26
So to be to explore some of the ideas that I wanna wrestle with I want to begin by reading Paul’s prayer in Ephesians one

Speaker#1:
00:16:10.21 – 00:16:37.5
Paul and and part of one of the things that I always try to do and I don’t always know how to do it is how do we take the words of scripture that are often written in a language or translated into English in a way that sounds often very different than the way we talk Does that make sense It doesn’t always communicate in the ideas that we tend to communicate with Does that am I you track it with me

Speaker#1:
00:16:37.719 – 00:16:51.51
And so this is part of the challenge of reading scripture sometimes I guarantee you that to the people that they were speaking to and writing to they were speaking language that really connected with where they were at and that they really understood

Speaker#1:
00:16:52.53 – 00:16:59.03
right And so the challenge oftentimes in reading scripture is to try to recover some of that

Speaker#1:
00:17:00.299 – 00:17:09.89
So Ephesians 1 15 through 23 Therefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for all the saints

Speaker#1:
00:17:12.989 – 00:17:27.43
does anybody but me find that an interesting phrase And I after I heard of your love for the Lord Jesus Christ or I’m messing up a little bit I get it right Heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for all the saints Paul

Speaker#1:
00:17:28.13 – 00:17:29.989
I thought she started that church

Speaker#1:
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What do you mean after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in your love for all the saints

Speaker#1:
00:17:40.109 – 00:17:41.369
What are we looking at

Speaker#1:
00:17:41.959 – 00:18:00.349
Paul is saying listen I’m like a father to you and I planted this church But now I’m away from you right But my heart is not away from you You’re never away from my heart for you and you are always in my heart and I can’t ever stop thinking about you

Speaker#1:
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And I want to know how are how are my Children doing

Speaker#1:
00:18:05.689 – 00:18:17.52
How are my friends doing Are they flourishing in the Lord After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for the saints Oh thank God they’re doing well

Speaker#1:
00:18:18.42 – 00:18:22.38
Good I don’t need to worry about them So we’ll check up on him again Six months later

Speaker#1:
00:18:23.579 – 00:18:42.39
No after I heard about this I do not cease to give thanks for you God I thank you for them I thank you for how they’re doing I thank you that you’re with them I thank you that they’re growing in you Lord making mention of you in my prayers I’m praying for you

Speaker#1:
00:18:42.689 – 00:18:54.91
Paul You’re showing me how much you care about us So what are you praying I’m praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

Speaker#1:
00:18:56.25 – 00:19:08.069
What are you praying I pray that you’ll have a revelation of Jesus Christ I pray that you would encounter him personally that that revelation would be real and not just informational I pray that you would know Him

Speaker#1:
00:19:09.68 – 00:19:17.339
that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened that it would be like light gets brighter and brighter and you’ll see clearly

Speaker#1:
00:19:19.27 – 00:19:22.78
that you may know what is the hope of his calling

Speaker#1:
00:19:24.829 – 00:19:36.099
I want you to know the hope of his calling in your life I don’t ever want you to become lukewarm or mediocre The hope of his calling to be conformed into the image of Christ

Speaker#1:
00:19:37.589 – 00:19:48.959
that you can live free that you can be alive I don’t want to see you fall short of all that Christ has given you Oh may your eyes be enlightened to see the hope of his calling in your life

Speaker#1:
00:19:50.91 – 00:19:55.13
What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints

Speaker#1:
00:19:56.42 – 00:20:00.29
His inheritance Christ is inheriting

Speaker#1:
00:20:00.989 – 00:20:20.0
We know that Christ is inheriting the world It says ask of me and I’ll give you the nations as your inheritance We are his inheritance We are his reward We are his people He treasures his inheritance But here it’s all corporate language

Speaker#1:
00:20:21.839 – 00:20:36.17
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us Who believe if he loves us that much And we are his inheritance don’t you think his power is going to back you and be with you and be for you and set you free and work on your behalf

Speaker#1:
00:20:37.0 – 00:20:51.189
Oh that you might see this that you might know this that it might live in you I I’m praying this and I don’t cease praying because it’s not enough that you are going to church You’ve got to know him in that power of his grace

Speaker#1:
00:20:51.76 – 00:21:20.209
according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ Jesus when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand and heavenly places far above all principality power and might and Dominion in every name that is named not only in this age but in the age to come and he put all things under his feet and gave him to behead over all things to the church which is his body

Speaker#1:
00:21:20.989 – 00:21:32.89
the fullness of him who fills all in all all this for the church that is his body I mean Paul he’s trying to communicate to the Ephesians

Speaker#1:
00:21:34.819 – 00:21:47.04
Something that will you They’re already their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is there Their love for the saints is there But Paul knows that there’s even more because there’s always more

Speaker#1:
00:21:47.88 – 00:22:12.92
And he says I want you to know that that how much he is for you and he is with you I want you to realize that it’s that same spirit that rose Christ Jesus from the dead that is at work in you It’s a spirit of resurrection that is at work in you If you could just have a revelation and know this it will change everything and I’m burdened and I’m groaning that you might know

Speaker#1:
00:22:13.67 – 00:22:16.859
not just be able to say this intellectually but I know

Speaker#1:
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that power Because if you know that power you will become more than a conqueror in every situation you will find grace you’ll find the power to love you will find the power to live Well

Speaker#1:
00:22:30.02 – 00:22:31.439
Isn’t that awesome

Speaker#1:
00:22:32.5 – 00:22:39.77
And Paul is really saying I know that I can’t make this happen for you That’s why I never cease to pray about it

Speaker#1:
00:22:40.849 – 00:23:00.17
because it you do need to have that revelation for yourselves but all that language is in the court in the context of community because we help birth that revelation in one another We add pieces of that revelation to one another as we see what God did for Him he can do for me

Speaker#1:
00:23:01.329 – 00:23:07.949
And you have a piece of faith that operates in one area that I don’t have But then I watch your life and you impart it to me

Speaker#1:
00:23:09.02 – 00:23:11.609
We start to share all things in common

Speaker#1:
00:23:12.31 – 00:23:13.65
and together

Speaker#1:
00:23:15.329 – 00:23:20.76
the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all

Speaker#1:
00:23:21.4 – 00:23:26.109
Paul actually says the church has the fullness of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:23:27.14 – 00:23:30.31
but no one of us has the fullness of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:23:31.43 – 00:23:36.43
But the church together has the fullness of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:23:36.979 – 00:23:38.9
Let the weight of that sink in

Speaker#1:
00:23:39.63 – 00:23:47.989
When we say how important it is for us to be part of church how important it is for us to be doing what we’re doing in the relaunch

Speaker#1:
00:23:48.68 – 00:23:56.089
We need to develop a conviction a passion a devotion and tap into the power of God

Speaker#1:
00:23:57.28 – 00:24:02.52
to represent Jesus in this world because the world is desperately dying

Speaker#1:
00:24:03.51 – 00:24:05.599
for a revelation of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:24:08.52 – 00:24:13.069
So to explore this more I want to go go move on to Cesaria Phillipi

Speaker#1:
00:24:15.39 – 00:24:19.76
And I read that there was about 20 temples on that mount mountain Mount Herman

Speaker#1:
00:24:20.28 – 00:24:26.489
20 temples of pagan gods that base this is really interesting and it was also where

Speaker#1:
00:24:27.03 – 00:24:31.089
they considered it the gates of hell it was the epicenter of paganism

Speaker#1:
00:24:33.05 – 00:24:52.9
And one of the major temples was a temple to Pan the God Pan And it was literally built into the mountain And there was two pillars and a river flew out from that mountain right And I’ll read it to the to the pagan culture If a river flowed out of a cliff then a god must live in the cliff to control the source of life

Speaker#1:
00:24:53.369 – 00:25:16.64
So they built a temple there on the face of the cliff above and around the cave from which the river flowed carved right into the face of the cliff There were alcoves in which there were statues of the pagan God pan through through these idols the people worship pan with the kind of rituals that one would expect from a fertility cult

Speaker#1:
00:25:17.489 – 00:25:19.8
That’s the way to say it properly in church

Speaker#1:
00:25:22.77 – 00:25:24.14
You get the imagery here

Speaker#1:
00:25:25.66 – 00:25:29.41
but really you got to pause and think about this Jesus

Speaker#1:
00:25:30.43 – 00:25:34.829
wants to have something very important taught to his disciples

Speaker#1:
00:25:37.439 – 00:25:39.329
And so he literally takes them

Speaker#1:
00:25:40.459 – 00:25:46.0
to the worst possible place that he can get to

Speaker#1:
00:25:48.03 – 00:25:55.439
which was of Phillipi in the midst of these pagan temples what they actually literally what they called the gates of hell were right there

Speaker#1:
00:25:56.339 – 00:26:04.27
It’s pretty wild isn’t it But in modern language it would be like Jesus took his disciples down to the red light district in New York City

Speaker#1:
00:26:05.75 – 00:26:13.719
Now we get a pick because we got to understand I mean a lot of them are like what are we doing down here Should we even be down here

Speaker#1:
00:26:14.339 – 00:26:16.65
aren’t we I mean I thought we were Christians

Speaker#1:
00:26:17.219 – 00:26:22.9
Jesus Where are you taking us Are you crazy man We don’t wanna come anywhere near this

Speaker#1:
00:26:24.319 – 00:26:29.469
I mean it’s wild but that’s where he took them And what do you think that these temples are empty

Speaker#1:
00:26:30.17 – 00:26:31.689
that there’s not people around

Speaker#1:
00:26:32.25 – 00:26:42.0
and what these people do and what they’re engaged in the kind of stuff that happens there the kind of culture and community that would kind of grow around such a place

Speaker#1:
00:26:43.089 – 00:26:45.569
Jesus Are you sure you didn’t take a wrong turn

Speaker#1:
00:26:46.219 – 00:26:47.069
No

Speaker#1:
00:26:47.9 – 00:26:49.9
a lot of people would be uncomfortable

Speaker#1:
00:26:50.609 – 00:26:52.489
genuinely uncomfortable there

Speaker#1:
00:26:53.229 – 00:26:55.219
And Jesus I think Jesus wanted them to be

Speaker#1:
00:26:56.53 – 00:27:01.01
because here they’re on one side they’re under the totalitarian Roman government

Speaker#1:
00:27:01.619 – 00:27:07.329
and now they’re in the midst of the grossest degradation that they can find in their geographical location

Speaker#1:
00:27:08.3 – 00:27:11.29
And it’s in that context I want to teach you a message

Speaker#1:
00:27:12.65 – 00:27:14.02
pretty wild isn’t it

Speaker#1:
00:27:14.609 – 00:27:34.739
Very wild So I’ll read it Matthew 16 13 through 19 When Jesus came into the region of Cesar Philippi he asked his disciples who do men say I the son of Man Anne And it’s in the midst of all these other gods right So they said some say John the Baptist some Elijah others Jeremiah one of the prophets

Speaker#1:
00:27:35.329 – 00:27:38.439
and he said to them but who do you say that I am

Speaker#1:
00:27:39.369 – 00:27:44.63
And Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the son of the living God

Speaker#1:
00:27:45.729 – 00:28:06.75
And Jesus answered and said to him blessed Are you Simon Bar Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you But my father who is in heaven And I also say to you that you are Peter which is little rock and on this big rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven

Speaker#1:
00:28:07.39 – 00:28:12.339
and whatever you bond on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will be loose in heaven

Speaker#1:
00:28:13.609 – 00:28:40.06
It’s powerful stuff Jesus takes him into the darkest place that is even called the gates of Hell surrounded with paganism at every level And he said who am I Who do you say I am And so there really is a level of the personal relationship with Jesus Christ that does build it all because that’s one of the most important questions anybody should ever ask Who do you say Jesus is

Speaker#1:
00:28:41.229 – 00:28:51.02
You are the Christ You are my Lord You are the son of the living God that came by revelation to be able to say He’s the Lord of my life

Speaker#1:
00:28:52.04 – 00:28:54.189
He’s my savior and Lord not just

Speaker#1:
00:28:54.699 – 00:29:03.229
you know physically but meaning with authenticity He is my Lord and my savior That is the foundation of it all

Speaker#1:
00:29:05.109 – 00:29:15.869
but Jesus is so excited He said upon that this little rock you’re Peter you’re a little rock and and I’m gonna build my big rock

Speaker#1:
00:29:17.06 – 00:29:19.859
Huh Kind of interesting isn’t it Imagery here

Speaker#1:
00:29:20.489 – 00:29:21.79
You’re a little rock

Speaker#1:
00:29:22.52 – 00:29:27.829
But guess what There’s a whole bunch of little rocks that are going to be built into a big rock

Speaker#1:
00:29:28.459 – 00:29:29.91
for the temple of the Lord

Speaker#1:
00:29:30.849 – 00:29:32.56
I will build my church

Speaker#1:
00:29:33.13 – 00:29:35.869
and the gates of hell will not prevail

Speaker#1:
00:29:36.56 – 00:29:47.699
It’s in the context of church Jesus takes them into the most darkest place He could take them geographically while they’re also under the totalitarianism of the Roman Empire

Speaker#1:
00:29:48.8 – 00:30:16.15
He takes him into the very darkest place possible and with bold total conviction without any hesitance without any doubting without any unbelief he says I will build my church and you’re a part of it and the gates of hell everything you see here it will not stand against what I will do through my church This is the power of the church of Jesus Christ Oh God open the eyes of our understanding

Speaker#1:
00:30:17.03 – 00:30:18.229
that we could see it

Speaker#1:
00:30:19.01 – 00:30:45.02
and teach us how to understand it Lord teach us how to portray it to a world so that they see the value of church and become part of the church of Jesus Christ so that they come in to the community of God Because the only way you’re going to overcome a dark and broken world the only way that you’re going to prevail and overcome in a totalitarian empire is through the church of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:30:45.8 – 00:30:53.589
It’s not through a personal relationship alone It’s built on a personal relationship but it’s built into the temple of God

Speaker#1:
00:30:54.219 – 00:30:58.88
And until we rebuild the church the gates of hell are prevailing

Speaker#1:
00:31:00.8 – 00:31:02.56
If a house be divided

Speaker#1:
00:31:03.099 – 00:31:04.31
you cannot stand

Speaker#1:
00:31:05.77 – 00:31:26.42
I will build my church in the gates of hell Lord Jesus what are you excited about I can’t wait to build my church If this is a passion in the life of Jesus Christ because he sees that all the degradation all the Brokenness all the atrocities I mean that also place had historically been a place of child sacrifice to male

Speaker#1:
00:31:26.859 – 00:31:47.39
It’s really interesting all of these things that we could get in and say wow it’s so dark and so evil and so impossible And these people are so far gone and we’re we’re just like grasshoppers in the midst of giants and the list of excuses go on and on And here is Jesus saying boldly to these men I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail

Speaker#1:
00:31:48.489 – 00:31:51.4
and he challenges us Do you dare believe that today

Speaker#1:
00:31:53.25 – 00:32:07.089
Do you care And then I ask do you care about the totalitarianism and the corruption and all the things that is going on in our culture Do you care of the broken lives and the human trafficking and the just the Brokenness in the world

Speaker#1:
00:32:07.739 – 00:32:09.329
Do we have compassion

Speaker#1:
00:32:10.02 – 00:32:11.459
Do we have love

Speaker#1:
00:32:12.079 – 00:32:16.26
Do we care Yeah Then we want to see these people set free

Speaker#1:
00:32:17.05 – 00:32:18.13
to live well

Speaker#1:
00:32:18.79 – 00:32:24.63
Then we need to be committed to the church of Jesus Christ because we can see at least enough in the word

Speaker#1:
00:32:25.469 – 00:32:28.349
to know it’s through the church being rebuilt

Speaker#1:
00:32:29.469 – 00:32:58.719
That God that the gates of hell do not prevail Isn’t that awesome And that means we need to start to be a asking daily the question Lord help me to understand what the church is What is it about Help us to understand and to to become convinced about it to a level that we go that we can inspire that faith or that commitment in others to being committed to the church Because we know that this is the way out this is the arc

Speaker#1:
00:33:00.339 – 00:33:08.569
this is the way out to the church of Jesus Christ the church of the first born Saints the church of the Living God

Speaker#1:
00:33:09.349 – 00:33:15.01
And the church always understood that they went and made disciples not believers

Speaker#1:
00:33:16.849 – 00:33:20.699
disciples must be believers You see how sneaky these little things are

Speaker#1:
00:33:21.329 – 00:33:27.01
But until we revive the value of the institution of the church

Speaker#1:
00:33:28.119 – 00:33:46.349
we will have we will always have little impact and yet not just revive it We’ve got to revive it according to God’s way which means not transgressing not dehumanizing not manipulating not coercing not guilting and manipulating but literally persuading

Speaker#1:
00:33:46.599 – 00:34:01.989
inspiring bringing a conviction of the value and worth bringing understanding letting people realize that this is the mechanism through which God brings deliverance and healing to a lost and broken world

Speaker#1:
00:34:02.76 – 00:34:04.38
It’s pretty bold isn’t it

Speaker#1:
00:34:07.969 – 00:34:10.408
I just I throughout all my notes I kept saying

Speaker#1:
00:34:11.378 – 00:34:14.76
we want to do the right things for the right reasons

Speaker#1:
00:34:15.86 – 00:34:20.378
because we’re dealing with layers and layers of dead religion

Speaker#1:
00:34:21.689 – 00:34:27.11
and religion that has been driven by guilt and manipulation in the traditions of men

Speaker#1:
00:34:27.969 – 00:34:34.34
But just because there’s all of that false we need to have a wisdom and revelation

Speaker#1:
00:34:35.75 – 00:34:36.85
of the truth

Speaker#1:
00:34:37.648 – 00:34:39.84
and find a way to inspire

Speaker#1:
00:34:40.35 – 00:34:43.449
others to believe in it and to be convinced

Speaker#1:
00:34:44.439 – 00:34:51.6
And I remember I I told you a story before but I was working at a a place and I got to spend a day with a a young man

Speaker#1:
00:34:52.148 – 00:34:59.629
and and another friend was working there but I left and went was working somewhere else So I was working in the church because often when I worked in churches I’ve also worked

Speaker#1:
00:35:01.649 – 00:35:09.209
And he said that he spent one day with me He said I never thought about God or Jesus Christ But after one day with me he could not stop thinking about him

Speaker#1:
00:35:10.02 – 00:35:20.389
But one of the things I remember talking to him about was this very issue because I finally finally inspired him enough to get it out of him that he kind of believed But he doesn’t go to church

Speaker#1:
00:35:21.6 – 00:35:29.979
And I said well then you do you realize that you’re robbing God But you know like you say that not legalistically but with a different spirit because I wanted to surprise him with an idea

Speaker#1:
00:35:30.709 – 00:35:46.729
What do you mean I’m robbing God Well God’s word says it very much that God has put a gift in you and only you have that particular gift And if you if you don’t come and give that gift and you’re in the church then all of the other people are going to be lacking the gift that God has given you

Speaker#1:
00:35:48.149 – 00:36:09.659
You’re that important that the body of Christ suffers without you the people of this world suffer without you being connected I mean it’s just but it’s just different ideas to try to get people to understand the human dignity God has invested in every human being and that you have a calling you have an anointing you have a ministry

Speaker#1:
00:36:09.919 – 00:36:20.669
and then the more you start to wrestle with what is a church that can bring life You start to realize this is when every member does its part causes the growth of the body and love

Speaker#1:
00:36:21.419 – 00:36:45.129
This idea of authoritarianism and structures are often missing the point It’s about growing up into Christ who is the head and authoring life in one another So that we forget that the apostles of evangelists pastors teachers all of these ministries offices are for one purpose the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry

Speaker#1:
00:36:46.54 – 00:36:53.689
When we realize then who who does that make ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ Everyone

Speaker#1:
00:36:56.06 – 00:37:02.379
everyone how many of us really identify I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:37:02.899 – 00:37:06.979
But if I am I misreading that scripture that I just messed up quoting

Speaker#1:
00:37:07.56 – 00:37:10.51
you know because I missed one of them of the five I only pulled four out

Speaker#1:
00:37:11.919 – 00:37:17.449
But he said that those offices are for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry

Speaker#1:
00:37:18.959 – 00:37:29.04
That means the saints are ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ You are ministers It’s a kingdom of kings and priests It’s a revelation that needs to be given

Speaker#1:
00:37:31.34 – 00:37:34.429
So many people are afraid to own that identity

Speaker#1:
00:37:35.489 – 00:37:36.689
Who am I

Speaker#1:
00:37:37.639 – 00:37:39.09
Am I good enough

Speaker#1:
00:37:40.77 – 00:37:42.28
Am I equipped enough

Speaker#1:
00:37:43.489 – 00:37:48.149
There’s a million reasons why people don’t want to touch that identity

Speaker#1:
00:37:48.84 – 00:37:53.3
but the whole world will be transformed when the church of Jesus Christ owns that identity

Speaker#1:
00:37:54.479 – 00:38:13.34
when we are all co laborers in the gospel of Jesus Christ building the church because that’s what God has called us to do If Jesus says I will build my church do you want to be doing what Jesus is doing Yeah Then I want to build his church Well who are the ministers building his church We all are

Speaker#1:
00:38:14.61 – 00:38:35.11
It’s interesting stuff isn’t it But the only way that we are going to see a transformation of the world of cultures of America of any nation is we’ve got to restore the value of true religion or the institution of the church of the value of a communal relationship with Jesus Christ the body

Speaker#1:
00:38:35.79 – 00:38:36.739
the church

Speaker#1:
00:38:38.28 – 00:38:48.34
And if we don’t do that and if all we do is get people with their personal relationship with Jesus Christ where you can say praise the Lord I’ll go to heaven But when I die but pretty much the world is lost

Speaker#1:
00:38:49.919 – 00:38:53.159
because God works through the body

Speaker#1:
00:38:54.08 – 00:39:20.57
through us And we have to have the humility to own it No matter how much we make mistakes no matter how much we fail no matter how little that we know no matter all the things that because you know the accuser of the brother and he’s always working to accuse you to make you feel bad to make you feel worthless to make you feel in equipped to make you feel like you are unable Always trying to bring complaining always trying to bring discouragement always trying to

Speaker#1:
00:39:20.929 – 00:39:24.1
make you think that you are not worthy

Speaker#1:
00:39:24.979 – 00:39:28.61
to call yourself a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:39:31.169 – 00:39:33.05
But think about owning that identity

Speaker#1:
00:39:33.979 – 00:39:46.75
Paul who are you Paul a bond servant of Jesus Christ Paul the p of the Lord Jesus Christ Who are you I mean you need to answer that question Jesus who are you But he might turn around and say well who are you

Speaker#1:
00:39:50.159 – 00:39:51.86
Do you dare on that identity

Speaker#1:
00:39:52.76 – 00:39:59.09
Think about it to be able to say I’m a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ I’m a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
00:40:00.419 – 00:40:01.82
I’m a bond servant

Speaker#1:
00:40:02.78 – 00:40:05.54
I’m a disciple I’m a believer

Speaker#1:
00:40:06.209 – 00:40:08.06
owning that identity

Speaker#1:
00:40:09.689 – 00:40:12.399
If he’s not ashamed to call you his child

Speaker#1:
00:40:14.79 – 00:40:23.03
if he’s not ashamed of you if he believes in you if he has I mean so much this is about coming into agreement with him

Speaker#1:
00:40:23.729 – 00:40:29.01
I talk to people all the time I just I just feel so bad about the things I’ve done in my life

Speaker#1:
00:40:30.489 – 00:40:33.189
Do you want do you want to disagree with God No

Speaker#1:
00:40:33.8 – 00:40:39.05
Did God say He forgives you Yes Then why are you disagreeing with God Huh I don’t know

Speaker#1:
00:40:39.85 – 00:40:40.919
because I feel bad

Speaker#1:
00:40:41.679 – 00:40:50.1
I feel unable I feel worthless I feel mediocre I feel like I am nothing but a jar of clay

Speaker#1:
00:40:51.879 – 00:40:54.959
And that’s what he’s put his treasure in in these jars of clay

Speaker#1:
00:40:55.78 – 00:41:13.26
these jars of clay you know like I was talking to somebody and and trying to show you the picture they’re like this person is so kind of still messed up and broken and should do should they really be And I’m like if we thought if Jesus think about the difference between each one of us right now and Jesus in his full glory

Speaker#1:
00:41:14.36 – 00:41:28.11
the difference between Him and us and the difference between any one of us and each other There’s it’s almost flattened compared to the difference between us and Jesus Christ Do you see what I’m saying the but it’s it’s understanding

Speaker#1:
00:41:29.12 – 00:41:54.26
that he uses us because he loves us He enjoys growing us He enjoys transforming us He enjoys walking through life with us and that we are welcome in his presence because we’ve been born again We are literally his Children and he’s not ashamed of his Children And he doesn’t put his Children in a corner and say you’re not my child He doesn’t say I think you are worth this and you need to do so

Speaker#1:
00:41:54.27 – 00:42:19.419
to earn my love and my affection He’s always there saying would you just open up your eyes and see to know the height and as Paul prays later oh that you may know the height and the depth and the width and the breadth of the love of God and Jesus Christ that you may know how much you are loved and know how much you are worth and know how important your life is and know how I’ve given you a gift that is is absolutely essential

Speaker#1:
00:42:19.989 – 00:42:23.729
for the flourishing of the church and the transformation of the world

Speaker#1:
00:42:24.83 – 00:42:26.57
pretty wild stuff isn’t it

Speaker#1:
00:42:28.639 – 00:42:51.179
the importance of the church And I’ve been reading from Reformation and Revival Journal from Douglas Baker says both Peter and Christ made implicit reference to the Temple of Pan in their conversation It makes kind of it kind of makes sense doesn’t it They’re there in the midst of this temple So kind of probably what they’re talking about in this passage had reference to that temple

Speaker#1:
00:42:51.51 – 00:43:01.51
Peter referred to at first when he called Jesus the son of the living God In contrast to the lifeless stone God whose statue stood in this temple

Speaker#1:
00:43:02.84 – 00:43:06.86
is that a pretty cool idea These are all dead gods but you’re the living god

Speaker#1:
00:43:07.649 – 00:43:15.239
In Simon Peter’s implied contrast Jesus gave the surprise response that Peter himself was a rock

Speaker#1:
00:43:17.54 – 00:43:27.56
in a sense Jesus was saying you are right I am not like the idol carved into the face of this cliff made of stone and sin but you are like the cliff face

Speaker#1:
00:43:29.459 – 00:43:30.379
interesting

Speaker#1:
00:43:31.03 – 00:43:40.739
here a lifeless God is pictured on a lifeless rock But I the son of the living God will be pictured in you as carved into a living rock

Speaker#1:
00:43:42.919 – 00:43:50.78
Peter was to be a rock with the image of Christ engraved upon him just as the image of Pan was engraved upon this cliff

Speaker#1:
00:43:53.179 – 00:44:02.85
And as I engrave grave my image on you and you’re connected to all the other little rocks that will be a glorious temple in the earth of the living God

Speaker#1:
00:44:03.8 – 00:44:06.29
I mean what awesome imagery isn’t it

Speaker#1:
00:44:08.389 – 00:44:09.1
Hm

Speaker#1:
00:44:11.649 – 00:44:15.03
I do want to just say like what we’re doing with the relaunch

Speaker#1:
00:44:15.949 – 00:44:23.31
is not insignificant I’m gonna get through my last 32.3 of your points You’re supposed to have a three point sermon I know I never do

Speaker#1:
00:44:23.979 – 00:44:45.04
my last three points quickly So I’m gonna go fast The relaunch I want to thank you Mel for like really heading this up But to me one of the things that I’ve really believed in is the power and importance of team these things that I’m saying are things that I’ve lived and people don’t usually get it But when I say I try to get people working for the Lord

Speaker#1:
00:44:45.3 – 00:45:13.81
try to get them operating in their gifts We’ve got all kinds of people here that are operating in their gifts And when they come in and they start to operate it changes our they bring their gift in and it changes our corporate life We start to receive what God has invested in them and the whole community flourishes because of it Trey has brought his gifts in So many others have brought their gifts in and there are so many gifts in this body And when God starts to knit us together

Speaker#1:
00:45:14.26 – 00:45:25.82
as living stones into a temple because we believe in the value of church then we will go out in our language and our conversation Our interactions will make people excited about church

Speaker#1:
00:45:26.35 – 00:45:30.02
and want to be a part of church and be a part of what God is doing

Speaker#1:
00:45:31.659 – 00:45:40.34
Jesus was not ashamed to entrust his whole ministry into a tiny ragtag bunch of non important people

Speaker#1:
00:45:41.07 – 00:45:45.75
These people are going to change the whole world the gates of hell will not prevail

Speaker#1:
00:45:46.459 – 00:46:05.82
And when we see the value that’s in this church and the value of the members of this church We don’t think about how there’s so few people in pew We think about crisis here in our midst and there are top quality people that are serving the Lord and have the life of Jesus Christ and that we are going to create the kind of body

Speaker#1:
00:46:07.959 – 00:46:36.405
where people can grow up to him who is the head So one point of the relaunch is a focus on how to create a context where people can come and meet the Lord and experience love and fellowship and grace and acceptance And at one level it seems like it’s really designed to prepare for people coming in so that they can get connected And yes that’s one side of it But the other side is it’s also creating a context where the people

Speaker#1:
00:46:36.415 – 00:46:55.35
the church can take their gifts and work together because it’s not just by you know coming to Sunday service is important Preaching of the word according to God’s word is important But doing the work of ministry is the most important It’s creating a context for us to work together to build his church

Speaker#1:
00:46:56.84 – 00:47:16.02
that is really important So it’s important that it creates a way for people to come in get connected to get integrated But it also provides a way for people It starts to bring a way for people to use their gifts and their talents even more to serve Jesus in his work of building his church

Speaker#1:
00:47:16.53 – 00:47:20.649
and that’s pretty cool isn’t it So thank you Mel Really appreciate it a lot

Speaker#1:
00:47:22.129 – 00:47:28.939
I you know what He just shook his head the wrong way I don’t think he likes being called out for it So thanks again Mel

Speaker#1:
00:47:31.969 – 00:47:36.31
the effects of the communal relationship with Jesus Christ upon the world

Speaker#1:
00:47:39.35 – 00:47:49.05
living stones 1st 1st Peter 24 through five we’re coming to him Jesus Christ as to a living stone

Speaker#1:
00:47:49.56 – 00:47:53.899
How can I not see that Peter has meditated upon that encounter that day

Speaker#1:
00:47:54.86 – 00:48:02.07
Coming to This is Peter talking coming to Him is to a living stone rejected indeed by men

Speaker#1:
00:48:03.409 – 00:48:05.84
but chosen by God and precious

Speaker#1:
00:48:07.35 – 00:48:12.3
And he’s talking about stones But here he’s also talking about his Jesus

Speaker#1:
00:48:12.81 – 00:48:18.449
He couldn’t just say it without adding in He was rejected by men including me

Speaker#1:
00:48:20.699 – 00:48:23.639
but chosen by God and precious

Speaker#1:
00:48:27.939 – 00:48:31.81
It’s like that’s what I’m saying When when the hits you it hits you

Speaker#1:
00:48:32.57 – 00:48:58.81
and it’s alive because you just realize this is Peter who just had this en who had that encounter that day at Cesaria Phillipi And all these years later that encounter with Jesus is still bearing fruit And the memory of a life walking with God is still bearing fruit And every word is not just a dead little word it’s the word of a man When he says he is precious means he is precious

Speaker#1:
00:49:01.669 – 00:49:22.399
and like Jesus he always turns his eyes like I was gonna read first John then I decided to skip it How can you love God whom you have not seen If you don’t love your brother whom you have seen Because so much of scripture is about beloved love one another love one another love one another be tender hearted and kind hearted to one another Care

Speaker#1:
00:49:22.409 – 00:49:48.219
about one another Prefer one another bear one another’s burdens lift one another Uh make sure that a bruised reed You don’t break in a smoldering wick You don’t put out figure out how to bring life to people figure out how to empower one another Figure out how to connect people to the one who will really bring life to them Jesus Christ he is precious even to be able to say he is precious

Speaker#1:
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That whole one word

Speaker#1:
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is going back from that day when Peter heard Jesus say come follow me

Speaker#1:
00:50:00.0 – 00:50:02.1
and I will make you fishers of men

Speaker#1:
00:50:03.07 – 00:50:06.25
because God’s heart is to is to build a temple

Speaker#1:
00:50:07.54 – 00:50:10.82
to build his church so that the gates of hell will not prevail

Speaker#1:
00:50:12.139 – 00:50:13.55
you Also

Speaker#1:
00:50:14.27 – 00:50:18.28
as living stones are being built up into a spiritual house

Speaker#1:
00:50:19.62 – 00:50:27.6
a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
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That language They they grew up in Judaism they grew up with a temple that language to us sounds so so dead religious

Speaker#1:
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But he’s using the language of their very life the very language of the very things that they held the most dear the very things that they saw was that were supposed to be glorious and priceless and precious in the earth

Speaker#1:
00:50:54.889 – 00:51:15.1
And he’s really saying to these people you’re more glorious and more important and more valuable than that temple that sits in Jerusalem You are the true temple of the Lord And this is where the true sacrifices are offered But why am I saying this to you Because I’m trying to get you to understand how precious you are

Speaker#1:
00:51:15.51 – 00:51:29.979
and how important your life is and how the true worship of God and the true temple which is meant to be the habitation of God on earth that is meant to eventually be the earth itself brought into agreement with heaven

Speaker#1:
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The epicenter of the total transformation of the world

Speaker#1:
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as hard as it may be for you small ragtag group of believers to see that are under fire that are under persecution that with troubles on the outside and troubles within

Speaker#1:
00:51:50.989 – 00:51:52.5
the star of clay

Speaker#1:
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You have the living stones being built into a living temple

Speaker#1:
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the household and family of God And that is the hope of the world

Speaker#1:
00:52:03.76 – 00:52:06.3
We need to restore the value

Speaker#1:
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of a communal relationship with Jesus Christ

Speaker#1:
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because it’s the only way

Speaker#1:
00:52:14.729 – 00:52:17.969
because when you think about those people that are at the gates of hell

Speaker#1:
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that are living in the gates of hell

Speaker#1:
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that are in bondage to strongholds but in bondage to elementary principles of this world that are in bondage that are in loss that are broken that are without hope

Speaker#1:
00:52:34.25 – 00:52:40.419
They need to come to the house of God They need to be invited into the house of God come to my house

Speaker#1:
00:52:41.419 – 00:52:46.419
come and eat dinner with me come and sit and have fellowship come

Speaker#1:
00:52:47.389 – 00:52:52.3
I mean that’s what it is We’re literally invited into the house of God and that is who we are

Speaker#1:
00:52:53.07 – 00:53:00.679
And the more we understand this the more we explore this the more we start to value it then we start to build the church

Speaker#1:
00:53:01.189 – 00:53:09.639
not building individual believers we start to build the church And when we build the church the gates of hell will not prevail