They Had All Things in Common

[ Music ]

>> I'm so glad that we could put together a trip

for Shari

and her friends.

[ Laughter ]

But you know what?

You walk out of those women's retreats with more friends

and with more community, with more insight, with more --

with more, and so I encourage you to sign up.

It's going to be a good, good trip.

Are you guys ready to get into the word?

Well, I'm not.

So I was supposed to tell you

that the business collective meets this Tuesday morning.

If you are a business owner or a manager or a leader

in your job, entrepreneurs, you are invited, male or female,

to be here at 8 o'clock Tuesday morning in the cafe area.

We will provide breakfast for you, a word of encouragement

for you, and then send you on your way

to that job that you love.

So the business collective Tuesday morning.

I hope you will join us for that.

You all -- now then, let's stand up and let's read a passage

of scripture because what we do know is that we always have

to start with truth, right?

Let's start with truth.

All right.

Let's put up that passage.

And if Pastor Kevin was here, he is on.

A mission from God in the words of the Blues Brothers,

which means he's just not in the house today.

Everything he does, he travels

and he does what the Lord asks him to do.

But if he were here at this moment, he would go,

"Let's read this like we mean it, okay?

So we're going to read it like we mean it."

They were continually devoting themselves

to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking

of bread and to prayer.

Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many wonders

and signs were taking place through the apostles.

And all those who had believed were together

and had all things in common.

Can we say that one more time?

And all those who had believed were together

and had all things in common.

And they began selling their property and possessions

and were sharing them with all as anyone might need.

Day by day, continuing with one mind in the temple

and breaking bread from the house to house,

they were taking their meals together with gladness

and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor

with all the people.

And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those

who were being saved.

Father God, I thank you so much for the rich soil of your Word.

I thank you for the washing of the water of the Word.

I thank you for the power that is found in your Word.

I thank you that it is alive and active and it messes with us,

God, and we are grateful for that.

So Father, today I ask that your Word would scratch and awaken

that eternity written on our hearts, Father,

so that it comes alive and that your Holy Spirit is able

to speak to us and help us to navigate these waters

that we find ourselves in these days.

You are faithful and good.

Father, let them forget my stuff and remember yours.

In Jesus' name, and they said.

Amen. God is so faithful.

Hopefully you recognize that passage of scripture.

Someone, my glasses, would they be by anyone's chairs

down there by chance?

Who is that?

Okay, this is going to go a lot better now that I can read.

I was thinking about, you know, this passage

of scripture is familiar because we studied from it last week.

And Pastor Kevin shared with us the importance of this God

who does miracles and his sovereignty

and what our response should be to the Lord if his answer is yes

and if his answer is no, regardless to be able to walk

in those places with the Lord and to recognize his sovereignty

and his goodness regardless of the situations

that we may find ourselves in.

I get tickled with this passage of scripture.

Did you know scripture can make you laugh

if you just pay attention?

The stories and the scenarios and the things

that you find yourself in are amazing to me.

And the second chapter of Acts is more than a music group

that was around in the '70s, '80s,

before most of you were born.

And, but the second chapter of Acts is really just the

foundational portions of scripture

for the Pentecostal church.

And if, since we're in the second chapter of Acts,

let me just give you a brief synopsis, okay?

We know that in the beginning, before Jesus ascended

into heaven, he told them that he was going

to send a comforter.

And so basically scripture tells us that 120 people,

including the disciples, gathered together

in the upper room and they tarried and they waited

on the Lord and waited on that which had been promised.

And the Holy Spirit did descend on them and tongues

of fire began to move through the place.

And if you've ever been in one of those services,

we know that the people

in the place probably understand it a whole lot better

than the people who are outside, right?

So this passage talks about that they began to speak

with other tongues and there were people out in the crowd

who heard them speaking in their language

and they were astonished.

But they also thought they were drunk.

So, and that can be the fallout

of a really good service sometimes.

You walk out and you're like, who are these people

and where am I?

What just happened?

And those are the good ones, you know?

Those encounters with the Lord.

And while it was birthed in that place, we'll call it the fallout

of the baptism of the Holy Spirit into that place.

The cool thing is, is it there were residuals everywhere.

When we have a corporate religious experience together,

not only does it change us individually, it changes us

and impacts us corporately because we are designed

to live in community.

That's why the very first thing that God ever looked

on the earth, he made the light and it was good

and he made the oceans and it was good and he made the birds

of the air and the animals in the field

and he said all of it was good.

And the first thing he looked at that said it is not good was

for us to be alone.

We were not intended to make this journey alone.

And how wonderful for us that God provided a way and a model

for us to live in community.

Peter begins when the people in the outside begin to say,

well you know what, they're just drunk.

Peter gets the wonderful opportunity

to preach his first message that we know about,

that we're giving-- given-- made privy to.

And he says that Peter stood up with the 11

and raised his voice and he addressed them.

And he says, men of Judea and you live in Jerusalem,

let this be explained and listen closely, pay attention.

These people are not drunk.

I think that would be a good sign

for the four year, don't you?

[ Laughter ]

These people are not drunk.

Let me explain something.

And-- but then he goes on to share his message and he says,

and it shall be in the last days says God.

He begins to quote from the book of Joel that I will pour

out my spirit upon all mankind and your sons

and your daughters shall prophesy.

And your young men shall see visions

and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even on my bondservants, both men and women,

I will in those days pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy.

And he gives that message and then he goes on and gets

to messing in their business and he starts telling them, well,

you know, the law said this, the prophets prophesied this and all

of these things add up to one thing, all of these things

that have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus and it says this.

Therefore, let all the house

of Israel recognized beyond all doubt.

Let all of the house of Israel recognized beyond a doubt

that God has made him both Lord and Messiah.

Your Messiah has come.

Your Messiah has come and it says this Jesus

whom you crucified, you just crucified your Messiah.

You just crucified your Messiah, the one that you had waited for,

the one who had been prophesied that would come.

You just crucified him.

And it talks about the people grabbed it, they saw it

and they begin to go, well, what can we do?

What must we do?

We've crucified the one that was promised to come to us.

What do we do?

And then Peter has the wonderful opportunity to go,

you have to repent and be baptized.

Repent and be baptized.

The powerful message of the redemptive love

of Jesus Christ, he didn't go, well, you've just lost it.

I guess you've just messed up.

That's it.

No, you repent, you change your mindset,

you go in the opposite direction, you get baptized

and you sow into something bigger and better.

And here, every pastor or every evangelist

or every apostles dream, his first message that we know

about with Peter, 3,000 people were saved.

I'm just hoping you'll stay awake.

I have got to dream bigger.

I'm just hoping you're still with me at the end here.

3,000 people, can you even imagine?

And that is where we begin with this passage of scripture.

You've got basically, if scripture bears out the way

that it shows, you've got about 3,200 people

who are building a community of faith and believe

and it says they had all things in common.

You can't put three people in a restaurant

and get an order right.

And you've got 3,200 people who have this baseline faith

in common, this baseline faith in common.

Can I tell you something?

Corporate experiences change us.

They impact us.

They leave their mark on us.

And we find ourselves strongly tied to those people

who have experienced those things with us, you know,

this common ground that we find with one another.

And I was thinking about this.

It goes on to say that they had all things in common.

And so they began to sell their properties and pool their funds.

You know, in the '60s that would have been called a commune.

But it's not that kind of commune and you cannot.

But in Israel, it's called the kibbutz.

In Israel, communities are built and they are built

on commonality and there are generations

that will be a part of that.

It may be 100 people, it may be 1,000 people.

And they build their community together

and it nurtures generations.

You've got great grandparents and grandparents and parents

and kids and grandchildren.

They are all nurtured in the kibbutz.

They are all provided for.

And in that model, they all take all of their funds.

Still to this day, they'll take their funds

and they put them in a pool.

And everybody is treated equally.

Your children get the same education that my children get.

You have the same budget that I have.

You have the same dignity conferred to you

that everybody else does.

And provision is made and everything is in common.

And I think about, you know, if we have the main thing,

the main thing, and we have that in common, guys,

we have such a launch pad.

We don't have to have the same opinions.

We don't have to have the same ideas.

We don't even have to have, you know, we don't have

to dress alike or look alike or do anything.

But we can have this common ground,

this place that we have based our lives,

this faith that we have based our lives on,

that gives us the opportunity to build a community unlike

anything I think that the world has to offer.

This commonality, this commonality of goals

and this thing that we get drawn into.

And I think about, you know, pulling our funds.

I know a lot of people are exiting society these days

and they're going to pull their funds.

And that is not what I'm asking you to do.

However, I'm thinking, you know, a thousand acres in Montana,

you know, nice little property to spread out.

That's not necessarily a bad thing.

But that is not what I'm asking.

So all of you guys who are already packing your bags

and thinking about riding horses with Kevin Costner, that is not,

that is not what we're talking about.

But it would be cool.

Let's just say that.

But what we do have is a commonality of goal.

We all, our faith, we stand in this place of faith.

We believe in the same Jesus.

We believe in the same God.

We believe in the Holy Spirit.

And that changes everything.

That gives us a place to function from that is rich and powerful.

And these this commonality lends strength.

One of the most powerful moments, I believe,

that I've experienced in this body.

Howlin and I came here in '92. Was that right?

And I'm glad one of us can remember stuff.

We came in 1992 and the Lord has just blessed us here.

This has been our home.

There was a moment that happened.

I don't know how many of you were here when 9/11 took place.

And as a nation, we went into such a place of grief

and we went into a place of fear and

it just shook us.

But one of the things that I think impacted me so much

is the way that God can bring beauty from ashes,

is the way that God can bring something beautiful out of the most

horrific places and people just started showing up here.

In honor of Justin, it was an ordinary Tuesday.

It really was a Tuesday.

And it was just an ordinary one until it wasn't.

People just started coming through the doors here.

We unlocked everything.

We didn't put out an invitation.

People just started showing up here, just coming through the doors.

They came through the the doors that some were weeping.

Some were afraid.

Someone in prayer.

Someone had just to be with family.

And I can remember that day so clear because we gathered over there

in the old sanctuary and I just remember holding a friend and her just weeping.

And I remember just the covering of the Holy Spirit

and that cementing on the inside of me to go, you know what?

God has built something here that is for the comfort of his people.

It's for the encouragement and the nurturing of the body of Christ.

It is a community.

It is a family.

And we talk about healthy family and all of this and we can talk about it.

But what really is the clarifier is the moment that you need it.

The moment that you need family and they are there.

And that's the way we were designed that that corporate experience changed us.

Pastor Ronnie has always been such a strong proponent.

One of the one of his great gifts and he has many one of his great gifts

was nurturing unity in this in this house, covering this house,

praying that we would be unified in our pursuit of him

and that we wouldn't let the small things become major things,

but that the major thing would stay the main thing.

So we have always valued unity as a church body.

Why? Why is unity important?

Why is unity important in your family?

The word tell the scripture tells us that how good and pleasant it is for believers,

brothers and sisters, to be dwelling in unity.

It is as the oil.

I told Aaron, I almost almost grabbed a bottle of oil there

and you were almost in trouble.

And I thought he doesn't have a change of clothes.

So I probably ought to do that.

But I'm like the imagery that unity has is oil

being poured over, it says, over the head of Aaron.

It drips down into his beard and so that it drips down into his robes

and it begins to encompass those around.

That's what unity does in the body of Christ.

There is a commanded blessing in unity as we walk together.

It doesn't mean that we all agree on everything.

It just means we can still walk together

and there won't be division and there will not be strife because of it.

That unity also goes on to say it is as the dew of Mount Hermon.

Mount Hermon is the highest peak in Israel

and everything about around it, the mountains beneath it

and the grounds and desert spaces beneath it can be as dry as bone.

But Mount Hermon has ice caps

and there is a continual flow, a continual melting

that nourishes all that is around it.

That's what unity does in the body of Christ.

And that's why it has always been so important to this house.

We want the commanded blessing.

We want the blessing of the Lord in the house.

Conversely, on the other side of that, the word tells us that where there is strife,

every evil work abounds.

Every evil work abounds.

We do not do strife here.

We do everything we can to move away from it, to resolve it,

to bring peace to the situations because we don't want the door kicked open to the enemy.

Do you want the door kicked open at your house?

See, this isn't just about church.

This is in your home when the enemy tries to come in and sow things

and create misunderstandings and cause strife in your family.

Get him out of there. Get him out of there.

It is literally as if the picture that that passage of scripture paints

is that it's as if the door gets kicked open

and all of the minions come in with strife.

So we will always, always be a unity family.

We will always be trying to address anything

that challenges the unity within this household.

There the Lord commands a blessing.

You know, Rodney Boyd was one of our gifted teachers

for a very long time in this house and probably at least 20 years ago.

I remember him saying he was teaching and he said,

he said, "Humans," or I'm sorry, "Christians are the only two-legged species

who eat and devour their wounded."

I never forgot that.

Now, I know in the physical that's not true,

but in the spiritual, man, we can sure tear some people up

if we think their lives aren't going the way we think they should

or we can start stirring things up that have nothing to do with us,

nothing to do with us.

And God is going, "Can you keep unity?

Can you respond differently than the world responds

when somebody is broken, when they're wounded,

when they're struggling, when they're in sin?

Can you respond differently as the body of Christ?"

Because we're supposed to.

We're supposed to.

You know, the word tells us there are so many things in the scriptures

that the Lord tells us, you know, that that he would like us to do.

He gives us the Ten Commandments and he and he pours out his heart

in order for us to grab hold of his heart.

And but one of the things that struck me and impacted me

and has continued to impact me for so long

is this passage of scripture.

Let me pull it up here. Proverbs 6.

Why do we keep unity in this house?

Why do we care about the blessing?

Proverbs 6,

beginning with verse 16.

Guys, this is not the list I thought the Lord would give

because we all form our opinions about the things the Lord accepts

and likes and doesn't like.

You know, we all it must be that that must be the worst sin.

Oh, no, that's the one we want to point out.

That one can't really.

And we point to these things that really have nothing to do

with what the scripture says.

And this passage of scripture has been a guard to me for so long

because it says you want to pay attention to this.

I want to pay attention to this.

It says these six things the Lord hates.

These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are repulsive

or detestable to him.

Don't you want to know what he hates?

The very first thing it says is a haughty look.

The very first thing it says is this haughty look,

this prideful, arrogant thing, like I don't need anybody but me.

I mean, I know I've got an erratic eyebrow that looks haughty from time to time.

But hopefully my heart does not match my eyebrows.

A haughty look.

What? What?

I can't take pride in all of this stuff that I'm not sure you can.

But you know what?

We have become such a a a culture of competition.

It's like we are against one another all of the time when we're supposed to.

You be the best.

You win it. Run faster.

Jump higher. Climb that ladder.

You be the prettiest. You be the smartest.

You do this. You get the trophies.

And all the while God is going.

You're supposed to be brothers and sisters.

You are not my competition.

I am not your competition.

We are supposed to be walking in tandem with one another as the body of Christ,

building a community that looks like the community that we will one day

be a part of if we ever get the opportunity to cross over and stand in his presence.

We get to model that now.

A haughty look.

Pride should not be a part of what we do in this place.

If it is, there's a problem.

The second thing it says is that a mouth that lies.

Pride and liars.

Tongues that lie.

It says hands that shed innocent blood.

And it's not just killing somebody.

It's destroying somebody.

That you have no business destroying.

It says a heart that devises wicked plans.

A heart that thinks about, "Oh, I think I'm going to go do that.

Oh, I think I'm just going to tell them this.

I really think dot dot dot."

And a heart that devises wicked plans.

It says feet that are quick to run to things that they shouldn't run to.

Being in places. Going things.

And being quick about it.

Getting to those places that you shouldn't even be.

Now listen to the last two.

A false witness who breathes out lies.

Somebody who talks about others. Who gossips.

Whom aligns. Whom slanders.

What? These are all behavioral things, Father.

We wanted open sins that we could easily mark.

But what if God just wants to check our hearts?

What if God just wants to go, "You need to deal with this.

I need to deal with this because I can fall into these."

Sometimes we just need to hush.

But the last thing.

One who spreads strife among the brethren.

It says it's detestable to him.

It is abhorrent to him.

Why? Because I have three children.

And I have three children-in-laws.

And I have eleven grandchildren.

I want them to love each other.

I want them to be kind to one another.

I want them to speak lovingly of one another.

Even when the other one's not in the room.

Especially when they...

That is what I want for my family.

How much more does God want that for us?

That we could walk in unity.

That we could be kind to one another.

And Kevin's word has struck me the other day when he said,

"Love is my name protected in your mouth."

That could render some of us mute for a long time.

When I used the word "us" I didn't say "you" I said "us."

Love is your brother's name protected in your mouth.

Love is your brother's name protected in your mouth.

Why do we value unity? Because God loves it.

And because God hates strife.

So what does authentic Christian community look like?

In my world, what it looks like is...

Ten years ago when my mom passed.

My mom lives two and a half hours away.

And my sisters didn't...

When you are a pastor, it is all automatically assumed

that you are going to be the one to do the service

regardless of whether you want to do the service or not.

And that kind of fell to me.

And it was an honor and a privilege to put that together.

But on the day of the service,

I just remember feeling so weighted.

And so overwhelmed.

And the place was packed.

My mom's influence and the blessing of her life

was evident in the room.

But they were all people that were her church and all this stuff.

And I'm standing to the side and I'm thinking about God.

And I'm thinking, "Lord, you've got to help me.

You've got to help me."

And the doors opened in the back.

And carloads, carloads of people from this house

had carpooled to get there and to be there and to support.

And it felt like that dew of Herman.

It felt the blessing when they walked through the door.

It felt like I could breathe because my family was there.

My family was there, but now my family was there.

And they made the mistake of going, "How can I help you?"

And I went, "Well, you're speaking.

And I'm going to need you to lead three or four songs in worship.

And I'm going to..."

And man, they did it because they loved us.

They were instant in season and out of season.

And they came and they ministered to that body.

My family ministered to my family.

Because that's the community God had built.

My son Matthew got married about four hours away.

And I thought, "Well, it'll be sweet. I'll have all the..."

Guys, you showed up.

I mean, I look out, it's rainy.

And Anna and Ernie, your eyes are out there wiping down chairs.

And Pastor Bruce and Jill are helping in the kitchen.

And I'm like, "God!

Lord, some of us won't cross the room to hug somebody."

And I've got people that are driving hours just to be there.

Guys, we need to be that family.

That is what God is calling us to.

I think it is one of the richest things we can do

is be part of a godly community that shows up.

That is there for one another.

And I know many of you have the same testimony.

We have stood beside graves together.

We have stood in hospital rooms together.

We have held noon-born babies together.

We have experienced the weddings.

I've done some of your weddings.

I've been able to be a part of God family.

God community.

And that's what He's calling us to.

I believe we need that.

We need to be surrounded today, guys.

We are not called to make this journey alone.

We're just not called to.

And I know that there's some going, "Well, I want that,

and I don't know how to get that."

Stay.

Stay.

Stay.

Plant deep. Allow the Lord to do something.

You know, family to me is...

I have been so blessed.

Guys, I have been so blessed.

Hal and I have been able to walk in this community.

There are people in this...

I mean, the Meeks, the Kobles, the Berries,

the Hutchisons, the Gibsons, the Montgomerys,

the people that we have walked with and done life with.

This is our kibbutz.

This is our family.

This is the strength that we draw from.

These are the wells that have nourished, nourished my mom,

nourished my husband and myself,

that has nourished our kids,

that has nourished our grandchildren.

We are a body that can minister to generations

and love generations.

And I believe that that is what God is calling us

as the body of Christ to do.

Jesus.

Here's my admonition.

I'm going to get the worship team.

I know it's a little bit early.

But see, God can minister in two words.

I could have walked up here and said, "Jesus wept,"

and I would have brought a message.

It doesn't take Him long.

But here's the thing.

If this seems like an unrealistic prospect for you,

it's not.

You are here for a reason, and I believe with all of my heart

that God wants to surround you with family, with community,

to give you something stable and sure to stand in.

So this is my admonition.

Older people in this room, that means everybody older than me.

I know there's only two of you, but...

Older people, so into the next generation.

Don't be afraid of them.

I know they're scary.

So into them.

Pour into those generations.

Let them know who God is in your life.

Let them know the things that He has done in your experience.

Young people, you're not, you don't know it all.

You don't know it all yet.

Yet. Yet.

Glean from those fields.

Allow people to speak into your life.

Look friendly when they approach you.

'Cause we are a bit frightened.

Glean from those fields.

Young families, find a church and stay.

Find a place and stay.

Plant your roots deep.

It doesn't have to be Springhouse.

I would love it if it is.

You find the church that you are supposed to be a part of and stop running.

You stay and you plant roots so that your children can have roots

and your grandchildren can have roots

and they can have a community that will support them and surround them

when they go through trials, when they go through difficult places

and they need somebody to just go, "You're gonna be okay."

Give them that.

Give them a place to grow, a place to flourish, a place to be nurtured.

See, we have all things in common.

Because we have the most important thing in common.

We have a Savior who gave all to give us access to the Holy of Holies.

We have a Savior who died to cleanse us of the sins,

to heal us of the broken places.

And part of our role and part of our job as the body of Christ

is that we would extend those hands when somebody is broken,

when somebody is struggling, when somebody is having a really hard time.

Don't leave a gaping wound just standing there.

Minister the love of God.

This is our family.

This is your family.

It's been our family for more than three decades.

And I would not trade it for anything.

For anything.

God has met me here.

And God has met you here.

And it is my prayer.

I need that book, Anna.

Are you sitting on it?

Is there a book there?

Thank you.

Could you sign it?

No kidding.

I ran across this the other day.

And I thought, "Lord, this is so true in my life."

I had a marker in it.

But obviously Anna has done something with that.

Talk amongst yourselves.

It says, and I had just left a service here.

And I'm just going to read it to you.

Because it so perfectly encapsulates this body

and how I feel in this body.

I just walked in from a wonderful program service at church.

I think pretty much all of you were there.

If not, you better start being faithful in your attendance

because someone has now taken your seat.

The house was full and the family was in rare form.

What a wonderful exclamation point.

As the orchestra struck the first strains

and the choir began to swell,

I snuggled into my seat.

I took a deep breath.

And I relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever.

I looked around the shadowed room

and glimpsed the profiles of many that I hold dear

and that would include each of you.

I watched as babies crawled over their weary mothers

who continued to sing.

I watched sleeping infants drool on their father's shoulders

as rich baritone voices filled the air.

I saw mothers and daughters sitting close together

and fathers and sons nudging one another

as if to say, "That's pretty cool."

In a very manly way.

The sights and sounds surrounded me

and it wasn't the ones from the stage,

though they were wondrous indeed,

but the ones in the seats around me.

What I heard was the laughter of hearts

that were content and full.

The camaraderie of strangers and friends

that have slowly and perfectly, without notice,

turned into family.

In our midst there was a bustling quiet of peace restored

and the unspoken gratitude of outcasts

having finally found their place.

We were home folk, doing what home folk do.

We were loving, extending, welcoming, accepting, nourishing,

and making room for each other.

And this, I believe, is where the truth can overtake us.

So today, I say thank you.

Thank you for allowing me to experience

a night in the heart of family,

though my relatives live far away.

Thank you for scooting over and patting the seat next to you

and offering me a place close by.

Thank you for sharing your lives, your laughter,

your tears, and your joy with me.

Thank you for showing me how completely blessed I am

and how generously God lavishes his love on the earth today.

Thank you for being kind.

Thank you for being tender-hearted.

Thank you for being compassionate

and faithful to one another.

But most of all, today, I thank you

that you are a family that always makes room.

You are a family that makes room for one another.

We're getting ready to do the song.

What a coincidence. Make room.

I'm going to ask our elders

and those who have been asked to pray

to come forward.

And the specific charge today,

I believe the specific anointing

in this house today, though you may need prayer for something else,

there is an anointing for connection.

There's an anointing for doors to open

and family to be created.

If you are someone who's gone, "I don't know how to connect.

I don't know how to become involved and be a part of this."

Would you be vulnerable enough

to come forward and let somebody pray with you?

Would you come and go, "That's what I want.

I want to plant deep.

I want my family to know fellowship.

I want to be a part of something bigger

than what I am on my own."

Would you stand? We're going to sing.

Father, I'm asking that your Holy Spirit

would fill this space.

Father, that we could lay down the walls

that separate us from one another

and invite family into the innermost places of our lives.

Surround us, Father.

Make us transparent, Father, I ask.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

[Music]