Our Mission, Our Vision, Our Values - Part 2

Brother Jim: Things got a little messed up there with the service kind of

Brother Jim: went a different direction.

Brother Jim: So the scripture is not truly

Brother Jim: correct there in your bulletin,

Brother Jim: but I have it up here for you

Brother Jim: today.

Brother Jim: Last week we started into the Great Commission pertaining to

Brother Jim: the future, the vision.

Brother Jim: What are we doing here as a

Brother Jim: church and what a great place to

Brother Jim: start.

Brother Jim: But why not start with the Great Commission?

Brother Jim: And through this, I hope it

Brother Jim: invited each one of you to

Brother Jim: question as a church and as

Brother Jim: individuals.

Brother Jim: Why are we gathered here this Sunday the.

Brother Jim: Every every Sunday morning.

Brother Jim: Why do we come?

Brother Jim: And what are you.

Brother Jim: And I commanded, why are we here?

Brother Jim: What are we doing?

Brother Jim: And are we commanded, commanded to do something about it?

Brother Jim: If we have a true desire to serve and follow God, which is

Brother Jim: all comes into the Great Commission, let us go back.

Brother Jim: Again from last week, Matthew

Brother Jim: twenty eight eighteen to twenty

Brother Jim: And Jesus came and spoke to

Brother Jim: them, saying, all authority has

Brother Jim: been given to me in heaven on

Brother Jim: earth.

Brother Jim: Go therefore and make disciples

Brother Jim: of all nations, baptizing them

Brother Jim: in the name of the father and

Brother Jim: the son and of the Holy Spirit,

Brother Jim: teaching them to observe all

Brother Jim: things that I have commanded

Brother Jim: you.

Brother Jim: And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Brother Jim: Amen.

Brother Jim: And again, kind of ironic today is Pentecost.

Brother Jim: And here we are just starting to dive into the Great Commission.

Brother Jim: But first off, what is actually Pentecost?

Brother Jim: Again, kind of like the Great Commission.

Brother Jim: We've heard it throughout our time in the church.

Brother Jim: But does anybody really understand what Pentecost is

Brother Jim: other than we wear red?

Brother Jim: On this particular Sunday, after

Brother Jim: Jesus rose from the dead and

Brother Jim: later ascended into heaven, his

Brother Jim: disciples gathered together in

Brother Jim: Jerusalem.

Brother Jim: Jesus had told them to wait.

Brother Jim: Now here's a key word to wait for the promised Holy Spirit.

Brother Jim: Then suddenly, a mighty rushing wind filled the house.

Brother Jim: Tongues of fire appeared over the believers.

Brother Jim: The disciples disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Brother Jim: They began speaking in different languages.

Brother Jim: People from many nations heard

Brother Jim: the gospel in their own

Brother Jim: language.

Brother Jim: Now imagine that all of a sudden you got a whirlwind, a hotbed of

Brother Jim: something going on.

Brother Jim: Pentecost marked the birth, the

Brother Jim: birth of the Christian church,

Brother Jim: and the beginning of the

Brother Jim: disciples boldly.

Brother Jim: Let me re-emphasize that word boldly preaching the gospel.

Brother Jim: The word Pentecost means fiftieth because it occurs fifty

Brother Jim: days after Easter.

Brother Jim: Now, if we go to acts two one to four, acts two, one to four,

Brother Jim: when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with

Brother Jim: one accord in one place.

Brother Jim: And suddenly there came a sound

Brother Jim: from heaven, as if a rushing

Brother Jim: mighty wind.

Brother Jim: And it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Brother Jim: Then they appeared to them, divided tongues as a fire, and

Brother Jim: one sat upon each of them.

Brother Jim: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to

Brother Jim: speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.

Brother Jim: So those who received his word were baptized.

Brother Jim: And there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Brother Jim: And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the

Brother Jim: fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Brother Jim: And all came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were

Brother Jim: being done through the Apostle.

Brother Jim: All right.

Brother Jim: I added a little bit extra

Brother Jim: there, which we'll come back to

Brother Jim: that verse.

Brother Jim: But in other words, Brother Jim,

Brother Jim: brother Jim is not up here

Brother Jim: making up words or definitions

Brother Jim: for your entertainment or to

Brother Jim: sound important.

Brother Jim: No, it is coming straight from God's holy Word.

Brother Jim: So right there, you can bank on that.

Brother Jim: It ain't me making something up.

Brother Jim: It's coming from God's holy

Brother Jim: word, Pentecost and what it

Brother Jim: means church.

Brother Jim: As we are gathered here as believers in Jesus Christ.

Brother Jim: Pentecost was never meant to be just a celebration of what

Brother Jim: happened long ago.

Brother Jim: No, Pentecost is not simply about fire overheads.

Brother Jim: Pentecost is not simply about wind rushing through a room.

Brother Jim: Pentecost is not simply about a

Brother Jim: dramatic moment in the early

Brother Jim: church.

Brother Jim: Pentecost is about God

Brother Jim: empowering ordinary people just

Brother Jim: like you, just like me, to do

Brother Jim: extraordinary things for his

Brother Jim: kingdom.

Brother Jim: Awesome things.

Brother Jim: Things that are just

Brother Jim: overwhelming through the Holy

Brother Jim: Spirit.

Brother Jim: You can do it now.

Brother Jim: If you've ever had a taste of the Holy Spirit come upon you,

Brother Jim: it is something you're never going to forget.

Brother Jim: And it is the most addictive drug.

Brother Jim: I'm going to call it like that addictive drug that you can ever

Brother Jim: taste, you can ever have.

Brother Jim: You want it more, you want it more, you want it more because

Brother Jim: there is freedom in it.

Brother Jim: You don't know what's going to come out of your mouth.

Brother Jim: You don't know what you're going to do.

Brother Jim: There is a fire, a wind coming over you.

Brother Jim: When we connect Pentecost with

Brother Jim: the Great Commission, you and I,

Brother Jim: we should discover something

Brother Jim: powerful.

Brother Jim: Jesus never told the church to merely gather.

Brother Jim: Jesus told the church to go.

Brother Jim: As we said last Sunday, go.

Brother Jim: The Great Commission is the mission.

Brother Jim: Pentecost is the power in for the mission.

Brother Jim: Without the Great Commission, Pentecost has no direction.

Brother Jim: Without Pentecost, the Great Commission has no power.

Brother Jim: Kind of like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Brother Jim: They just go together or whatever combination you like to

Brother Jim: come up with.

Brother Jim: They just go together.

Brother Jim: Now, some things we can take from this.

Brother Jim: Number one, Jesus gave the church a mission.

Brother Jim: Before Jesus ascended into heaven.

Brother Jim: Jesus gave his followers one final command.

Brother Jim: Now, it was not a suggestion.

Brother Jim: It's not a recommendation.

Brother Jim: It was a command.

Brother Jim: And as we progress more and

Brother Jim: more, you find out it's pretty

Brother Jim: simple.

Brother Jim: Their commands, they are

Brother Jim: commands to you and I. Jesus

Brother Jim: said, go therefore and make

Brother Jim: disciples.

Brother Jim: The church was never called to sit comfortably in their padded

Brother Jim: pews, sipping beverages behind four walls while the world

Brother Jim: searches for hope.

Brother Jim: Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not against padded pews.

Brother Jim: Kind of helps, don't it?

Brother Jim: But again, we get comfortable.

Brother Jim: We get comfortable.

Brother Jim: Would those people I just mentioned of the world include

Brother Jim: possibly your loved ones, your friends who are in desperate

Brother Jim: need of hope, perhaps hope?

Brother Jim: I don't know about you, but I've been in life with no hope.

Brother Jim: And it is about one of the

Brother Jim: darkest, loneliest places you

Brother Jim: can be.

Brother Jim: True.

Brother Jim: Anybody been there when there is no hope?

Brother Jim: What is the point of life?

Brother Jim: What is the point of going on living?

Brother Jim: Why does anything matter?

Brother Jim: And if we search real hard, I am

Brother Jim: sure we can find one or two

Brother Jim: people we can think of in our

Brother Jim: life that is battling that right

Brother Jim: now.

Brother Jim: The church exists to carry the

Brother Jim: gospel into broken homes,

Brother Jim: hurting communities, schools,

Brother Jim: workplaces, nursing homes,

Brother Jim: prisons, neighborhoods.

Brother Jim: The list goes on and on.

Brother Jim: And is it true to say too many

Brother Jim: Christians today want the

Brother Jim: benefits of salvation without

Brother Jim: the responsibility of the

Brother Jim: mission.

Brother Jim: Let's ponder that for a moment.

Brother Jim: Let me restate that again.

Brother Jim: How many of us want the benefits

Brother Jim: of salvation without the

Brother Jim: responsibility of doing the

Brother Jim: mission?

Brother Jim: AM I hitting home with anybody?

Brother Jim: AM I hitting home with the church today?

Brother Jim: Churches across America.

Brother Jim: We've turned salvation into a little tag, a little hat, a

Brother Jim: little this, a little that.

Brother Jim: Jesus.

Brother Jim: Again, I've said it many times.

Brother Jim: We've commercialized Christianity, we've

Brother Jim: commercialized the church, we've commercialized Jesus Christ.

Brother Jim: And that is wrong when we go about it that way.

Brother Jim: Jesus.

Brother Jim: Then here's the big but.

Brother Jim: Bob Armstrong but Jesus did not save you and I just to keep us

Brother Jim: safe until heaven.

Brother Jim: As I said last Sunday, the Great

Brother Jim: Commission is not just for

Brother Jim: pastors and just for

Brother Jim: missionaries, for Sunday school

Brother Jim: teachers.

Brother Jim: It is for every person who claims to be a believer and

Brother Jim: follower of Jesus Christ.

Brother Jim: You may never stand behind the pulpit, but you.

Brother Jim: Yes, you you you.

Brother Jim: You still have a mission field.

Brother Jim: Did you hear me on that?

Brother Jim: Each one of you have a mission field.

Brother Jim: Your family.

Brother Jim: How about that?

Brother Jim: Just start there.

Brother Jim: Number one, your family, your

Brother Jim: mission field, your coworkers

Brother Jim: could be your mission field,

Brother Jim: your school, maybe your mission

Brother Jim: field.

Brother Jim: You want to talk about coworkers?

Brother Jim: Talk to Caleb, what he's doing with a couple coworkers right

Brother Jim: there where he works.

Brother Jim: He's in a mission field.

Brother Jim: Your community may be your mission field.

Brother Jim: His abilities, mission field.

Brother Jim: The breakfast could be the mission field.

Brother Jim: And again, church, we've gotten very good at socializing, having

Brother Jim: fun, having our family unit.

Brother Jim: But now it is time again, as I said, to take.

Brother Jim: Go away from that.

Brother Jim: Keep that spirit going, but

Brother Jim: start feeding people

Brother Jim: Spiritually.

Brother Jim: We're great at feeding them physically, obviously, but

Brother Jim: spiritually, what are we doing?

Brother Jim: Isn't that always comes back to go and we've got Pentecost.

Brother Jim: That's the power of the fuel, your carbs, your protein,

Brother Jim: however you want to define it, to get you going.

Brother Jim: Number two, Pentecost gave the church power.

Brother Jim: Now, power is a great thing, isn't it?

Brother Jim: And it can be used and it can be abused.

Brother Jim: Jesus knew the disciples could

Brother Jim: not accomplish the mission

Brother Jim: alone.

Brother Jim: That is why Jesus told them.

Brother Jim: We go back to that word a little bit ago.

Brother Jim: Wait, wait.

Brother Jim: Now, how many of us like to hear the word wait, no, no, no.

Brother Jim: Especially if the buffet line.

Brother Jim: You got to wait.

Brother Jim: Nah, nah.

Brother Jim: Wait and think about this for a moment.

Brother Jim: My friends, the disciples here you got the disciples.

Brother Jim: They had talked, walked, lived, joked, did everything closed as

Brother Jim: buddies, as companions could be?

Brother Jim: They lived with Jesus.

Brother Jim: They had seen the miracles.

Brother Jim: They had heard his teachings.

Brother Jim: Front row.

Brother Jim: Think about it.

Brother Jim: Think of the price.

Brother Jim: That is how valuable that is.

Brother Jim: And I think we could say safely.

Brother Jim: Those disciples were very well qualified.

Brother Jim: True.

Brother Jim: Yet Jesus still said, wait for the promise of the father.

Brother Jim: Why?

Brother Jim: Why?

Brother Jim: We got a bunch of hungry guys

Brother Jim: ready to go, ready to get out

Brother Jim: there.

Brother Jim: You're telling us to go, Lord?

Brother Jim: But now you're telling us to wait.

Brother Jim: There's a reason why.

Brother Jim: And here is some truth for you.

Brother Jim: Each of you this morning.

Brother Jim: Human strength cannot accomplish a spiritual mission.

Brother Jim: I don't care how big and bad you think you are.

Brother Jim: You got your Bible.

Brother Jim: You know your verses.

Brother Jim: You're prayed up.

Brother Jim: You're ready to roll.

Brother Jim: It's still human strength and

Brother Jim: it's not going to get you very

Brother Jim: far.

Brother Jim: You need something special.

Brother Jim: Programs cannot save people.

Brother Jim: Talent cannot change hearts and

Brother Jim: buildings cannot transform

Brother Jim: lives.

Brother Jim: Now, that might seem pretty harsh to you, but here it is.

Brother Jim: The church needs the power of the Holy Spirit.

Brother Jim: The church, you and I. We need the power of the Holy Spirit.

Brother Jim: On the day of Pentecost, the

Brother Jim: spirit came in like a mighty

Brother Jim: rushing wind.

Brother Jim: Think of a hurricane.

Brother Jim: Anybody ever been in a hurricane here?

Brother Jim: All right, I've got it played out in my mind.

Brother Jim: What would it be like?

Brother Jim: Chances are I wouldn't need my fans to keep me cool.

Brother Jim: But think about it.

Brother Jim: A hurricane coming in.

Brother Jim: That's what I have pictured in my mind.

Brother Jim: How the Holy Spirit came rushing in.

Brother Jim: Fire rested upon the believers.

Brother Jim: Fearful disciples became bold witnesses.

Brother Jim: Peter, the same Peter who denied Jesus.

Brother Jim: now stood before thousands and preached with courage.

Brother Jim: Say that word with me.

Brother Jim: Courage.

Brother Jim: How many of you all got courage?

Brother Jim: How many really here this morning, have the courage to

Brother Jim: stand up and speak about Jesus, or what Jesus did in your life,

Brother Jim: or is doing in your life.

Brother Jim: Three thousand were saved in just that day.

Brother Jim: Now.

Brother Jim: Don't take my word for it.

Brother Jim: Let me go to acts two thirty eight to forty three here.

Brother Jim: Again, kind of got messed up on that, but hey, we're going to

Brother Jim: reread it again.

Brother Jim: And Peter said to them, repent

Brother Jim: and be baptized, every one of

Brother Jim: you in the name of Jesus Christ

Brother Jim: for the forgiveness of your

Brother Jim: sins.

Brother Jim: And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Brother Jim: For the promise is for you and for your children and for all

Brother Jim: who are far off.

Brother Jim: Everyone whom the Lord our God

Brother Jim: calls to himself and with many

Brother Jim: others.

Brother Jim: He bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, save

Brother Jim: yourselves from what generation?

Brother Jim: What's that?

Brother Jim: Crooked.

Brother Jim: And there's some other variances there too.

Brother Jim: But you get it.

Brother Jim: Deceitful, crooked, a bunch of thieves, nasty evil.

Brother Jim: So those who received his word

Brother Jim: were baptized, and they were

Brother Jim: added that day about three

Brother Jim: thousand souls.

Brother Jim: And they devoted themselves to

Brother Jim: the apostles teaching and the

Brother Jim: fellowship, to the breaking of

Brother Jim: bread.

Brother Jim: And the prayer and awe came upon

Brother Jim: every soul, and many wonders and

Brother Jim: signs were being done through

Brother Jim: the apostles.

Brother Jim: Think about that.

Brother Jim: If we had three thousand people

Brother Jim: come in and three thousand

Brother Jim: people got saved, they got

Brother Jim: baptized.

Brother Jim: I don't know, Joe.

Brother Jim: I don't think we'd have enough water to keep changing it out.

Brother Jim: Wouldn't that be something?

Brother Jim: This is what happens when the Holy Spirit, when God allows,

Brother Jim: gives the Holy Spirit to move through us again.

Brother Jim: Not me up here claiming it.

Brother Jim: It's right here in the word.

Brother Jim: The Holy Spirit does not simply make us emotional.

Brother Jim: The Holy Spirit makes us effective.

Brother Jim: The Holy Spirit gives courage

Brother Jim: when we are afraid, strength

Brother Jim: when we are weak, wisdom when we

Brother Jim: do not know what to say, and

Brother Jim: boldness to speak in the name of

Brother Jim: Jesus.

Brother Jim: Are we bold church?

Brother Jim: Are we bold?

Brother Jim: Something else to chew on?

Brother Jim: The church must move beyond comfort.

Brother Jim: One of the greatest dangers

Brother Jim: facing the modern church today

Brother Jim: is comfort.

Brother Jim: And I'm not referring to your La-Z-Boy recliner at home.

Brother Jim: No, I am referring to you and your relationship with Jesus.

Brother Jim: Is it not true that we love and enjoy our routines, our

Brother Jim: familiarity, every day?

Brother Jim: How many of us have routines?

Brother Jim: How many of us have routines on a Sunday morning?

Brother Jim: True.

Brother Jim: Let's be honest this morning.

Brother Jim: How many of us love what is safe?

Brother Jim: Most of us, I would say.

Brother Jim: I don't see anybody going out and setting their lawn chair up

Brother Jim: in the middle of the road, taking a nap.

Brother Jim: Not very safe, is it?

Brother Jim: No. We want to be where we're safe.

Brother Jim: But that's the problem when it

Brother Jim: comes to our churches today and

Brother Jim: as individuals, as followers of

Brother Jim: Jesus Christ, we start to become

Brother Jim: comfortable because we like our

Brother Jim: safe zones.

Brother Jim: Think about this for a moment.

Brother Jim: Has revival ever been born out of comfort zones?

Brother Jim: Born out of comfort zones.

Brother Jim: Got to be an energy.

Brother Jim: There's got to be a spark.

Brother Jim: There's got to be at least one

Brother Jim: person getting on fire for the

Brother Jim: Lord.

Brother Jim: And then another.

Brother Jim: And then another.

Brother Jim: It becomes contagious.

Brother Jim: The disciples had to leave their security and safety of the upper

Brother Jim: room, did they not?

Brother Jim: The gospel had to move into the streets where the people are.

Brother Jim: Better yet, let us say the lost.

Brother Jim: The church must never become a

Brother Jim: country club for believers while

Brother Jim: the world dies without Jesus

Brother Jim: Christ.

Brother Jim: Pentecost reminds you and I that

Brother Jim: the church is alive when it

Brother Jim: moves.

Brother Jim: Are we alive, church?

Brother Jim: Are we alive?

Brother Jim: Roxford church.

Brother Jim: Are you alive?

Brother Jim: As a member of Rockford Church

Brother Jim: and as a follower Proclaimer of

Brother Jim: Jesus Christ.

Brother Jim: Pretty much a yes or no answer on those two.

Brother Jim: You can hem hall around and try

Brother Jim: to come up with a a very

Brother Jim: political stated.

Brother Jim: You know that doesn't answer anything.

Brother Jim: Just get to the point.

Brother Jim: Yes or no?

Brother Jim: Or are you just comfortable?

Brother Jim: A church filled with the Holy Spirit cannot remain silent.

Brother Jim: A spirit filled church.

Brother Jim: They serve a spirit filled church.

Brother Jim: They love.

Brother Jim: A spirit filled church reaches people others overlook.

Brother Jim: Just think about this and let's have a moment of clarity.

Brother Jim: Just think about the people we ignore on a day to day basis.

Brother Jim: My friends.

Brother Jim: The man or woman alongside the exit.

Brother Jim: How many of us just completely ignore?

Brother Jim: Tune them out.

Brother Jim: How many of us judge?

Brother Jim: The cashier who's got the orange

Brother Jim: hair, a bunch of tats, a couple

Brother Jim: nose piercings.

Brother Jim: Do you pick another line so you don't have to deal with that?

Brother Jim: That's right.

Brother Jim: Now, me, I find it interesting.

Brother Jim: I want to talk to you.

Brother Jim: But again, I think we all can say at times we ignore people

Brother Jim: and maybe that's the moment they need us the most.

Brother Jim: And what do we do?

Brother Jim: We're selfish.

Brother Jim: I'm just going to call it like it is.

Brother Jim: We're selfish.

Brother Jim: We don't want to get out of our comfort zone.

Brother Jim: True.

Brother Jim: If you disagree with me, let me know.

Brother Jim: But I'm going through my own experience to hear again that

Brother Jim: big word conviction.

Brother Jim: And as Dave just said, you don't think Jesus loves them?

Brother Jim: Yeah, he does.

Brother Jim: He does.

Brother Jim: And God help us when we turn our back on people in need, people

Brother Jim: who are lost.

Brother Jim: Because guess what?

Brother Jim: That could be me.

Brother Jim: Could have been me.

Brother Jim: Can anybody in this room say that to you?

Brother Jim: If God had not put somebody in my life to lead me to him, to

Brother Jim: pray for me, even when I didn't know to someone be kind to me, I

Brother Jim: could be dead right now.

Brother Jim: I could be an alcoholic, a drug user.

Brother Jim: Who knows?

Brother Jim: But God puts somebody in my life.

Brother Jim: How about a church, huh?

Brother Jim: Oh, we play church.

Brother Jim: We like to dress up.

Brother Jim: But are we actually doing it?

Brother Jim: And, yeah, I'm a little fired up

Brother Jim: this morning because, again,

Brother Jim: this baby right here keeps on

Brother Jim: ticking.

Brother Jim: How many people die without knowing Jesus Christ.

Brother Jim: How many people did we encounter that did not know Jesus Christ

Brother Jim: as Lord and Savior?

Brother Jim: We could have made a difference.

Brother Jim: God had a glorious plan for them because I was part of the

Brother Jim: instrument, but I chickened out.

Brother Jim: Think about that.

Brother Jim: How about the weight on you there for that one?

Brother Jim: Just because they're gay, or just because this or that, we

Brother Jim: automatically exclude them.

Brother Jim: I have found we love our Mount Rushmore sin.

Brother Jim: You ever think about that?

Brother Jim: We all got our little sins we like to make fun of.

Brother Jim: We categorize people by.

Brother Jim: We got our own Mount Rushmore sins.

Brother Jim: Who in the blue moon are you to make up Mount Rushmore sins?

Brother Jim: I'm serious.

Brother Jim: I get sick and tired of it.

Brother Jim: Oh, they smoke, they drink, they cuss, they.

Brother Jim: This.

Brother Jim: What about you?

Brother Jim: AM I getting anybody this morning?

Brother Jim: Do you see?

Brother Jim: Jesus loves them, too.

Brother Jim: Thank you.

Brother Jim: Jesus.

Brother Jim: What are we doing?

Brother Jim: Church.

Brother Jim: It's like a dog and pony show a

Brother Jim: lot of the time with

Brother Jim: Christianity.

Brother Jim: And I don't know about you, but I am scared for the people that

Brother Jim: don't know Jesus.

Brother Jim: Especially my loved ones.

Brother Jim: Especially some of you, I wonder.

Brother Jim: Now, Jim don't know.

Brother Jim: It's out of love and concern.

Brother Jim: Do you understand that it's out of love and concern that when

Brother Jim: you make your meet your maker and you stand before judgment,

Brother Jim: is my name going to come up?

Brother Jim: You failed.

Brother Jim: You failed.

Brother Jim: You failed, Jim.

Brother Jim: It's a heck of a heavy burden to carry, I'll tell you that.

Brother Jim: What about your little ones?

Brother Jim: What about your little ones?

Brother Jim: And I'm going to battle this one for anybody.

Brother Jim: Don't they deserve to at least have an opportunity to learn

Brother Jim: about Jesus Christ?

Brother Jim: So many people.

Brother Jim: Oh, I don't want my kids to be around these people.

Brother Jim: That people.

Brother Jim: Oh, I don't want them brainwashed.

Brother Jim: They're gay haters.

Brother Jim: They're this they're that bunch of Trump supporters, bunch of

Brother Jim: Democrats, blah blah blah.

Brother Jim: Doesn't each little child hear

Brother Jim: today and out there have a right

Brother Jim: to hear?

Brother Jim: They get all this pollution coming into their minds and we

Brother Jim: stand around with our thumbs up our backsides, don't we?

Brother Jim: Not making a stink about it, but oh, you mentioned God.

Brother Jim: You mentioned creation.

Brother Jim: You mentioned this.

Brother Jim: Oh no, no, I don't want him in doctrine.

Brother Jim: I don't want her to hear about that.

Brother Jim: True.

Brother Jim: When do we go?

Brother Jim: When do we make a stand?

Brother Jim: And again, I'm not saying get

Brother Jim: out the pitchforks and the

Brother Jim: torches.

Brother Jim: I'm saying with love and compassion.

Brother Jim: But boldly encourage.

Brother Jim: And by godly stand your ground.

Brother Jim: What is wrong with a Christian standing their ground?

Brother Jim: Again, I'm doing it with love and compassion.

Brother Jim: But you're not pushing me back.

Brother Jim: Actually, I'm taking a step into you because I've got it right

Brother Jim: here in the word.

Brother Jim: And I've got Jesus right here.

Brother Jim: And I got the Holy Spirit Ahold of me.

Brother Jim: Again, I'm doing it out of love.

Brother Jim: So again, are we alive?

Brother Jim: Church.

Brother Jim: Are you alive?

Brother Jim: Try this week.

Brother Jim: See how many people you ignore.

Brother Jim: Again.

Brother Jim: I'm right there with you.

Brother Jim: Okay?

Brother Jim: I'm not up here.

Brother Jim: But by golly, I am aware of the situation now.

Brother Jim: Everybody deserves to hear about Jesus.

Brother Jim: That's all we can do.

Brother Jim: Number four.

Brother Jim: The Great Commission begins right where you are.

Brother Jim: Notice Jesus said, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends

Brother Jim: of the earth.

Brother Jim: The mission starts locally.

Brother Jim: This is my opinion here.

Brother Jim: The mission starts locally before it spreads globally.

Brother Jim: If we ain't got our own house in

Brother Jim: order, how can we go out and

Brother Jim: help others?

Brother Jim: Now, I know there's a fine balance there.

Brother Jim: Okay.

Brother Jim: Don't be putting words in my mouth.

Brother Jim: But come on.

Brother Jim: There are people all around our area that are hungry, who are

Brother Jim: poor, who don't have the.

Brother Jim: They don't have anything.

Brother Jim: I'm all for helping other countries.

Brother Jim: But yet, what about here when

Brother Jim: we're not taking care of our

Brother Jim: own.

Brother Jim: And that starts with our families first.

Brother Jim: I've known too many a good

Brother Jim: Christian men who finally

Brother Jim: realized they spent so much time

Brother Jim: donating their time to the

Brother Jim: church.

Brother Jim: Their families were forgotten.

Brother Jim: And that's a very easy slope to go down.

Brother Jim: Or I should say, woman, to

Brother Jim: notice Jesus said to the ends of

Brother Jim: the earth, the mission starts

Brother Jim: again here at home your

Brother Jim: Jerusalem.

Brother Jim: Jerusalem may be your own home.

Brother Jim: Before we reach the nations, we must reach our neighbors.

Brother Jim: Sometimes we think our ministry

Brother Jim: only happens on the big stages,

Brother Jim: right?

Brother Jim: Lights.

Brother Jim: Camera.

Brother Jim: Action.

Brother Jim: Mission trips.

Brother Jim: But ministry.

Brother Jim: So many times, just like those life's little moments with your

Brother Jim: kids, your grandkids, they're in the small moments.

Brother Jim: You ever have any of those?

Brother Jim: My friends, when you push out all the clutter, all the

Brother Jim: pollution of the earth, the world, and you're sitting there

Brother Jim: and just having a nice little conversation with someone, or

Brother Jim: your little one just crawls up on your lap.

Brother Jim: I'm just playing with your button.

Brother Jim: Aren't those the little moments?

Brother Jim: You never know.

Brother Jim: You might.

Brother Jim: That's what it might just take is a little moment.

Brother Jim: A kind of word.

Brother Jim: A kind of word to someone hurting.

Brother Jim: Praying with a friend.

Brother Jim: Inviting someone to church, helping a struggling family.

Brother Jim: Sharing your testimony.

Brother Jim: Loving someone else that everyone else ignores.

Brother Jim: And how about just being quiet for a moment and listening?

Brother Jim: I got that problem.

Brother Jim: I know it, but I have found if I just shut up and listen,

Brother Jim: especially listen to somebody that needs it.

Brother Jim: That's therapy right there.

Brother Jim: That's therapy.

Brother Jim: Never, ever underestimate what

Brother Jim: God can do through one obedient

Brother Jim: believer.

Brother Jim: The early church changed the world without modern technology.

Brother Jim: Massive buildings or wealth.

Brother Jim: The early church engaged.

Brother Jim: They engaged with the gospel, the Holy Spirit, and a

Brother Jim: willingness to go.

Brother Jim: We are living in a time that needs Pentecost power.

Brother Jim: Look around at our world today, brothers and sisters, is it not

Brother Jim: true that people are anxious?

Brother Jim: Families are broken.

Brother Jim: God's word is being rejected.

Brother Jim: Truth is misguided, and many people feel hopeless.

Brother Jim: Many people feel empty.

Brother Jim: The answer is not more entertainment.

Brother Jim: The answer is not politics.

Brother Jim: The answer is Jesus Christ.

Brother Jim: Very simple.

Brother Jim: My friends, Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ alone.

Brother Jim: I don't care how much dope you shoot up, how much you drink,

Brother Jim: how many affairs you're having, how much you're gambling, how

Brother Jim: much gossiping there.

Brother Jim: I just made my own little Mount Rushmore.

Brother Jim: You get my point.

Brother Jim: People are hurting.

Brother Jim: People are hurting here, and people are hurting there.

Brother Jim: And you know what?

Brother Jim: God still uses his church to carry that message.

Brother Jim: We do need.

Brother Jim: We do not need less of the Holy Spirit today.

Brother Jim: We need more to surrender to him.

Brother Jim: We need more believers who are unashamed of the gospel.

Brother Jim: We need churches that preach truth with love.

Brother Jim: We need Christians and churches willing to stand up for Christ,

Brother Jim: even when culture, the world, the society stands against him.

Brother Jim: Pentecost was not the end of the story.

Brother Jim: Pentecost was the beginning of the church's mission.

Brother Jim: And yes, my friends, that mission continues today.

Brother Jim: Now, if you would real quick

Brother Jim: here as we close, imagine a

Brother Jim: firefighter arriving at a

Brother Jim: burning house.

Brother Jim: Him and his crew, they're there in the truck.

Brother Jim: They're all ready to go.

Brother Jim: They got the gear on.

Brother Jim: Your house is on fire.

Brother Jim: Your kids are trapped, but they refuse to get out.

Brother Jim: They've got the equipment.

Brother Jim: They've got the gear.

Brother Jim: They've got the water.

Brother Jim: They've got the training.

Brother Jim: They've got it all.

Brother Jim: But they refuse to get out and

Brother Jim: save your family to do their

Brother Jim: job, what they've been trained

Brother Jim: to do.

Brother Jim: But that firefighter, that team, they never move.

Brother Jim: All are lost.

Brother Jim: Think about that.

Brother Jim: Think about if you're the father, the mother and the rest

Brother Jim: of your family is in there, and they perish because these people

Brother Jim: refuse to do their job.

Brother Jim: Now let's take it over to the church, my friends.

Brother Jim: Let's take it over.

Brother Jim: God has already given us what we need the gospel, the Holy

Brother Jim: Spirit, and the command to go.

Brother Jim: The question or not?

Brother Jim: The question is are we willing to go or not?

Brother Jim: Or are we going to sit in a truck and let everything burn?

Brother Jim: Pentecost and the Great Commission, as I said earlier,

Brother Jim: they belong together.

Brother Jim: Jesus gave the command and the

Brother Jim: of the church and the believers

Brother Jim: to go.

Brother Jim: And then he gave the power.

Brother Jim: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

Brother Jim: The same spirit that empowered

Brother Jim: the early church still empowers

Brother Jim: believers today.

Brother Jim: God is still calling people.

Brother Jim: Do you hear that?

Brother Jim: God is still calling you.

Brother Jim: God is still saving souls.

Brother Jim: Thank you God for that.

Brother Jim: You know, I always say how many souls will be lost, but how

Brother Jim: about this one?

Brother Jim: I'm taking a positive spin.

Brother Jim: How many souls will be saved in this hour?

Brother Jim: Let's look at that one for a moment.

Brother Jim: And are we going to be part of the solution?

Brother Jim: God is still saving souls and

Brother Jim: God is still building his

Brother Jim: church.

Brother Jim: God is still building his church.

Brother Jim: Back row.

Brother Jim: Did you hear that?

Brother Jim: God is not done.

Brother Jim: The mission has not changed one darn bit.

Brother Jim: Now we can say, as we said last Sunday, yeah, our world's

Brother Jim: changed, but the mission hasn't.

Brother Jim: So, church, are you and I willing to stop being silent, to

Brother Jim: stop being comfortable?

Brother Jim: Especially when it comes to telling others about Jesus.

Brother Jim: And you don't have to be long winded and all dramatic like me.

Brother Jim: My best thing is you can tell

Brother Jim: people what Jesus Christ did for

Brother Jim: you.

Brother Jim: How simple is that?

Brother Jim: And it's your own story.

Brother Jim: Even a little one.

Brother Jim: And I've heard it here.

Brother Jim: They can tell the story.

Brother Jim: Why can't we?

Brother Jim: Why can't we?

Brother Jim: You over to his abilities on a Friday night.

Brother Jim: You hear their stories?

Brother Jim: Why?

Brother Jim: Why can't we?

Brother Jim: Or are we just too plumb lazy to do it?

Brother Jim: Maybe we need to stop waiting for someone else to do our job.

Brother Jim: What if we go into the world with the love, the truth, and

Brother Jim: the power, the Holy Spirit that God gave us?

Brother Jim: Wouldn't that be something?

Brother Jim: Spoiler alert, my friends, a spirit filled church should

Brother Jim: never stay still.

Brother Jim: Do you have the Holy Spirit?

Brother Jim: Does this church, Rockford

Brother Jim: Church, has been here for a very

Brother Jim: long time.

Brother Jim: Does it have the Holy Spirit?

Brother Jim: And I will say this to finish.

Brother Jim: We had best figured out pretty quick.

Brother Jim: Time is ticking.

Brother Jim: Amen.