Making Disciples for Global Impact - Week 1: Planted | Pastor Pablo Morales

Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is

an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,

with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.

We invite you to connect with us from wherever

you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our

mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed

by this week's sermon. who we are and what God

has called us to be here in Thailand. And we

are going to be exploring every week some aspect

of this series that we call Making Disciples

for Global Impact. And we call it that way because

that's our mission statement. We make disciples

for global impact. That's how we say it. But

each week you will get to hear from the different

pastors in the team to be able to understand.

What is that God is doing? How we are here to

serve together? And also, you will be able to

meet some of the teams and the people behind

everything that is happening. What will be my

desire is that during this month, you will be

inspired. Inspired to serve with us. Inspired

to grow. Inspired to follow Jesus here with us

at ECB. So as we begin this time together, before

we dig deeper into the word, I just want to first

welcome you if you're visiting ECB. This is a

great day to be here because you're going to

be like in a family meeting, which hopefully

is going to make you feel like part of the family.

And it will also give you opportunities to go

downstairs and engage with our people and learn

more about our ministries. And it also happens

that this Wednesday is the beginning of our Oasis

Bible Study, which is a women's fellowship Bible

study that is going to be happening biweekly

on Wednesdays. So if you go downstairs... Right

as you exit the downstairs, there's going to

be a little booth that says Oasis. That is for

you to register if you're interested in attending

this event. So ladies, if you are interested

in being part of the study on Wednesday, you

know where to go. Will you pray with me? Father,

everything that you're doing is so much bigger

and deeper than any of us. You know the end from

the beginning. And you say your purpose will

stand. So as we are here in your presence today,

we know that we are part of something eternal.

Thank you for inviting us to that journey to

be with you. And today as we reflect on what

we are, what you have called us to be, will you

use this time, Lord, to Strengthen us, reinforce

our calling, and would you please use me in your

strength, in your power, in your grace. In Jesus'

name I pray, amen. One of the questions that

I would like to ask you as we begin this series

is simple. Are you flourishing where God planted

you? Ah, simple question, but not simple answer,

isn't it? Are you flourishing where God planted

you? You know that little word, impact, that

we like to use? It's really not in the Bible,

like, go and make disciples for global impact.

But the reason why we use that word is because

it defines what God already said. Jesus told

the apostles, I have established you to bear

Fruit. Fruit that will last. Jesus said, I am

the vine, you are the branches. So that you can

bear fruit because apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus said, you will know my followers by their

fruit. So all of this language that the Bible

uses is talking about what is the impact that

you are having where God planted you. Is God's

grace and his peace as we learn in Colossians

flowing through you where God planted you? And

this is very important for us to understand because

in the making disciples for global impact that

we are talking about is that God has called us

here at ECB to create a space to empower you.

That the Lord can empower you to flourish where

he is planting you, no matter where that is.

Let me tell you a story about impact. In the

most unlikely of places, there was a guy called

Daniel. He was in New York on a hot day, and

he needed to take a bus to be able to get to

his destination. And it was hard, the idea of

having to get in a bus surrounded by all these

people in a tight space, all smelly, you know,

all that, it wasn't very appealing. The idea

of it was making the day worse. Until he got

in the bus, and the bus driver told him, welcome

to my bus, how's your day going? And that little

interaction caught him off guard, and he thought,

well, that's nice. for a bus driver. And he just

responded kindly and went in. And as he was,

you know, in the bus, in his ride to his destination,

he noticed that the driver kept talking to people

and being kind to them and trying to engage with

them and telling them about this and about that.

And by the time he got off the bus, Daniel felt

better. He said, I felt happier. I felt, Like,

the ride in that bus made a difference for me.

And he didn't know anything else until he was

checking the newspaper, the New York Times, in

the obituary section one day, and he saw the

picture of this driver. He recognized him. And

that's the picture of the driver right there

for you to see. Mr. Brown. And as he started

reading, he realized, oh, wow. He was a Christian.

And he was a lay pastor in his church. And his

conviction was that he had his flag in his church,

but he also considered everyone coming to his

boss as part of the flag that God had called

him to serve. And to his surprise, to Daniel's

surprise, there were about 3 ,000 letters that

were sent to acknowledge The driver. And to say

how impactful. His life was on them. And suddenly

the picture started becoming clear. That many

people. That needed to take the bus. Were waiting

always for his bus. Not other one. But his bus.

Because they wanted to experience. What only

he could provide. That's impact. Was he flourishing

where God planted him? Yes. He did not go throughout

his life thinking, I'm just a bus driver. What

am I doing here? God, why don't you give me another

job? No. He says, I'm a bus driver. This is my

flag. Lord, may your grace and peace flow through

me into this space. Well, he didn't know at that

time that this passenger called Daniel was going

to become a famous author. And this famous author

was going to be the one author that was going

to start exploring the concept of emotional intelligence.

If you have ever heard the terminology emotional

intelligence in leadership or teamwork, it comes

from him, Daniel. And one of the things that

Daniel discovered is that emotional intelligence

is more influential and powerful than your IQ.

God used the experience of someone that started

flourishing where God planted him to impact someone

that eventually is going to start writing books

and impact others. And there you go. We have

no idea. We never do. How God can use our lives

to impact others. And when we are talking about

the impact that God has called us to have, we

say global impact because it is true. God doesn't

want us just to impact my family or here in CBE

or just our neighborhood. It's here and beyond.

So the question of are you flourishing where

God planted you is not really about you, is it?

It's about God flowing through you into the places

for the level of impact that he desires to have

through our lives. And this is very important

that we understand. Because from the very beginning,

Christians were called to see life from this

perspective. And the Apostle Paul went and preached

the gospel, started making disciples for global

impact from the very beginning, sharing the gospel

with people. And in his second missionary journey,

he got to a region in Greece called Corinth.

And in that city, Corinth, he was able to...

established a church, and he wrote two letters

to them, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. By

the way, today you can still go to Greece, you

can still go to Corinth, and actually you can

still see the ruins of this ancient city where

Paul was. So as you look at Corinthians, one

of the things that the Apostle Paul is going

to do is that he is going to address something

that these Christians were struggling. Because

they were compromising that place of flow for

impact that God had called them to have. And

he's going to challenge them to be realigned

with the Lord in the things about their purpose,

the way they saw people, and the way they saw

power. What does he tell them about all these

things? And how does that connect with us being

planted and flourishing? Well, let's find out.

This is how he starts talking about some of these

challenges in chapter one. And it's interesting

because he says to them, for some members of

Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels,

my dear brothers and sisters. Now remember, he's

writing a letter. And I can't just imagine Chloe

and her family saying, oh, Paul, we didn't realize

you were going to just put it on the spotlight.

Now everybody knows that we told you. And it's

like, yeah, I was talking to Chloe and her family.

And I found out that you guys are being immature

and you're struggling and having fights about

stuff. What stuff? This. Some of you are saying,

well, I'm a follower of Paul. Well, I am a follower

of Apollos. Well, I'm a follower of Peter. And

it's like, you guys are so immature. I'm a follower

of Christ. You know? And they were all just tagging

little kids like, Apollos was a guy from Alexandria,

Egypt. He was eloquent and he was known for being

a good teacher. And he had a little bit of bad

theology on certain things. So God used a couple

of Christians to come and meet him and correct

him in his theology. But then, He became a powerful

person in teaching the word and because he was

eloquent and he was serving in Corinth, some

of these people liked him. They liked him better

than they liked Paul. And Paul was the apostle.

And also Peter was another apostle. So they were

turning the church community and following Jesus

suddenly into politics. And they started turning

this thing about their purpose, and they're turning

into politics, and the Apostle Paul says, no,

no, no, no. No, we don't do that. Has Christ

been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified

for you? Were any of you baptized in the name

of Paul? Of course not. We are not following

people. We are not following leaders. We're following

Jesus. He is the one that was crucified. He is

the one that called us to follow him. He is the

one that gave us a mission. And look, guys, I

mean, you're so immature about these things,

but let me tell you a little bit more. I thank

God that I did not baptize any of you except

Crispus and Gaius. Good thing I didn't baptize

anybody else because now no one can say, well,

they were baptized in my name. But actually,

as I say that, wait a second, because now I remember.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I also baptized the household

of Stephanas. But I don't remember baptizing

anyone else. And I'm glad I didn't, because the

way you turned out. And listen, let's get aligned

with our purpose here. We have a very clear purpose.

Christ did not send me. To start baptizing all

these people so that you will like me. No. He

sent me to preach the good news. And not with

clever speech. I know. Apollos is eloquent. I'm

good for him. That's good for him. Great. But

listen. God called me to preach the good news.

Not with clever speech for fear that the cross

of Christ would lose its power. I have a mission.

And I have no time for your childish ways here.

So can we get back to our purpose? Our mission

is to make disciples. And to make disciples for

global impact. And that is what we need to focus

on. Now, as part of the leadership team at ECB,

we are very committed to this. We believe that

this is why God has established us here. And

there are very few places on earth as special

as ECB. Places where you can come together with

people from about 70 different nations, united

by our love for Jesus, to serve him and worship

him and make him the center. That experience

is very unique. And therefore, as we are saying,

we are making everything in our ministry so that

we can make disciples for global impact. It's

not just a nice phrase. I remember the day that

I met a man who was working in the border of

China and Vietnam in some villages there. And

he says, hey, Pastor Pablo, I'm listening to

all the sermons that you have. I look at the

app. I download the notes, the PowerPoint, because

all of that is available for anybody in the app

for free. And he says, I translate them, and

I teach that to my students at the Bible college

that we have. And he says, is it okay with you?

Do I have your permission? And I'm there thinking,

wow, that's so humbling that you would. Consider

this teaching worth translating and teaching

it. For it's like, of course, take it. Do anything

you need with it. Because we're here for global

impact. We're not here for. We're here for. So

I'm not going to tell him, well, you know, that's

my work. Let's talk about copyrights and some

payments, you know, that we can do. It's like,

listen. We are here for global impact. If you

flourish where God planted you, then we are achieving

our mission. And it is true, especially during

leadership transitions in your teams, in business,

and in churches. Same thing. It's that we connect

with leaders. Some we like some leaders more

than others. Some people like Peter. Some others

like Apollo. Some others like Paul. That's inevitable.

That's fine. And in churches it happens. Some

people say, oh, you know, I miss Pastor David.

Or they say, oh, I miss Pastor Rene. Or the people

say, oh, I'm so glad that you are the pastor

now. And it's like, it doesn't really matter.

Because the mission remains the same. And we're

following only the one person who is leading

us. That's Jesus. So Corinthians, don't miss

your purpose and turn it into politics. We're

following Jesus, and I'm glad for Peter, I'm

glad for Apollos, but God sent me for a mission,

and I'm going to remain faithful to the mission.

Do you want to join me on that? But then, he

tells them something else. He says, after all,

who is Apollos, and who is Paul? We're only God's

servants through whom you believe the good news.

Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. We

were just serving Jesus. He taught you because

that was his giftedness that Jesus gave him and

that was his calling. I share the gospel with

you because that was my giftedness and my calling.

But who are we? Only servants through whom you

believe the good news. I planted the seed in

your hearts and Apollos watered it. But who made

it grow? God made it grow. My work in planting

the seed will be useless. Watering it will be

useless unless God is in it. And God makes it

grow. So in reality, you are building on each

other. He's happy watering the seed, but I planted

it. But before I planted it, somebody else came

to work the ground. So when you look back at

all these people, understand we're on a journey.

As we follow Jesus, we go through journeys. Corinthians,

all churches go through journeys. So don't forget

that. Look at it in perspective. And at every

season, God is using each one of us for different

purposes. Because we are here to ensure that

you are flourishing where God planted you. That's

why. He's going to remind them of this process,

of this journey. Somebody plants, somebody waters,

but God makes it grow. Praise God that he is

the one that causes things like that. Have you

ever been in a journey, in a road trip, with

a child that keeps saying, are we there yet?

I just want to stop. Are we there yet? How much

longer? You say, it's like another hour. An hour,

60 more minutes. Before the next stop, you know.

And it's not 60 more minutes that you start hearing

again. But one minute later, has it been an hour

yet? Are we there yet? And having clarity. If

that kid could understand what 60 minutes is.

And you can show him the GPS and say, look, you

get it? Can we then go, you know? That would

make the journey so much easier. But sometimes

people can't understand that. So they make the

journey a little bit more complicated. And that's

what's happening with the Corinthians. They forgot

they were in a journey. And God was using people

at different stages for different purposes. But

it didn't matter because God was doing it all

anyway. We are no different than the Corinthians.

We are also on a journey. And if you allow me

to be a little bit more clear with graphics and

stuff, this is how I put it. Before COVID hit

the world, God had used people throughout decades

here at ECB to plant this church, to make disciples,

to make it flourish, to build more, to expand

the buildings, and all of these different things.

In fact, next year we'll be celebrating, you

know how many years? 66 decades that God has

had ECB here. So imagine all the people that

sat where you are sitting. Imagine all the people

that stood here where I'm standing. We are building

on the faithfulness of people who pursue God's

calling way before we came here. The last leadership

that was here before COVID was Pastor David and

Ty. And if you are enjoying your life groups,

you have them to thank. Because they are the

ones that created that. If you are part of the

prayer team and you enjoy the prayer book that

we have, you have them to thank for. They did

that. We have built during that season many things

that have become a blessing and we are thankful

for it. And then COVID hit. And they got called

a new pastor during that season because now the

season was different. And what we needed was

stabilization and transitions. And God called

Pastor Rene to do that. And God used him with

his giftedness to bring the team together and

start figuring out how we're going to reach ECB

when we cannot meet in person. And that's when

they started developing all the media and videos

and things. That was innovation right there.

And then stabilization came. And then transition

came. And God used that to bring all the stabilization

in a healthy way. You know how many leaderships?

Positions we had to transition in those past

three years. We transitioned three pastors. And

without a crisis. These were healthy things.

To be able to do that is so delicate. And yet

God gave the leadership the wisdom to know how

to lead in a way that was bringing stability

and transition well. But now we're in this stage.

In a stage of consolidating and building up.

on the foundation that we have been given. What

does consolidating mean? If you ever have hired

an interior designer to come to your house and

make it a little bit nicer, not big remodeling,

but make it look nicer, now you know what consolidation

is. What the designer will do is they will come

and will say to you, okay, what is kind of like

the environment you want to create? What is kind

of like the vibe that you want to have as you

come in? You want it vibrant and joyful. You

want it relaxing. What is that you want? And

then they look at the space and say, okay, we're

going to move this furniture here. We're going

to paint that wall this color. We're going to

put this frame here. We're going to do all these

things. And it's like you come back to that place

and say, what, this is the same place? Yeah,

it's the same place. It was just consolidated

now in a way that everything is where it needs

to be and the connection and the flow among them

is the right flow. And now you have an experience.

You walk into that room. You walk into the bathroom.

You walk into the shower. And everything seems

to flow so nicely. That's the job of a good designer.

It's consolidation. It's to bring in pieces together

in a flow. And in leadership, we do the same

thing. We bring all these different pieces together.

In a way that flows more smoothly. Because that

allows us to do the work more powerfully. And

what we need to understand that is in this season

where we are in. Is to be as a community. It's

not just a community. Yes, we are a community.

People, relationships, ministries, our children,

our youth, our young adults, the classes we offer,

the counseling, all these things that we are

a community. And thank God for that privilege.

But we are also an organization. And we cannot

forget that. I remember that the first time that

I bought a car, one of the things that mattered

to me the most was the sound of the sound system.

Because as a musician, I like good sound. And

I have to be reminded, I also had to look at

the motor and the gas consumption. Because it

also mattered. And here, it's like, what is the

use of having a good sound system, a comfortable

car, if the motor is not working right? Where

is that going to take me? And as a ministry,

it's like that. We are a community, yes. But

there's a motor. That is the aspect of organizational

health. There are so many pieces that go in there.

HR. Finance. Legal frameworks. Operations. Facilities.

Media communications. IT. Branding. All of these

things are part of organizational health. And

therefore. What God has called me to do in this

season of ECB is to bring consolidation. It's

to help all these pieces come together in a way

that flows. And it's not just me. We've been

working in this for the past year and a half

or so with Pastor Rene before he left and the

leadership team. I just get to move it forward.

But when was the last time that you started thinking

that going to church and being part of a church

ministry? Requires someone paying bills and electricity

and who does that? Who bought this microphone?

Hey, who takes care of the finances? Not me.

How do we know the finances are done right? This

is a big church. This is a big building, you

know? And it's actually clean. Who cleans here?

You see all those questions? Hey, I'm working

with the worship ministry and there's food nicely

cooked for us. Who cooks that? That person works

for us? Oh, so who hired them? You have contracts?

How much do you pay? Oh, their salaries? Oh,

yeah. You see? We are an organization. And that

has to be well organized, healthy, so that the

front end also can work properly. And therefore,

consolidation means that we are. A community

that cannot be captured in charts and words and

circles. Because we are people, lives, sheep

in relationships that we are planted by God and

flourishing where he puts us. But all of these

things require for us to remember that we've

been in a journey. And we continue building in

the previous generations what God called them

to do. And now we are called to continue. And

this is the stage we are in. So we're not going

to lose sight of that and start thinking that

politics is more important and that relationships

with leaders here and there override the mission.

No. Paul says to the Corinthians, keep the purpose

clear and remember, yeah, policy is great. I'm

great. That's fine. But it's not about us. We

are building on these things so that the seed

that was planted can become a fruitful tree.

And that. He tells them, but then he does one

more thing. And he says, it's not important who

does the planting or who does the watering. At

the end, it wasn't me, it wasn't somebody, it

doesn't matter. What's important is that God

makes the seed grow. Can we succeed at making

disciples for global impact with these nice charts

and organizational health and all this stuff?

Without God's power? No. Can we equip you and

empower you for you to flourish where God planted

you? Without God's power? No. Can we meet with

you so you can find inner healing? And finally

have a breakthrough from the strongholds that

have been holding you back from pursuing your

calling without God's power? No. It is God who

causes the seed to grow. That's why he says,

the one who plants and the one who waters work

together with the same purpose. And both will

be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are

both God's workers and you are God's. Not Pastor

Pablo's field. Not Pastor Rene's field. Not Pastor

David's field. Not any pastor's field. We are

God's field. And he called you to be planted

somewhere. And he wants his grace and peace to

flow through you so that you can flourish where

he planted you. And he has given us the privilege

of being together in this season of our lives

so that he can use this community to empower

you. So that you can flourish where he planted

you. And for that, the secret for success is

three letters. G -O -D. God. And God alone. He

is the power that we need. And therefore, the

spiritual integrity of leadership matters. Therefore,

to have the right heart where Christ is really

the center. of our ambitions, not our own kingdom

matters. All of this is part of making disciples

through global impact so that these things can

be done in God's power because that is what we

need. And it has been so beautiful to see this

happen. Throughout these years, God has given

us the privilege of working with some of you

and seeing God bringing breakthroughs in your

life. And that breakthrough resulting in bigger

clarity now and alignment in your heart with

God. And suddenly, your business, you see it

differently. And now God is giving you new ideas.

And now your business is having alignment. And

now it's having bigger impact. And now you are

flourishing in a new way that you were not before.

And now when people see you, they look at you

and say, you look different. What's going on

with you? It's not that we are trying harder.

It's not that you are trying harder. It's simply

that God is causing the growth. And that is beautiful.

Which has a very strong implication. If it is

true that we are God's field and we are a planted

seed that needs to be nurtured and the ground

is there, all the nutrients, okay, we are nurturing

in community. Very nice. But then we need to

water it. And we want for you to experience transformation

now through discipleship. Oh, that's great. And

then we want you to be unleashed now for fruit,

for impact, so you can flourish where God planted

you. If that is what we want, God's power will

have to make it happen. Which means that we cannot

create life. We can only create the conditions

for life. And you know what we call that? A place

that is creating the conditions for life to flourish?

We call it ecosystem. An ecosystem is a very

fragile set of conditions that are all required

for life to start happening. If one of those

ingredients is weak, suddenly the coral reef

dies and the fish are not there anymore. Suddenly

the birds are not nesting in those trees anymore

and you don't hear the birds singing anymore.

An ecosystem cannot cause the life of a bird,

but it can create the conditions for birds to

nest. What we realize is that what the Apostle

Paul is telling the Corinthians, and this is

something that every Christian and every church

needs to understand, is that we are simply a

combination of ecosystems where we need God and

his power to cause the life to happen. And that's

why, as we are thinking of making Disciples for

Global Impact as ECB, as a ministry, both as

a community, as an organization, we are realizing,

yes, this is what we are. We are ecosystems.

And we have been able to identify four core ecosystems

that I want to explain to you because these are

the spaces where we are praying God will encounter

you so you will flourish where he planted you.

What are these? Four of them. The first one is

what we call community life. The goal of this

ecosystem is that you will be nurtured in community.

And we have different ministers that are all

part of that ecosystem. If you go to the back

end of this ecosystem, you will see that you

have from the corporate gatherings, we want you

to experience community. But we have also created

spaces for you to connect with others in places

where you share common ground. And we call those

places... The fellowships, business fellowship,

woman fellowship, man fellowship, young adult

fellowship. These are spaces created for you

to connect with other people so that you can

develop relationships with like -minded people.

But then there's the most intimate of spaces

where we call that life groups. Those are the

places where you are connecting with people and

living life together. And you meet in homes and

you are sharing more consistently every week.

We want you to experience relationships that

are godly because this is an ingredient for becoming

a disciple for global impact. Spiritual development

doesn't happen in isolation. We need relationships.

And even praying that some of those relationships

may result in marriage and families that God

can empower for new levels of impact. If you

are a person that is feeling hungry for this

aspect of your life where you say, you know,

yeah, I need more connection. I need more relationships.

Where can I find these things? Then this ecosystem

is for you. Go downstairs and learn about what

opportunities are there for you to experience

community. But at the same time, if you are a

person who is passionate about about connecting

people, about hospitality, about relationships,

then maybe this is the ecosystem where we need

you to serve in. Because we need your passion

and giftedness to help us develop this. Imagine

if we have all the right people in this ecosystem

make it happen. That would be beautiful. Is God

calling you into this space? Now you know where

to go. Downstairs we will have all these booths

and you will be able to talk to the people leading

them to find more information. And actually you

can do the QR codes and you will be able to see

all of these different information so you can

register on them as well. The second ecosystem

is spiritual formation. The goal of this space

is to... help foster the spiritual transformation

that God has called us in discipleship as we

follow him. And this transformation involves

both the knowing more about God, but also the

knowing God. In other words, learning more content,

understanding what the Bible says about God.

What does the Bible say about who we are? Learning

doctrine, learning the teaching of the word.

But also encountering God in the deepest spaces

of your soul. And that's why we have created

these spaces for the children. From the young

children to our youth to now adults. These are

all classes, spaces for training in biblical

knowledge and understanding. But then we have

also created the spaces. For us to encounter

God in intimacy through prayer. And also in intimacy

through counseling. So that you can find healing.

For the woundedness of your soul. We want you

to know God. As you learn more about who he is.

But also as you learn to encounter him in your

life. So. If you are a person that is. Hungry

to learn more about God's word. If you're a person

that is hungry to find inner healing. So you

can have breakthrough in your life. If you're

a person that is hungry for more deep connection

with God. This is the ecosystem. For you to find

more information. So you can find where can you

meet the need that you have. But also. If you're

a person that is a gifted teacher. You are trained.

In Bible and theology. You are someone passionate

about praying. And praying for people and supporting

people. You are a good listener. You are empathetic.

You care about people's journeys. About walking

with them. Perhaps you are a trained counselor.

Trained psychologist. Trained psychiatrist. And

you are someone that understands the complexity

of working with woundedness and trauma. This

is where we need you. This is the ecosystem where

God can use your passion or your giftedness to

help us empower people in these areas. If you

want to learn more about it, you will go downstairs

under the service. The third ecosystem is what

we call mobilization. Mobilization is all about

connecting your calling with the need so that

we can serve God in this place of flow. So that

you can truly be unleashed now for kingdom impact,

for global impact, so you can really flourish

where God planted you. And the back end of this

ecosystem means that we have things internally

within our community. Who is teaching your children

today? Well, people that are volunteering to

teach the kids. Who greeted you today? People

that are volunteering their time to create a

welcoming environment. There are lots of teams

internally that are happening. People that visit

the sick. People that go to the hospital. There

are places where we have volunteers working in

different teams. That's all internal. We have

people that are engaging in helping address the

needs for the unique circumstances that some

of our asylum seeker community goes through.

We have teams that are there to help the internal

needs of our own people. When there's something

that needs to be addressed. Someone needs to

visit them. We have teams for that. All that

is internal. But also we have local partnerships.

Where we have ministries that we support. And

we want to connect you with those opportunities.

And we're also praying for global opportunities.

World missions where God wants to use us to continue

empowering others, not just here in ECB or Thailand,

but beyond. If you are a person that has a heart

for people and justice and supporting the one

who is in need, if you are this kind of person,

this is the place for you. We need you to engage

in these spaces. And also if you're going through

needs like this, this is the place. what you

connect with. If you want to know where can you

serve and what is the process for that and how

you engage, this is the ecosystem that will facilitate

connecting your calling with the need. These

three ecosystems are the front end. This is the

community. This is what we're doing together.

But there's an ecosystem that is in the back

end. And we call this the shared services ecosystem.

Shared services ecosystem is a complex system

of things that go from everything that we need

to provide, the financial things, HR things,

legal frameworks, all of that, to the spaces,

the campus, the operations, the facilities, the

way things look, to also thinking more about...

the digital world, the media, communication,

the website, the PowerPoints, the sound system,

all of these different things. And then also,

everything that has to do with integration of

the offices, calendars, secretarial work, branding,

IT, all of these things need to run properly.

This is the motor that allows our journey to

be pleasant. If you are a person gifted in any

of these areas, Even though we have staff in

this ecosystem, we need people with expertise.

Maybe you are an HR expert. Maybe you are an

IT expert. Maybe you are a website expert. Maybe

you are a social media expert. Anything that

is in this ecosystem, we need you. Because you

will allow us to make this ministry more impactful

for God's glory. These are the four ecosystems.

Here you see them. Where is God calling you to

engage? How is God calling you to help us so

that together we can empower others to flourish

where God planted them? So together we can make

disciples for global impact. Now, this is beautiful

and complex, but the potential and what it could

become is so awesome. And the reason why this

is great is because the need is great. We're

not trying to become bigger, more famous. It's

not about us. The darkness around us and in the

world is so deep and so dark that we need wider

impact because of the darkness. That's why we

need to take the time to make sure that we are

doing these things well and together. When my

kids were young, there was a cartoon that they

liked to watch. It was Bob the Builder. Any familiar

with Bob the Builder? It's a sweet cartoon. It's

a little guy that builds things and fixes things.

He was in share services. The opening song will

go like, Bob the Builder, can we fix it? Bob

the Builder, yes, we can. And it will repeat

the whole thing. Bob the Builder, can we fix

it? Bob the Builder, yes, we can. And every episode,

something broke and they ended up fixing. And

who showed up? Bob the Builder. Could he fix

it? Yes, he could. And as I was thinking about

what God is doing in the season we are in and

the potential that he's calling us to embrace

with his power. I was thinking about Bob the

Builder. There's nothing we need to fix, but

we're something we're building. So I have to

ask you, ECB. ECB, can we build it? ECB. Yes,

we can. Yes. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Because

God has gifted you. And there's an ecosystem

for you to serve in. God has called you and planted

you here. And there's an ecosystem for us to

help you flourish. Can we build it? Yes, we can.

By God's grace and by his power. But this is

not me. It's a whole team. I'm just representing

the team. But I would like to take these last

moments to introduce you to this team. Now, imagine

that I'm showing you a house. Beautiful design,

and you walk through it, and you look at the

architecture of it and everything, and say, wow,

that's so nice. But imagine that now I show you

the blueprints, and you're looking at all those

drawings, all those numbers, all those lines.

It's like, I know that's the house, but... It

doesn't create the same experience. It's like,

yeah, but that's what allowed the house to be

built. Would you allow me to show you the drawings,

to show you the master plan for a minute? So

you can see how complex this master plan is.

This is ECB at a glance. This is our leadership

structure, the alignment between our mission,

our vision, our values, the flow of those things

in ecosystems. And don't take me wrong. Whenever

we talk about this language, we're not turning

ECB into a business. But what we're doing is

that we are creating alignment because... The

primary responsibility of leaders in any organization

is first and foremost to create alignment. And

that starts with alignment with God first. His

calling. His planting us. But then alignment

with everything else. Lord, what a blessing to

be able to have a team committed to making disciples

for global impact. Because that is what you told

us to do. And we have discovered that it's not

so much about something we do. It's an expression

of who we are. When the aroma of Christ flows

through us, even driving a bus turns into impact.

So Lord, let your aroma be the one that flows

through us. Let your power Be the one that makes

the seed grow and become a fruitful tree. Encounter

us in all of these spaces. And Lord, even though

it is true that we use graphics and leadership

language and things that we learn from college

and universities, Lord, we don't. That the church

is so much more than an organization or a group

of people. We are your temple indwelled by your

Holy Spirit. And there's nothing, no word that

can capture the depth and the spiritual dimension

of who we are. So Lord, we humble ourselves before

you and we acknowledge that we need you. Encounter

us. Are you flourishing where God planted you?

We hope that God will give us the gift of seeing

you flourish for him. And if God is calling you

to engage with us and serve with your giftedness,

now you know that this is a place where it's

worth doing it sacrificially. We need everything

the Lord has entrusted you with to make this

mission possible. If God has gifted you with

resources, invest at ECB. Give generously. so

that we can hire the people we need to hire,

so that we can afford the things that need to

be provided. In all of these things is the work

of all of us together for the glory of God. Thank

you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast.

Whether near or far, if you are looking for community

or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage

by sending us an email to office at ecb .asia.

If God is calling you to support our ministries,

you will find giving options on our website.

And remember to join us next week. God bless

you.