...Committed to Community | Clayton Hentzel

Crossing family. How you doing today?

You doing? All right, man.

I'm excited to be able to spend some time with you today.

I want to welcome those of you joining at all of our different

locations. Those of you watching online,

and those of your part of the crossing inside family, I also

want to welcome those of you joining for the first time or

the first time in a long time. We are so glad that you are

here. Hopefully somebody's already

told you that they love you that they like you and that they're

your they're glad you're here if not, it's my pleasure to be able

to be the one of the people who gets to do.

That if at any point in time during the sermon, you get

bored. You like when is this guy again

stop. You can still look super

spiritual by pulling out your phone.

Click on that QR code. And it'll give you an

opportunity to kind of take some next steps or learn more about

our church. What I want to do real quick is

I want to do a quick prayer on the front end.

I want to pray over a couple specific things right now.

There are four people from our church who are in India, Randy,

and Becky dress from our Location who also used to be

part of a 48th Street location as long as as well as Jim and

Karen. Dennis who basically had a

significant impact about everywhere.

They are in India right now, encouraging pastors, looking for

a mission, partnering are opportunities and also working

specifically to find young men and women and figure out a way

to get them enrolled and pay for their continuing education.

So that way they can be deployed into Ministry and I just want to

alongside of them and pray for them today.

So you guys just join me in prayer for just a second.

Heavenly Father, we are nothing without you the sermons,

nothing. I'm nothing.

This service is nothing. This church is nothing without

your presence. And so God, we're asking you to

do a work in each and every single heart and every single

life today, I also just want to pray over the dishes and the

Dennis's and all the people that they're going to be ministering

to and learning from while they are in India.

Keep them safe. I know that they've been there

for a while. Now, I'm sure that some of the

fatigue is beginning to set in. We got our pray that they would

receive strength from your spirit and that they would be

able to be an encouragement to every single person that they

meet God. I don't know, all of the

different backgrounds in circumstances that are being

navigated by the people that can hear my voice right now.

The got I know that you are bigger than a mall and that you

care about them all and help us instead of running from you to

lean into you and your name. I pray.

Amen. I heard a cool story.

A couple who are part of our church clothes.

Dear friends of Jennifer and I she has a cousin who has been

kind of going through it. They'll have a season where

things are going really well, and when they're doing, well,

they're one of the best and then there's Seasons where they kind

of fall off the wagon, and the kind of go into a pretty deep

dark pit and they don't live in the area.

But there's been a lot of interaction going back and forth

and eventually they're like, you know, what you should, you need

to go to church. You gotta go to church.

He's like, yeah, I got to go to church.

Well, they don't live anywhere near here and they live out in

Maryland. And so, This guy wakes up on a

Sunday morning and goes into this random Church in.

Maryland, gets done with church that Sunday and calls back.

And goes, I just went to this fantastic church.

It was exactly what I needed to hear.

They're starting this brand new sermon series called weeds in my

garden. And we actually prayed for that

church without even knowing that.

Somebody from our church who has a loved one would actually be

attending that church. And only God can stitch those

kind of stories together and I know there's some of you today

who are going You're in it and you feel like you are a long way

off from your wind story, but God's timing is perfect and he

is more in their Corner than you could ever be.

And don't ever don't ever don't ever doubt what God can do with

just a little bit of obedience and a little bit of prayer.

We are getting ready for a big Super Bowl weekend at the

Crossing I told you about this last weekend, we're bringing in

Steve Weatherford, it's gonna be a great service for you guys to

invite. Your friends and family, they're

going to have a wonderful time. Getting to hang out with him on

that Saturday. We're going to be doing The

Frigid 5K and all of the money that we take in from The Frigid

5K is going to go to support people who have been trapped and

are dealing with modern day slavery.

Specifically in sex trafficking, there's going to be over 100

million people. Watch the Super Bowl this year

and today in our present climate, there are 40 million,

people still trapped, and modern-day slavery and Want to

do something about it. You're going with Clayton, it's

gonna be cold. I know.

That's why it's called a frigid 5K.

And I know you guys all have car Hearts, okay, I know this, we've

lived here long enough and if you don't have some, they sell

them at literally almost every store.

So go buy something warm and go for a run or walk if you're a

runner, Jill run, okay? If you're not a runner, this guy

just come with me, we'll do like our own little side B.

Like who can eat the most hot dogs during A 5k.

All right. And the goal of this is its can

be a great opportunity for us to make memories with our friends

and our family and also support a great cause you can sign up

for that on the qr-code. I'm hoping that we'll have over

500 people, join us in the first inaugural might be the only the

5K we ever do as a church. The other thing is when you get

ready for Super Bowl weekend, would you make sure that you try

and invite some friends to hang out with you or go to a place

where you can point some people to Jesus because we want to be a

light in the world. Now We are in a sermon series

called there has to be a place, and we've talked about all kinds

of stuff, there has to be a place that makes Jesus last

words their first priority. And you guys know what those

words are. Matthew chapter, 28, then Jesus

came to them and said all authority on Heaven and Earth

has been given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all

Nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and the Son

and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything.

I have commanded you and surely. I Am With You Always to the very

end of the age and the word discipleship.

This is kind of how we Explain what discipleship is

discipleship is moving people from the left or right.

So, if you have a minus 5, a person who, you know, hates God

and you have a person who's +5, who's your grandma, who's

already met God, probably because you really got to be in

heaven, to get to the plus 5. Our job is to move people from

left to right. That's what being a discipler

is. And then we talked about there

has to be a place that believes that Jesus still changes people

that over time, sometimes our faith and What God can do has

been eroded. But we want to rekindle that

belief that God is still moving and active that.

His power is not diminished, he's just as alive just as

amazing and just as life-changing as he has always

been. And then we talked about there

has to be a place where the people of God leverage, their,

their gifts to advance God's glorious mission.

That all of us. Every single one of us have a

gift that was placed in Us by God, to serve the mission of God

through through the church. Why are we doing this?

That's super easy to you guys know this answer because we want

to make this place all ten thousand seven hundred, ninety

five square miles. The hardest place on planet

Earth to get to Hell from every day when you wake up and your

alarm goes off. I want demons going there awake

because we are flat serious about helping people in our

region, know the beauty of the Cross and the power of the

resurrection and God's forgiveness and his love.

And in order to make This a reality.

There has to be a place that is committed to biblical Community.

There has to be a place that is committed to biblical Community

hear me. Jesus is not enough.

God is Not Enough. You cannot live the life that

God called you to live or accomplish the purposes that he

you were created to engage in if you are doing it alone.

And I know for some of you right now you're going Clayton, I've

been in church a long time and based on what you just said,

there's two words that come to my mind blasphemy heresy, you're

gone. I knew it.

Clayton was way too fun to be a real Christian.

Yeah, okay, but just stay with me for a second.

Can I all right? We got to deal with this a long

time ago when I was talking about, do Spirit, fingers, and

my wife, critiqued it. And so, I stopped, I stopped

doing this, but then recently, she said that when I do this,

come here that she hates that. So come here.

Genesis 1:26. Look at this.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, let us make Mankind in our image.

Who's the US? Who's the Our God exists in

community? The Father, the Son, and the

Holy Spirit. Now check this out Genesis 2:18.

Genesis 2:18

The Lord God said it is not everybody.

Say this word. You guys know the word.

Good is. Yeah.

Good for man to be alone. I will Kim AR will make a helper

suitable for him. For those of you who've been

around church for a long time. Here's Adam living in perfect

Community with God, and God says, in that, perfect

Community, it's not good for him to be alone.

So he formed someone to come alongside of him a suitable

helper. I can continue in the Old

Testament think of all of the main characters that and all the

incredible Endeavors that they accomplished you had Moses and

he had Add Aaron and at times he had her Hur.

Then you had David and Jonathan and David and his mighty men,

then you had Shadrach Meshach and away we go, then there was

Gideon. And the 300, there was Nehemiah

who built some of, you didn't get that joke and that's why our

church exists to help people who are far from Jesus finding it's

that personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Nehemiah built the wall with the community of people committed to

the project but you are might be gone.

But Clayton, I'm a New Testament.

Christian. That's all Old Testament.

Okay fine. Let's hang out in the New

Testament for a little bit. There's this main character who

arrives on the scene in the first four books.

His name is Jesus also known as Son of God.

Kind of a big baller in the Bible and one of the first

things he does before he starts his Earthly Ministry is what

Circle up a group of 12, dudes to be in community with to be

about his mission and then check this out.

When the son of God. God sends them out to do his

ministry. He sends them out the exact same

way. Noah got all the animals on the

ark to buy, that's exactly right.

You were made for Community. If you want to accomplish the

purposes of God, he wants you to accomplish that in community and

there might be some of you like the real grade-a curmudgeon,

who's going, but Clayton, that was before the Holy Spirit

showed up. And once the Holy Spirit shows

up in Jesus comes into my Heart. I don't need Community anymore.

Welcome here for a second. Read the book of Acts and see

what happens. You'll see that there's all

kinds of ministry moments that people are doing together, read

the rest of the New Testament and almost in every epistle

which is the letters that were written by Paul to the different

churches. It Ends by him sending,

greetings to the people that he was doing Ministry alongside

when you read the scriptures you're going to hear about Peter

and John Paul and Silas Paul and Timothy Paul and Is Peter and

John Mark in short, the idea of living the Christian life,

outside of community would have been foreign to the biblical

authors, to the biblical, text to the community.

And there are first century Church to all of church history

and to God himself, you were made to live in community.

It is God's way of equipping you to manage the life that you have

been called to live and to excel.

Now, look at what Says here, in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, two are

Ecclesiastes 4 · chapter mention

better than one because they have a good return for their

labor. If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up. Let's pause here for a second.

Do you guys remember when you were freshly married, like in

your honeymoon, stage, you both look good naked, remember those

like lights on times and Jennifer and I freshly married

and I was playing basketball. Threw my back out, okay?

And I was, it was one of those back problems.

That you can get on the toilet. But you can't get back up,

right. Fortunately, God put me in

community with the wife. If we the one of them falls

down, one can help the other up, but pity anyone, I could still

be there today who falls down and has no one to help them up.

Let's keep going. Also, if to lie down together,

they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?

Let's keep going. I'll are the one may be

overpowered. Two can defend themselves a cord

of three? Strands is not quickly, broken

guess. Who writes this?

The guy's name is Solomon. Universally known outside of

Jesus, as the wisest man to ever live.

If the wisest man who ever lived says to you, it is not good for

you to be alone that you need to be in community.

I think we should go. All right, we got to get this

thing. Figured out in my experience, I

do not know of a person who is in a small group or a d group.

And what I mean, small group of D group thinks small group is

like co-ed Group D group, as dudes, getting together or Girls

getting together, I don't know, women, whatever.

I have never seen a person who's, in a small group or D

group, whose have their needs go unmet.

I've seen small groups, and D groups prepare meals for weeks.

I've seen them, pull their money to meet a need.

I've seen their small group show up to pray at hospitals and a

funeral homes. It is in biblical community that

you get to know people and people get to know you.

I had a person call me one time and they were frustrated that no

one came to to see them at the hospital and no one came to pray

for them at their house and follow up with them and see how

they were doing. And I'm, there was a longer

conversation and it was, you know, I was super nice and

pastoral but there was this Chunk in that conversation where

I ask them some questions. Hey, your small group didn't

come and take care of you, who's your small group leader, I'll

call him up, figure out what was going on and and see how you how

it fell through the cracks. Well, I'm not in a I'm not in a

life group, okay? Well then let me call your

ministry leader and see how this situation was overlooked.

Well I'm not in a Ministry And I said, Okay the reason why nobody

came in your hour of need is because nobody knew you were in

need you had no Community pity, the person who falls down and

has no one to pick them up. Now you need to know this some

of the very best Best pastoral care that happens at this

church. Does not happen at my hands.

It doesn't even happen at the hands of our campus pastors.

It happens because small groups in Ministry groups, know what is

going on and are there to help you live out your Christian walk

biblical Community is God's way of encouraging you in your

faith. The Bible is full of one another

passages over 100 times in the New Testament 1994.

Different verses 47 of those verses are instructions to us is

Jesus There's a third about getting along.

A third are about loving one. Another 15% deal with your

attitude toward one another. Look what it says in Galatians

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6 carry each other's burdens.

And in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

His goal is for you to be in relationship.

Now, some of you might be going. Oh, I understand what's

happening here. We're getting ready to start

first the month here, so I should get in life groups, that

way I can get my rent, paid at the end of the month.

That's not what this is about. This is about About you,

proactively being in community, and growing in Christ.

And inside of that Community, as your affections for.

One another grow, you find yourself being become bonded

through Christ and you become brothers and sisters, and you

can't help. But see somebody you care about

and somebody that you've submitted to and somebody that

you were in relationship with struggle, you come alongside of

them and you lift them up because I don't know if you know

this sometimes life gets hard and sometimes the Christian Life

is Hard derp, look what happens, Hebrews 10 let us consider how

we may spur one another on towards love and Good Deeds

because we're going to have to be encouraged and spurred on to

take the high road. We're going to need someone to

come alongside of us and point out our sin and help us give it

over to God. Now, let me say this, And I was

getting nervous about doing this.

I just want to talk for just a second to our online family, to

those of you are one of our locations, you can listen in

because I think there's some wisdom here for you, but I want

to speak specifically to our online family.

And I know right now, you could be going.

Oh, you better be careful because I will click the X.

I will swipe up and work. Can I can I just be your pastor

for just a second? I want to tell you a couple

things one, we love you. We put a ton of time and energy

and resources to give you the very best online experience that

we can week after week last week.

There was a group of people from Peoria who watch online and they

got up at 6 a.m. and they drove all the way from.

Peoria, all the way to be here at first service on Sunday here

in Quincy. They're trying hard to start a

DOT TV location in someone's living room and I think they

have desire that one day. Maybe there could be a location

there during second service last week.

At 48th Street and 11 year old boy, Boy was baptized here.

He was watching online with his family for the last two years

and he realized that his next step was that he needed to be

baptized. So they're very first time at

the Crossing was when they drove two hours to show up at our

church that came on a Saturday went out to Texas Roadhouse

which is what people do. They stayed in a hotel that got

up the first time, they walked in there and our doors was the

day. Their child was getting baptized

However, as awesome as those stories are.

Yeah, you can applaud if you guys are still awake.

Yeah, that's great. Listen to both of you who

Applause. God bless you.

May God repay. You know, just take care of you.

Those of you who are asleep, may God wreak havoc on your life,

just messing with you. Listen, however, online online

is at its best when you are using it to stay connected and

dealing with sickness and you're navigating travel online is at

its best. When people are using it as an

opportunity to get to know our church before they attend our

church, Church. However, online is at its worst.

When you use it to avoid the weekend services and being

connected to community. If you live in community, where

it's too hard for you to find a church or where the crossing

doesn't exist, I want you to hear me say this, we will work

with you. We will make it our priority to

help you find a really great. Fantastic Church.

There are better preachers. Better pastors and better

churches out there than we can provide to you online, and you

will be blessed by God inside of his Plan for Community.

My experience is that those who begin to neglect the Gathering

of the assembly end up growing cold in their faith week in

their walk. There is less evangelism, less

growth less serving, less caring for and meeting the needs of

others less discipleship. It appears to me that they can

end up being lulled into spiritual complacency and give

up participation in God. Glorious Mission.

They can just end up checking a box.

My parents have a huge wood burning fireplace in every

Thanksgiving we go. When we spend the whole week

there and we chop wood and we throw it in the fireplace.

And you can take fiery, hot coal and you can pull it out and you

can leave it in the fireplace, but you can put it off to the

side right at the corner and it won't take long before it glazes

over becomes gray and cool to the touch.

However, you take that cold call and you put it back into the

fire with the other coals and in no time at all.

It is brought back to a fiery orange and red and I believe

that that can happen to you. You listen to me right now as

I'm talking some of you hopefully are feeling a little

Convicted that for one reason or another.

You haven't made being a part of a church.

A priority. And Satan might be whispering in

your ear. Yeah, I'd like to go back but

it's going to be awkward because it has been too long.

I want you to hear me say it. Not true.

We will rejoice, and be excited. And I will wear my arms out.

Giving you hugs that you are back, you were not supposed to

do life alone. And the very moment you're being

pointed towards truth. Satan will try to rob it.

Look what it says, Hebrews chapter 10 and let us consider

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

how we may spur one. Another on towards love and Good

Deeds. Look what happens, the very next

verse not giving up meeting together as some are in the

habit of doing but encouraging one, another and all the more as

you see the day approaching, it is hard for you to be encouraged

when you are not in community. Now, I want to be clear.

Biblical Community is not friends who get together to

coffee shop or go on shopping trips or who are all the fun

moms on the travel baseball team.

Listen, it's not a bunch of guys going hunting or golfing.

That's not what I'm talking about.

You can do all of those things, but that is not what I'm talking

about. When I say being in community,

here are the four components as we see in scripture, when it

comes to biblical Community, it has an intentional leader, a

relational environment, A Biblical foundation and a

reproducible process. Here's what I mean, when I talk

about an intentional leader, an intentional leader, is someone

who is committed to moving people on the content on the

spiritual Continuum. Okay, they are going.

How can I move somebody? They're obsessed by it.

It's there. They're wanting to help people

mature in Christ and grow in Christ and learn and Christ.

This is what Jesus did with all of his disciples.

This is what Paul did with those who are doing Ministry,

alongside of them, they feel a spiritual.

A burden to take ownership and responsibility of what is

happening in their French Circle.

And the lives of the people they care about they're strategically

going, how can I help this person move closer to Jesus?

You have to have an intentional leader.

You also have to have a relational environment, okay?

You have to have an environment where there can be dialog where

you can hear from one another. This is not a relational

environment, okay, I'm talking to you and I'm assuming an awful

lot about. What's going on in your world or

what? You need to hear and I'm relying

too heavily on the holy spirit for that.

But some of the best growth that ever happens, happens across a

kitchen table and in the middle of the back swing while you're

golfing, while someone is trying to help you grow in Christ then

you got to have a Biblical Foundation.

Hey, the reason why you have to have a Biblical Foundation is

because if we are going to meet week, There's No Foundation that

has been laid other than Jesus Christ.

And if we are going to help somebody build their life, they

need to build it on a foundation that will not crumble when the

storms come, look what it says in.

Second, Timothy all scripture is god-breathed and is useful for

teaching, rebuking correcting and training in righteousness.

So that the servant of God, may be thoroughly equipped for every

good work. Work when we commit ourselves,

as a group of Believers as a community of Believers to the

Bible, we are going to be made useful for every good work that

God has us to do. Now.

Why are all three of these things important?

Well, imagine what would happen if you take one of these away.

What if you took away a Biblical Foundation, you just had an

intentional leader and relation environment.

You have a recipe for a really cool cold, right?

That wouldn't be good. Anybody want to be a part of a

cult? Didn't think so.

Okay, why don't you get rid of relational environment?

Well, now you have a classroom, all of us were like, hey, we got

Out of school for a reason, we are not going back, okay?

What if you don't have an intentional leader, you have

chaos, you have a bunch of people trying to do stuff, but

nobody actually helping people move strategically forward.

But the last thing you have to have, you have to have a

reproducible process. Were you raise people up to

eventually be the intentional leader in their own relational

environment, where eventually you come alongside and say, you

know what, I want to help people grow and develop in their walk

with the Lord where they leave your biblical community and

start a Biblical community on their own.

Eventually the kids need to leave the house.

Eventually you're going I'm not making you your macaroni

anymore, you can make it Yourself.

Get them clicking. I will.

Okay. You got to, you got to step into

this gently, but you want to help people realize that God

made them to make a difference too.

That there's some of you right now like you're going man, I I

do feel a sense of spiritual ownership over what's happening

in people's lives and I do want to be a part of people growing

in the relationship with Jesus that that might just be the Holy

Spirit telling you you just might be an intentional leader

and what you need to figure out a way is to create a relational

environment so you can help people grow, do you know how you

came to Faith? You came to Faith because other

people were intentional leaders, they branched out.

And made sacrifices to help you grow and it would be a shame.

For us not to pass that very blessing on that brought so much

joy and life changed in to us. There has to be a place that is

committed to biblical community and I say it's here and I say

it's with us and I say it's now we're moving to a time of

decision. All listen to me if you are here

and you've never started an intimate personal relationship

with Jesus Christ. I want, you know, we would love

for you to be a part of our community because being a part

of our community. You don't have to believe all

the right things or have done all the right things.

Do you know what the qualifications are for you to

being a part of this community? Jesus died on the cross for your

sins because that is the only qualification that unites any of

us that God poured out, his love on us when we did not deserve it

and it has nothing to do with whether or not you've responded

to it or not and you might be going too.

You mean I can be in a Biblical community and be mad at God.

Yeah. Can I be in biblical community

and not believe in God. Yeah.

Can I be in biblical Community? If I've only been to church

once? Yeah, there's not like a

prerequisite for how many times you have to come to church

before. You can start receiving the

blessing of the church because the church exists, for all the

people who haven't found Jesus. Yet it exists to glorify God in

accomplish his mission, which means you are.

Welcome here, you can belong, here you can Be a part of what

God is doing here and this church is committed to this,

this church is committed to you, but here's what happens when you

come into an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

He deposits his holy, spirit into your heart, and he brings

about change from the inside out.

You know why you get frustrated? Is because so, much of our

change is, from the outside in. You just got done with your New

Year's resolutions. And when I'm done, I mean,

Already done with the resolutions you made, okay, you

know, and we kind of take that approach into our relationship

with Jesus Christ. You know what, I'm going to

really get my sin figured out and then and then I'll get

serious about Jesus. Like then I'll step into the

relationship. Like I'm not going to buy the

swimsuit until I should put the swimsuit on.

And so you're working hard all on your own to accomplish

something. Just so you know that you

couldn't have fixed from the very beginning.

Check this out. If you could fix.

Hugh. God would not have sent his son

to die on the cross for you. If you're thinking, man, I've

got to get enough things right in my life, before I start a

relationship with Jesus. Satan is clouding, your mind.

He is doing everything in his power to keep you from accepting

the grace. That is a free gift, deposited

into your life. When you accept that

relationship with Jesus, here's what happens.

We just come to the realization that we can't fix it.

If we could have fixed, it would have already been fixed, but

This comes and says I love you where you are.

And I love you enough, not to leave you there.

And so you go to him and you say I'm ready to begin an intimate

personal relationship with you. I want to make you Lord and

Savior. My Life savior means that.

He is the one who rescues you redeems.

You he's the one who handles your sins of your past in the

sins of your present. He's the one who purifies you

and makes you holy and then you make him your lord where you're

going. Alright, from here on out

because of what you've done for me, I am ready.

To live for you. I believe that your way is the

best way and I want to live in accordance with that and just so

you know, you're going to screw it up because some of you might

be going, I mean I want all that but I'm pretty sure I'm in a

mess up just so you know, you are surrounded by a bunch of

monumental screw-ups. They emailed me, you are sitting

by some messed up people, we all still mess up, but that doesn't

take away. God's grace, that doesn't take

away God's vision for our life. That doesn't take away his love.

You've been dealt with so many people who love.

So Poorly who their love is based are the love that you have

with them is based on conditions.

I'll love you as long as but God has all of you anyway, I love

you. Anyway, you can get things right

today and screwed up tomorrow. And God says, I love you anyway.

You can be talking to somebody and you could be on, man.

I remember when we had a good fill in the blank, I remember we

had a good run, you don't have a good run with God because God

never runs from you. He stays with you every step of

the way. And if you're here today and

you've never started An intimate personal relationship with Jesus

Christ. Please don't walk out of here,

without talking to somebody about it.

That just a few moments when the people around, you stand up and

they start singing and some of them come to the steps.

There's any somebody over there by the Baptist, who would love a

chance to connect with you or maybe you want to talk to

somebody over at the info bar in the lobby or maybe you want to

talk to somebody in your row but talk to somebody, get some of

your questions. Answered some of you know that

you just need to make that decision today.

Like you need to stop putting it off.

You've watched everybody else start there.

Relationship with Jesus and you're just kind of Holding Out

for. I don't know what, let's talk

about that to the rest of you in the room, Christians.

Come here. We have to be committed to this.

We have to be committed to allowing people closer than

Arms. Reach have to let people in.

Not just for them, not just because they need an opportunity

to learn and grow from your triumphs and your struggles, but

because you need an opportunity in humility to learn from them.

But you're going to need people around you to encourage you and

support you as you try to live the Christian walk.

And when you do this life without community, What I've

seen. Is overtime Satan wins?

He plucks you from The Herd. He steals the joy that you once

had in your salvation. Not only that the best way to

reach the people we care about. Is in community where they

actually experienced love and there's dialogue and you can

help them grow and I'm praying. But you.

That you would take this seriously, you're going.

Oh man, Clayton know. I was actually really glad that

my friend was here because I wanted my friend to hear this.

And I want that person who sit in front of me for them to,

really listen to your sermon. I'm taking this one off.

No, come here. God has equipped you to make

disciples. He has equipped you to make a

difference. He has put it inside of you to

be an intentional leader. That's what the family

originally was it was the place where kids were were developed

and grown in the Lord and in some of us go, you know what, on

top of the responsibilities of my family.

I'm going to make an investment in somebody else's family for

their good. And I know you might be gone but

I don't have all the answers just so, you know, I don't

either sometimes people ask me question, I have no clue, so I

go to Google and my Bible and I figured out and I get back to

him. But I'll tell you this, it's in

those conversations. And in those questions that my

faith has grown the most, what if, what was holding you back

from growing? The most in your faith?

Was you taking responsibility to help somebody grow in.

There's, here's what I'm asking. If you're Christian, if you've

been touched by the blood of Jesus, if your life has been

changed by Mercy and his grace, would you find some time to the

next song to whether go? You go to the bathroom, put your

hands in the water. You've decided to just pray,

right, where you're at or you want to come here and get down

on your knees, but would you ask God to help you take a step

towards community? Would you stand with me?

Heavenly Father, we love you. We're thankful for you.

We don't deserve you, but God, I'm asking that you would do a

work in our church today. Not just here at our 48th Street

location. Not just to those watching

online and not just to those who will eventually watch inside.

But at every single one of our locations, That you would fire,

some people up to be intentional leaders, that you would get some

people to the point where they're ready to be in community

and step out of isolation. Got that you would use this

church with all of her deficiencies and all the areas

where we fall short. To reach people that nobody else

is reaching and your name? I pray.

Amen. To reach people that nobody else

is reaching and your name? I pray.

Amen.