You're Contagious- Dixie Penrod

Thank you for listening to this message from Lifehouse Church.

Good morning, Lifehouse.

Oh, that was weak.

You're all going to have to wake up here this morning.

Good morning, Lifehouse.

Good morning.

Those of you online, I hope you responded a little bit better than those of you that

were in the building this morning.

You can type that in the chat, say, good morning, let us know that you're with us.

Clearly, I am not Pastor Kemp.

I don't know if you noticed while he was doing announcements and offering this morning that

his voice, his throat has not been well all week.

He's not been sick, but it's just been a form of laryngitis when he gets talking.

He really sounds like Darth Vader, so he didn't want to scare you all this morning.

So he and I kind of switched up roles.

So you're stuck with me this morning, but I believe God has a word for us.

I actually was asked to speak at another church on Friday evening and had a message prepared

for that.

And jokingly on our way home Friday night, Pastor Kemp said to me, he goes, hey, you

might need to be ready to go on Sunday if my voice doesn't get any better.

And I'm like, ah, you've got two days, you're going to be fine.

It'll be all good.

And clearly it wasn't.

So here we are.

But I do believe God has a word for us this morning.

But before we begin with that, I would just like us to pray.

I'd like you to pray for me.

Pray that God edits my words, that I only share what he has for us here this morning

at Life House.

So let's bow.

Father, thank you for this day.

Thank you for this church family, that we get to come together, that we can grow together,

Lord, that we can come and worship your name, God.

And I pray this morning, Lord, that every person that came through the door of Life

House and every person that's listening online, Father, that they don't leave this service

today the same way they came, but they will leave changed because they've been in your

presence and they've heard your word and it's pierced their heart.

And Father, I pray, Lord, God, that they are changed today and, Lord, all because of you.

Father, we ask that you would bless this service.

In your name we pray.

Amen and amen.

All right.

So I have a question for you guys.

How many of you are sick of cold and flu season?

No pun intended there.

Sick of cold and flu season?

Yeah.

All right.

How many of you have had your standard two to four colds or flus already and it's just

February?

We got some hands going up.

You know, some statistics say that the average person gets four to six colds or viruses a

season.

So I don't know about you all, but we're sick of it.

I'm sick of it.

Are you constantly washing your hands or, hey, do you got any hand sanitizer or doing

the elbow cough or sneeze, grabbing door handles with your sweater because you don't want to

touch it because you might get a germ from somebody?

Or have you just maybe had this nagging cough that just won't go away?

Now Pastor Kip, every year in January, gets a cough that lasts from anywhere from like

three to eight weeks.

And he coughs and he coughs and he coughs.

You know, I got to say, like after the first 10 to 14 days, I'm sick of it, but I'm sure

he's sick of it.

But he's probably he's not contagious.

But you know that things have really changed.

So if you're in public and you know you're not contagious, but you start to cough, you

get the death glare from people around you.

Like they are like, why in the world are you out in public?

Why are you sharing all your germs with us?

So honestly, before you leave the house nowadays, you're like trying to figure out, am I contagious?

Like should I go?

Should I stay?

Should I?

What should I do?

You know, the word contagious means spread from one person or organism to another by

direct or indirect contact.

Contagious means likely to spread and affect others.

The world is such a different place than what it was before COVID.

Man, employers used to be like, I don't care if you're sick, bring your bucket with you

and come to work.

We've got work to do.

I need you here.

Or if you used all your sick time, your boss is like, listen, dying is not an excuse.

I need you here.

You got to get to work.

But now if you sneeze, you need like three negative COVID tests before you can go back

to work because they need to make sure that you're not contagious.

Times have really, really changed.

Contagious has become a whole new thing since COVID.

And frankly, I think most of us are over it.

Like we're done.

Like can we just get back to normal life?

But this morning, I want you to look at this completely different.

The definition of contagious is likely to spread and affect others.

So I want you to think about this.

We're in February.

We're going to the end of February.

But February is the month of what?

Love.

February is the love month.

I love this month.

No pun intended there either.

My birthday is actually on Valentine's Day.

So I've already had my birthday.

So it's extra special to me.

Pastor Kip, really when we like, we've been married, we'll be married 34 years come May.

But when we were engaged, you know, we were trying to pick like a wedding date and you

know, when are we going to get married?

He's like, oh, I think should we get married on Valentine's Day on your birthday?

He's like, then I would only have one day I have to remember all year.

And I'm like, no, no, I already get ripped off because it's my birthday and Valentine's

Day.

You're not getting off that easy.

So we did not get married on my birthday.

But I love this month.

It's the time of year when actually like probably December 26.

Actually it's probably before that you start to see the roses and the jewelry and the candy

and all the Valentine things are out there.

All the stores, it's on the radio.

It's on the TV commercials.

Even the you can't even go get groceries without seeing hearts and roses and candy.

Love is in the air.

Some say that it's sickening and gross and they're over it and they just want February

to be over.

But the idea of love is contagious.

I want to challenge us today.

What if everyone saw the love of Jesus and the joy that he brings in us and it was contagious?

I mean like really contagious, likely to spread and affect others.

Now I'm reminded of this story.

I'm going to warn anyone who has babies, cover their ears and you'll know why in a minute.

I'm reminded of this story of Liz.

Liz was this 30 year old lady, woman who went to the Y 530 in the morning for this cross

fit workout class.

There are about 15 to 20 ladies that would show up for this class at 530 in the morning

and I don't know how many of you here go to the gym?

Wow.

It's a little late guys, come on.

So how many of you that do go to the gym are like, yes, I'm going to the gym this morning.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

I go to the gym.

It's not like that.

I'm not much of a morning person.

So we're going to the gym, we're going to this class and we know it's good for us, we

know we should be there, but we're not like, yeah, we're at the gym.

So there's like 15 to 20 ladies in this cross fit class.

It's 530 in the morning and there was one lady in this class particularly that drove

Liz crazy.

Kate was this 63 year old woman that during the class, every single time the instructor

would ask the class to do something hard, something really hard.

Now let's remember it's 530 in the morning.

They all don't really want to be there anyway.

They're just doing their thing.

530 in the morning, the instructor asks them to do something hard and Kate is like, woo.

And everyone else in the class is like, seriously?

Like it's 530 in the morning, like it was so annoying.

Liz was so frustrated.

Second time the instructor asked her, the whole class to do something hard.

Kate was like, woo.

And they're like, oh my gosh, is she going to like, seriously?

Is she going to do this like the whole time?

Third time, fourth time, every single time the instructor asked them to do something

hard.

Liz was like, woo.

And the class could not stand it.

But can I tell you something?

By the end of that 40 minute workout class, when the instructor asked the class to do

something hard, all 20 ladies in there were like, woo.

Because Kate's excitement was contagious.

Her excitement spread and affected the whole class, the whole class.

You see, because we've been loved by Jesus, we, notice this next word, get to go and love

others with his love.

We get, we get to do that.

Because he loved us, we get to love others with his love.

And guess what, guys?

It should be contagious.

Like sickening contagious.

Like the world is affected by our love.

You see, John 1334 says, a new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you.

So you must love one another.

Have we all been around, I know we have, I know there's going to be 100% participation

in this.

We've all been around that person that when they walk in the room, they just light up

the room, right?

We all know that person?

Oh, come on.

I need some participation here.

Type it in the chat if you have that person that has walked in the room and it lights

up the room.

Guess what?

It should be you.

That should be me.

When I walk into a room, because I have the love of Jesus and he has changed my life and

he has changed my outlook on life and he has brought complete and total joy.

When I walk in the room, that room should light up, not because of Dixie, but because

of Jesus in Dixie and because of his love and how he's changed me.

I should light up the room when I walk in.

You should light up the room when you walk in.

We should be contagious with the love of Jesus everywhere we go.

Our should affect others and they should join in with us.

We should be likely to spread to one another.

Now listen, I'm going to be straight with you.

I am not talking about shoving Jesus down their throat and threatening them with dying

and going to hell.

That is not what I'm talking about.

That is not going to draw people in.

I am talking about true, genuine love, true, genuine love that exudes from us every day

and makes people naturally drawn to us and they want to know this Jesus that makes you

so contagious.

Our woo is the real thing and it's contagious.

Listen we can come in here on Sunday morning like we just did and we worshiped and we raised

our hands and we praised God and we lifted up his name, which we should.

That's a great thing.

That's what we should.

But if no one can see Jesus in you on Monday morning, there's something wrong.

There is something wrong.

If you or me, if we're the grump at work, something's wrong.

If we're complaining and whining and grumping in line at the grocery store, because you

know you're in that checkout lane that says seven items or less and the person in front

of you has 15 and you're grumping and complaining and acting like a fool, something's wrong.

Something's wrong.

Now listen, if you are in traffic and someone cuts you off and you're doing the hand gestures

and the yelling, you know what I'm talking about, the one finger wave, if that's you,

something is wrong.

Jesus help us.

Help us with our, woo, Jesus let us love like you do.

Did you ever notice in the Bible what Jesus required of his disciples?

Do you know that it wasn't this mass, humongous biblical knowledge?

Do you know that it wasn't this great zeal for evangelism?

Jesus didn't ask his disciples to have a great passion for social justice.

These are all really good things.

But you know what the one thing that says that we are a friend of Jesus?

It's love.

By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I am nothing but

the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God's word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain

as day, and if I have faith that says to that mountain jump and it jumps, but I don't love,

I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and I even go to the stake and I'm burned as a

martyr but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere.

So no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love never cares.

Love cares more for others than self.

Love doesn't what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut.

Love doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always me first,

doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when

others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God

always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end.

Whew, that's good.

That's hard.

It's hard when that person in front of you at line has 15 items and you're in a hurry

and you need to get home and make dinner and you only got two things and they got in the

wrong line.

It's hard.

Our motto here at LifeHouse is what?

Love God, love people.

The love God's pretty easy, right?

Love people can be a little harder.

Every day, that takes Jesus.

That takes Jesus.

So we get to love because he loved us.

Because we've been loved by Jesus, we get, notice that word again, I'm emphasizing the

get, we get to go love others with his love.

We get to, whew, that's what we get.

You see Psalms 118, 24 says, this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and

be glad in it.

Jesus, this is the day.

Guess what?

Monday morning, this is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in

it.

Tuesday morning, this is the day that the Lord has made and we will be glad and we will

rejoice in it.

Wednesday, this is the day, do you get where I'm going?

Thursday, this is the day.

Friday, this is the day.

Saturday, this is the day.

Sunday, this is the day.

Because you see, every day is an opportunity to bless someone.

Every day.

Every day is a chance for your, whew, to affect others.

Matthew 5, 14 through 16 says, you are the light of the world.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your Father in heaven.

Here's another way to put it.

Listen to these words.

You're here to be light, bringing out the God colors in this world.

That is not a secret to be kept.

We're going public with this thing.

As public as a city on a hill.

If I make you light bearers, do you think I'm gonna hide you under a bucket?

I'm putting you on a light stand.

Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand, shine.

Keep an open house.

Be generous with your lives.

By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father

in heaven.

Listen guys, every day is a chance for your light to shine and light up a room when you

walk in.

Every day.

Because you know why?

This is the day that the Lord has made and will rejoice in it.

Every day is a chance for you to bring out the God colors in this world.

Because this is the day that the Lord has made and will be glad and rejoice in it.

Every day is a chance for you to be generous with your life.

Because this is the day that the Lord has made and will rejoice in it.

Every day is a chance for your, woo, to be contagious and affect all of those around

you.

Every day is an opportunity to bless someone.

What would it look like if we woke up every morning and asked Jesus to show us every opportunity

to bless someone with our woo to affect those around us?

What would it look like if it was so contagious that it started to affect our workplace?

It changed in our workplace because of us.

What if our woo was so contagious that it started to affect our neighborhoods?

They're like, man, that pen rod house on Nelson Drive, there's something different about those

people.

There's something different about the pen rods on Nelson Drive.

Maybe in more ways than one.

I'm not sure what that means, Pastor Andrew.

But there's something different.

There's something different about those people on Nelson Drive.

What if, what if your woo was so contagious that it began to affect our nation?

You think about that for a minute.

You're not the only believer.

This Life House Church is not the only family of believers in our nation.

Our nation needs change.

Our nation needs woo to affect it.

Our nation needs that.

Now listen, you guys have had it easy, except for your little laughs this morning.

And let me tell you, me doing those woo's this whole time is so out of my comfort zone.

I'm just going to tell you, all right?

But I want you guys to do your woo with me.

Because I want you to remember, if you don't remember anything else that I said today,

I want that woo to be in your head and you remember why that crazy lady was so loud up

front on Sunday morning.

So I want us on the count of three, I want 100% participation, except for I'll maybe

let the babies slide, but maybe they'll get involved too.

I want our loudest woo for Jesus this morning, all right?

Ready?

One, two, three.

Woo!

Our woo should be contagious.

Our woo should be likely to affect those around us.

It should spread.

Now I was thinking this morning, I didn't share this on Friday night because the family

of believers there didn't hear Pastor Kipp a couple weeks ago.

But you remember a couple weeks ago Pastor Kipp was talking about us being ambassadors

for Christ.

And he was talking about that that's what we're to do and we're to remember that every

day.

And the way he wanted you to remember that, and many of you have done that, is he wanted

you to get a cross.

And he wanted you, it could be a cross necklace, it could be a cross that you put on your memory,

but he wanted you to get a cross so that you would remember every single day that you are

an ambassador for Christ.

That your woo should be contagious, that you should be likely to affect others.

I want to ask you a question.

Have you taken that seriously?

Have you taken it seriously or are you just like, oh yeah, there's Pastor Kipp, another

thing he wants us to do?

Or man, Dixie's up there being loud this morning, just another thing she wants to do.

Do you know that this is what Christ has called us to do?

This isn't a thing to be taken lightly.

My woos might be funny and loud, but I can tell you as contagious as Kate was in that

CrossFit class at the Y is how contagious Dixie should be in her everyday life.

When I walk into the Y, and I do, hopefully two to three times a week, you know, if it's

not raining or snowing or the alarm didn't go off or one of those things, when I walk

into the Y, I should be contagious.

People should be looking at me not with the death glare because I'm coughing, but because

they see a light in me, they see Jesus in me, and I'm representing that everywhere I

go.

Your life, the love of Jesus in you, His joy should be contagious.

Your contagious is a good thing.

It's a good thing.

Now I'm going to ask if you guys would stand with me this morning.

And right here at our LifeHouse community, whether you're with us online or you're in

the building, we're going to get ready to pray.

Up at our East Shore community, Pastor Eric is going to come and he's going to get ready

to pray.

Now maybe somebody's here this morning and you're like, I have no idea what this woman's

talking about.

I don't have that joy in my life.

I don't have that Jesus in my life every day that she's talking about.

Well guess what?

You can this morning.

So I'm going to ask if everyone would bow their heads and close their eyes.

No one is looking around, but if you don't know for sure this morning that you have Jesus

in your life, that you're following Him and that you have His joy, you have, you've not

asked Him in to forgive your sins and to make you part of His family, part of our family.

If you don't know that for this morning and you want to know that, I'm just going to ask

if you just to raise your hand.

I'm not going to ask you to come up front.

I'm not going to ask you to do anything crazy.

I just want you to lift your hand and just put it right back down so that we can celebrate

and we can walk with you in this new life in Christ.

So if that's you this morning, if that's you, I just want you to raise your hand and I want

you to put it back down.

We're just going to give you a minute.

All of us here, all of us that are in this building then, don't have any reason not to

woo and affect others.

There's not one reason.

Not one reason.

So this morning I asked the worship team, I had them, I said, listen, this is not a

quiet message.

So don't come up here with a really slow and nice even song.

I want us to celebrate at the end of this service because I want you to leave here this

morning with that woo in your spirit and you remember tomorrow morning when you are on

your way to work and that person cuts you off and then you get into work and your boss

yells at you and then you get in line at the grocery store on the way home and you're only

picking up two things and you're in the self checkout that's only to be 10 items or less

and somebody's in there with a cart full of groceries, that none of that matters.

None of that matters because I don't know if any of you, I know we probably have a lot

of Bible scholars in here, I don't know that Jesus had an easy life when he walked the

earth and that everything was roses and sunshine for him and that's why he was able to draw

so many to him.

No, that wasn't Jesus' life.

I want you to remember that.

So I'm going to pray and then I've asked Zach and the worship band to close us out with

a song this morning.

I thank God because I think we all should thank God because he is worthy and he has

put that in your step and that's what you should be sharing.

So I'm going to pray and then we're going to sing.

Father, God, we thank you for this day.

God, we thank you for your love, your mercy, your grace.

We thank you for the joy that you bring into our lives.

God, we thank you and God, I pray that as we leave this morning that we will remember

that we are ambassadors for Christ.

We will remember that it's a good thing for us to be contagious with your love and with

your joy and we will remember to share that with all of those around us.

We will be that person that lights up the room when we walk in because your word has

called us to that.

We will do that.

Father, we thank you for your mercy.

We thank you for your grace because none of us are perfect and we're not going to get

this right every day, but you love us anyway and you give us another opportunity.

You give us another day to say this is the day that the Lord hath made and I will rejoice

and be glad in it every single day.

Father, we thank you.

We love you.

Your precious name we pray.

And everyone say.

Thank you for tuning in to this message from Life House Church.

We pray that you were impacted powerfully by this message.

If you have been personally affected by our ministry and you would like to partner with

us as we love God, love people every day, visit our website at www.lifehousecog.com.