Summer Jams 2026 Part 4 | People and Patience with Chris Schlotterbeck

Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd

like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward

slash connect. If you feel called to give, go

to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at

any time you feel called to make a change in

your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the

message. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the

final week of Summer Jams 2026. We floated down

the river. We've reflected on the things we have

done. We've rocked out in a jailhouse. Now it's

time to slow it down. So rise to your feet. Turn

on your cell phone lights. and sway to the beat

help me welcome to the stage sean ray as he brings

you guns and roses hit song patience check good

morning church how are you today uh so this song

is mainly about a man and a woman relationship

and this also relates to our relationship with

christ so here we go Shed a tear cause I'm missing

you I'm still alright to smile Girl I think about

you every day now Was a time when I wasn't sure

But you set my mind at ease There is no doubt

you're in my heart now Said woman slow it'll

work itself out fine all we need is just a little

patience says sugar make it slow Sit here on

the stairs, cause I'd rather be alone If I can't

have you right now, I'll wait here Sometimes

I get so tense, but I can't speed up the time

But you know, love, there's one more thing to

consider Said woman, take it slow and things

will be just fine. You and I'll just use a little

patience. Said sugar, take the time cause our

lights are shining bright. You and I've got what

it takes to make it. We won't fake it. Never

faked it Cause I can't take it Solo for this

next part, and I need some help from you all.

Just need a little patience. Ready? We need a

little patience. Yeah. Just a little. Just a

little patience. Keep it going. Yeah. Come on.

We need a little Louder, I need to hear you.

Yeah, just a little patience Thank you, church.

God bless you all. Thank you. Good morning, everyone.

How's everybody doing today? Did you just transport

yourself back to the 90s? We all did. If you're

joining us from home, thank you for welcoming

us into your space. Patience, of course, by Guns

N' Roses is an acoustic rock ballad generally

focusing on the challenges of a romantic relationship.

Rather than giving up on something difficult,

it's about pressing on and pressing in. It was

released in 1988 on the album Guns N' Roses Lies.

And the lyrics simply describe a couple separated

by distance, conflict, and uncertainty. Axl Rose

sings to his partner to trust in their relationship

because it's worth waiting for. All we need is

a little patience. The song peaked at number

four on the U .S. Billboard Hot 100, reached

number 10 on the U .K. Hot Singles. Interestingly

enough, Chris Cornell sang a cover of Patience

that reached number one. on the U .S. charts.

Ultimately, this is a song about real, authentic

struggles in our relationships. It's sad, but

it's hopeful. The band members all shared that

this song was deeply personal to them in making

it. The whole experience from writing the song

to the video, they were engrossed in this intimate

encounter while at the same time, The emotions

that Rose sung about express the universal nature

that the audience related to through relationships.

There's ups, there's downs as we navigate them

and walk through life. By show of hands, humor

me, how many of you have ever struggled in a

relationship? Anybody? Yeah, if every hand isn't

raised, then you're Jesus, come pray for me,

okay? Because that's truth. All of us struggle

in our relationships. It could be a marriage

that is on the rocks, a friendship that fell

apart, a child who stopped talking to you, a

parent who hurt you, a coworker or classmate

you just can't seem to get along with. Or maybe

the relationship that you struggle with most

is who you see in the mirror in the morning.

Relationships are beautiful, but they're also

very complicated. And they can be very messy.

Every one of us longs to be loved, understood,

accepted, and valued. Yet the people we love

the most often have the greatest ability to hurt

us, to tear us down. Miscommunication, unmet

expectations, pride, selfishness, unforgiveness,

broken trust, just to name a few, can slowly

drive a wedge between people who once couldn't

imagine life without one another. And truth is,

every relationship struggles. Not because relationships

are flawed, but because the people that are in

them are flawed. And we live in a culture, let's

be honest, that's quick to walk away when things

become difficult. If it gets uncomfortable, replace

it. If it's too much work, quit. If you get disappointed,

cancel them. But healthy relationships aren't

built on convenience. They are built on commitment.

And one of the greatest love songs ever written,

it's interesting, wasn't written in a church.

It was written by Guns N' Roses. Because the

reality is, them singing about all of us needing

a little patience is true. And while it wasn't

a sermon, it points to the timeless truth that

relationships rarely grow because everything

is easy. Relationships grow when people forgive,

communicate, and stay committed to one another,

patiently working through those difficult times

together. And friends, that requires patience.

Let's open in prayer. Holy Spirit, come. God,

we are grateful that we can listen to music and

be challenged by your truths. Change us today,

God. Open our eyes to the reality of relationship

struggles. And allow us to become a people that

is different as we leave here today. In Jesus'

name, amen. Our first thought today, the term

friend has changed. A friend used to mean somebody

you did life with. It used to mean people coming

together, doing life together. Now, think about

it. A friend can be somebody you never met in

person. That simply follows you on social media.

So the term friend has changed. Now the Bible

defines a friend in Proverbs 17, 17. A friend

is always loyal. A brother or sister is born

to help in time of need. And notice, when we

read those words, it's about being connected

and being together. Today, the average American

Facebook user has 340 Facebook friends. But the

average American says they only have two close

friends, which is down from six just 20 years

ago. 25 % of Americans today say they have zero

close relationships. So the tension is real,

right? A person may have 340 online friends,

but say they have no real close relationships

and connection. So we could argue we've got lots

of online interaction, yet we have very limited

personal connection and intimacy. So the term

friend has changed. Therefore, the reality of

our friendships have changed. Sociologists have

found that relationships in our culture today

have drastically changed in just the last 10

years. In the last 10 years, people are more

digitally connected, but feel less. connected

personally. Texting, social media, group chats

makes it very easy and comfortable for many people

to connect, but that leaves them without face

-to -face conversations. Loneliness has become

more common, right? Research over the past decade

has consistently found increasing levels of loneliness,

both in the young people and the elder generation.

Friendships require more intentionality because

of the smartphones, right? We now have schedules.

We now have meetings. We have everything saved

in our phone, and our phone now tells us where

to go and what to do. It doesn't matter if you're

in school, at work, in church, in your neighborhood.

Those connections now take second place to the

phone. Too many adults now have to deliberately

schedule time together because of busy calendars.

And we have to be careful. Church, we have to

be careful not to let the world, and you say,

Chris, how's your phone in the world? This is

of the world, dude. Like, this is the world.

And it's telling us where to go, what to do,

what to listen to. We have to be careful not

to allow the world to pull us down. Proverbs

18, 24 says, there are friends who destroy each

other. There are friends who destroy each other,

but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

See, if we surround ourselves with friends, with

close relationships. right, that are passionate

about the world, then chances are we're going

to be tempted to join them. For example, I have

a great example for you. I need someone. Oh,

there you go, Carl. Carl's here in the front

row. This is Carl. Everybody give Carl a hand.

Carl's one of our worship leaders here. We appreciate

him, right? Let's say, for example, Carl is my

friend. Carl is in the world. And it's not necessarily,

you could say Carl is also this phone. Right?

He's in the world. And I want to help Carl. I

want to get him out of the world. But please

notice, who has the advantage here? Carl does.

It doesn't matter that I'm stronger. It doesn't

matter that I'm bigger. Carl has the advantage.

And he can pull me down anytime he wants to.

But if I surround myself with a friend, Frank,

Frank, I need your help. Right? If I surround

myself with a friend, who has the advantage now?

I do. Because we can now, yeah, we can pull,

right? We can pull Carl out of the world up into

the kingdom of God. And you say the kingdom of

God is set apart from the world. Yes, it is.

We're called to a higher standard. We're called

to be separate in the world, but not of it. Right?

When we surround ourselves with friends that

are like -minded, that are Jesus -centered, they

can partner with us to help pull people, friends,

family members out of the world and their struggles

into the kingdom of God and abundant life. But

it's a choice. It's a choice whether you surround

yourself with people or not, which leads us to

our next thought. Society is obsessed with self.

These statistics are going to blow your mind.

The University of Michigan did a comprehensive

study on 14 ,000 college students between the

years 1979 and 2009. They found that there was

a drastic decline in empathy over those 30 years.

In fact, the results of this massive study showed

that we, Americans, care 40 % less about other

people than we did in the 1980s. 40%. That's

a staggering number. And some of you are thinking,

oh, how did they determine that? So I did a little

research into their research, and they asked

those that were polled questions just like this.

Write one to five. One is the least, five is

the highest. And you personally rank them as

you hear the question. I sometimes try to understand

my friends better by looking at things from their

perspective. Poe had a drastic drop in people

that they cared about. I often have a tender,

concerned feeling about people less fortunate

than me. Significant drop. Fewer people, right,

called themselves soft -hearted than they did

years ago. 40 % drop. In how much we care about

people since the 1980s. So that raises the question,

why are we caring less? And there's a lot of

theories, but experts argue and believe that

the top cause is the rise in social media today

because people now care less. Studies show that

80%, this is going to blow your mind, of what

a person does on social media actually relates

directly to them and them only. In other words,

if you're going on social media, you're going

to see what you're interested in. There's algorithms

out there that are targeting you. And if you

continue to buy into it, those same algorithms

are going to go again and again and again until

you give in. What are they saying about me? Do

they like me? Don't they like me? Do they care

about the picture I post? Do they comment on

it? 80 % of what we do on social media relates

directly to you and you only. And then, You have

to realize that because of that 80%, there's

something that goes off in our brain called dopamine.

It's called a legal buzz, not illegal. And you're

like, oh, I like that feeling. And since we're

looking at stuff dealing with us and us only,

the dopamine being released into our bodies actually

train us to be more selfish. So social media

is training us to become more self -centered.

Social media can cause us to care less about

other people. Our bodies are literally transformed,

become more self -centered. And yet Jesus challenges

us with these words in John 15. This is my commandment.

Love each other in the same way I've loved you.

There is no greater love than to lay down one's

life for one's friends. Now notice that Jesus

doesn't simply tell us to feel love, right? He

calls us to what? demonstrate it. And his definition

of love has nothing to do with being self -centered.

It's actually self -giving. It's not about asking,

how are people serving me? It's about asking,

how can I serve them? See, Jesus didn't merely

preach this sacrificial love. He modeled it.

He washed his disciples' feet. He welcomed the

forgotten. He forgave his enemies. And he ultimately

laid down his life for us on the cross. And he

calls his followers, you and me, to adopt that

same posture. See, the healthiest relationships

aren't built by two people demanding to be served.

They're built by two people who continually look

for ways to serve one another. That's why James

reminds us in James 3 .16, for whenever there

is jealousy and selfish ambition, there, their

church, you will find disorder and every kind

of greed. Selfishness asks. What can I get? Love

speaks. What can I give? I want to challenge

you. Let go of the self -centeredness and begin

to focus on the relationship that's right in

front of you, which leads us to our third thought.

Humanity is now addicted to immediate affirmation.

Now, be remembered, 40 % drop, right, in caring

about others since the 1980s. So with the rise

of the selfie, smile, Just kidding, I wouldn't

do that to you. With the rise of the selfie and

personal posts about life, pictures, accomplishments,

social media has now trained you for immediate

affirmation. You need a response. We're becoming

addicted to the immediate feedback. Again, scientists,

they're pointing to the dopamine. These phones

are using us, training us to become more selfish,

right? We begin to ask questions. What did they

say about that picture? Did they like it? Who

liked it? Did it go viral? Right? Why didn't

she like it? Why didn't he comment? Well, I'm

not going to follow her anymore. I'm not going

to follow him anymore. And it goes on and on

and on and on. Social media is meeting a short

-term need. But in the end, we're neglecting

a longer -term and deeper need, which is personal

connection. Sociologists have now termed the

phrase called deferred loneliness. We feel lonely,

so we post something, we receive something, we

get this immediate feedback, but we're longing

for intimate connection with people in another

time. And so many people, they're living for

the likes and longing for love. They're looking

for the instant gratification, and it changes

the entire way we do relationships. Galatians

1 .10 reminds us, church, obviously I'm not trying

to win the approval of people, but of God. If

pleasing people were my goal, I would not be

Christ's servant, which leads us to our final

truth, not just thought. Jesus gave us a new

commandment. So if you're in a relationship with

Jesus here this morning, I want to challenge

you. This is the new commandment he gave us in

John 13. So now I'm giving you a new commandment.

Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you

should love each other for love for one another

will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

Now notice what Jesus said here. He says, love

each other as I have loved you. Jesus didn't

say, he didn't say, love others when it's convenient.

Love others when they deserve it. Love others

when they agree with you. He said, love as I

have loved you. And how ultimately did Jesus

love? He was sacrificial. Just before giving

this new commandment, Jesus literally washed

the disciples' feet. And remember, he even washed

Judas' feet, the man who would betray him, and

he knew that he was going to betray him. So Jesus

loved the committed disciple, the struggling

disciple, the doubting disciple. He even loved

the betraying disciple. And you're like, well,

Chris, that's a supernatural kind of love. Yes,

it is. But Jesus never asked us to do something

he hadn't already done. He did it, and he desires

that we follow it. See, most people love when

it costs them little. Jesus loved when it cost

him everything. The love of God, church, is more

than a feeling. It's a decision to put others

before yourselves, which leads to our action

steps. I want to challenge you with four simple

steps this morning in developing a Jesus -centered

relationship. That a Jesus -centered relationship

is the most important relationship that you could

ever walk in. And in order to practice these

relationships, we all need a little patience

if we're going to love like Jesus. And the first

step is this. We need to practice the power of

presence. We need to practice the power of presence.

And I'm not referring to God's presence. I'm

referring to one another's presence, Hebrews

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10. Let us think of ways to motivate

one another to acts of love and good works. And

I want to pause there just for a second. I want

you to look at your neighbor, okay? And I want

you to look at your other neighbor that you don't

like as much. Thank you. And now I want you to

look at the neighbor behind you who you're trying

to ignore. There you go. All right. Now, keep

that scripture up, please. Wouldn't it be amazing?

Think about it. Everybody you just looked at,

picture their face. Wouldn't it be amazing to

get together with that individual, right, and

say, how can we be so aggressive? And the way

we show love to others, that people begin to

talk about the way we love one another. They

must be in a relationship with Jesus. Think about

that. That's what that scripture verse is saying.

That the people around you should be challenged

by how you're living your life. And then you're

challenging them to do the same. Hebrews continues.

Let us not. neglect our meeting together, as

some people do, but encourage one another, especially

now that the day of his return is drawing near.

So we would love, if you're watching at home,

for you to join us in person in this coming month,

because there's love and life here in our community

of faith, because some of us need to rediscover

the power of practicing presence, being together

with people. In fact, Jesus said this in Matthew

18 20, for where two or three, or four, or 400

gathered together as my followers, I am there

among them. See, whenever we come together with

other believers in the name of Jesus, we experience

a very real presence of the Holy Spirit. True

or false? And it's supernatural. There's so many

people that, I got an email this week, a testimony

of how Summer Jams has transformed an individual's

life because they were watching online. They

were inspired, heard about this live music, Summer

Jams. They came and they said, I've been here

four straight weeks. I never want to watch online

again. The power of being together with other

people and meeting Jesus is overwhelming. Now,

hear me out. It doesn't mean we can't experience

the presence of God alone. Of course we can.

But there's something special, something powerful

when we come together with other believers and

we pray for one another. I mean, there is healing

after healing testimony of God changing lives

through the words of knowledge and through our

prayer team every single Sunday, and I'm not

making that up. If you hear a word of knowledge

that we give at the end of this service, and

you're like, man, that's for me, run up here.

I'm serious. Don't be like, man, should I go

up there? Is that really for me? Just be like,

that's me. I'm getting healed. Because it literally

could happen today. There's power when the church

comes together and pray. True or false? There's

power when the church comes together and lifts

holy hands and worships God. Is there power in

that? There's power in that. There's excitement

in that. Something happens when we experience

the tangible presence of God. Something happens

when we discuss God's Bible together, right?

When we're challenged to be different, when we're

challenged to love like Jesus, we leave here

inspired, desiring to make a difference. And

that's exactly what Jesus did, right? Jesus came

to earth to show us, to set an example for us

to follow. God didn't shout down from heaven,

hey, this is how you get saved. You just believe

in me. He didn't say that. He didn't do that.

He literally sent his son to earth, stripped

himself of all heavenly glory and became one

of us. He became Emmanuel, which means God is

with us. So God became one of us in the person

of Jesus. And what did he do? He lived with us.

He ate like we do. He struggled like we do. He

loved those the others rejected. He poured his

heart into religious communities that weren't

worthy. He ate with and dined with, fellowshiped

with tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes.

Right? God didn't yell down from heaven. He set

us an example to follow. And I want to remind

you and encourage you, there's something about...

being in the presence of other people that's

powerful, and we can't settle for anything less.

We've got to prioritize it, and we've got to

begin to prioritize putting these down and getting

personal with one another, which leads us to

our next step. Practice the power is presence.

Number two, we need to be present. So when we're

with people, we need to be present. Be present

with one another, right? I want you to take a

second. I want you to look at the neighbor you

didn't like very much, and I want you to look

at them and say, I appreciate you. Go ahead,

say it. Say it. Say it. Right? I love it. All

right, bring it back. Man, you're loving each

other too much. Don't get out of control here.

Jeez. Okay, the point of me doing that, the point

of me doing that is to show you there's something

special when you encourage others. When we have

face -to -face contact, making eye contact, when

we look at someone and say, man, I appreciate

you so much, there's something about receiving

that truth that changes us. Paul wrote these

words in Romans 12. Don't pretend to love others.

Stop pretending. Really love them. Love one another.

Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

Love each other with genuine affection and take

delight in honoring each other. Because when

God's people are in need, be ready to help them.

Always be eager to practice hospitality. And

what is the normal, acceptable way to show love

today? Oh, hold on. Listen. Hold on here. Yeah,

okay. Yeah. There we go. Okay. All right. I'm

good. What did I just do? The way we show appreciation

now and connect with people is through these

devices. We'll send a quick text. Hey, thinking

about you today. Okay. Appreciate you thinking

about me. Which isn't bad. I do it all the time.

I send Bible verses. I send prayers. I send encouragement.

These are tools. I'm not saying you destroy them.

I'm not saying you get rid of them. I'm saying

you make them submit to you. Don't allow them

to control you. Do you use text messages? Absolutely.

But I want to challenge you, HTV, to take it

a step further. Send a text message of encouragement.

And if someone responds to you and says, wow,

I really needed that today. That changed my life.

Send another text that says, can I call you?

Because when you call them and you make a verbal

connection with them and you pray with them through

the phone, what happens? Intimacy, connection,

relationship. And at the end of that prayer or

the end of that encouragement verbally, let's

take it a step further and say, hey, let's schedule

dinner together. And invite someone over for

dinner because that's where the rubber meets

the road, right? That's where you begin to make

real connections, right? In your house. There's

power in presence. You know, here's the reality.

Today in our society, you've achieved it. You've

made it if you live in a gated community. What?

Like society will tell you, you're a success.

You can afford a home in a gated community where

everyone else is what? Locked out. You don't

want anybody different than you around. You want

everybody locked out. That's what our society

says. When in reality, let's be different. Let's

be a church that's more like Jesus and let people

in. Let's open the doors up and invite people

in. Well, Chris, I can't cook. Mike Shriver,

he said to me, Chris, I can't cook. I don't care.

Order some food in. You know what I mean? Spend

the money. Order some Mission Barbecue in. Everybody

loves barbecue. And break bread together because

there's power in breaking bread together. Some

of you, you need to invest in the younger generation.

You have something to offer. You have something

to give back. Invite someone over because I guarantee

you there's 60 % of you that are longing for

more connection, more spiritual connection, more

humanity connection, and you're neglecting it

because you think you're getting it through the

phone. Invite someone over. Is it all right if

I double dog dare you today? Okay, so Christmas

story is my favorite Christmas movie, you know,

and I'm not asking you to stick your tongue on

a frozen pole, okay? I'm going to double dog

dare you right now. to invite someone over for

dinner before you leave this building. I double

dog dare you. And better yet, and better yet,

listen, better yet, find someone you don't know

that's the weirdest looking dude in this place

and invite them over. And you're like, what?

That's what Jesus would do, man. That's what

Jesus would do. Jesus would invite someone over

that is completely outside of the box. I've lost

everybody. Oh my gosh. Jeez. Everybody's excited

about inviting everyone over. I'm like, calm

down. Now I got to finish. All right. So we got,

there's power in presence. Be present. Number

three, you have to be engaged. Don't just be

physically present. Be emotionally. completely

engaged. Peter says it this way. Most important

of all, 1 Peter 4 .8, most important of all,

continue to show deep love for each other. I'm

sorry, I'm sorry. Church, what was most important

of all? Oh, what was it? And was that most important?

I don't think some of you understand. Peter said,

The most important thing we as Jesus followers

are called to do is show deep love for one another.

That's spiritual engagement. That's when you

say, I'm done with it. I'm all in. It's where

the person in the room is the most important

person. It's like inviting over a king or a queen

going all out. That's how we're to treat one

another. But the sad part is, if you were to

go out to lunch today, if you were to go out

to lunch after this gathering today, what are

you going to see at the restaurant? What are

80 % of the people going to be doing at the restaurant?

They're going to be staring at their phones.

They're going to be scrolling. They're not engaging

one another. They're not doing anything with

one another. It's all of them. You're like, well,

it's the younger generation. No, it's not. No,

it's not. I went out Friday night on a date.

I went on a date Friday night. Some of y 'all

need to go on a date. So I went out on a date

on Friday night. And there was people older than

me there just scrolling along. See, this thing

has sucked everybody in. This isn't a young person

problem. This is a societal problem. And it's

not about what you're doing on the phone. Listen,

I'm trying to learn Spanish on this phone. I

do my Bible on this phone. My son's learning

the guitar on his phone. All good things. All

good things. But when we're on that phone, it

doesn't allow us to be engaged. Remember I said

I went out on a date on Friday night, right?

Well, Jess was getting ready. And while she was

getting ready, she's like, hey, Phoenix is in

the pool. Go out and hang out with him before

we go. So Phoenix is out there swimming. He's

got this giant water gun that shoots 50 feet,

right? And as I'm walking out, I noticed the

dog's wet. I'm like, yep. I'm like, hey, Phoenix,

stop squirting the dog. The dog will smell bad.

and we can't afford to get her another bath.

Okay, so stop squirting the dog. So I go up,

I sit down, and I do my Duolingo, which is how

I learn Spanish. For those of you that don't

know what Duolingo is, I'm learning Spanish,

trying to become a learner of Spanish. I'm sitting

there, and I look up. There's Phoenix squirting

the dog again. I said, Phoenix, stop squirting

the dog. Back to Duolingo. Look up. What's Phoenix

doing? Squirting the dog. Back to Phoenix, stop

squirting the dog. But six times, Phoenix stopped

squirting the dog. And then the final time, Bay

had gotten up on the hill in the flower bed.

And I look up and Phoenix just full force right

in the face. And Bay's like, and there's water

flying off her nose and her mouth. It was just,

I was like, that's it. And I lost it. Get out

of the pool. Get upstairs. I mean, he's, I've

never seen him run so fast to the third floor.

So I'm on my way with Jess to our date, right?

And I'm explaining to her, why isn't our son

listening? Why isn't our son listening? And she

goes, Chris, he wanted your attention. And then

suddenly I got hit in the face with a concrete

block. I was doing Spanish though. I wanted to

learn Spanish. I need to learn Spanish. And Jess

goes, no, you need to engage your son. Because

if you engage your son, he wouldn't be squirting

the dog. He may be squirting you. That's funny

right there. But he's not going to squirt the

dog. And the problem is this. Every time this

thing buzzes, whistles, chirps, beeps. Who said

something? Who needs something? Who wants something?

In fact, there's now a word that's in our dictionary

because we have cell phones, and it's called

FOMO. F -O -M -O. And this is what it stands

for. Fear of missing out. Our phones have created

a word that has been added to our dictionary.

And here's the truth, church. At the end of your

life, you're not going to be sitting around worrying

about how many likes you got. At the end of your

life, you're not going to be worried about sitting

around discussing how that video went viral.

Because it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter

at the end of the day. All that matters at the

end of the day is how many people you served,

how many people you loved, and how many people

you made a difference in in their life. And the

choice is yours. The choice is yours. Because

your children are begging for attention. You

hear me, parents? Your children are begging for

attention. I want to challenge you. Don't just

sign them up for What a Mess VBS. Volunteer to

help with them because it will change their life.

And it may not be your kids, but it may be your

coworkers. It may be your classmates. I want

to challenge you. Disengage from the screen and

begin to make relationships a priority. 1 John

3, 18. Dear children, let us not merely say that

we love each other, Let's show the truth by our

actions. Let's show the world that we love one

another. That we show up at someone's house and

we pray for them. That we give away a bed that

we're not using in storage to someone in need.

The greatest weapon of the first century followers

of the early church, remember they're being persecuted

from the outside, was their radical unifying

love. No one ever had a need. The Bible tells

us that they would take their own possessions,

sell them, and take the money to give to those

in need. Think about that. Think about hunger

crisis. Think about we built beds a couple months

ago for kids without beds. You know, we're having

a backpack giveaway for kids without backpacks.

In the early church, whenever it was a need,

it was always met. Because that's how we show

the love of Jesus to the world. As the skeptical

world looked on, they're like, I don't know about

this Jesus thing or being raised from the dead,

but I know that that group of people, they love

each other. And I want to challenge you, HCV,

let's be that kind of church. That there's a

radical love that the tri -state area sees and

they say, man, we want a part of that. And that

happens, number four, our fourth and final, when

we serve each other. I want to challenge you.

Serve. Get out of your seats. Don't just... Be

a spectator. Be a participant. Because when we're

a participant with Jesus, everything changes,

Philippians 2. Don't be selfish. Don't try to

impress others. Be humble. Thinking of others

is better than yourselves. Don't look out only

for your own interests, but take an interest

in others. You must have the same attitude that

Christ Jesus had. See, the greatest obstacle

of healthy relationships is not the other person.

It's our self -centeredness. It's our selfishness.

Pride says, how are you treating me? Humility

asks, how can I love them and serve them with

the love of Jesus? Right? Jesus had every right.

He was God to be served, but he chose to serve.

And if you want a healthier marriage, if you

want stronger families, if you want deeper friendships,

if you want a church that's changing the world,

adopt the mindset of Jesus, and that's in Mark

10. For even the Son of Man came not to be served,

but to serve others and give his life as a ransom

for many. See, the healthiest relationships are

the ones that work the hardest to out -serve

one another. Who are you out -serving? And don't

worry about, who's going to take care of me?

But Chris, what about my family? Who's going

to take care of my family? You know who takes

care of your family when you're serving others?

God does. And if you don't believe that, ask

any one of my kids. Ask any one of my kids. Because

we planted a church and we were the poorest of

poor. We lived in poverty. Food stamps, WIC,

you name it. But you ask our kids. Ask my kids

who are here. Did they ever go without? Did they

ever not live their dreams? Did they ever not

go to a private... School that costs $60 ,000

a year? Nope, they did it all. You wanna know

why? Because God gives back to those that serve.

He takes care of you if you're willing to serve

the world and make a difference in other people's

lives. Ask him, I double dog dare you. Oh, that's

two double dog dares. And I wanna close with

this. This chair, this chair right here represents

the person in your sphere of influence that is

in need. All of us have them. All of us know

who they are, right? Thanks, brother. Love you,

man. All of us have them. All of us know who

they are. Don't text them. Don't even call them.

Make it a point to meet them in person this week.

Pray for them. Invite them. Give them a hug.

Cry with them. Because that's the most important

thing you could ever do. Get rid of the unforgiveness

and the resentment and make that person that's

sitting in that chair. Your priority. And learn

from me. Don't get hit by a concrete block across

the head. Prioritize engaging the people that

need it most. Amen? Will you stand with me? So

as I was praying for all of you this week, listen,

as I was praying for all of you this week, I

got the word resentment from the Holy Spirit.

That there's going to be many people here struggling

with resentment. You might have resentment towards

a spouse. You may have resentment towards a parent.

Brother, sister, friend, co -worker, classmate.

There's this resentment in your heart. And it's

preventing you from engaging with others in authentic

relationships that ultimately will impact and

change your life. And I want to challenge you,

if that's you, I'm going to pray for you. And

I want you to lay it down and ask for forgiveness.

Because resentment, you know what resentment

does? Resentment builds walls around your heart.

And it doesn't allow you to connect with other

people. Change the way you're doing life. Tear

the walls down that you've built around your

heart and allow God in so that he can lead you

to others that are in deep, deep need. Because

that's what life's all about. So Holy Spirit,

come. change our community of faith today. May

these truths come to life for each and every

one of us. May we all develop a little more patience,

but more importantly, may we all love well. Forgive

us, God, for harboring unforgiveness and resentment,

for not showing others your grace and your mercy

as you desire. We lay it down at your feet. And

we ask, God, that we be a church that's a beacon

of light as we love one another, that's an example

of your love. to the tri -state area. We're grateful

for you, God. And we give it to you now in Jesus'

name. And I want to pray a simple prayer because

I believe God brings people in our midst that

are distant and far from God. And I want to speak

to those of you that are here in recovery. As

I was watching you all come in, as I was high

-fiving you, as I was hugging you, you're worthy

of God's love. It doesn't matter what you're

struggling with. It's okay to not be okay. You're

welcome here. We want you here. We love you.

But if you're distant and far from God, come

home. Because that's what's going to radically

change your life. God, Jesus, will change your

life. Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full

of doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive

me. I believe you're God's son. I believe you

died for me. I believe you're alive today. Make

me new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit.

Surround me, God, with healthy relationships

as we change others. In Jesus' name, amen. Now,

there are several words of knowledge no one leaving.

I believe this is one of the most important parts

of our gathering. Because it's your opportunity

to experience healing. You're struggling with

anxiety and depression that's debilitating. You

have pain radiating from the back of your neck

into your right shoulder. You are struggling

with eyesight problems because of optic nerve

issues. Like if that's you, you should be like

running here now. That's pretty specific. You

have pain in your right knee. You are currently

struggling in a relationship that's causing you

heartache. So if any of those are you, our prayer

team will be up here on my left and my right,

or you have any other need, we're gonna pray

for you. Next week, July 4th, we're excited about

it, right? 250, yeah, let's go. Freedom, rain.

Give out some glow neck, glow bracelets, right?

If you didn't get a glow bracelet, there'll be

more here at the office this week. Come pick

them up. But more importantly, we kick off a

new series. called Promise Keeper. And we're

going to look at four of Jesus's promises he

gave to us that are promises that you can stand

on that will supernaturally change your life.

I'm excited about this series because I believe

it's going to be transformational for many of

you. Pack the house. Fill the house to celebrate

July 4th. We got crumpies. We got bomb pops.

We got all kinds of fun things planned for July

5th. You don't want to miss it. I'm going there,

Brian. I'll be there quick. I love you guys.

God bless. You are my lifeline. Yeah, don't cut

off my lifetime. I was stuck up in that grind.

Now I know what you gave for life for mine. You're

the one turning water into wine. Please fix my

heart and the things inside.