Summer Jams 24 Part 4 | Jamming, Bob Marley with Chris Schlotterbeck

Welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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change me to 970-00.

Thank you and enjoy the message.

Welcome back to Summer Jams and today we be jamming man!

Bob Marley and the Whalers, the pioneers of the reggae genre, wrote and released Jamming,

one of their most celebrated album Exodus in 1977 to encourage togetherness, the Jamaican

celebratory get together song.

Now get up, stand up as Hub City Worship performs Jamming.

I want to jam it with you.

Jamming, jamming, and I hope you like jamming too.

Ain't no row, ain't no bow, we'll do it anyhow.

I and I will see you through.

Cause everyday we pay the price, you're the living sacrifice.

Jam until the jam is through.

Jamming, jamming, jamming, think that jamming was a thing of the past.

Jamming, jamming, jamming, I hope this jam is gonna last.

No one can stop us now, we need no beg, no beg, no beg, neither can we part nor sow.

We all defend the right, we charge our children, must unite.

Life is worth more than gold.

We're jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, and we're jamming in the name of the Lord.

We're jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, and we're jamming right straight from your

heart, looking out, out, out. Holy Mount Zion, Holy Mount Zion, just sit in the Mount Zion.

And rules all creation yet. Watch, watch, I want a jamming way.

Jam down, open a jamming tube. God knows how hard I try, but the truth I cannot lie to

keep you satisfied. True love, I know it is, is the love I can't do it, jammed by my side.

We're jamming, jamming, jamming, and we're jamming in the name of the Lord.

We're jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming, jamming,

and we're jamming with you. And I want a jamming way.

I want a jamming way. And I want a jamming way.

Like jammin', I wanna jammin' with you

And I said, like jammin', like jammin'

I wanna jammin' with you

And I said, like jammin' with you

Oh, that's it

That's it

Exeter, moving on your people

And we're talking about exeter

Moving on your people

If I may die, let me tell you this sound

Many people will fight you down

When you see God like you

Let me know if you are wrong

That everything is alright

Cause we're gonna walk

Through the road of creation

We're the generation

Tried to break tribulation

Talking about exeter

Moving on your people

And we're talking about exeter

Moving on your people

Open your eyes and look within

Are you satisfied with the life you're living?

We know where we're going

We know where we're from

We're leaving by the lawn

We're going to the promised land

We're talking about exeter

Moving on your people

And we're talking about exeter

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Moving on your people

Who made such a people?

Who made such a people?

You know we're talking X-rated.

Who made such a people?

My house, my house.

X-rated.

Who made such a people?

My house, my house.

We're talking X-rated.

Who made such a people?

X-rated.

Who made such a people?

My house, my house.

Hey good morning everyone.

What a great way to start church.

Nothing like a little Bob Marley to get the morning started.

Welcome to HCV for joining us from home.

Thank you for welcoming us into your space.

We are now in week four of our annual series Summer Jams.

And on December 3rd, 1976 an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley's life in which his chest was grazed and his arm was struck with a bullet but he survived.

Although Marley was not badly injured his wife and his manager were just fortunate enough to survive.

Undeterred Marley played at the Jamaican Peace Concert just two days later famously saying,

The people who are trying to make this world worse aren't taking a day off.

How can I?

And I felt that was interesting because after the attack Marley then left Jamaica.

He relocated to London where he then recorded Exodus.

Exodus of course was the album that sent him to international stardom.

It was critically and commercially acclaimed receiving gold certifications in the US, UK and Canada.

There's actually more tracks from the album of Exodus on Marley's greatest hits compilation Legend than from any of his other records.

And in 1999 Time Magazine named Exodus the best album of the 20th century.

Jamming, the song that you just heard was a major international hit reaching number 10 on the British music charts

and number one for several consecutive weeks in Marley's home country of Jamaica.

Bob Marley's Jamming is a song that encapsulates the spirit of unity, resistance and the celebration of life through music.

The lyrics convey a sense of togetherness, hope, enjoyment as Marley invites the listener to jam with him.

Using the term jamming to describe not just a musical act, not just a performance,

but a communal experience that transcends the everyday struggles.

And I thought man what a connection.

Why we gather on Sunday mornings here at HTV.

You know it's not about us but why we worship, why we connect to God because it's a communal experience.

Vivian Goldman in her book, the book of Exodus, the making and meaning of Bob Marley and the Whalers,

recalled seeing Marley perform jamming live at his first concert back in Jamaica following his sojourn in London.

She would go on to say the tune had yet another edge in addition to praising and dancing, survival.

Jamming became the life force, the very breath and pulse of existence for Bob Marley.

It literally became a declaration of who he was and this was all happening because Cuba was then on the front lines of a cold war.

You had a pro-Cuban socialist government led by Prime Minister Michael Manley clashing against a fiercely anti-communist right wing opposition led by Edward Seagal.

So Jamaica was in just chaos.

They were literally having a civil war but only Bob Marley could have convinced Manley and Seagal to join their hands together in a show of unity under the banner of God.

Right? On stage at that celebration, at that concert for freedom.

Although after the event there was more bloodshed, reggae set the stage for being able to change the world.

For a momentary moment of time they were able to bring people together and it's just interesting that Marley just points to you and me.

He points to his audience when he wrote the song Exodus.

What did he say? He says, are you satisfied with the way you're living?

Right? Are you satisfied with it? Look inside and discover what it is that you need to change.

What it is that you need to work on.

Right? The song Exodus is a call to arms for the disenfranchised people.

Right? Those forgotten, those left out to unite and make changes in their own lives which can then impact the world.

And as I listen to these words of these two songs over and over and over again over the last few weeks,

God led me to a specific section of scripture that I want to read for you right now.

What I want to invite you to do is, as I read, I want to invite you to please close your eyes.

Just remove any distractions.

And as you hear these words, right, just allow them to speak to your heart.

All the believers devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to sharing in meals, including the Lord's Supper, into prayer.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the Apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

They sold their property and possessions and shared their money with those in need.

They worshiped together at the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity,

all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.

And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts chapter 2 verses 42 to 47.

Acts 2:42–47

A very familiar section of the Bible that is often referenced as a picture of what the church looked like after Jesus ascended and went back to heaven.

And as you read those words, it turns out when God said in Genesis 2, 18, it is not good that man should be alone.

He was telling us something about a fundamental truth that he put inside of us.

We are designed for community.

And so many people, they point to that scripture, a man should not be alone.

It's a marriage scripture. But here's the reality.

It's not a marriage scripture. It's a scripture about community, because he was saying that before the fall.

Since the fall, since then entered the world.

Envy, malice, bitterness, pride, dishonesty, and disloyalty.

Sin is antisocial. Sin is anti-community.

It separates people. It complicates things. It distorts things. It damages relationships.

But Jesus, Jesus came to redeem humanity completely.

Which means that every aspect of our human nature, including our social and our relational beings, is to come together and build community.

Acts 2, 42 to 47, describes the result of God bringing people together.

All genres of people. All classes of people.

And when people trust in Jesus, right? When they're forgiven of their sins, when they're filled with the Spirit, what happens?

What are the results? People build community.

They come together and share their lives.

God's saving work produces a dynamic community in which all of us share in the spiritual life of Jesus, while also sharing all that we have with each other.

And this is important, right? Because our common faith, our common belief in Jesus, produces our common life together.

Fellowship with God is the foundation of our fellowship with one another.

And for so many people, right, they read this section in the book of Acts and they tab it as just a cool story.

They tab it as a model of what the church used to look like.

Right? But I believe there's so much more.

Bob Marley was inviting people to jam with him, to come together, to unite so that they can impact and change the world.

Friends, God is calling us to the very same reality, which leads us to our first thought.

See, the book of Acts is not a description, but a prescription for the local church.

Right? It's a prescription. It's how we should be living.

The book of Acts finds a group of people that are excited about this new life that they are living.

Jesus, now think about it, let's rewind just a little bit.

Jesus had just imparted fresh vision to his disciples and we read this in Acts chapter 1 verses 7 through 8.

Acts 1:7–8

Jesus spoke to them. He says,

The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times and they are not for you to know.

The disciples are like, well, when are you coming back?

When are you going to set it right? When are you going to set the world right?

And he says, that's not for you to know.

You don't know when I'm coming back. Just be ready.

But then he goes on to say, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

You will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

And then the disciples, they take this mission and they listen to Jesus and they gather in an upper room.

And then in chapter 2 of Acts verses 1 through 3 we read this,

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.

Suddenly there was a sound from heaven like a roaring of a mighty windstorm.

It filled the house where they were sitting.

Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.

And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit.

So then after being filled with the Spirit, the people gathered, the disciples gathered.

They spill out into the streets where people were gathering in Jerusalem for a festival.

And they're hearing all these stories about the goodness of God in their native languages.

And the people were amazed. But some were very skeptical.

There was other people that gathered said, they're just drunk. That's all they are.

Don't listen to them.

But when Peter hears that, he stands up, he shares the good news about Jesus and 3000 people believe.

And are added to the church that very day.

Then we get to Acts 2, 42 and it says,

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, and to sharing the meals, including Lord's Supper, and to prayer.

And what if church?

What if we begin to shift our thinking from a once was,

Oh that's just the story of the past, to a could be.

To a growth mindset that can change the way we read the words in this passage.

This wasn't just a description of the early church.

This is the purest, simplest, most beautiful form of community of people together in relationship with Jesus.

These people, they devoted themselves to two things, going in two directions with one goal.

Everyone say two things.

And see I wanted all of us to say two things.

Because I believe there are times that we, the church, we make this thing too complicated.

Right? We overthink what it means to be the church.

What it means to be in a relationship with Jesus. To live in community.

And this is not what God intended.

God intended it to be simple.

Right? As Bob Marley sings in the song, Jammin'.

To think that jammin' was a thing of the past.

No! We're jammin' right now.

And I hope this jam is gonna last.

And it's my prayer that as I share these words,

we're all convicted to move toward community, not away from it,

so that we can impact and change the world.

Which leads us to our next thought.

See the church first devoted themselves to the gospel.

Notice Acts 2, 42 to 43.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings.

So there they have the word devoted.

And first it was to the apostles' teaching.

Then to fellowship and the sharing and meals, including the Lord's Supper, and to prayer.

And notice what happened to all the people that were gathered.

A deep sense of awe came over them.

The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

So what we see here is a group of people that went all in.

Right? They let the good news of Jesus radically change their lives

and change the way they lived.

And I wonder, church, if for some of us, sometimes our biggest hurdle

is not our knowledge of the Bible.

We read the Bible.

It's not our lack of spiritual discipline.

Many of us pray. Many of us meditate.

It's not even our lack of interest in the church.

We love to gather together. We worship together.

I wonder if our biggest hurdle is that we overcomplicate it.

Is that we overcomplicate what Jesus calls us to do.

Leaving so many people feeling stuck and then I'm sure, well, Chris, where do I put my energy?

What do I do? Right?

And I've done that at times. Right?

We overthink this whole church thing.

But in these verses, we see a group of people, they're devoted to the gospel.

Which means they were living out the good news that they had just experienced.

And when they did this, when they were devoted to the gospel, notice, God moved.

Right? We read that there was a sense of awe that came over these people.

And when it says a sense of awe, it's just not saying, well, Jesus is cool.

Jesus is my homeboy.

Jesus is awesome.

That's not a sense of awe. Right?

A sense of awe is when we're standing on a beach, staring out at the vastness of the ocean before us.

And realizing how very small we are when it comes to this world.

Or when we decide to see a sunrise and we travel up to High Rock and we look out over the valley where we live.

And we see the beautiful sun setting only to realize how big and vast God really is.

And when we come to those places and we experience that, we literally stand in awe of God's creation.

How majestic it is.

How incredible it is.

And then we develop a sense of gratefulness for who God is.

But not only did God move in the community when the people gathered, but we read,

many miraculous signs and wonders were performed.

Well, what does that mean?

Well, this is the biblical way of saying crazy stuff was happening.

The same miracles that Jesus did.

Those that were blind could now see.

Those that were lame could now walk.

Those that were sick were healed.

These regular, ordinary, everyday people, they were doing the stuff and they were seeing the kingdom of God break in.

And change lives.

And I don't know about you, but I want that.

And I want to see it happen right here today.

I want to be a part of a move of God just like that.

And I think this call, a moving from Acts, right, is a simple call to devotion.

It's a simple call to focus on what is important.

Right? Bob Marley sings, for life is worth much more than gold.

Right? You heard those lyrics in his song.

What's interesting, on a flight home to Jamaica in May 1981, Marley became seriously ill.

And six months previously, he had learned that his melanoma had metastasized.

On landing, the 36-year-old was rushed to a Miami hospital where he died not long after telling his son,

money can't buy happiness.

Money is not life.

But yet within our culture, friends, our minds get so clouded and busy going 100 miles an hour all the time,

making life feel so, what, complex.

But what if we just slow down and focus?

What if we just focus on what's important?

Now that we're devoted, right, it literally means to attend constantly, to persist, to persevere, to continue steadfast.

And when these people devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching, it means they remained steadfast to the Gospel, to Jesus.

And this makes sense.

Because this group of people, they had lived for centuries under strict religion.

It was a sacrificial and ceremonial law, what they had to do and what they couldn't do.

But it failed to produce in these people what Jesus and the Holy Spirit was doing right in this very second.

I mean, think about Peter, right, we know Peter, the guy that denied Jesus three times, even though he said he wouldn't.

The guy that was angry and cut off an ear.

He's loud and outspoken.

He's constantly doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.

But then you see him standing up and telling the story of Jesus in Acts 2, 41.

And 3,000 people give their life to Jesus, right?

These people heard the message of this God man who came to earth.

He put on our flesh and dwelled among the people that he created.

He lived with them, he loved them, and he ultimately died on their behalf.

Jesus died of hands that he created.

Jesus' hands were pierced with nails that he gave skills to create.

He died on a cross made of wood that he created.

But he didn't stay dead.

He came out of the grave three days later proving that this new way of life, this new way of living is what?

It's real.

He proved this new way of having a relationship with God, with people.

It was real and it proved that we could now connect to God and anything was possible.

People heard this news and they responded.

They could not resist it.

They were tired of religion and they went all in and believed.

And it was like this childlike innocence and faith that they were devoted to the gospel.

Fast forward to today.

How do we devote ourselves to the gospel?

Well, to answer that question, I want us all to ask a simple question of ourselves.

Do you believe the gospel is true?

Do you believe the gospel is true?

See, when we dare to believe that there is a God, when we dare to believe that this God has a love for us so big, so wide, so high,

that he crossed eternity to be in relationship with me, that every day we wake up we need to be grateful for the air that we breathe.

And then we seek Jesus taking seriously what he called us out of and now what he calls us to.

Friends, when we're in a relationship with Jesus, he now calls us sons and daughters.

Doesn't matter about our backgrounds or the things we've done or the voices that whisper that you're not good enough.

You are now full of the Spirit and you have the ability to say, no, God, I give you everything.

I want to step into this crazy adventure of living in abundance.

I want to go all in for you, Jesus.

Bob Marley sings, ain't no rules, ain't no vow, we can do it anyhow.

I and I will see you through because every day we pay the price.

We're a living sacrifice.

Now it's interesting, I did some research.

I and I is a complex term referring to the oneness of God in every human being.

In the words of Rastafari scholar E.E. Kashmore, he says this,

I and I is an expression to totalize the concept of oneness.

The term is often used in place of you and me or you and I or we among the Rastafari,

implying that both persons are united under the love of God.

And what if I was now to say, friends, when we're in a relationship with Jesus,

we're united under the words that Paul writes in Romans 1-16.

I am not ashamed of this good news about Christ.

It is the power of God at work saving everyone who believes.

Right? I am not ashamed.

I am a living sacrifice.

And when we say those things and we live this way, it allows God to change me

because Jesus doesn't want just half of us.

He wants all of us.

He wants all of our being.

He doesn't want to just be our Savior.

He wants to be our Lord.

And when we step out in faith and believe that this Jewish carpenter born of a virgin

really was who he says who he was and did what he did when we read about these things,

friends, it unleashes a lion within us to become more and more like him every single day.

This is what it means to be devoted to the gospel.

Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15.

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the good news I preached to you before.

You welcomed it then and you still stand firm in it.

It is this good news that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you

unless, of course, you believe something that was never true in the first place.

I passed on to you what was most important, what has also been passed on to me.

Christ died for our sins.

Just as the scripture said, he was buried, he was raised from the dead on the third day.

Just as the scripture said.

See, friends, the goal of life is not simply to show up to a Sunday at church.

Because if we just show up and church becomes a spectacle,

church just becomes another place where we're just an audience, that's just playing church games.

And God doesn't want us to play church games.

The goal of all this, the goal of this place that we're sitting in is not to build a bigger building.

The goal of this place is not to have a larger online community.

The goal of HCV is to build an army.

I believe we are called to build an army and you are a part of that army.

And we are called to go out into this world and change it and make it a better place.

Because you know why?

Evil doesn't take a day off.

Just like Bob Marley said.

Evil does not take a day off.

And the church can't take a day off.

Because if you take a day off, then that could be one person, right,

that misses the opportunity to hear the good news and ends up in hell.

And we don't want that.

As a community of faith, we want to use every resource at our disposal to move this gospel forward.

To reach the ends of the earth.

To see people changed and transformed.

And you are called to be a part of that which leads us to our next talk.

First we devote to the gospel.

Then we devote to one another.

The church devoted themselves to one another.

Notice Acts 2, 44-47.

And all the believers met together in one place.

And they shared everything they had.

They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

They worshiped together at the temple each day.

Met in homes for the Lord's Supper.

And shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

All the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people.

And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

This is simply a zoomed in picture of what this group of people actually look like.

When the Bible says they devoted themselves to fellowship,

it just simply means they participated together.

They devoted themselves to contributing.

They devoted themselves to sharing.

They devoted themselves to be with one another.

And it means why?

So the gospel can be furthered.

And think about it. These people didn't have to do it.

Many of these people were facing persecution.

Death. They were being exiled for their families for believing in it.

But they were so compelled and overwhelmed by the goodness of Jesus they were experiencing.

That they wanted to be in.

Yet within our culture,

we get a taste of this on Sunday mornings.

I hear it all the time from people.

It's like I can feel God here.

I experience God here.

I love being around the people and being encouraged.

And then so quick we run out these doors.

And then we return to our daily lives of hurry and work and family and chores and sports.

And all those things which are important.

I'm not negating them.

I understand that we have to pay our bills and be responsible.

But I also believe this allows for us to make excuses of why we don't gather with other people.

Why we don't commit to other people.

Well, Chris, I don't have time to be in a group.

Well, Chris, I don't have time to get prayer.

Well, we aren't ready to get counseling.

We're too busy.

Right?

When in reality, change happens in community.

When we gather together, change happens.

This prescription, remember it's a prescription, not a description.

That God has written for us in the book of Acts challenges us to go all in.

Right?

To go all in for the gospel and to go all in with one another.

Why?

Because that's when God uses us.

2 Corinthians 5 20.

We are Christ's ambassadors.

God is making his appeal through us.

Think about that.

God's making his appeal through you.

Even though all the things you've done in your past that you don't want anybody to know about.

If you're in a relationship with Jesus, you're forgiven.

And he's saying, let me use you to invite people to come back to me.

He's inviting us to that.

What if gathering together is a simple reminder that we're called to live on mission for others?

Right?

To see other people come into a loving relationship with God.

And we are called to be a part of this.

It's not my job.

So many people, that's your job, Chris.

You save people.

No, I don't save anybody.

God saves them.

And it's not just me.

It's the church.

It's all of us.

We are all called to be a part of this.

Right?

We are all called to see God's kingdom break in.

Right?

And it's nerve-racking and it's overwhelming and it can be scary.

Let me just share an example.

You know, I've been pastoring this church for 18 years.

For 18 years I've been pastoring this church.

It started in my house.

Right?

And then it went to the Red Cross Community Room.

Then it went to a middle school.

And then it went to Bauer Avenue.

And then it went to South High.

And now it's Oak Ridge Drive.

But oh, COVID showed up.

And then we went to the outlets.

And now we're back at a...

It's been a crazy journey.

It's been a crazy journey.

And I share all that to say, a part of that journey was stretching me.

Right?

To challenge people to come into a relationship with Jesus.

Right?

And then the salvation invitation was intimidating.

Right?

I was nerve-racked about inviting people into a relationship with Jesus.

I didn't want to offend anyone.

Well, what if no one responds?

Well, what if people, you know, come forward but they don't get healed?

And I was always intimidated in my head, right, about what would happen if I gave a salvation call.

Or I invited people to get prayer.

I was worried about me.

I was selfish.

I was worried about my image.

I was afraid of man.

And then in my quiet time, God challenged me and said, Chris, you've got to start stepping out.

You've got to begin to pray the salvation prayer with other people and invite people into my relationship.

That's what your mission is.

That's what the church's mission is.

And he assured me, he said, you don't have to save anyone.

Right?

Get out of the way and let me do it.

Invite people to experience life change.

Be bold.

Right?

So I took a step of faith.

And I still remember the Sunday I stepped out.

And I was nervous and sweating.

And my palms were sweaty.

And I just gave, and this was back on Bauer Avenue.

I just gave a salvation call.

Right?

And one or two people said, yeah, I want to give my life to Jesus.

And it was great.

And I celebrated it.

And then I stopped.

I didn't do it again.

I didn't, I didn't step out.

And then God challenged me when we moved from Bauer Avenue to South High.

And then when we bought this place at the height of COVID.

Right?

I was talking to a camera.

And we couldn't meet together.

And God challenged me.

He said, when we open back up, when you open the doors of this new building.

I want you to give a salvation call every single gathering.

No, don't clap.

No, no, listen.

I'm not done the story.

You guys are clapping like, yeah, good job, Chris.

No, he told me to do that.

You know what I did?

I wrestled with God.

What Jess talked about last night.

I was like, no, I'm not doing that.

I was like, headbutting.

I was hitting God in the face.

I'm not doing that.

Every single gathering.

Are you crazy?

And then you know what he said?

He said, if you aren't obedient, no one's going to come.

If you aren't obedient, no one's going to come.

And through all this, I realized, you know, when I challenge all of you to share your

story, to invite people over to tell people about Jesus and how he's changed your life,

it's intimidating.

Right?

It's intimidating.

It's hard.

And we can get overwhelmed and we put pressure on ourselves to perform.

But God never intended for us to carry the burden of seeing other people saved, set free,

and experience new life.

Because we can't save anyone.

Chris can't save anyone.

Right?

Tom can't save anyone.

God does the saving.

We just participate in it.

We can't change someone's life.

But God wants us to be a part of changing someone's life.

Right?

We can't heal the hurt, the trauma, the pain, and the abuse.

But God can.

And God wants us to be a part of a relationship with people so that we're encouraged to go

out and do these things because he partners with us to see people healed.

I mean, all of us have a friend in our mind, a family member in our mind that we, our heart

breaks for them and we want to see their life changed.

We want to see them set free.

We want to see them in a relationship with God.

But we do nothing.

And God says, no more.

If you have that burden, step out in faith because I will change them.

Which leads us to another question.

Do we simply complicate the mission of the church?

Because I believe we do.

You and me feeling this burden to see others experience life change and transformation

is similar to my son Phoenix packing for a trip that he was about to go on.

So a few months ago, Jess was going to visit my daughter Trinity in Florida and Phoenix

was going along because Trinity missed Phoenix.

So we empowered Phoenix to pack a bag.

Phoenix returned after a long while.

We were wondering where he was and how he got lost.

And when we asked him, hey, Phoenix, can we see what you packed?

This is what we found.

Do you want to see it?

A big truck.

Markers with no paper.

A Thor hammer.

Can't go anywhere without a Thor hammer, right?

One shoe.

One pair of underwear.

A bunch of monster trucks.

And a Nerf gun.

So, right?

So we laugh.

So when he brings this to you as a parent, right, in this moment and you see this,

do I get upset?

Do I get frustrated and begin to lecture him on the essentials of travel?

You know?

Well, Phoenix, what about socks?

What about underwear?

What about a toothbrush?

You know, didn't you check the weather?

It's going to rain.

No.

Like, that's not how we respond to our child.

I'm excited that he joined in the process of packing a bag.

Like he did something.

And at the end of the day, even though the real packing needs to happen,

Phoenix gets to celebrate because he was a part of it.

Right?

Phoenix can't pack without me.

Phoenix can't pack without Jess, but I can pack without him.

So the burden of the invite, the burden of living for Jesus, right?

It's not on me.

It's on God.

Did you know that God has invited you to be a part of a work?

He's already doing it.

Do you believe that?

He's already doing a work in people's lives that you know all you have to do is join in.

Do you think Phoenix felt a burden or pressure when he was packing?

No, he was having fun.

He was like, man, it's going to be great.

I'm going to play with all these toys on the beach.

He felt nothing.

He felt excitement because he knew his dad would take care of everything else.

So as crazy as this example is, I look at the early church as like a child packing for a trip with their parents.

They were just having fun.

They were just living with passion for Jesus.

They were carefree, right?

Phoenix wanted a bigger suitcase.

I believe the early church, they had a big vision, right?

They wanted to fill it with just people's lives.

And I don't know your story.

I don't know where you came from.

I don't even know what you're currently struggling with or the mistakes that you've made.

But if you're in a relationship with Jesus, I want you to hear this.

God wants to partner with you.

God wants to partner with you to see other people come into his kingdom.

You are not disqualified.

You are not about the sin that's in your life.

You are not needed to save people.

You join with God and allow him to save people through you.

We weren't supposed to have pressure on us when it comes to sharing Jesus.

Right? Next week you heard Rudy.

We want to give out thousands of glow.

I'm already wearing one glow bracelets for you to give away at the July 4th giveaway.

Why?

Because Jesus communicates to us, church, be simple.

There's two things you have to do when you follow me.

Matthew 22.

Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love others.

Love God.

Take a collection of glow bracelets and love others.

Give them away.

Well, Chris, how does that change lives?

Well, it opens the door to a conversation.

It opens the door to an invite.

It makes people smile.

Right?

And when we do these things, look what happens.

Acts 2, 43 and 47.

A deep sense of awe came over them.

And the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

And each day the Lord added to the fellowship those who are being saved.

If you devote yourself to Jesus, change happens.

See, the early church, they weren't living a convenient life.

They were living a life of conviction.

They chose to do what was hard.

And when we do this, when we choose to go against the grain, when we choose to go against culture,

friends, that's when God moves.

Bob Marley, he sings, true love that now exists is the love I can't resist.

True love, Jesus, I can't resist it.

And I want to give it away.

So let's jam together.

He wants people to come together to celebrate oneness.

Right?

To celebrate uniqueness.

But more importantly, to point people to God.

That is being the church.

Right?

It's a movement of the people.

When Dan was singing Exodus, you know, movement of the people.

It's so beautiful, isn't it?

We are called to move.

We're not called to sit and watch and spectate.

We're called to move and make a difference.

We're called to be the church.

Five simple things to be the church.

Number one, show up.

Show up, church.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching in the fellowship.

When we ask you to gather here on a Sunday morning,

when we ask you to make this a priority,

it's because we believe that you being here on a Sunday can move you closer to Jesus.

We believe that.

Hebrews 10.

And then when we gather, let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of good love and good works.

And let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do,

but encourage one another, especially now the day of His return is drawing near.

And notice these verses, they encourage us to motivate one another.

We motivate one another by asking questions.

Hey, how are you doing?

Hey, my name's Chris.

What's your name?

And then when they say, when you ask them the question, how are they doing?

And you say, well, I'm okay.

How are you really doing?

It's okay to ask a deeper question.

And if they're struggling, pray for them.

You heard Stacy challenge you.

Hey, if you're struggling, put your hand up.

Someone will pray for you because that will happen.

In fact, we're going to do that at the end of this gathering.

Is that okay?

Are you sure?

Okay.

Well, then I shouldn't have to yell at people to go and pray for people then.

We're going to pray for one another.

We accept one another.

We challenge one another.

Live out this mission, church.

Right?

For some of you, listen, if you have kids, sign your kids up for kids camp.

It's not that hard.

There's a, what's it called?

QR code.

Scan it and sign your kids up.

You're like, well, Chris, why would I sign my kids up for kids camp?

So they show up to learn about Jesus.

It's an important part.

And for some of you, you need to show up and teach these kids about Jesus.

Right?

This is an opportunity for lives to be changed.

Now I want to pause.

Those of you gathered here, I'm going to look at the camera.

There's a lot of you that are watching online and you think, well, Chris, I can't show up to HTV because I live in Kansas or I live in Florida or I live in Germany.

Yes, we have all those places watching our sermons.

Okay?

I have no idea why, but they are.

God bless them.

I love you.

Okay?

But those of you that are far away and you can't gather or you're not physically able to gather, I want to challenge you to do something.

Don't watch alone.

Have a watch party.

There's people in your sphere of influence that are struggling.

They need help.

They need hope.

Invite them to watch these talks with you.

And then suddenly you become a little community right there where you are and you have the opportunity to change lives.

God even uses technology.

Right?

And for those of you here, if you're going to take a couple of weeks off and you need a break, that's a bad excuse.

But if you do, you better have a watch party.

Don't watch it alone.

Gather with others and see life change.

Right?

Because there's people in this world that are struggling.

They are struggling with life.

They don't fit in anywhere.

And guess what?

Anybody can fit in this place.

Right?

Look around.

We take and accept everyone.

Which is good because that's why we have the tagline, come as you are.

Right?

We want to be authentic.

We want to be genuine.

And we want to share life together.

Now unfortunately, I received this email last week.

I've been to church four times.

I'm an outgoing person and enjoy interacting with others.

I was hoping to meet like-minded people.

I spoke to several people on the occasion that I was there.

The people I met were not friendly and appeared to not want to interact with me.

One was a couple and the others were women about my age 55.

I wasn't pushy so I sat by myself and decided that maybe this wasn't the church for me.

I went up for prayer when the pastor announced.

While the others had people pray over them, I just stood there feeling like a jerk.

No more tries for this church.

Okay.

And you say, well Chris, why did you share that?

Because that's that person's opinion.

Am I saying everything that she wrote is justified?

I don't know.

I didn't meet her.

But what I am saying is that's how she felt when she came here.

And I want to say church, we need to be better.

Amen?

We need to be better.

We need to be better to see people that are new, that aren't a part of this church.

If you're new here, this is your first time here this morning, we're glad you're here.

God bless you.

Come back.

We want you to be a part of our gathering.

In no way do we want anybody to feel like that.

Because we are called to show up.

We are called to be the church.

We are called to be a group of people that loves on others.

So number one, show up.

Whether you're at home, show up with others, or you're here.

Number two, pray.

Acts 2, 42, all the believers have added themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, and to sharing of meals, including the Lord's Supper, and to prayer.

And you know we encourage you to pray every day, to read your Bible every day, because we believe that's the tools that God has given us to grow closer to Him.

There's nothing more important in this life than to know God more.

And to allow Him to change us.

To know how much He loves us.

Right?

And when we pray, when we read the Bible, we are different.

We think different.

We act different.

We look different.

Right?

We're gathered here today in Hagerstown, Maryland, because a group of people gathered more than 2,000 years ago and took seriously the call to the Gospel.

To live out the good news.

And friends, the world has never been the same.

And that's why Paul challenges us in 1 Thessalonians 5, never stop praying.

Never stop praying.

Because when you're devoted to the Gospel and you're praying, that's when God will lead us to share with others, which is the third step.

You've got to show up, pray, number three, share.

All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

Right?

When we ask you to give to this house, to our community of faith, we believe that God changes your heart.

Right?

We're not asking you to give to the church to be selfish.

We're saying no.

Give to the church as a means of setting the example that the first 10% goes back to him.

And we get out of the way.

Because we really believe that every single dollar spent in this place can further the kingdom of God.

And more importantly, move our hearts closer to his heart.

Right?

For example, last year we gave away a Christmas gift, right?

To build wells in Africa.

You guys remember that?

Well, when we shared about our trip to Kenya, many of you learned that I didn't get an opportunity to visit a well in Kenya because of the flooding.

There was an opportunity for me to get on a plane and go out and see it.

So while I was sharing about that, on June 2nd, a couple of people were like, well, can we just get some images of the wells that we built?

Well, can I show you some images?

So I reached out to Blood Water Mission and they sent me these images this week.

So check this out.

There's a well that you built in Kenya.

And look at the difference that it's making.

Look at the next slide.

Look at that smile.

Right?

Now here's the crazy thing.

Here's the crazy thing.

The images that you're seeing, that's just one well.

We built six.

So there's six wells in Africa now.

Go to the next slide.

Yep, that look just like that because of your faithfulness and sharing out of the abundance of your heart.

Right?

That's why we challenge you to give.

Right?

It's not for us to be selfish.

It's not for the church to get bigger.

It's because God tells us to.

Right?

God tells us to.

He says, test me.

God says, test me.

Give the first 10 percent and you'll realize that you'll be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

Now many of you know that Jess and I went to Kenya and we shared about this on June 2nd.

And while I was sharing on June 2nd, I showed everyone these images.

Go to the next slide.

This here is a school that we visited in Kenya.

It was out in the kind of the mountainous areas.

It was very remote and out in the middle of nowhere.

And notice their kitchen.

It's all outside.

It's all done over fire.

And if it rains or it floods or it's anything, their whole kitchen gets washed away.

Here's a picture of Jess with all the cooks.

And the cooks, they're actually just moms of the kids that go to the school.

You guys want to see a picture of the kids?

Check out these kids.

So all these kids, there's 120, no actually there's over 200, there's 220 kids that go to this school.

And when I saw that they didn't have a kitchen, like Jess was sharing this during our testimony,

when I saw they didn't have a kitchen, my heart broke.

And I thought, why doesn't this place have a kitchen?

I want to build a kitchen for them.

Right? That's what I said to myself.

Of course, Jess shared it with the group that we met with on June 2nd.

Those of you who are here know this.

And then Luke Zimmerman goes, well how much does it cost to build a kitchen?

I said, I don't know Luke, let me find out.

So I reached out to Convoy of Hope, who was a part of the trip that we went on.

And Brian called me back this week and he said, Chris, it's going to cost about $10,000.

I was like, I think we can do that.

Do you think we can do that?

Alright, so I've already had from the first gathering, people come up to me and just hand me money.

And saying, put it towards that kitchen because we want to build that kitchen.

Right?

So if you want to help, okay, build the kitchen, go to the Welcome Hub, let them know.

And we're going to create a giving opportunity for you to give to the kitchen.

And we're going to try to build a kitchen over the next month.

Is that fair enough?

Okay.

And if you want to write a $10,000 check, that's cool too.

We'll take that.

That'll be an easy way to do it.

Just saying, right?

Just do it easy.

But the point is, now listen, the point is this.

It just so happens that I'm doing a giving series over the next three weeks, starting next week with Bruno Mars.

So we get to listen to Bruno Mars.

And then I'm going to kick off a giving series called Generous.

Because I believe when we live with generous hearts, and we give out of the abundance of focusing on God, that's when lives were changed.

Amen?

So we show up, we pray, we share.

Number four, we serve.

They worship together at the temple each day, met in the homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

You know, we challenge you to get in groups.

This summer, we don't really have groups meetings, so I'm going to challenge you with this.

Invite someone over this week or next week for a cookout.

Okay?

I want you to invite someone to your house.

Not me.

Okay?

Don't invite the pastor.

Invite someone to your house for a cookout either this week or next week.

Can you do that?

And I want it to be people not just that you're friends with.

Invite a few friends, invite a few people that are new to our community of faith.

And don't cook hot dogs and hamburgers, cook grilled chicken and salad.

Okay?

Get rid of those nitrates.

I just did a health series, or a health sermon a couple weeks ago.

All right?

But the point is this.

You say, well, Chris, what's that have to do with serving?

Well, to cook dinner, you've got to serve.

And it's a great way to get over yourself and do something that's not about you.

Serve others, which leads us to our final step, invite.

Acts 2, 42 to 47.

A deep sense of awe came over them and all the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

That's an in-breaking of the kingdom.

And each day the Lord added to the fellowship those who are being saved.

Who are you inviting to experience life change?

Matthew 16, 18 says this.

Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates and powers of hell will not conquer.

You