We Are Groot || State Road Church Of The Nazarene

So how many of you are familiar at all with the

Marvel movies Most of you how many of you have

a favorite character within all of the Marvel

movies So how many of you actually just go ahead

and tell me who was your favorite Marvel character?

Iron Man or a couple Iron Man's what was Elizabeth's

Who what was Elizabeth's Loki oh, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, okay I do, I do know who that one is. That's

not my favorite part of the entire series, but

anyways, so mine's Captain America, and I heard

some boos earlier for that. Who was that? Was

that you, Kaylin? Were you booing? No? So anyways,

my favorite is Captain America, and I could tell

you about why Captain America is my favorite.

but it doesn't really matter. And my second favorite,

right up there with Captain America, but in the

number two spot is this character that I think

is only really in one major movie, and then there's

a little bit of... Do I still need to see this

part of it? I need to see this part? So it comes

back. But anyways, Guardians of the Galaxy, there's

this character by the name of Groot. And Groot

is this tree -like creature. So if you look up

Groot, if you're not familiar at all with Groot,

Kind of like this tree -like character. And throughout

the entire movie, no matter what the circumstance

is, he says one thing, I am Groot. And he says

it in a bunch of different ways. Sometimes it's

angry, I am Groot. And sometimes it's more kind,

I am Groot. But that's the only thing he says

throughout the entire movie. Regardless of the

circumstance, I am Groot. Kind of reminds me

of somebody that I know. Perhaps you've met them

too. Have you ever met somebody that they only

seem to talk about themselves? And they seem

to only consider themselves? So I am Groot and

there's this pivotal moment in the movie where

they're kind of falling through the sky and everything

changes. As Groot and his friends are falling

from the sky, Groot begins to wrap himself around

his friends until they become one cohesive unit.

kind of all protected and intertwined with Groot.

And Rocket Raccoon, which I have to admit Rocket

Raccoon is pretty cute, but Rocket Raccoon asks

Groot, why are you doing this? You're going to

die. And the only time in the movie that Groot

says anything other than, I am Groot, he says,

we are Groot. And in... If you're familiar at

all with the movie, Groot does end up giving

himself up. He sacrifices himself to save his

friends. And I think that that change from I

am Groot to we are Groot is a beautiful picture

of love and unity and sacrifice. And it really

does capture a core truth of the Christian faith.

And it's that we're not meant to live our lives

alone. We're part of something bigger, a body,

a family, a community united in Christ. So today

we're going to explore what scripture says about

this kind of unity and what it means to be willing

to make sacrifices for the sake of others. So

I think there are five points I think maybe which

isn't anyways they're all going to be on the

screen so you can follow along anyways this little

guy right over there is Groot and hopefully by

the time it's all said and done today you'll

go home saying we we we all the way home. That's

the goal. That's what we're going for today.

So the first point that I want to talk with you

about is that we are one body. Everyone say we

are one body. And really the point that I want

to make in that is I want to talk about the power

of unity in Christ. None of us will ever forget

being forced into isolation at the onset of the

pandemic. It's something that we'll remember

forever, most, if many, if not most. probably

enjoyed the break from the routine at least initially.

So how many of you thought, at least initially,

this ain't so bad. I get to stay home. It ain't

so bad. So I think most kind of probably fell

into that, but it proved what we already knew,

and that is that isolation is not good for us.

We are created for community. If you agree with

that, say, oh yeah. We're created for community.

One of the things that concerns me at times is

how painstakingly slow some are at coming back

out of isolation. And what has resulted is, according

to the World Health Organization, WHO, the World

Health Organization, that since the pandemic,

which was a worldwide event, it wasn't just something

that affected only the United States, but affected

the world, that worldwide, since the pandemic,

there's been an increase of 25 % in anxiety and

depression. So there's this I have a picture

that I want you to see here. I probably have

it in the wrong order Elizabeth In fact, I know

that I do I'm gonna take this one that you have.

That's good So it really is a vicious cycle and

I want to kind of break down the cycle a little

bit So here's what ends up happening isolation

leads to anxiety and depression if that makes

sense say oh, yeah So isolation leads to anxiety

and depression. I'm gonna pop down here for a

second. So Here are some specific things that

I mean by that So as we isolate, here's how it

leads to anxiety and depression. The first thing

is a lack of social support. And what I mean

by that is we're human, as human beings, we're

social beings. We need social interaction. And

when people are cut off from meaningful relationships,

they lose access to emotional support, encouragement,

and validation, all of which are put in place

by God to help us to fight off stress. Did you

know that? So one of the best ways that you can

cope with stress is actually being in relationship

with somebody else. Even small children do this.

When things aren't going well for a small child,

it's called proximity seeking. So they'll look

for people that they know they can trust and

they'll try to make sure that they make eye contact

with them and that helps soothe them, specifically

mothers. So when a child's upset, they'll look

for the face of their mother and if their mother's

not freaking out, They can automatically start

to find some comfort in that because we're created

for community. We're created for relationships.

When we don't have that, it can lead to anxiety

and stress. The second thing is about negative

self -perception. Isolation often increases feelings

of worthlessness and rejection which fuels depressive

thoughts. That makes sense, right? So if we're

not around other people and we're not being validated,

we start to... We start to feel like something's

wrong with us. Also what ends up happening is

without external interaction, individuals are

more likely to get stuck in cycles of negative

thinking, which can heighten both anxiety and

depression. That makes sense, right? So how many

of you know anything about cortisol? C -O -R

-T -I -S -O -L, cortisol. Are you familiar at

all with cortisol? So cortisol is a stress hormone

and Everybody has this stress hormone. So when

we experience stress, this cortisol, this stress

hormone gets released into our system. So one

of the things that's true about cortisol, do

you know how you can tell if somebody has high

levels of cortisol? This is probably too much.

You probably don't need all this information.

One of the fastest ways to see people who are

under chronic stress is belly fat. Did you know

that? It's one of the first places that cortisol

levels will start to show up. So what happens

is, as this stress hormone gets released, it

causes, there's a link between that and stress

and anxiety. So the stress hormone gets in, so

not only do we have all the emotional stuff going

on, but there's literally a physical component

to it that causes us to have more stress and

anxiety. So here's the point to all of that.

Isolation can lead to anxiety and depression.

If that makes sense, just go like this. That

makes sense, right? So here's where it gets to

be a nasty thing. So isolation leads to anxiety

and depression, but guess what? Anxiety and depression

lead to isolation. So it becomes this vicious

cycle. So here's how anxiety and depression can

lead to isolation. So we start to experience

withdrawal. So people with anxiety might avoid

social interactions because of fear of judgment

or overstimulation. Those with depression may

lack the energy or the motivation to connect

with others. How many of you have known somebody

who has struggled with depression? If you do,

then you've probably heard things like this.

They'll say, I just don't want to be around other

people. I'll choose to isolate because I don't

want to drag others down. Have you ever heard

somebody use an expression like that? I don't

want to be a burden on them, so it'd be better

if I just stay away from them. You also have

this thing about cognitive distortions. So depression

and anxiety often twist thoughts and you'll end

up hearing things, and sometimes I don't even

talk about it, but this really becomes what they

believe. Nobody wants to be around me. I'll just

embarrass myself, so I'll just avoid all of that

together. So here's the point to all of that.

Anxiety and depression lead to isolation. So

I think I have a picture up here that will show

you all of this. And here's the bummer about

all of it. So it doesn't matter which came first,

the chicken or the egg. It doesn't really matter.

And in this conversation, it doesn't matter if

we talk about isolation or we talk about anxiety

and depression. One feeds into the other, which

feeds back into itself, which feeds into the

other, which feeds back into itself. So it doesn't

take us very long before we're in a world of

hurt. And we're isolated, we're anxious, we're

depressed, and that just keeps feeding the entire

thing. And there has to be a way to break the

cycle. Well, of course there is. And God has

an answer to break the cycle once and for all.

And do you know what His answer to break the

cycle once and for all is? Community. You say,

well, that's hard. I'm struggling with anxiety

and depression, and I just want to isolate, and

I just want to do my own thing, because That

feels like it's safer to me. I understand that.

I get all of it. But the only way out of the

cycle is to say, I'm going to choose to be part

of community. I want to give you a couple of

things. Group really is a great example of that.

This change in language from I to we marks a

shift from isolation to community. Similarly,

the Bible teaches us that when we come into relationship

with Jesus, that we're joined into something

much larger than ourselves. the moment that I

come into relationship with Jesus and I understand

it won't be it's not all or nothing it's not

like a switch that gets thrown on or off so it's

not like we come to Jesus and all of a sudden

we're like okay I can't think about myself anymore

I understand it doesn't work like that but that

is the goal so that when I come to Jesus I'm

connected to something much larger than myself

and I have to begin to think that way and act

that way and believe that way and respond that

way Because it's not just about me and Jesus.

It's about us. Yesterday, Joel and I, we stopped

at Target. He wanted to get a case for his phone.

I have to be careful because I use too much information.

I have to pay him 20 bucks. So I have to be very

careful here. But we're at Target. He wanted

to get a case for his phone. And I wanted to

pick up some other things, namely some ice cream.

I was looking for like some top shelf ice cream.

I found some by the way. I found a coffee affogato

ice cream at Target. Oh my goodness, was it good?

I enjoyed every bit of it. So as we're getting

ready to get my coffee affogato ice cream, it's

amazing by the way. So if you like coffee and

you like ice cream, you've got to try this stuff.

It was fantastic. So as we're on our way to get

the ice cream, there's a lady older than me.

I don't know how old. I wasn't going to ask her.

That's kind of rude. But there's some distilled

water bottles on the very back of the shelf.

And I could tell that she needed help. And she's

kind of standing there looking up at the shelf,

and she looks at us, and very timidly she said,

guys, would you mind helping me? And I immediately

said, thank you so much for asking. I'd be glad

to help you. What can I help you with? And she

points at the back of the shelf. She's like,

I need three of those bottles of distilled water.

And I didn't say it out loud, but I'm like, I'm

not sure I can get to them. But I'm going to

die trying. So I moved some of the stuff off

the lower shelf so I could climb up on top of

it. And with the tip of my finger, I could barely

get the little plastic thing, so I could move

it just a little bit. And I eventually get one,

and dad's like, just get out of the way. I'm

taller than you, old man. So he stands up there,

grabs them, and pulls them off. And I'm like,

hey, listen. Why, you're up there, boy. Pull

the rest of them up to the front of the shelf.

Front the shelf. So that somebody who comes behind,

they have the opportunity to do that. And so

she thanks us both for it. And she makes a comment

about basically it's good to know that there's

still people like you in the world. And here's

the point to the entire thing. This is why I'm

telling you this. So I caught her. She just turns

her back. She's just getting ready to walk down

by the ice cream where I'm going to get my coffee

off of Gatto Ice Cream. And I said, Hey listen,

we're all in this together. And it's the only

way we're going to make it. And it resonated

with her. So she turns back around at me with

a tear in her eye. And she said, Lord willing,

I suppose that's true. We really are all in this

together. And we have to think about the people

around us. And when they give us the opportunity

to serve them, even if it's something as simple

as pulling down a bottle of water for them, we

want to do that. Because the only way we're going

to make it is together. Here's a few things the

Bible has to say about all of it. First Corinthians

12, 12 through 14 says, just as a body, though

one has many parts, but all of its many parts

form one body, so it is with Christ. What's the

point? Hey, we all are different, and we should

probably say thank God for that, right? Can you

imagine two pastor fills in the world? I mean,

the world can barely handle one, right? So, I

mean, two would be a terrible thing, but we're

all radically different. We look different, we

think different, we have different experiences,

but when you put all of that together, it makes

something pretty amazing. Ephesians 4, 3 through

6 says this, make every effort to keep the unity

of the spirit through the bond of peace. Galatians

3, 28, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave

nor free, male nor female, for all are one in

Christ Jesus. If I could get on a soapbox and

just be like, hey, this would probably be the

verse today that I would get on a soapbox and

say, hey, listen, this is so important. So important.

Do you know that still to this day the church

needs to hear what Paul wrote to the church in

Galatia? This is as relevant today as it was

when he wrote it. I'm a male. That might be a

newsflash to some, right? I'm a guy. I'm a guy.

And I pastor in the church of the Nazarene. It's

where the Lord has me. and I want to be faithful

to serve there. My daughter Aubrey is a pastor

in the church of Nazarene and she wants to serve

well. But you know there's still an argument

still to this day about whether there's male

or female. This is so important for us because

Paul's making this point. All of those distinctions

that we have to say, okay, you're gentile, you're

a Jew, you're male, you're female, you're this,

you're that, you're that side of the tracks,

you're on this side of the tracks. Every distinction

that we make has to go out the window when we're

in Christ. We no longer have the right to say,

I'm this, you're that. There can be no us in

them that we're all in this together. No longer

I, but we. Unity in the body of Christ does not

mean uniformity. And I'm glad for that. I'm really

glad for that. It means harmony. Just like the

guardians of the galaxy each had different strengths,

backgrounds and roles, but together we reflect

the fullness of God's design. I can't do that

by myself. You can't do that by yourself. But

together we get pretty close. Second point is

about sacrificial love or putting others before

ourself. Groot's ultimate act of love was laying

down his life for his friends. Obviously, that's

a pretty close mirror to what Jesus has done

for us, right? So he laid down his life for us.

In fact, that's a key, it's a key core component

to the gospel is that Jesus laid down his life

for us. Let me give you a couple of verses about

that. John chapter 15 verse 13 greater love has

John 15:13

no one than this that he lay down his life for

his friends Philippians 2 3 through 4 in humility

value others above yourself. How many think that's

hard? In humility value others above yourself.

I Can't I can't afford to be like I am Groot

I can't afford to be like that anymore. I have

to begin to think about, we are Groot. And I

have to look out for the people around me. Mark

10, 45, even the son of man, talking about himself,

Jesus, even the son of man did not come to be

served, but to serve and to give his life as

a ransom for many. What's the point of that?

Here's the point. If Jesus, who's God, Did not

come to say you know what I want you to wait

on me hand and foot you just serve me Jesus did

not do that. He came to serve and if he came

to serve How much more should we say I'm just

here to serve? And I don't really care what that

looks like if that means I scrub toilets I'll

scrub toilets if that means that I Stand up front

and I try to teach something from the Word of

God I'll do that if that means that I'm never

in the spotlight and no one ever has a clue who

I am That's absolutely okay Janine and I direct

clergy kids retreat. So Kevin and I were at blast.

There were some others who were there too, but

Kevin and I, we officiate basketball, and I don't

know about you brother, but I've paid for it.

I've heard in places I didn't even know that

I had. So, man, I've been pretty sore, but man,

I had a blast doing it. No pun intended. We were

at blast. I'm sorry. It was bad. So this kid

comes up to me, and I know who he is. He's one

of our clergy kids. He's from East Ohio. So he

comes up to me and he says, your name's Kyle

Jackson. And I said, no sir, it is not. And he

said, Kyle Jackson's one of the other guys who

does clergy kids retreat with us. He's a dentist.

He's also a pastor in the Dayton area. So I'm

like, no sir, I am not. I do know Kyle Jackson.

And I know where you think that I'm Kyle Jackson.

Because Kyle and the entire clergy kids leadership

team, I said, I got the biggest compliment today.

And I said, they thought I was Kyle Jackson.

And Kyle Jackson said, I'm just surprised that

they know our name. And here's the point. That's

good leadership. Years ago, this isn't even in

the notes, this is a freebie. A friend of mine

said, hey, would you come and speak at this high

school and young adult conference that they were

doing? We want you to be the speaker." I said,

I'd love to. I love those opportunities. If I

can accept them, I want to accept them. So I

said, yes. It just happened to be a water park,

so we're having tons of fun. The very first night,

the leader who asked me to come, her brother

was straight back from combat. He was a combat

veteran. And I mean straight back. He'd been

back, I think, three days when I saw him. She

said, hey, would you mind praying for my brother?

I said, I'd love to pray for your brother So

everyone else is gone. It's just a couple of

the adult leaders and I'm gonna pray for him

And I'm gonna be real honest with you. I don't

have a whole lot to say to somebody who's straight

back from combat But I'm gonna pray for him So

up to that point he's I think it was three days

that he had been back he hadn't slept at all

in three days The entire time he's just having

nightmares, he's having flashbacks, the entire

deal. So I prayed that that would stop. I can't

do anything about that, but I know a guy. So

I pray for him and I do the best. I felt absolutely

clumsy doing it. I'm like, I don't know what

to say. I don't really have any good answers

here, but I'm just gonna be faithful to do what

I feel like the Lord's called me to do. So I

pray for him. I don't see him for two, three

years after that. He has no idea that it's me.

And he bumps into me because of our mutual friend.

And he starts talking to me. He said, hey, it

was the craziest thing. He said, I was straight

back from combat two or three years ago. And

there was this guy who was there. I couldn't

tell you the first thing that he said. But when

it was all said and done, my sister asked if

he would pray for me. And he prayed for me. And

from the moment he prayed for me, I've not had

one flashback. I've not had one nightmare. And

I don't know what happened. And I wish that someday

I could find who that guy was so that I could

thank him. what I said I hope that one day you

do too and walked away he had no idea it was

me that's what I'm talking about even if they

have no idea that's you that we just serve and

we're grateful for the opportunity to do it we

place others above ourself Did I give you guys

practical applications? I didn't. I'm going to

go back just for a second. Elizabeth, I'm so

sorry. I'm so sorry. Let me give you, for the

first point, I want to give some practical application

along the way. So practical application from

the first point, then we'll come back to the

second point. Practical applications. Be intentional

in your relationships. Do not isolate. Join a

small group, a ministry team, or at least find

a prayer partner. The second one. If somebody

in your church is hurting, That's us. Show up.

Be there. If somebody's rejoicing, celebrate

with them. Ask yourself this week, how am I contributing

to unity in my church family? So even the Son

of Man did not come to serve, but to be served.

Most of us will never be called to die for anybody

else. You realize that, right? So it's one of

those things that it's kind of It's a theory.

Most of us will never be called upon to do that,

but every day we're given the option, the quiet,

sacred opportunity to lay down our pride, our

comfort, our preferences for the sake of others.

True sacrifice isn't always loud and heroic.

Sometimes it looks like choosing kindness over

being right. There are times you're going to

have to choose. Are you going to be kind or are

you going to be right? Sometimes it looks like

putting somebody else's needs before our own.

This is the unseen heroism of love. Christian

love is not theoretical, it's tangible, active,

and often inconvenient. Jesus calls us to embrace

a lifestyle of service above self. Groot gave

himself fully, Christ gave himself completely,

so the question for us is what are you willing

to give? Here's something that dawned on me this

morning Old Testament the sacrifice required

was a pure and spotless animal sometimes a lamb

not always a lamb Sometimes it was a dove there

were other times that other things were called

for but here's the bottom line Old Testament

what was required was a pure spotless animal

sacrifice Jesus shows up and changes everything

and Jesus shows us a more excellent way Part

of our board meeting this week. We had this conversation

so sometimes we get it in our head that that

Jesus abolished the Old Testament. Like the Old

Testament doesn't matter to us at all anymore.

That's simply not true. Jesus said, I came to

fulfill the Old Testament law. We're not abolishing

that. We still hold on to that. But there are

some things that he sheds new light on, right?

So he shows us a more excellent way. It's not

that it abolishes the Old Testament, but there's

a better way of doing it. And the better way

of doing it is Jesus becomes the spotless lamb

of God who takes away the sin of the world. But

then he says to us things like this, he's like,

now, because this is what Jesus has done, we're

encouraged to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and acceptable to God, because this is our

spiritual act of worship. This is how we worship,

by offering who we are as a sacrifice. Jesus

didn't save us so that we could live for ourselves

Jesus saved us so that we'll offer him everything

and often that means for the sake of others Some

practical applications ask God to show you one

person you can serve this week without expecting

anything in return That's fair, right? I Will

warn you if you ask God to show you one person

that you can serve without expecting anything

in return You know what's going to happen? You're

gonna have an opportunity to serve somebody and

get nothing in return. I Promise if you're like

go ahead Jesus. I go ahead show me somebody I

can serve I get nothing out of it Go ahead. Show

me one. I promise he will So ask him that consider

where you can where you need to surrender pride

over comfort To love somebody better parents

spouses co -workers neighbors put yours put somebody

else's needs ahead of your own this week Number

three, living on through another, the legacy

of faith. So when Groot says, we are Groot, he

passed on his spirit, values, and love. I was

really glad that that wasn't the end for Groot,

but that's another story. Maybe some other time

I'll talk about it. He just comes back in a different

form. Because I'm like, that's really sad if

that's the absolute end of Groot. He just comes

back in a different form. He lives on through

his friends. Though he was gone, his influence

lived on. As Christians, we're called to live

in a way that our faith continues on even after

we're gone. Let me give you a couple of examples

from the Bible. 2 Timothy 2 verse 2, so it's

2 Timothy 2:2

2, 2, 2. It's easy to remember. It trusts reliable

people who will also be qualified to teach others.

What's the point? So, he's talking to... Timothy,

who's a young pastor, and he's saying to this

young pastor, hey, don't let it be a one -man

show, but equip other people so that the work

continues to go on, so that that's how we have

a lasting legacy. If when I'm gone from here,

if everything that I've done immediately stops

and is over, then I've been a terrible leader.

But if it continues to go on because other people

have been invested in and they're able to move

the... the work of the kingdom forward. That's

what good leadership looks like. Proverbs 13

-12, a good person leaves an inheritance to their

children's children. Hebrews 11 -4, by faith

Abel still speaks even though he's dead. I'm

talking about having a lasting legacy that even

after you're gone, it continues to live on. That

was true of Abel. Matthew chapter 5 verse 14

Matthew 5:14–16

through 16. Let your light shine before others

that they may see your good deeds and glorify

your Father in heaven. Here's the point. Every

time you show grace, every time you forgive,

every time you serve, you plant seeds that outlast

you. Your legacy is not your resume. It's the

people that you've invested in. It's the people

that you've discipled, the lives that you've

touched. Here are some practical applications.

Who are you pouring into? So consider mentoring

somebody younger in faith. I Will tell you this

that if that's something that the Lord puts on

your heart I think that we all should do it.

I can't twist your arm I can I could say hey,

you should consider this I can't make you do

it if you decide that's something that the Lord

wants for me. We have resources I'll make it

easy for you I'll literally give you a packet

of stuff and say just sit down with them over

coffee and begin to work through these things

A week later, go get coffee again. If you have

to, pay for their coffee. It'll cost you two

bucks. But that investment's worth it. So get

with them every week, get them a cup of coffee,

and work through this stuff. I'll give you everything

you need to do it. But I'll tell you something.

You'll get hooked. And you'll be like, this is

pretty fun. And I don't know. For me, when I

watch people come to faith in Jesus and when

I watch people grow in that, I think I enjoy

it even more than the day I came to faith in

Jesus. It's just fun. Second one is, think long

term. Ask yourself, what spiritual legacy am

I building? The last one, write a letter or send

a message of encouragement to somebody who has

done that for you, who has shaped your faith

journey. Do you know what that would mean to

them? I won't give you a name. I had a kid. I've

been literally everything. At one point, and

I'm not making this up, but on my resume, I was

a camel's rear end. I mean, literally, it's on

my resume. So what did you do to serve? I was

a camel's rear end. And like some of you, that

is not a shock, right? You're like, we knew that.

That explains a lot. That explains a lot. But

I mean, I've done it all. I was a youth pastor

for a while. I was a children's pastor for a

while. I've done outreach and evangelism. I've

been all over the place. When I was a youth pastor,

I had a kid who was just a natural born leader.

And we won't talk about names. It was not the

church you're thinking of. It was a different

one. But this kid was a natural born leader.

And the only problem was he was a leader for

all the wrong things. So like I would have all

these great plans in place and this one kid would

say that is the Stupidest thing I've ever heard

and no one would want to do it And I would be

like we just did this because this kid wasn't

here. You had a blast You brought your friends.

You thought this was amazing. You said as much

but because he says it's stupid now you're like

it's stupid and kids just a natural -born leader

and we were doing a a leadership weekend. So

like our core group of leaders, we brought them

all in. We're just investing in them and talking

to them. And this particular kid, he's doing

his rant thing again. And I probably shouldn't

have done it. But I called him out in front of

the rest of the entire group of leaders, just

probably 40 people at this retreat. And I called

him out by name. He was sitting back over here.

And I said, hey, listen, I love you. In this

moment, you're being an absolute jerk. And you're

a natural born leader and because you're being

a jerk, you're making it impossible for everyone

in this room to hear what's happening. And if

you would allow God to use that leadership quality,

you would change the world. But right now, all

you're willing to do is cause problems. And you

got offended by that. I would be offended too.

So three weeks later, he sends me a five page

letter I still have in my office to this day.

And he said, at first I was very angry with you

for calling me out like that. But you were right.

I am a natural born leader and I have used it

for all the wrong things. but I give you my permission

to hold me accountable, that I'll use it for

good stuff from here on out. And that was years

ago. And you know what he's done ever since?

He's used it for good. And that's what I'm talking

about, about having a lasting legacy and investing

in others. If your gift is leadership, then do

it, but use it in a way that other people are

going to benefit from it. Don't use a gift of

leadership and just be a jerk so that nobody

wants to follow. Use it for something that's

going to be good. Let me give you a couple examples.

Nope, four. Number four. We are a group living

in community and purpose. The guardians of the

galaxy each had different strengths, but they

found their purpose together. The same is true

in the church here. A couple things that the

Bible says about that. Romans chapter 12, verses

Romans 12 · chapter mention

four and five. In Christ we, though many, form

one body. Ecclesiastes four, nine through 12

is probably my favorite one on the entire list

today. Adele will tease me, but it is. It's my

favorite. This one's just so good. And I don't

know, maybe it's... because it's a word picture

and I like word pictures, but this is what Ecclesiastes

says. Two are better than one. A cord of three

strands is not quickly broken. First Peter 4

10, each of you should use whatever gift you

have received to serve others. Acts 2 44 through

47. All the believers were together and they

had everything in common. Here's the point. We're

not called to attend church. We're called to

be the church. When we each use our gifts serve

in love and live in unity the church becomes

a powerful force for good in the world There

was this guy. Maybe you've heard of him His name

was dr. Martin Luther King jr. Anybody heard

of him? He said this I wish I came up with stuff

like this. I'm just not that smart Doctor Martin

Luther King Jr. said this, life's most pressing

and urgent question is this, what are you doing

for others? What you do for others may not make

headlines, but it echoes through all of eternity.

So a couple practical applications. Identify

your spiritual gifts. If you haven't done that

and you don't know where to begin, ask me. I'll

give you a tool. It'll help you to identify your

spiritual gifts. Once you know what your spiritual

gift is, you know what I want you to do with

it? I just want you to brag on it. You know what?

The Lord's given me the gift of administration.

That's not mine. I'm not bad at administration,

but that's not mine. But I just want you to brag

on it, right? It's like that's what the Lord's

done. I don't want you to use it in any way.

I just want you to talk about it, make yourself

feel really good. No, I'm kidding. I don't want

you to do that. If your gift is administration,

I want you to find ways to use that, to serve

other people around you. If your gift is hospitality,

then find ways to show hospitality to people.

If your gift is showing mercy, then show mercy.

If your gift is compassion, then have compassion.

Do something with it. Find your spiritual gift,

then go use it in service. This is my favorite

slide of the day. Did we already get to that

one? Has this one come up yet? I think it's back

one. Don't be this guy. Now you probably can't

read what it says down there, right? Do you see

him? He's a spectator. It's a potato. Don't be

this guy. Don't be a spectator. Don't be a bystander.

Here's what I mean by that. Everybody needs to

be an active participant. Every last one of us

needs to roll up our sleeves and get in there.

It should be a crime to be a spectator. Reach

out to somebody you haven't seen in a while,

invite them back into the community. Wouldn't

that be something? Sometimes people will say

this to me. They'll be like hey pastor. I haven't

seen so -and -so in a couple weeks. You know

what's going on with them and What I want to

say I'm just gonna be real honest for a second

be transparent Why don't you pick up the phone

and call them? I Mean why do we think why do

you think that I need to be the one who knows

all of that stuff? And and I'm not saying that

I shouldn't reach out to them. I absolutely should

But there's also nothing wrong with you picking

up the phone and saying, hey, what's going on?

I haven't seen you for a while. I've missed seeing

you. I like seeing your face. I like hearing

your terrible jokes. And I want you to know that

you matter to me. Do you know how much it means

to them? So if I call them, do you know what

happens? If I call them and say, hey, I haven't

seen you in a while, they think this. They're

like, that's his job. But when you call them

and say, I haven't seen you in a while, I miss

you, you know what it means to them? It means

the world to them. So just, if you know somebody

hasn't been here, I suppose you can still ask

me, but just pick up the phone and talk to them.

All right, I've gone from preaching to meddling,

I'm sorry. Everyone say we love you faster. Yeah.

We are Groot. So that powerful moment in the

Guardians of the Galaxy teaches us a deep spiritual

truth. And I'm not gonna ask you to go out of

here and be like, we are Groot. Because then

people already think we're a cult anyway, so

let's not give them for ammunition. Let's not,

we don't need to feel that. But I do want us

to leave here saying, we are the church. We are

the body of Christ. And we're not individuals

living disconnected lives, but in Christ we're

one body. We're called to live sacrificially,

to show that love through sacrificial love. We're

part of a legacy that lives on through others.

We're a community on mission and purpose. So

we need to stop thinking I and start thinking

we. Let's live deeply serve selflessly and build

lasting community and as we do may the world

see Jesus in us We are the body of Christ and

together