Called to Community: A Loving Community

Good morning everyone.

Welcome.

Welcome very much, and guests and members both.

Glad you're here this morning.

I want to, in the announcements, want to keep in our prayers the family of Janet Seelock.

Janet graduated onto glory this past Thursday.

We hate our loss here but boy can you picture the reunions on the other side.

A little information the visitation will be Thursday, april 16th, from 11 until 1 pm at Black Epperson Funeral Home right here in Buysville and then the funeral service will follow at 1 pm.

And that is Tuesday, this coming Tuesday.

And that is for our sister Janet Selig.

Our prayers go out to the sisters and the family.

And that is for our sister Janet Selig.

Our prayers go out to the sisters and the family in that situation.

Also want to keep in our prayers Al Wharton.

I understand Al's birthday is Tuesday not praying for the birthday thing but he's having some health complications.

Keep Al Wharton in your prayers and also our brother Ralph Schenkel.

Keep Ralph in your prayers.

Sharon Bishop, sharon was taken last night to Southeastern Med.

She had some hard stuff going on.

She's actually in ICU out here at Southeastern Med.

So you know, if you go visit, make it brief, a little prayer, but don't hang out in the ICU.

We love Sharon and David and the family.

Keep sharing in your prayers.

And I do understand Charlie Hall.

Charlie, he passed out last week and now he's going to get scheduled for a heart monitor.

Some of us have had that before.

You were the monitor for a while, so keep Charlie Hall in your prayers.

And Travis and Bree Barker are placing their membership.

Hey, stand up, kids.

We welcome you to Stop Nine Family.

Yes, all right, fantastic, fantastic.

We appreciate you being here.

Thank you so much for worshiping with us today.

All right, would you stand with me, please as we begin our worship, as we're getting ready, let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Lord, thank you for this morning, thank you for this congregation here, thank you for this time that we get to meet together freely in this country.

Lord, please let this be a house of worship, a house of celebration this morning, and thank you for what your son did for us.

Holy Spirit, you are welcome here.

Please just cover us and bless us and encourage us, and it's in your son's name we pray, amen, amen.

Amen Mighty is our God.

Mighty is our King.

Mighty is our Lord.

He's ruler of everything.

Glory to our God.

Glory to our King.

Glory to our King.

Glory to our Lord.

He's ruler of everything.

His name is higher, higher than any other name.

His power is greater, for he has created everything.

Mighty is our God.

Mighty is our King.

Mighty is our Lord.

He's ruler of everything.

Glory to our God.

Glory to our King.

Glory to our God.

Glory to our King.

Glory to our Lord.

He's ruler of everything, and His name is higher, higher than any other name.

His power is greater, for he has created everything.

Mighty is our God.

Mighty is our King.

Mighty is our Lord.

He's ruler of everything.

Ruler of everything.

Ruler of everything, ruler of everything.

Ruler of everything.

Amen.

Now this next song.

The words of this song have compelled me.

I know that we sometimes metaphorically think of this in our hearts as on bended knee, but I feel compelled in this song to believe the words that I'm saying.

So I'm going to assume a kneeling position for this song.

If you feel so compelled, I invite you to do the same with me as we sing On Bended Knee.

On bended knee.

I come With a humble heart.

I come Bowing down before your holy throne, lifting holy hands to you.

As I pledge my love unto you.

I worship you in spirit.

I worship you in truth.

Make my life a holy praise unto you.

On bended knee, I come With a broken heart.

I come With a broken heart.

I come Bowing down Before your holy throne.

As I look upon your face.

Show your mercy and your grace.

Change my life, o Holy Spirit.

Make me fresh and ever new.

Make my life a holy sacrifice to you.

How deep the Father's love for us.

How vast beyond all measure that he should give his only Son to make a wretch his treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss.

The Father turns his face away as wounds which mar the Chosen One.

Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon the cross, my sin upon his shoulders.

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held him there Until he was accomplished there.

Until it was accomplished, his dying breath has brought me life.

I know that it is finished.

I, I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom, wisdom.

But I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer, but this I know with all my heart.

His wounds have paid my ransom.

With all my heart.

His wounds have paid my ransom.

Praise God.

Please be seated.

This is how we know that love is Jesus Christ, laid down in his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for brothers and sisters.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.

Come bow with me, please.

Father, we thank you so much for heaven.

Thank you for that land that one day we can go through because of your son, jesus.

We ask you, as we talk about this morning, how we can love more like Jesus, that you open our hearts and that you teach us to love with our actions and not just with our words.

In Jesus' name and all God's people said amen.

I've learned this week people will counterfeit just about anything.

I thought you just counterfeited money, but there's people.

There's what's that purse thing?

Louis Vuitton, what's that called?

People counterfeit that.

People counterfeit tennis shoes.

People counterfeit iPhones.

I didn't know there was a big counterfeit of iPhones.

There's all types of things.

People counterfeit Rolex watches.

Now, can you tell the real from the fake?

One's real, one's fake.

You got a 50-50 shot.

Why is it fake?

Oh, because it says fake up top.

Okay, Hmm.

That may be right.

It looks a little smaller.

One of the ways they test a Rolex is the water test.

They stick it in the water.

If it's a real Rolex, the water doesn't get behind the little face inside.

If it's a fake, chances are it gets inside.

And then there's money real or fake.

His hair's too long.

You know what that is.

That's really a $1 bill that's been turned into.

See the one.

So it's a fake.

It's a $1 bill that's been turned into a $100 bill.

Now I've been told that the US Department of Treasury, in order to find out if a bill is real or counterfeit, they train their agents to study just real bills.

They don't look at the counterfeit at all, they just look at the real one, because if they know what the real one looks like, when they see a counterfeit they'll know.

So they don't even study what a counterfeit bill looks like, according to what I read, but that they look to see what a real one's like.

And you know they have the security thread.

People hold it up to the light to see if there's the security thread there.

They have the watermark and the watermark and the watermark, if you look at it, is the image of whoever's picture's there, that's Grant, right.

So if you look at the watermark, it would be an image of Grant on the watermark.

They do go to all this trouble to make sure that the bill you have is real and not counterfeit and they spend hours studying the real thing.

That's what John did when he wrote the letter of first John, the apostle John.

He wrote a letter called first John.

He wrote this letter to a church that was dealing with a lot of things.

Number one they were struggling with doubt.

In fact he says in first John, chapter five I'm writing this letter to you so that you may know you're saved, so that you may know you have eternal life.

Jesus doesn't want you to live in fear.

He wants you to know that if you've been baptized into Christ and you're trusting him, you're saved.

You're still going to mess up, but you know he was dealing with things called the Antichrist.

There was a group of people in the churches that John was writing that was teaching that Jesus really didn't come into flesh.

And he says that the Antichrist is anybody who believes or teaches that Jesus doesn't come into flesh.

So you don't have to worry about what the Antichrist is, because I know a lot of these charlatan TV preachers that try to get you to send money.

They say things like well, the Antichrist is Young Ching Kung or whoever it is in North Korea.

Or the Antichrist no, god says anybody that doesn't believe that Jesus came in the flesh is the Antichrist.

So he wrote a lot of things like that.

And John the first John, that letter is a lot of this versus this.

He says love versus hate and he talks about Jesus versus the Antichrist.

He says love versus hate and he talks about Jesus versus the Antichrist and he talks about real, genuine Christianity versus counterfeit Christianity and he spends a lot of time talking about that.

And so throughout the letter he describes the type of community that the church is to be, and in chapter 3, he emphasizes that the church is to be a loving community.

We're in a series on called to community.

The church is not this building.

The church is the people that have been called to live a different lifestyle.

Last week we talked about, we were called to share, and we looked at the Acts, chapter two, when the church began, and that that group of people there learned to share by first accepting God's grace, and then they devoted themselves to what was best.

They devoted themselves to the apostle teaching.

What does God want us to do?

They devoted themselves to the fellowship.

How can we love God's people?

They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread.

How can we remember Christ's death?

They devoted themselves to prayer.

How can we seek God's will?

And when they devoted themselves to those things and celebrated being saved by grace, the Holy Spirit worked on their heart and all of a sudden they started sharing with each other whoever had need.

Well, john talks about how God wants us to be as a community, a loving community that loves each other.

And he talks about that.

So we're going to look at that this morning, how we can have that loving community, and we're going to look at 1 John, chapter 3.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

First, to do that, we need to see the traits of a counterfeit Christian.

In verse 1 of chapter 3, I want you to notice what John says.

He says see what great love the Father has lavished on us.

He has lavished love on you.

God doesn't sting you with his love.

He loves us lavishly.

And he says here's how great this love is, that you are called a child of God.

He's writing to these Christians and says you are children of God.

We all are children of God.

What a great honor.

I love being called a husband, I love being a dad, I really love being called a poppy, but the greatest honor is to be called a child of God.

When God calls me His child, and it's not because I'm worthy of it I don't deserve to be a child of God but because he loves me.

He's lavished His love upon me and he's adopted me as a child of God.

That I no longer have to live in spiritual poverty but I'm a child of God.

I no longer have to be a slave to sin.

I'm not a slave anymore.

I'm now a child of God.

I'm no longer homeless and hopeless, but I've been adopted into his family.

When I was baptized into Christ, I became a child of God and that means I received those benefits.

As his child, I, you.

You begin to develop a family resemblance, as he's my father and I'm his child.

I want to start looking like the father.

I want to develop that resemblance.

You resemble somebody in your family.

My family was here last week a lot of them for Brittany's baby shower and my brother was here and people came up and said well, I can tell that your brother.

Y'all resemble each other and I said you're right, I'm better looking, but we do resemble each other.

There was a family resemblance.

Well, if I'm a child of God, there's to be a family resemblance.

We are to start looking like God and loving like God and become more like God and we develop that in doing that.

But John says there's another family as well.

He says this is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are.

He says there's children of God, there's real Christians and there's children of the devil.

There's some counterfeit Christians out there.

He says now, here's how we know who the children of God are.

Anyone who does what is right, does not do what is right, is not God's child.

Now, he's not talking about being sinless, but he's saying this Anyone who doesn't practice doing right, anyone who spends their time doing evil, is a child of the devil.

And then he says this and anyone who does not love their brother and sister is a child of the devil.

He says it's pretty simple to tell which family you're in.

A child of God seeks to do what's right, seeks to please his father, and a child of God loves his brothers and sisters.

A child of the devil seeks to please himself.

And it's a simple test If you don't love these people in this room, you're not a child of God.

And so he makes it pretty clear.

In fact, he says we've had this message from the beginning we need to love one another.

This message from the beginning we need to love one another.

The church is a place where people love one another.

And then John gives them an example.

He says I'm going to give you an example of what the child of the devil is like.

And he goes all the way back to the Old Testament and he refers to Cain and Abel, who was Cain and Abel's dad.

Adam, adam and Eve.

Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve, abel was the second.

He says don't be like Cain.

Don't be like Cain.

He was a child of the devil who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.

And why did he murder him?

Because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous.

Now, I don't know if you're familiar with the story of Cain and Abel, but I invite you to turn to Genesis 4 and read it.

But here's what happened they were to give an offering of worship to God.

It says in verse 4, that Abel, who was a shepherd, gave the fat portions of his first fruits and offered it to God.

He gave the best he had.

He got the best lamb and he took the best lamb and he gave it to God.

He offered it to God.

And then it says Abel, who was a farmer, he offered some fruit.

See the difference.

One gave the fat portions of the best lamb he had, of the first fruits, and he said God, I'm giving this to you.

Abel went out oh, that pumpkin over there is rotten and that watermelon looks like it's got a hole in it and that cucumber is looking bad.

I'll just here.

God take it.

One was the child of God and one was the child of the devil.

And so John is saying you need to decide which side you're on.

Are you real or are you counterfeit?

Because the child of God gives their best, because that's what the father did.

The father gave his best, he gave his son and if I'm a child of God, I give God the best.

I'm not giving my leftovers, my leftover time, my leftover finances, my leftover whatever.

I'm giving God.

I'm coming in here this morning giving God the best I have.

Or some of us walked in and said, okay, I'll give God a nod On bed today.

I cry over all the heart I cry.

A child of God gives his best.

A child of God gives his best.

A child of God listens to God After Cain got mad.

Cain got mad because God didn't accept his sacrifice.

He's angry and God comes to him.

He says Cain, what are you upset about?

Couldn't you have given your?

Why are you jealous of your brother?

You could have given your best sacrifice.

You could have given me your best.

You better be careful.

God says Cain, you better be careful, because sin is crouching at your door and sin is going to master you.

But Cain didn't listen to God.

Cain, god, you don't understand how hurt I am.

Cain said God, I know what makes me happy.

You don't know what's best for me.

Cain started rationalizing.

Cain started making excuses for behavior.

A child of God listens and says this is what God said about sex.

This is what God said about money.

This is what God said about priorities.

This is what God said about my life.

This is what God says how I.

This is what God said about money.

This is what God said about priorities.

This is what God said about my life.

This is what God says how I need to deal with my enemies.

This is what God says about how I need to act in my marriage.

This is what God said.

I'm going to listen to God.

That's what a child of God does.

A child of the devil makes excuses on why he shouldn't have to obey what God does, and that's.

And Cain ignored God.

And what did he do?

Anybody know what?

He went out and murdered his brother.

He murdered him.

He's so jealous and angry he murdered him.

Which leads us to the third thing.

A child of the devil destroys life.

They destroy life with their words.

They destroy life with their actions.

A child of God seeks to give life.

They destroy life with their words.

They destroy life with their actions.

A child of God seeks to give life.

And so John says listen, there's children of God and there's children of the devil.

Let me give you an example.

John says of what a child of the devil looks like Cain.

He hated his brother.

He hated his brother.

He murdered his brother, he disobeyed God, he refused to listen to God, he didn't give God his best and he destroyed life.

And then he goes on to say in the next verse if you don't love your brother, you're just like Cain.

You're a murderer.

You may not kill him, but you're looking across this room wishing they were dead, and that's not what a loving community does.

And so I need to understand and recognize what a counterfeit Christian looks like.

But secondly, for us to have this loving community, we need to see the character of loving Christians that John tells us about.

The best way to spot a counterfeit is to see the character of loving Christians that John tells us about.

The best way to spot a counterfeit is to see the real thing, and a loving Christian community is different from the world.

In fact, he says don't be surprised, my brothers and sisters, that the world hates you.

You need to understand the world's going to hate you.

We shouldn't be surprised that the world thinks you're a nut for sitting in here eating cracker and grape juice, remembering something that happened 2,000 years ago, because most of the world thinks you're nuts, they hate us.

And you shouldn't be surprised about that, because the world is full of hate and the world is full of unforgiveness and the world is full of selfishness.

But we, as children of God in this Christian community, are not like the world.

We are to have this Christian community and he says here's how you know you have a Christian community.

Here's how you develop a more loving church.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other.

You want to know how you.

If you understand that you are saved by grace and you've passed from death and you're now relaxing in God's grace and celebrating the life we have in Jesus, you're going to love each other.

And the opposite is true.

If you don't love your brothers and sisters in Christ, chances are it's because you've never experienced God's love.

You may have been a church member for 50 years, but you've never experienced God's love.

You may have been a church member for 50 years, but you've never experienced God's love.

That's the legalist who comes to church and has to do everything just exactly right and hopes they've done enough to get to heaven.

The legalist who thinks they have to earn God's love.

They're the ones who can't love others because they haven't experienced God's love.

This lady's named Diana, diana Landers.

I met her in Arizona.

I did a gospel conversation workshop.

I do creating gospel conversation workshops.

I do four or five a year around the country and what's neat about them is that I always have people come up to tell me their story, because we talk about that.

This lady lives in Arizona.

She has three kids.

She had three kids, three sons.

One died of heart attack.

He played for Arizona State University football, one died of cancer and one was a police officer that was driving home from work one night got hit head on by a 21-year-old girl who was high on drugs and killed her third and last son.

She came up to tell me that story and she said let me tell you about a gospel conversation I started.

She said well, I buried my third son.

It crushed me and it crushed my husband.

And she said I spent years angry at God, and years just just one, asking why, and years, and finally the bitterness and the hatred I felt for that 21-year-old girl that killed my last son just ate at me.

And finally I told my husband I can't live like this anymore.

And so she said I wanted to start a gospel conversation with that girl who was in prison.

She said I wrote her a letter and we drove to the prison.

And she said we sat outside the prison for probably an hour and just wept.

And then she said I walked into the prison, went back to the little room and handed the girl the letter.

And the letter said my heart's breaking but I want you to know God loves you and that I forgive you.

And that girl started crying and talked about how she's lived with the nightmare and how sorry she was.

And they started a gospel conversation and built a relationship.

The lady's going to become a Christian someday.

And she said that's one gospel conversation I had and I went, wow, but that's what a loving Christian community does.

And you sit there saying I can't do that, and you're right, I can't do that and you're right, I can't do that either.

But God can do that in me and the beginning of understanding about.

I need to understand and see what a loving Christian is like.

So here's how we become a more loving Christian community.

Number one we're filled with assurance.

Verse 14 talks about you have moved.

You know you have moved from death to life.

You've moved from hell to heaven.

You've moved from lost to saved.

You know you've done that if you love your brothers and sisters.

So the way I become more loving is I need to experience and accept God's grace.

Does that make sense?

I need to rest into assurance that Jesus has saved me and by His grace.

I know that.

I know that.

I know that.

I know that if I die tonight I'm going to heaven, not because I'm good and not because I'm worthy, but because God is good and he lavishes love on me.

And when I understand that and understand how God loves me, guess what?

I want you to see God's love through me.

I don't force being a more loving Christian.

I can't sit up here and say start loving each other.

That won't work.

But if I get you to understand and experience the assurance of salvation that you have because of the grace of God, you will start loving each other, because you want everybody to experience that love.

Does that make sense?

And then I need to know the meaning of love, understand what the meaning of love is.

There's a lot of definitions about love out there.

I don't know if these are up here or not.

Here's some definitions about love.

Andrew, age seven, you know you love someone because your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.

Now, that may be an aspect of love.

That happened to Amy when she saw me, so I understand that Sometimes you have that effect on people.

Still happens, don't it, amy?

Yeah, it does, all right, but there's little more to love than that.

Speaking of Amy, love is when you kiss all the time and after you're tired of kissing, you still want to be with each other and you talk more.

My daddy and mommy are like that.

When they kiss they look gross.

Well, I'm not sure that's a good definition of love, but yeah, I understand the whole bit of that.

Then I like this one.

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on aftershave and then they go out together and smell each other.

Not sure that's a good definition of love either, but this next girl got it right.

If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.

See, we become a more loving community when we are assured of our salvation and experience God's love and want to share it.

And we become a more loving community when we understand what love is.

Because we live in a culture where love is people equate love with sex, where people will say I love you just to get your body.

We live in a world where people equate love.

I love you just to get your body.

We live in a world where people equate love with what can you do for me?

I love you because of what you can do for me.

I love you.

If you do this with me.

I love you when you do this.

We live in a world where love is equated with feelings, and true love is not feelings.

Love affects your feelings.

Just ask the fluttery eyes and the stars coming out of Amy's ears, or whatever.

Love affects your feelings.

But true biblical love when God talks about love, he talks about love is doing the right thing in spite of your feelings.

Love is doing the right thing even if you don't feel like it.

Love is getting up and changing the baby's diaper at two in the morning even though you don't feel like it.

Love is getting up and changing the baby's diaper at two in the morning even though you don't feel like it.

Love doesn't always feel good.

Jesus didn't hang on the cross saying boy, isn't love great?

And when I understand what true love is, then it's going to help me become a more loving community.

This is how we know what love is, not that you put on aftershave and smell each other.

This is how you know what love is.

You want to know what love is.

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

You want to know what love is.

Look at the cross.

I like that sentence.

I don't like the next sentence, and we often lay down our lives for Giler and for Sam and for Lyric and for Carol.

Now, god, you're meddling a little bit.

Now you want me to die.

That's what love is.

That's what love is.

See, jesus, it isn't just Jesus' death.

That is the ultimate demonstration of love.

It's the death of Jesus, together with what his death does for us, that shows us how great his love is.

If I'm standing on the pier at Salt Fork looking at the lake and some guy comes running down the pier and jumps into the water and starts flailing around and before he goes down for the last time, he says I'm doing this because I love you, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?

I mean, I'm sitting there a little confused that this guy jumped off and died.

That's a little strange.

I'm giving my life for you and I'm standing on the dock.

I'm sure that's love, that's just nuts.

But if that same man jumps in the water and I'm in the water drowning and he pulls me out of the water and he dies doing that so that I can survive, then I understand how the giving of Jesus' life was a great act of love, because he died so I wouldn't have to.

So what does God want me to do?

He says you ought to give your life for your brothers and sisters.

Now that you know what love is, you know what he means, you know what he's saying, you need to do whatever it takes to get your brother and sister to heaven, just like Jesus did.

You've got to do whatever it takes.

Many years ago I hadn't been here long.

We had a Bible study on Sunday night, a man's study group on Sunday night at one of the brothers' house.

We met Mark.

It was 7 or 8 o'clock.

We had Sunday night service, didn't we?

So it was after that.

So it was 7 or 8 o'clock at night and we'd have 15, 25, sometimes 30 men meet at this house that we would study.

And one night it's cold, it was snowing, it was dark, and we're studying.

And we started praying about a brother who used to be a part of our group and was a faithful member of our church for many years, who'd left his wife and moved in with another woman.

So we said we need to pray for him.

So we prayed and after we got through praying I think it was Glenn Moore, I'm not sure Somebody said we've got to do more than pray, let's go get him.

Let's go get him.

We got to do more than pray.

Let's go get him Bang.

I was young and dumb.

So we all pile out of the house and got in about five or six cars, like the Keystone cops, and we knew about where he was staying.

It was somewhere in the outer Mongolian limits of McConnellsville.

So about 8.30 at night.

Huh yeah, you were there at night.

About 8.30 at night.

We take off driving.

I'm not sure we know where we're going.

This dude is staying out in the middle of nowhere.

We go down this driveway, dirt road, it's dark.

The other thing is this guy probably had more guns than Fort Campbell, I mean, you know, and we're pulling in and we're sitting there and I'm thinking he's going to shoot us all.

He don't know who.

We are coming in there.

So Mark gets out, I get behind Mark and we walk up and I don't think we had knocked on the door.

I think he came out and there was 20, 25 of us there and we just said brother, we're here.

I'll let you know.

Number one, we love you.

And number two, we're not going to let Satan win without a fight.

So we prayed with him.

He thanked us, he hugged us, he put his gun back.

We left and every day somebody was in contact.

I'd show up at his work.

He'd clock in.

I'm there, hey, nun.

He'd go to lunch.

Somebody was there hey, what's up?

He'd go home and take a bath.

Hey, no, no, no.

But it was just crazy.

And he said finally, he told me one time he said you drove me nuts.

Everywhere I went, y'all were there.

And finally it was a happy ending.

He came back to his wife, he repented, things were fine and more than once I've heard him stand up and say if it wasn't for those group of men, I would have been in hell.

He's now in heaven.

He died, he went on to heaven.

That's a loving community.

That's a loving community.

That's a loving community.

But here's what I want you to understand If your only connection with this church family is this hour, you really can't be a part of a loving community.

You really can't be a part of a loving community.

I understand that there is no way, no way you can love everybody here.

We just don't have those relationships with everybody and you can't build them.

If this is it that's why we're encouraging people to get in a life group and you can't love everybody here.

But if you're with a group of six or eight or 10 or 12 people, you can love them and become a loving community to them.

That's why being a part of a discovery Bible study, where you give it to other Christians and you know, just be, we can't.

You can't do it in this setting.

What we do here is important, but what we do the rest of the week is just as important.

You've got to have relationships.

I don't care if you're sharing in a ministry together, I don't care if you're in a community interest group together, but you've got to be with a group of people, because it's in that small group that you learn to love the way God wants you to learn.

Does that make sense?

And so if I can experience God's grace and experience that love and stop trying to earn my way to heaven and just relax and say, okay, god, you've lavished me with your love, I'm just going to love you back.

And I experienced that I'm going to start wanting to share that love with other people.

And then, when I understand what love is by seeing Jesus say here's what love is on the cross, I'm going to love you back.

Now you ought to love each other that way.

You ought to do whatever it takes to get your brothers and sisters to heaven.

Then the Holy Spirit is going to work in my heart and guess what?

I'm going to start building a community of love.

Well, your homework is love somebody this week.

I know a family that's hurting.

Love them this week.

I know a family that's hurting.

Love them this week.

Let's strive to be that community of love.

If you haven't experienced that Christ on the cross and what he did, and you would like to be baptized into Christ to have your sins washed away, we can do that today.

The rest of us, let's strive to be the community of love that God wants us to be.

Stand this thing together.

Hark, the gentle voice of Jesus falleth tenderly upon your ear, sweet his cry of love and pity Calleth.

Turn and listen, stay and hear.

Ye that labor and are heavy laden.

Lean upon your dear Lord's breast.

Eat at labor and our heavy laden.

Come and I will give you rest.

Then His loving, tender voice obeying.

Bear His yoke, his burden take.

Find the yoke Light and easy for His sake.

Ye that labor and are heavy laden.

Lean upon your dear Lord's breast.

Ye that labor and are heavy laden, come and I will give you rest.

About 36 years ago.

My family and I was blessed to become a part of this congregation and, like I said, outside of being a dad and a poppy and a child of God, one of my greatest honors is to be the evangelist here at Stop Nine Church and I'm humbled that God chose me to be a part of this church.

I came here as a 31-year-old kid, didn't have a clue what I was doing, did not have a clue, and you were patient with me as I stumbled along.

You loved me unconditionally, even when I didn't deserve it.

And you were patient with me as I stumbled along.

You loved me unconditionally even when I didn't deserve it, and you welcomed my family with loving arms.

And God's used this church, despite its preacher, to change the world.

We have sent preachers out kids who used to be members here to take the gospel from Kimbolton to California, to Korea.

God's used this church to change the nation of Cuba.

We have literally changed that nation.

We've been a light to this community.

Young lives have been changed by this church.

Teenagers have found purpose through this church.

Senior citizens have made Jesus their Savior late in life because of this church.

And I've been privileged to go along for the ride, as God did that, and I'm still going to go along for the ride, but in a different capacity, beginning August 25th.

On August 25th, I'll be retiring as the evangelist.

But don't get too excited because I'm not going anywhere as the evangelist.

But don't get too excited Because I'm not going anywhere.

I'm going to continue to worship here with my grandbabies and be a part of this amazing church family.

I'm going to take some time off, but I've been asked to consider joining this church to be an elder here.

So consider that and we talked about me even doing some part-time stuff for a while with missions and mentoring.

Well, I'm retiring, but I'm here, thank you.

I'm excited to say that Josh is going to step into the role as our evangelist and I think he'll do a great job.

He's young, but he's the age I was when I started and I'm going to tell you right now he's a whole lot more mature at 31 than I was at 31.

So I ask you to be patient with him as he transitions and I ask you to pray for him and Morgan and Jameson and Drew and Jordy every day this week and Jameson and Drew and Jory every day this week To help in that transition.

Steeler Smith, or Steeler Silvis, is going to become an intern to work with our youth and as we go through this transition and Steeler, I've been meeting with Steeler.

As far as my Discovery Bible study on Monday, I've enjoyed getting to know him.

That young man loves the Lord and he's going to be an excellent mentor for our youth.

So again, on behalf of my family, I want to thank you for loving us.

We look forward to being a part of this family for many years.

I plan on doing some teaching and, who knows, josh may let me preach every once in a while, who knows?

But I also look forward to slowing down and I look forward to watching our young leaders Josh, jeff, natalie, steeler Bryce, all the young families we have here.

I look forward to seeing them grow in grace as they lead us into the next chapter here at Stop9.

So thank you very much.

Closing prayer.

Please keep in our prayers Janet's family, al Ralph Schenkel, connie Coulter, sharon Bishop, charlie Hall.

We welcome Bree and Travis.

Lord, watch over us, be with our growth.

Be with Woody as he transitions to a different chapter of life and Josh as he steps into a new role.

And Steeler.

We ask you to bless these folks on this list, as well as our unspoken prayer requests.

We ask you to watch over us, holy Spirit, be with this world.

Conflict Boy.

There's wars and there's bad stuff all around the world.

Holy Spirit, we ask you to intervene.

Be with our first responders, our troopers and deputies, police leaders of our community, our doctors, dispatch people, folks behind the scenes.

Holy Spirit, watch over them and guide them.

Thank you, lord, for this time of fellowship and encouragement.

Each week, many of us man this is the best hour and a half we got.

Help us to never take that for granted and help us go out this week.

Help us to never take that for granted and help us go out this week.

Find someone to love.

Matter of fact, let's start with our family.

Help us to be forgiving and loving and encouraging.

We pray through Christ.

Amen, let's sing a song to finish together.

Who else commands all the hosts of heaven?

Who else can make every king bow down?

Who else could whisper and darkness tremble?

Only a holy God.

Come and behold him.

The one and the only Cry out sing holy forever.

A holy God.

Come and worship the holy God.

What other beauty demands such praises?

What other?

splendor outshines the sun.

What other?

majesty rules with justice.

Only a holy God.

Come and behold Him.

The one and the only Cry out sing holy Forever.

A holy God.

Come and worship the holy God.

What other glory consumes like fire?

What other power can raise the dead?

What other name remains undefeated?

Only a holy God.

Come and behold Him.

The one and the only Cry out sing holy forever.

A holy God.

Come and worship the holy God.

Who else could rescue me from my failing?

Who else would offer his only son?

Who else invites me to call him father?

Only a holy God.

Come and behold him.

The one and the only Cry out sing holy forever.

A holy God.

Come and worship the holy God.

The Holy God.

Come and behold him.

The one and the only Cry out sing holy forever.

A holy God.

Come and worship the Holy God.

Come and worship the Holy God.

Amen.

God bless you everybody.

Have a great week.

Tell somebody about Jesus this week.

Be a disciple maker, Make a disciple maker.