Closer – Closer through Community

This podcast is presented to you by Pastor Jason Burns and Access Church in Lakeland, Florida.

For more information, visit Access.tv.

Today, I'm really excited.

We're in part three of a four-part series called Closer.

And here's what we're asking.

The question is, how close can we get to God?

And I want to ask you this question as you think about this year and the remainder of 2025.

The question is, what would happen if I gave God one year?

One whole year of all-in chips to the middle of the table, one year of fully going all in with everything you've got.

That means serving.

It means giving.

It means being invested in relationships and community.

It means spending time with God in prayer, time in God's word, prioritizing being in church.

Like these are the things that matter.

And can I make a promise to you?

I promise if you'll go all in with God for one year, you'll experience him in a closer kind of way than you ever have before.

And if you don't, I'll help you find another church and I'll go with you.

Like, how does that sound?

Like, God can't help himself.

Let me show you why.

The book of James, chapter four, the promise from God is if we'll come near to God, he will come near to us.

Like if we will take a step closer to God, he can't help himself.

He will draw near to us.

So today, I want to talk about another step in drawing near to God.

And if we can do this, listen, this is one of the biggest, best things you can do.

If you're a business leader, if you lead any sort of organization or group of people, one of the most important questions you should ask every once in a while is this.

What one change, if we made, would have the biggest impact on our organization?

What one change, if we made, would have the biggest, most reaching impact?

And you should make that change.

Today I want to talk to you about the one change that I think you can make.

That if you'll make this decision, it'll literally have lasting impact, not just for you, but for generations to come.

Some 18 years ago now, access started in my living room.

It's kind of hard to imagine, it's been that long, but 18 years ago, and it was just a group of us friends, and we moved from there into what used to be called the Lakeland Center, now it's the RP funding center.

And we were there for a season, and then we moved to the YMCA in South Lakeland.

Now that the YMCA, it's on Cleveland Heights.

That YMCA has two buildings.

There's a big one in the front, there's a smaller one in the back.

And so we moved there on Sunday nights, meeting in the back building, and we were there, and the truth is access was really small.

I mean, it's kind of a miracle that we're still here.

That there were Sundays with 30 or 40, maybe 50 people.

And I'll never forget in that season that was very small, um, there was this one guy who came, and I don't know how to describe him other than to say, my man was weird.

Anyone know someone that's just weird?

You can still like them.

They're just weird.

There's just something off about them, and like if you don't know anybody, might be you.

I don't know, but like.

Dude was weird, and and he made people feel weird.

You could just see it.

Like he'd go up to people and just talk to them, and they would slowly back away from him.

If there was a single woman who came to the church, he was all up in their personal space.

And I just kept an eye on this guy.

I'm like, don't don't do this.

I'll never forget.

It was the Sunday of Valentine's Day week, and the dude showed up to church with 20 individually wrapped roses.

I was like, bro, what are you doing?

He's like, I wanted to bring a rose for all the ladies.

I'm like, this is not the bachelor.

What are you doing?

Right?

A few weeks later, um, it was before service, I had to run an errand, and I noticed that the guy was there, and there were some ladies, and I was like, I'm not leaving him here without me being here with all these ladies.

So I said to the guy, I was like, buddy, jump in my car, let's run to the store together, quick errand.

So we're in the car on the way, and this weird guy says to me, He goes, Jason, look, I have loved my time at Access.

But the truth is, this Sunday is gonna be my last Sunday.

And I was like, why?

Now I didn't ask him to stay, I'm gonna be honest about that.

But I said, uh, why?

And he said this, and all these 18 years later, this still sticks with me.

He said, the truth is this church is too big.

I was like, this church?

Like the one that's got like 30 people in the YMC, this church is too big?

Like this church is not big.

You can literally pull the pin on a grenade and roll it in and nobody's gonna get injured.

It's not that big.

It's not that big.

But to him, it was too big.

And I thought about that for a long time.

Like, why would a church that small feel too big?

And I figured it out.

It's because he didn't have any meaningful relationships.

And whether a church is 10 people or 10,000 people, every group feels too big when you don't know someone.

Here's the truth, and this is the lesson I learned from this conversation, is that everybody needs to be needed and known.

All of us need to have something to do that matters, and we need relationships along the way that help us, that draw us in.

We need relationships.

Today, as we talk about this topic of closer, I want you to understand that one of the greatest tools that God uses to bring us closer to Him and to make us more like Jesus is the relationships in our life.

Now, some 18 years ago when Access started, the very first time we had a service that wasn't in my living room, I preached the message about the very first church.

I said, if we're going to become a church, we should go back to the first.

Experts and scholars say that as you read the Bible, if you want to learn something from something, go back to the first iteration of it.

So in the book of Acts, here's what's happening: Jesus has gathered his disciples, he's risen from the dead, and he says to his disciples, guys, I'm leaving, but I'm not leaving you alone.

Someone greater than me is coming to live inside of you.

It's the person of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus leaves, the people are filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to do what God has called them to do.

And then in the end of Acts chapter 2, the church is birthed.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

The church is born.

And we should study the first church because there's so many principles here that I want us to see, because I want us to be this.

Here we go, Acts chapter 2, towards the end of the chapter.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

It says they, this new church, these new believers, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.

It says that everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

I want you to see this.

All the believers were together, and they had everything in common.

So they would get together in these larger group settings, and I want you to see this.

They didn't just say they loved each other, they demonstrated it.

It says that they sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Like this is what a church should be.

It should be sacrificial.

Like we come together to worship and we sacrifice together.

And it says every day they continue to meet together in the temple courts.

So there was a big group.

They would get together in the big groups.

And then I want you to see this.

It didn't just stay in the big groups.

Then it says this it says they broke bread in their homes.

And can we pause for a moment?

And can we just say thank you that we serve a God who enjoys bread?

Come on, it's not a keto God, everybody.

Get you an Olive Garden breadstick or a red lobster cheddar bay biscuit in Jesus' name, okay?

They broke bread in their homes.

So they went from the big group to the smaller group and they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

And then here's the result.

They were in the big groups and they were in the smaller groups, and what happened is the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

And I want you to see this.

As we're going to study this church, we need to understand something.

The big group matters and the little group matters.

The coming together in a large format matters.

Can I tell you why?

I believe churches need to get bigger because people matter to God.

Okay.

But if a church gets really big and you don't know anybody, it feels daunting.

It feels empty.

So a church needs to get bigger because people matter to God, but our church needs to get smaller in relationships because you matter to God.

And I want you to get this.

Both of these things are true and both of them are equally important.

We've got to get big because the mission of the church matters.

We exist to reach our cities with the message and the hope of Jesus, but I need you to understand this.

We also have to be intentional about getting smaller.

Why?

Because you matter to God.

I need you to understand this.

So many people live in what I would call the epidemic or the endemic of loneliness.

We just do.

We're more connected than we've ever been through social media and through internet and phones and all the stuff.

But the truth is our hearts have never felt more isolated and alone.

It's not good for man to be alone.

We were created for community and relationships.

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live in the book of Ecclesiastes, said it like this.

He said, There was a man who was all alone.

He had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.

He said, For whom am I toiling?

He asked, and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

And then he takes this feeling and he flips it into a lesson.

He says, Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.

If either of them falls down, and spoiler alert, you will fall down in this life.

One can help the other one up.

But pity anyone.

I think about Mr.

T.

I pity the fool who falls and has no one to help them up.

Also, he says, if if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

He says, though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

He wants us to understand there is value in community.

There is value in relationships.

There is value in proximity.

And we need to be the kind of people who do whatever it takes to pursue that kind of life-giving community.

Let me try to explain it like this.

As a pastor, I love Sundays.

I do.

I love it.

I hope you have the best experience every Sunday here.

I hope you can't help yourself.

I hope you share online.

I hope you invite your friends.

I hope you think this is the highlight of your whole week.

I hope your kids come to access kids so excited about church, and I hope they're buzzing so much after church that they will not take a nap.

I hope you love our worship so much, and I think we've got the best worship.

I hope that you are inspired and challenged by the wonderful, incredible, mind-bending, beautiful, handsome communicators that bring the message to you.

I hope.

I hope you love all of it.

I hope it's all amazing for you, but I want you to hear something.

This is a hard pill I had to swallow.

Sundays aren't enough.

They're just not.

In the same way that going to the gym once a month isn't enough, or eating one solid meal a week isn't enough to get growth.

Once a month isn't enough for us.

And I love Sundays.

Nobody loves Sundays more than me, but Sundays aren't enough.

Here's what you need.

All of us need authentic, honest, life-changing relationships.

All of us need godly, authentic, honest, life-changing relationships.

If you were here week one in the series, I told the story about how if you study the life of Jesus, it feels like there were circles of people that got closer and closer to him.

It started with the multitudes, and I put up a picture like this of concentric circles.

And I said that the people on the outskirts were the multitudes.

They just watched Jesus from a distance.

And then a step closer were the crowds.

This refers to the four gospels talk about Jesus feeding the five thousand.

The five thousand that he's talking about were crowds of people who came to Jesus to see what they could get from him.

And each step closer got closer and closer to Jesus, which the goal is to be one that's so close to him.

But I want to be careful to say this.

I'm not vilifying any level.

I think every relationship starts with a spark of curiosity.

I think every relationship starts from a distance and it gets closer and closer and closer.

I get that.

But I wonder if we could have a moment of transparency.

I wonder how many of us, when it comes to church, feel like we're just a face in the crowd.

In fact, here's what we're gonna do.

I'm gonna do something.

I did this in the last service, and it's it is both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

In a moment, I'm gonna ask for a moment of sheer honesty.

At both of our locations.

In a moment, I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand if this feels like you.

If you feel like you come to church and you're nothing but a face in the crowd, you come to church and nobody really knows you, and you might enjoy it, and your kids might enjoy it, but the truth is you have no deep, lasting, impacting relationships.

You just kind of slip in and slip out, and you feel unseen, and you feel like you don't have friends.

I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand in a moment of honesty.

This is hard, look.

Wow.

Wow.

And I want you to hear this as your pastor.

That's not our heart for you.

Like, we really do believe that life change happens in the context of community.

In fact, let me say it to you as strongly as I can.

I don't think godly relationships are an add-on to church.

It's not like a bonus.

It's not like you go to church and find a church that you really like the services, and if you get a good friend out of it, great.

No, no.

It's not an add-on.

Godly relationships are the backbone of the church experience.

The backbone is what strengthens the body, it's what gives you the ability to stand up against the challenges of this life.

The backbone is the part of you which gives you the courage to stand up and face the most difficult moments in your life with strength.

And you were never intended to do this life on your own.

You and I need a godly, authentic, close relationship.

So, what do we do?

One of the things I love is that with time, science often catches up to what God's word has said the whole time.

I love the Bible because the Bible's so beautiful and true and it's written hundreds and thousands of years ago.

But what I love is that modern science and modern psychology and modern social sciences are often catching up to what God's word has said the whole time.

Like, let me try to explain it to you like this.

Um, I really believe the great sickness in our world, let's just use America, in our country right now, is what I would call a soul sickness.

And let me be really clear, I have no problem with doctors prescribing medicine.

I think that's wonderful if you need that.

But the truth is it never heals the issue of the heart, which is that our souls are sick.

As we look back upon different seasons, we can learn a lot.

Like in 2020, which was this crazy epidemic kind of year, if you remember, I can't believe it's almost five years ago now that that all started.

When this all went down, all kinds of weird things happened.

We we pushed back relationally, we called it social distancing, and so we we distance ourselves from each other, and all of a sudden, depression numbers skyrocketed.

All of a sudden, prescriptions for depression and anxiety went through the roof.

In America in 2020, experts say that one in four adults between the ages of 18 and 30 considered suicide.

All other ages, it was one out of every 10.

That's soul sick.

In Japan, this is crazy.

In the month of October 2020 alone, in one month, more people in Japan took their life than COVID killed in the whole pandemic combined in Japan.

What is that?

Soul sick.

And here's the interesting thing.

I said it a moment ago, science is catching up to what God's Word has said the whole time.

Now some doctors are pushing back against prescribing medicine, and they're doing something new that they're calling social prescribing.

Social prescribing is saying, I want you to get off of medicine and I want you to get into community.

I want you to be in relationship with people.

And what they're seeing is as people get in relationship with people, some of those sicknesses inside of their soul are starting to heal, and God is doing a deep work inside of them.

We were never intended to do this life alone.

Okay.

So let me confess something to you, okay?

As a church, we only do four things, and one of the four things we do is we do something called access groups.

And here's my confession.

Sometimes I get up and I say stuff like, This is the best thing ever.

It's gonna change your whole life, and I really believe it can.

But the funny thing is sometimes I get up and say it and I feel like a salesman.

I feel like I'm trying to sell you this, like I'm trying to sell a car.

What's it gonna take for me to get you in this access group today?

That's what it feels like.

But that's not my heart for you.

In fact, let me confess something else to you.

Sometimes, in an attempt to get you into a group or into relationships, I think churches over-promise and oversell something.

If you get to a group, you're gonna find your family within the family.

If you get in a group, you're gonna find your people, you're gonna find your tribe.

And we use every different word that kind of represents a group of people.

You're gonna find your people in a group.

And I want to just come out and say this.

Maybe.

You might.

You might also walk in and feel like everyone in the room is so different than you.

You might walk in and meet a bunch of people who are wonderful people, but there's just no real connection.

And here's the funny thing: a lot of us will try it like one time, and if it doesn't go perfect, we're like, we're out.

But this doesn't happen in really any other part of our life, does it?

You ever gotten food poisoning?

You ate something and you just got really, really sick.

What happens?

You throw it up, you feel disgusting, and then over time an appetite comes back, but it comes back for that which is healthy.

In the same way, if you've tried relationships in church, I just want to say to you, it's worth trying until you find your people.

It's worth finding until you find the people in your life that make church come alive for you.

It's worth fighting for because it's worth it on the other side of it.

So as a church, we create all these different types of groups and we do it to give you options, to try to find people who are like-minded.

And let me say, maybe it'll happen, maybe you'll find your people, but maybe you won't.

But maybe you'll find on the other side, maybe it takes three or four or five different attempts, but when you do, it's worth it.

So as a church, here's the types of groups we do.

We do season of life groups.

What is this?

This is for college students or for young adults, this is for newly married couples, this is for recently divorced people, this is for people who are uh in in their retirement stage of life.

This is for men, this is for women, this is for like you name it, if there's a season of life, we want to have a group for it.

Then we have support groups.

These are for people who are walking through difficult times.

These are people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, these are for people who have lost a child or have struggled with infertility or miscarriages.

This is support groups for people who are walking through divorce or difficult relationship situations.

We want to support you.

There's financial groups, and here's the reason.

Money's a really big deal.

Money was named a few years ago as 20% of divorce cases a couple years ago specifically name money as the chief reason for a couple getting divorced.

We we want it to be a joy and not a burden for you.

Then there's activity groups.

This is groups that get together to play basketball or to go skating or to go running.

I have no idea why anybody would do that as a group, but that's what people do.

And there's puzzle groups and there's art groups and all kinds of activity-based groups.

And then I want to highlight these last two.

We need more prayer and Bible study groups.

We we need more groups to get together and disciple you and get you in God's word.

Here's a really great option.

It's what we call message application groups.

If you'll open your home and lead one of these every week, we'll send you five questions from the message, and all you do is get together and talk about it, and we get out of rows and we get into circles and we talk about how this message apply to our lives.

We we move it from a monologue to a dialogue, we move it from a talk to a conversation.

And let me say this to you.

I want this for you.

Like I want you to find your people.

I want you to get into such beautiful community and such authentic relationships.

And here's why, and I can't overstate this enough.

It's because real life change happens in the context of our relationships.

Let me try to prove it to you.

Can you name the last 10 sermons I've preached?

Okay, let me help you feel better.

I can't name the last 10 sermons I've preached.

But if I were to say to you, name for me 10 people who have made an impact in your life, you can name it really fast.

Because relationships matter.

And why don't we do it?

Why don't we pursue relationships?

Why don't we open our homes and lead groups?

Why don't we get in groups?

Let me give you the top four reasons we hear.

Number one, people say, I'm afraid, I'm gonna dispel all these really quickly.

Can I just teach you something about life?

Often the very thing you want is on the other side of 30 seconds of courage.

What to look if you just made this decision?

I'm not gonna let fear stop me from the thing that God has for me.

We let busyness stop us, and I get this one.

My family is busy.

We've got three kids with three full schedules.

There's almost not a single night of the week we have these days that isn't busy.

But here's the other side of it.

You have plenty of time for the stuff that matters to you.

You do.

You make time for what matters, and if relationships are the game changer, I want to challenge you to make time for it.

Here's another one.

People feel disqualified.

They're like, Wow, I've been divorced.

Well, I messed up, well, I did this.

Can I teach you something about God?

God is a God of love and grace and forgiveness.

And very often the thing that we feel like disqualifies us is the thing God uses to qualify us.

Like it, if you've walked through a tragic thing in your life, if you've walked through the divorce or through the loss of a loved one, if things have happened like that to you, can I give you a picture that God has for you?

What if you allowed God to flip that story to be the story that's used to help someone else walking through that situation right now?

That God redeems our stories and he qualifies us.

And some people are like, Well, Jason, you've got a doctorate.

I don't have that.

I'm unqualified.

This is fun.

We're gonna help you.

Your church family will not leave.

You out to dry.

We're not going to put you on an island and leave you by yourself.

We're going to give you help, coaches, supplies, everything you could possibly need.

None of these hold water.

Let me show you why.

In the book of Romans, we're going to read a verse, and I'll read the white words, but together at both locations, let's read the yellow out loud together.

Okay, here we go.

Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other.

Come on, one more time.

We belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

We need each other.

So here's what we tend to do.

And I want to show you one more way that science is catching up to what God's Word says.

And I want to challenge you to find your place in this.

In social science and psychology, there's something called the Johari window.

It's kind of these four quadrants of our life.

Each one represents a part of our life.

The first one is called the arena.

This is the first quadrant.

And the arena, here's the definition.

It's the stuff I know and you know.

This is the stuff I know about me, and it's the stuff you know about me.

This is the curated, manicured version of my life that I want you to see, and it's the curated, manicured version of your life that you want me to see.

This is the, we walk into church and we say, How are you?

Oh, I'm so good.

When we were in a fight on the way to church because we want to protect ourselves.

This is our social media.

This is the me that I want you to see.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus comes after it.

He says this, Matthew chapter 23, he says, everything they do, these Pharisees, these religious leaders, is done for people to see.

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

They make their phylacteries, that's a fun word.

If you ever get on final jeopardy and you win something, holler at your boy.

And what Jesus is saying is, he says, Stop wearing the words of God on your head, let them get deeply rooted in your hearts.

He says, They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.

He says, Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees.

You hypocrites, you are like whitewashed tombs.

They look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Jesus says, Stop playing games and putting on a show for everybody.

The second level that many of us live at is what's called the mask.

This is the second one.

And the mask represents this.

This is the stuff I know, but you don't know.

I'm trying to explain it like this.

Don't think COVID mask, think Halloween mask.

This is us pretending.

This is us acting like everything's fine when nothing is really fine.

And here's what's underneath this there is this fear in all of us that if you really knew me, you couldn't possibly love me.

That if you really knew me and my true secrets and all of my sin and all my past, you couldn't possibly love me.

But can I teach you something?

You will always stay as sick as your secrets.

You were never intended to carry.

Now listen, not everybody needs to know everything about you.

Anybody have that friend on social media who posts way too much and they're way too honest?

Not everybody needs to know everything about you, but somebody does.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians, he says, we refuse to wear masks and play games.

We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes, and we don't twist God's word to suit ourselves.

Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.

Essentially, what he's saying is stop hiding who you actually are.

Can I tell you why?

Very often the deepest connection comes when we share something, and instead of receiving judgment, when we hear back from someone, oh I've been there too.

Me too.

C.

S.

Lewis, a brilliant Christian author and theologian, said this.

He said, Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, What?

You too.

I thought I was the only one.

And I wonder how many of us came today and nobody knows our stuff.

So here's the cycle we get in.

We start confessing to God, oh God, I've sinned, oh God, I've messed up, and God forgives us.

First John says, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

And we say, God, I'll never do it again.

And then we fall right back into the cycles.

Why?

Because God forgives, but God also gave us the prescription for getting out of our cycles and our addiction.

He says it like this in the book of James, chapter 5.

James 5 · chapter mention

Confess.

That means to use your words.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you might be healed.

So here's where healing comes from.

It's when you stop hiding behind the mask and you say, look, this is who I really am.

And you share.

Can I tell you one of the most beautiful, powerful moments is when you share and you think if you really knew me, you couldn't love me?

But when a person looks back across the desk from you and says, I've never loved you more than I do right now.

Solomon in the book of Proverbs said this.

He said, Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper.

But the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Who do you have in your life that you take the mask off with?

Who do you have in your life that you stopped hiding from?

Because that's where healing is.

The third square in the Jahari window is called the blind spots.

It's this quadrant here.

And the blind spots are the stuff that I know.

I don't know, but you know.

Like I don't know this, but you do.

This is like when your zipper's down or when there's broccoli or or or spinach in your teeth.

Come on, you have a friend in your life who will tell you these things.

And you need this, right?

Because it doesn't feel good to have someone say, hey, buddy, there's spinach in your teeth.

But you know what feels really bad?

It's to go all day with spinach in your teeth, and you get home and you look in the mirror and you're like, Ain't nobody told me not that.

That's what feels bad.

Solomon says in Proverbs, he says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

In the book of Hebrews, the author says, See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

But here's what I want you to do instead: but encourage one another daily, as long as it's called today, and notice how it's emphasized, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

The reason this word today is in quotations, it's this reminder that we aren't promised tomorrow.

So why don't you deal with your issues and find healing today?

So let me ask you this question.

Who do you have in your life who loves you enough to call you on the stuff you can't see?

Who do you have in your life that can say to you, hey buddy, listen, I know you were hot and you were angry, but when you talk to your wife that way, she withers.

Hey, mom, I know you had a stressful day, but listen, I saw the way you were yelling at your kids.

You know better than that.

Who do you have that knows you and loves you and can see those things that you can't see?

And who in love helps you to grow?

And here's the fourth one, and this is the goal.

This is actually my goal as your pastor, is that you'll get to this fourth square, which is your potential.

And the potential is interesting because I don't know my potential, and you don't know.

None of us know.

So the only way we discover all that we were created for is in the context of relationships.

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon again says, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

You need people in your life who see potential in you and who call it out of you.

You need people in your life who love you more than your issues and who see past your worst moments and who say, Listen, there's something special in there.

I want to be a part of you discovering it.

So I started the message with the question that was so hard.

The question I asked was, how many of us feel like we could slip in and be nothing more than a face in a crowd or a number to a church on a Sunday?

And I want you to hear me say this as your pastor.

I never want that to be your story.

So here's what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna risk sounding like a used car salesman.

I'm gonna risk you feeling like, oh, they're just in this for the church and for now.

I'm gonna risk all that stuff.

And I'm gonna come out and tell you the truth.

My hope for you is that you'll make this decision to push past your fear or your busyness or feeling disqualified or unqualified.

And that you'll make the decision to step into godly relationships.

Here's why.

One more time, it's because everybody needs to be needed and known.

So here's the here's the next step.

So, how do we do this as a church?

First thing I want to challenge you to do is I want you to join a group.

And the truth is, groups are starting in two weeks, and we don't have enough.

Every year, like last year we had over a hundred groups.

We have thousands of people who come to our church now.

I want to challenge you to make this decision to step into authentic community.

Push past your fear.

Maybe it works on the first time and you hit a grand slam, you make your best friend, maybe not.

Keep trying.

Because on the other side of this is worth it.

Relationships are worth it.

Some of you need to join a group.

Some of you have been in a group for a long time as a consumer, and it's time for you to lead a group.

Leading a group says, listen, it's not even about me.

I want to create for other people what I've experienced for myself.

Can I give you an interesting real tip?

Joining a group is a great way to meet people.

Leading a group is a great way to build deep, lasting friendships and relationships.

All the information, this is the use car salesman.

Ready?

He said access.tv slash groups.

I want to challenge you.

Take a step today.

Take a step.

Make this decision that when the groups list goes live in a week or two, that you're gonna find a group and you're gonna try it.

Make the decision.

Maybe this year is the year that you'd make this decision.

I'm I'm no longer content to sit on the sidelines, no longer welcoming loneliness in my life, but I'm gonna take a step towards intentional community.

Here's the point.

If our goal is to go all in with God this year, if you can trust me as your pastor, that I don't want something from you, but I want God's best for you, then here's what you'll learn, and here's what you'll do.

You'll learn that real life change happens in relationships.

You'll also learn that the greatest blessing is on the other side of your fear.

So, what would it look like if all of us just made this decision to say, God, if I'm really all in, it means I'm all in relationally.

What would it look like if, as a result of this, our church became a church that was so profoundly connected to each other that we can't help but get closer to God because good godly friends draw us nearer to Him.

I'm asking to bow your head and close your eyes all across this place.

If you're joining us in North Lakeland, we're gonna pray.

And if this is you and today you feel like the outsider, you feel like a number, today's the day as we pray.

I want to challenge you to make a commitment to God.

That God, this year I'm gonna chase relationships, godly, authentic, life-giving relationships.

This year is gonna be different for you because you've gone closer to Him through your friends.

So, God, in this place, here's our commitment to you.

We want your best for us.

God, for so many of us, the truth is because we've been hurt in the past or we're afraid of taking a step, we've allowed an excuse to stop us from pursuing your best for us.

So, God, would you give us the courage this year to make this the year that we press past our fears and we pursue godly authentic relationships?

God, for some of us we've tried and we've been hurt, but just because we've been hurt doesn't mean it's not your best.

Isn't it funny, God, that the thing that hurt us is the same thing that you use to heal us, which is people and relationships.

So, God, for those of us who feel alone today, may we realize that it's up to us to take a step.

God, here's my prayer.

I'm not praying that we'll get more groups, I'm not praying that more people will join groups.

I'm praying that our church will experience genuine, authentic community with each other, and as a result, we'll be drawn closer to you.

We thank you for it, God.

With your head still bowed and eyes still closed, maybe you came today and you don't know if you're right with God.

I'm gonna make this quick.

But if you're here and you don't know if you're right with him and you've never started, or maybe today you need to restart a relationship with him.

If this is you, I want to pray for you.

Would you raise your hand right now if this is you?

Thanks.

Yeah, thanks.

Thanks.

Several of you, here's your moment.

If this is you, would you pray this with me?

Say, Jesus today, I give you my life.

Would you be my Lord and my savior?

You being my Lord means that you call the shots and you're in charge, and I'm gonna follow you.

But you being my savior means that Jesus, when you came into this world, it was to die on a cross in my place.

And I believe because of your great sacrifice, and because you rose again from the dead, my life can be changed and made new.

So, Jesus, today I receive your forgiveness, and from this day forward I'll live for you.

Jesus, I love you, and I give you my life for the rest of my life, and it's in your name I pray, Jesus.

Amen.

Come on, church man, we can have people pray to make that decision together.