You Were Not Meant To Do This Alone (Holly Furtick)

0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:05.000 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdeck. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:07.040 and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:10.360 for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.559 builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to see 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:16.800 God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Well, 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:18.880 we're gonna get to the message in just a moment, 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:22.079 but I wanted to make sure you knew about Elevation Nights. 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:27.480 It's gonna be amazing eight cities October twenty sixth through 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:30.040 November fourth. You got to go to Elevation Nights dot 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:32.599 com to see if we're coming to a city near you. 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:37.560 It's gonna be me, Elevation Worship, a few friends, and you. 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:38.920 I want to see you there. I want to see 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.199 you and everybody that you know there. Go to Elevation 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:43.880 Nights dot com. I can't wait to see you soon. 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:49.800 Here's the message. I'm happy. Do I look happy? I 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:54.200 had a great week. You know why my kids are 0:00:54.200 --> 0:01:00.520 back in school? Feels good. I kind of feel like 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:02.360 a hypocrite when I drop my kids off at school 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:05.839 because I'm like, I love you have a great day. 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:10.000 Learning is fun, And I never really like school, and 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:13.480 you know, there are some things about being an adult 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:17.600 that you know aren't so great. But I really think, 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:21.039 by far the greatest thing about being an adult is 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:22.759 that I don't ever have to go to school again 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:27.600 unless I want to. Amen. Okay, have you ever thought 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:30.880 about all the hypocritical things though, that we do as parents? 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.360 I am the I really think I'm the most hypocritical 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:37.440 parent ever. All three of my kids are sitting on 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:39.399 the front row, and they're gonna use everything that I'm 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:41.679 about to tell you. But I was just thinking about 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:45.000 all the things that I do, and like how I 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:48.520 tell them not to eat before dinner, but I'm like 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:54.680 taste testing while I'm cooking. I tell Graham in particular, 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:58.680 he's the worst in our house about having clothes all 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:01.360 over the floor in his room. I don't think that 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:05.440 Graham has ever noticed that I have this chair that's 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:10.400 for my not quite dirty, not quite clean clothes, and 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.160 it's usually so full you can't even sit in that chair. 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.160 But they're not on the floor. My clothes are not 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:19.760 on the floor. Recently, the kids and I were getting 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:23.680 in the car, and some of us were will bit 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:26.680 angry because some of us were not in the car yet, 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.360 and they were making us late. And then others of 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.080 us were angry because their phone had less percentage than 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.080 someone else and they needed the charger, and voices started 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:39.840 rising and people were yelling, and then somebody stepped on 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:43.280 my purse and I started yell, and then all of 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:49.360 a sudden, I just yelled. Everyone stopped yelling. They're looking 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:51.720 at me like they've never done that before. We've all 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:55.040 done that before. But I think the craziest, most hypocritical 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:58.440 thing that we expect our kids to do is when 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:02.200 we drop them off at a new place where they 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.160 don't know anyone, and we'd tell them, We're like, go on, 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:08.960 make some friends. Now. I know that this is a 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:11.840 natural part of life, but have you ever really thought 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:14.240 about how we do this to our kids. Last summer, 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.640 I signed Abby up for a softball camp and we 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:18.680 did not know anyone. We didn't know a coach, we 0:03:18.720 --> 0:03:21.360 didn't we just sign up for the camp. No friends 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:25.639 that she knew were going. And when the camp came around, 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:27.480 she didn't really want to go, and I'm like, well, 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:29.680 we paid for you to go to this camp, And 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:33.079 I was like, you're gonna have a great time. You're 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:36.840 gonna make friends. And as we pulled up that first 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:38.720 morning and she got out of the car and she 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.080 walked away, I thought to myself, I was like, make 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.600 some friends. Like when was the last time I walked 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:48.440 into a place full of strangers and decided that I 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:53.600 would make some friends? Why I was making friends so 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:56.480 hard for most of us? I mean, all the super 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.600 extroverted people are in there, were like, I like making friends? 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:04.920 Don't you like talking to people. I'm not talking about 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:10.560 talking to people. I'm talking about connecting with people and 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:14.320 letting people into your life. And I have some bad 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:16.920 news for all the kids out there who are watching 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:20.279 and struggling to fit in as you started a new 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.880 school year. Unfortunately, I have to tell you it doesn't 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:27.920 really get easier. It just gets different. And really, the 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:30.560 only difference between being a kid and being lonely and 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.280 being an adult and being lonely is that adults have 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:40.480 learned how to hide it better. Loneliness is an absolute 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:45.320 epidemic in our world today, and technology, I think has 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:49.120 given us a false sense of connection. And it's so 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:54.560 easy and so addicting to just scroll through feeds and 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:58.760 then we look up and we feel even lonelier than ever, 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:03.359 lonely because you actually live alone, or you could be 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:06.240 lonely inside of a marriage. You could be lonely because 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:09.320 you're old, or lonely because you're divorced, lonely because you 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.320 moved to a new town or started a new job, 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:16.440 or went away to college. And I think that over 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:21.240 time we just get tired of trying to get to 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:27.240 know people. It's easier to just go through life alone 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:32.720 than taking the risk of letting people in. It's hard 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.719 to let people in. Some of us have tried fitting 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:39.680 in our entire lives. We just gave up. Some of 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:42.279 us have been hurt one too many times, and so 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.680 we put up walls to protect ourselves because you know, 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:53.760 people are complicated. But guess what, you're complicated. And today 0:05:54.000 --> 0:06:01.400 I want to call you back to meaningful connection, real connection, 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:07.680 face to face connection. This this phone This is not connection. 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:15.320 This is clicking. And what I want to show you 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:22.360 today is that your connection to others is directly related 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:29.279 to your connection to Christ. Turn your Bibles to John 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.479 chapter twenty if you've got a Bible. If not, it's okay, 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:34.400 we're gonna put it up on the screens. John chapter 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:39.960 twenty verse nineteen. And in this passage we find the 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:46.200 disciples just after Jesus's death, says this, on the evening 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:49.160 of that first day of the week, when the disciples 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.080 were together with the doors locked for fear of the 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:57.440 Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:02.680 peace be with you. After this, he showed them his 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:07.560 hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:11.800 the Lord. Today. I want to tell you that you 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:19.480 were not meant to do this alone. Let's pray. Lord, 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.800 would you use me today? Would you speak through me? 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:29.000 There are so many people who are lonely today right now, 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.800 even in this room full of people, and even people 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:36.080 who are watching online. God, we want to hear from 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:39.760 you today. Would you challenge us, would you encourage us? 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:42.480 Would you speak to us? We are listening as in 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:50.400 Jesus name, I pray Amen. So you were created for relationship. 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:57.400 You were created to experience closeness with God and with others. 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:01.600 They go together, And in this passage of scripture, so 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.360 much has happened leading up to this moment. The disciples 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:10.040 have been following Jesus for three years, and they've been 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:13.760 under the impression that Jesus is going to lead the 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:18.160 Jewish people in a rebellion against the oppressive Roman government, 0:08:18.480 --> 0:08:22.760 even though Jesus told them on multiple occasions that that 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:24.680 was not what he was here to do. And he 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:26.720 warned them, and he told them that he would be 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.840 crucified somehow. In all of the fun and the miracles 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:33.400 and all of the amazing things that they saw Jesus do, 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:39.040 they missed that point. And Jesus, their leader, their friend, 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:44.320 their lord, is dead. He was crucified on Friday night. 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:48.120 And now it's Sunday night, and not only has Jesus 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:52.959 been crucified, but his body is missing. And they're afraid 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:57.040 that the Jewish leaders are coming for them next. So 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:02.200 they're together with the doors locked, and Jesus comes and 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:04.520 he appears to them. And when I read this passage 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:08.720 and I saw that they were together, I wondered, how 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:14.520 did they all end up back in this place, because 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:18.439 just three days before they were all in that same 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:22.040 room taking passover together. That's the part you remember in 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:24.840 the Bible, when Jesus washed their feet and he served 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:27.040 them bread and wine. We call it the Last Supper. 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:31.880 And they sat at the table and Jesus predicted Judas's betrayal, 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:35.280 and he predicted Peter's denial, and then that night they 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:37.760 went to the garden of Gesseimone to pray, and then 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:41.280 Jesus is arrested, and then later that night Peter denies 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:46.560 ever knowing Christ three times and just like Jesus said, 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:49.199 And then the next day Jesus goes to the cross, 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:52.280 and there at the foot of the cross, the only 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:58.960 disciple out of twelve is John. And then by Friday night, 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:02.200 Jesus is died, and he's laid in a tomb, not 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:06.200 by anyone of the twelve people that he had spent 0:10:06.240 --> 0:10:09.959 the last three years with. He's buried by Joseph of 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:15.080 Arimathea and Nicodemus. The disciples are scattered because they're they're 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:19.239 confused and they're afraid. They're like, if I get associated 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:21.800 with him, they're gonna come for me next. This isn't 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.679 the way that they expected it to turn out. And 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.480 everything that they have been working toward for the past 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:32.120 three years building what they thought was the Kingdom of 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:35.440 God was it just pretty much exploded and it was gone. 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:38.560 And so their instinct in that moment was to flee. 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.840 It was every man for himself, and for about twenty 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:45.040 four hours, we have no idea where that Jesus's disciples 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:50.079 are now. One of the Gospels mentions them until Sunday, 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:55.120 and now we have them back together in that same room. 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.560 Rumor is that Jesus is risen from the dead, but 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:03.240 all they've seen is an empty tomb. What drew them 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:09.400 back together. The sense of belonging is a core need 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:13.320 for everyone, and I think that friendship is one of 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:16.880 the greatest gifts that God has given us. But most 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.600 of the time we don't know how to use it, 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:23.320 and so we invite the wrong people into our lives 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:25.960 who lead us down the wrong path. Can I get 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.040 an amen from all the parents of teenagers out there, 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:32.240 because I speak from experience and I know there's a 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:34.440 lot of people here who raise their hand and say amen. 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:38.800 That's true. The wrong people can absolutely ruin your life. 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:45.640 But the right people, the right people, the people who 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.400 believe in you and who cheer for you and support you, 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:52.000 and who are there for you. The right people can 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:55.240 talk you down from fear. The right people can tell 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:59.760 you you're not a bad mom. The right people can 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:02.960 tell you you're doing a good job. No no, no, no, no, 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:07.400 it's okay. Connection with the right people can help you 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:11.280 accomplish everything that God has called you to do, even 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:13.959 when you feel like giving up, even when you feel 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:19.000 like everything has fallen apart. And if you've ever experienced that, 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:23.120 you know. I think even the word connection, though, has 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:26.280 lost its value because most of the time when we 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:31.840 think of connection, we think about Wi fi right like, 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.959 the minute your feed won't load, what do you do? 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:41.040 Check your connection? And some of us, I'm afraid, are 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:47.040 so much more concerned about our phone's connection than we 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:51.480 are about our soul's connection. That's what I want to 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:55.280 talk about today. When you feel anxious, when you feel afraid, 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.400 when you feel like you're lacking joy in your life, 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:08.199 you've got to check your connection. So today the message 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:12.480 is simple, very simple, just the heads up. There's no 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.320 twists and turns coming in this message. We're gonna leave 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:22.840 all of the aha moments for pastor Stephen, because today 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:26.559 I simply want to ask you to check your connection. 0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:29.120 If you feel anxious, if you feel lonely, if you 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:34.840 feel afraid, check your connection. The first connection that you 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:36.680 have to check is your connection to Christ. I told 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:41.720 you this was simple. In Matthew chapter five, Jesus calls 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:45.120 four fishermen to be his disciples. They also have him 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.880 to be two pairs of brothers, Andrew and Peter and 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:51.320 James and John. And the next Jesus picks up Philip 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.800 and Nathaniel, who also live in Galilee. And then later 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:58.720 Jesus calls Matthew, the tax collector, And by the time 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:01.880 we get halfway through the Book of Matthew, we have 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:06.320 all twelve of the disciples listed. These men came from 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:11.000 different jobs, they came from different backgrounds, different towns. Jesus 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:15.960 didn't choose them based on age, or qualifications or abilities. 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:20.760 The one thing that they all had in common was Jesus. 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:26.080 And for three years they sat under his teaching and 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:30.240 they watched him perform miracle after miracle. But they each 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:35.600 had a deep personal connection to Jesus. And when he 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:39.040 was crucified, they thought that their world was crashing down, 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:45.520 but really their ministry was just getting started. These are 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:49.840 the men that would essentially take the Gospel to the world. 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:55.360 But right now, in John chapter twenty, they are huddled 0:14:55.720 --> 0:15:00.800 in this room with the doors locked for fear, and 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:05.760 in this moment they needed each other and I got 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:08.560 to tell you, God did not intend for you to 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:12.000 go through this life alone. And I'm not talking about marriage, 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:16.560 I'm talking about friendship. Just to be clear, you were 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:21.960 not created to muscle through life alone. You were meant 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:28.520 to have meaningful connection with others. However, your connection to 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:34.640 others can only be as stable as your connection to Christ. 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:39.720 And I think that the reason why relationships turn out 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:43.360 to be so disappointing to us is because we're trying 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:48.800 to connect to others before we've connected to Christ. And 0:15:48.920 --> 0:15:52.600 some of us are placing expectations and burdens on people 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.440 that we were supposed to be giving to God first. 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:03.200 Rarely do you find someone asked to serve God alone. 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:07.200 In the Bible. Think about it. Moses had Aaron, David 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:12.320 had Jonathan, Paul had Silence, even Jesus he had twelve disciples, 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:17.040 but there was always a period of time where God 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:22.440 would draw them out alone. Moses spent forty days on 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.640 Mount Sinai while he received the Ten Commandments from God. 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:30.040 David was a shepherd away from his family, away from 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:35.840 town before he became king. Jesus, even Jesus spent forty 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:41.520 days in the desert just after he was baptized. God 0:16:41.560 --> 0:16:43.800 does not intend for you to go through this life alone, 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:47.160 but sometimes he has to pull you into a period 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.600 of solitude to help you realize that He is your 0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:57.440 true source. He is the one who gives peace and 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:01.960 joy and direction and fulfillment. And if you're trying to 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:06.360 find that in others, you might be frustrated because no 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:10.800 one can take the place of your own personal, living, 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:18.480 breathing relationship, walking with God, talking to Jesus. When you 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.480 go through a season where you feel isolated from others, 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.480 you need to ask yourself a few questions, like why 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:29.960 am I here? Because God will pull you aside when 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:32.560 he needs you to know that He is your source 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:35.439 and he has something he's trying to get to you. 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:38.679 And if your life is so full of other people 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:42.840 and other people's drama, how in the world are you 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:45.040 going to be able to hear from God for yourself. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.520 Like imagine if Moses had tried to receive the Ten 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:55.119 Commandments while in his tent, the Israelites would have been 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:59.920 knocking on his flap twenty four seven with their drama. 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:05.000 And so sometimes what seems like isolation is really just 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:10.399 a needed season of solitude. But you don't have to 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:13.840 stay there. God doesn't intend for us to stay in isolation. 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:17.760 And I think those sometimes because of our own choices 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:21.400 though we I mean, we all make mistakes, we all 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:27.280 say things and make choices that regret, regret, and so 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:31.359 sometimes there's a period of solitude, but other times there's 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:36.320 a period of isolation that we bring on ourselves. And 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:41.119 you know what can make you feel isolated faster than anything, shame? 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.800 Why was Peter alone by the fire when he denied 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:52.720 Christ three times? He said, I don't know Jesus. People 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:55.320 kept asking him, aren't you the one that was? He's like, no, no, no, no, no, 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:59.399 that's not me. And a few hours later Peter is 0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:02.080 nowhere to be seen at the foot of the cross 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.280 of his Lord. I think it's because he was ashamed. 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:11.160 He couldn't face anyone. And nothing will draw you into 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:16.240 isolation faster than shame. Well will people think about me? 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:19.879 I'm the only one who struggles with this. If anyone 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:22.000 finds out that my marriage is falling apart, people won't 0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:28.320 respect me. Something in Peter knew that he had to 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:32.920 get back to the disciples, no matter what he had done, 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:37.680 and he risked their rejection because he knew that he 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:40.639 needed to draw from their strength. And what did they do? 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:46.560 They accepted him. Don't let your shame keep you away 0:19:46.840 --> 0:19:51.520 from the people that God has placed in your life. 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:55.840 If you have the right people in your life, you 0:19:55.880 --> 0:20:01.439 should feel less shame, not more. There was a period 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:05.200 in my dad's life several years ago where because of shame, 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:09.679 he had a really difficult time figuring out where he 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:15.120 belonged in church. But during that season, he regularly met 0:20:15.160 --> 0:20:18.359 with a group of men, and I think those men 0:20:18.880 --> 0:20:24.159 helped him find his place again. And today my dad 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:28.320 right now is serving on the parking team, connected in 0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:32.720 any group at our Greendale campus, and I think about 0:20:34.520 --> 0:20:38.840 how thankful I am for those men who helped him 0:20:38.960 --> 0:20:47.600 through that season. Shame only grows in isolation, and shame 0:20:48.119 --> 0:20:52.879 does not come from your father. Jesus never shamed Peter 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:55.639 for denying him. You know what Jesus did when he 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:59.760 saw Peter, He cooked him a meal and he challenged him. 0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:02.920 Happens just one chapter over in John chapter twenty one. 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:07.159 Three times Jesus said to Peter, Peter, do you love me? 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:12.280 Feed my sheep? He challenged him because Jesus knew what 0:21:12.520 --> 0:21:15.720 was to come in Peter's life. He didn't need to 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:19.919 bring up Peter's mistakes. Peter was well aware of his mistakes. 0:21:20.160 --> 0:21:25.560 Jesus knew that Peter's greatest ministry was to come. What 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:29.640 if Peter had allowed his shame to keep him from 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:34.080 coming back to the place where he belonged? And the 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:37.840 first step to releasing the weight of loneliness on your 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:42.480 life is to realize that true belonging and security and 0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:48.800 self worth only come from your heavenly father. The Disciples 0:21:48.920 --> 0:21:53.800 were each personally connected to Jesus. But then the next 0:21:53.840 --> 0:21:56.600 step is for you to get back around the right people. 0:21:57.200 --> 0:22:02.520 And something in Peter knew John and Andrew and James 0:22:02.800 --> 0:22:07.359 and Matthew that they were his people, and he was 0:22:07.480 --> 0:22:10.960 willing to risk a few moments of awkward to be 0:22:11.160 --> 0:22:16.400 back with the people he belonged with, and they accepted him. 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:21.280 There's acceptance when you're among the right people. They were 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:25.159 connected to each other because of Jesus. So first we 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:29.120 check our connection to Christ, but then we check our 0:22:29.119 --> 0:22:32.600 connection to others. Are you connected to the right people, 0:22:33.520 --> 0:22:38.600 people who are walking the same path as you? Have 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:43.439 you ever thought about all that the Disciples experienced together 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:46.399 like the amazing things that they saw Jesus do, Like 0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:49.320 when they saw him heal the woman who had the 0:22:49.359 --> 0:22:52.159 issue of blood, who simply got healed because she touched 0:22:52.160 --> 0:22:54.960 his garment, but Jesus knew that she had touched his garment, 0:22:55.040 --> 0:22:57.320 Or when we just sing about it today when he 0:22:57.520 --> 0:23:00.720 raised Lazarus from the death, like they saw while Jesus 0:23:00.840 --> 0:23:05.360 raised a dead man back to life, Or when Jesus 0:23:05.400 --> 0:23:09.280 told them to feed the five thousand. He told them 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:12.399 to give them something to eat, and they were like 0:23:14.080 --> 0:23:17.959 when we have five loaves and a few fish and 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:22.280 the miracle actually passed through, they were passing out. They 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:25.159 were the ones that knew how little it was and 0:23:25.200 --> 0:23:27.840 how much it became in Jesus's hands. And I keep thinking, 0:23:27.880 --> 0:23:30.679 like what was it like when they were going home 0:23:31.280 --> 0:23:40.440 after some of those days, they're like, did that just happen? What? 0:23:42.600 --> 0:23:45.040 But you know, there were some times where they were 0:23:45.080 --> 0:23:49.520 also really confused by Jesus. Like there's this one time 0:23:49.520 --> 0:23:52.639 in John chapter four, which is the story of Jesus 0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:55.040 with the woman at the well, and Jesus sends the 0:23:55.080 --> 0:23:58.800 disciples to go get food, and he has this conversation 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:01.840 with this woman while they're gone, and the disciples come 0:24:01.880 --> 0:24:04.320 back with the food, but Jesus won't eat it, and 0:24:04.359 --> 0:24:06.720 he tells them that he had food to eat that 0:24:06.760 --> 0:24:10.520 they knew not of, and they're so confused. Like they 0:24:10.560 --> 0:24:13.919 come together and they're like, does someone else bring him food? 0:24:17.680 --> 0:24:21.159 You see, when you're connected to the right people, you 0:24:21.200 --> 0:24:25.000 have a place to celebrate what God has done, and 0:24:25.040 --> 0:24:28.920 you have a space, a safe space to process your 0:24:29.000 --> 0:24:31.960 doubt and your confusion. Like I think God said this, 0:24:32.119 --> 0:24:35.439 but I'm not really sure what it means. There's no 0:24:35.600 --> 0:24:39.080 substitute for that. Otherwise you're just stuck in your head 0:24:39.240 --> 0:24:40.840 all the time, and then you wonder why you have 0:24:40.880 --> 0:24:44.720 no joy, why you feel anxious. I love to teach 0:24:44.760 --> 0:24:47.119 about friendship. The women of our church know that. I 0:24:47.320 --> 0:24:49.720 preach it to them all the time, about the importance 0:24:49.720 --> 0:24:52.200 of having the right people in your life. I even 0:24:52.200 --> 0:24:56.280 wrote a Bible study called BFF plug. You can do it. 0:24:56.400 --> 0:24:59.880 You can just go get it. It's online somewhere. But friendship, 0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:04.560 it's not just something for women because women like to talk. 0:25:06.040 --> 0:25:12.720 Friendship is something that we all need. Friendships don't just 0:25:12.840 --> 0:25:20.680 magically happen. Friendships are formed, not found. You might meet 0:25:20.720 --> 0:25:23.959 by chance, but if you are going to have a 0:25:24.040 --> 0:25:29.920 true relationship with someone, it's going to require one main ingredient, 0:25:30.520 --> 0:25:40.280 and that is spelled t ime time talking time, laughing time, 0:25:40.600 --> 0:25:43.800 fishing or hunting time, crying, whatever you want to do, 0:25:43.840 --> 0:25:49.440 it's okay time having hard conversations. Some of us are 0:25:49.480 --> 0:25:53.520 lonely because the minute someone gets annoying, you're just on 0:25:53.560 --> 0:25:56.240 to the next person. And then you wonder why you 0:25:56.280 --> 0:26:01.120 feel lonely. Yes, there are toxic that you don't need 0:26:01.160 --> 0:26:04.600 to spend time around, but you were meant to experience 0:26:04.720 --> 0:26:10.119 life with people, real human beings, not pictures behind a 0:26:10.200 --> 0:26:12.480 screen where you type comments back and forth. Because I 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:14.840 don't know about you. I don't want a friend who comments. 0:26:15.040 --> 0:26:18.080 I want a friend who listens and a friend who understands. 0:26:18.240 --> 0:26:20.760 I want a friend who is there. And when you 0:26:20.800 --> 0:26:23.960 get connected to the right people, I don't know how 0:26:23.960 --> 0:26:30.919 it happens, but your faith grows. Nineteen years ago, just 0:26:31.000 --> 0:26:34.720 before Steven and I got married, a mutual friend of 0:26:34.760 --> 0:26:39.800 ours introduced us to Chunks and Amy Corbett. Chunks was 0:26:39.840 --> 0:26:43.320 a physical therapist. You've heard Stephen talk about him many times, 0:26:43.359 --> 0:26:47.920 and Amy actually was an engineer, and over the next 0:26:47.960 --> 0:26:51.119 two years we just developed a friendship with them. We 0:26:51.440 --> 0:26:56.760 sort of learned how to be adults together. And when 0:26:56.760 --> 0:26:59.560 Stephen and I felt God calling us to start this church, 0:26:59.600 --> 0:27:02.320 we knew that we wanted Chunks and Amy to do 0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:05.840 it with us, and they prayed about it, and they 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:08.399 finally they took a really long time, if you ask me, 0:27:08.480 --> 0:27:11.960 but they finally agreed that they would go anywhere that 0:27:12.000 --> 0:27:14.399 we felt God calling us to go. This is a 0:27:14.400 --> 0:27:17.800 picture of us, the four of us in Charleston, before 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:21.119 we had even decided where we were going to plant 0:27:21.520 --> 0:27:23.400 our church. I know the picture is not the best, 0:27:23.480 --> 0:27:27.560 but you see, back then you couldn't check your picture. 0:27:28.320 --> 0:27:31.879 You got one click, and you don't want to waste 0:27:31.880 --> 0:27:35.600 the film, you know, So that's that's all we got. Okay, 0:27:35.600 --> 0:27:37.119 I got another picture. I got a better one to 0:27:37.119 --> 0:27:40.600 show you. This is us in twenty eighteen, so you know, 0:27:41.400 --> 0:27:44.679 fifteen years almost fifteen years later and in the same spot. 0:27:44.760 --> 0:27:47.199 So now you can see we got to check our 0:27:47.200 --> 0:27:49.840 picture and make sure it was good that time. It 0:27:49.920 --> 0:27:55.080 is a good win. I remember one particular night we 0:27:55.080 --> 0:27:58.080 were eating at our favorite restaurant. It was called me Publito, 0:27:58.800 --> 0:28:06.000 and back then, even in chunks eight chips and so 0:28:06.000 --> 0:28:09.840 we're eating chips and we were talking about where we 0:28:09.880 --> 0:28:14.840 would plant our church, and Stephen, who always does stuff 0:28:14.880 --> 0:28:18.960 like this, he said, Oh, let's drive to Raleigh tonight 0:28:19.760 --> 0:28:22.200 and we can just get a hotel and then spend 0:28:22.200 --> 0:28:24.760 the day tomorrow just exploring the city and see if 0:28:24.840 --> 0:28:27.239 God is speaking to us. And I was like, no, 0:28:30.440 --> 0:28:33.560 we need to make plans. Let's go home. We'll make 0:28:33.600 --> 0:28:36.560 plans and then we'll go next weekend. And everybody else 0:28:36.640 --> 0:28:38.480 was like, oh no, that'd be fun. Let's go tonight. 0:28:39.080 --> 0:28:42.320 So we went. I went, and we got in the 0:28:42.360 --> 0:28:46.360 car and we drove three hours to Raleigh only to 0:28:46.440 --> 0:28:50.240 find that there was a massive basketball conference and there 0:28:50.240 --> 0:28:54.160 were no hotel rooms available anywhere. And I'm not even 0:28:54.200 --> 0:28:57.560 talking about like there weren't even bad hotel rooms available. Also, 0:28:57.680 --> 0:29:00.680 back then you could not book a hotel on your phone, 0:29:00.920 --> 0:29:04.920 like you had to drive to them. And so finally 0:29:04.960 --> 0:29:09.080 at two am we found a hotel that would that 0:29:09.080 --> 0:29:11.959 would give us a room, and the next morning we 0:29:12.080 --> 0:29:15.720 drove around all day and I mean, I think you 0:29:15.800 --> 0:29:17.680 know the end of this story. We didn't feel like 0:29:17.760 --> 0:29:21.360 it was Raleigh, and we drove around, we were like, 0:29:21.960 --> 0:29:24.320 I don't know this isn't. I don't know, Let's go home. 0:29:24.600 --> 0:29:27.920 So the trip kind of seemed unsuccessful. But on the 0:29:27.960 --> 0:29:35.440 way home, we drove through Charlotte and something happened in 0:29:35.440 --> 0:29:38.600 the car. We were driving for eighty five and I 0:29:38.600 --> 0:29:41.320 don't I don't know what it was, but we just 0:29:41.920 --> 0:29:46.200 we just knew. It was like something stirred in each 0:29:46.240 --> 0:29:49.360 of our spirits and we knew that this was the 0:29:49.440 --> 0:29:52.400 place where we would start our church. We stopped for 0:29:52.440 --> 0:29:56.120 dinner by Carolina place small, and we all looked around 0:29:56.120 --> 0:29:58.640 the table. I remember it so vividly, and we were like, 0:29:58.760 --> 0:30:01.920 do you think yeah, I think yeah, this is it. 0:30:02.480 --> 0:30:04.200 This is the place, and we all agreed. And there's 0:30:04.240 --> 0:30:06.800 just nothing like having a group of people where you 0:30:06.880 --> 0:30:09.640 can you can test out. I think God is saying this, 0:30:09.720 --> 0:30:12.240 So you think God is saying this, Let's do this. 0:30:13.160 --> 0:30:18.600 And together we have seen God do so much in 0:30:18.640 --> 0:30:23.280 the last nineteen years. When the church that said they 0:30:23.280 --> 0:30:26.200 were gonna help us support us financially backed out right 0:30:26.280 --> 0:30:29.880 after we moved to Charlotte, we were together in our 0:30:30.000 --> 0:30:33.560 fear when the lease for the building that we were 0:30:33.680 --> 0:30:36.400 so sure, I mean, we told everyone, this is the 0:30:36.400 --> 0:30:38.960 building that we're gonna have our first permanent campus. The 0:30:39.040 --> 0:30:45.360 lease fell through. We were confused together. I have another 0:30:45.360 --> 0:30:48.760 picture to show you. This is another vivid memory. This 0:30:48.800 --> 0:30:51.719 is me and Amy. You might not know this, but 0:30:52.040 --> 0:30:59.600 we were the first background vocalists Elevation Worship. I got 0:30:59.640 --> 0:31:02.800 replaced as soon as possible, and I've never been asked 0:31:02.800 --> 0:31:08.400 to sing again. I'm okay with it, but I it was. 0:31:08.560 --> 0:31:13.520 I clearly remember. Uh. Every time that we would do 0:31:13.600 --> 0:31:17.560 something new, whether it was at a new service or 0:31:18.000 --> 0:31:20.680 open up a new campus, we were always unsure, like 0:31:21.000 --> 0:31:24.680 are people gonna come? And and Amy and I would 0:31:24.920 --> 0:31:28.800 peek out from behind the curtain. And I remember one 0:31:28.840 --> 0:31:31.040 time Amy was peaking out. She was like, oh, well, 0:31:32.200 --> 0:31:38.840 look look they're coming. And we were so excited together. 0:31:41.280 --> 0:31:45.280 And when Stephen's father was in his last days of life, 0:31:45.320 --> 0:31:49.600 I remember coming out of the bedroom and finding Junks 0:31:49.600 --> 0:31:54.240 and Amy and others of our friends just there waiting 0:31:55.720 --> 0:32:00.720 together in our time of sadness, saying where like the 0:32:00.800 --> 0:32:04.040 Twelve Disciples or anything, or that all my friendships last forever, 0:32:04.240 --> 0:32:07.200 you know. And I'm not saying that, but I'm saying 0:32:07.240 --> 0:32:12.280 that together we have seen God do some amazing things. 0:32:13.520 --> 0:32:17.280 We've seen people's lives healed. We've seen people's marriages restored. 0:32:17.520 --> 0:32:22.320 We have seen God work through us together together, enjoy, 0:32:22.600 --> 0:32:27.560 together in fear, together in doubt, because God's intentions are 0:32:27.720 --> 0:32:32.680 never for us to struggle alone. And here's the thing 0:32:32.720 --> 0:32:35.160 that you have to remember about friendship, because not only 0:32:35.240 --> 0:32:38.400 are they formed over time, but they must be formed 0:32:38.640 --> 0:32:43.320 before the crisis. In order for you to feel like 0:32:43.600 --> 0:32:46.840 people are there for you in your dark season, you 0:32:47.000 --> 0:32:53.680 have to spend time developing your relationship with them before that. Okay, 0:32:53.680 --> 0:32:56.400 we got to get back to our story. The Disciples, 0:32:56.480 --> 0:33:00.920 they spent three years following Jesus and now their leader 0:33:01.080 --> 0:33:04.360 is dead and they're scattered. Yet something in them knows 0:33:05.200 --> 0:33:09.560 that they need to get back together. And I can't help, 0:33:09.600 --> 0:33:12.920 but wondering if maybe I don't know. Andrew thought back 0:33:12.960 --> 0:33:16.160 to the time where they were fishing all night and 0:33:16.200 --> 0:33:20.360 they caught nothing. They were together, and then Jesus told 0:33:20.440 --> 0:33:22.120 them cast your nets on the other side, and they 0:33:22.120 --> 0:33:24.680 got so many fish that their nets began to break. 0:33:24.840 --> 0:33:26.800 Or the time that they thought they were going to 0:33:26.920 --> 0:33:29.800 die in the boat in the storm, and Jesus came 0:33:29.920 --> 0:33:32.440 walking out on the water. It's them, and he calmed 0:33:32.680 --> 0:33:34.840 the storm and it just made me think about how 0:33:34.920 --> 0:33:39.280 friendships are formed. In the boat. You got to get 0:33:39.280 --> 0:33:44.800 in the boat with some people. And yes, friendship is messy, 0:33:44.840 --> 0:33:49.600 and yes people can hurt you, and yes, some friendships 0:33:49.640 --> 0:33:53.360 they come and go or they ebb and flow. And 0:33:53.640 --> 0:33:57.959 just because someone is meaningful in your life in one season, 0:33:58.000 --> 0:34:00.600 it doesn't necessarily mean that they're you're going to be 0:34:00.600 --> 0:34:05.000 best friends for life, because life happens, and jobs change, 0:34:05.000 --> 0:34:10.240 and people move away, and people get sick, and seasons change, 0:34:10.239 --> 0:34:13.279 and so if a friendship ends, it doesn't necessarily mean 0:34:13.280 --> 0:34:15.160 that you're a terrible person and no one wants to 0:34:15.160 --> 0:34:18.000 be friends with you. That just means that life is happening, 0:34:18.400 --> 0:34:22.759 and it's complicated, and it's messy, and it is painful sometimes. 0:34:22.840 --> 0:34:25.560 But I don't want you to miss out on the 0:34:25.600 --> 0:34:31.680 beauty of friendship just because one or two went bad. 0:34:32.400 --> 0:34:37.239 You're a different person now. And when you align yourself 0:34:37.480 --> 0:34:40.400 with the people that God is placing on your path, 0:34:41.080 --> 0:34:45.120 and you release your shame and you decide to truly 0:34:45.560 --> 0:34:48.960 connect with people, you will find that your faith in 0:34:49.080 --> 0:34:52.719 God grows. Have you ever noticed how much scary things 0:34:52.800 --> 0:34:57.840 are when you're alone. The disciples were afraid that what 0:34:58.040 --> 0:35:01.879 had been done to Jesus. He just died a horrific 0:35:02.239 --> 0:35:05.719 death on a cross, and they were afraid that that 0:35:05.920 --> 0:35:08.400 was what was going to be done to them. But 0:35:08.600 --> 0:35:12.680 somehow they knew that they needed to get back together. 0:35:13.560 --> 0:35:17.200 They were connected to Jesus, they were connected to each other, 0:35:17.239 --> 0:35:20.560 and you know what else, they were connected to a place. 0:35:22.480 --> 0:35:25.840 Most scholars agree that this room that they were huddled 0:35:25.880 --> 0:35:29.200 up in it was the same room that they had 0:35:29.239 --> 0:35:34.480 celebrated passover just days before, and many believe that it's 0:35:34.520 --> 0:35:38.960 the same place that they would gather again in Acts 0:35:39.040 --> 0:35:43.239 chapter one. So for all intents and purposes, this room 0:35:43.239 --> 0:35:46.640 that they're huddled up in is the birthplace of the 0:35:46.719 --> 0:35:56.200 early Church. Look again at our scripture. On the evening 0:35:56.640 --> 0:35:59.880 of that first day of the week, when the disciples 0:36:00.120 --> 0:36:03.680 were together with the doors locked for fear of the 0:36:03.719 --> 0:36:09.279 Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them, and he said, 0:36:09.360 --> 0:36:11.839 peace be with you. And after this he showed them 0:36:11.880 --> 0:36:15.359 his hands on his side. The disciples were overjoyed when 0:36:15.360 --> 0:36:19.880 they saw the Lord. And Jesus said again, peace be 0:36:20.000 --> 0:36:23.839 with you. As the Father has sent me, I am 0:36:23.920 --> 0:36:27.600 sending you. And he breathed on them, and he said 0:36:27.680 --> 0:36:34.480 receive the Holy Spirit. When the disciples were together, Jesus 0:36:34.520 --> 0:36:37.680 came and stood among them, and he brought peace in 0:36:37.760 --> 0:36:40.840 the midst of their greatest fear, and he brought joy 0:36:41.239 --> 0:36:45.520 in the middle of their greatest disappointment. And he breathed 0:36:45.600 --> 0:36:48.760 on them, and he gave them the Spirit, the comforter 0:36:49.440 --> 0:36:54.759 when they were together. And today I want to tell 0:36:54.800 --> 0:36:59.239 you to get back to the place. You see, they 0:36:59.400 --> 0:37:05.120 returned to the place where their faith was connected. And 0:37:05.200 --> 0:37:09.880 I just can't help but think about all of the 0:37:09.960 --> 0:37:14.920 people of God's Church who are scattered right now because 0:37:14.960 --> 0:37:18.040 of their fear. It's a scary time in our world 0:37:18.080 --> 0:37:21.040 right now, and I get that, But the number one 0:37:21.120 --> 0:37:24.040 tool I think that the enemy has on us right 0:37:24.080 --> 0:37:30.520 now is isolation. He wants to keep you away from 0:37:30.560 --> 0:37:35.160 the place. He wants to keep you from connecting with 0:37:35.320 --> 0:37:39.760 people who are on the same journey as you. People 0:37:39.800 --> 0:37:42.640 who are trying to have integrity in their job, people 0:37:42.640 --> 0:37:45.880 who are trying to raise godly kids in this incredibly 0:37:45.960 --> 0:37:50.760 dangerous world, people who are intent on growing their own 0:37:50.840 --> 0:37:54.799 relationship with Jesus. And you are missing out on what 0:37:54.920 --> 0:37:58.560 God wants to do in your life by not being 0:37:58.600 --> 0:38:02.560 a part of a unity of a body of believers. 0:38:04.360 --> 0:38:08.520 Hebrews ten twenty three says this, let us hold unswervingly 0:38:08.640 --> 0:38:12.200 to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 0:38:12.520 --> 0:38:14.920 And let us consider how we may spur one another 0:38:14.960 --> 0:38:20.160 on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, 0:38:20.520 --> 0:38:23.400 as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging 0:38:23.400 --> 0:38:26.200 one another all the more. The Bible is so amazing. 0:38:26.280 --> 0:38:29.759 This was written two thousand years ago, and it could 0:38:29.760 --> 0:38:35.440 not be more true today. We cannot give up meeting together. 0:38:36.280 --> 0:38:39.480 I know you're busy. I know your kids have soccer, 0:38:40.520 --> 0:38:45.200 but Jesus said, we're two or three were gathered there. 0:38:45.440 --> 0:38:49.840 He is with us, and it's time for us to gather, 0:38:50.320 --> 0:38:54.759 because when we gather, our faith grows. I can't tell 0:38:54.840 --> 0:38:59.200 you how many times I have come into this place 0:39:00.360 --> 0:39:04.680 feeling tired, feeling overwhelmed. I know I'm the pastor's wife, 0:39:04.719 --> 0:39:06.480 and I'm not supposed to feel that way, but I do, 0:39:07.200 --> 0:39:12.759 feeling worried about a situation. And I come here and 0:39:12.840 --> 0:39:16.840 the band starts playing, and people around me start lifting 0:39:16.840 --> 0:39:20.360 their hands, so I do it too, and I close 0:39:20.440 --> 0:39:26.080 my eyes and I start worshiping God. And then our 0:39:26.120 --> 0:39:29.319 pastor gets up on the stage and he opens up 0:39:29.360 --> 0:39:32.880 the Word of God, Oh God. When Steven starts preaching, 0:39:33.120 --> 0:39:36.160 and he starts telling us stuff like how owning your 0:39:36.200 --> 0:39:38.960 own doubts does not disqualify your faith. And I'm like 0:39:39.280 --> 0:39:43.200 furiously writing these things down so maybe I won't forget. 0:39:43.320 --> 0:39:47.520 And then he tells me to copy that if by God, 0:39:47.560 --> 0:39:50.520 I go out of here, and I'm so full of 0:39:50.640 --> 0:39:52.880 faith that I feel like I just might burst, because 0:39:52.880 --> 0:39:58.640 there is nothing like gathering together with other believers in 0:39:58.719 --> 0:40:09.320 Christ and this place. What God is building, the global 0:40:09.480 --> 0:40:14.319 church that God is building is special. It's just as 0:40:14.360 --> 0:40:16.880 special as it's ever been, maybe more if you ask me. 0:40:17.680 --> 0:40:22.160 And it is time for you to get back. Some 0:40:22.200 --> 0:40:24.799 of you have an elevation campus in your backyard, and 0:40:24.840 --> 0:40:27.440 you have no idea how much you take that for granted. 0:40:28.719 --> 0:40:33.960 Some of you you live somewhere else and you can't 0:40:33.960 --> 0:40:36.879 get to a campus, and so you watch online every week. 0:40:36.920 --> 0:40:39.120 And what I want to say to you is, maybe 0:40:39.160 --> 0:40:42.080 you could get to a watch party, or maybe you 0:40:42.120 --> 0:40:46.800 could start a watch party, or go to your local church. 0:40:47.440 --> 0:40:50.280 You know, if you have to watch alone, it's better 0:40:50.320 --> 0:40:53.200 than nothing. And we're always going to be here for you. 0:40:54.680 --> 0:40:56.719 Maybe you can invite someone to watch at the same 0:40:56.800 --> 0:41:01.360 time as you, because we have got to get back 0:41:01.800 --> 0:41:06.000 to a place where we look people in the eyes. 0:41:08.320 --> 0:41:12.640 You feel like something's missing in your life. Might I 0:41:12.719 --> 0:41:17.560 suggest that it is your connection. Your peace and your 0:41:17.680 --> 0:41:23.200 joy are directly connected to the people that you align 0:41:23.280 --> 0:41:28.759 yourself with in this season of your life. So we 0:41:28.800 --> 0:41:33.319 started our time together in John chapter twenty, and the 0:41:33.360 --> 0:41:39.440 disciples are together afraid for their lives. And then we 0:41:39.520 --> 0:41:43.080 get to Acts chapter one and Jesus is giving them 0:41:43.120 --> 0:41:46.520 his last instructions. He tells them wait for the Holy Spirit, 0:41:46.920 --> 0:41:49.120 who's going to come, and he's going to empower you, 0:41:49.960 --> 0:41:52.759 and you're going to take the gospel to the ends 0:41:52.840 --> 0:41:57.440 of the earth. And then Jesus ascends to heaven. And 0:41:57.480 --> 0:42:00.960 so the Bible tells us that they retire learned to 0:42:01.080 --> 0:42:08.880 Jerusalem to gather together once again. Many people believe that 0:42:08.960 --> 0:42:12.920 it's the same room where they were with Jesus just 0:42:13.000 --> 0:42:16.840 days before. While they're waiting, how many of you know 0:42:16.920 --> 0:42:22.319 sometimes we have to wait. While they're waiting together, they 0:42:22.320 --> 0:42:24.680 decide to do the next thing that they think they 0:42:24.680 --> 0:42:27.960 should do. So, led by Peter, they take a vote. 0:42:28.600 --> 0:42:31.720 It's the first Church, they take a vote to replace Judas, 0:42:32.719 --> 0:42:38.000 and then look at what happens in Acts chapter two. 0:42:38.160 --> 0:42:43.360 When the day of Pentecost came. They were where all 0:42:43.760 --> 0:42:47.160 together in one place, and suddenly a sound like a 0:42:47.160 --> 0:42:51.040 blowing of a violent wind came in from heaven and 0:42:51.120 --> 0:42:54.200 filled the whole house where they were sitting. And they 0:42:54.200 --> 0:42:56.520 saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated 0:42:56.680 --> 0:42:58.880 and came to rest on each of them. All of 0:42:58.880 --> 0:43:01.440 them were filled with the Holy Spirit began to speak 0:43:01.440 --> 0:43:07.120 in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. When they were 0:43:08.040 --> 0:43:16.680 all together, the spirit came, it's time for you to 0:43:16.760 --> 0:43:23.799 come back together this fall. Our message to those of 0:43:23.840 --> 0:43:27.360 you who call Elevation Church your home is very simple. 0:43:28.000 --> 0:43:31.480 We want you to join us for church and then 0:43:31.520 --> 0:43:33.960 be a part of an E group where you can 0:43:34.000 --> 0:43:37.600 be together with people who are on the same faith 0:43:37.719 --> 0:43:39.879 journey as you. And all we want you to do 0:43:40.040 --> 0:43:43.040 is discuss the things that God is teaching you here 0:43:43.560 --> 0:43:48.120 each week. And so today we have an opportunity for 0:43:48.239 --> 0:43:53.239 you wherever you are, however you're watching, I want you 0:43:54.080 --> 0:43:59.880 to join an E group. Okay, at Elevation we have 0:44:00.000 --> 0:44:03.959 I've created the most amazing community of people who gather 0:44:04.080 --> 0:44:06.759 together on a regular basis. Listen to this. We have 0:44:06.840 --> 0:44:12.919 over thirteen thousand people who already regularly attend an E group, 0:44:12.960 --> 0:44:18.280 whether on person or in person or online. Thirteen thousand people. Okay, 0:44:19.200 --> 0:44:23.680 in fact, now this is incredible. We have groups that 0:44:23.840 --> 0:44:30.000 meet across fifteen different time zones and in eleven different languages, 0:44:30.640 --> 0:44:32.400 which goes to show you you don't have to be 0:44:32.440 --> 0:44:35.640 in Charlotte. WAE. We started in Charlotte, but our walls 0:44:35.640 --> 0:44:40.640 of this church have gone far beyond the city of Charlotte. 0:44:40.800 --> 0:44:44.720 And I promise you, if thirteen thousand people are already 0:44:44.760 --> 0:44:47.200 doing it, which, by the way, good job. If you're 0:44:47.239 --> 0:44:50.040 already doing it, maybe invite someone to join your group. 0:44:50.640 --> 0:44:52.799 I promised you. We're not gonna bite. We're even gonna 0:44:52.800 --> 0:44:56.080 make you do homework. We simply want you to join 0:44:56.120 --> 0:44:58.239 a group where you can discuss the things that God 0:44:58.320 --> 0:45:02.640 is teaching you each week. So in just a second, 0:45:02.640 --> 0:45:04.680 if you're at one of our locations, when you walked in, 0:45:04.719 --> 0:45:06.279 you were given a card to think of. Got one 0:45:06.320 --> 0:45:08.600 it looks like this. All we want you to do 0:45:08.680 --> 0:45:10.640 is fill it out and take it to the E 0:45:10.680 --> 0:45:13.279 group's area at your campus to join a group, and 0:45:14.160 --> 0:45:17.000 when I close, somebody's going to come give you more directions. 0:45:17.000 --> 0:45:19.600 If you're part of our EPAM you're watching online, don't worry. 0:45:20.080 --> 0:45:21.960 Our team is going to come. They're going to give 0:45:21.960 --> 0:45:27.200 you instructions. Even if you're watching this later on YouTube, 0:45:27.520 --> 0:45:30.080 there's going to be a little link in the comments. 0:45:30.320 --> 0:45:33.839 If you want to join an e group, it's time 0:45:33.880 --> 0:45:37.320 to check your connection. Go ahead and do it today. 0:45:37.360 --> 0:45:39.719 Don't go out of here and say, oh yeah, maybe 0:45:39.719 --> 0:45:42.000 we should do that. Go ahead and do it today. 0:45:42.000 --> 0:45:48.719 Would you stand with me? I want to close this 0:45:48.800 --> 0:45:53.359 in prayer. Before I do that, I want to give 0:45:53.400 --> 0:45:56.040 an opportunity to those of you who need to come 0:45:56.120 --> 0:45:59.400 to faith in Jesus. Maybe you need to come back 0:45:59.800 --> 0:46:02.880 to faith in Him. You need to get connected to 0:46:02.960 --> 0:46:06.719 the source before you get connected to a group, and 0:46:06.760 --> 0:46:10.200 I want to give you that opportunity right now. Romans 0:46:10.200 --> 0:46:12.480 ten nine says if you confess with your mouth that 0:46:12.600 --> 0:46:15.560 Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God 0:46:15.640 --> 0:46:20.160 raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If 0:46:20.200 --> 0:46:21.960 you would like to come to faith in Christ, We're 0:46:22.000 --> 0:46:24.719 all going to pray this prayer together for you. We're 0:46:24.719 --> 0:46:28.319 all going to pray this prayer together, but for you, 0:46:28.520 --> 0:46:32.120 this is your moment, So would you pray this prayer 0:46:32.120 --> 0:46:38.440 with me? Heavenly Father, I believe that you are the 0:46:38.480 --> 0:46:42.239 savior of the world and that you died on the 0:46:42.320 --> 0:46:49.680 cross for my sins. Right now I place my faith 0:46:49.719 --> 0:46:57.360 in you. This is my new beginning in Jesus' name. Amen. 0:46:58.520 --> 0:47:00.440 If you just prayed that prayer and the caunt of three, 0:47:00.440 --> 0:47:02.160 I'm gonna get you to raise your hand or maybe 0:47:02.200 --> 0:47:04.320 type it in the chat let us know, because we 0:47:04.360 --> 0:47:08.200 want to celebrate with you. One, two, three. Would you 0:47:08.280 --> 0:47:10.279 raise your hand. You've got a Bible that may want 0:47:10.280 --> 0:47:20.160 to give you, type it in the chat. We're gonna 0:47:20.200 --> 0:47:23.600 reach out to you online. If you just accepted Jesus, 0:47:25.200 --> 0:47:28.440 it's amazing. It's amazing what God can do when you 0:47:28.480 --> 0:47:31.279 get among his people. I wish I could tell you 0:47:31.320 --> 0:47:34.000 to join hands through the person next to you. It 0:47:34.160 --> 0:47:36.080 just feels like it's what we should do. But unless 0:47:36.080 --> 0:47:38.799 you're your family member, we'll just join our hearts and 0:47:38.840 --> 0:47:42.360 our faith together and let's pray. God, we come to 0:47:42.440 --> 0:47:49.279 you with full hearts. We're just so grateful that you 0:47:49.480 --> 0:47:55.000 provide people to go with us on this journey of 0:47:55.040 --> 0:47:59.080 life and then always you are with us as well. 0:47:59.680 --> 0:48:03.160 Thank you, Thank God. Thank you that you are still 0:48:03.719 --> 0:48:09.120 building your church. The gates of hell cannot prevail. That 0:48:09.200 --> 0:48:12.480 you are doing an amazing thing in your church in 0:48:12.560 --> 0:48:14.759 this world, and God, we want to be a part 0:48:14.800 --> 0:48:18.160 of that. We want to grow in our faith. Thank 0:48:18.200 --> 0:48:21.480 you that in your presence there is no shame, and 0:48:21.520 --> 0:48:26.120 among your people we find peace and joy and belonging God. 0:48:26.160 --> 0:48:28.160 I just asked that you would give us the courage 0:48:28.640 --> 0:48:33.280 to step out and get back to the place of connection. 0:48:34.080 --> 0:48:38.240 We love you so in Jesus nay I pray Amen. 0:48:46.480 --> 0:48:49.040 Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 0:48:49.080 --> 0:48:52.080 you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 0:48:52.120 --> 0:48:55.040 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:48:55.080 --> 0:48:58.320 link in the description to give now or visit Elevation 0:48:58.520 --> 0:49:02.120 Church dot org slash podcast for more information and if 0:49:02.160 --> 0:49:05.439 you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share 0:49:05.440 --> 0:49:07.680 it with your friends. You can click the share button, 0:49:07.719 --> 0:49:10.160 take a screenshot and share it on your social stories 0:49:10.160 --> 0:49:12.920 and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. 0:49:12.960 --> 0:49:18.640 God bless you