Missions Conference - Sunday 9:45 AM

Everybody up early this morning and had your coffee and ready to learn. And to grow this morning, just more of a format of us together and more didactic. And teaching I want to just take this opportunity for the next few minutes and talk about what we've learned a Grace Life Church about revitalizing, our church to biblical Health in a church. That is biblical based is almost become unheard of in our area of Northeast. Oklahoma scripture, driven glory of God, Focus Christ honoring. Give me Bible saturated is something that is almost a two-headed Beast. How the church historically has been a Bible driven church, the church historically has been a godsend to our church. The church historically has been a church that's robust in missions and robust and it's biblical ecclesiology the way that the church carries out his day today conduct in purpose and Grace

I've been pastoring for many many years and I planted the church, there in Pryor Oklahoma in 1999 and lot of out of which was just ignorance into my my used No Malice no ill intent. Allowing the world are pragmatic. Philosophy is to have a part in the church as a young man and as I was maturing in the face in, as I was growing biblically, as I was learning from the Bible, as I was Desiring more and more to honor God, in both my personal life. And in the church, I'll be glad to see that there were practices in our own church. That I had not only allowed, but had inaugurated that needed to be dealt with.

Sending children out during the preaching of the word, which we did for years and years, in my younger years, in Ministry, I began to feel conviction that why are we sending out our children? Whenever the word of the Living God has been proclaimed. The power of the spirit of God. Why are we sending them out to children's class? Where they're doing a miniature Jesus or playtime hour or whatever? They need to be with the family in the strong bonding time, where fathers can train her children to sit still and they can learn the word of God. Even little children can hear the word of God in and 2 in to repair and to believe the gospel and be safe. So we begin to make these changes in the church. Not Everyone likes change. Not everyone believes that church itself should be driven by scripture you know the Lord's Church ought to be conducted the Lord's way, don't you agree with me then God has given to us a blueprint of format for his church to be a healthy Church in a biblically-based church. And I start to come to these convictions and then over the course of time, we started seeing the numbers start to dwindle. In around 2012, there was a mass Exodus. We went from over 100 and some member Church down to about a 20-member church. And I remember my wife and I are visiting about this that we never had it more of a burden than we had. Had it at time for Christ to be honored, never more of a burden to preach the gospel. And it's pure undiluted way in to preach expository sermons. That give the context and the meat and potatoes of the scripture in the teach, God's people got to word, but there were those that had come into the church that were not on board with that. Kind of preaching. Not on board, was such a robust biblical church, and they wanted to go back to the old ways. We prefer the leaks in the onions of Egypt, rather than what God has provided for us in the Here. And Now, And over the course of time that there was a church split in our church and we went down just to us small number. The church was healthier at 20th and it was with at 120. The Christ was ordered more with the 20 than with 120. The grace Life church, the church where I pastor. Was for the first time and its history, moving towards a direction that honored Christ and everything. We said and everything that we had done

That the Lord was building his church and that the Lord has brought us through Divine reduction before he can build his church, his way. There were people that needed to go, there were people that would never be on board with a Biblical Church. There were people that would never repent for sending their life and never never have a vision for what the Bible says. That a Biblical healthy Church. A New Testament, Church ought to be

In the Lord for a season, we we didn't grow.

One year goes by two years goes by three years ago. By people would come and visit people would leave people to come and visit people would leave Number to my wife and I having the conversation. Listen, if they all leave we'll have a Biblical Church. Where the scripture is proclaimed to my kids and my grandkids. And I will be faithful and Shepherd, those that God has in this particular Church Grace Life Church. And if it never grows glory be to God, the God can do whatever God wants to do. I'm just going to be faithful to the text. And I remember laying the foundation of the supremacy of the priority of the Primacy of preaching in the pulpit and the giving of myself to to prayer and intercession seeking God praying, search my heart confessing my own personal sins, loving Christ, loving the scripture, spending hours upon hours. And by the way, during this season, working by vocationally, managing about 50 employees, Aloha, law enforcement agency,

But yet shepherding, the flock of God. If you have your Bible turn to Matthew chapter 16, I'm just going to go to a couple of principals here as I go along. In this testimonial, about reforming the church, the biblical health, and some of the battles. And some of the bruises that occur during these times in our lives, that we have a burden to for the church to glorify Christ for a church to be healthy. And looking back. Now, I was telling your pasture yesterday, evening after service was over that I wouldn't change a thing about what happened in those rough years that God was pruning. The first the guide was at work and I'll see to know at that moment. I didn't know what was going on. All I know that's why I was hurting because we lost a lot of friends and there was a lot of talk, a lot of scuttlebutt, most of which was untrue and I was I was discouraged. There was some brothers that came along and helped me that helped me to keep that Vision before me of looking to Christ and trusting him to build his church.

So we decide resign or self that Lori. This is your church. We wanted to be built your way for your glory and if if we just a 20 Lord your will be done. We just want to please you. And I will say, just jump ahead of myself a little bit as the years began to roll by just being consistency preaching through the Gospel of John preaching to the Pastoral Epistles. 1st Timothy 2nd Timothy Todd is doing Old Testament books on midweek going to the Book of Romans preaching verse by verse 4-5 years of the book of Romans that out of the woodwork got started. Bringing people the people coming in the people leaving, stop the people coming started staying We begin to love the people that come in, encourage them, and welcome them. Make them feel, welcome and warm and to preach the truth. Without any compromise to preach are depriest, the text to confront, send the priests of glories, of Christ, heavyweight a doctrinal truth. And God begin to bring people. Cuz they wanted to hear the truth, they were sick of playing games in the church. They were sick of this raise. They were sick of the of the superficial 1 inch. Deep theology that was spread so wide that help. No one has told her once said that if it was a medicine then when we get well, that was a poison, no one would become sick. That is the modern church, we wanted to dig out those old Wells. We wanted the old truths to be brought back into preach of robust, doctrinal doctrinal proclamation of the gospel and people begin to hunger for that. People begin to desire that and people started coming from a distance, to hear the word of God and that 20 number, begin to go to 30 and that 30 number begin to grow 240 and that for Number to 50 and 50 to 60 to 70 to 80 to 100 and now even beyond that. And the Lord is, it's just a worker that the Lord has done that. The Lord had first reduced us to almost no one. And we said in our hearts that we're going to do Church God's way for God's glory by faith alone. In Christ alone to the glory of God alone. And we're going to do it until he comes. Or he take me home. Just where we settled our hearts and in the 20 people that we had were on board as a pastor. We are with you. One hundred percent, we're praying for you, we believe the word of God. We believe that God is leading you to reform this church. The biblical help they got on board. Begin to witness and begin to evangelize and begin to pray for their pastor and begin to pray for the meetings up again to the labor and the church, and God begin to work in a power plant. Still is working in a powerful way. The text in Matthew chapter 16 is very familiar to all of you. Obviously, starting at verse 13, I will pick up it says that when Jesus came into the District of caesarea. Philippi, why? He was asking his disciples who do people say that the son of man is and they said some say, John the Baptist and others Elijah but still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets and he said that then, but who do you say that I am. Simon Peter answered that, you are. The Christos, you are the Christ, the son of the Living God and Jesus said to him, blessed are you Simon bar-jonah, son of John, because Flesh and Blood did not reveal this to you. But my father who is in heaven I also say to you that you are Peter and Upon This Rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it and I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatever you bind on Earth, shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth, shall have been loosed in heaven. Then he warned the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

four features here quickly and these are all truths that we have been at Grace life car, trying to lay hold of the last 12 to 15 years. In our attempt to reform of the grace of God for the spirit of God, a local church in a rural community. The biblical hell that will honor Christ Above All Else. And the first we see is that who owns the church? Who owns Barrel Baptist Church. It's not Pastor Wade.

It's not you. It's Christ. It's a church. And he has the right. British Church to beer and his way. He has a right for his subjects to be in total submission to his lordship. He has a right for his message is Gospel. His proclamation to be preached without feathers or chains or without human Dogma heaped upon it. It's his church. He's the head of the church. We are the body of Christ. He is the head raining over his church. And he has a sovereign, right? A perogative, as a king, for his church, to be in submission, and for his church to operate, according to his rules and then undershepherd and the Elders of the Church of a Biblical mandate have a responsibility before God and the Lord Jesus Christ himself to oversee, his church, that things will be done his way.

No matter what people may say, no matter how people may respond, our marching orders are to do Church. His way because he owns it. It's his bride. It's his blood. But people, he purchased for God, his church, with his own blood acts 20:28. We are owned by God. We can't do things. Our way we are due to loss. We are his slaves. We are owned. We are purchased. We are not our own. We've been bought, and that we are subject to his authority, that we are subject to his will. And that we need to do. His will he is way.

Going to things. I came to grips with and reforming. The local church where I passed her that I do not have the authority. To do Church the way I think Church ought to be done.

That we have a Divine blueprint in scripture for how God wants business conducted in his church. The second really find is inverse to 18 as well. And not only do we ask the question, who owns the church? The answer is in his Christ but the second question is who builds the church.

Wilbur's 18, our Lord tells us that Upon This Rock. I will build my church.

And he builds his churches way. He builds his church through Divine truth.

Through the scriptures.

I've listened to many sermons of your pastor. I know that we acclimate to our surroundings and that everything becomes casual. The barrel Baptist, you have a unique Pastor that can expound the scriptures. I've known your pastor for around ten years, he lives for God, and for his glory, your pastor suffered for the sake of Christ and keeps on plodding forward for the grace and strength, supplied men like wavelengths are a rare breed in the Lord's Church home. And that's committed to scripture. A man that's committed to Exposition. A man that's committed to prayer, man. That's committed to doing Church of Christ way, even if the cost is significant,

I know how how much it hurts to lose 80% of your congregation. I know how much you feel like a failure in the human sense. But I also know that from scripture, that God often times reduces the church before he builds his church, the god off of times prunes dead branches that got off of times. Removes people that would stagnate crippled the work of God in the church. That God often times comes in and does the Divine Sovereign Redemption that he might build chargeback. And it might be a demonstration of the power and grace of God and not human resolve nor human accomplishment.

Y'all remember the Judges? Chapter 6, The Old glorious story of Gideon, right?

He was to have a army that was going to discomfit the adversaries and the Lord kept reducing Gideon's Army. Now you'd better know that Gideon was a little bit disheartening by that. When you go to the water Brook with this, massive Vigilant Army and not long thereafter. The Lord says that too many and the Lord separates the majority of them. And then comes back with a smaller Army in the Lord, looks at the Army and the Lord says, that's too many in the Lord separates at once again. And the next thing you know that this Mighty Man of Valor, has only a handful of handpicked, soldiers, in any human says, it looks like there's no way that I may lack is going to be cutting his confidence by this small number But God did the reducing God did the Divine reduction God removed? The mass numbers because I'm going to do it in my way and demonstrating my power and it will be to the glory. And the praise of my grace, my Grace will be enough for you.

Beryl Baptist. I just want to speak a word of encouragement to you. The Lord builds his church, The next question that we find is in verses 17 and 18 and how he builds his church and is very clear from the text. He says, I also say to you that you are petross, your Peter and Upon This Rock, I will build my church. And what is that? We'll go back to verse 17. And it actually goes on back up to verse 16, where Peter says, that you are the crystal awesome. You're the Messiah, you are the savior of the world, you're the son of the Living God in Jesus says blessed are you Simon bar-jonah for Flesh? And Blood did not reveal this to you but my father who is in heaven Underscore that word reveal.

Talking about revelation. It's not something that Peter woke up and got smart all of a sudden. I mean, all of us, know the clodhoppers that he was from time to time, we can identify because I'm that way and if you'll be honest with yourself, you're that way too. Play says Peter. You didn't come up with this, on your own. This is something that's been revealed to you. And Upon This Rock, it's not talkin about Peter's. It's not we don't hold to Roman Catholic, dogma. The Peter himself is the foundation of the church. The Lord Jesus Christ as revealed to us by, Holy scripture is the foundation of the church he does. I will build my church. My way. And I'm going to do it through this Pulpit, preaching the truth of God one person time. God's given to us and inspired book. 66 books. Breathe out. Tell news To Us by God. Profitable for teaching, for reproof for training in righteousness.

The man of God, might be thoroughly equipped and every good work. Upon this, I will build my church. Merrill Baptist Church is not going to be built by when some programs not if you're going to build a God's way. Not only with some programs but when's the personalities. You know, we all want a great speaker. We want someone with a PhD, we want him to be good-looking have nice hair up, beautiful wife. It spotless kids in a Winsome speech and in to use every trick in the book to get people to come in. So we'll have the appearance of success

Burgess said a big church might just be bloated because it did dead things bloat.

The true church is not built on that premise. It's not on the premise of manmade tricks or mad man. Cutting arm and made sophisticated ideas or whatever. Our philosophies he says, I will build my church by divine revelation that divine revelation Finds Its Apex in the person, and work of Jesus Christ.

John 5:39 Jesus says to the Pharisees, you think that you search the scriptures because in them, you think that you have eternal life, the scriptures speak of me, And you want to kill me.

The scriptures find their climactic point in Christ.

All of the word of God Point Christ.

And whenever you have a Pulpit with a man that's been apprehended, by Christ has been governed by Christ. That's filled with the spirit of Christ preaching. The word of Christ Christ built his church.

There's an ongoing work in this place. You can't see it. Possibly, you're not even feeling it. The Lord's word is like a scalpel in your soul. That's cutting and splitting and Discerning between joint and Marilyn, the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The Lord by the Holy Ghost is convicting and we're repenting for putting off the old, and we're putting on the new in this ongoing work of repenting and repenting and repenting and crying out for God to work in us and repenting again and repenting again and looking to Christ, and going to the word of God and putting off the old and putting on Christ and cutting out all the fat. And everything that doesn't line up with scriptures. Listen, the Lord is in that work.

And it's slow.

I pray the Lord Lord do not make Grace Life Church of Pryor grow explosively. A church that blows up fast but also blow up fast. The winner of the Lord is building lives. And Apprehending hearts in convicting us of sin. And showing us the sufficiency of scripture, the sufficiency of the truth of God, the sword of the spirit for the life of the church, and for the health of its membership for the glories of God, in the function of Christ Supremacy. In our life, the word of God is sufficient.

One thing, our elders demand of Grace Life Church Pryor is that they leave their Pastor alone to study.

You don't want Pastor coming to your kids ball games, you don't want Pastor coming to your kids birthdays. Leave the man of God in the study so that he can come here and say thus saith the Lord. But he's met with God through the week that he's studied the scriptures that he's pars out. Those Greek verbs and that he knows the context and he preaches and gives the proper sense of the text and apply. Is it to the spirit of the Lord using the word of God deals, with our hearts, and all of us as God's people are putting off sin or putting off the old and the spirit of the Lord is convicting us and that we're putting on Christ and ever-increasing matter.

And Lord begins to build his church. One bar set a time, One Soul at a time when repenting Center at a time and a lord, whether you feel it or not, whether you see it or not, we base it upon the irrevocable promise of Christ, who cannot lie that he will build his church and he will do it his way with divine revelation. Barrel Baptist, I beg you, I plead with you insist, that your pastor, not your elders, be in the study, much in the text, much with the word of God much in prayer for you and your children and for the Salvation of your children and grandchildren and that when he comes to the pulpit and he opens up the word of God and it begins to preach the inspired text scripture, you will know that God has been in your midst. You know what God will do?

Got to begin to bring people here because they want to hear the truth.

People start driving for an hour to come to church at Beryl. Baptist Church to hear the word of God. I said, while ago that God has placed a unique man in the Pulpit at your church.

He didn't even say that. I'm saying that because I know his heart. I seen the tears in his eyes. I know the passion that drives him and I know, I know that grip because the Lord has gripped me in that way.

And what you have a barrel Baptist Church is precious. And the gods forming up a core of Believers in this church, a nucleus of family. To be vigilant in the guard and protect what God's doing in this church, God's at work. In this church, who we don't have as many people as we used to get in a man. The Lord's in charge of all that we do, we believe that God is in control or not. Do we believe that God does reduced charges before God as two churches? I mean, if we're gauging the success of the truck on the Miracle, superiority our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ, was nothing more than a dismal failure. He had 12 one of them denying him three times, another sold him out, the thirty pieces of silver and ran outside the gate behind himself. And the others, all fled at the threat of the Cross, they fled. And Jesus was there with a couple women, the foot of the cross weeping over him and everyone else left him. But I'll practical appearances and I'll buy all human analysis. Jesus Christ was a dismal failure.

But was he? God was at work. God was at work and three days later that stone is rolled away and Jesus Christ takes his life up again and he Champions death he walks out Victorious over death. Having secured our Eternal Redemption. Bro, Baptist Church, listen to a pastor that's been through the the, the process of a church-going 41 size to a very, very small size. The Lord was at work in that.

The more wasn't working that Divine reduction that God did a Gideon thing on us. That we went down to the very small number to the Lord was still building his church in order for the Lord to build his church spiritually. There had to be things that happened that we could understand. And the outward cursory, send more than the humans that big God was at work. I didn't understand it. All I knew was I was hurting.

The Lord will build his church and it does it by Divine truth. Pastor Lance needs to be in this Pulpit every Lord's Day morning and every midday saying d'usse at the word of God. Verse by verse by verse by verse chapter. After chapter book, after book to the glory of God, and the spirit is wielding his sword. He's cutting us to the quick and that God's doing his work and listen and the Lord will build his church through the truth of divine revelation.

Is God's way of doing things.

My pastor is Jeff noblit Pastor Grace Life Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama was formerly. First Baptist Church. He took the pastor to run 2,000 members.

Within the first year or two of his pastorate. The church had Mass Exodus. There was one Sunday where he began to preach and he was trying to get the church biblical implementing of church. Biblical regenerate church membership, the practice of biblical church. This one that's spelled out in Matthew chapter 18. And there were six hundred members got up and went Services, stomped out and never came back, 600 members.

And they wept, they would see their friends at the grocery store. Now, I know what this is like because we've experienced it and they return their shopping carts around and go. The other way, people that have been your dearest friends, Would even look at you would even speak to you and all he was trying to do Church God's way for the glory and honor Christ. That was 40 years ago. Now you walking to Grace Life Church has the most vivacious vibrant, christ-centered scripture driven. Humbly field was humble Saints. Filling the the membership and there'll be twelve to fifteen hundred Saints and they're worshipping at the top of their lungs, praising God, serving the needs of the church like an army militant. The first time I went there around 2009. I told my wife I can't believe what I'm seeing. I want our church to be like this but I didn't know how to get it there. And over the course of time and with the help of some faithful Godly Brothers. They've, they've helped us turn the corners to become a church that honors Christ in all things.

Quickly, let me show you the invincibility of the church in our texts. He says, at the end of Verse 18, I will build my church and the gates of Hades. What not overpower it.

When Christ build his church, there's an invisibility.

Whenever Christ builds, his church, his way, when God's people get on board with his will his word his way, he builds his church and not even the very Gates of Hell, not even the thraldom of Satan can do anything about it.

There's some invincibility.

Pearl Baptist. That's what you want, right? You want Christ to build his church in to use the divine revelation that God has given the sword of the spirit to do things his way to the honor, and the glory, and the praise of his grace. Because because it glorifies him because it honors him and he will superintendents church. He will guard, he will protect, he will know, he will mature his church and not even not even hell itself. Confirm that there's an invincibility.

That's what I'm doing here.

I know that when we were going through those very difficult seasons and 10 or 11 years ago,

so many people thought I had just fallen off my rocker.

All I wanted was just to honor God in the new church, God's way.

We changed some things because I had some convictions that they weren't biblical. And some people didn't like the change, some people didn't, like they would say, we don't like the direction, the Charges going with the direction was, we were headed to the cross. The direction was that we were headed towards doing things for the glory of Christ and all things that never in my life and never in the history of my Ministry, I have been more ferociously committed and dogmatic to the truth of God.

And some people are not committed to the truth. The god, they want the appearance of success They want the church to be powerful on Earth and Rich and robust, and filled with people, and they want control over the power over it. When you don't do things their way, they go to another place to where they can inch and worm their way into do things their way.

The Lord will never work in a church like that.

Do I know this church to run? 2,000 this morning? 2000 w. And what are they doing there? Well, me and the pastor been he dresses up and he does is he came in on the zipline last Sunday and it's just the coolest thing you ever seen.

The worst Christ in all of it. Where's the truth of scripture? In all of it worse? The incentive for Holiness in all of it. Where's the great demonstrations of the power of God? Who raises the dead in the midst of all of it? Where's the regenerating power of the holy spirit that quickens us and raises us to New Life, spiritually and all of it. It's powerless. It's useless. And God has nothing to do with it.

The Lord looking for men that are faithful. Lord is looking for churches that are faithful faithful to the scripture, faithful to God, and worship faithful. For how the church has conducted faithful for how we evangelize and do missions. Their eyes are off of our self and her eyes are on the nation's. Why? For the glory of God that God might have the worship. As I preach last night that we do things, God's way that's a church that God will bless and they'll be Supernatural. Works of God in that church. That God will bring me bringing dead center to New Life and raising up an army for the glory of Christ. And it does it through church is just like Barrel, Baptist Church, But often times before, God can get us there. We have to take us down. Humblest. To show us his power to show us the sufficiency of his word.

Ford brings it back, strengthens us and helps us.

You don't need a c e o u. Need a man of God.

You don't need some slick shyster, you need an exegete you need someone to go to this text and spent hour upon hour and up on our end up on our working. His way through the texts that he knows that takes, it's on the inside of him, it's permitted. His soul and that he's tasted of the goodness of God in it, that he comes here and opens up, the word of God and preachers in the power of the spirit.

That's kind of Church of God will grow God's way. That's kind of church. That God will bring honor and glory to his own great name through that people.

I will build my church. I will do a divine revelation.

And that church will be Invincible. The Gates of Hell will not prevail.

Is anybody have any questions may be? A question about what we've been through? What God's doing it? Grace life, Pryor? Maybe questions about the hard Seasons that we went through. The motivations of the desires for turning things around to the glory of God. Why we stopped doing certain things and started doing other things? Any questions?

It was at least people just all confusing me all their hands up at one time. I don't know which one to pick. Yes, pastor.

today in, in the world and with the living in, what's the what's the greatest threat? As far as a Biblical church is going to face. In the future. I would say that the greatest threat that the church in general space in days that we don't trust the Bible anymore. And that scripture is not front-and-center the church.

It is the church that we are in. Now with the facility in front of the campus that we bought. The first thing that we noticed whenever we came in as they didn't have a Pulpit in the church anymore. And that is a statement. As a statement that the word of God does not hold Primacy in this church anymore. The first thing we did for the first service is that we had a custom Pulpit made with the five Solas imprinted on. That's where we're at. That's who we are. We're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, through scripture Alone, In Christ Alone, to the glory of God, alone, that's imprinted in the front of the pulpit. We said it front and center. And that's a statement that this church is about this book. And we preach this book because it proclaims Christ. And I would say that the greatest threat is compromised and that we don't hold the Bible as Supreme in the life of the church that we don't allow the Bible to govern the life of the church that we become philosophical a pragmatic, meaning that we do, what it takes to get the church full of people believe, nor with the Bible says on the methodology to get that done, right? And so we began to implement worldly wisdom. We hire mr. Worldly wise, man so that we could come Winsome in the eyes of the lost and we bring them to a worldly. Cardinal church that has no power of the Holy Spirit or truth and cutting-edge of the gospel and so they remain worldly. So I believe that world in this in the church is this the stage is set by world and then the pulpit that have set the Bible aside and began to use when some philosophical ideas rather than the Bible, the life of the church. That's a great question. I believe the greatest threat is outside influence is coming in and taking over a holy God, driven Church.

Anyone else have any questions?

Young people back there. Yes, ma'am.

Explain why that them biblical to have. Sure, I saw the question that my wife asked is we made a change 10, 11 12, 13 years ago to do away with the typical status quo, Baptist Ohio, 21 year old kid with bleach blonde hair and a tattoo. In the prime of his testosterone unmarried to bring them and throw him into the room with a bunch of 18 year old girls and think that's going to work out. Well

we said that's not the design of Gods.

We don't have a quote on quote, youth group at Grace life. Prior, we have around 2224 teenagers in our church and we have Sunday school on Sunday morning. We call it small group, and I am their teacher. That at this crucial critical time in their life, they need me to be giving to them pure dark Turtle truth and calling them to repentance for God and faith in Jesus Christ. I don't play games with them. I'm too old and my bones are getting brittle.

I'm not against spending time with them and will probably have a, a little fire at my house and cook some marshmallows on the kids, bounce on the trampoline, and Chase each other around, the yard and squeal and stuff that kids do, that's all fine. But our youth ministry is Christ driven. And they've got an older man that's been there and done that, it's raised a family and now my son is 35 years old. And I want to teach them the word of God. I'm concerned about them being converted unconcerned about them being saved. I'm concerned about their eternity. And so we put aside this entertainment model 3, have some cool hip guy. That the kids think he's the funniest thing that cracks a joke off-color. Every now and then, so they'll think he's the best thing since sliced bread. We have none of that.

We don't we don't play games a lot with the kids and we do have every now and then apparently did not wear, the kids will come to the campus. We have a gymnasium like what you do, and they will buy the kids pizza and they Fellowship. The parents are all there, but it's all christ-centered, you know, they will have some short devotion and I will pray with them, but I'm not there, but on Sunday morning, I'm there and I'm teaching our teenagers. 12 year old 18 year old young people. The word of God. We right now we're going to the Gospel of John verse by verse So what sounds boring know, that's what God uses the same folks. These things have been written that you might believe that Christ is the Son of God and that in, believing in him, you might have life in his name. These things have been written that you might believe. So we're going through and the whole church is, by the way. In our Sunday, school on our small groups and we're learning the word of God and I'm teaching them loving on them and we have a good time with them, but it's all bible-based. It's all the model in Baptist life is you got to get some young guys, got to be cool and he's a maybe he's got the five Solas tattooed on his arm but I'm not against all that but if that's what you're aiming. And if you're trying to have some slick dude to come in that the kids are going to things cool and relevant that's not that's not biblical. The only thing wrong in this building today is this book.

I'm not relevant. The book is relevant, is an ageless book. It's always spoken in a season that is fitting and it's God's wisdom for his church, is his way of Salvation And so yeah, like when you do things a certain way, for a certain number of years and you say, we're not doing that anymore. Here is why there are some people that recall and we had that And I went into it knowing and, you know, I'm willing to suffer the consequences for doing Church God's way and caring for The Souls of kid. Kids. More than I care for their desire to be entertained.

And by the way, we baptized, how many of our teenagers in the last couple of years? Thank for of Are We baptized an eleven-year-old recently that have been truly Sally? Converted her parents testify that we think she she makes us convicted and she spends more time in prayer more time in her Bible than we do. We're convicted bar 11 year old that God saved her, we baptize another one recently and God is at work in these young people there truly changed with a little redheaded rebellious, girl, in our in our church and in the Paris didn't know what to do with her and the Lord, just convicted her for about two year process. No more was drawing her and convicting, her. And she just wrestling with her soul, and the largest conquered her, and she has been so change her parents. Like this kid is not even the same kid. Do you know what did? It's not playing games at wasn't going. Bowling at wasn't having pizza or it was the word of God being proclaimed Faithfully week in and week out challenging them, week in and week out. And she began to feel conviction that she was a sinner headed to hell. It's your appendix. It's a change. Can we believe that? God works in Grace and salvation a miraculous way and gave her a new heart? And that's exactly what happened. So it's a good question. Beautiful.

Any others? Pastor a questions and gentlemen. What's up? I asked a friend.

We talked about some conversation about the church and hospitality. how easy it is for us as members to show, Hospitality to other members but sometimes, Disregard visitor, right? What can we use? A Turf is better. Do to reach out to supper, busy or the visitor has been coming for a couple of weeks. The first line pastors this, we got to get through our heads that coming to church. We're not here to receive, we're here to give it. Remember we have what's called every member Ministry at our church. Every member has come to church to serve and to give to lay their lies as an offering of fragrant offering before Christ. And so we have to ask ourselves. What is my purpose in being a real bad this morning? Am I here to be a vessel that pours out or a sponge? That sucks in, right? It's not that we don't receive we do. But what is my objective? If I here today to be a blessing, am I here to be an encouragement? Am I here to go to brother and to be able to use a sense of discernment to see what a brother or sister was struggling. And to give them a word of encouragement to help them through that time or somebody walks through those doors, that none of us know know what our natural inclination is. Well, that's kind of awkward to go and talk to him, right? What's the heart of Christ in this? How can I serve a minister this person? Now we have this every member Ministry that we all begin to see that we are one body under one head which is the lordship of Christ. When that new person comes in, we want them to feel welcome. We want to serve them, we want to bring truth and admonition encouragement to them and to put that comforter side and go to them and welcome them had safe. Would you come sit with me? You have about one another Bible. Will I brought an extra one today. You can just have this one. I saw this at work at our church. We've been dealing with this not preach on hospitality. And I constantly challenged our people because we're just by Nature standoffish, people. All of us are When someone that we don't know, we feel a little uncomfortable because what if that person is not nice or what if that person is weird or what if that person will think I'm too pushy, you want that person that's of that, you know, that we got to start seeing that God called me to be an ambassador, right? Second Corinthians chapter 5 be be there for Ambassador for Christ and to serve them. Come here to give and be a blessing. So what I was going to say is Tyronn Lue Amitiza, fairly new member of our church. He's a a contractor construction. Contractor with a young man that visited our church. For the first time, the guy that invited him from work. Didn't show up that Wednesday. So he's standing out like a sore thumb, he comes an hour early and thankfully Ron came I was in my study doing counseling session with a family at that time and put his arm around. The guy has come on let's go get a cold bottle water and took his come sit by me and invited him to lunch or something. Let's get together. Give me your name and put in his phone and put his arm around. You have a Bible. If you don't, I'll get you one Pasha. Probably got some in his office and and just really, and I would just watching this is, I came in and how wrong runs around 64, 65 years old and how he took this 25-year old man and is he was walking around like really feeling awkward in our sexual hairy like a sore, thumb standing out and ronda's, grab him. Some other men came in here on took them. They are all centered around this young man just talking to him and they were rubbing his shoulders and, you know, just loving on him. And it just just genuine, Hospitality young man, came to church Sunday

He felt that someone cared about him. You know, how do we know what if we was that guy that not come here says if this doesn't work out, this is my last time, I'm going to kill myself. Hey God's people just come around that, man. A minister to him, right? But we have to put off that old standoffish that I'm a little, I'm a little shy myself and I'll teach our people. That truth isn't depended upon any of that. God doesn't care if you're shy, he says it were to be ambassadors anyway. We got to put that aside and just be warm and welcoming, and and I think that's critical, you know, that when people come to Grace life, prior want them to feel that their love, don't want them to feel that they that they do mean something to do with God's image Bears, right? They're fearfully and wonderfully made and so we want to it's not that we exist to serve man. But in serving Christ, we love man and that we encourage them and spend time with them and I'll tell you. A $20 lunch with someone after church will go an awful long way for someone. Come back, your church gets a. No, then let me hear your story. What it, how can I pray for you? Is there something going on your life? I can pray that the Lord will help you, and I'll be faithful this weekend. Be faithful. And to pray for them for that need to let them know that I care about you.