Sunday Service

Well, we are continuing a sermon series and really kind of ending the sermon series that we've done this summer called never read a verse where I've championed the idea of don't reading a verse in isolation now starting next Sunday for a couple of Sundays. I'm going to kind of look at some verses that when you look at their context the verse by itself kind of says what it says and means what it says and some kind of going to do the opposite for a couple of Sundays and give us single vs. Or two verses together that we can memorize and hang onto and kind of carry in our hearts through the fall as a school get started back in life picks up its face. So this is kind of the ending but there's a couple of bonus sermons coming up after this morning, but I want to continue what we've done in the series looking at vs. In pointing out that if you if you look at the context then it protects you from misunderstanding some verses this morning the verse I want to look at that is frequently misunderstood. Is this one in John 20:29, Jesus speaking to Tom Then Jesus told him because you have seen me you have believed blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. I've heard this verse preached and taught than even seen it in print to say what Jesus is saying here is that you don't need evidence to have faith in him that you can just ignore that that is a sign of less space to want evidence that it said that he's saying blessed are those who don't see and yet believe without any evidence and that well Let me show you the wider context in case you don't know the whole story. Here's the passage as a whole beginning and verse 24 now Thomas also known as their most was one of the twelve was not with the disciples when Jesus came so the other disciples told him we have seen the Lord but he said to them unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails work and put my hand into his side. I will not believe a week later. His disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them though. The doors were locked. Jesus came and stood among them and said peace be with you. I heard one commentator say, of course, he said peace be with you because if the Risen Christ who you saw crucified and put in a grave is suddenly in the room with you. Your first reaction is going to be terrified. So his first words, is it say, hey, it's okay. Peace be with you. You're seeing what you think you see it is the resurrected lord said, put your finger here. See my hands reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe Thomas said to him my Lord and my God. Then Jesus told him because you see me, you believe blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed now we're tempted to say like I said earlier some what Jesus is saying is that evidence is not important metrics. You shouldn't require evidence. But look at the very next verse what John says Jesus perform any other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name. So to say that Jesus meant in that those words to Thomas that you don't need evidence in order to believe. Would assume that John the writer of this gospel the one whom Jesus loved one of the closest 3 to Jesus who also wrote 1st 2nd and 3rd, John and Revelation totally misunderstood it and now we look back with greater inside the he ever had and changed the interpretation because he interprets what's going on heat right after that verse he says hey there were many other signs. What are signs evidence is proved Miracles wonders the Jesus perform. The books couldn't even hold him. He says later in the gospel that aren't written in this book. But these were written what this record this evidence the sign these wonders these were written so that you may believe When we look at these versus first 1331 help the reader understand that verse 29 cannot mean evidence is not an important part of the faith as soon as you read The Wider context if you're tempted to believe the Jesus, thank whole blessed. Are you if you don't need any evidence at all, if you just believe without seeing if you're tempted as soon as you read the next verse you kind of got Well, it can't mean that because right on the heels of verse 29, John is affirming. This gospel was gathered to give you evidence in order to believe so not only does it rule out leaving evidence is important verses 30 31 points to the value of evidence in learning about Jesus and choosing to follow Jesus. As a little aside what I do think is being said is Jesus is affirming the fact that many will believe because of the testimony of the Apostles of the Disciples of the church because of the records that John rights and the New Testament itself bless her to those who aren't in this very moment seeing me physically and you will believe because of the evidence of the Gospel of John because of the evidence of Paul's letters and things that will come later. Now I want to talk about evidence for Christianity because there's this false narrative in our culture this popular idea. That's out there that there isn't good evidence for Christianity for the gospels. Paul is Tatar. John is talking about when he says I've recorded these think the popular ideas that float around is that the gospels were created long after Jesus time that the church is really the author of the gospels in the sense of being self-serving and that the gospels are these fictionalized Legends. Now this exploded in the sixties and scholarship that later in the 80s that Jesus seminar got all the media for saying only Scholars have gathered and they said you can only believe about 20% of what you read in the Bible because it can't really be counted on because it's this oral tradition these legends that evolved over time through the church and they would we can change it to fit their needs to stay in power or their needs to get Jesus to back up their particular doctor nor teaching that sort of stuff was popular, but it's actually not based on. Honest scholarship, but it's so popular like The DaVinci Code. No real scholar believes any of The DaVinci Code, but you write The DaVinci Code and you get to be a guest on The Daily Show, you get to be on all the talk shows that you get the hell out this pseudo scholarship. It's all well. Actually I chose Christianity and that's simply not true. History and scholarship in the actual facts contradict this kind of popular idea that's out there in our culture in Hollywood and movies like The DaVinci Code and sadly and Miniver University a lot of the professors who are full-time Scholars of Christianity or the New Testament or those are two documents. They still have bought into the kind of scholarship from the 60s in the 80s. And that's what they teach students in University settings at Oak. You can't count on the gospels are not Dependable. They're written later. They they're their fiction eyes Legends and they were created by the church and self-serving ways. But if you examine the actual evidence that points in the opposite direction, Anne Rice who was a novelist and an atheist for many decades came to Faith and when she first came to face she was kind of embarrassed to come to Faith because she ran the circles of atheist in and Hollywood a novelist and she wrote the interview of a vampire. I think that Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt that book was turned into a movie and it is kind of erotic horror with some of her genre, but she was very popular and celebrated but she came to Faith and she said the way she came to Faith was to start to look at everything. She's been told by that sort of scholarship. I told you about just a moment ago that you could really trust the gospels and they were Legends and they were fiction eyes and created by the church and a self-serving manner. She said I begin to study that for myself directly as a as an academic and as an audit someone who knows literature and here's what she said. She said, some books were no more than assumptions piled upon assumptions. Conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all the whole case for the non Divine Jesus who stumbled into Jerusalem and somehow got crucified that whole picture would have which I bloated around liberal circles. I frequented as an atheist for 30 years that case was not may not only was it not made I discovered in this field some of the worst and most by scholarship. I'd ever read and this is a secular atheist who's come to Faith and said, this is the reality when I begin to research the material. It didn't really all these claims of the The DaVinci Code type in the the the pseudo scholarship behind. It really didn't match the evidence itself. The reality is the gospels were written early. That's just historical fact. It's just like if someone started the sad thing Shakespeare was written just a few hundred years ago people would set you know, or doesn't match up or it was written last week or written the O in the fifties of this Century. Just wouldn't it just wouldn't match out the gospels were actually written early. They're written 40 to 60 years after Jesus death burial and resurrection and Paul's letters were written 15 to 25 years after Jesus death burial and resurrection and Paul's letters include Jesus miracles his claimed his crucifixion and his resurrection of the popular idea is that Jesus wasn't Divine that he never claimed to be divined that the earliest records. Don't show him to be divine. But that later the church kind of put those words in a fictionalized these accounts and created this idea of Jesus being Divine and being but it just doesn't match the reality because the records the gospel themself that we have and the letter Cummins closest 15 to 20 years after the death of Jesus And include all the plane. So the biblical accounts of Jesus life were circulating within the lifetime of hundreds who have been present at the event of his ministry. I think about the logic of that if I want to create some sort of fiction some sort of religion or some sort of false Narrative of someone's life. Then I need to wait till till anyone who would have been present during their lifetime is dead. I need to wait till anyone who have been children of those who were present during their lifetime would have been dead and their grandchildren even need to dye weave on before I can create this complete fiction. Otherwise, there's people who were there two time or who can say hey that's not true. My dad was there when that happened they crucified him. I've heard my dad tell that story many of times he was there to say that Jesus was never crucified if people started creating those sort of fictional stories the ribbon Witnesses who have come forward and said, hey, that's not true. So the gospels himself and Paul's letters which contain Blackadder language the cost controversial elements of the Gospel his death is resurrecting his miracles his claims written as is closest 15 to 20 years for Paul's letters and 25 to 44 the gospel the gospel author Luke claims that he got his account of Jesus life from eyewitnesses who were still alive Luke chapter 1 verses 1 through 4 mini have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled Among Us just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and Servants of the word with this in mind since I myself have carefully investigated everything for the beginning. I too decided to write an orderly account for you. Most excellent Theophilus and solutes says his sources his records and he continued so that you may know the certainty of the things that have been taught. Until Luke says my sources are eyewitnesses again. If you've got a document that's circulating being read publicly within 40 to 60 years of the events and you're claiming eyewitnesses. And it's not true. You've made up these events you've made up these facts. There's plenty of people around both friend and foe people who don't like the church don't like Christians don't like Jesus who around who would give us a you're creating fiction. You're pretty things that aren't true for those who were there who would give us a hand was there that didn't happen properly and so he's putting it out there as legitimate evidence Mark 15:21 a certain man from Serene Simon the father of Alexander and Rufus was passing by on his way in from the country and they forced him to carry the cross now think about the details that the author of Mark's gospel including he's giving you the the children of the man who carried the cost of Christ.

That can be checked up on Gannett. I'm giving you names here. I'm giving you these sorts of details when Jesus was on his way. This is the person that carry the cross and here's the names of his children. You can check out these facts he sang when the gospels being written. You can investigate and look 1st Corinthians 15. Paul says now brothers and sisters. I want to remind you of the Gospel I preach to you which you have received and on which you have taken your stand. Play It Again here.

By this gospel your saved if you hold firmly to the word I preach to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain for what I received. I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures that he appeared to cephas and then to the 12 and that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time. Most of whom are still living though some have fallen asleep. Again, if you put that kind of claim and a document that's designed to be read publicly. What's going to happen. If you're making it up if it's fiction, you're going to be held accountable folks who were there who know those names of your missing? Who knows what you're talking about her going to say. Hey, that's not true. And we don't have any of that occurring in the early church history or documents. Even those who are enemies of Jesus didn't come out in this didn't happen there fictionalizing this So they make these claims that show that they're written early on look at what Paul says and Acts 26 26. The king is for Mary speaking to a group of the king is Premier with these things talking about the Life Death Resurrection Miracles a message of Christ. The King is familiar with these things and I can speak freely to him. I'm convinced that none of this has escaped his notice because it was not done in a corner. So Paul can say publicly to the king. Hey, you know what I'm talkin about. This is a matter of public record. This is history. We all know everyone in this room knows that Jesus came and that he preached and then he performed Miracles. The people said, hey, I was I was crippled and now I can walk because of this guy Jesus and that he was considered a criminal and then he was crucified and his followers call him resurrect. He put that clean out there. The gospels were written early and there was no hesitation by the gospel writers to say this is true. It can be verified.

for those who claim that that Christianity or the church somehow this is a popular notion that talk today with just isn't true. But if it's the narrative in any scholar who will say something like this the media just rushes to him and give him my can says that's awesome. It's just not based on reality one of the earliest fragments when I'm talking about dating of the New Testament documents. This is across-the-board agreement among Scholars. Okay. It's not controversial to say Philippians 2 is one of the earliest documents in the New Testament and this chapter and flipping student. Look up what Paul says in your relationship with one. Another has the same mindset as Christ Jesus who being in very nature. God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own Advantage rather. He made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found an appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is Above every name that that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father or the earliest fragments of the New Testament unashamedly proclaimed that Jesus self-identity was divine that he was God become human flesh and therefore every knee will bow every tongue will tongue will confess now, I'm not saying that you can be someone who says okay the early church claimed that about Jesus I choose not to believe that I'm not saying you have to believe it but you cannot say with honesty that that's really not what their teachers taught that those documents aren't that old that those documents were configured her or fiction crafted or edited. You can't really say that it's just not true. The reality is the historical realities price came taught what he taught. Waseda perform Miracles by many was seeing resurrected by hundreds. That's the reality. It's really not true to argue that that's not true or that account was created by Larry church because the really is what you have to respond to is the reality of Christ. What are you going to follow him or not with you going to believe him or not? It's a shortcut and it's intellectually dishonest to dismiss the gospels and the New Testament records as not accurate or historical because they are that's the reality of scholarship the gospel. Secondly, the gospels are unhesitatingly honest and not self-serving for those who say well the gospels are written much later the evidence doesn't match for those who say for the gospels work for comprised and composed and edited by the early Church. In order to serve its own doctor All Purpose isn't to establish has power that just doesn't match reality either. What are the biggest arguments in the early church was circumcision if you read Galatians big debate about circumcision with the only record we have of the whole church having to gather and have a debate. Theologically a doctrinal debate is an ax and it's a debate about circumcision do Jewish or do non Jewish Christians have to get circumcised in order to follow Christ fit shoes debate. So Peter has to go to Jerusalem has a mammoth event. And if the New Testament documents were being created if the gospels were being created in editing controlled by the church, you would think that we would have Jesus taking sides on this controversial doctrinal issues and yet not once in all the gospels. Does he ever address circumcision? River Identify as many scholars say well, the new test was created by the church itself. In order to serve its own purposes different leaders were in power. They were creating documents to support certain Doctrine there to support them. It just doesn't line up with reality know where does Jesus address that issue and the answer of The Logical answer to why it's not address is because the early church did not feel permission to edit history. To put words in the mouths of Christ or take words out of the mouth of price. They simply recorded what happened because it was a holy and sacred Advent larger than them and they fell no permission to edit it whatsoever making it up if some of the scholars say Bart Ehrman, I think is one the scholars that gets all the every time you any what's the audio group the courses the lecturers get all these letters. He's always the guy they go to the New Testament and he's not a new testament scholar. He's got an agenda that ignores the actual evidence and he said repeatedly that there's nothing the New Testament the gospels and the doctor were created by the church for its own purposes. You can't believe that Jesus is divine or that the New Testament says what the church says it says and it just doesn't match reality. Why would the church if it was creating the gospels in the New Testament document? Why would they come up with the idea of crucifixion? Something that everyone who Tessa would have said wait a minute Your Leader your savior died charges against the state. He was executed. I'm supposed to look at the very least. He must have done something wrong. I know there's misunderstanding what I'm supposed to think that he's from God and His holy why is the early church was creating this would they have said well, first of all executed by the state as a criminal very creative thing that you're there you can go throughout the Jesus prayer in the garden. Why would you put this prayer in the garden in your saved on your saviors lips of him saying is there anyway father that I cannot do this? If this was being created as a fictionalized account, he would have been this bold hero who said I'm going to do what I need to do to save everyone and instead we've got this record of him in the gossip in the garden sing father is overwhelming. I don't know that I can do it. I don't know if I can drink this cop that this taking of the Santa by myself of being separated mute. Is there any other way that this can happen or his plea from the cross? What is he the say on the cross about God the Father my God my God. Why have you forsaken me? No one fictionalizing no one printing Legends for the purpose of the church centuries later to establish power. What have I ever said? Yeah, let's put these things in the story, but the father has denied him. It's just stumbling block after stumbling block obstacle after obstacle that has to be explained and taught and again the answer is The gospels the New Testament or an accurate historical record. They're simply reporting what happened and they feel no permission to edit it whatsoever women as Witnesses the first Witnesses of the Resurrection or women in a culture that had such disdain for women that women were never allowed to be considered a legitimate witness in any sort of legal or official or Court setting. So why wouldn't you if you were adding if you were creating if you were orchestrating the New Testament? Why would you say hey, let's have the first Witnesses of Jesus resurrected be women. If it was being created you would have pillars of the community. You disable. Let's write that. This guy was there and this guy was there and all these men that were respected and could give testimony in court they were there and they saw it. But the reality is that's what happened. In God's grace and his sense of humor or saying I want all these things you guys think you have figured out. I'm going to turn a lot. I'm up on their head. And so here's the first Witnesses. It's the women that are first preachers of the Gospel who come running from the tomb and said he was dead now, he's Resurrected. Think about the picture that the New Testament gives us the gospels officially of the disciples or later the apostles the leaders of the church. If the church itself is orchestrating in creating the documents, why would they say we'll make sure you make all the disciples look really slow with it. Let's consult have stories were Jesus saying stuff and they're going on. I don't understand and you supposed to hear I have to explain it to you again. Are you okay? Do you have such little faith or you so hard of hearing so so slow to learn again? And again, the disciples are not the heroes of the stories. They misunderstand they have to be rebuked even Peter. Look at this passage. One of the early church leaders, maybe one of most dominant early church leaders in March 14th, while Peter was below in the courtyard is Jesus's with being tried it this time while Peter was below in the courtyard. One of the servant girls the high priest came by when she saw Peter warming himself. She looked closely at him and said, hey you were with that Nazarene Jesus. She said, but he denied it. I don't know or understand what you're talking about. He said and went out into the entryway when the servant girls showing their she said again to those standing around. Fellow is one of them again. He did not hit after a little while though standing near theaters near said to Peter Shirley, you're one of them for you are a Galilean. He began to call down curses and you swore them. I don't know this man, you're talkin about immediately scripture says the rooster crowed the second time than Peter. Remember the words. Jesus has spoken to him before the rooster crows twice. You will disown me three times and he broke down and wept Again, if the church was somehow behind the gospel stories somehow orchestrating pretty why why would they have said hey Peters one of the story in the air when he denies Jesus and a man cusses and cost down person to make sure he saved his own hide. The only person that really would have felt permission to say that would have been Peter himself and that's the source the gospel says it's getting its information from and so to say that the church somehow had a hand in orchestrating and tweaking the New Testament documents the gospel stories about Jesus in order to be self-serving doesn't match reality. The gospels are not self-serving for the sake of the church. They are honestly unhesitatingly honest and everything. They record the gospels are eyewitness historical records. And those who say that the gospels are fictionalized accounts once caller about ancient literature said this I've been reading poems and romances and vision literature and legends and myths all my life. This gentleman was an atheist for decades before coming to Faith until as an atheist scholar world renowned scholar in Europe. He'd studied Legends and literature of that sort. I've been reading poems romance Vision literature Legends and myths all my life. I know what they're like, I know none of them are like this of this he talked about the gospels themselves text. There are only two possible views either this as reportage meaning is eyewitness history its historical record that's being gathered some unknown ancient router without known predecessors or successors suddenly anticipated the whole ten A modern novelistic realistic narrative we thinking this way now we think we think in these terms now because one of the modern inventions and literature is what we would call The Realistic narrative. So if I was making up a story, I would say to myself I'm going to include some details so it feels more true and more real. So if I'm making up a story about Carl, I might say I remember was a Tuesday and he was driving his truck. I throwing details like that too kind of convince somebody that the story I'm making up is true that sort of approach to literature did not exist in these early centuries at all. And so this caller saying look one or two things is true of the Gospel even either its historical record its its reporting what happened historically because of the details present in some sort of miracle happened where someone centuries before it even existed discovered this style of Novel never had a predecessor never had a successor and wrote These gospel narratives. For example in Mark chapter 4 We're told that Jesus is lying on the boat with it. He's on a cushion that sort of detail in John 21. We're told the fish that were caught numbered 153 and John H. We're told that when a woman is caught in adultery umbrella for Jesus that he squats down and doodles in the sand a little bit those sorts of details Scholars will say are marks of eyewitness testimony of someone remembering what happened to someone reporting what happened that we hang on to those sorts of details in moments like that and when it gets passed on from parent to child those details get passed on and so it speaks to historical reality of the Gospel to self gospel Scholars one scholar said from The Forum Critics on where this was about a hundred years ago all the way up until the 6th season of Lent over to the 80s in terms of popular culture. They believe that the early Christians in the transmission of Jesus Traditions would not have made any distinction between the Pastime of the history of Jesus. And their own present time and what that means is they would have simply told the stories and change them and tweak them. However, they wanted to serve their purposes at that present time. Even if it was 50 years or 500 years after the time of Jesus Scholars operated with the assumption that oral Traditions would have just inserted whatever details they wanted if if circumcision was a big hot issue with cops, then they would have inserted in the story old would Jesus landed on my side of this particular issue when I recant the story about his teaching and they believe that for many years, but the most thorough studies that look at Oral cultures Africa and other continents Those cultures distinguish between history and Legend and when they're passing on History, they retained the details and they don't change it because they know the importance of that history. It's collars today many at least on a second or level buy into that faulty scholarship The Scholar concluded they just assume because they're all societies do not make such distinction. This is not true Professor University of st. Andrews said the reality is when we look at the studies of oral cultures all across the pond and all across history. They don't do that. yeah, there's there's whole book being published today and being praised and on the New York Times bestseller list that starts with false unproved assumptions and then goes from there, but the reality is We can depend on our faith and I'll invite the worship team to come forward. John who wrote The Passage we read and John 20 years later wrote this. He said we Proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning whom we have heard and seen we saw him with our own eyes and touched him with her own hands. He is the Word of Life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us and we have seen him and now we testify Proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the father and now he's revealed to us. We Proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us and our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. We are riding these things so that you may fully share our joy. Never did John quit testifying to the reality of Christ. the historical reality of Christ

now

we don't look and say oh, I've got foolproof evidence. It requires no faith at all for me to believe because if you insist on that or you're believing something that you say is indisputable, then it's probably something that's purely man-made. When we're dealing with God, there's always a step of faith. And I'm glad if I get to a point where I feel like I can completely understand God. I've got him in a box. I've got it all figured out then that scares me that maybe I've turned God into some sort of man-made concept. but there is evidence for our faith. Jesus was not saying blessed. Are you who turn off your brain? You don't think you don't have to go to college or watch some television documentary and say all I guess I'm a Christian. I just can't all the scholars say that there's no evidence for my Christianity. I guess. I'll just have to stick my head in the sand like an ostrich and and not believe or ignore the facts. You can boldly investigate and study and research. And discover again. And again that Christianity is true that Christ came. He was a real man in history who died for our sins and resurrected from the grave.

When we think about the stuff we prayed about earlier. I know a lot of us here might be saying what I believe that wrong and believe the Bible you're preaching to the choir. I don't know. Do we sometimes compartmentalize Jesus where he's just a spiritual reality, but the hard realities of the world the things we prayed about earlier Charlottesville and North Korea those hard realities or something else where we just compartmentalize Jesus over here and we take those matters into our own hands and we figure out in human strength and human wisdom who's going to win the battle who's the strongest? Do we sometimes live as if Jesus isn't real as if it's just some sort of spiritual or emotional reality, but it doesn't impact the real life. It doesn't impact our bank account balance or a marriage or whether we're getting going to get divorced or stay together.

We need to be rooted in the teaching of scripture that says Christ was real.

A real man who came and lived and talked and performed Miracles and died and Resurrected.

Because the reality is Christ can do in our lives the things he did in the New Testament in the Gospels. Price can save marriages that are hanging on by a thread.

price can change the hearts of world leaders He can change the hearts of men and women he can change the course of history. We've seen that reality, haven't we?

Aloha Mana Church once and I may have told you the story and I'll end on this and I'm sorry if I've told you before but he was one of the meanest man I know and he was in church leadership. And I was a young person on staff and he came to me all the time and we just fuss at me and then just fuss at me and fuss at me. I complain to the senior Minister who was my boss and he's at all. That's just the way Jackie is he's just that way. He was like a steel mill Foreman from Pittsburgh and I relocated to Tennessee and he was just bark out orders all the time. I get so frustrated I get out of legal anime about let's write it down will go to the elders will go to the senior Minister. What about in the ground person? He was hard and intimidating and scary. And one day you had a heart attack and after he had that heart attack, he called me and this other young guy. We were their late 20s early 30s to his house along with the eldership. He was in his sixties all the eldership. We're in their late fifties and sixties here these two young guys among all these older men who have understandably tried and respectability and their positions and there's to the young guys who probably don't know anyting and in front of all those peers is older man. He cried tears and apologized to me and that other young man. It's a look I need to tell you something you never did anything wrong not a thing. I just picked on YouTube because I could because you were young and I can get away with it. He said what I was in that hospital the Lord Jesus himself God himself reach down from heaven and put his finger on my chest and he pushed and he said Jack cut it out. And so with tears he asked for our forgiveness. I've never seen Greater Life change from that point on I used to see that man and I think all I do not get no, please do not see me. Let me get to my office and shut the door cuz he make a beeline for me and start ruining my day. After that. I'd be at Walmart or somewhere with him and he would see me and he would come straight over from being this guy that never had a smile. He was lit up. How are you? Let me show you pictures of my grandkids and he was full of life and joy and love it even transformed his whole family his son became a different person because of what happened to the father. And honestly if we all just pulled up to tears went in the fellowship hall at 8 Mills could everyone of us share at least one story of a life. We've seen transformed because of God hopefully starting with our own. But hopefully we could have that well now that I think about it now that you've asked me I had this Uncle I had this neighbor once could we go through history? It's a dramatic changes in the lives of world leaders the folks who did what they did who served and sacrificed the Mother Teresa's of History. because of Christ

Let's let's let's let's say a prayer and then Aaron to lead us in our song and doing that song. I'll be in the back. If you have a concern of the season to make please come to me they'll be folks in the back and the front for prayer if you have prayer bird is on your heart. Please come let us pray with you during this time. And then after that song will have communion together. But let's let's say a prayer right now father. We want to be people of faith. We want to have eyes wide open. We want to look at the evidence. We want to know the truth. We want to be unafraid to do research. We want to be unafraid to study and to learn and we want to place our faith in you. We want to remember and remind ourselves and stir up or on faith of the change that you placed in our hearts and the change we've seen in the lights of other father. We don't we'll be overwhelmed by the news and by this world instead. We want to be empowered to be your people. We want to reach out with kindness. We want to be an example. The opposite of racism and bigotry we want to be a people full of love and graciousness. We want to be like you because you change the world when you came. In the flash when you came and gave your life father save us. From the dead end of thinking about everything from the perspective of saving ourselves of protecting ourselves of avoiding change of keeping ourselves safe and secure having no risk or Challenger hardship save us from that follow you told us if we seek to save our own life, we will lose it. Give us faith in you real true reality.

Faith in you that we would take risks with our money with our time with our relationships that we would be the change.

In this world that you so desperately want to work in the hearts of men and women. That we would not be people with trials on her face, but instead people full of life and love and joy, and we would willingly engaging others.

You want to fill this Earth with your glory and you want to do it through your love and presence in our hearts? And so may we go forth this day? Offering your presence Your Grace your love your forgiveness.

Beach Boys Waco

In Jesus name amen.