Growing a Vision for Moving Forward

And as we have been walking through the Book of Joshua we've seen right safe moves forward Faith does not stand still Faith keeps going and Faith pushes forward obeying what God calls them to do and Joshua and the Israelites to this point have been faithful all the way along right Moses dies. Joshua was appointed the leader in God says be strong and courageous because I'm with you and because you have my word keep shirt of those things my presents in my word and go forward in faith. And so Joshua and the Israelites begin to move forward in faith in God does some amazing things, right? The spies are saved by Rahab and they're sent back in the in the people Rejoice that they have this opportunity to go into this land and take God's promise for themselves, right and they they go in but the the river is it Flood stage and God says I got this to any parts the waters in the people of Israel walk across on dry ground and then they get to right at the entrance of the land of cross the River Jordan the right at the gates of Jericho and God says don't move forward just yet. Obey me and so the people obey and Joshua V. We looked at that last week and they come back into this relationship of obedience to their God now. Here's the chance and there's Jericho the first city that they have to take. As they fulfill God's command to them and they're standing there and they're ready. And God has some very interesting things to say so look with me if you will at Joshua chapter 6. Starting inverse one now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out and none came in and the Lord said to Joshua see I have given Jericho into your hand with its king and it's Mighty Men of Valor stop there and let me ask you guys if you would pray with me this morning.

God is we come to your word.

I pray that we don't come lightly. I pray to God that we don't come flippantly. To your revelation of yourself to us. Nor God I would ask would we leave? Lightly or leave flippantly. But thank God for your people gathered here today under this roof scattered throughout this place in the week to come. I pray that we would meditate on your word. I pray that it would transform us that it would challenge us that it would change us. God I pray that you would begin to conform us to the image of Christ Jesus your son. And I pray God that today we see him in your word. Got to pray for guidance and direction for myself and for these gathered and for us together. It's in Jesus name. I pray amen.

So Joshua chapter 6 verses 1 and 2 the cast that is ahead of them here is very clear and we're just going to walk through the passage and I'll stop from time to time and make a few comments. And then at the end. And we'll look at it. What is a say to us as a people? What does it say to us gathered together here? What does this mean for us individually, so just follow along here and we'll stop periodically. The reason I tell you in advance is so you don't mistake what I comment for the word of God the word of God what's written and I'll just comment as we go through here not so Joshua chapter 6 verse to the Lord said to Joshua see I've given Jericho into your hand. Joshua knows this the people of Israel know this because they can't take the land that God has promised them without conquering Jericho. So God's not giving them any new information yet, right. They know this is going to happen. They know this is what has to take place. The Curious Thing though is how God says it's going to take place verse 3. You shall March around the city all the men of War going around the city. Once that's what you do for 6 days 7 free shell bear seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark on the seventh day. You are the March around the city seven times the priest will blow the trumpets when they make a long glass with the Rams Horn when you hear the sound of the trumpet than all the people shall Shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will fall down flat in the people shall go up everyone straight before him now. I'm not an expert on Ancient near East military tactics, but I have a feeling that this was not what Joshua expected to be told. There's the city of Jericho. Here's how you're going to capture it. You're going to be up build Siege engines and you're going to build battering rams and you're going to beat your way into the city would have been what I would have expected to hear. You're going to Camp outside of the city and you're going to starve the people inside into submission another possible attack plan. The one thing I would not have considered was walking around the city for 7 Days blowing a trumpet and shouting that would not have been high on the list of possible means of attack on the city of Jericho and yet that's exactly what God tells Joshua to do. The task is very clear. Take the city of Jericho. But Joshua has to make a choice the people of Israel have to make a choice. Are they going to do it in a way that makes sense? Or they going to do it God's way God's way doesn't make a whole lot of sense, right? That's actually why the video that I showed earlier came to mind because it was what the what the Defenders are saying, right? Has it been out in the sun so long you're dehydrated thinking this is going to bring these walls down. It doesn't make sense. And yet God says this is how you're going to do it. You have a choice to make Israel. The task is clear. I've given you the command take the city. But your choice is whether or not you're going to try to do it your way. We're going to do it my way and we see as we continue exactly which decision Joshua and the people of Israel made look at 460 Joshua the son of nun called the priests instead of them take up the Ark of the Covenant that 7 free spare seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark of the Lord. He said the people go forward March around the city that the armed men pass on before the Ark of the Lord. They do it God's way no matter how little it seems to make sense. And verse 8 just as Joshua had command of the people the 7 free sparing the seven trumpets of rams horns before the Lord went forward blowing the trumpets with the Ark of the Covenant the Lord following them the armed men were walking before the priests who are blowing the trumpets. The rearguard was walking after the ark while the shop is blue continually, but Joshua commanded the people you shall not shout or make your voice heard neither shall any word go out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout then you shall shout. So he caused the Ark of the Lord to circle the city going about it. Once they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Now the people of Israel, we're really good at walking. How long did they wandered in the desert? 40 years, right? This is nothing new. This is nothing new to them. God says walk some more like okay, right if God told us go walk around the city. I'm not sure that we don't make it. This is not something we're used to but the people of Israel they were good at walking until God says walk and they do it and they're like once around the city. This is this is a cakewalk ZZ, right? So they walk around the city they get back and they can't What are they do the next day?

Joshua Rose early in the morning the priests took up the Ark of the Lord the 7 free spring the seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark of the Lord walked on they blew the trumpets continually yarn in Walking before then. The rearguard was walking after the Ark of the Lord while the truck is blue continually and the second day they marched around the city that once and they returned to the camp so they did for 6 days. God says walk around the city so they take a walk around the city. God says do it the next day they walk around the city do it the next day they walk around the city and the next day and they walk around the city and the next day and they walk around the city about day 5. What do you think they're thinking? Hey, we're good at walking and all. But this is getting kind of boring. We feel like this is somewhat repetitive. Why do we keep doing this God? But they keep on walking. You're forgiven if the jingle just went through your mind keep walking. They do it real baby. They keep right on walking. Here's the thing. We have a task. It's very clear. Take the city of Jericho. God says this is how you're going to do it. They have a choice.

They choose to do it God's way, but guess what? That's not just a one-time decision. They had to wake up each of these mornings and decide. Yes. We're going to keep doing this. Yes. We're going to obey as a matter fact. We're going to make it a habit of obedience. This isn't going to be a one-time thing like God, we tried the whole walking thing. It didn't work the first day. So we're done now know they persisted in their obedience. They continue to do what the Lord had to ask them to do. They continued in it so six days.

Seventh-Day verse 15 on the 7th day, they Rose early at the dawn of day and marched around the city in the same manner 7 times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times and at the seventh time when the priest had blown the trumpets Joshua said to the people shout for the Lord has given you the city and the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for Destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute in all who are with her in her house shall live because she hit the messengers whom we sent destruction. What do you mean Dre ABS the only one who lives but this is God's word to his people and they have the choice. Are we going to obey or not? Not only that but what is it that they're waiting for? They've marched around they wait till Joshua says to shout. And then what happens? Then they have the opportunity to do what the Lord had commanded the opportunity to do what the Lord had commanded doesn't come. 8 vs 3 it doesn't it doesn't start at verse 3 where they're like, all right. Now we can go in and conquer the city know they have to demonstrate that they're willing to do things God with God's way they have to demonstrate that they've got the habit of obedience and then the opportunity to do what God has commanded comes and as they do that this is what happens when we pick it back up inverse.

20 so the people shouted and the trumpets were blown in as soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city every man straight before him and they captured the city. Here's what happened Israel had a pattern of obedience. They did what didn't seem to make sense didn't seem to be the most direct route to Conquering the city of Jericho, but when they obey the Lord he gave them the opportunity that they had been looking for. He brought it about and when that opportunity came all the people had to do was walk right in Now get back to the text in just a second. How many of you are good at beating your head against the wall?

Anybody want to join me in this or is it just me?

I am really really really good at finding a wall between me and what God says he wants me to do and I just beat my head against the hats. Amen hell amen. And yet God says don't don't do that is real. Don't try to do things in your own power. Don't try to do things your own way. Oh baby and when I give you the opportunity, that's when you move that's when you go and and it works and they do it and they go in and they obey the Lord they devote the city destruction and they save Rahab right? We talked about Rahab a few weeks ago that she shelter the spies. And God said I will save you on a countess. We saw how cool it was that she was saved because she becomes part of the lineage of Jesus Christ, right? She becomes the great great great grandmother of our Saviour. That's fantastic It's amazing And we see the finish the story here in chapter 6 And then we see this after this is all accomplished after this is all done the people responded to the opportunity to remember the past and remember the promises that God had major a have. They look to the Future. Joshua says may nobody ever build this again without significant cost. He doesn't want to have to reconquer Jericho and then verse 27 So the Lord was with Joshua and his Fame was in all the land. Yeah, we kind of got the whole of the Lord was with Joshua thing, right the walls fell down without the people doing anything. That was the Lord doing that. And what we see in Joshua chapter 6 is what I see is a clear picture of what God would ask us to do not that we would devote the city to destruction. Put that guy that we would bring the gospel of life to this place Church some of you this morning showed up without a clue of what was going on some of this your first time here, but some of you have been hearing us talk about this is a vision Sunday for a little while. So if you guys have been hearing about this, well, let me just catch everybody up to speed because some of your new here and some of you forgot everything I said last week. So let's just bring ourselves back up to speed as a church. We agreed we collectively said as we follow Christ our goal is to obey his commands and we picked out three as we said, these are the key ones Jesus himself Master. What is the greatest commandment love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength. The second is like it love your neighbor as yourself. We look at that. It is Red Hills and we are committed to love God and love others. And then at the end of Matthew Jesus gives a further commission to his church. He says go into all the world and Make Disciples of every nation baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all that. I have commanded you and we say, all right, we're going to be at church that loves God loves others and make disciples teaches them to obey what Jesus has commanded that Jesus. That's the task that we've been given the task that we have and it it's very clear. But you need to understand something about the place where God has put us where God has called us to live that out. You need to get a sense of why that matters. Why does it matter that we as a church love God love others and make disciples. You know why it matters because you live in Utah. I tell you some quick facts about Utah Utah has the highest rate of clinical depression and the highest rate of antidepressant prescription in the United States. This is a place without hope this is a place where people are living in darkness and fear in and I don't say that lightly because I know that some of you here might be in that place. We're just not sure about the life that God has given you and you're looking for hoping you're looking for purpose and you're looking for something. It will give light to your Darkness understand that Utah highest rates of clinical depression and anti-depressant prescription in the nation. Utah has the highest percentage of Internet pornography subscriptions in the nation. I don't think it's a mistake that those two are there that these two things coexist people without hope people without meaning people without purpose look for some sort of satisfaction. They're just looking in the wrong place Utah has the highest teen suicide rate in the nation.

You are living. In a place that is in desperate need of the Gospel. You are living in a place that is in desperate need of the message of hope that Jesus brings you are living in a place in desperate need of hearing. Jesus. Say come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest in church. You've been giving that good news. You loving God you loving others you making disciples is not just happening in a vacuum. It's happening in a place that desperately needs hope. Desperately needs truth desperately needs life. So, why does it matter that we have that Vision love God love others make disciples. Why does that tasks need to be so clear in her mind because of where God has put us Utah has the highest rate of these things. You know, what has the lowest rate of in the nation? lowest percentage of committed Evangelical believers lowest percentage lowest rate rather of Evangelical churches churches proclaiming to their community. Jesus gives you hope lowest percentage of people who have grabs on to that. Hope in the nation. Did you know that 2.2% 2.2% of utahans will be in an evangelical church this morning. 2.2% with stand and declare. This is how I fight my battles by relying on him 2.2% of utahans will see this morning get to Proclaim. He's called me out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light 2.2% of people in Utah will find Hope and meaning this morning in this book 2.2% our trust in Jesus Christ as Savior this morning. 2.2% Do you know how many what the percentages of people who would say the same in North Korea? 4% Do you know how many would say that in Iraq 3% God has sovereignly placed Red Hills God has sovereignly place you in the midst of one of the greatest Mission fields in the world a place that by definition is in desperate need of Hope and God has seen fit to plant. You hear some of you are natives some of you are transfers and yet you if you look at it honestly can say God put me here and this is why you put me here that I would love to love others and make disciples that I would bring hope into this place where God has put me. That's the task. That's the task. Is it clear is the need clear? 140000 give or take a few utahns live in a community where the hope of the Gospel is not preached. over 2 million living communities with less than one Evangelical Church for 10,000 residents.

Is the task clear enough? We must we must engage the place where God has put us with the gospel. It is not enough Red Hills for us to sit back closer together Within These Walls and say yee-haw. We're going to heaven.

That's not what we've been called to we've been called the task that's been set before us is to go into our community. Go into the community and engage the person struggling with depression be a resource for the person struggling with pornography be a friend to the team contemplating suicide. That is our role. Given to us by Christ to go to engage to invest to bring hope where there is none. The task could not be clear. It could not be clear. That's what we are called to do. But we have a choice just like Israel. Did Israel was given a task go take the city of Jericho. We're giving a task. Bring hope to the state of Utah bring. Hope to Iron County. We've got a choice. Are we going to do it our way? Are we going to do it Jesus way is a really interesting thing that happens in Luke chapter 10. You don't have to turn there. I don't even know if I've got on the screen. I do hate look. in Luke chapter 10 Jesus Says to his disciples look at the fields. Just the Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into his Harvest me. I look at the stats in Utah. I look at the church. Just get busy go do something. Go talk to your neighbor go engage your community with the gospel. Jesus says no look at the field. There's all kinds of need. But the first thing to do is pray. The first thing to do is pray. Church, we need to understand this. 2.2% of our state does not have the gospel so far as we can tell that's not ours to judge, but just looking at the numbers so far as we can tell 2.2% I'm not much on math, but that's like 97.8% who aren't living with the hope of the Gospel. There's a need there, but there's also an opportunity there. There's an opportunity to engage the Harvest is plentiful But like Joshua wasn't told we'll just go beat your head against the walls of Jericho until you get in. We're not told to rush out and beat our heads against the wall of the hopelessness were told to go out and were told to pray. So prayer is How We Do It Jesus way we pray and this is where as your pastors prayed as we thought the spirits Council as we wanted the Lord's direction for us. We said, you know, what as a church. I don't know that that's what we're doing. I don't know that we're at church devoted to prayer. And so we need to focus on doing it G's ways. We see the need we got to pray second thing that would be doing it. Jesus way is when I just praying when I just sent here praying we are sent here together.

Weird we were sent praying we sent here together. And this is the strangest thing. We're so used to it in our American contacts were so used to thinking of it as what we're supposed to do is we're supposed to do this Christian Life by ourselves. It's just me and Jesus. No, we've been given one another Jesus says this is how they'll know. You're my disciples John 13:35. This is how we will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. Jesus doesn't say Christian. This is how they'll know. You're my disciples because you take your Bible everywhere you go when you beat every single person you see over the head with it until they believe the same thing you do. That's not what Jesus said.

He says they'll know you are my disciples because you love one another because you love one another. Church, we have to be in this together. We are sent to bring hope to our context but we're sent together because it's as we love one another that the world sees that let me ask are we at church? That the world will look at saved those people love each other so much. Has to be something God's doing those people don't just get together because they like doing the same things they get together because they love Jesus. They get together and Jesus's what they have in common and that's all they need. They love each other. Are we that kind of church with the world point to us and say Red Hills the church that's unified Red Hills is a church that loves one. Another Red Hills is a church that's connected together. We want to do it Jesus way. We pray we go together, we demonstrate love and unity and if we want to do it Jesus way, you know, we can't do we can't just sit here. We can't just sit here it it's not enough for us to sit here together and say well God sent us to Utah. So we'll just sit here and wait for everybody to show up.

We'll just sit here and wait for the people in need of Hope to beat down our door and come get it.

No, Jesus says As the father sent me so I'm sending you and he sends us out. We are sent praying we are sent together, but we are sent out. This is not the sum total of God's work amongst us church. As a matter of fact, this is a very small portion of it. Confess again my lack of math skills, and I'm not even to try on this one, but you got like an hour, maybe an hour and a half if I preach long here. That leaves a whole lot of ours out there. Where do you think it matters? How you speak? What do you think it matters? What you talked about where you think it matters that you love God here or out there? Where do you think it matters that you love others here? Yeah, absolutely. But out there to where do they get matters that you're making disciples here? Yeah, absolutely. But out there to do you get the picture. We are meant to be an outward facing Church. And so as the pastor's parade in his we said Lord, we've got the vision love God love others and make disciples. We've got the task Utah need this message.

How do we do it?

We've got to make prayer a priority. What are the things that we got to do? We got to make prayer of priority. We've got to demonstrate a radical togetherness. We've got to demonstrate a radical commitment to being sent out and so here would be my suggestions and the other pastors as we work together on this here is our suggested here are the habits of obedience that we can set in place has a church. It will demonstrate the truth of these things to our community. We considered prayer. We consider Fellowship we considered going out. Here's what we talked about first praying. When we think about praying as a church, we often relegated to what we do in the transition points, right? We pray when we're transitioning from a worship song to the offering we pray when we're transitioning from the worship to the sermon we pray when we're transitioning from the sermon to the clothes, right? That's what we've used for are at but if we want to be a people marked by prayer, we've got to find other opportunities and so here are some suggestions one going forward at Red Hills. I hope to see prayer and worship being an increasing part of what we do. Did anybody who sees us gather on Sundays with cs not just singing not just listening to the word, but would see us praying. With cs devoting ourselves to prayer and so don't be surprised in the coming weeks as we begin to move forward with what we feel God is doing don't be surprised to see us praying more together. Don't be surprised if we start asking for prayer request. Don't be surprised if you start praying for those prayer request. Why because we want to develop a habit of obedience to the Lord and we want to be people of prayer. That's what we want to do. If you want to incorporate more we want to incorporate more regular prayer Gatherings as a church every Sunday morning at 8:30 We Gather for prayer. You're invited to be a part of that. That's a regular prayer Gathering. But I know that's difficult. I know that's hard for some people to comment to say hi. I'm going to pray at 8:30. I'm going to go to Sunday school at 9:30 and then we go to worship whenever we start worship. Normally. It's 10:45. Not today. Sorry about that. Right? I'm going to do all of those things. Well, that's that's a lot all at once especially if you're a parent right or college student who forgets at 8:30 comes twice in one day. No offense guys.

So we want to incorporate other regular prayer Gatherings and to our life has a church together, right because we want this to be a habit of Athenian. How do we do this sent together? How do we love others part of which is our fellowship with one? Another one thing that we want to do is we want to start a Basics class here at Red Hills. We want to have a Basics class. This is going to be something that we have on the calendar regularly, but if you're new at Red Hills or if you've been here a while and you're still confused as to what we do and why we do it. We have a class why because if we're all on the same page, it's so much easier to be together if we're all focused on obeying Jesus together. It's much easier to do that. And so we want to have that set in place and so in the near future, we hope to bring that to you and say, all right. Here's the schedule. This is what we're doing. Here's what you need to know about Red Hills what we believe and how we're committed to a bang Jesus together, but beyond that Basics class, which is more teaching oriented. We also reckon Is it if we're going to love one another we have to be doing life together. We have to be engaged in what's going on in people's lives. We can't just show up once a week and expect to know one another and so moving forward. We want to develop Community groups. We want to develop groups that meet in homes one-on-one one on some throughout the area. Do you know we have people that drive from New Harmony have we have people who drive from Parowan. We have people to drive from farther out than that. And if they're just able to meet with the fellow Believers on Sunday morning, they're missing an opportunity to demonstrate love for one another we want to see community group started places where people are willing to share their lives together where you can get to know one another I'm not going to ask for a show of hands. But how many people in here feel like you're connected to one another don't it? Don't show me your hands. Just think about it. Do you feel like you know that person or that person would that one do you feel like you could find them out in the community? Ask them how their life is going to be a witness to the gospel by how you love that person? That's what we want to see developing Community groups would be one way that we could do that. But we also want to recognize it's not just about us it's about being sent out as well. And so we want to have monthly opportunities at least 12 opportunities in the coming year where we as a church are intentionally going outside of our walls, we're engaging the community around us want to make that a part of our DNA that we don't just sit here that we go that we get engaged in the community around us. So we said a habit of obedience in this way, but then there's also those opportunities those things that we weren't looking for those things that God says here. This is what you're going to do right those things that we are faithful to the patterns of obedience and then God opens the door and says go this way we want to be ready for those and so here are a few of those things that we've identified that we say. This is an opportunity that God could give the first thing praying together as we're sent praying we want you to be able to connect with one another through prayer request. And so we want to emphasize having regular prayer updates. Which means this you guys how to get your information to us if you don't receive updates from us currently me encourage you to stop what you're doing. Pull your phone out open your mail server. type in secretary at our HSBC. Org for the subject line updates

with your information in the body of that email send that email you can do it right now. If you want to you can do it later, but don't forget to do this because we want as needs arise in the body as we have opportunities to pray we want to take those opportunities. You want to engage in prayer in a timely fashion. I am so to do that. We've got to be able to have updates and so sign up for updates so that you can engage and take those opportunities when they come to pray another things for Fellowship. An opportunity that I see that is missing at the beginning of the service you guys stood and you talked and I had to stop you. I'm 90% certain that if I would have let that go another 10 minutes. Here's what would have happened. About 50% of you would have felt like it was really awkward and you would have sat down or slipped out to get a drink or use the restroom. The other 50% of you would still be talking.

You are a church that loves to talk. I love that. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I want to Foster that I want to increase that and I want to make it less awkward for those of us who feel that that is sometimes awkward. And so one of the great ways to do that, especially in a Baptist context recognize. When a Baptist context are there certain things that can't come with that area. That would be food. And coffee I would love for us as a church to have a place that after Sunday school before the service after the service people would feel comfortable hanging out and enjoying some fellowship over some coffee some donuts and whatever but just an opportunity for people to hang out and be together, right? So developing a fellowship area would be one of those things that this passers would submit say this would be good for us to do this finally were sent out and there are plenty of opportunities when we're faithful in obedience. There are plenty of opportunities for us to demonstrate this I told you about monthly averages that's our goal. But one of the other things that I want to do is I want each of us to take responsibility for taking the hope of the Gospel to our community. I want each of us to feel responsible for that. And so that's why this thing is over here. How many of you even noticed it? I guess how many of you were wondering what it was. Let me tell you this is what this is. All right, as we as a church say we're going to be about more than just in here as we start saying we want to go out. We don't want that to be a generic thing. Right? I want each of us to feel a burden to obey Christ in this way. I want each of us to feel a burden for this. Jesus says look to the fields are white unto Harvest therefore pray to the Lord of the Harvest action send laborers. The first thing that I want us to do is I want us to pray. I want us to pray and so what I'm going to do next week is there's going to be pieces of paper here for you. And I'm going to ask you to put a name down if somebody who does not have hope in Christ somebody you know who has no hope in their life through Jesus Christ. I'm going to ask you to put just their first name down and I'ma ask you to put your initials on that card and we're going to clip those here on this side. And these are people that we're committed to praying for here's the next thing as you're praying for those people you're praying for Laborers to be sent to them. Guess what you're probably going to be that labor and so as the Lord gives opportunities out of the prayers that you're praying. He gives you opportunities to share with them. You're going to take that piece of paper the next time you're here. You're going to move it from somebody you're praying for to somebody you're sharing. This is somebody that I am sharing the gospel with. Not somebody that you're saving that's not your job. That's the Holy Spirit Shop somebody that you are sharing with and you move that piece of paper over here.

I know it because I know the God we serve if we're praying for people and we're sharing with people guess what's going to happen. You're going to have people who find Hope in Christ. You can have fine people who trust him. What is Jesus in Matthew 28 that we do we go into all the world. We preach the gospel We Make Disciples, we baptize them and we teach them to pay everything that he commanded teaching them to obey everything that he commanded is called the cycling that person becomes a disciple of Jesus. And guess what if you've been praying for them and you've been sharing with them guess who I'm going to ask to disciple then you and that name would move this person that you've been praying for that you share the gospel with that name is going to move over here to disciple. Now we're not putting last names down for not putting phone numbers. Now, you're not putting emails down. This is not a list that you're asking the pastor's to go do this. No, this is us sing. Let's obey Jesus together. And so here's my expectation. My expectation is the next Sunday. When those pieces of paper available that you'll take one that you'll put a name on it that Shields claimed responsibility for praying for that person to find hope that she'll claim responsibility for sharing the gospel with him that you'll claim responsibility for discipling them as they make a decision to follow Jesus and you know, what's going to happen over the course of the year as we're faithful to the opportunities that God provides. We're going to see a whole bunch of names right here begin to move across that and every time we see a name move, you know what we get to do as a church. celebrate we get to celebrate we get to see God's work in action. We may not know the person we may never meet the person but we know that God is allowing one of our brothers are our sisters to engage the context that we live in with the gospel. You have a visual reminder of that. And so this is one of the opportunities that I believe God is giving us as a church to be sent out to make what we do here matter in the community around us, but it's more than that to Earlier, I mentioned some statistics statistics rather. I mentioned that there are communities in Utah with no Evangelical presents. No Evangelical Church. One of the things that I feel particularly burdened about is it is we go out. We don't just keep Boomerang and back to Red Hills, but that we would send people out at some point in the next two years and we would plant a church in a community that does not have one that Red Hills would be used in that way that God would allow us to respond to an opportunity in New Harmony in Enterprise. We don't know where but that he would allow us to take responsibility for planting a church in a community. That doesn't have one. That's my prayer and that's my hope. So our vision love God love others make disciples, right? We set that as our vision now, it's just growing that it's developing that it's moving forward out of that. How do we move forward out of that? We pray? We do it together and we go out. Now. Here's the thing all those things that I just told you. All those things that I just told you.

I have no clue how they're going to happen.

I don't have a good strategy to give you guys today. What I want is I want you to pray about those things. I want you to think about those things. I want you to take this churchwide thing. It's a what is God going to use me to do with this? I want feedback. I want some of you coming up to me through the week. I want some of you sending me emails being like planted Church your nuts. Or plant the church. Here's an idea. Hey, I want to be involved in that. I don't know what it looks like that I want to be a part of that prayer. We pray enough. I may get some of those emails. I hope I get email saying you know what I can't Pray when you guys do it at 8:30. But if we had a prayer time here I could do that. I want you guys to engage with this. This isn't just some Fiat coming down from the pastor saying do this. It's here's the base structure praying together going out. That's the base structure. Here's some ideas for how to do that. Lets flesh this out. Let's dive into it. Let's make this commitment together. Let's engage so church. I want to hear from you. But there's one final piece of the story. It we've got to acknowledge. We've got to acknowledge that at the end of all of this. It's not about us. It's not about you. It's not about me. It's not about Pastor. Brian Richard. How about Pastor Dan? Who is it about?

about Jesus It's about Jesus or something interesting at the end of Joshua chapter 6. It says so the Lord was with Joshua and his Fame was in all the land. chilling in Joshua

Is almost identical in Hebrew to the name Jesus?

Joshua was the man that God used. To lead Israel into the promised land Jesus is the one that God uses to give you and I hope Jesus is the one that God uses to take our selfish desires and turn them into obedience towards him. Jesus is the one that God uses to transform your heart and my heart my desires your desires into his desires. Jesus is the one that God uses to direct his people into the world around us. So we're not going to spread Red Hills is named. We're not going to say look at us. We're going to say look at Jesus. That's where you find your hope and this morning if you're a guest of ours, you're not part of Red Hills me like I don't really care what you guys do. Here's what I want you to take away. I want you to take away. This Jesus is the hero. Jesus is the one who gives you those renewed desires. Jesus is the one who transforms your life and you can trust him church as we seek to do these things. We can trust Jesus we can make it all about him safely. We can send people out and not even tell people they're from Red Hills. We can send people out and just say go in the name of Jesus sharing Jesus because Jesus is the hero. Would you guys play with me?