Summit | January 2, 2018
I will be still know you are God.
I'm just relieved that Mike there. You can hear me you can hear me. I don't have to yell at everybody every single one of us in a lot of different Journeys believe it or not. We are all working on a journey with our family right now. We're all children, right even if your parents have died, but you're still a child someday. You might become parents someday. We're already you have siblings. Whatever's we have this journey with with our families going through the grace. I'm done with fifth grade cuz he failed him do it again. So funny story. So sometimes you go straight into a career, which is another one your career is attorney down the road for y'all, which is not Journey now, but all of us are on and a journey is something it's a it's a voyage whatever word you want to use basically you started somewhere and you're going to end up somewhere that is what a Journeys all about. Right? And so all of us, we have a past of something like your educational past probably included kindergarten or something like that preschool, whatever and it's going to have a future Maybe it's graduation. Maybe it's College. Maybe one of y'all will be a PhD or medical doctor and I'll be calling you Doctor someday. Probably going to happen. Actually, she's like Deb's, that's me. So we all have a past and we all have a future all on these Journeys. Let me tell you though. I think face is the most important part of your journey, and it's a journey on its own your face. Journey that you're going to be on more important than who you marry more important than what your job is going to be more important if we're going to call you doctor or Pope probably not face is the most important aspect of your life and it's the most important Journey will be on each of us every single one of us has a face as well. And so we are on a faith Journey. What are this is the first time you've ever been to church or this is the 1000th time you going to church or more? Cuz it's only three years three times a week. Ya 5,250. So a lot more mass than that several years. So regardless of how many times you going to charge your house again a journey you have a past history you would like five seconds ago or any you have a future you're going somewhere on this destination. My prayer for each and every single one of us here tonight at dinner with you is that will grow and mature and a journey specially when you see in Ravenna Road Trip me like a car break down is not good. And so my prayers that as time goes on and we see how far we come how long it takes. I hope we're growing they were making progress our feature.
Colossians 1:28 it talks about this a little bit. This is Paul talking is talking to the church and colossae this Old City over there Middle East Creeks research that he says this song about Jesus. He is the one we Proclaim admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. That is the goal of us being Christian. Is it a we can become fully mature we talked about this supposed to be on Sunday morning, but being a Christian isn't just about right now. We're still on this face and we're becoming more like Christ that is exactly becoming more like Christ. That is the goal for everyone of us every day because we're on this face. Okay, so some of you get what I'm saying? Because you think like this some of you were like what now a journey I go to the store Journeys. Sometimes we go there.
Sorry those Virginians man, they're easy targets. So anyway, all of us are on how was your face doing? You probably have some and I have a son before it's still as kind of helpful question. I still ask that question, but I still have a better time telling them how my spleen is doing because I don't know.
We don't know how to answer. It's hard to know where you aren't hard to know how you're doing tonight. Hopefully I'll give you a talking about that might help. You kind of describe help. You know, where are you are on your face, turn your help. You least know how to describe your face. And so I made this tool that'll give you some words give you like vocabulary so that you can come to describe where you are. And it's it's this map of the safe journey put some labels on it and then you kind of like benchmarks or steps of maturity by the way, that's not perfect. Like this is what God says anything just me trying to be helpful. I'm going to update at some point. I don't think that's the best thing ever. We're going to talk about all the places on this face. Journey map can see there's a starting points. Hey, can John can you bring me the What are the clickers in that cabinet under there that has a laser pointer that be great as you can see. Points on it. That's a big deal. That's part of the journey thing, right? There's some twists and turns along the way and there are no shortcuts. Okay, you got to go. There's no shortcuts. You can't get to the cutting through the tree. Okay, and so this is a real.
And it's also I did think it was possible while it's not a shortcut. It is possible that you can get yourself off the path pretty easily. So we're going to look at each of these. Interrogative. Thanks, man. middle button cool Yeah, so the start the end through so tonight we're going to do we're going to look at every step along this during we can talk about it. And I think you are on this journey. Okay, listen to where you are right now, but I also want you to listen to where you want to be and obviously like real life. I want to be at the end, right but things like small like a short-term like, where do you want to be in a month? Where do you want to be a year from now and give yourself? Some goals were going to go ahead and start First Step here is the first timer.
There you go, first timer and make sure that sounds on there's some really cool effects on there.
And this person says I haven't really been a church much. I have not heard much about God and Jesus or the Bible. What time does that might be some of y'all here tonight or might not be also think that you could go to church your entire life but not really care. And so you might be a first-timer if there's this moment when you start caring about church where you're like, okay, I'm actually going on this journey, and so maybe some of y'all are first-timers and you don't know much about that.
I know this first step is really really important tonight. If you think that you are a first-timer. I'm so glad that you're with with us. I'm so glad that y'all are a part of this and you to hear some of them and hope that y'all are open asking questions. They figure it out all of this because it does get kind of confusing. So the first timer that is the first steps that you're taking on this fate unit. Is it as might be some of you after the first timer we have the trying it out stage. The witch house, right? So the trying it out these people say this I have been to church many times. I know a lot about although I wouldn't say that I am a Christian yet. So few times you wouldn't call yourself a Christian or maybe you do actually here's the deal you might find out something you think you're further on actually more behind they go to church and our normal Wednesday nights. A lot of people to come pretty regular on one-trick regularly on Wednesdays are probably in this space. They're the ones who are just trying it out. So don't know what they believe yet. Boring things but they're not really committed and so they're trying it out and I hope that you are starting to want to make sure I hope that you're getting a taste enough of you want to go?
I hope that a year from now you might find yourself in a completely new place on the stern. So a lot of you are trying it out after trying it out. We have new Christians. Next time you let her bush with me. Okay. So here we go new new Christians. This is what they say.
spiritual newborn so any person like I says someone who just got baptized by the way out here.
It's The Sign of following Jesus it is the events or the moments that changes your status. Okay. It's the step of Faith Jesus talking about faith in him and in following him and what it means to submit to him that as your lord and it begins.
We've heard this before but just coming to church doesn't make you a Christian. Okay. So what's a normal group that probably think they're Christian, but actually they're probably still in there like to trying it out. I think baptism is what marks this it's it's that relationship with Jesus at start the baptism that begins that face.
I think this is a really really important marker and somebody I think it's up there with like probably more important. It is more important then like your marriage your college choice or career choice. All of it becoming a Christian is the most important and so hopefully this
No, I want to apologize for second. We as in the church not just here. But all over the country. We got a really really bad habit whenever somebody becomes a new Christian. We kind of just leave them by themselves and let them figure it out on their own. So, you know what I'm talkin about. We tell them to go to go to church to figure out how to survive on the human babies then we hold them and I hope we do better about it because when you become a new Christian, you are like a baby you need someone to walk with you until you pay you shouldn't do that or try to be more helpful for you. Unfortunately, we haven't done that. And so there is a lot of people I think of the youth group as well who are nutrition and are stuck at this stage of nutrition. Are they haven't figured things out. Just being right here. And if you're at this stage is if you're at you have this I'm on top of the world feeling.
And then like tomorrow because it's like you excited before real life. It's in that's coming up soon spoiler that's nutrition. Let's go on to the next one on face after new Christians as young face. This is what the young Faith person says. I'm growing in my face. I'm trying to become more like Jesus, but sometimes it's really hard. This one definitely is a lot of us, right we get stuck here. This is no place we get stuck. It's kind of hard to be Christians kind of hard to do what God wants you going to have good days. You're going to have bad days. You're going to have really really high points and you're going to have really really low and most of y'all are at your in this space. And honestly, it's a scary place to be and it's really really easy to get stuck here. I heard y'all to get out of this face on Sunday and I'll say it again now on Sunday one of the things you talked about, which I said a whole bunch kind of like overwhelmed everybody but one of the things we talked about is what our role is we talked about what the church's role in helping you grow in your face and the church supposed to teach your supposed to help you get the opportunity to learn all that and talk about God's rule is your youth Minister. I cannot make any single one of you do anything. I can't make you grow your face, but all God, he has the power to force you would he doesn't he does not make anything. He does not make any one of you grow in your face. It's true. He doesn't he doesn't force you to become a better Christian or anything like that. The reality is that each of you on your own you are the only ones who really can control whether or not bro has good news right now.
You got to decide. Hey, I actually want to grow my face. Guess what that might mean you have to do something cuz if you like spiritual growth does not happen by accident. I said a lot recently. I feel like you don't understand actually wake up and be like 10 times more mature that doesn't happen. If you have to have face-to-face has to be tested. What does James say my brother's whenever various Trials come so that Our Fate might be tested and we can get endurance and all that stuff and so our faith tested and so it's really easy to get stuck in the face because like I said, this is the high of being baptized before some of the more challenging I think phrases count This is where a lot of y'all are at and I think that you'll find that's true as we talk some more we all get out of the stage take some ownership for your face. The next one is disciplined. Dang it. You're early. Alright disciplined disciplined person says while I still have a long way to go. I'm a mature Christian. I am eager to spend more time with God and I depend on God daily. So the disciplined person they've gotten through the shock. They know that life is going to be to check it out here is one person compared to the young face person their face what they believe is other Journeys who talks about maybe it affected their college Choice may be affected your career choice the type of person you married your whole life. That's a big deal. You submit to What God Says to do in your life. So you recognize that he truly is the boss. That's a big step that's hard especially as teenagers what age are people who claim to be Christians, but they don't always live like it so it's scary. But you do what God says if it's tough and let me just tell you this I think of this person is probably spending time reading God's word to probably spending time frame. We're doing other things like that that help them grow in their face. They are disciplined. I talked about this a lot too, but just like y'all and your sports or your parts, whatever it is, you're doing that like you want to be good at you practice. You put a lot of time and effort getting better or Pairing your body or your I guess you're an artist like your hand or whatever to be better at what you're doing same is true for your faith. You want to grow in your faith is going to take this appointment. So it's going to take being a disciplined person. So those of you that are in this phase if you think that your discipline y'all are doing good keep on going to still more the disciple maker. totally missed that one entirely a little bit to help others grow and mature in their I don't you catch that y'all there's a shift that happens between discipline and disciple maker. Discipline your growing in your face, right you're doing a lot of good but when you become a disciple maker your face and your maturity is used to help other people if it stops focusing so much on yourself and start focusing on other people your face is about others. It's not just bringing people to church was that's important. I have seen a lot of you guys do that really well, but a true disciple makers are not just inviting people to church but they're helping them grow when there is like a crisis someone's dealing with they help people go through those burning they help care for one another. They're the ones who we need to step up. Whatever we have those new Christians were just baptized.
so the disciple makers taking care of their own spiritual health is just normal for them because they're so focused on helping others. You'll see that these are the people who are are more concerned. They're definitely not perfect yet. But there they have a pretty clear idea of what it means to be a Christian and a follow Jesus. They're helping other people other people become more like that's the last one completed and Trust. So this is what a person who was completed in Christ's I am reunited with Christ in heaven. That means are dead. The Holy Spirit has finished his work forming me into the perfect image of Christ. So yeah this literally it only happens when you're dead in his Heaven because this perfect this person but this person is perfect. They are now like I picture perfect image of Jesus face on The copier and use you as a paper. Why was terrible analogy? You become just like Jesus and so just be clear. You're not going to reach this while you're living even if we have like fifty thousand years or fifty years to become a better Christian, but you're not going to be one hundred percent light.
They're not there yet, but they're like right here and I'm talking about a lot of time just like grandparents who have been Christians like their whole life and they are such a Godly person where it's like I think of Jesus and that person is like a second person. I think I didn't know Papa Hodges that long but I always use him an example because he was like right there the way he lives his generosity his friendliness and my grandfather was the same way. I think of him as this guy who was right here and both of those men are in heaven. So they're right there now and they are completely is to be such godly people that what other people think about us They think about what an example of a Godly person
Love joy peace, patience kindness goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control somebody that is completed in Christ. And those things should be growing as we become closer to being. Okay, so there's still some goals before that. What's going to wrap things that will tell you the big picture here? Where are you?
Batman you don't have to tell me like out loud or anything, but I want you to think about that. Where are you on this map? Are you first time I try it out if one acre, or are you on your way to becoming completed? So I hope that you kind of have this idea of where you think you're off? You are next question. Where do you want to be? Like I said again, I think we all want to be up here ultimately to go.
I think it's pretty safe to say that we want to grow right? So, when do you want to see yourself down here and make like a date where you want to see yourself robot just like you would for her Sports.
One more question is how do you think you get there? We were talking about getting from from Young face to discipline her new Christians young face or any of these to the next stage. How do we get? Well, if you're up here, I think a lot of it is like we talked about asking more questions getting to know more and then it becomes a point when you have to decide if I want to be a Christian baptism. That's that's a pretty clear marker of how and when you become a nutrition and so for some of you that might be where you're at where it's time for you to decide. We're already in new Christian or moved on somewhere along and that's what I say like Jesus and so reading the Bible praying journaling serving. Fasting memorizing the Bible worship teaching the nuances of all this we read God's word because that's how we get to know what God is like so that is why that is important. The girls challenge that we're doing pretty regularly. involved that's what we talked about him so much is because it's like an exercise help you grow help you mature. Let me give you another like metaphor to think about with all the spiritual growth talk about how it's a journey let me talk to you about how these spiritual disciplines work. Okay, this is really really important. So if you'd like to y'all come back in and we'll talk about boats for a second.
How do you get across the water? Euro, right, you got to use those oars or like flap your arms and legs if you dropped your order water, whatever water you. Across the lake you're moving by Your Own Strength through the water. This is like sheer willpower. This is a metaphor for the spiritual some people think this is how you grow in your face is by sheer willpower or survival every single
Or did you see the size of homeless people good job. That's awesome that you'll instantly be just like you and we think of the more we do the more hard work you put in the closer to Jesus. We're going to get Wedding attire. I'll tell you that and you might get a little closer but you know how light can use work but pretty slow right? So here's another image for this next boat. Powerboat this guy this kind of machine is you hardly do any work, right?
The motor or the engine the propeller through the water on your own. All you got to do is control it and steer it. Let me see you guys. This is another way of viewing spiritual life. Some people think by the way is not the perfect example. This is not this is not the ideal. This is where we say God is going to miraculously transformed me into who I want to be that's not the case either. God does work miracles, right? He does but you can't keep on doing all the sudden become somebody better. Right? And so the powerboat powerboat version is where God does all of the work and you do absolutely nothing. There's one more choice, but I think is the best one. Yep, the sailboat by the way, I actually did say it was a kid. It's so much fun. I miss it. But the sailboat the power of the wind is what moves you through the water, okay?
But y'all you have to work in cooperation With The Wind in order to get that thought about that, you know, nothing about how sailing Works whole sheet of fabric catches wind and propels you through the water. Yes, you can sell it like into the wind kind of 45 degree angle is possible to make progress into the wind or the whole point is you got to know how to trim the sail degree long part is called the boom. Guess how I guess that's named. Does a booms you in the head like no joke a knock you out. And so if you're going to sail successful, you got to know how to cooperate with the Wind. All in the right position and it got to be there at the right time is this idea of you're in the right place at the right time and the wind is what I think about reading your Bible and praying all the time.
But the reason I read my Bible as often as I can. I'm ready for this. I'm trying to be okay. And so this I think
you can't use brute strength to will your way to God and it's not 100% guide and 0% You you have to want to grow and you got to be doing yourself to put yourself in the right position, but it is ultimately God's that gives you the girl that makes sense of a sailboat one more passage of scripture, press to think about it will be done you 7 13 through 14 funny story actually put in the wrong passage, which is about Jesus raising someone who is dead back to life.
Matthew 7 1314 enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. the image of our spiritual journey. Map. We looked at it wanted to curb. It was pretty narrow.
There's a lot of people who seem like they're right to seem like they're good people but guys they may not be right there man. So we got to be careful what I say God's word and I hope that they're all of your life, but you're trying to grow this year my challenges Bealls to grow we're going we doing stuff here that hopefully helps you do that. But like I said Ralph Disney stuff you have any questions don't have more conversations. Feel free to talk to me afterwards. Hope you're thinking about this guy.
Amazon Falcons we can leave
Father God thank you so much. I'm not perfect but I can look back at my life and see how much I've grown and see how you brought me through some really bad and sad times in my life and you put some really good times my life father. I pray for it every one of us in here. I know that you're not done working Our Lives help us to row. How to grow another but I got the right people around us is one of the best years that we have we continue to grow and that we look to you more more than we pray. Amen.