February 21, 2021 - REAL Community in and BEYOND a Pandemic

thing from the New Living Translation

It says so dear brothers and sisters I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all the tea is done to you done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he finds acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world. But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think then you'll learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and Authority God has given me I give each of you this warning. Don't think you're better than you really are be honest in your evaluation of yourselves measure Yourself by the faith. God has given us just as our bodies have many parts and each part has the special function. So is it with Christ's body? We are many parts of one body. We all belong to each other. It is Grace. God has given us different gifts for doing certain things. Well do if God has given you the ability to prophesy speaking out with as much Faith. As God is giving you if your gift is serving others than serve them. Well, if you're a teacher teach, well if your gift is to encourage others be encouraging if it's giving give generously if God has given you leadership abilities take the responsibility seriously, and if you have a gift for showing kindness to others who it flatly. Don't pretend to love others really love them heat what is wrong full tight to what is good love each other with genuine affection and take the light in honoring each other. Never be lazy but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically rejoice in our confident. Hope be patient in trouble and keep on praying when God's people are in need you ready to help them always be eager to practice Hospitality bless those who persecute you and don't curse them pray that God will bless them be happy with those who are happy and weep with those who weep live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people that don't think you know it all. Never pay back evil for with with more evil do things in such a way that everyone can see that you are honorable. Do all that. You can to live at peace with everyone. Dear friends never take revenge leave back to the righteous anger of God for scripture. Say I will Revenge I will repaint. I will pay them back since the Lord instead of your enemies are hungry feed them. If they are thirsty give them something to drink in doing this you will Heap burning coals of Shame on their head. Don't let evil conquer you but conquer Evil by doing good. Amen, let's just in there. That was a good one less bright. Heavenly father. Thank you so much for your word. I thank you Lord that your word when it comes from your voice eats life and hope and and Trust I pray Lord God that that Lord you would show us today. What you want to show us give his ears to hear Hearts to understand and hands to do what you want us to do in your name. We pray. Amen. a map I think the last Sunday was the first Sunday we gathered together with you. Or it seemed like a while because boy when we got together, I really enjoyed singing with you as opposed to singing in the screen. I really appreciate having communion together and if we're at home having communion at special but there's something about these airplane food things that we got. It's just fun. It's good.

What I want to say today does not discount the joy of gathering together and being in community together.

It doesn't discount. The fact that way when we make the effort to come together, it's like the Psalms of ascent there's something about seeing I'm going to come together and it when you make that effort there's a blessing that comes.

But I think I wonder if God's not trying to tell us something different through this season.

You know when there's a lockdown first happened when the very first we couldn't meet at all we were just simply broadcasting. I I really felt in my spirit. I was not willing to die so that we could gather together and look at at the back of each other's heads.

And too often that's what church has become.

Where we gather gather gather, but there's no real relationship. There's no real connection. Any real connection that happens happens after months and months and months of seeing the back of the same person dead and starting a conversation and finally learning something about them and then finally doing something outside the church and it's finally actually having a relationship. And that takes months and months.

Because none of us like small groups. Something none of us very few.

And and most of us have busy lives. What's a full lives? I don't like saying busy.

The way that we've done church for the last two thousand years. Is totally based on the concept of transmitting information.

Having one person up here and everyone else facing that one person. Has been the best way to communicate knowledge and information for the last four thousand years.

It's not the best way anymore.

I started up a podcast again. And in that podcast, I have more people listening to that podcast everyday than are preaching to right now.

having that information on demand It is more a you can reach more people when they have it when they can listen to it. Then you ever can preaching like this.

What if we got it wrong?

What if the church isn't about information, but it's actually about transformation.

Transformation can happen with information information leads can lead the transformation. Yes. But we might have put in the cart before the horse and just let me inform you as opposed to let Holy Spirit transform you.

The things that I've been picking up a boat transformation want one like transformation generally happens over time like God is God and he will do it with however you want. So don't say it has to happen over time, but transformation generally will happen overtime. Number to transformation usually follows the pattern from order to disorder to reorder and that's really how we get transformed. transformation is holy spirit's work. It's not up to us. It's up the Holy Spirit to do it but to do what he does with the information to do what he does with the offering. We bring when we gather together to do what he does when he's God. and for I see that he usually uses Community to transform. That's usually the Avenue that God uses.

It's usually the friends who three different friends come and tell me something and I'm like a hope maybe that is God

It's usually community.

Problem is we've set up church for information.

And if transformation happens awesome, but it's usually God it's got to be God cuz we didn't set it up that way.

And we've settled for superficial relationships we've settled for well. Here's the thing. We've all been hurt in community. We've all had those people come and say those hurtful mean things because they've been hurt themselves and their passing on that hurt.

I think very few of us actually know how good Community can be when it's real and true and vibrant.

You know, it's our ignorance. It's our experience and it's our complacency that keeps us from having real community.

Our ignorance is we don't know how good it can be our experiences. We've all been hurting community and our complacency is that we we don't want to put the effort in cuz it's going to take risk and it's going to take time. It's going to be Not the easiest thing to do. inconvenience is UPS

real Community it matters because it's in the real community that we have wisdom. It's in real community that we get encouragement. It's a real community that we have comfort isn't real community that we get challenge.

Church is not for information. The church needs to be about transformation.

Back before we ever heard the word covid-19. I shouldn't say that because Anna gets flagged on Facebook covid-19 back before we heard the word. I was in a coaching challenge And the guy who actually I've learned how to be a coach from brought a bunch of coaches together and said okay in the next five days. We're going to see these goals. And so we got together and one of the things that came out of that was I was encouraged to look for a mastermind group to help me reach my goals. and I got to be honest with you. I I didn't really like the idea of being with a bunch of high-functioning high-producing people when I didn't feel high producing or high functioning. I don't like being in those groups where it where they just push you and pushing and pushing. It's not my style.

But most groups I've been in I'm I am the pastor are become the pastor and it ends up me helping everyone else and me got you know, I'm there to serve it's not that I get anything out of it.

And I couldn't I settle on the idea. I needed to have one person cuz one person it's more intense, but you're not it's nicer to But I can't think of anyone that I could I could ask I couldn't think of anyone who would want to do that with me.

Because the ones who might or usually too busy. And the rest I know I would be there pastor.

But I pray about it and I thought about it and I name came out of my mind from years ago. I knew this guy.

And so I called him up before we went. We went to New Zealand. We arranged a time to meet. it was on WhatsApp or something and you know, basically I had to ask of you. Will you be my friend? And it was risky and it was difficult.

But the place he was at in his life his kids and moved out of the house. So they sold the house and they're moving into an RV and they were going to be freaking all over the states and he wanted some accountability in that. He wanted some Connection in that. And so almost every week we've met like he he works from the road. He's got like this massive system to stay connected up to the Internet and almost anywhere. There's been a few places. There's just no internet connection, so it doesn't work for us, but we're meeting every week to encourage each other to to you know, keep each other accountable to to pray with each other.

And without even knowing anything about covid-19 even knowing you know, God had arranged that for me to have that community that real community that transformative community.

What if we we would take those that risk to find? someone to have real relationship with

Like suppose we should be that for each other, but I'm saying there's there's things you don't need to talk to your spouse about. You need to talk to somebody about.

What if God is teaching his church the value of when two or three gather together?

What if it's not about the show but it's about the blow what if it's what if it is about truly. God wants us to get back to transformation not just information.

What if what if we married there's there's there's some thoughts in Christianity in Theology and in different people's writings, but they all come from the Bible when Christ calls us to community. He calls it when Christ calls us to himself. He calls us to community.

He doesn't call us is Lone Ranger's he calls us to a group.

It went price calls us to himself. He did just come and die.

What that means is he wants us to be transform more and more into the image of Jesus.

and that means

the stuff that's not good in me needs to die.

A lot of that stuff those rough edges don't wear off unless you got someone or something or a group to rub against.

It only happens in community.

You can only become who God wants you to be in community.

Where two or three are gathered in his name? I think the only time I automatically use that versus when I'm at a prayer meeting and not a whole lot of people showed up.

We want to encourage ourselves that at least there's two or three and we can be gathered in his name. What if it was more than a what if that's the power of the church? What if it's in the two or three that agree together to see God's will done on Earth as it is in heaven. It's not about how many people we can gather together. What like honestly we know we've seen we can shut that we can have the shutdown on us. We can have this taken away.

It may be months or years before all of us can gather together. And I'm looking forward to that that's going to be great. But it's not about just that.

It's got to be about God transforming me more and more in His image.

Throughout the history of the church. We have seen the church never shut down. What let me hear what I hear what I'm saying here.

the fastest growing part of the church today according to

I don't know. No not burner no voice of the martyrs there about 10 years that had a Barna voice of the martyrs. I'm just trying to remember who he's with. It might still be voice of the martyrs Greg Musselman shirtless that the fastest growing church are the church in the world right now is in Iran. I think the reason why we we've heard about this through the back channels for years because they're always asking for Bibles and different organizations have been shipping Bibles there in Farsi and it should be just never have enough Bible and it's gotten to the place where we can recognize that in this Muslim controlled Nation. Christianity is blossoming. That is how Christianity is designed to work. The only time the church stumbles or Falls is when we seek or have power.

When we seek or have power the church stumbles and false.

When it's about Community when it's about loving each other when it's about doing what God tells us to do. It doesn't matter if it's two or three doesn't matter if it's 3,000 under the dead of night. It doesn't matter things start to flourish.

The church in China is huge way bigger than we have in North America and they're not legal.

There's some that are and when they had the Bible Holy Spirit gets to work and actually become Christians. It's awesome. But it's it's it doesn't matter.

We don't need to RaeLynn it honestly, I don't know anything about the situation except what I this is what I've seen. Back a few months ago. I saw a church advertising on Google and I clicked the link because who would advertise on Google when you don't have anybody like we don't want visitors to come if they come great but like we're not really wanting to pack up the place now write this church was advertising on Google so I clicked the link and I thought it was so cute because they were Grace something church and write on their front page. It says only come if you are a member at herons may not come.

I'm sick. Why do you advertise that that just silly?

But that's a church whose Pastor is now in jail.

I think it's problematic that the judge says you either stop being a pastor and stop calling the church or we're going to put you in jail. I find that problematic. I am hopeful and Trussville that when that moves through the court system. It's going to get overturned because it just ridiculous.

The fact of the matter is this is a pastor that this is a pastor who wants a power struggle.

And that church is standing up against this tyranny of this government who is clearly doesn't have a clue what they're doing. That's okay. None of nobody does. and while I disagree I totally disagree on the fact that They don't let us gather together in homes.

They did that in New Zealand for three weeks and then they got to clear it up. Great. They did it again last weekend for three days to stop out those six people that had Covent great. We're here in 3 months with no end in sight because hey, there's a variance coming up and we got a few need to be afraid of the variance now, so just don't even Gather in homes and that is problematic to me.

But I know. If it's about community and its really about transformation.

It doesn't matter what the government says. It's what how do I connect with other people? Who do I need to connect with and how do I connect with them? If I can do it sitting in Tim's having a coffee in my car and they're in the other cars and that's what I'll do. If it fits it all we got we got. I got an account it up. I was going to count up this morning. I think I got like 12 different apps that you can do FaceTime things with me while on your nose. I give some to some people so they can schedule a time other people that got my. So they can call me anytime. I don't really have the notifications on so unless you're my kids you don't get through but but I got 12 different ways that we can talk.

listen, my concern for all of us here in for all of us watching online is Who are you connected with in the two in the whip where two or three are gathered? It's about the two or three. It's that is the strength of the church. If we lose out on the two or three we lose the strength of the church.

Jesus said in Matthew 18. 19 to 20 says again. I assure you if two of you on Earth agree about any matter that you pray about it will be done for you by my Father in heaven where two or three are gathered in my name. I'm there amongst you.

I came across this video by Bill Johnson that I want you to listen to and think about can you play that video now?

sound of y'all City you can have many people saved and not transform a city. You can have many people attend church and I'll Transform a city.

The nature of salt is it needs to be sprinkled evenly over the whole meal. It's not complicated. Jesus said you're the salt of the earth. If the salt has lost its flavor. It's good for nothing these be throwing up. So salt adds flavor salt actually enhances the flavor of a meal.

We would never take the salt shaker take the lid off and for the entire contents in the corner of the fight, but that's what we do is go to church. We make sure that we hold together and stay together. Because we don't trust. We don't trust the righteousness of Christ in us enough to allow ourselves to be sprinkled throughout Society. Now that's changing. So that's that that statement is not entirely true because we've been I've been working on that but that's our history our history has been we're afraid of being contaminated. So here we are on the corner of foreplay. And what this pandemic has done its four stars. It's put us into a position forced us to learn what the real strength of the church is Isle of the thousands that gather. I just I love it so much and I miss I miss it really Pig. I love together. But there's a prophetic Direction set set in the corporate Gathering but the strength of the church is the two or three.

The strength of the churches in the two or three because that's where he marks. That's what he begins to Market group with presents that you might say what he's already into the holy spirit is in me and my body is his Temple and that's true. So true or three gathered together. What's the point is already with me by myself. That's true. But every time we Gather in his name, I just picture this friend of mine. We both have purple Trust. Tuco labor with the Lord to see his purpose is accomplished in the earth. We make that agreement together. He said he'd come into the Mets. So together we have this Covenant we will live in and abide in this presence of God and we will learn to pray from the abiding presence to see his purpose is accomplished in the earth not talking about just we're talking about the intentional Gathering of people that said, you know what he said, he'd be here. So I'm going to look for him and I'm going to look for his heart and I'm going to pray consistent with his heartbeat because I want to see his purpose is accomplished in your you were designed to have every prayer you ever pray answer.

yeah, sometimes you just cut off or you think he's getting the good stuff, but imagine what it would be like Do you have somebody that you can agree in prayer with like that?

If you do awesome blessum, encourage them honor them either for them. if you don't imagine what it would be like to have that support to have that encouragement to have that wisdom that comes where the comes through a real relationship like that.

You got to know you're going to have to risk something to have that relationship. I got a tool for you. Yeah, Tim is risk. Okay, it's kind of corny, but that's okay. the r In Risk is you got to remember to honor. We've already read it and Romans 12:10 love each other with genuine infection and take Delight in honoring each other. Any real Community honor is required. It's looking out for the needs of others ahead of your own. It's inconveniencing yourself for their sake. It is calling out the goal that you see in them. It's it's risking. speaking the truth in love You know, it's risking that. It's listening before speaking. It's speaking the very words of God when you do speak. It's choosing to be unoffended. Unoffendable. Inauthentic.

remember to honor the eye and risk is you invite wisdom in you ignore criticism. You're looking for someone when you're if you don't have anyone starts thinking about who God might want you to have it in your life to speak into your life like this look for people of wisdom wisdom from above. This is James 3:17 wisdom from above is first of all pure. It's also peace-loving gentle at all times willing to yield to others. It's full of Mercy in the fruit of Good Deed that shows no favoritisms and always sincere those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of Peace Andre parbat the righteous Harvest of righteousness.

ignore criticism in a one thing that I've learned and I'm learning is when it comes to criticism. if I'm not looking for advice from somebody, I won't let criticism from them have any rent-free space in my brain

people will criticize They will beat their opinions hurt people will hurt people. I want us to get to the next part of that healed people heal people.

All I can control is how healed I am all that's not even me. That's allowing. Holy Spirit to do the work if Holy Spirit can heal that in me. You can use me to heal somebody else.

Ephesians 4:2 don't use foul or abusive language that everything you say be good and helpful so that your words be an encouragement to those who hear them. The s in Risk is spirit-led and spirit empowered. When two or three are gathered in his name, it's not just about accountability or commisary. It's done with purpose and it's his God's purpose. What is God doing? What is he saying?

1st Peter 4:11 if anyone speaks he should be as one speaks the very words of God open up your mouth. my goodness

Yeah, I got that open my mouth so much anyway.

Where was I reading? Speak the very words of God if anyone serves it should be with the strength God provides. So they first meet her at 4:11. You got it there so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. They can be the glory and power forever and ever amen. The key in Risk is you got to know that when you refresh others. You yourself will be refreshed. You pray both to be a blessing and to be blessed. You look for the blessing. You look to be a blessing interview blast Proverbs 1125 says the generous will prosper. And those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed?

Jones for us today is

will you look for a community where two or three are gathered?

Do you see that? It's the strength of the church. Do you understand? It's the strength for your soul 2. You are the church.

It's not. About information. It's about transformation. It's not about how many bodies we can gather. It's about how many bodies are sent though.

You don't have someone in your life like that start asking God today. Who is you going to bring to mind? If there's no one? I trust God enough that he's going to bring someone brand-new into your sphere of influence.

But you got to risk you got to obey what you feel him leaving you to do. Not understand is going to be awkward. Will you be my friend?

Understand it's it's not going to be easy.

My friend calls all crap in me all the time and I love it, but it's just uncomfortable some days. I just want us all.

You have to risk being awkward, but it is entirely worth it. Because the reward is being made more and more into the image of Christ. It's being transformed by the renewing of your mind.

I don't know if you've noticed but when I'm by myself, I can come up with all kinds of crazy ideas.

When I read the Bible God often shows me that he's got other crazy ideas for me. Not those crazy ideas.

But it's when I'm with people who can look me in the eye and say seriously, that's when the real. transformation takes place

Leonard Ravenhill said I'd rather have 10 people. Can you show that slide and rip it off Facebook? I'd rather have 10 people. But one God the 10,000 people who want to play Church.

Do you want God? Do you want God in your life? Do you want God in the life of the people around you?

I I think we can all gather together. It's going to be a celebration and it's going to be wonderful and it's going to be genuine is going to be great. But if that's where we settle we missed the opportunities that God has given us right now. We've missed what he's telling us to do. What he's telling us his he's about the two and three.

Because those two and three can change the course of a society.

Let's started down those two or three can change the course of a family. Who's two or three can change the let that family can change the course of a cul-de-sac that cul-de-sac and change the course of a community that Community can change the course of a of a city. That's City. You can change the course of a robin's that promise to change the course for the nation.

What it comes down to the two or three are gathered in his name?

Please please please don't think there's a political action answer.

I think you got to do what God is leading you to do, but don't put your trust in politics.

Don't try to seize power. It's not it. It's ugly. It's ugly when we do that.

But if we understood it's not about our ability to transmit information. It's a book the transformation that Holy Spirit does in the lives of people.

Then we figure out. Okay. How can we work with you in the lives of people?

We got right now media guys, you can do do Bible studies with other people their sign up go do it use it it's there. we got All kinds of different ways you can connect to different people you got Facebook. You got messenger. You got the way to do FaceTime.

Holy spirit's puts those people on your heart with that name. What side connection follow up on it? It could be just to say hi. How you doing? I haven't heard from you for a while. It might be. What you want to journey together for a while?

Don't stay in isolation. It's not about isolation. It's about how could we connect safely and honorably in the middle of it?

Let's pray.

Lord I Thank you that it is

You are transforming us more and more into the image of your son.

And I thank you Lord that when we ask for wisdom you give us wisdom. And I thank you that Lord you Empower us to accomplish every good work prompted by faith.

I pray that you'll encourage and strengthen the the relationships that are already Gathering. Anyway, they can I pray that you'll eliminate obstacles for anyone who wants to meet and doesn't know how to do it. Free Lord got you. Bring people to mine for those of us who have no idea who the partner with and who to meet with. Or I think you that you're going to finish the good work you started in us and help us in this in your precious. Holy name. amen amen I was Look at it you gave me so meeting with your friend. They was telling me the other is but a month ago now, hey, we're talkin about this friend that you met and how God brought him into your life and how you could talk with somebody and connect with somebody. That's exactly what I'm talking about. I should have had you come up for each. I'm just thinking that you are the testimony. That's what we all need. Okay? That's what we need in Jesus name. I guess I got to ask up your illegal.

Amen, thank you, Pastor Trevor. It's in the very type message and very appropriate for the season.

Crying out to God from the very beginning of this. Like, how do we do this now? Cuz our our current strategy has been blocked at every single point everything that we have tried to do as a church in the past we can no longer do and there's no person on earth smart enough to do that. There's nobody who could contrive this or make that happen. There's not that much Unity on the Earth.

But God is bigger than all of that. And so what we have to do is exactly what Pastor Trevor said today is look to see what God wants to do this time.

And I think Pastor Trevor nailed it on the head.

So, you know what to do. Just in closing couple announcements.