Theological Status: Theological Weakness
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Sardis
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
Why strictly "Mark & Avoid"?
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This church's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This church's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
🧐 Overview
Sermon Summary: This sermon from Ephesians 4 calls the church to grow up and live lives worthy of their calling in Christ. Using the modern term 'adulting,' the speaker encourages believers to behave with humility and share their gifts. While the call to maturity is vital, the sermon raises a critical question: is spiritual growth simply a matter of trying harder, or is it powered by something else entirely?
Big Idea: God's goal is for us to become mature adults, to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. [00:48:16 ▶️ 📄]
Pastoral Analysis: The sermon presents a moralistic and anthropocentric view of sanctification. While using an orthodox text (Ephesians 4), the application reduces spiritual maturity to a human-driven project of 'spiritual adulting' through behavioral modification ('behave,' 'share'). The imperatives of the Christian life are detached from the indicatives of the Gospel, placing the burden of growth on the believer's willpower rather than the monergistic work of the Holy Spirit. This results in a theologically anemic message that teaches law without supplying the gospel power necessary for obedience.
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Sardis — The sermon has a reputation for life (using biblical terms like 'maturity' and 'Christ') but its core message is a moralistic call to 'try harder' ('behave,' 'share,' 'spiritual adulting'), characteristic of a church that is spiritually dead or dying.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Theologically Weak
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Soteriology | ⚠️ WEAK | The doctrine of sanctification is presented synergistically, framed as a human project of 'adulting' and 'behaving.' This obscures the monergistic work of the Holy Spirit in producing fruit and conforming the believer to Christ's image (Gal. 5:22-23). |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | The sermon affirms the authority of Scripture and uses it as the basis for the message. |
| Hermeneutic | ⚠️ WEAK | The hermeneutic is topical and anthropocentric. The text is used to support a pre-existing secular framework ('adulting') rather than being exegeted to reveal its own structure and Christ-centered focus. The application becomes about 'what we must do' rather than 'what Christ has done'. |
| Theology Proper | ✅ PASS | The sermon does not contain any errors regarding the nature or attributes of God. |
| Sacramentology | ⚪ N/A | Communion was not observed in the provided transcript. |
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
Primary Text: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16 (Topical (Safe))
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 15 | Referenced: 1 | Alluded: 2
Passages Read Aloud:
Key References: Acts
Christological Connection: Redemptive Trajectory: Christ is established as the ultimate standard and goal of maturity (the 'fullness of Christ,' Eph 4:13). However, the practical means to achieve this goal are framed as human effort ('spiritual adulting,' 'behave,' 'share') rather than reliance on the power of Christ's finished work and the Holy Spirit.
🧱 Sermon Outline
- Introduction: The Call to Straighten Up [00:38:59 ▶️ 📄] : Paul tells the Ephesians to 'straighten up' and 'live a life worthy of the call.' This call is for all Christians, not just preachers or missionaries.
- The Problem: Infancy and Worldly Behavior [00:43:43 ▶️ 📄] : Churches today, like the Ephesian church, act like infants, being self-centered and lacking humility, patience, and unity, causing outsiders to question the faith.
- The Goal: Mature Adults Full of Christ [00:48:01 ▶️ 📄] : The goal is spiritual maturity, measured by the fullness of Christ. This is defined using the analogy of 'spiritual adulting,' which is a verb and requires practice.
- Point 1: Behave (Practice Humility and Patience) [00:53:33 ▶️ 📄] : The first step in spiritual adulting is to behave: conduct yourselves with humility, gentleness, patience, and acceptance across generations.
- Point 2: Share (Use Your Gifts) [00:55:11 ▶️ 📄] : The second step is to share the gifts God has given to build up the body of Christ, getting beyond personal wants. Denying giftedness is denying God's grace.
- Conclusion: Growing Up Together [00:59:38 ▶️ 📄] : If the church behaves and shares, it will grow up into Christ, and the world will see the difference.
🗝️ Key Topics & Themes
- Spiritual Maturity : The goal of Christian life is to become mature adults, fully grown in Christ, rather than remaining spiritual infants.
- Christian Unity : The church is called to preserve the unity of the Spirit through peace, humility, gentleness, and acceptance.
- Spiritual Gifts : Every member has gifts to contribute, and these gifts must be used to serve and build up the whole body of Christ.
✅ Commendations
Homiletics | Engaging and Relatable Tone
The speaker maintains a warm, pastoral tone and effectively uses relatable cultural analogies, such as 'adulting,' to connect with the congregation.
Ecclesiology | Biblical Emphasis on Unity
The sermon correctly highlights the scriptural call for unity, patience, and love within the church community, which is a central theme of the passage.
Application | Desire for Active Faith
The clear goal of moving the congregation from passive hearing to active participation ('not a sit-on-the-bench part to play') is a commendable pastoral objective.
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🟠 Moralistic Drift (Sanctification as Human Effort)
Root Cause: Moralistic Drift (Sardis). Reason: This approach detaches the commands of Scripture from the power of the Gospel. It preaches the Law without the Grace to obey it, reducing sanctification to a human-centered project of behavior modification rather than a supernatural work of the Spirit.
"So how do we get better at this spiritual adulting? We know that it's so much more than just knowing about God... The first one, Paul says, behave... and then share." [00:53:04 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: Philippians 2:12-13 states, '...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.' Our effort is the result of God's prior and effectual work in us, not the cause of our growth.
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:00:00] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
.
[00:00:14] .
[00:00:14] .
[00:00:32] Thank you.
[00:01:22] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:45] Amen.
[00:01:57] Let's pray.
[00:02:27] .
[00:02:53] .
[00:02:53] .
[00:03:03] Let's pray.
[00:03:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Oh, that was weak, and that's because my mic wasn't on.
[00:03:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Because you were five seconds early.
[00:03:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I was early.
[00:03:43] Well, you know, sometimes you come to the game early.
[00:03:46] Good morning, Central.
[00:03:47] Welcome.
[00:03:49] My name's Anita, I'm the pastor here, and I welcome you to church in Jesus' name.
[00:03:53] If it's your first time in worship with us, we are so glad that you've come.
[00:03:56] We pray that this service would be a blessing to you and to your family, that you would meet God here and find community here.
[00:04:04] If you're joining us online, a special welcome to you.
[00:04:06] We're glad that you are with us from wherever you are.
[00:04:09] If you are brand new to us, please fill out a Connect card that's there in front of you in the pew.
[00:04:15] and you can drop it at the welcome desk at the lobby on the way out this afternoon or you can drop it in the offering plate later on just thank you so much for coming we'd love to be your church home the things that you need to know we have a town hall meeting today right after church that means there's free pizza and salad for everybody downstairs and we'll have a time to just share together and let you know what's going on in the life of the church and how we are projecting and hopeful for the future
[00:04:44] Also, Charge Conference is this coming Tuesday at 7.
[00:04:48] If you didn't grow up Methodist and you don't know what that means, that's the annual business meeting of the church.
[00:04:54] It's a rip-roaring good time and everybody's invited.
[00:04:57] 7 o'clock Tuesday night.
[00:05:00] And then next Sunday, can you believe it's the Sunday before Thanksgiving next Sunday?
[00:05:05] Next Sunday, right after church, we're going to decorate this beautiful sanctuary for Christmas.
[00:05:11] So just plan to hang around a few minutes right after church next week and help us make this place beautiful for Advent and Christmas.
[00:05:17] And speaking of Advent and Christmas, Debbie's going to tell us all about Share Christmas.
[00:05:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Do I have to?
[00:05:25] Oh, there we go.
[00:05:26] Hi, I'm Debbie Crouch.
[00:05:28] I'm on the mission committee at the church, and we have Share Christmas coming up on December 13th with Williamson Chapel.
[00:05:37] There's a board you might have noticed when you first come in, and it has cards on it to buy a boy or a girl a gift for Christmas.
[00:05:46] Those are going to be collected by December 7th and brought over to Williamson Chapel.
[00:05:52] If you can get them there yourself, they extended the time to 1.30 on Sunday, and it's also times on Monday to drop off your gifts.
[00:06:00] But if you'd like someone to bring your gifts over, if you bring them here, three of us from the committee are going to be working at Williamson at 12.30 to receive gifts, so we can bring your gifts over for you if you'd like that.
[00:06:13] Get them here on the 7th by noon.
[00:06:17] Also, you can go on to Sign Up Genius.
[00:06:20] The link is in the newsletter.
[00:06:22] And you can pick gifts there if you want.
[00:06:24] We have committed to 50 children, which is 100 gifts.
[00:06:28] So keep picking those cards and going on Sign Up Genius.
[00:06:32] Also, very important, there's volunteer hours on Sign Up Genius.
[00:06:37] Lots of things are needed.
[00:06:39] They also have, for the youth, if you're interested,
[00:06:41] There's time with children.
[00:06:43] They have babysitting if the parents want to go shopping, so you can play games with the children.
[00:06:50] And if you need help with Sign Up Genius, please let me know.
[00:06:53] I can sign you up for any volunteer hours you'd like.
[00:06:55] Please remember when you bring your gifts in here or to Williamson to attach the tag or the card that's on the board or print out the confirmation sheet if you do it on Sign Up Genius.
[00:07:07] Attach that so they know what age group your gift goes with.
[00:07:10] If you have any questions, my information is on the boards and the newsletter.
[00:07:14] Again, I'm Debbie Crouch, and I'm counting on all your generosity.
[00:07:18] I know that we can get 100 gifts.
[00:07:21] More is okay, too, but I know we can get 100 gifts, so thank you very much.
[00:07:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Thanks, Debbie.
[00:07:27] This is a great way to be in mission together as we step into Advent.
[00:07:31] Are you ready to worship?
[00:07:34] You got work to do, bro.
[00:07:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
They don't sound like they are.
[00:07:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You got work to do.
[00:07:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Good morning, everybody.
[00:07:39] Let's stand and sing God's praises.
[00:07:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God who is, we worship the God who evermore will be.
[00:07:56] He opened the prison doors.
[00:07:59] He parted the rage.
[00:08:03] There's joy in the house of the Lord There's joy in the house of the Lord today And we won't be quiet We shout out your praise There's joy in the house of the Lord Our God is solely in this place And we won't be quiet
[00:08:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We sing to the God who heals We sing to the God who heals We sing to the God who saves We sing to the God who always makes a way Cause he hung upon that cross And he rose up from that grave My God
[00:09:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
In the house of the Lord our God is surely in this place
[00:09:39] We were the beggars, now we're royalty We were the prisoners, now we're running free We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace Let the house of the Lord sing praise We were the beggars, we were the beggars
[00:10:03] Now we're royalty, we were the prisoners Now we're running free We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace Let the house of the Lord sing praise There's joy in the house of the Lord There's joy in the house of the Lord today
[00:10:34] We shout out your praise There's joy in the house of the Lord Our God is surely in this place We won't be quiet
[00:11:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Hallelujah for that.
[00:11:02] We shout out your praise, Lord.
[00:11:04] Let's pray together.
[00:11:05] Father God, as we enter into your presence and your glory this morning to worship, we just pray that you guide our hearts and guide our minds where they need to go.
[00:11:13] Help us to soak in every ounce of you that's in this room today, Lord.
[00:11:18] And we pray in the name of Jesus.
[00:11:20] Amen.
[00:11:24] This is a new one, but it's pretty easy to follow along with.
[00:11:27] Hopefully it doesn't give you so much trouble.
[00:11:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Thank you Jesus for finding me Like a good shepherd your mercy leads Back to your arms where I'm meant to be So I thank you Jesus for finding me
[00:11:55] Thank you Jesus for saving me You took my place on that cursed tree God for sinners but rose as a king So I thank you Jesus for saving me Oh it's only because
[00:12:23] All you've done that I can be called A friend of God, O beautiful Savior What else can I do but lift up my voice and say
[00:12:47] Jesus for loving me Shame lost its hold when you set me free Every finger has to bow at your feet So I thank you Jesus for loving me Oh it's only because of all you've done
[00:13:14] That I can become a friend of God, O beautiful Savior What else can I do but lift up my voice and say
[00:13:35] of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts of the Lord with praise I enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts of the Lord with
[00:13:54] I enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts of the Lord with praise I enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts
[00:14:21] All right, have a seat.
[00:14:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Great singing, everybody.
[00:14:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
So as we pray together this morning, I want you to keep the words of that song circling in your mind.
[00:14:59] Thank you, Jesus, for finding me.
[00:15:02] Thank you, Jesus, for saving me.
[00:15:06] Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.
[00:15:08] And I wonder, how in the last little while in your life have you known Jesus to find you, to save you?
[00:15:22] To love you.
[00:15:26] And would you share any of those that pop to your mind?
[00:15:38] On Veterans Day, yes.
[00:15:48] Sometimes you get lost in the, or I don't know, I do, when the seasons start to change, and the time changes, and I'm just out of whack for a couple weeks, you know?
[00:16:00] So I feel that settling, and I'm grateful for the way God is finding me in the midst of that.
[00:16:11] Anybody else?
[00:16:12] Yeah.
[00:16:22] and Huntersville.
[00:16:26] So we will continue to remember Lou Sink as she is in rehab and recovering and we're really grateful that that's where she is.
[00:16:38] Others?
[00:16:39] Yeah.
[00:16:41] Go.
[00:16:45] Grandparents!
[00:16:50] And I can attest that that will be one way that Jesus will love you like you have never known before.
[00:16:55] Yes?
[00:17:15] So praises for healing and restoration.
[00:17:18] Yeah, anybody else?
[00:17:20] Yeah.
[00:17:21] Michael.
[00:17:23] We'll continue to pray for Michael.
[00:17:26] He's back in the hospital.
[00:17:28] Bless.
[00:17:29] We will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
[00:17:34] Many of you know that my oldest is about to be flying airplanes, and his last big test is this Wednesday morning at 4 a.m.
[00:17:43] So a little extra prayer would be much appreciated.
[00:17:46] This is a five-year journey coming to a close, so I'm real excited about that.
[00:17:56] So as we pray...
[00:17:59] Thank you, Jesus, for finding us, for saving us, for loving us.
[00:18:07] Holy and gracious God, it is good to be in your house to lift voices to sing your praise, for you are worthy and holy and good.
[00:18:15] And we are grateful for the opportunity to be here, gathered in community, feeling your presence with us.
[00:18:25] God, we ask that you would make us even more aware that you are near, that you are working, and that you are with us.
[00:18:33] We pray for every family that's been lifted up here.
[00:18:38] We pray for all the people that we hold in our hearts.
[00:18:42] Lord, for some, they need comfort.
[00:18:45] For some, they need strength.
[00:18:46] For some, they need healing.
[00:18:49] For others, they need guidance.
[00:18:53] For all we need care and love.
[00:18:58] Lord, we ask that you would meet each family, each person in the place where they are, and help them to know that they are not alone, that you are close, that you love them, and that you call them into life with you.
[00:19:17] Lord, we pray for our community around us.
[00:19:22] We pray for safety for those who are afraid.
[00:19:31] We pray for provision for those who are lacking.
[00:19:36] And God, we pray for a spirit of unity among our community and our nation and our homes.
[00:19:47] A spirit of unity that only you can bring.
[00:19:51] So bring it, God, we pray.
[00:19:54] And then help us to embrace it.
[00:19:57] Help us to embrace what it means to live like kingdom people in your world.
[00:20:03] We love you, Jesus, and we thank you for the call that you've placed on our lives.
[00:20:08] To be your people in this world till you come again.
[00:20:12] So we ask that you would hear every prayer from every heart, for we lift them all to you in the mighty and holy name of Jesus, who taught his followers to pray.
[00:20:22] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:20:27] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:20:33] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
[00:20:41] and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever amen
[00:21:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
We'll hear before your doors O man and sorrow of the God that sent us all We'll hear before your doors
[00:21:47] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy,
[00:22:16] He is on thy way.
[00:22:44] Angels sing your song.
[00:22:45] I humbly follow you.
[00:23:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ
[00:23:34] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[00:24:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Amen.
[00:24:30] Thank you.
[00:24:36] As we prepare to give this morning, Melanie's going to come
[00:24:44] And I hope I'm going to get this microphone to work.
[00:24:50] Each week in November we've had different people talk about what does giving mean to you and how has it impacted your life.
[00:25:03] So I appreciate you guys sharing that because the best way for us to recognize how generosity matters is to share our stories.
[00:25:12] So Melanie's going to share a story about how giving has been important in her life right after Matt gets out of the way.
[00:25:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let's start with Deuteronomy 15 verse 7 and 8.
[00:25:32] If among you one of your brothers should become poor in any of your terms within your
[00:25:59] So today I'm going to talk about a different side of giving in our church, and it's the generosity of our church.
[00:26:08] It's a little hard, it's a little humbling, it's a little embarrassing, but I'm going to tell the story.
[00:26:15] 2008, and if you're old enough to remember
[00:26:45] So it was a hard time, and not many people knew, but Debbie Smith knew, and Linda Smith knew.
[00:26:58] Debbie Smith, well Linda Smith was Elizabeth's Girl Scout leader for 13 years, and she knew, and she put us on the angel tree anonymously.
[00:27:10] And then Debbie Smith came to us and said, I want you to get a Thanksgiving box, and I said,
[00:27:12] Oh, we're okay.
[00:27:12] I'm actually not going to be home for Thanksgiving.
[00:27:14] I'm going to family.
[00:27:16] She said, Melanie, they're not perishable.
[00:27:17] It's items you can use.
[00:27:21] On, I'd say, Monday before Thanksgiving, I took the box.
[00:27:25] I was at Food Lion, and the meat manager was over there with a counter of turkey breast, marking them $3 to $5.
[00:27:35] He said, I overbought.
[00:27:36] Take whatever you want.
[00:27:37] So I bought three.
[00:27:39] came to the car and called a friend who was also in much need and said, I've got, in my freezer, I've got you a turkey breast whenever you need it.
[00:27:47] Two days later, this friend calls and says, we've had an emergency.
[00:27:53] We can't go to the mountains where we're supposed to have Thanksgiving and I have no food.
[00:27:57] She's crying.
[00:27:57] She said, I don't know how to feed my family.
[00:28:00] I don't know what to do.
[00:28:01] I said, I do.
[00:28:02] I have a Thanksgiving box.
[00:28:04] Come over to my house.
[00:28:06] And she took everything she needed from the Thanksgiving box.
[00:28:10] Along with the Thanksgiving box is a $15 or so gift card for you to go buy a turkey.
[00:28:16] She had a turkey breast in my freezer.
[00:28:18] It was the same person.
[00:28:21] So that was such a joy and such a blessing for someone who didn't.
[00:28:27] This is where your generosity goes.
[00:28:29] The story has a little bit extra.
[00:28:31] A week or two after Thanksgiving,
[00:28:34] Jeff's sister was here from Indianapolis.
[00:28:36] We're going to have soup salad for dinner.
[00:28:39] I'm at Food Lion with her.
[00:28:40] We're buying salad.
[00:28:42] As we go to check out, the person in front of us suddenly didn't have enough money.
[00:28:48] He was getting like four items, including a rotisserie chicken.
[00:28:51] We realize he's putting it back.
[00:28:54] And we look up and went, no, no, no, no.
[00:28:55] Give us those items.
[00:28:56] I'm going to pay for those.
[00:28:59] And my sister-in-law said,
[00:29:01] So I pay for it, y'all, with that $15 gift card from this church.
[00:29:07] So my sister-in-law says, we walk out, oh, you $15, I'm going to pay for that meal.
[00:29:11] And I said, no, the church paid.
[00:29:14] So I wanted just to know that your giving makes a difference, even to those sometimes you don't know about.
[00:29:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Thank you so much.
[00:29:30] So today as you give and as you look at your giving cards that you got when you came in, and if you didn't get one of these, they're in the lobby in the back.
[00:29:41] This really helps us as we budget for next year and think about how your giving will
[00:29:47] Impact all that we get to do in Jesus name in this community.
[00:29:51] So we'll take these up next Sunday.
[00:29:54] So make sure you take one with you today.
[00:29:56] If you'd like to leave it today, that's fine.
[00:29:58] There's no, you know, no processed way we have to do it.
[00:30:03] But next Sunday we will definitely receive the cards and your commitments for 2026.
[00:30:11] Thank you so much for your generosity.
[00:30:14] You can give here on the QR code or you can bring your gifts to the box in the offering plate.
[00:30:21] Let us be thankful and listen to these beautiful kids sing about just that.
[00:30:54] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
From all you thirsty, come to the well that never was dry.
[00:31:07] Drink of the water of man's thirst, O Lord.
[00:31:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Come all ye sinners, come find him mercy, come to the table he will satisfy.
[00:31:23] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Taste of his goodness, find what you're looking for.
[00:31:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us Whoever believes in Him will live forever
[00:32:03] Jesus is waiting there with open arms For God so loved the world that he gave us His one and only Son to save us Whoever believes
[00:32:37] I'm walking in freedom for God so loved, God so loved the world Praise God!
[00:33:01] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Praise God!
[00:33:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
All the wonders of His love Praise God!
[00:33:32] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Praise God!
[00:33:32] From whom all blessings flow Praise Him!
[00:33:33] Praise Him!
[00:33:33] All the wonders of His love
[00:33:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us Whoever believes in Him will live forever
[00:34:02] God so loved, God so loved the world
[00:34:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Beautiful, beautiful guys.
[00:34:36] Good work.
[00:35:07] Amen, amen.
[00:35:10] If you have a little one who was not up here singing and would like to be part of Children's Church, now's the time for them to go downstairs.
[00:35:18] So thank you so much for that.
[00:35:20] Were they not amazing?
[00:35:23] Wow, such a beautiful, beautiful thing.
[00:35:27] So if you've been with us along the way, you know that we have been going all the way through the Bible this year.
[00:35:32] And we are now in Paul's letters this week in the book of Ephesians.
[00:35:39] So the church has come to life.
[00:35:42] Jesus has died, been raised from the dead.
[00:35:44] The church has come to life and now it is beginning to spread all over the world.
[00:35:49] And Paul is talking to the church, the young church in Ephesus.
[00:35:56] Ephesians chapter 4 and I'm going to read verses 1 through 7 and then 11 through 16 and we'll go from there therefore as a prisoner for the Lord I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you receive from God conduct yourselves with all humility gentleness and patience
[00:36:21] Accept each other with love and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.
[00:36:31] You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope.
[00:36:39] There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all.
[00:36:49] God has given His grace to each one of us, measured out by the gift that is given by Christ.
[00:36:57] He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
[00:37:05] His purpose was to equip God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God's Son.
[00:37:18] God's goal is for us to become mature adults, to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
[00:37:28] As a result, we aren't supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every whim that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and tricks people play to deliberately mislead others.
[00:37:42] Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let's grow in every way into Christ who is the head.
[00:37:49] The body grows from him as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments.
[00:37:58] The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.
[00:38:08] This is the Word of God for the people of God.
[00:38:11] Thanks be to God.
[00:38:12] Would you pray with me?
[00:38:18] God, open our hearts and minds to hear your words to your church and remind us that your church is your people.
[00:38:32] Come and speak to us.
[00:38:38] Transform our hearts.
[00:38:43] And may the words of my mouth, the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O God, for you are our rock and our redeemer.
[00:38:57] Amen.
[00:38:59] Well, I'm curious, has anybody out there ever been told by a parent or a parent figure, you need to straighten up?
[00:39:13] Yeah, every generation is represented just so you know.
[00:39:19] You need to straighten up.
[00:39:20] What does that mean?
[00:39:23] Certainly it doesn't mean stand up straight.
[00:39:27] What's it mean?
[00:39:29] Get it together, yeah.
[00:39:31] For me, it meant that there was some standard that I was supposed to be living up to, something that I was supposed to be doing, and I clearly was missing it.
[00:39:42] I had probably been cutting cartwheels down the aisle at the grocery store or something like that and mom thought I should probably straighten up and walk like a normal human being.
[00:39:52] I think this scripture, it's kind of a straighten up kind of scripture and a grow up kind of word to the church.
[00:40:06] There are certain ways that these early Jesus followers are supposed to be living in community together.
[00:40:12] We saw that and we learned it back in the book of Acts.
[00:40:16] Believers and followers of the way were supposed to be living, Paul says, in humility, acceptance, patience, unity, and love within their communities of faith.
[00:40:30] And he comes to this church in Ephesus and he says, y'all, you're missing it.
[00:40:37] You're missing it.
[00:40:39] Straighten up.
[00:40:42] Paul writes to the Ephesians and he says, I'm here in prison and you guys, come on folks, live a life worthy of the call you've received from God.
[00:40:56] Wow, that's heavy, isn't it?
[00:40:59] Sometimes we get hung up on that word call, I think.
[00:41:06] We act as if being called is some special task that's only for missionaries or only for preachers.
[00:41:13] No, not at all.
[00:41:16] All who call themselves Christians are called to live lives that follow Jesus with who they are and what they do.
[00:41:25] Jesus said, follow me, and we said, okay.
[00:41:34] Following Him comes with living in a way that is quite different than the way the world behaves according to this text, isn't it?
[00:41:46] I mean, honestly, think about it.
[00:41:47] Are humility, acceptance, patience, unity, love, are those words you would use to describe how the world behaves today?
[00:42:00] Yeah, somebody laughed out loud.
[00:42:01] Yep, I get it.
[00:42:03] Not so much, right?
[00:42:05] But the church, Paul reminds us, is called to this radical way of being.
[00:42:14] that includes those things.
[00:42:17] And Paul is saying to this church in Ephesus that these things aren't showing up in the Ephesians' everyday lives.
[00:42:25] You see, the Ephesian church was having trouble remembering that their community was built up and held together by Jesus, not by them.
[00:42:36] Oh, don't we understand that 2,000 years later?
[00:42:43] and Paul says to them straighten up Jewish followers straighten up Gentile followers straighten up all y'all remember who you're following there's one Lord one faith one baptism one God of all and if we're following him it's time to start acting like followers which means practicing those words we laughed at a minute ago humility
[00:43:12] Unity, gentleness, patience, acceptance in our life together as a community of faith.
[00:43:23] We say almost every week that we can still see the truth of the scripture in 2025.
[00:43:31] Today is no different.
[00:43:34] We have trouble with some of the same challenges that that young first century church had, don't we?
[00:43:43] And what does Paul call them?
[00:43:45] He calls that Ephesian church infants.
[00:43:50] And I believe most churches today might qualify as infants in Paul's eyes.
[00:43:59] Much like that early church, we sometimes get self-centered and we're easily swayed by our own desires that need constant tending like a baby.
[00:44:10] I think we forget that Jesus is the one who is leading the way and holding the church together, not us.
[00:44:18] We forget that following Jesus goes past showing up for church on Sunday.
[00:44:23] We forget that it's a way of life that should shape and deeply impact how we act and behave day by day.
[00:44:35] Let's just pick one of those actions that Paul says grown-up Christian followers practice.
[00:44:43] Let's just pick one.
[00:44:45] Humility, gentleness, acceptance, patience, unity, love.
[00:44:48] I mean, there's a sermon in each one, right?
[00:44:50] We're gonna pick just the first one, humility.
[00:44:54] How often have you been in conversations around church where humility is something we struggle with?
[00:45:07] Where somebody's talking and somebody cuts them off, refusing to just listen all the way to the end.
[00:45:13] How many times do we direct blame at somebody else because we don't have enough humility to say, you know what, I messed up, I'm sorry, I was wrong.
[00:45:24] It happens.
[00:45:26] It happens in every church that any of us have ever been part of, whether you've been part of this church since you were born or whether you came two weeks ago and you've been part of a million churches between here and there.
[00:45:39] It happens because we are human beings and we are not perfect and that is okay.
[00:45:49] But we have to remember that Jesus calls us to something higher.
[00:45:55] Humility, gentleness, patience, acceptance, unity, love.
[00:46:02] Paul says should be part of our community life as Christians.
[00:46:08] But a lot of times those things are missing, aren't they?
[00:46:12] God forgive us.
[00:46:16] We too aren't living a life worthy of the calling we've received from God.
[00:46:23] We don't mean to.
[00:46:25] We're not trying to do it the wrong way.
[00:46:28] We're not intentionally falling into the way of the world and let it dictate our Christian community.
[00:46:36] It's not intentional, but it happens.
[00:46:41] And people outside the church look in on us and say, why in the world would I want to be part of that?
[00:46:51] People don't work together.
[00:46:52] They talk behind each other's back.
[00:46:53] They think they're better than me.
[00:46:55] They exclude me like everybody else in the world.
[00:46:58] And maybe worse, I get that mess at home and at work.
[00:47:01] Why would I seek it out somewhere else?
[00:47:06] Paul's words to the church in Ephesus resonate then and now.
[00:47:14] Live a life worthy of the calling you've received.
[00:47:20] And remember that that calling that you've received is not from the people sitting around you, it is from God.
[00:47:29] Conduct yourselves in the way of Christ.
[00:47:35] Preserve the unity of the Spirit with peace that ties you together.
[00:47:40] You are one body, one Spirit, and God has called you into one hope.
[00:47:47] That is good, good news.
[00:47:51] So how do we?
[00:47:53] How do we straighten up and grow up as Jesus followers so we don't miss the goal?
[00:48:01] What is the goal anyway?
[00:48:04] What is the goal of Christian community?
[00:48:11] Look at verse 13.
[00:48:12] It's as clear as the ink on the page.
[00:48:16] God's goal is for us to become mature adults, to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
[00:48:25] That's a pretty high standard, isn't it?
[00:48:30] To be mature adults who are full of what?
[00:48:35] Of who?
[00:48:36] Talk to me.
[00:48:38] Christ.
[00:48:41] To be mature adults who are full of Christ.
[00:48:46] Oh, that changes everything.
[00:48:49] You know, people say growing up is overrated.
[00:48:52] I can agree with that.
[00:48:54] Maybe it is.
[00:48:56] Perhaps that's why we're so reluctant to grow up spiritually, too.
[00:49:03] We even have a fairly new word of doing grown-up things.
[00:49:07] It's about a decade old now.
[00:49:09] Back in 2014, it was Grammar Girl's Word of the Year.
[00:49:13] What is it?
[00:49:15] Adulting.
[00:49:17] No, not 6-7.
[00:49:18] That's newer than that.
[00:49:22] I still don't know what that means.
[00:49:23] I don't think anybody does.
[00:49:25] But adulting.
[00:49:27] What is adulting, adults?
[00:49:29] What is adulting, teenagers?
[00:49:33] What is it?
[00:49:38] Yeah, making your own doctor's appointment.
[00:49:41] Making a phone call the horror.
[00:49:47] Right?
[00:49:49] Doing things that grown-ups do.
[00:49:51] Putting your own gas in your car with your own money.
[00:49:59] Preach, right?
[00:50:01] Doing things grown-ups do.
[00:50:02] Perhaps things that at this point in a young life were pretty much taken for granted because somebody else did it for you.
[00:50:10] Paying the bills, cooking the dinner, cleaning the house, meeting the deadlines at work, buying tires for your car instead of splurging on a weekend at the beach.
[00:50:19] You know, those kind of fun things.
[00:50:22] Adulting.
[00:50:23] It implies responsibility and commitment.
[00:50:27] and in its day-to-day worldly context it's something to avoid or put off as long as possible.
[00:50:36] But I think we're on to something when we consider that being a grown-up is not just some arbitrary thing you attain when you turn 18 or 21 years old.
[00:50:47] Adulting is in fact a verb.
[00:50:50] It's something you do.
[00:50:51] It's something you practice and get better at.
[00:50:54] If you don't believe it, wait till you got a 22-year-old.
[00:50:57] They're better at it than they were when they were 18.
[00:51:00] It takes practice.
[00:51:03] And it's not about your age, after all.
[00:51:06] It's about maturity.
[00:51:07] Some 22-year-olds I know manage their own budgets, keep their own households, have intelligent face-to-face conversations, and excel at very demanding jobs.
[00:51:19] Other 22 year olds I know live off their parents and struggle to make their bed.
[00:51:25] They burn through every dollar they touch.
[00:51:29] They consider ramen gourmet dining.
[00:51:34] And they video game themselves into oblivion until 3 a.m. every night.
[00:51:40] Two people, same age.
[00:51:43] One is a confident adult, the other is still a little bit of an infant.
[00:51:51] Spiritual adulting is the same, you know.
[00:51:55] It is a verb, and it has very little to do with the number of birthday candles on your cake.
[00:52:03] Being a spiritual grown-up, a mature adult full of Christ,
[00:52:10] It isn't some arbitrary status you attain by sitting in a church pew for X number of years.
[00:52:19] Living as a mature spiritual person is something you do, something you practice, something you grow into through your whole life.
[00:52:30] And if we're not growing, where are we staying?
[00:52:33] Infants.
[00:52:37] Sitting on church pews with mouths open hoping that a pastor is going to pour some Jesus in.
[00:52:42] Or that a choir or a praise band will do the same.
[00:52:51] And Sunday morning worship, friends, it is so important.
[00:52:55] But it's just the beginning.
[00:52:56] It's the huddle up time.
[00:52:58] The real growing happens in the game of life Monday through Saturday.
[00:53:04] So how do we get better at this spiritual adulting?
[00:53:10] We know that it's so much more than just knowing about God.
[00:53:13] Now that's part of it, but it's not a measuring stick for maturity.
[00:53:19] Growing mature in Christ happens in many ways, but there are two that Paul highlights here that I think are great places for all of us who call ourselves church together to start.
[00:53:33] The first one, Paul says, behave.
[00:53:37] Conduct yourselves with humility, gentleness, patience.
[00:53:42] Accept each other with love.
[00:53:46] Behave.
[00:53:48] Remember that we never actually know what the person beside us might be going through.
[00:53:55] So we have to lead with humility and kindness.
[00:53:59] And practice patience and accept each other with love.
[00:54:05] Practice patience?
[00:54:07] Are you kidding me?
[00:54:08] That's hard!
[00:54:13] It's hard to be patient and accept people with love.
[00:54:18] I mean, it's easy to say, it's really hard to do.
[00:54:21] We practice patience together across generations.
[00:54:29] We practice patience every Sunday with one another with differencing worship preferences.
[00:54:36] We need to be patient with people who are new to the faith
[00:54:41] Older folks need to be patient and mentor younger folks, and younger folks need to be patient and learn from the wisdom of those who may be more mature in their walk with Jesus.
[00:54:54] But older folks, we need to listen to younger folks.
[00:54:59] Like, really listen.
[00:55:02] Because we have a lot to learn from their insights as well.
[00:55:07] Behave, Paul says.
[00:55:11] and then share.
[00:55:13] That's how we practice this spiritual adulting.
[00:55:17] That's how we grow up in Christ.
[00:55:22] The scripture says his purpose was to equip God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ.
[00:55:31] What's the reason for equipping God's people?
[00:55:34] To build up who?
[00:55:37] The body of Christ.
[00:55:41] Only.
[00:55:42] This means getting beyond our personal wants, our personal wishes and using and exercising our gifts for the good of the whole body.
[00:55:51] As we are becoming mature adults who are full of Christ, we grow into Christ who is the head.
[00:55:58] We cannot forget that Jesus is leading this bunch.
[00:56:08] We realize that each one of us has a gift to contribute to build up the body in love.
[00:56:14] How different would churches all over the world be if they were full of people who were there knowing that they were part of a community and they had a crucial part to play.
[00:56:25] Not a sideline part to play, not a sit-on-the-bench part to play, but an in-the-game, everyday part to play.
[00:56:35] To help build the body of Christ in this world.
[00:56:41] What if we all came truly seeking to use our gifts to serve Jesus?
[00:56:48] Rather than wondering what we were going to get out of it, or how we could get our way, or if the preacher was going to preach too long today.
[00:56:56] Yes, she is, just telling you.
[00:57:01] Every one of us has gifts for building up the body of Christ.
[00:57:08] Every one of us.
[00:57:12] We're sometimes quick to think, well, I don't know if I have any gifts.
[00:57:18] I don't know if I have any gifts.
[00:57:20] And if I do, I don't know what they are.
[00:57:22] But friends, trust me, you have some.
[00:57:27] To deny your giftedness is to deny that God's grace is real in your life because God made you so that means God gifted you to be about his business in this world.
[00:57:42] Your gifts matter because they unify the body and make it whole so that the body, the church, can represent Christ in the world.
[00:57:57] How do you know your gifts?
[00:57:58] How do you use them?
[00:57:59] Well, there are all kinds of inventories you can take and tests you can take.
[00:58:03] And they all have their place.
[00:58:04] But really, here's the simplest way to start.
[00:58:07] If you're not sure what your gifts are or what to do with them, here's the simplest way to start.
[00:58:13] Pray.
[00:58:15] Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that you have and somebody who needs it.
[00:58:25] And then make it flow.
[00:58:28] Something that you have, somebody who needs it, and then make it flow.
[00:58:35] Spiritual adulting is doing that over and over and over.
[00:58:43] It's a lifelong process.
[00:58:46] So remember, as long as we children of God are in this world, we are growing.
[00:58:53] And if we're not growing, we're still being babies.
[00:58:58] So how do we keep growing?
[00:59:00] Behave.
[00:59:03] Behave.
[00:59:06] Live with one another in gentleness and patience, unity, acceptance.
[00:59:12] And then share.
[00:59:13] Share the gifts that God has endowed to each and every one of us to build up this kingdom.
[00:59:24] To build up this church so that we grow up into Christ as our head and by His grace our community will be more whole and more thriving than it has ever been before.
[00:59:38] each one of us making Jesus central to our everyday lives doing his or her part fully mature in Christ no one no one watching the game from the Sunday morning huddle only all of us growing up together in Christ living a life worthy of the calling that we have received from God and friends if we do that
[01:00:07] The world will begin to see the difference in our lives.
[01:00:12] And the love that we will be able to share in Jesus' name with one another and with our community, friends, it just might change the world.
[01:00:26] Thanks be to God.
[01:00:28] Amen.
[01:00:30] Would you pray with me?
[01:00:36] Lord, we're grateful for this word, though it's a hard one.
[01:00:43] Help us to grow up and straighten up every day to be a little bit more like you than we were yesterday.
[01:00:57] Help us to behave and share and love you with our whole hearts.
[01:01:04] In the way that we love your church in this world.
[01:01:09] Help us to not just love your church, but to be your church for every person that we meet all along the way.
[01:01:20] We thank you for this beautiful church, this great community of faith that you've given us to be part of.
[01:01:28] What a blessing.
[01:01:30] To have such a great and loving place to grow up in you.
[01:01:37] We thank you for it.
[01:01:42] All God's people said, Amen.
[01:01:45] Would you stand and let's sing as we go?
[01:02:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given
[01:02:58] The Lord has come for us, and now let the weak say, I am strong, let the poor say, I am rich, because the Lord has come for us in the land.
[01:03:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I'm going to pray for our food so that when you get downstairs there won't be that awkward should we eat or should we pray first.
[01:03:41] So we're going to pray now.
[01:03:43] I'm going to invite you all downstairs for lunch and town hall after we conclude.
[01:03:48] God, thank you so much for the gift of worship, for meeting us in this place and calling us to invest our lives in who you are.
[01:04:00] We pray now as we go from here that you would be with us, that you would bless the food that we're about to eat and all the hands that have prepared it, that you would be part of our conversation, and that all of our talk around the table would be a means of your grace.
[01:04:15] Thank you, Jesus.
[01:04:17] Amen.
[01:04:18] Now as you go from here, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
[01:04:22] May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
[01:04:26] May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you his peace.
[01:04:29] Now and forevermore.
[01:04:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Amen.
[01:04:59] ... ... ... ... ...
[01:05:35] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you for watching!
.
[00:00:14] .
[00:00:14] .
[00:00:32] Thank you.
[00:01:22] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:45] Amen.
[00:01:57] Let's pray.
[00:02:27] .
[00:02:53] .
[00:02:53] .
[00:03:03] Let's pray.
[00:03:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Oh, that was weak, and that's because my mic wasn't on.
[00:03:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Because you were five seconds early.
[00:03:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I was early.
[00:03:43] Well, you know, sometimes you come to the game early.
[00:03:46] Good morning, Central.
[00:03:47] Welcome.
[00:03:49] My name's Anita, I'm the pastor here, and I welcome you to church in Jesus' name.
[00:03:53] If it's your first time in worship with us, we are so glad that you've come.
[00:03:56] We pray that this service would be a blessing to you and to your family, that you would meet God here and find community here.
[00:04:04] If you're joining us online, a special welcome to you.
[00:04:06] We're glad that you are with us from wherever you are.
[00:04:09] If you are brand new to us, please fill out a Connect card that's there in front of you in the pew.
[00:04:15] and you can drop it at the welcome desk at the lobby on the way out this afternoon or you can drop it in the offering plate later on just thank you so much for coming we'd love to be your church home the things that you need to know we have a town hall meeting today right after church that means there's free pizza and salad for everybody downstairs and we'll have a time to just share together and let you know what's going on in the life of the church and how we are projecting and hopeful for the future
[00:04:44] Also, Charge Conference is this coming Tuesday at 7.
[00:04:48] If you didn't grow up Methodist and you don't know what that means, that's the annual business meeting of the church.
[00:04:54] It's a rip-roaring good time and everybody's invited.
[00:04:57] 7 o'clock Tuesday night.
[00:05:00] And then next Sunday, can you believe it's the Sunday before Thanksgiving next Sunday?
[00:05:05] Next Sunday, right after church, we're going to decorate this beautiful sanctuary for Christmas.
[00:05:11] So just plan to hang around a few minutes right after church next week and help us make this place beautiful for Advent and Christmas.
[00:05:17] And speaking of Advent and Christmas, Debbie's going to tell us all about Share Christmas.
[00:05:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Do I have to?
[00:05:25] Oh, there we go.
[00:05:26] Hi, I'm Debbie Crouch.
[00:05:28] I'm on the mission committee at the church, and we have Share Christmas coming up on December 13th with Williamson Chapel.
[00:05:37] There's a board you might have noticed when you first come in, and it has cards on it to buy a boy or a girl a gift for Christmas.
[00:05:46] Those are going to be collected by December 7th and brought over to Williamson Chapel.
[00:05:52] If you can get them there yourself, they extended the time to 1.30 on Sunday, and it's also times on Monday to drop off your gifts.
[00:06:00] But if you'd like someone to bring your gifts over, if you bring them here, three of us from the committee are going to be working at Williamson at 12.30 to receive gifts, so we can bring your gifts over for you if you'd like that.
[00:06:13] Get them here on the 7th by noon.
[00:06:17] Also, you can go on to Sign Up Genius.
[00:06:20] The link is in the newsletter.
[00:06:22] And you can pick gifts there if you want.
[00:06:24] We have committed to 50 children, which is 100 gifts.
[00:06:28] So keep picking those cards and going on Sign Up Genius.
[00:06:32] Also, very important, there's volunteer hours on Sign Up Genius.
[00:06:37] Lots of things are needed.
[00:06:39] They also have, for the youth, if you're interested,
[00:06:41] There's time with children.
[00:06:43] They have babysitting if the parents want to go shopping, so you can play games with the children.
[00:06:50] And if you need help with Sign Up Genius, please let me know.
[00:06:53] I can sign you up for any volunteer hours you'd like.
[00:06:55] Please remember when you bring your gifts in here or to Williamson to attach the tag or the card that's on the board or print out the confirmation sheet if you do it on Sign Up Genius.
[00:07:07] Attach that so they know what age group your gift goes with.
[00:07:10] If you have any questions, my information is on the boards and the newsletter.
[00:07:14] Again, I'm Debbie Crouch, and I'm counting on all your generosity.
[00:07:18] I know that we can get 100 gifts.
[00:07:21] More is okay, too, but I know we can get 100 gifts, so thank you very much.
[00:07:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Thanks, Debbie.
[00:07:27] This is a great way to be in mission together as we step into Advent.
[00:07:31] Are you ready to worship?
[00:07:34] You got work to do, bro.
[00:07:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
They don't sound like they are.
[00:07:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You got work to do.
[00:07:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Good morning, everybody.
[00:07:39] Let's stand and sing God's praises.
[00:07:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God who is, we worship the God who evermore will be.
[00:07:56] He opened the prison doors.
[00:07:59] He parted the rage.
[00:08:03] There's joy in the house of the Lord There's joy in the house of the Lord today And we won't be quiet We shout out your praise There's joy in the house of the Lord Our God is solely in this place And we won't be quiet
[00:08:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We sing to the God who heals We sing to the God who heals We sing to the God who saves We sing to the God who always makes a way Cause he hung upon that cross And he rose up from that grave My God
[00:09:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
In the house of the Lord our God is surely in this place
[00:09:39] We were the beggars, now we're royalty We were the prisoners, now we're running free We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace Let the house of the Lord sing praise We were the beggars, we were the beggars
[00:10:03] Now we're royalty, we were the prisoners Now we're running free We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace Let the house of the Lord sing praise There's joy in the house of the Lord There's joy in the house of the Lord today
[00:10:34] We shout out your praise There's joy in the house of the Lord Our God is surely in this place We won't be quiet
[00:11:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Hallelujah for that.
[00:11:02] We shout out your praise, Lord.
[00:11:04] Let's pray together.
[00:11:05] Father God, as we enter into your presence and your glory this morning to worship, we just pray that you guide our hearts and guide our minds where they need to go.
[00:11:13] Help us to soak in every ounce of you that's in this room today, Lord.
[00:11:18] And we pray in the name of Jesus.
[00:11:20] Amen.
[00:11:24] This is a new one, but it's pretty easy to follow along with.
[00:11:27] Hopefully it doesn't give you so much trouble.
[00:11:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Thank you Jesus for finding me Like a good shepherd your mercy leads Back to your arms where I'm meant to be So I thank you Jesus for finding me
[00:11:55] Thank you Jesus for saving me You took my place on that cursed tree God for sinners but rose as a king So I thank you Jesus for saving me Oh it's only because
[00:12:23] All you've done that I can be called A friend of God, O beautiful Savior What else can I do but lift up my voice and say
[00:12:47] Jesus for loving me Shame lost its hold when you set me free Every finger has to bow at your feet So I thank you Jesus for loving me Oh it's only because of all you've done
[00:13:14] That I can become a friend of God, O beautiful Savior What else can I do but lift up my voice and say
[00:13:35] of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts of the Lord with praise I enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts of the Lord with
[00:13:54] I enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts of the Lord with praise I enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving I enter the courts
[00:14:21] All right, have a seat.
[00:14:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Great singing, everybody.
[00:14:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
So as we pray together this morning, I want you to keep the words of that song circling in your mind.
[00:14:59] Thank you, Jesus, for finding me.
[00:15:02] Thank you, Jesus, for saving me.
[00:15:06] Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.
[00:15:08] And I wonder, how in the last little while in your life have you known Jesus to find you, to save you?
[00:15:22] To love you.
[00:15:26] And would you share any of those that pop to your mind?
[00:15:38] On Veterans Day, yes.
[00:15:48] Sometimes you get lost in the, or I don't know, I do, when the seasons start to change, and the time changes, and I'm just out of whack for a couple weeks, you know?
[00:16:00] So I feel that settling, and I'm grateful for the way God is finding me in the midst of that.
[00:16:11] Anybody else?
[00:16:12] Yeah.
[00:16:22] and Huntersville.
[00:16:26] So we will continue to remember Lou Sink as she is in rehab and recovering and we're really grateful that that's where she is.
[00:16:38] Others?
[00:16:39] Yeah.
[00:16:41] Go.
[00:16:45] Grandparents!
[00:16:50] And I can attest that that will be one way that Jesus will love you like you have never known before.
[00:16:55] Yes?
[00:17:15] So praises for healing and restoration.
[00:17:18] Yeah, anybody else?
[00:17:20] Yeah.
[00:17:21] Michael.
[00:17:23] We'll continue to pray for Michael.
[00:17:26] He's back in the hospital.
[00:17:28] Bless.
[00:17:29] We will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
[00:17:34] Many of you know that my oldest is about to be flying airplanes, and his last big test is this Wednesday morning at 4 a.m.
[00:17:43] So a little extra prayer would be much appreciated.
[00:17:46] This is a five-year journey coming to a close, so I'm real excited about that.
[00:17:56] So as we pray...
[00:17:59] Thank you, Jesus, for finding us, for saving us, for loving us.
[00:18:07] Holy and gracious God, it is good to be in your house to lift voices to sing your praise, for you are worthy and holy and good.
[00:18:15] And we are grateful for the opportunity to be here, gathered in community, feeling your presence with us.
[00:18:25] God, we ask that you would make us even more aware that you are near, that you are working, and that you are with us.
[00:18:33] We pray for every family that's been lifted up here.
[00:18:38] We pray for all the people that we hold in our hearts.
[00:18:42] Lord, for some, they need comfort.
[00:18:45] For some, they need strength.
[00:18:46] For some, they need healing.
[00:18:49] For others, they need guidance.
[00:18:53] For all we need care and love.
[00:18:58] Lord, we ask that you would meet each family, each person in the place where they are, and help them to know that they are not alone, that you are close, that you love them, and that you call them into life with you.
[00:19:17] Lord, we pray for our community around us.
[00:19:22] We pray for safety for those who are afraid.
[00:19:31] We pray for provision for those who are lacking.
[00:19:36] And God, we pray for a spirit of unity among our community and our nation and our homes.
[00:19:47] A spirit of unity that only you can bring.
[00:19:51] So bring it, God, we pray.
[00:19:54] And then help us to embrace it.
[00:19:57] Help us to embrace what it means to live like kingdom people in your world.
[00:20:03] We love you, Jesus, and we thank you for the call that you've placed on our lives.
[00:20:08] To be your people in this world till you come again.
[00:20:12] So we ask that you would hear every prayer from every heart, for we lift them all to you in the mighty and holy name of Jesus, who taught his followers to pray.
[00:20:22] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:20:27] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:20:33] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
[00:20:41] and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever amen
[00:21:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
We'll hear before your doors O man and sorrow of the God that sent us all We'll hear before your doors
[00:21:47] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy,
[00:22:16] He is on thy way.
[00:22:44] Angels sing your song.
[00:22:45] I humbly follow you.
[00:23:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ
[00:23:34] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[00:24:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Amen.
[00:24:30] Thank you.
[00:24:36] As we prepare to give this morning, Melanie's going to come
[00:24:44] And I hope I'm going to get this microphone to work.
[00:24:50] Each week in November we've had different people talk about what does giving mean to you and how has it impacted your life.
[00:25:03] So I appreciate you guys sharing that because the best way for us to recognize how generosity matters is to share our stories.
[00:25:12] So Melanie's going to share a story about how giving has been important in her life right after Matt gets out of the way.
[00:25:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let's start with Deuteronomy 15 verse 7 and 8.
[00:25:32] If among you one of your brothers should become poor in any of your terms within your
[00:25:59] So today I'm going to talk about a different side of giving in our church, and it's the generosity of our church.
[00:26:08] It's a little hard, it's a little humbling, it's a little embarrassing, but I'm going to tell the story.
[00:26:15] 2008, and if you're old enough to remember
[00:26:45] So it was a hard time, and not many people knew, but Debbie Smith knew, and Linda Smith knew.
[00:26:58] Debbie Smith, well Linda Smith was Elizabeth's Girl Scout leader for 13 years, and she knew, and she put us on the angel tree anonymously.
[00:27:10] And then Debbie Smith came to us and said, I want you to get a Thanksgiving box, and I said,
[00:27:12] Oh, we're okay.
[00:27:12] I'm actually not going to be home for Thanksgiving.
[00:27:14] I'm going to family.
[00:27:16] She said, Melanie, they're not perishable.
[00:27:17] It's items you can use.
[00:27:21] On, I'd say, Monday before Thanksgiving, I took the box.
[00:27:25] I was at Food Lion, and the meat manager was over there with a counter of turkey breast, marking them $3 to $5.
[00:27:35] He said, I overbought.
[00:27:36] Take whatever you want.
[00:27:37] So I bought three.
[00:27:39] came to the car and called a friend who was also in much need and said, I've got, in my freezer, I've got you a turkey breast whenever you need it.
[00:27:47] Two days later, this friend calls and says, we've had an emergency.
[00:27:53] We can't go to the mountains where we're supposed to have Thanksgiving and I have no food.
[00:27:57] She's crying.
[00:27:57] She said, I don't know how to feed my family.
[00:28:00] I don't know what to do.
[00:28:01] I said, I do.
[00:28:02] I have a Thanksgiving box.
[00:28:04] Come over to my house.
[00:28:06] And she took everything she needed from the Thanksgiving box.
[00:28:10] Along with the Thanksgiving box is a $15 or so gift card for you to go buy a turkey.
[00:28:16] She had a turkey breast in my freezer.
[00:28:18] It was the same person.
[00:28:21] So that was such a joy and such a blessing for someone who didn't.
[00:28:27] This is where your generosity goes.
[00:28:29] The story has a little bit extra.
[00:28:31] A week or two after Thanksgiving,
[00:28:34] Jeff's sister was here from Indianapolis.
[00:28:36] We're going to have soup salad for dinner.
[00:28:39] I'm at Food Lion with her.
[00:28:40] We're buying salad.
[00:28:42] As we go to check out, the person in front of us suddenly didn't have enough money.
[00:28:48] He was getting like four items, including a rotisserie chicken.
[00:28:51] We realize he's putting it back.
[00:28:54] And we look up and went, no, no, no, no.
[00:28:55] Give us those items.
[00:28:56] I'm going to pay for those.
[00:28:59] And my sister-in-law said,
[00:29:01] So I pay for it, y'all, with that $15 gift card from this church.
[00:29:07] So my sister-in-law says, we walk out, oh, you $15, I'm going to pay for that meal.
[00:29:11] And I said, no, the church paid.
[00:29:14] So I wanted just to know that your giving makes a difference, even to those sometimes you don't know about.
[00:29:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Thank you so much.
[00:29:30] So today as you give and as you look at your giving cards that you got when you came in, and if you didn't get one of these, they're in the lobby in the back.
[00:29:41] This really helps us as we budget for next year and think about how your giving will
[00:29:47] Impact all that we get to do in Jesus name in this community.
[00:29:51] So we'll take these up next Sunday.
[00:29:54] So make sure you take one with you today.
[00:29:56] If you'd like to leave it today, that's fine.
[00:29:58] There's no, you know, no processed way we have to do it.
[00:30:03] But next Sunday we will definitely receive the cards and your commitments for 2026.
[00:30:11] Thank you so much for your generosity.
[00:30:14] You can give here on the QR code or you can bring your gifts to the box in the offering plate.
[00:30:21] Let us be thankful and listen to these beautiful kids sing about just that.
[00:30:54] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
From all you thirsty, come to the well that never was dry.
[00:31:07] Drink of the water of man's thirst, O Lord.
[00:31:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Come all ye sinners, come find him mercy, come to the table he will satisfy.
[00:31:23] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Taste of his goodness, find what you're looking for.
[00:31:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us Whoever believes in Him will live forever
[00:32:03] Jesus is waiting there with open arms For God so loved the world that he gave us His one and only Son to save us Whoever believes
[00:32:37] I'm walking in freedom for God so loved, God so loved the world Praise God!
[00:33:01] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Praise God!
[00:33:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
All the wonders of His love Praise God!
[00:33:32] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Praise God!
[00:33:32] From whom all blessings flow Praise Him!
[00:33:33] Praise Him!
[00:33:33] All the wonders of His love
[00:33:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us Whoever believes in Him will live forever
[00:34:02] God so loved, God so loved the world
[00:34:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Beautiful, beautiful guys.
[00:34:36] Good work.
[00:35:07] Amen, amen.
[00:35:10] If you have a little one who was not up here singing and would like to be part of Children's Church, now's the time for them to go downstairs.
[00:35:18] So thank you so much for that.
[00:35:20] Were they not amazing?
[00:35:23] Wow, such a beautiful, beautiful thing.
[00:35:27] So if you've been with us along the way, you know that we have been going all the way through the Bible this year.
[00:35:32] And we are now in Paul's letters this week in the book of Ephesians.
[00:35:39] So the church has come to life.
[00:35:42] Jesus has died, been raised from the dead.
[00:35:44] The church has come to life and now it is beginning to spread all over the world.
[00:35:49] And Paul is talking to the church, the young church in Ephesus.
[00:35:56] Ephesians chapter 4 and I'm going to read verses 1 through 7 and then 11 through 16 and we'll go from there therefore as a prisoner for the Lord I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you receive from God conduct yourselves with all humility gentleness and patience
[00:36:21] Accept each other with love and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.
[00:36:31] You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope.
[00:36:39] There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all.
[00:36:49] God has given His grace to each one of us, measured out by the gift that is given by Christ.
[00:36:57] He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
[00:37:05] His purpose was to equip God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God's Son.
[00:37:18] God's goal is for us to become mature adults, to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
[00:37:28] As a result, we aren't supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every whim that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and tricks people play to deliberately mislead others.
[00:37:42] Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let's grow in every way into Christ who is the head.
[00:37:49] The body grows from him as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments.
[00:37:58] The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.
[00:38:08] This is the Word of God for the people of God.
[00:38:11] Thanks be to God.
[00:38:12] Would you pray with me?
[00:38:18] God, open our hearts and minds to hear your words to your church and remind us that your church is your people.
[00:38:32] Come and speak to us.
[00:38:38] Transform our hearts.
[00:38:43] And may the words of my mouth, the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O God, for you are our rock and our redeemer.
[00:38:57] Amen.
[00:38:59] Well, I'm curious, has anybody out there ever been told by a parent or a parent figure, you need to straighten up?
[00:39:13] Yeah, every generation is represented just so you know.
[00:39:19] You need to straighten up.
[00:39:20] What does that mean?
[00:39:23] Certainly it doesn't mean stand up straight.
[00:39:27] What's it mean?
[00:39:29] Get it together, yeah.
[00:39:31] For me, it meant that there was some standard that I was supposed to be living up to, something that I was supposed to be doing, and I clearly was missing it.
[00:39:42] I had probably been cutting cartwheels down the aisle at the grocery store or something like that and mom thought I should probably straighten up and walk like a normal human being.
[00:39:52] I think this scripture, it's kind of a straighten up kind of scripture and a grow up kind of word to the church.
[00:40:06] There are certain ways that these early Jesus followers are supposed to be living in community together.
[00:40:12] We saw that and we learned it back in the book of Acts.
[00:40:16] Believers and followers of the way were supposed to be living, Paul says, in humility, acceptance, patience, unity, and love within their communities of faith.
[00:40:30] And he comes to this church in Ephesus and he says, y'all, you're missing it.
[00:40:37] You're missing it.
[00:40:39] Straighten up.
[00:40:42] Paul writes to the Ephesians and he says, I'm here in prison and you guys, come on folks, live a life worthy of the call you've received from God.
[00:40:56] Wow, that's heavy, isn't it?
[00:40:59] Sometimes we get hung up on that word call, I think.
[00:41:06] We act as if being called is some special task that's only for missionaries or only for preachers.
[00:41:13] No, not at all.
[00:41:16] All who call themselves Christians are called to live lives that follow Jesus with who they are and what they do.
[00:41:25] Jesus said, follow me, and we said, okay.
[00:41:34] Following Him comes with living in a way that is quite different than the way the world behaves according to this text, isn't it?
[00:41:46] I mean, honestly, think about it.
[00:41:47] Are humility, acceptance, patience, unity, love, are those words you would use to describe how the world behaves today?
[00:42:00] Yeah, somebody laughed out loud.
[00:42:01] Yep, I get it.
[00:42:03] Not so much, right?
[00:42:05] But the church, Paul reminds us, is called to this radical way of being.
[00:42:14] that includes those things.
[00:42:17] And Paul is saying to this church in Ephesus that these things aren't showing up in the Ephesians' everyday lives.
[00:42:25] You see, the Ephesian church was having trouble remembering that their community was built up and held together by Jesus, not by them.
[00:42:36] Oh, don't we understand that 2,000 years later?
[00:42:43] and Paul says to them straighten up Jewish followers straighten up Gentile followers straighten up all y'all remember who you're following there's one Lord one faith one baptism one God of all and if we're following him it's time to start acting like followers which means practicing those words we laughed at a minute ago humility
[00:43:12] Unity, gentleness, patience, acceptance in our life together as a community of faith.
[00:43:23] We say almost every week that we can still see the truth of the scripture in 2025.
[00:43:31] Today is no different.
[00:43:34] We have trouble with some of the same challenges that that young first century church had, don't we?
[00:43:43] And what does Paul call them?
[00:43:45] He calls that Ephesian church infants.
[00:43:50] And I believe most churches today might qualify as infants in Paul's eyes.
[00:43:59] Much like that early church, we sometimes get self-centered and we're easily swayed by our own desires that need constant tending like a baby.
[00:44:10] I think we forget that Jesus is the one who is leading the way and holding the church together, not us.
[00:44:18] We forget that following Jesus goes past showing up for church on Sunday.
[00:44:23] We forget that it's a way of life that should shape and deeply impact how we act and behave day by day.
[00:44:35] Let's just pick one of those actions that Paul says grown-up Christian followers practice.
[00:44:43] Let's just pick one.
[00:44:45] Humility, gentleness, acceptance, patience, unity, love.
[00:44:48] I mean, there's a sermon in each one, right?
[00:44:50] We're gonna pick just the first one, humility.
[00:44:54] How often have you been in conversations around church where humility is something we struggle with?
[00:45:07] Where somebody's talking and somebody cuts them off, refusing to just listen all the way to the end.
[00:45:13] How many times do we direct blame at somebody else because we don't have enough humility to say, you know what, I messed up, I'm sorry, I was wrong.
[00:45:24] It happens.
[00:45:26] It happens in every church that any of us have ever been part of, whether you've been part of this church since you were born or whether you came two weeks ago and you've been part of a million churches between here and there.
[00:45:39] It happens because we are human beings and we are not perfect and that is okay.
[00:45:49] But we have to remember that Jesus calls us to something higher.
[00:45:55] Humility, gentleness, patience, acceptance, unity, love.
[00:46:02] Paul says should be part of our community life as Christians.
[00:46:08] But a lot of times those things are missing, aren't they?
[00:46:12] God forgive us.
[00:46:16] We too aren't living a life worthy of the calling we've received from God.
[00:46:23] We don't mean to.
[00:46:25] We're not trying to do it the wrong way.
[00:46:28] We're not intentionally falling into the way of the world and let it dictate our Christian community.
[00:46:36] It's not intentional, but it happens.
[00:46:41] And people outside the church look in on us and say, why in the world would I want to be part of that?
[00:46:51] People don't work together.
[00:46:52] They talk behind each other's back.
[00:46:53] They think they're better than me.
[00:46:55] They exclude me like everybody else in the world.
[00:46:58] And maybe worse, I get that mess at home and at work.
[00:47:01] Why would I seek it out somewhere else?
[00:47:06] Paul's words to the church in Ephesus resonate then and now.
[00:47:14] Live a life worthy of the calling you've received.
[00:47:20] And remember that that calling that you've received is not from the people sitting around you, it is from God.
[00:47:29] Conduct yourselves in the way of Christ.
[00:47:35] Preserve the unity of the Spirit with peace that ties you together.
[00:47:40] You are one body, one Spirit, and God has called you into one hope.
[00:47:47] That is good, good news.
[00:47:51] So how do we?
[00:47:53] How do we straighten up and grow up as Jesus followers so we don't miss the goal?
[00:48:01] What is the goal anyway?
[00:48:04] What is the goal of Christian community?
[00:48:11] Look at verse 13.
[00:48:12] It's as clear as the ink on the page.
[00:48:16] God's goal is for us to become mature adults, to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
[00:48:25] That's a pretty high standard, isn't it?
[00:48:30] To be mature adults who are full of what?
[00:48:35] Of who?
[00:48:36] Talk to me.
[00:48:38] Christ.
[00:48:41] To be mature adults who are full of Christ.
[00:48:46] Oh, that changes everything.
[00:48:49] You know, people say growing up is overrated.
[00:48:52] I can agree with that.
[00:48:54] Maybe it is.
[00:48:56] Perhaps that's why we're so reluctant to grow up spiritually, too.
[00:49:03] We even have a fairly new word of doing grown-up things.
[00:49:07] It's about a decade old now.
[00:49:09] Back in 2014, it was Grammar Girl's Word of the Year.
[00:49:13] What is it?
[00:49:15] Adulting.
[00:49:17] No, not 6-7.
[00:49:18] That's newer than that.
[00:49:22] I still don't know what that means.
[00:49:23] I don't think anybody does.
[00:49:25] But adulting.
[00:49:27] What is adulting, adults?
[00:49:29] What is adulting, teenagers?
[00:49:33] What is it?
[00:49:38] Yeah, making your own doctor's appointment.
[00:49:41] Making a phone call the horror.
[00:49:47] Right?
[00:49:49] Doing things that grown-ups do.
[00:49:51] Putting your own gas in your car with your own money.
[00:49:59] Preach, right?
[00:50:01] Doing things grown-ups do.
[00:50:02] Perhaps things that at this point in a young life were pretty much taken for granted because somebody else did it for you.
[00:50:10] Paying the bills, cooking the dinner, cleaning the house, meeting the deadlines at work, buying tires for your car instead of splurging on a weekend at the beach.
[00:50:19] You know, those kind of fun things.
[00:50:22] Adulting.
[00:50:23] It implies responsibility and commitment.
[00:50:27] and in its day-to-day worldly context it's something to avoid or put off as long as possible.
[00:50:36] But I think we're on to something when we consider that being a grown-up is not just some arbitrary thing you attain when you turn 18 or 21 years old.
[00:50:47] Adulting is in fact a verb.
[00:50:50] It's something you do.
[00:50:51] It's something you practice and get better at.
[00:50:54] If you don't believe it, wait till you got a 22-year-old.
[00:50:57] They're better at it than they were when they were 18.
[00:51:00] It takes practice.
[00:51:03] And it's not about your age, after all.
[00:51:06] It's about maturity.
[00:51:07] Some 22-year-olds I know manage their own budgets, keep their own households, have intelligent face-to-face conversations, and excel at very demanding jobs.
[00:51:19] Other 22 year olds I know live off their parents and struggle to make their bed.
[00:51:25] They burn through every dollar they touch.
[00:51:29] They consider ramen gourmet dining.
[00:51:34] And they video game themselves into oblivion until 3 a.m. every night.
[00:51:40] Two people, same age.
[00:51:43] One is a confident adult, the other is still a little bit of an infant.
[00:51:51] Spiritual adulting is the same, you know.
[00:51:55] It is a verb, and it has very little to do with the number of birthday candles on your cake.
[00:52:03] Being a spiritual grown-up, a mature adult full of Christ,
[00:52:10] It isn't some arbitrary status you attain by sitting in a church pew for X number of years.
[00:52:19] Living as a mature spiritual person is something you do, something you practice, something you grow into through your whole life.
[00:52:30] And if we're not growing, where are we staying?
[00:52:33] Infants.
[00:52:37] Sitting on church pews with mouths open hoping that a pastor is going to pour some Jesus in.
[00:52:42] Or that a choir or a praise band will do the same.
[00:52:51] And Sunday morning worship, friends, it is so important.
[00:52:55] But it's just the beginning.
[00:52:56] It's the huddle up time.
[00:52:58] The real growing happens in the game of life Monday through Saturday.
[00:53:04] So how do we get better at this spiritual adulting?
[00:53:10] We know that it's so much more than just knowing about God.
[00:53:13] Now that's part of it, but it's not a measuring stick for maturity.
[00:53:19] Growing mature in Christ happens in many ways, but there are two that Paul highlights here that I think are great places for all of us who call ourselves church together to start.
[00:53:33] The first one, Paul says, behave.
[00:53:37] Conduct yourselves with humility, gentleness, patience.
[00:53:42] Accept each other with love.
[00:53:46] Behave.
[00:53:48] Remember that we never actually know what the person beside us might be going through.
[00:53:55] So we have to lead with humility and kindness.
[00:53:59] And practice patience and accept each other with love.
[00:54:05] Practice patience?
[00:54:07] Are you kidding me?
[00:54:08] That's hard!
[00:54:13] It's hard to be patient and accept people with love.
[00:54:18] I mean, it's easy to say, it's really hard to do.
[00:54:21] We practice patience together across generations.
[00:54:29] We practice patience every Sunday with one another with differencing worship preferences.
[00:54:36] We need to be patient with people who are new to the faith
[00:54:41] Older folks need to be patient and mentor younger folks, and younger folks need to be patient and learn from the wisdom of those who may be more mature in their walk with Jesus.
[00:54:54] But older folks, we need to listen to younger folks.
[00:54:59] Like, really listen.
[00:55:02] Because we have a lot to learn from their insights as well.
[00:55:07] Behave, Paul says.
[00:55:11] and then share.
[00:55:13] That's how we practice this spiritual adulting.
[00:55:17] That's how we grow up in Christ.
[00:55:22] The scripture says his purpose was to equip God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ.
[00:55:31] What's the reason for equipping God's people?
[00:55:34] To build up who?
[00:55:37] The body of Christ.
[00:55:41] Only.
[00:55:42] This means getting beyond our personal wants, our personal wishes and using and exercising our gifts for the good of the whole body.
[00:55:51] As we are becoming mature adults who are full of Christ, we grow into Christ who is the head.
[00:55:58] We cannot forget that Jesus is leading this bunch.
[00:56:08] We realize that each one of us has a gift to contribute to build up the body in love.
[00:56:14] How different would churches all over the world be if they were full of people who were there knowing that they were part of a community and they had a crucial part to play.
[00:56:25] Not a sideline part to play, not a sit-on-the-bench part to play, but an in-the-game, everyday part to play.
[00:56:35] To help build the body of Christ in this world.
[00:56:41] What if we all came truly seeking to use our gifts to serve Jesus?
[00:56:48] Rather than wondering what we were going to get out of it, or how we could get our way, or if the preacher was going to preach too long today.
[00:56:56] Yes, she is, just telling you.
[00:57:01] Every one of us has gifts for building up the body of Christ.
[00:57:08] Every one of us.
[00:57:12] We're sometimes quick to think, well, I don't know if I have any gifts.
[00:57:18] I don't know if I have any gifts.
[00:57:20] And if I do, I don't know what they are.
[00:57:22] But friends, trust me, you have some.
[00:57:27] To deny your giftedness is to deny that God's grace is real in your life because God made you so that means God gifted you to be about his business in this world.
[00:57:42] Your gifts matter because they unify the body and make it whole so that the body, the church, can represent Christ in the world.
[00:57:57] How do you know your gifts?
[00:57:58] How do you use them?
[00:57:59] Well, there are all kinds of inventories you can take and tests you can take.
[00:58:03] And they all have their place.
[00:58:04] But really, here's the simplest way to start.
[00:58:07] If you're not sure what your gifts are or what to do with them, here's the simplest way to start.
[00:58:13] Pray.
[00:58:15] Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that you have and somebody who needs it.
[00:58:25] And then make it flow.
[00:58:28] Something that you have, somebody who needs it, and then make it flow.
[00:58:35] Spiritual adulting is doing that over and over and over.
[00:58:43] It's a lifelong process.
[00:58:46] So remember, as long as we children of God are in this world, we are growing.
[00:58:53] And if we're not growing, we're still being babies.
[00:58:58] So how do we keep growing?
[00:59:00] Behave.
[00:59:03] Behave.
[00:59:06] Live with one another in gentleness and patience, unity, acceptance.
[00:59:12] And then share.
[00:59:13] Share the gifts that God has endowed to each and every one of us to build up this kingdom.
[00:59:24] To build up this church so that we grow up into Christ as our head and by His grace our community will be more whole and more thriving than it has ever been before.
[00:59:38] each one of us making Jesus central to our everyday lives doing his or her part fully mature in Christ no one no one watching the game from the Sunday morning huddle only all of us growing up together in Christ living a life worthy of the calling that we have received from God and friends if we do that
[01:00:07] The world will begin to see the difference in our lives.
[01:00:12] And the love that we will be able to share in Jesus' name with one another and with our community, friends, it just might change the world.
[01:00:26] Thanks be to God.
[01:00:28] Amen.
[01:00:30] Would you pray with me?
[01:00:36] Lord, we're grateful for this word, though it's a hard one.
[01:00:43] Help us to grow up and straighten up every day to be a little bit more like you than we were yesterday.
[01:00:57] Help us to behave and share and love you with our whole hearts.
[01:01:04] In the way that we love your church in this world.
[01:01:09] Help us to not just love your church, but to be your church for every person that we meet all along the way.
[01:01:20] We thank you for this beautiful church, this great community of faith that you've given us to be part of.
[01:01:28] What a blessing.
[01:01:30] To have such a great and loving place to grow up in you.
[01:01:37] We thank you for it.
[01:01:42] All God's people said, Amen.
[01:01:45] Would you stand and let's sing as we go?
[01:02:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given
[01:02:58] The Lord has come for us, and now let the weak say, I am strong, let the poor say, I am rich, because the Lord has come for us in the land.
[01:03:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I'm going to pray for our food so that when you get downstairs there won't be that awkward should we eat or should we pray first.
[01:03:41] So we're going to pray now.
[01:03:43] I'm going to invite you all downstairs for lunch and town hall after we conclude.
[01:03:48] God, thank you so much for the gift of worship, for meeting us in this place and calling us to invest our lives in who you are.
[01:04:00] We pray now as we go from here that you would be with us, that you would bless the food that we're about to eat and all the hands that have prepared it, that you would be part of our conversation, and that all of our talk around the table would be a means of your grace.
[01:04:15] Thank you, Jesus.
[01:04:17] Amen.
[01:04:18] Now as you go from here, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
[01:04:22] May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
[01:04:26] May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you his peace.
[01:04:29] Now and forevermore.
[01:04:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Amen.
[01:04:59] ... ... ... ... ...
[01:05:35] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you for watching!
