More Than a Meeting: Why the Bible Commands Church Assembly

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Good morning everybody and welcome to First Baptist Online.
[00:02:00] My name is Zach.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
And I am Megan.
[00:02:02] It is great to see you today.

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
We are so excited to be here.
[00:02:04] I'm very excited because Megan is my wife and anytime I get to host or do stuff with you is always a good day.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Well, I mean, I do like hosting with you too.
[00:02:12] I guess that's a good thing.

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
That's great.
[00:02:14] It is also really hot today in this room.
[00:02:17] So if you're watching online, be glad that you have AC because we're having a little trouble with ours.
[00:02:21] Doesn't mean we aren't happy to have you, but just be thankful that you do have working AC today.

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
That being said, that's getting worked on.
[00:02:28] We do have some announcements for today.

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
What's yours?
[00:02:31] My announcement is coming up February 5th, we have Men's Night Out.
[00:02:35] This is going to be an event here at First Baptist.
[00:02:37] We have guest speaker William Kane.
[00:02:40] He is a caddy for a golfer.
[00:02:44] It's going to be at 5.30 and you can sign up on our website at charlottefpc.org slash events.
[00:02:52] So it's Men's Night Out, February 5th, 5.30 is when it starts.
[00:02:56] Check out the website for more details.

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Cool, I have one too.
[00:03:00] I don't know if you remember, but last year our kids had a great time at Connect Camp.

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I remember.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Our kids had a great time.
[00:03:08] All the kids of the church did as well.
[00:03:10] They have learned a lot about Jesus, learned a lot about growing together in Christianity and loving each other.
[00:03:15] We're doing it again this summer.
[00:03:17] And so we are going to be starting getting ready for that now.
[00:03:21] I know it seems early.
[00:03:22] It's only January.
[00:03:23] But Kids Camp is going to be in July from the 27th through the 31st.
[00:03:27] That's kindergarten through fifth grade.
[00:03:30] And our sign-ups will be on our website and on our app.
[00:03:34] You can go to our link at fbc.com slash events and sign up.
[00:03:39] You can sign up to register your children and or...

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
to register to volunteer you can do both we would love if you have the chance to volunteer for even just a day or part of a day that would be great we would love that it's been a great ministry for the church so you can check out um that one or the men's night again charlottefpc.org events and you can check out in any events current and upcoming events which is great so
[00:04:05] We're getting ready to get into our series.
[00:04:07] We've been walking through Resolution.
[00:04:11] I can remember the name, I promise.
[00:04:14] It is a great series where we talk about different resolutions and different ways that we can make our year better.
[00:04:20] Pastor John Akin has been walking us through that, and it's been an amazing time.
[00:04:24] I don't know about you, but I've been enjoying it.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Yeah, it's been great.

[00:04:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
It's been a lot of really cool insight and practical things that you don't always get to hear.
[00:04:32] It's great to hear practical things.
[00:04:33] It's also great to hear the different things in the Bible that are important to us.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Yeah, just kind of work through all that together.

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
So as we get ready to start this service, hopefully you will grab your Bibles, you will grab your coffee, you'll be ready to go because we can't wait to start worshiping with you this morning.
[00:04:51] So thanks for joining us.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Have a great day.
[00:04:54] Good morning, church.
[00:04:55] Welcome.
[00:04:56] Come on in if you're in the lobby.
[00:04:57] We're so glad you're here this morning.
[00:05:01] I loved Pastor John's sermon last week.
[00:05:03] Didn't you?
[00:05:04] It was such good reminders of as we're starting the new year, maybe implementing some new practices, some new habits, spending time with God in the morning, the first fruits of our time and our day.
[00:05:18] I know I've been trying to do that this week.
[00:05:20] I hope you have been too.
[00:05:22] But every turn of the year, the Lord seems to remind me as well, sometimes those new habits and things can be a little difficult, right, to get going.
[00:05:33] And he reminds me of 2 Corinthians 5, which says, where Paul says, if you are in Christ, you are a new creation.
[00:05:44] the old is gone and the new is here and all this is from God who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus and that's really what this song is about so y'all stand and worship with us

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I won't waste another minute in my old ways praise the lord i've been born again goodbye yesterday i'm living in the light of a new day i won't waste another minute in my old ways praise the lord
[00:06:52] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me I've got resurrection
[00:07:29] Here we go, sing it together.
[00:07:40] I have decided
[00:08:00] To follow Jesus The world behind the cross before And I won't turn back I have decided To follow Jesus
[00:09:23] Praise the Lord, I've been born again

[00:10:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
What a great song, right?
[00:10:15] I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in.
[00:10:18] Man, so many of us, at least for me, I can tell you that there is an old man
[00:10:25] that i don't live in anymore and i'm dancing on the grave of that old man and it's a new day every day i'm walking in the grace and the mercy of christ every day through the power of the gospel and if you've never experienced that i hope today you have an opportunity to do that maybe this song will make a little more sense as we go on throughout the day what a great god that we serve he loves to take shattered things broken things
[00:10:54] And I'm so thankful for that and so thankful that we're here today and that you're here with us on this journey together as we seek to win this city, win this state, win this country, win this world to Christ.
[00:11:20] Welcome everybody to First Baptist Charlotte.
[00:11:22] We're so glad that you're here.
[00:11:24] Hey, why don't you take a minute?
[00:11:25] I don't know when is the time that you stop saying Happy New Year, but here's the last time.
[00:11:30] Happy New Year, everybody.
[00:11:31] Look around, see if there's somebody you don't recognize.
[00:11:34] Make them feel at home this morning.
[00:11:50] Hey, thanks for joining us today online.
[00:11:52] We're so glad that you're here with us.
[00:11:54] Whether you're on FBC.org or on Facebook or on YouTube, so glad that you're here today.
[00:12:00] It's going to be an awesome morning.
[00:12:02] Pastor John's going to be coming here in just a few minutes to share God's Word.
[00:12:06] But we've got some really cool songs that we're going to be sharing with you this morning.
[00:12:11] So thanks for hanging in with us.
[00:12:13] Grab your favorite cup of coffee or tea and hang in.
[00:12:17] We'll be right back here in just a few minutes.

[00:12:30] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
When I surveyed the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died,
[00:13:00] I count but loss and poor content on all my pride
[00:13:27] Were the whole realm of nature mine?
[00:13:40] That were an offering far too small?
[00:13:53] Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
[00:14:42] Bear a table for his enemies Lay down his glory for the least of ease No other king would touch a leper's skin Open his arms to let the outcast
[00:15:08] Respond with mercy in the face of sin Jesus, no one is like you Jesus, no one beside you Of this I am convinced
[00:15:39] No other king, we spend the motherly We're led to slaughter and refuse to speak Take up a cross
[00:17:18] No other king has risen from the dead Knocked down the gates of hell with just one breath No other king will reign until the end

[00:19:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Jesus, truly there is no one like you.
[00:19:10] There is no other king who laid down his life for us.
[00:19:15] There is no other king who desires relationship with his people the way you do.
[00:19:23] God, we're so grateful that we can love you because you first loved us and gave your life for us.
[00:19:34] We worship you this morning.

[00:19:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I don't want anything but you You're more than every dream come true
[00:20:08] All of the things I thought I wanted Don't come close to knowing you Now that I'm yours and you are mine Our love is the secret that I find
[00:20:36] I'LL SPEND FOREVER IN THE PLEASURE I'VE FOUND LOOKING IN YOUR EYES GIVE ME JESUS GIVE ME JESUS
[00:21:03] You can have all this world You can have all this world More than silver More than gold You are the treasure
[00:21:38] Now that I've tasted of your goodness Nothing else will satisfy Give me Jesus Give me Jesus
[00:22:03] Jesus, You can have all this world You can have all this world Just give me Jesus Give me Jesus
[00:22:31] You can have all this world.
[00:22:41] You can have all this world.
[00:23:20] I don't need anything else You are my one thing You are my one thing And I don't want anyone else And I don't need anything else You are my one thing You are my one thing
[00:23:48] I don't need anything else Jesus You are my one thing You are my one thing And I don't want anyone else Oh I don't need anything else Jesus You are my one thing You are my one thing
[00:24:30] Get me to you Jesus You can have all this world You can have all this world
[00:25:14] Let's sing together.

[00:25:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Maybe we should sing that chorus one more time.
[00:25:36] Let me just hear you sing it.
[00:25:38] So give me Jesus.
[00:25:41] Make it the prayer of your heart this morning.

[00:25:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Jesus, give me Jesus.
[00:25:52] I said it.
[00:25:57] All this world
[00:26:03] All this world Give me Jesus Give me Jesus You can have all this world

[00:26:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Amen, you can have a seat

[00:27:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
All right.
[00:27:16] Good morning.
[00:27:17] It's great to be back with you.
[00:27:18] If you have a Bible, go with me to Hebrews chapter 10.
[00:27:21] Be in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 19 here in just a second.
[00:27:24] Let me just say this really quickly.
[00:27:27] We do know that it is hot in here.
[00:27:29] We've had a valve break.
[00:27:32] James is working on it.
[00:27:33] And so it is way cooler than it was when we got here this morning, but it is still warm.
[00:27:39] So we're opening up the back doors.
[00:27:40] Be patient with us and we apologize for that but it is it is being addressed.
[00:27:46] We're in our series on resolutions and the new year and I do want to say I did keep my New Year's resolution last week not to jump up and down during college football games and but I did last week overcompensate with my leg injury and you know I'm still recovering so I'd appreciate your your prayers.
[00:28:06] I've apparently
[00:28:08] I tried to sacrifice my calf for a Miami Hurricane National Championship.
[00:28:13] It'll be a tall task next week, but I did keep that one.
[00:28:17] And I hope also, as we talked about last week, that we've kept a commitment to spend personal time with the Lord over the last week.
[00:28:25] Today we're going to talk about a resolution to be engaged in church, to attend church.
[00:28:32] My dad told me this story when he was little.
[00:28:35] They were driving to church one Sunday, and he's got a younger brother and a younger sister.
[00:28:42] They were sitting in the back of the car.
[00:28:43] They're driving to church.
[00:28:44] and on the way from their house to the church they passed by a softball field where there was an adult Sunday league playing on the softball field and his dad was driving in the front seat and just saw these people playing softball off to the side and thought man this is a good chance to complain and so his dad said would you look at those pagans out there
[00:29:10] We're going to talk about some of the things that we're going to talk about today.
[00:29:35] who don't think church attendance is something that is important or something that you need to be involved in they don't see it as necessary now there's a number of reasons for this okay and so and these these reasons we're going to walk through just for a second not exhaustive but maybe representative of you know a number of reasons why people don't go to church why do some people not go to church well one is because they they might be
[00:30:00] Not to joke, but they might be pagan.
[00:30:01] They might be lost.
[00:30:02] They might not be Christians.
[00:30:04] There should never be an expectation for us that people who don't know Jesus would want to gather with Jesus' people.
[00:30:12] Okay, so lost people probably don't want to attend church.
[00:30:16] Another reason that we've heard that people don't want to attend church is they say they're turned off by the incessant money asking.
[00:30:23] Others say, I don't attend church because it's boring or because the sermons aren't relevant to my life or because when I leave church, I leave feeling guilty for my life.
[00:30:36] For other people, Sunday is their only day off.
[00:30:38] And so because it's their only day off, they think I need to spend it doing something else.
[00:30:42] Other people have work that they have to do and be engaged in on Sunday.
[00:30:47] For many people, there is a trauma or a bad experience
[00:30:51] that they've had with church in the past.
[00:30:54] For some, they would say, well, nobody's invited me or I would be uncomfortable going alone.
[00:31:00] I don't know anybody.
[00:31:01] It would be awkward.
[00:31:02] And so they don't come for those reasons.
[00:31:04] Another reason is some think that their lifestyle is unacceptable to churchgoers.
[00:31:09] And then the biggest one I think right now, when I was growing up, even the secular calendar kind of kept
[00:31:20] The church calendar is sacred, so there wasn't a lot of things that were being calendared on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, and now that has changed.
[00:31:30] And so, the calendar is now crowding out.
[00:31:33] You have all kinds of sports activities and things going on on Sundays, practices and different recitals and things going on.
[00:31:40] on Wednesdays.
[00:31:41] And so, other activities are kind of crowding out church attendance.
[00:31:46] That's why some people don't go to church or don't prioritize church.
[00:31:50] Now, people don't come to church for a number of reasons.
[00:31:54] There are also wrong reasons why people actually attend church, okay?
[00:31:59] And so, what are some of the reasons that people actually go to church?
[00:32:03] Well, for some people, it's tradition.
[00:32:06] If you were to ask somebody, why do you go to church?
[00:32:07] They would say, well, that's because it's what we always do.
[00:32:10] or because what we've always done they don't it's not necessarily something spiritual or biblical that they're doing it's just it's just it's just tradition for other people it is a guilt kind of thing they either feel guilty if they don't go or they're like man it really i feel great when i go to church it sets up the rest of my week and so this kind of guilt or not feeling guilt is a reason why some people go
[00:32:33] to Church.
[00:32:34] Others think that they need to go to church to be able to go to heaven when they die.
[00:32:38] For many, it's family pressure, right?
[00:32:40] My parents make me go.
[00:32:41] My spouse makes me go.
[00:32:44] There's a family pressure that's there.
[00:32:47] For others, it's an obligation.
[00:32:48] It's something I have to do.
[00:32:49] It's something that's a duty that I have to do.
[00:32:51] For others, it's friends.
[00:32:54] Church is a social club, and this is my friend group, and so I want to go and hang out with my friends, and so that's why I go to church.
[00:33:03] What we want to do this morning, what I want to walk through in Hebrews chapter 10 is what does the Bible say about going to church?
[00:33:11] What does the Bible say about why you should attend church?
[00:33:13] What does the Bible say about why we should resolve to go to church?
[00:33:17] Why we should make a resolution in 2026 that we are going to be actively and faithfully committed to attending church?
[00:33:25] Now, I want to say this.
[00:33:26] There are some encouraging signs and trends.
[00:33:29] There has been an uptick in the last year.
[00:33:33] In church attendance, like across America, some of this people have kind of attributed to like the Charlie Kirk effect and his being killed and people asking questions and coming to church.
[00:33:45] And so there's been an uptick in people coming to church.
[00:33:50] But many people, even Christian people, see church as optional.
[00:33:59] It's not a necessity.
[00:34:01] Like it's fine
[00:34:04] if church like people will talk this way like church is fine if it helps you in your individual personal relationship with Jesus then then great if that's if it's meaningful to you if it's it's something that gives a benefit to you or a blessing to you then that's fine great for you but if it doesn't it's not really that big a deal
[00:34:26] It's fine if it's good for you, if it helps you in your personal relationship with Jesus, but if it doesn't, then it's not a big deal.
[00:34:34] In American Western Christianity, your personal relationship with Jesus is seen as paramount,
[00:34:42] any of these other things that aid and support your personal relationship with Jesus are great but they're seen as one thing among many and church is one thing among many for many people that helps them in their personal relationship with Jesus and so I want us to ask again what does the Bible say we need to know what the Bible says about this we need to need to know why the Bible says it is a priority
[00:35:04] and there's all kinds of reasons not only just for yourself you need to know those things but also for other people in your life because it doesn't just affect you you may have family members that you love who are disconnected from God who don't attend church anymore what does the Bible say to them you may have children who come to church with you because you make them but they don't want to but what's going to happen when they leave your house and they are on their own and they're making their own decisions why should they continue to be part of the church there may be people in your world
[00:35:34] Friends or co-workers or people that you go to school with that are disconnected from God, disconnected from the church.
[00:35:40] And so what can you say to them?
[00:35:42] So why should we resolve to attend church?
[00:35:45] What does the Bible say?
[00:35:45] Let's look at Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 19.
[00:35:48] We're going to read down through verse 25 as preparation for our study.
[00:35:52] And this is what God's Word says.
[00:35:56] since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh and since we have a great high priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful
[00:36:25] Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
[00:36:38] The five things I want us to see this morning from Hebrews chapter 10, why the Bible says we should resolve to attend church.
[00:36:47] The first one is this.
[00:36:48] We see clearly in Hebrews 10 verse 25, the Bible tells us so.
[00:36:53] The Bible tells us to do it.
[00:36:55] Now this may be shocking to you or maybe it's not.
[00:36:58] 47% of Americans, so nearly half of Americans, agreed with this statement.
[00:37:06] Quote, the Bible doesn't command people to attend church.
[00:37:10] That's a man-made requirement.
[00:37:13] Half of people in America believe that
[00:37:17] That it's a man-made requirement that you attend church.
[00:37:19] The Bible doesn't say anything about it.
[00:37:21] But the Bible is plain here in Hebrews chapter 10 that you should not neglect assembling together with the church.
[00:37:29] Now, let me make a caveat here real quick before I explain more about what's going on in this passage.
[00:37:35] The church
[00:37:36] of the Lord Jesus Christ is a people.
[00:37:40] It is the people who are believers in Christ who belong to one another.
[00:37:45] It is not an event.
[00:37:46] So even talking about going to church or attending church is not necessarily the way the Bible talks about it.
[00:37:52] The Bible does not talk about church as an event that you attend.
[00:37:58] It's a family, a people that you are a part of.
[00:38:01] okay so it's not an event it's the body of Christ it's something that you are a part of you are the church you don't go to church but Hebrews 10 makes it clear that part of being part of the church is you don't forsake assembling together with the church okay that you actually meet
[00:38:23] Together.
[00:38:24] So what's happening here in Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews is a letter that's written to a church where mainly Jewish Christians are withdrawing from the church because they're facing intense persecution for their faith.
[00:38:36] We'll see what that looks like here a little bit more in just a second.
[00:38:39] They're facing this intense persecution because of their faith.
[00:38:43] And so because of that, people are walking away from Christianity and walking back into Judaism.
[00:38:48] They're leaving the church and they're going back to their old lifestyles.
[00:38:51] And so the author of Hebrews is
[00:38:54] both encouraging them don't do that persevere hold your confession without wavering keep assembling together don't neglect it okay and he is also warning them don't throw away your faith in Jesus if you do there are there's judgment for that there's consequences for that and the way that he encourages them here
[00:39:16] is by first explaining to them or reminding them of the incredible benefits and blessings that they have because of the gospel because of what Jesus has done for us and he explains it in two ways okay in verse verses 19
[00:39:34] and 20 in terms of his death on the cross, his atonement, him dying on the cross.
[00:39:40] And when he dies on the cross, the veil of the Holy of Holies is split in two.
[00:39:44] And so because of Jesus' blood, forgiving us of our sins, reconciling us to God, we have access to draw near to God
[00:39:53] and verse 21 because of his role as the high priest who is the mediator between us and God we now have an access and it's an access that they did not enjoy in the old testament in the old testament only the high priest only one time a year on the day of atonement could come into the holy of holies into the presence of God and the author of Hebrews says what they got one guy got one time a year all of us have all the time
[00:40:23] because of Jesus' death and because of his role as our high priest.
[00:40:28] And so we have this access to God, so we need to use it.
[00:40:30] So there's a positive encouragement.
[00:40:32] He's gonna mix up both positive encouragement and warning, all right?
[00:40:37] And so he's gonna start with this,
[00:41:07] In worship, you should draw near with a clean conscience and you should hold fast to your faith without wavering.
[00:41:13] And the reason you should do so is because God keeps his promises.
[00:41:16] He's faithful.
[00:41:18] you can trust him with those things why would you ever think of walking away from the faith when you have this access to god when you have a high priest who is your advocate and mediator before god and when the god that you love is the one who keeps every promise that he has ever made why would you ever think of walking away from that then he he moves forward he says not only
[00:41:41] should these benefits of the gospel but now the benefits of being part of the church is you need to encourage each other and hold each other accountable he says you need to stir up one another to love and to good deeds okay so there's this the part of being a part of the church is you get encouraging community but you also get accountability in community
[00:41:59] You're not anonymous.
[00:42:00] You can't just slip through the cracks.
[00:42:02] You can't just hide in the shadows.
[00:42:04] We're called to hold each other accountable and to encourage each other to do the things that God has called us to do.
[00:42:10] But even despite all of those realities, because of the intenseness of this persecution, some of them have quit coming to church.
[00:42:16] He says this is, again, not...
[00:42:18] It's not like they missed a couple of Sundays or whatever.
[00:42:20] He says this is a habit.
[00:42:21] He says it's become the habit of some.
[00:42:23] It's not an occasional thing.
[00:42:24] This is a habit now that they are not engaging in worship with the church.
[00:42:31] And so, again, you have both the positive, encouraging accountability to prioritize assembling together and attending with the body.
[00:42:38] It's not just a guilt trip, but there's also the negative.
[00:42:40] Not going to church he warns them there in verse 25 you need to do this all the more as you see the day of judgment drawing near so there's a judgment here there's a warning of judgment because not going to church as we're going to talk about in a second is a
[00:42:54] is the first step or a prelude to walking away from the faith, all right, which is a dangerous place to be in.
[00:43:02] Okay, so the first reason we should resolve to attend church is because the Bible tells us so.
[00:43:06] Second is this.
[00:43:08] Again, I'm just going to kind of further, you know, work through what these verses have said.
[00:43:14] The second is this.
[00:43:14] You get to experience encouraging community.
[00:43:18] You should resolve to attend church because you get to experience encouraging community.
[00:43:22] He says you need to stir one another up to love and good deeds.
[00:43:28] We get spiritual fellowship and encouragement from other Christians by being present with the church.
[00:43:36] This is something, again, I'm not trying to be overly critical.
[00:43:39] Grateful for everybody who worships with us online.
[00:43:42] We're really thankful.
[00:43:43] But worshiping exclusively online
[00:43:48] does not give you access to encouraging and accountable community in the church.
[00:43:54] Okay?
[00:43:54] It does not.
[00:43:56] And so that's the only thing that you only can get that by being present within the church.
[00:44:00] You can't get this without regular assembly.
[00:44:03] Okay?
[00:44:04] What I'm saying is this.
[00:44:06] If you are not part of a fellowship of believers that know you and that you know that are going to recognize if there's
[00:44:18] A pattern of your life where you're withdrawing from the attendance in church or withdrawing from small group.
[00:44:28] If you're struggling with something in your life that's going on that you need encouragement for, you're not going to be able to get the blessing of encouragement and accountability if you're not in a fellowship of believers where you are known and where you know other people.
[00:44:44] It just will not happen.
[00:44:46] And so he is encouraging with this, like we get to experience encouraging community.
[00:44:51] We get to share life together.
[00:44:53] What you get by being part of the flesh and blood encounter one-on-one,
[00:44:57] and small groups with other people is talking regularly about the things of God, telling and hearing testimonies of salvation or God's faithfulness or His provision in our lives.
[00:45:07] You get to serve together, which we're gonna talk about more in the coming weeks.
[00:45:11] You get to worship together.
[00:45:13] Worship, let me just say this just as an aside.
[00:45:16] It is imperative that when you come into this place, when you do assemble with the believers, that you engage in singing worship.
[00:45:27] okay now um i'll try not to be too you know meddling here but it's okay um it's it's it's shocking to me how many times i look out over a congregation i'm not saying just about first baptist charlotte how many times i look over a congregation and see people not singing
[00:45:55] and just and they look like they are in the foulest mood that they've ever been in in their lives and it's like and I ask people about these kind of things it's like well you know I just don't like singing or this is not my thing or I don't like the music or I don't like those particular songs or I don't like that particular style and I'm just like
[00:46:19] First of all, I mean, when I pastor in Tennessee, it's like, I see you sing Rocky Top when the Tennessee Volunteers score a touchdown, so clearly you do like singing.
[00:46:30] I see you tear up when the National Anthem is played.
[00:46:40] But you can't tear up when you're meditating on surveying the wondrous cross.
[00:46:48] What Jesus has done for you.
[00:46:50] I love the national anthem.
[00:46:53] It's very moving for me when I'm in a football stadium and the national anthem is played.
[00:46:56] It's not near as moving as singing about the death and the resurrection of Jesus.
[00:47:01] And so when you're here, the Bible tells us in Colossians and Ephesians that there's not just a vertical component to singing.
[00:47:09] He says that in Colossians and Ephesians, Paul says that we need to instruct one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
[00:47:19] So there is a communal aspect to the people around you hearing you sing and it instructing them and encouraging them and admonishing them in the truths of the Scriptures.
[00:47:33] Okay, so we only get to experience that when we're singing.
[00:47:37] As great as private worship is, I hope that you're listening to worship in your car.
[00:47:41] I hope you're singing at the top of your lungs.
[00:47:42] I hope you're having a great time.
[00:47:43] That's awesome.
[00:47:44] I'm not diminishing that at all.
[00:47:46] But you also need that experience with other people around you that you're hearing singing, okay?
[00:47:53] You only get that in encouraging
[00:47:55] Community.
[00:47:56] The chance to pray for one another and to pray together and to meet needs and to encourage people to persevere in difficult times.
[00:48:03] All of that happens only in community.
[00:48:05] You can't get this any other way.
[00:48:07] And I can just tell you, I can give you testimony after testimony.
[00:48:10] One of the first times I ever preached this passage was a month after our oldest daughter was born.
[00:48:20] Our daughter Maddie came two months early
[00:48:23] was a preemie, was in, I mean, much medical, you know, crisis.
[00:48:31] And so they had to deliver early.
[00:48:33] And so because of that, like we were in the hospital for two weeks, like all those kinds of things.
[00:48:38] And our church that we were a part of at the time did a baby shower for us that we weren't even present at.
[00:48:48] Where they they stocked us up with diapers and and like we all the things that we'd prepared for were for a fully you know full-term baby they had no preemie clothes or any of those kinds of things like and they're they're just they're they're providing all these things for us why because they love us because they want to meet our needs because we were in crisis and they wanted to help us and they wanted to encourage us
[00:49:08] And you only get that by being part of that kind of fellowship.
[00:49:12] This is what we see here.
[00:49:14] The author of Hebrews reminds them that this is something that they have had in the past and that it's a real benefit to them.
[00:49:20] Look down in verse 32.
[00:49:23] He says, But recall the former days when after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction,
[00:49:35] and sometimes being partnered with those so treated for you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and abiding one.
[00:49:48] What he's explaining here is that there were Christians who were being arrested for their faith, thrown in jail and the people who are part of their church
[00:49:59] We're faced with a decision.
[00:50:00] Do we go and help them?
[00:50:03] Do we go and meet their needs while they're in prison?
[00:50:05] Because the prison system then wasn't like you got, you know, three square meals a day.
[00:50:09] And so they're like, do we go there every single day and give them food and give them clothes and give them a blanket when it gets cold and risk
[00:50:22] the same thing happening to us because we're associated with like they've been thrown in prison for their faith and so now we have to risk being associated with them and then maybe us being persecuted us being thrown into prison for their faith for our faith and these people said you know what doesn't matter we're going we're going to take care of them and guess what happened it says that that they had their property plundered people came in and took their houses and took their took their stuff and he says the reason why you did that
[00:50:53] It's because you know that what you have in Jesus is so much better than your earthly possessions.
[00:51:01] And so you took care of each other.
[00:51:03] You only get that kind of thing in an encouraging community.
[00:51:07] There's no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian in the New Testament.
[00:51:12] Fellowship is a necessity.
[00:51:13] God is not just saving individuals.
[00:51:15] He's building a church, a family.
[00:51:19] This is one of the biggest blessings that I've had in my life, and it's why I love the church.
[00:51:24] And so why should you resolve to attend church?
[00:51:25] Because you get to experience encouraging community.
[00:51:28] Number three, you get teaching from the Bible to grow in Christlikeness.
[00:51:33] You get teaching from the Bible to grow in Christlikeness.
[00:51:36] The author here is using, again, the truths of the Scripture, the Word, the truth to encourage sanctification.
[00:51:43] And you get that when we assemble together, you get that through the preaching of the Word.
[00:51:48] Okay?
[00:51:49] You get that through the preaching of the Word.
[00:51:50] So let me just say one thing practically.
[00:51:53] So when you come in here when I'm preaching or whoever is preaching I want to encourage you have a Bible with you whether it's on some kind of device or you have a physical copy of God's Word have a Bible and have a means of taking notes like pay attention don't just be scrolling through social media or texting each other hey
[00:52:14] I know you can do this a little bit like where are we going to lunch after it's okay I understand the conversations that take place while I'm preaching but just like be present engage take notes if that helps you so that you can meditate on the truths of God's Word and so that they can help you grow in Christ likeness and again you only
[00:52:37] There is some part of that that you only get by being present in the rooms.
[00:52:41] Let me explain.
[00:52:42] This is tougher now because so many people think, I can listen to good preaching without being part of a church.
[00:52:47] And that's true.
[00:52:47] You can listen to podcasts.
[00:52:49] You can watch YouTube videos.
[00:52:51] You can watch reels on Instagram and TikTok.
[00:52:54] You can be exposed to preaching without going to church.
[00:52:59] Here's the other thing that you can do without going to church.
[00:53:01] You can turn it off.
[00:53:05] You can turn it off.
[00:53:06] you can control who you listen to and what you listen to and the algorithm and the things like are giving you more of the things that you want to hear but preaching isn't about just telling you the things that you want to hear preaching is about telling you the things that you need to hear that you might not want to hear but you can't like i can tell you this like
[00:53:29] We do require at some level chapel at Carson Newman where I'm there.
[00:53:33] They have to meet a number of chapels per semester.
[00:53:36] And there are things that we have preached and taught, like times that I've had to preach on what the Bible says about sex and dating and relationships.
[00:53:44] And I can tell you clearly, many of those students didn't want to hear it and were angry about what they heard, but it also had an impact on them.
[00:53:53] And so when it comes to digital preaching, you can turn it off, you can control,
[00:53:58] and you're you're also it you're anonymous it's it's somebody who's not actually shepherding you who doesn't actually know you and so you need to be confronted with God's Word it helps us to grow and encourages us in hard times let me just do this it's always it's always a risk when I do this and do it live and and without knowing but I think I think it'll work out okay so let's do a survey so you have to participate don't talk stop talking about lunch for a second all right
[00:54:27] I want you to raise your hands.
[00:54:29] I'm going to explain.
[00:54:30] I want you to raise your hand if this is true of you.
[00:54:32] If the way that you became a Christian, the way that you got saved,
[00:54:40] was in a church service where you heard the preaching of the God's Word, a revival service, a youth service, youth camp, youth revival, Sunday school class, vacation Bible school.
[00:54:51] You were in some setting where church people were gathered and the Word of God was taught is what led you to faith in Jesus.
[00:54:58] I want you to raise your hand if that's true of you.
[00:55:01] Okay?
[00:55:02] Vast majority of the room.
[00:55:05] Vast majority of the room.
[00:55:07] And so there are things that take place in the setting of the teaching and preaching of God's Word that are eternity impacting.
[00:55:15] I can tell you this about marriage conferences that my dad has done where marriages have literally been on the brink of destruction and have been saved by the preaching of God's Word.
[00:55:26] And so we need to resolve to attend church because you get teaching from the Bible to grow in Christlikeness.
[00:55:32] Number four, you can experience special blessing from God.
[00:55:37] You can experience special blessing from God.
[00:55:40] Some think that the only place to experience blessing and worship is in private worship, but there are some blessings God promises only in the context of public worship within a congregation.
[00:55:53] Now, I'm not going to say the name because I don't want to be overly critical of him because I don't think it's just his viewpoint.
[00:55:58] There's a, at least in the past, who's been a very popular Christian author, a best-selling Christian author.
[00:56:06] who said this about church attendance.
[00:56:09] He said, I'd say half of the most impactful Christians I know who love Jesus and tear up at the mention of his name who reach out to the poor and are fundamentally sound in their theology do not attend a traditional church service.
[00:56:28] Many of them even speak at churches but they have no home church and they don't want one.
[00:56:33] They aren't wired
[00:56:35] to be intimate with God by attending a lecture and hearing some singing.
[00:56:40] They are wired to experience God by working for Him.
[00:56:44] Some people believe church is the main place we worship God, that it's superior and more sacred than worshiping with their family or friends or through other outlets in daily life.
[00:56:59] Number one, let me just tell you this.
[00:57:02] I don't give a rip how you think you're wired.
[00:57:08] Do not neglect being part of the church.
[00:57:12] Because I've read the Bible several times in my life.
[00:57:15] Can I tell you one thing I've never read in the Bible?
[00:57:18] Worship God in accordance with how you're wired.
[00:57:23] It gives us some means of grace.
[00:57:26] It gives us some pathways.
[00:57:28] It gives us some spiritual disciplines that we should do.
[00:57:30] There may be some of those means of grace and spiritual disciplines that you resonate with more than others, but it never says, hey, find out how you're wired and just do that.
[00:57:41] and the other thing is this this whole like amorphous intimacy with God that is not defined it's not there's no Bible in what he said whatsoever and I'll tell you this as great as great as private worship is as great as family worship is as great as worship with friends is Jesus did not die for other outlets Jesus died for the church
[00:58:06] And so there is spiritual blessing that you can only get if you are involved in and part of the corporate worship of the church.
[00:58:16] It's not about your preference.
[00:58:18] Church is being so devalued now that even coming once or twice a month is seen as being a committed member of the church.
[00:58:25] But Hebrews says,
[00:58:27] that those who neglect it are missing out on a special blessing.
[00:58:30] Hebrews chapter 12, I don't have time to read it.
[00:58:33] Hebrews chapter 12 says that you are missing out.
[00:58:35] In the context of corporate worship, we are taking place right now, we are participating in a heavenly worship service.
[00:58:44] Jesus, the angels, all the redeemed of the ages,
[00:58:48] and the unseen places are with us and are worshiping the Lord with us as we are gathered in this place and worshiping.
[00:58:55] And that's a special, that's a spiritual blessing that you do not get by private worship.
[00:59:00] When we gather for worship as a covenant community, the Bible says we are ascending to the heavenly places together.
[00:59:06] We are standing before Christ, all of his angels and the redeemed of all the ages at Mount Zion.
[00:59:11] And there's way too much emphasis on the privatization of worship
[00:59:17] and this you know there was a country singer years ago Tom T Hall sang a song me and Jesus have our own thing going but the thing is Jesus didn't die just so individuals would go to heaven Jesus died to build his church and so you get a experience a special blessing by being part of the corporate gathering from God number five last one not going
[00:59:43] to church is the first step to walking away from the faith.
[00:59:48] Not going is the first step to walking away from the faith.
[00:59:52] It is a step towards backsliding or apostasy or whatever word you want to use.
[00:59:57] But neglect of church attendance is almost always one of the first signs that you are walking away from your faith in Jesus.
[01:00:04] That's what the author of Hebrews is warning them about, right?
[01:00:08] He's saying that you're in danger of judgment.
[01:00:09] Now, let me just say this real quick because I don't have as much time to camp out here as I'd like.
[01:00:16] Those of you who are thinking, well, how in the world can the author of Hebrews be warning them of judgment?
[01:00:21] Because I thought the Bible teaches once saved, always saved.
[01:00:24] I thought the Bible teaches eternal security.
[01:00:26] And if I'm a Christian, it doesn't matter what I do, I can't ever lose my salvation.
[01:00:30] And so what does it matter if I don't go to church anymore?
[01:00:33] I can't lose my salvation.
[01:00:35] Why in the world would the author of Hebrews warn them about judgment?
[01:00:40] Well,
[01:00:42] because the way that the Bible handles this the the way the author of Hebrews handles this is he says walking away from the church is walking away from Jesus and if you walk away from Jesus there's no reason for you to think that you were ever saved in the first place they went out from us because they were not of us if they were of us they would have remained with us but they went out that it might be made plain that they are not of us
[01:01:10] That's the way the Bible handles this.
[01:01:12] So yes, the Bible does teach if you are genuinely saved, then God will keep you and you will persevere in the faith and you will remain saved.
[01:01:23] But if you leave, if you walk away from the faith, then the Bible says then you really need to be worried about whether that initial faith commitment that you had was real in the first place.
[01:01:35] So it's the first step
[01:01:37] On the road to apostasy.
[01:01:39] There's no real reason to think that you love Jesus if you don't love his bride.
[01:01:45] Going to church doesn't save you, but you know, Jesus is the one who saves you, but the text, the Bible tells us that he's the head of the body.
[01:01:54] This is a family that he is creating, okay?
[01:01:58] And so that if you're saved, then you will, one of the best indicators that you are saved is that you love
[01:02:02] The body of Christ and you want to be a part of it.
[01:02:06] Again, I'm not talking about missing a couple of times or whatever.
[01:02:08] I'm talking about, he says, the habit that they've formed.
[01:02:13] The Bible is very clear about this, right?
[01:02:15] When Jesus confronts Saul on the road to Damascus, he doesn't say, Saul, why are you persecuting my church?
[01:02:30] What does he say?
[01:02:32] Saul, why are you persecuting me?
[01:02:36] As you treat the church, that's how you treat Jesus.
[01:02:43] Okay, and so if we love Jesus, then we will love the church.
[01:02:48] We should be in regular fellowship.
[01:02:50] It's sad, there's a song that came out years ago and the author of that song is now, he has apostatized.
[01:02:57] He's walked away from the faith.
[01:02:59] But in his song,
[01:03:01] Talking about the church, he's singing as if he's singing from the perspective of Jesus.
[01:03:07] And Jesus says, you cannot care for me with no regard for her.
[01:03:13] If you love me, you will love the church.
[01:03:16] And I'm not talking about some idealized version of the church.
[01:03:18] I'm talking about the real life church that you go to, that you're a part of, with all of its imperfections, with all of its flaws.
[01:03:26] Okay, and so not going to church,
[01:03:28] Author of Hebrews says is the first step towards walking away from the faith.
[01:03:33] And so the text again uses both positive and negative.
[01:03:37] Church attendance is one of the best ways to prevent backsliding because you get encouragement and you get accountability.
[01:03:43] This is also something that we are responsible for as a church.
[01:03:46] We are responsible for recognizing who are the sheep that have gone out from our midst that might be wandering away and let's go after them.
[01:03:55] Let's go after them.
[01:03:55] Let's go love them.
[01:03:56] Let's go encourage them.
[01:03:57] Let's go try to get them back.
[01:04:02] You may have heard this before.
[01:04:03] I may even have shared this before in my time before as your interim pastor.
[01:04:10] But Spurgeon talks about the role of pastors and the role of church members.
[01:04:19] And he uses an example from the book Pilgrim's Progress.
[01:04:25] I think this is powerful and it's encouraging and it helps us understand why church is so important.
[01:04:30] Spurgeon said, I am occupied in my small way as Mr. Great Heart was employed in Bunyan's day.
[01:04:37] I do not compare myself with that champion, but I am in the same line of business.
[01:04:42] I am engaged in personally conducted tours to heaven.
[01:04:47] And I have with me at the present time dear old Father Honest.
[01:04:51] I'm glad he is still alive and active.
[01:04:53] And there is Christiana and her children
[01:04:56] It is my business as best I can to kill dragons and to cut off giants' heads and to lead on the timid and the trembling.
[01:05:08] I am often afraid of losing some of the weaklings.
[01:05:12] I have heartache for them.
[01:05:14] But by God's grace and your kind and generous help in looking after one another, I hope we shall all travel safely to the river's edge.
[01:05:27] How many have I had to part with there?
[01:05:31] I have stood on the brink, and I have heard them singing in the midst of the stream, and I have almost seen the shining ones lead them up the hill and through the gates into the celestial city.
[01:05:45] We are, as the body of Christ, responsible for getting one another to the gates of heaven.
[01:05:55] It's because of all of the
[01:05:57] Benefits and the blessings that we get from being part of the church.
[01:06:02] Let's resolve to be the church
[01:06:05] Let's resolve not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together in 2026 and let's resolve to say with the psalmist in Psalm 122 verse 1, I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord.
[01:06:22] Let me ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes.
[01:06:24] I'm going to pray and then we're going to stand and we're going to sing.
[01:06:29] and I'll be down here at the front as we sing and if you have some decision that you need to make today if you need to give your life to Jesus and become part of the church then I'd love to talk to you about that if you need to join with a church you're not part of a community of faith we'd love to have you be part of this one love to talk about that if you've never identified publicly with the church in baptism we'd love to talk to you about that if you're here and you there's somebody in your life that you know that you love
[01:06:58] that you're close with who's who has forsaken the church who's walked away they're not involved in any other church right now and you want to come and pray for them come pray at these steps or we'll pray together maybe it's a family member maybe it's children maybe it's grandchildren people that you love
[01:07:13] Whatever it is that the Lord is laying on your heart, this is a time for us to respond to what the Lord is doing and to commit to the things that he's called us to, that he has called us to for our blessing.
[01:07:25] Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that you would work in this time.
[01:07:29] Father, I pray that if there are those who do not know Christ, that they would come to know Christ.
[01:07:33] Father, I pray that those who do know Christ would not be ashamed to identify with him publicly in baptism and through his church.
[01:07:42] Father, I pray for the many, many prodigals who might be walking away.
[01:07:46] Father, we have heartache for them.
[01:07:53] We don't want them to be disconnected from you.
[01:07:55] We don't want them to be in danger.
[01:07:58] We don't want them to miss out on the blessings that we have being part of the church.
[01:08:02] And so, Father, I pray in the name of Jesus,
[01:08:05] that you would help us commit to being part of the church in 2026.
[01:08:08] I pray that you would help us to love and to reach out to those who may be walking away.
[01:08:14] So Father, we ask that you would help us, First Baptist Church Charlotte, to be the church, to be the church that you want us to be, to love one another as you have loved us.
[01:08:25] We've asked all this in Jesus' name.
[01:08:27] Amen.
[01:08:28] Let's stand, let's sing.
[01:08:29] If you have a decision to make, you come right now while we sing.

[01:08:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Worthy of every song we could ever sing Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring Worthy of every step we could ever be We live for You
[01:09:17] Jesus the name above every other name Jesus the only one who could ever save Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe We live for you, oh we live for you
[01:09:42] Holy, there is no one like you There is none beside you Open up my eyes in wonder Show me who you are and fill me With your heart and lead me In your love to those around me
[01:10:18] Worthy of every song we could ever sing Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring Declare this Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe We live for You Live for You
[01:10:43] Jesus, Jesus the name above every other name Jesus the only one Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe We live for you, oh we live for you
[01:11:16] There is none beside you Open up my eyes and walk with me Show me who you are and fill me with your heart And lead me in your love to God
[01:11:56] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

[01:12:21] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[01:12:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
I will build my life upon your love I will put my trust in you alone And I will not be afraid

[01:13:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Christ the Lord is come

[01:13:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[01:13:53] Amen.
[01:15:01] Holy, there is no one beside you.
[01:15:07] There is none beside you.
[01:15:16] Open up my eyes in wonder.

[01:15:23] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
And show me who you are and fill me with your heart and glee.

[01:15:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Let's just sing that again.

[01:15:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
And holy, there is no one like you.
[01:15:47] Oh, there is none beside you.
[01:15:53] Open up my eyes in wonder.

[01:15:55] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
And show me who you are and fill me with your heart and keep me in your love.

[01:16:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Oh man, I love the promises of that song.
[01:16:07] Amen.
[01:16:08] I'll build my life on you.
[01:16:11] We just heard about that from Pastor John.
[01:16:14] Amen.
[01:16:14] What a great message.
[01:16:15] Yeah, you can clap to the Lord this morning.
[01:16:17] That's okay.
[01:16:19] That's a Bible thing.
[01:16:20] We do that here in church.
[01:16:21] Deacons, come on forward if you would.
[01:16:24] You can take a seat for just a second.
[01:16:27] Come on forward, deacons, and we'll...
[01:16:30] We'll prepare for our morning offering and another amazing part of worship and I know Pastor John's going to be talking about that as well.
[01:16:38] But man, what a great message this morning and I can remember, I know some of us are new friends and deacons, go ahead and begin to take the offering if you would.
[01:16:48] But I started out my life in secular life and
[01:16:53] It was a crazy time.
[01:16:55] We were doing two shows a day, six days a week, 300 days a year in entertainment.
[01:17:01] And my wife was in the business side of entertainment.
[01:17:05] And I was doing a Sunday morning gospel music program.
[01:17:11] And back then, when you're freelancing, you do whatever you can to make whatever you can to pay the bills.
[01:17:18] And I remember, Pastor John, my mom called me one morning
[01:17:22] And my mom, being the one that grew up in the house with Edith Massey, the preacher at the Church of God and Prophecy in Giles, West Virginia.
[01:17:35] And my mom challenged Karen and I both, where are you going to church?
[01:17:42] And without even thinking about it, I told my mom, I said, well, mom, I'm singing on Sunday morning.
[01:17:46] She said, well, that's great, but where are you going to church?
[01:17:50] And I think about it now and I look back on it, Pastor John, and I think of some of the most difficult times that Karen and I had were in those three years.
[01:17:59] And I think it's just because we didn't have the community and the faith that we rested in while we were with a community of believers.
[01:18:10] So it's so important.
[01:18:11] So thank you for being here today.
[01:18:13] Hey, speaking of Pastor John, we need to pray for him January 19th.
[01:18:19] The Miami Hurricanes play Indiana.
[01:18:23] Here's the problem.
[01:18:25] Miami wins.
[01:18:28] Miami scores.
[01:18:30] John's calf suffers.
[01:18:34] So we're praying for more cheering, not more jumping, Pastor John.
[01:18:41] And I would just say maybe cheer volume up.
[01:18:47] Vertical movement down.
[01:18:49] Down.
[01:18:50] We'll be alright.
[01:18:52] Hey listen, we've got something really exciting we want to talk to you about.
[01:18:55] Now ladies, listen, before I say this,
[01:18:58] This is really exciting news for the men but ladies hang on there's some exciting news for you coming soon but February the 5th we're going to have a men's night out we haven't done this in a long time and I've been gathering with a few guys Pastor Brian and I from here in our church that have had a passion for this for quite a while it's going to be a men's night out
[01:19:18] February the 5th in our fellowship hall the doors will open at 5 30 prompt start time at 6 p.m our special guest speaker will be William Kane who's best known as the longtime golf caddy and close friend of PGA Tour Pro Webb Simpson
[01:19:36] and he also has a podcast that he does with Webb called the Bible Caddy Podcast and it's going to be a great night we're going to have a barbecue dinner it's going to be a lot of fun out in the lobby you'll find a sign up table where you can sign up online you can sign up digitally or you can sign up on your phone whatever you'd like to do but we really for those of you that have been saying we need to do something with our men well here's your opportunity
[01:20:05] February the 5th again the doors will open at 5 30 our start time will be promptly at six o'clock we'll have coffee and some other things that you can sit around for some community there at 5 30 but it's going to be great and then make sure and come that night and you're also going to hear an announcement
[01:20:24] about a six-week Bible study that's coming up for our men but we won't talk about that too much tonight but it's going to be super super exciting now for all of you that have been concerned for so long about how cold it's been in here I hope you've you see that we hear your prayers right we hear your prayers we do apologize for the heat I know it's a little warmer than you expected it to be but man it was just great to be in God's house with you today stand with me if you would
[01:20:52] We have already prayed this morning.
[01:20:54] We've worshiped.
[01:20:54] We've heard God's Word.
[01:20:56] You are dismissed.
[01:20:57] God bless you.
[01:20:57] We love you, everybody.

[01:21:30] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
God bless you.