The Idol of Control: Reclaiming Biblical Faith in a Shifting Culture

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
There have always been people who led the way before us.
[00:04:07] Men and women who believed God could do more than they could see, and who gave so the next generation could know His presence.
[00:04:17] In 1 Chronicles 29, King David stepped forward first, giving generously so God's house could be built.
[00:04:26] When his leaders saw his faith, they gave.
[00:04:30] And when the people saw their leaders, they rejoiced and followed.
[00:04:35] That's how God's work has always advanced, through faith, generosity, and vision.
[00:04:41] And now it's our turn.
[00:04:43] On Friday, November 7th, from 630 to 730 p.m., we will gather for worship, prayer, communion, and commitment.
[00:04:52] It's our Advanced Commitment Night for the Pathway Project.
[00:04:55] You might be asking, why an Advanced Commitment if we have a Commitment Sunday scheduled for November 16th?
[00:05:03] Because moments like this build momentum.
[00:05:08] When some people step out first, it strengthens the faith of everyone else.
[00:05:12] Advanced Commitment Night is where vision becomes visible.
[00:05:17] Where we come together to pray, to worship, and to lead with faith.
[00:05:23] You know, even if you're not ready to make your commitment, come anyway.
[00:05:27] Come and see what God is doing.
[00:05:30] Because sometimes just being in the room is how faith begins to grow.
[00:05:36] This night is more than about giving.
[00:05:38] It's about becoming the kind of people God can use to shape the future of Peninsula.
[00:05:46] So join us Friday, November 7th at 6.30pm for our Advanced Commitment Night.
[00:05:52] Let's step forward together.

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Good morning.
[00:06:02] It's good to see you guys in the house of the Lord.
[00:06:04] Let's stand together and let's just worship Jesus this morning.
[00:06:08] God is good.
[00:06:08] Amen?
[00:06:09] Amen.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]:
Without your goodness I would be desperate Without your love, slave to the darkness If it wasn't for the cross You have won me with your kindness
[00:07:02] She'd speed down when I was lost Where would I be if it wasn't for the cross Hallelujah, thank you Jesus I was a prisoner, now I'm not
[00:07:32] with your blood you bought my freedom hallelujah for the cross all my shades
[00:08:01] The mercy will be my song And oh the glory, oh the power of the cross Hallelujah, thank you Jesus I was a prisoner
[00:08:29] With your blood you bought my freedom Hallelujah for the cross And by your stripes I'm healed
[00:08:47] By your death I live The power of sin is overcome It is finished, it is done By your strife I live By your death I live The power of sin is overcome It is finished, it is done By your strife I live By your death I live
[00:09:15] The power of sin is overcome in His finished hallowing You'll strive to sign me by Your death I live The power of sin is overcome in His finished hallowing Thank You Jesus, I was a prisoner, now I'm not
[00:09:46] With your blood you bought my freedom Hallelujah for the cross Hallelujah Thank you Jesus I was a prisoner Now I'm alive With your blood you
[00:10:53] Thank you Jesus, I was a priest Now I'm not with your blood But my freedom, hallelujah, for the cross

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Amen.
[00:11:23] You may be seated for just a moment.
[00:11:26] He is definitely worthy of our praise and thank you for singing out on that as we're worshiping together, beginning our hearts, kind of trying to let the outside world kind of fade away so we can come in here and worship our King of Kings and Lord of Lords together as we're here today.
[00:11:44] We have a special time of our service today where we're going to allow the
[00:11:49] The children dedication, child dedication.
[00:11:52] And so I'm going to take this time to have these parents come out on the stage.
[00:11:57] And we're going to turn this time over to Lisa Mooney.
[00:11:59] Lisa serves as our director of Faith at Home Ministries.
[00:12:03] And Lisa, you can explain what they're looking at here and what's happening.

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
and run this portion of the service thank you thank you pastor daniel um good morning this is child dedication and this is where we kind of begin our partnership with families to disciple children to know god and to know his word and to follow them and so we are so excited this morning to have six families with us who are dedicating these young babies um to the lord and what we've done this week is we've gotten together with these families
[00:12:35] and we kind of opened the scripture together and we looked at ways that the scripture points us to disciple our children.
[00:12:43] Godly characteristics that we want to develop in them.
[00:12:46] Who do we want these children to become when they're 18 and 20 years old and they're launching out of our homes?
[00:12:52] and so we call this that session begin with the end in mind and so the we look together at the scripture and each of these families kind of highlighted some practices and some rhythms that they want to implement in their own homes to be able to disciple their children at home
[00:13:08] and so they're coming this morning to commit to that before us but also because we are going to partner with them so church as they commit to the Lord we also are asking you to commit to the Lord to partner with these families first of all in the discipleship of the parents who are standing here as they continue to grow in their knowledge of the Lord and their knowledge of scripture and their commitment to him and then also partnering with them
[00:13:32] in discipling their children.
[00:13:34] They are the primary disciples in their home, but church, it is our job to come alongside of them and to pray for them and to encourage them and to teach preschool classes on Sunday morning and to teach Awana on Sunday evening and youth small groups so that together we can disciple these children in hopes that they will come to know Jesus as their Savior and that they'll follow Him and commit their lives to Him.
[00:13:56] So one of the things that we have to do this is we've got some gifts for them.
[00:14:00] I'm going to introduce each family to you, and Annabeth Hinton, our Preschool Ministry Director, and Mark Smith, our Discipleship and Connection Pastor, are going to hand the gifts to them, and then we'll pray for these families.
[00:14:10] So first we have Stephanie and Nick Carapresso, and they are dedicating Julie, but also with them is Elias, Aria, and Leah.
[00:14:19] and we have Casey and Willis Cashin and they are dedicating Bennett and with them is Adalyn and then we have Laura and Brian Cashin who are dedicating Emsley and then we have Jordan and Miles Horton they are dedicating Hallie with big brothers Judah and Micah along too
[00:14:37] We have Kelsey and Andy Mueller, and they are dedicating Esther.
[00:14:42] And then we have Eve, Big Sister Eve is there with them too.
[00:14:46] And we've got Nicole and David Whitaker dedicating Luca, and Big Brother Rhett is there as well.
[00:14:51] So we've got gifts for each of these families.
[00:14:54] And again, these are discipleship tools that they can use in their home with their children and for themselves as well.
[00:15:01] And now I'd just like for you to ask you, church, to join us in praying for them as they begin this discipleship process with their children.
[00:15:10] Father, we are so grateful to you.
[00:15:12] God, you deserve our honor, you deserve our praise, you deserve our worship.
[00:15:17] And it's such an exciting thing to see six parents who are dedicated, successive parents,
[00:15:23] who are dedicated to raising their children to know and follow you and god we know this is a work that can only be accomplished by you you direct us to do this you command us to do this and we desire to be obedient to you but god we know ultimately that you are the one who draws hearts and lives to yourself and so we pray for each of these families god i pray that you would give the parents faithfulness
[00:15:46] To continue their discipleship process of knowing you and following you and that in turn, God, that their homes truly would be places where discipleship happens on a regular basis and that each child who is on the stage this morning, God, would come to know you as their Savior and would grow in their knowledge of who you are and their love for you, God, and their obedience to you.
[00:16:09] and we're so grateful God just for our church family who is so dedicated to partnering together with other families and serving and leading to help make that happen we ask all of these things in your powerful and mighty and precious name Jesus amen amen let's give these families a hand sorry

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
I was in the way of some pictures there.
[00:16:32] I don't want to do that.
[00:16:34] And I really don't want to be in your picture.
[00:16:35] That's really what it is.
[00:16:38] Thank you for coming up here, families.
[00:16:40] You can go down.
[00:16:41] That's so special.
[00:16:43] That is a great way to build the church, isn't it?
[00:16:45] Through little ones.
[00:16:47] Okay, so I thought that was kind of a funny thought, but maybe not.
[00:16:51] Maybe not so.
[00:16:53] We will walk alongside these families over the course of the life of those children through our milestone initiatives that we have put in place.
[00:17:00] The way our milestone initiatives are is when we see a particular milestone coming up in someone's life.
[00:17:08] It's like life is a highway.
[00:17:09] You're on the highway of life.
[00:17:10] The church comes alongside you, gets off on the interstate with you, and says, Hey, pull over at the next exit.
[00:17:15] We want to talk for just a moment.
[00:17:16] and then we introduce a new milestone as we walk through with the end in mind graduating them from high school launching them into life to be able to go be disciples who make disciples as well well today in Acts chapter 17 I am excited about the passage we're going through is going to be like Paul's
[00:17:35] Masterclass on how to share the gospel with people that are in our lives how to influence the walking through being able to share the gospel with others no matter where they are in their faith journey and so I'm looking forward to that you know there's a lot of people that say that mountains can't be moved but we know through the name of Jesus that that mountains can be moved we just need to believe in the in the power of that name
[00:18:01] Jesus as we continue to worship together let's all stand here and in the video venue let's stand as we continue to worship together

[00:18:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
They say these mountains can't be moved They say these chains will never break But they don't know you like we do There is power in your name
[00:19:02] There is power in your name So much power in your name Move the earth
[00:19:32] God we believe for it For in the impossible we'll see a miracle God we believe God we believe for it We know that hope is never lost For there is still an end

[00:20:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]:
So much power in your name Move me and move above

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We trust in you, God, you have the final say Know the immovable, break the unbreakable God, we believe, God, we believe for it From the impossible, we'll see a miracle

[00:22:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
We did this song last week.
[00:22:08] We're going to do it again this week.
[00:22:11] We're going to worship Jesus through troubles, through technical difficulties.
[00:22:16] God is good.
[00:22:17] Amen.

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]:
We could fill a thousand books with the stories of your goodness, but still it couldn't capture who you are.
[00:22:30] You've been faithful every age You are Alpha and Omega The greatness of Your love sets You apart Oh let our worship sound like heaven Singing the words we'll sing forever
[00:23:02] Holy and worthy Singing glory in the highest, in the highest
[00:23:24] Since before the dawn of time You've had in this choirs of angels All singing out Your praises on and on So let our worship sound like heaven Singing words we'll sing forever And let every living creature join the song
[00:24:18] Praise the Father, praise the Spirit, praise the Risen One He who was, He who is, He who is to come Praise the Lion, praise the Lamb for all He is and all He has done We'll sing these words forever
[00:25:06] We'll sing these words forever

[00:26:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Amen.
[00:26:22] You may be seated.

[00:26:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
We are Marshall and Erica Allen.
[00:26:34] We've been coming to Peninsula for right at a year now and we had really been searching for community and so we knew a couple people here and happened to visit one Sunday and from that point forward we never left.

[00:26:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
We really wanted to find a church that we could do a small group on Sundays, so that was one big appeal.

[00:26:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Yeah, I think our station in life had shifted a little bit.
[00:26:59] Our girls were starting to get a little bit older, and so we were looking for a church where we could kind of grow as a family and be a part of it, not just on Sunday mornings, but actively throughout the week and do life with other people.

[00:27:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
My name is Connor Reddy and this is Scarlett Reddy.
[00:27:15] When I first started coming here, from the second I walked in the doors, I was just blown away with how welcoming everybody was.
[00:27:23] The smiles, the invites, just everything really just brought me in.
[00:27:28] And it encouraged me to kind of delve into some of the other opportunities that Peninsula offers.
[00:27:36] Just between the Connect classes, the volunteering opportunities, and even just the conversations in the hallways, it all just brought me in and really encouraged me to grow in my fellowship, which ultimately really propelled my faith a ton.

[00:27:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Hey guys, I'm Kevin Modlin and this is my wife Kelly.
[00:27:57] We've been members of Peninsula for about nine years now.
[00:28:01] We visited Peninsula.
[00:28:03] Our daughter Katie loved the youth and that was sort of the hook for us, so Peninsula became a really good fit for her and the youth and also for us.

[00:28:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
I recently just finished six years as a youth leader and helped launch a wonderful group of kids out into the post-high school world.
[00:28:20] I think Kevin, who's got
[00:28:22] Four or five years in, we also help serve the youth on Sunday mornings in more of a serving waffles kind of capacity.
[00:28:31] So I think the youth is kind of what started us here and everyone at Peninsula has kept us here.

[00:28:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Going to a Connect class really makes it intimate where you get to know these people and walk with these people and understand their lives.
[00:28:44] So that's why I really love going to Archonnect class because we're really able to grow relationships with everyone in that class and when we welcome new people in they really get somewhere that they can feel safe and known and it helps introduce new people to the church as well.

[00:28:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Building relationships with people is so hard we can't do it by ourselves and so being able to be a part of those groups and know that you have people that have your back that have the same beliefs and can give you solid godly advice when when you need it and kind of help steer us in the right direction is so important to us as not only as individuals but as husband and wife and as a family.

[00:29:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
We're so excited about the Pathway Project and we've just already started talking about how we're going to get involved and be able to support this initiative.
[00:29:32] We truly think it's just such a big opportunity for the entire congregation to get involved and be able to spread what God has done for us inside these walls and inside our own hearts into the community around us.

[00:29:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
I'm looking forward to more space, more people, more involvement.

[00:29:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
For us, somewhat selfishly, the youth situation isn't perfect at the moment, but we're able to power through that and I know the youth are as well because we know greater things are on the way.

[00:30:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I think volunteering downstairs we've already seen at least like with Emmy's class they've already had to split it up I know that the current kinder class is already split up so if the kids keep growing which clearly it is where are they gonna go like we don't build where are they gonna go so I mean the need is there we can't keep getting but so crafty with the upstairs so I mean I'm excited to see what it looks like

[00:30:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
I think anytime you start to talk about change, change can be scary, it can be a little bit uneasy, and it looks like it's going to be a big plan, but I know we serve a big God, and so I'm really excited to see how this all comes together and how God uses us, not only here in Morrisville, but the greater kingdom as well.
[00:30:51] So I think there's just tremendous opportunity here, and I'm excited to see kind of how God uses the church, the people within it, and this community as well.

[00:31:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
The common thread that I pick up out of those three couples talking is their place to connect.
[00:31:16] Place to make friends, place to be with like-minded believers, to be able to share with one another.
[00:31:21] And quite honestly, I couldn't imagine others in Mooresville who want to find that not being able to have a place here.
[00:31:28] So we want to be able to expand to give space for people to be able to experience what these three couples have talked about.
[00:31:36] And I know that many of us here can identify with what they're talking about.
[00:31:40] Having a place to worship on Sunday that sticks to the Word,
[00:31:43] We're going into Acts 17 today.
[00:31:51] We're going to finish chapter 17.
[00:31:55] We're going to kind of like just kind of move through these chapters a little bit.
[00:31:58] After Thanksgiving, we'll pick up the pace.
[00:32:01] We do anticipate finishing the book of Acts on the last Sunday of December.
[00:32:06] And so as we're moving through that, you can kind of like
[00:32:09] The next book has been picked already, but I'm going to keep that a secret.
[00:32:16] But know that we're going somewhere.
[00:32:17] January 4th, we're starting a new book, and we're excited about where that's going to take us.
[00:32:22] And I'm just praying through the excitement of where that is, what we're doing.
[00:32:27] There's a few things that we need to think about with Acts chapter 17 today.
[00:32:31] It's standing firm in a shifting culture.
[00:32:34] We've talked a lot about that.
[00:32:35] How many of you in here by show of hands would say that the culture is shifting?
[00:32:40] Raise your hand if you'd say the culture is shifting.
[00:32:43] Used to, you would think that the culture would shift.
[00:32:48] In fact, there's a lot of sociological studies out there that says that culture used to shift about every seven to eight years.
[00:32:56] Culture would shift.
[00:32:58] Then it kind of went down probably about...
[00:33:01] 15 years ago it went down, it was shifting about every two to three years.
[00:33:06] Now it seems like it's every week.
[00:33:09] I mean, you're like, what are we fussing about now?
[00:33:12] What is going on?
[00:33:13] What are we trying to push now?
[00:33:15] What's on the agenda now?
[00:33:16] It's just difficult to keep up.
[00:33:18] Back in my youth ministry days when I was doing youth ministry, when I first started into youth ministry, I tried to keep up with the clothing trends.
[00:33:27] And about one year into trying to do that, there were two things I realized.
[00:33:32] Number one, I couldn't afford it.
[00:33:34] There's no way I could afford to keep up with the clothing trends.
[00:33:37] And number two, I just wasn't that cool.
[00:33:40] And so I never could pull off the clothing trends.
[00:33:42] So I just, I have like five things in my closet now that I wear.
[00:33:47] But the clothing trends would always change and I was always behind the times.
[00:33:51] So, by the time I figured out what the clothing trend was, and I would go buy it, and I would put it on, I'd walk in there, you know, the youth were like, that was so yesterday, man, what are you doing?
[00:34:01] And so, I just, I stopped trying.
[00:34:04] But then, what was really magical about it was, I was in the middle of a, I was leading a youth group in Lincolnton, is where I had my first ministry that God called me to, and I was leading a youth ministry.
[00:34:18] Then, while I was there, I got married.
[00:34:20] The reason I'm telling you that is that something very funny happened.
[00:34:24] I was teaching a Bible study, in the middle of a Bible study, just a good Bible study with the teenagers, and you know how teenagers are sometimes, their minds wander, right?
[00:34:34] But anyway, right in the middle of the Bible study, one of the guys raises his hands, and I said, yes, I'm thinking he's got this, you know, I'm really teaching, he's got this good theological question he wants to ask, and we're really getting to the Bible study and everything.
[00:34:45] He said, hey, can I just make a comment?
[00:34:48] I said, sure.
[00:34:48] He said...
[00:34:50] Since you've been married, you dress really nice.
[00:34:58] I was like, that is messed up.
[00:35:01] Can we get back to the Bible now?
[00:35:04] Fleshed that out a little bit later, I found out that since I got married, I actually matched.
[00:35:09] Like, I'm slightly colorblind.
[00:35:11] I'm not completely colorblind.
[00:35:12] I am slightly colorblind.
[00:35:13] And close colors that I think go together do not go together.
[00:35:19] When Kimberly and I were dating I was in the music department there and I had to perform quarterly or each semester I had to perform in front of the student body a piece that I had worked up because I was a voice major and I had performed that morning and wore the same thing all day long and didn't see Kimberly until that night and I'm just sitting there talking to her and all of a sudden she goes
[00:35:43] What are you wearing?
[00:35:45] And I said, well, what?
[00:35:46] She goes, none of that matches at all.
[00:35:49] Like, you've got colors that are clashing.
[00:35:51] I'm like, that's a thing?
[00:35:52] I didn't know.
[00:35:54] So trying to keep up with the trends is difficult.
[00:35:56] Trying to keep up with the trends of the culture and what the latest thing is can be difficult.
[00:36:01] But there are some common threads that go through culture.
[00:36:04] There are common things that we can know that even what next week's fuss is going to be over, we can know that there's some common things that are going on.
[00:36:14] Let's simplify it really, really easy.
[00:36:17] The number one thing that we know is going to be going on is that the first problem in the world is lostness.
[00:36:25] That is the biggest problem in the world is lostness.
[00:36:29] And that's what we as believers who are not lost, we've been found, that we need to keep in the forefront of who we are.
[00:36:39] And this is kind of the way Paul rolled with how he did life.
[00:36:45] We're going to pull out some things in this text.
[00:36:46] It's going to be verses 16 through 34.
[00:36:49] It says, How do we stand firm in our own shifting culture?
[00:36:52] It's kind of where we're going and what we're talking about.
[00:36:55] Probably about 15, 20 years ago, we had opportunity within the youth group to go do a mission work in New York City.
[00:37:04] How many of you have been to New York City?
[00:37:06] Alright, it is the city, literally the city that never sleeps.
[00:37:11] There's something going on in that city.
[00:37:13] It is big, it is massive.
[00:37:15] But one of the nights when we had free, we were able to go.
[00:37:18] They said, hey, do you want to go see Times Square?
[00:37:20] And I said, yeah, I've never been to Times Square, I want to go see it.
[00:37:22] So we got to go to Times Square.
[00:37:24] And in Times Square, on one end of it, there is a set of bleachers.
[00:37:28] They're red.
[00:37:29] They've got red lights on them.
[00:37:30] Anybody been to Times Square?
[00:37:31] Do you know what I'm talking about with the bleachers?
[00:37:33] And this is a picture from Times Square, looking out across Times Square, up on the bleachers.
[00:37:39] And I just sat there for an hour, just mesmerized at the cross-cultural experience that was scurrying all around me.
[00:37:49] And just the lights.
[00:37:51] There are no street lights there because they don't need them because of the billboards.
[00:37:54] That's the only thing.
[00:37:55] Which, by the way, if you go there, I just got to kind of give you a hint.
[00:37:59] The only restroom in the area is underneath the golden arches there.
[00:38:03] And you must make a purchase to use the restroom there.
[00:38:06] So anyway, just kind of like heads up on that.
[00:38:08] Unless they've changed it since then.
[00:38:09] It's been a while since I've been there.
[00:38:12] But I couldn't help but reflect on this particular thought thinking that on a much smaller scale, but it's kind of the same idea, this is what Paul walked into when he walked into Athens.
[00:38:26] Not nearly this big, obviously not the lights, but this type of sentiment that was going on in the city, this hustle and bustle with all kinds of things along the street.
[00:38:38] In fact, Paul points out what those are in just a few moments, but it made me think about Paul and what he would have faced.
[00:38:46] This is what he would have been in in the middle of Athens, but he wasn't taken aback by it.
[00:38:53] He actually used their culture to move into a gospel conversation.
[00:38:59] So remember when Paul was, people were fussing about him and they sent him out of Berea and they kind of took him out and snuck him away.
[00:39:09] And then he sent for Silas and Timothy.
[00:39:12] He said, I want you guys to come join me in Athens.
[00:39:15] And so that's where we join in.
[00:39:16] In verse 16 it says, Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that city was full of idols.
[00:39:27] Can I pause there for just a moment?
[00:39:29] This is not what the topic is about today, but something that's glaringly jumping off the page there at me is that the spirit provoked him.
[00:39:38] That is glaring at me for two reasons.
[00:39:42] One is, Paul allowed the Spirit to lead him into his engagement in gospel conversations.
[00:39:48] But the second thing that leaps out at me here is this.
[00:39:53] When is the last time the Spirit of God has provoked you because of someone's lostness?
[00:40:04] That jumps out at me because we have to understand that if we've got lost people around us, have we glazed over it so much or made it so commonplace in our minds that we don't even think twice about it?
[00:40:20] The Spirit provoked him because he saw the city was full of idols.
[00:40:26] So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
[00:40:35] So he went to anybody there.
[00:40:37] He did the Jews first, which was his habit, to go into the synagogue first and talk to the Jews.
[00:40:44] Then he talked to the other intellects and then out in the marketplace.
[00:40:48] Whoever would carry on a conversation with him, he would carry on a conversation with them about Christ.
[00:40:54] Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers also conversed with him.
[00:40:59] And some said, what does this babbler wish to say?
[00:41:02] I'm going to pause there.
[00:41:03] I looked at the original word babbler there.
[00:41:07] That is not a compliment at all.
[00:41:12] In fact, if you look at what the word there that we translate babbler means, because it's fitting into the context of the sentence, it actually kind of points to the crow that picks up pieces.
[00:41:25] They were calling him a scavenger that was looking for some type of inn.
[00:41:32] So they were not complimenting him at all.
[00:41:35] And let me just kind of pause there and say that when we move forward with the gospel, we're going to get people that push back in that way.
[00:41:42] What are you ranting about?
[00:41:45] Are you talking about religion again?
[00:41:47] You're just going to get people that look at us that way, but it should not shut us down.
[00:41:51] It certainly didn't.
[00:41:53] Paul, because as others said, he seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
[00:42:02] Now look what it says, And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus.
[00:42:07] Now I'm going to say that that word is not only a place,
[00:42:12] It stands for a people too.
[00:42:14] So it was a place, we call it Mars Hill, right outside of Athens there.
[00:42:19] It would have been a rocky place where people met, but the Areopagus were a group of people, kind of like a city council.
[00:42:26] They were the intellects that would lead the city.
[00:42:29] So it's both, and you'll see in just a moment that they're using it as he's talking about the people, not the place, here in just a moment, saying, May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
[00:42:41] For you bring some strange things to our ears.
[00:42:45] What's that now?
[00:42:47] You bring some strange things to our ears.
[00:42:50] I just think that's a funny way to say it.
[00:42:51] I'm going to start using that phrase.
[00:42:52] If I don't understand somebody, I'm going to say, What was that?
[00:42:55] What you just said was strange to my ears.
[00:42:57] I don't know.
[00:42:58] It's just funny.
[00:42:59] We wish to know, therefore, what these things mean.
[00:43:03] What an open door.
[00:43:06] So apparently, the babbler...
[00:43:09] 1.
[00:43:10] An opportunity to talk to the city council about the gospel of Jesus Christ, remembering that he was provoked within his spirit.
[00:43:21] Verse 21, now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling and hearing something new.
[00:43:30] They wanted to show their intellectual prowess.
[00:43:34] They wanted to show how
[00:43:35] So Paul was just kind of going to blend right in with them.
[00:43:40] So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, and that's in the midst of the people, the council, said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
[00:43:56] By the way, this is a brilliant, brilliant writing.
[00:44:00] When I say master class of how to share the gospel,
[00:44:02] It is just brilliant.
[00:44:04] We could spend a month on looking at this text.
[00:44:09] For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription to the unknown God.
[00:44:20] What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
[00:44:27] The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
[00:44:46] And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him.
[00:45:04] Yet He is actually not far from each one of us.
[00:45:09] Paul is just taking them on a path.
[00:45:13] He's like, I've got your ears, I'm going to take you on a path.
[00:45:16] He starts, by the way, in what I call the entire gospel, he starts all the way back at creation.
[00:45:21] And he's walking them through the moment.
[00:45:23] For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, for we are indeed his offspring.
[00:45:34] Paul knew the people of Athens.
[00:45:36] He had done his homework.
[00:45:38] Over the course of his life, he knew what they studied.
[00:45:41] Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
[00:45:54] You know they were gripped to this.
[00:45:58] Because He is pointing out their culture, their lifestyle, and He's walking them through to the true God.
[00:46:06] The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.
[00:46:14] Why?
[00:46:14] Because Christ has come, Christ has died, and Christ has rose again.
[00:46:21] Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.
[00:46:29] And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
[00:46:34] Now when they heard of the resurrection of dead, some mocked.
[00:46:40] That's to be expected.
[00:46:42] But others said, we will hear you again about this.
[00:46:46] What's that mean?
[00:46:47] They were like, we kind of need to marinate on what you've said so far.
[00:46:50] But we want to talk again.
[00:46:53] So Paul went out from their midst, but some men joined him and believed, among whom were Dionysius the Areopagite.
[00:47:03] Now that means that one of the council people bought into this, and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
[00:47:13] So I want to walk back through this passage and look at what Paul did because many people I know don't share their faith because they're not quite sure how to do it.
[00:47:26] We don't want to turn other people off by saying something dumb.
[00:47:32] We don't want to lose the opportunity with someone because we didn't handle it well.
[00:47:38] But I can tell you that if we handle it like Paul just handled it, there will be people that come to saving faith
[00:47:45] In Christ because of our desire to boldly proclaim Him before them.
[00:47:52] So let's look at this.
[00:47:52] Verses 16-21 is perceiving the cultural idols.
[00:47:57] This is what he was doing.
[00:47:58] He was perceiving the cultural idols that he had just walked into.
[00:48:03] He knew that he was a foreigner.
[00:48:05] He knew that they would know he was a foreigner.
[00:48:09] And so it says, Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city was full of idols.
[00:48:21] Paul wasn't sightseeing.
[00:48:23] He was spiritually burdened.
[00:48:25] The word provoked means deeply stirred like a fire within him was beginning to grow.
[00:48:31] And Athens was a city that was obsessed with knowledge and philosophy and art and yet beneath the beauty was a deep spiritual emptiness.
[00:48:43] You can see it on people's face.
[00:48:45] On the outside they look and act like they're really good but when you look into their eyes you can see that empty loneliness in who they are.
[00:48:55] Paul's reaction wasn't anger or disgust.
[00:48:59] It was actually compassion.
[00:49:02] He didn't rant about how bad things had gotten.
[00:49:05] He allowed what he saw to move his heart.
[00:49:09] And that's the first step for us, perceiving the idols of our culture with a compassionate heart.
[00:49:15] He reasoned in the synagogue, engaging the religious.
[00:49:20] He reasoned in the marketplace, engaging the secular.
[00:49:24] He even caught the attention of the Epicureans who were the pleasure seekers and the Stoics who were the rationalists.
[00:49:32] Paul was willing to go wherever people gathered.
[00:49:37] He didn't retreat into isolation.
[00:49:40] As followers of Jesus, we can't influence a culture that we don't see.
[00:49:46] We must look with spiritual eyes at the people around us.
[00:49:51] We must see the idols within our own city, our homes, and even our own hearts.
[00:50:00] What are the idols of today?
[00:50:01] It's not statues that we're putting out.
[00:50:04] It's not gold and things that we're building.
[00:50:06] It's different types of idols.
[00:50:08] Like here are a few to think about.
[00:50:10] The idol of self, where it says, I define truth.
[00:50:16] The idol of success, I am what I achieve.
[00:50:20] Or the idol of comfort, I deserve to be happy.
[00:50:25] When Paul saw idols, he didn't panic, he actually engaged.
[00:50:31] When we see confusion in our world, it's not a reason to retreat, it's an invitation to represent Christ in the middle of the chaos.
[00:50:41] This past Friday night,
[00:50:43] We waited at the end of our driveway for people in our neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods to walk up to us and talk to us.
[00:50:53] Here's a picture of what we do every Halloween.
[00:50:58] We serve popcorn.
[00:51:00] There's about three neighbors on our cul-de-sac that come out and everybody else, the lights are off, the doors are open.
[00:51:05] People walk all the way down from what I call the stop sign, you'd have to know our road to understand it, to the end of the cul-de-sac where we live to get popcorn.
[00:51:14] And I've got to tell you that Halloween night is not my favorite night.
[00:51:21] But this passage teaches me to do this.
[00:51:26] To engage where they are.
[00:51:29] The popcorn in our neighborhood is something that we have done for years.
[00:51:32] In fact, there was a young man who said, How long have you guys been doing this?
[00:51:39] Well, quite a while.
[00:51:39] And he said, I remember coming down here when I was a kid.
[00:51:44] and getting popcorn.
[00:51:46] We are able to meet neighbors.
[00:51:49] We are able to have conversations with people.
[00:51:52] Now, you say, well, that's great, Daniel.
[00:51:54] You're using that as an example.
[00:51:55] How many strong gospel presentations have you really had out of this?
[00:52:00] And I'll tell you, for me personally, zero.
[00:52:07] So, what does it do?
[00:52:08] Every year, my wife and I go, hey, are we going to skip this year or are we going to do it?
[00:52:12] And then we always are like,
[00:52:15] We're going to do it.
[00:52:16] We're going to continue to rub elbows with our neighbors.
[00:52:19] But let me tell you what it has done.
[00:52:22] We've had opportunity to pray with neighbors.
[00:52:26] We've seen neighbors out in the grocery store that go, Hey, you're the popcorn people.
[00:52:32] We're building a rapport with them so that we can have an opportunity one day, prayerfully, to share the gospel with them.
[00:52:42] It's being the hands and the feet
[00:52:45] Generosity begins here.
[00:52:47] Generosity begins with presence.
[00:52:49] Being present.
[00:52:51] I could have every excuse under the book as a pastor of the gospel to be able to say, Halloween night, I'm leaving town.
[00:52:59] I'm going to bar up the doors and I'm going to turn all lights off and I'm not going to do anything.
[00:53:03] I could have an argument to do that.
[00:53:06] But Paul didn't isolate himself from the idols.
[00:53:09] He actually used the idols to start a conversation.
[00:53:14] So that he could win the opportunity to share the gospel.
[00:53:19] Paul gave his attention, his time, and his heart for the people that needed to hear the gospel.
[00:53:27] So he proclaimed common ground.
[00:53:30] Verse 22-28, Men of Athens, he says,
[00:53:33] Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
[00:53:37] Paul's speech there is what's teaching us how to have missional engagement.
[00:53:44] He starts with observation, not accusation.
[00:53:49] He connects before he corrects.
[00:53:53] That's what's going on here.
[00:53:55] That's the example of who we are and what we're to do.
[00:53:58] He says, I even found an altar with this inscription, To the unknown God.
[00:54:05] What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
[00:54:11] That is just brilliant.
[00:54:15] Hey, men of Athens, I can tell that you are a religious people.
[00:54:21] I have walked up and down your streets.
[00:54:23] I've seen altars.
[00:54:25] I've seen statues of many different gods.
[00:54:28] I can tell that you are seeking spirituality.
[00:54:32] But I noticed one of your statues said, To the unknown God.
[00:54:37] And let me tell you, I know who that unknown God is.
[00:54:44] That's just brilliant.
[00:54:46] Then he goes on, and after claiming common ground, they share a sense of mystery and longing for transcendence, so to speak.
[00:54:55] He leads them toward the one true God, and the way he does that is he quotes their poets.
[00:55:01] He still has them there.
[00:55:02] It says, In him we live and move and have our being, for we are indeed his offspring.
[00:55:08] Paul understood their culture but didn't compromise the message.
[00:55:14] You say, well, you know, if that's the argument you have, then it sounds like we need to compromise who we are as a people.
[00:55:20] No, I don't partake in what other people do because I'm trying to win an opportunity with them.
[00:55:26] I recognize their idols.
[00:55:27] I recognize the culture.
[00:55:29] And I let them talk about it and I don't shut them down immediately about it.
[00:55:34] I actually let them have their say and when the opportunity opens up, I will share where I am in my walk with Christ.
[00:55:43] Paul understood their culture.
[00:55:45] He didn't compromise the message and he met them right where they were to show them where they needed to go.
[00:55:52] That's why I say God loves us where we are and refuses to leave us there.
[00:55:58] That's everyone in the world.
[00:56:01] Everyone in the world.
[00:56:03] God loves us right where we are and He refuses to leave us there.
[00:56:07] He wants us to take the next step with Him.
[00:56:09] We live in a culture searching for truth in all the wrong places.
[00:56:14] People are not uninterested in spirituality.
[00:56:18] They're just uncertain where and how to find it.
[00:56:24] We can follow Paul's example by listening before speaking.
[00:56:30] Listening before debating and loving before confronting.
[00:56:36] It's not about us winning.
[00:56:39] It's about bringing that person on a path so that they will be willing to hear the gospel of Christ.
[00:56:46] I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand, but I am almost positive that if I said raise your hand if you have someone in your life that you know is lost, that probably 99% of this room would raise their hand.
[00:56:57] We all have people in our lives that we know are lost and we need to meet them where they are so that we can take them to where they need to be.
[00:57:07] Common ground doesn't mean common compromise.
[00:57:09] It means finding points of connection that open the door for gospel truth.
[00:57:17] Understanding.
[00:57:19] When we seek to understand someone's story or their worldview, before sharing ours, we reflect the patience and kindness of Christ.
[00:57:28] It's not weakness, it's wisdom.
[00:57:33] When someone goes, hey, I believe this, and we know that it doesn't line up with Scripture at all, we don't need to immediately jump on and go, well, the Bible doesn't say... We don't need to do that.
[00:57:43] We can say, hey, tell me a little bit more about why you feel that way.
[00:57:47] I would love to hear how you got to there.
[00:57:50] Allow them to share.
[00:57:51] Allow them to open up.
[00:57:52] Allow them to be able to talk about it so that common ground becomes a way to move them.
[00:57:58] Every conversation, every relationship, every act of compassion is an opportunity to reveal God's nearness.
[00:58:07] He says in verse 27, He is actually not far from each one of us.
[00:58:13] He's saying he's right here.
[00:58:14] That's the good news Paul brings.
[00:58:16] And it's still true for us today.
[00:58:19] The people that we know in our lives that are lost, we need to show them that God's not far away.
[00:58:26] He's right there.
[00:58:28] We just need to walk them to it.
[00:58:30] And so then he proclaims the gospel boldly.
[00:58:34] Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone is what Paul says.
[00:58:44] So here's kind of what he's doing after building a bridge of understanding, Paul crosses it.
[00:58:52] So he's kind of built this bridge of understanding so they can know that he's relating to them.
[00:58:57] He's not shutting them down.
[00:58:59] But then he crosses that bridge and he moves from dialogue to declaration.
[00:59:04] He's not condemning anybody yet.
[00:59:05] He's just saying, here's the truth.
[00:59:08] From philosophy to faith is where he's taking them.
[00:59:11] He boldly confronts their false ideas and points to the risen Christ.
[00:59:16] He patiently waited to share Christ, but he was going to get there.
[00:59:22] He was going to always get there to point them to Christ.
[00:59:26] The times of ignorance, he says, God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.
[00:59:36] That's not just ancient Athens, by the way, that's every generation.
[00:59:42] God calls us to turn from idols to Him.
[00:59:46] Paul finishes with the resurrection, the event that separates Christianity from all other faiths in the world, even to this day.
[00:59:55] The one thing that makes our faith different than any other faith in all of the world, in all of history, and in the future to come, is a risen Savior.
[01:00:11] Verse 31 he says, He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
[01:00:26] Some mocked when he said this.
[01:00:29] Some just made fun of him.
[01:00:31] Others delayed, but a few believed.
[01:00:35] And that's always the pattern.
[01:00:37] The gospel is both confronting and inviting.
[01:00:42] We need to know that.
[01:00:43] Some people you're going to share the gospel with are going to mock you.
[01:00:46] Some people you share the gospel with are going to delay.
[01:00:49] But some people you share the gospel with are going to step into faith in Christ.
[01:00:56] Standing firm in a shifting culture means we don't water down the truth to be accepted.
[01:01:02] We declare the truth because we've been accepted by grace.
[01:01:07] We speak boldly but with humility.
[01:01:11] We live differently not to condemn but to compel people toward Christ.
[01:01:18] And as this world shifts, our foundation remains Jesus Christ crucified and risen.
[01:01:27] True loving of other people is not measured by what we give but who we give.
[01:01:35] Paul gave them Christ, the ultimate gift of truth and life.
[01:01:41] So let's take a look at this pattern.
[01:01:43] I told you it was a master class.
[01:01:45] You can actually pull out of this the master class of what he's done here in a chart that I've put together.
[01:01:51] that we can go through very quickly.
[01:01:52] Let's look at this chart.
[01:01:54] I don't know if you can see it or not because it's a lot in there, but I'll read through it very quickly.
[01:01:58] The first column is movement, the second column is focus, the third column is key truth, and then the last column is core gospel theme.
[01:02:06] So I'm just going to go through in that direction.
[01:02:08] The connection.
[01:02:09] The movement was connection.
[01:02:10] He connected with them.
[01:02:12] And then he showed common ground.
[01:02:14] Hey, we're both spiritual people.
[01:02:16] What the key truth was.
[01:02:17] What you worship as unknown, I proclaim.
[01:02:21] And then it's to start where they are.
[01:02:24] So if you've got someone lost in your life, you start where they are.
[01:02:28] You don't try to start where you are because they're not there yet.
[01:02:31] You start where they are to be able to share the faith with them.
[01:02:33] Next was creation.
[01:02:35] He went there with, that's what I call the full gospel.
[01:02:37] He went all the way back.
[01:02:38] Because they have all these gods and everything that they're, these false gods that they're worshipping.
[01:02:42] He went back and said, I know the one that actually created all this anyway.
[01:02:46] He took it all the way back to the very beginning.
[01:02:48] God made all things.
[01:02:50] God is Creator and Lord, and He's showing His authority.
[01:02:54] That's what He's doing.
[01:02:55] He's establishing that.
[01:02:56] Next was Providence.
[01:02:58] God sustains all life.
[01:03:00] He gives life and sets boundaries.
[01:03:01] Remember He said in the text, He's the one that gives you breath.
[01:03:06] Everybody that's breathing, everyone that's alive, this God that did it, this one you're calling the unknown God, and then Dependence.
[01:03:13] So He created all things, He's authoritative over everything, and we need Him to be alive.
[01:03:20] Then it's Revelation.
[01:03:22] God can be known.
[01:03:23] He is near and relational.
[01:03:26] Incarnation is what he's talking about there.
[01:03:28] Then accountability.
[01:03:29] God commands repentance.
[01:03:31] He is holy and just.
[01:03:32] Sin and repentance was the theme there.
[01:03:35] He walked them to that.
[01:03:37] It's not just a God that created.
[01:03:38] It's not just a God that sustains.
[01:03:40] It's not just a God that we needed.
[01:03:42] It's a God that is going to judge.
[01:03:45] And we need to repent before him.
[01:03:47] If we don't, then we're going to fall underneath that judgment.
[01:03:50] That's exactly the gospel of what he's talking about there.
[01:03:53] And then consummation.
[01:03:55] Christ is risen.
[01:03:56] Judge and Savior.
[01:03:58] The resurrection is proof.
[01:03:59] Salvation through Christ.
[01:04:02] One of the best and clearest gospel presentations that I think you can find in the book of Acts with a brilliancy is right there.
[01:04:13] of what He unfolded for us, of how we're to influence the people that are in our lives.
[01:04:21] So what we need to do is kind of a call to examine our influence in other people's lives.
[01:04:31] You know the Great Commission, go therefore and make disciples.
[01:04:36] was not just spoken for the apostles' ears only and they were the only ones that needed to do it.
[01:04:42] It was spoken for every believer to follow suit.
[01:04:48] We, as believers in Christ, are supposed to be going to make disciples.
[01:04:54] Can I share something with you?
[01:04:56] I believe, and I have said it many times, discipleship begins before salvation.
[01:05:05] We find common ground with that person that's lost.
[01:05:08] They're spiritual.
[01:05:08] You know how I know they're spiritual?
[01:05:10] Because God created them and they're made in His image.
[01:05:13] So they're spiritual.
[01:05:14] They just don't know yet that somewhere down the path your relationship with them is going to bring them to a divine appointment to where you have won the opportunity to share the gospel with them.
[01:05:26] And I think here's something we've done wrong in the American culture.
[01:05:29] Well, you know, I really like this person.
[01:05:31] I love hanging out with them.
[01:05:32] And if I have a Christian conversation with them, it's going to ruin the fun we have.
[01:05:39] You know, when I say it up here like that, it sounds really awful, doesn't it?
[01:05:43] But it's kind of how we live.
[01:05:45] I don't want to turn them off.
[01:05:49] Understand, created in God's image, they're lost, and they're spiritually looking.
[01:05:54] They just don't know where to look.
[01:05:56] And if we remain silent, we're not truly their friend.
[01:06:04] So we need to find common ground, get them talking about the things of faith, find out who they are in their faith.
[01:06:10] Have they ever thought about faith things?
[01:06:12] If not, why?
[01:06:13] And then allow that to start building up to a conversation that takes them down a path.
[01:06:19] This week, by the way, we're having a week of prayer.
[01:06:22] It's our third annual week of prayer.
[01:06:24] It's going to be Monday through Thursday at 6 a.m. And it's going to be in the Youth Center from 6 to 7.
[01:06:31] We'll have coffee.
[01:06:32] We'll have something to eat as you go out the door.
[01:06:35] And we hope you'll come.
[01:06:36] We're going to pray for the ministries of this church.
[01:06:39] We're going to pray for our local partnerships.
[01:06:41] We're going to pray for our international partnerships.
[01:06:44] We're going to pray for the Pathway Project.
[01:06:46] We're going to pray for one another.
[01:06:47] And we're going to pray for the lost people in our lives.
[01:06:52] So I'm hoping you can be here.
[01:06:53] 6 a.m.
[01:06:54] I know it's early.
[01:06:56] I'm setting my alarm a little bit earlier than normal and it makes me a little bit sleepy-eyed by the end of the week.
[01:07:01] And then we're going to end the week on Friday night with an advanced commitment night of worship and communion as we move forward with where God's taking us.
[01:07:10] Luke allowed us to see a part of Paul's life here that showed that
[01:07:19] He was living in a culture that was full of idols, and we need to look at the idols that are in our own lives first.
[01:07:28] Here's some questions that we can ask.
[01:07:30] What idols compete for my attention or affection?
[01:07:36] We all have them, by the way, so don't say, well, I don't have any idols in my life.
[01:07:40] Okay, lying is your first idol.
[01:07:45] Image, maybe that's what you're going for.
[01:07:46] Maybe image is your first idol.
[01:07:49] Where have I been silent when I should have spoken truth and love?
[01:07:54] And how might God use me this week to represent His heart in my world?
[01:08:01] Your circle of influence.
[01:08:04] Your opportunity to win a gospel conversation with other people.
[01:08:14] Seek the idols of our culture with a burdened heart.
[01:08:17] Seek common ground to share the truth and speak the gospel boldly and compassionately.
[01:08:24] That's who we should be.
[01:08:26] The gospel is still unstoppable.
[01:08:31] Let's pray.
[01:08:34] Father, thank you for this passage that shows us how you, through your Spirit, called Paul to boldly go into a group of people he had never spoken with before to share the gospel.
[01:08:47] Help us to be encouraged in it, to understand that there are some steps we can take to begin to win others over to that conversation.
[01:08:55] So help us flip the script on our relationships that we have with others, to be present with them, to talk with them, to laugh with them, to find out what the common ground is so that we can lean into an opportunity to share the gospel with them.
[01:09:12] And then when that time comes, for some it may be this week.
[01:09:16] When that time comes, give us boldness to not compromise the truth, but to share it with humility and love.
[01:09:27] Father, I look forward to you moving in hearts this week to allow us to have an opportunity to see your grace and your faith in us as your people moving forward.
[01:09:39] In Jesus' name we pray.
[01:09:41] Amen.

[01:09:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Let's stand together.

[01:09:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]:
We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.
[01:10:08] The greatness of mercy and love at the feet of Jesus We cry holy, holy, holy We cry holy, holy, holy
[01:10:33] Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb We fall down, we lay our grounds at the feet of Jesus
[01:10:59] The greatness of His mercy and love at the feet of Jesus We cry holy, holy, holy We cry holy, holy, holy
[01:11:23] Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb

[01:11:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
We want to say thank you for being here to worship with us today.
[01:11:45] And as we go, we do want to remind you we are back tonight for our Sunday evening equip time for our preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, and our adults.
[01:11:53] We'd love to see you this evening at 5.
[01:11:55] Also, we'd love to see you tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. We said earlier, we even got an extra hour of sleep kind of leading into the week.
[01:12:02] So, love to see you bright and early for that tomorrow morning.
[01:12:06] But as we go, I want to lead us in reading a verse together.
[01:12:09] from 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and just being reminded of God's goodness and His grace that He is sending us out in this week.
[01:12:18] So let's read together 1 Corinthians 15 verse 58 where Paul says, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
[01:12:35] church families we go into our week be steadfast immovable abounding in the love of the Lord not because we can just do our own but because God's grace gives the ability and he sends us out to carry his love and grace and hope to others have a great week

[01:13:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God of my future, you write my story, you hold it all to me

[01:29:37] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let's pray.

[01:34:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
There have always been people who led the way before us.
[01:34:07] Men and women who believed God could do more than they could see, and who gave so the next generation could know His presence.
[01:34:17] In 1 Chronicles 29, King David stepped forward first, giving generously so God's house could be built.
[01:34:26] When his leaders saw his faith, they gave.
[01:34:30] And when the people saw their leaders, they rejoiced and followed.
[01:34:35] That's how God's work has always advanced, through faith, generosity, and vision.
[01:34:41] And now it's our turn.
[01:34:43] On Friday, November 7th, from 6.30 to 7.30 p.m., we will gather for worship, prayer, communion, and commitment.
[01:34:52] It's our Advanced Commitment Night for The Pathway Project.
[01:34:55] You might be asking, why an Advanced Commitment if we have a Commitment Sunday scheduled for November 16th?
[01:35:03] Because moments like this build momentum.
[01:35:08] When some people step out first, it strengthens the faith of everyone else.
[01:35:12] Advanced Commitment Night is where vision becomes visible.
[01:35:17] Where we come together to pray, to worship, and to lead with faith.
[01:35:23] You know, even if you're not ready to make your commitment, come anyway.
[01:35:27] Come and see what God is doing.
[01:35:30] Because sometimes, just being in the room is how faith begins to grow.
[01:35:36] This night is more than about giving.
[01:35:38] It's about becoming the kind of people God can use to shape the future of Peninsula.
[01:35:46] So join us Friday, November 7th at 6.30 p.m. for our Advanced Commitment Night.
[01:35:52] Let's step forward together.