The Myth of Self-Generated Spiritual Growth

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Well, good morning, Lake City Church.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Let's stand and refuse to worship Jesus this morning.
[00:02:32] Come on.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Here we go.
[00:02:32] Your Word is a lamp unto my feet

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
I'll take you at your word
[00:03:14] I'm taking you right to work I'm getting stoned And the chaos fell in line Cause I know I just see

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
The Word of God.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
You said Your grace is always enough You said Your heart will never forget or forsake me You said I'm saved, You called me Yours

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
You said Your grace is always enough You said Your heart will never forget or forsake me You said I'm saved, You called me Yours You said my future's full of Yours
[00:06:44] Let's give a shout of praise to the King.
[00:07:06] He is worthy.

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Come on.
[00:07:06] Our God is faithful.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Come on, like cities, get those hands together.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
Sing to the Lord, if the cross warned you of freedom.
[00:07:32] Sing to the Lord, if you know that He saves.
[00:07:36] Tell the earth that His arms are wide open.
[00:07:47] Let the lost be found Let the blind eye see Let the music play Let the people sing Worship the Lord In the light of His presence Worship the Lord
[00:08:34] Let the church have faith
[00:09:24] Jesus all the praise belongs to you Jesus all the praise belongs to you Jesus all
[00:10:08] Let the lost be found Let the blind eye see Let the music play Let the people sing

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Come on give a shout of praise this morning!
[00:11:07] For Jesus is King!
[00:11:08] He is above all and worthy of it all!
[00:11:10] Amen!
[00:11:10] Amen and Amen!
[00:11:11] High five your neighbor and say the Lord is surely in the house.
[00:11:14] Welcome to Lake City.

[00:11:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]:
Good morning and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:11:39] If it's your first time joining us this morning, pull out your worship guide on the inside flap as a guest card, fill it out, take it to the Welcome Center, and we have a free gift waiting just for you.
[00:11:48] Thanks so much for being here.

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]:
Hey Lake City Church, today is Life Group Sunday and our groups are now live on the app.
[00:11:55] Download the Church Center app if you haven't yet,
[00:11:57] scroll all the different groups and see what we have available this semester y'all there's like over 65 groups and there's definitely a group for you tonight is our drop-in reception from 5 to 6 p.m you'll be able to head inside grab a dessert drop your kiddos off in the living room go to the auditorium and meet these amazing life group leaders we're so excited to get to know you guys and meet you and we can't wait for you to join the life group

[00:12:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Hey everyone, I just want to remind you as we start life groups this semester that we also have grief share starting up and it's such a great opportunity for anyone that you might know who needs to be a part of this group.
[00:12:34] It will be starting this week so don't miss it Wednesday night at 7 30.
[00:12:38] I know they'd love to have you.

[00:12:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
If you are a man and you know it, this Saturday 8 o'clock we have Ironman Breakfast.
[00:12:44] We have great breakfast, wonderful fellowship, and a great time with each other.
[00:12:50] So be there or be square.

[00:12:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_19]:
Middle School Launch Party, Tuesday, September 16th at 6.30 p.m. We're going to have pizza, games.
[00:12:58] Your middle schooler and their friends will not want to miss this.
[00:13:01] We have been growing so much that we need a separate middle school program for our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
[00:13:07] If you guys have any questions, feel free to email me, daniel at lakecitychurch.

[00:13:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]:
Thanks so much for joining us this morning.
[00:13:13] Make sure to check us out on our socials or at lakecitychurch.org.
[00:13:17] And don't forget, we love you, God loves you, make it a great day.

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
Hey, good morning.
[00:13:23] And it is a great day, right?
[00:13:25] Amen, amen.
[00:13:26] This is a time of the service we just like to give back.
[00:13:29] And on the screen behind me is the four different ways to give.
[00:13:32] But it's also the first Sunday of the month, which makes it Make Room Sunday.
[00:13:36] And those of you that are new, Make Room is an initiative to double the size of our auditorium, double the size of the kids' space, double the size of the parking lot.
[00:13:46] It's like supersize everything.
[00:13:49] and every month I come up here and it's like hey what do I say like there's always this breakthrough mixed with some level of challenge so I'm just going to be honest with you exactly where we are today a couple breakthroughs that we've had one is we have raised through our make room initiative nearly three million dollars so far amen
[00:14:09] For the very first time, we have a formal construction quote, and we could be under contract within the next week with a targeted start date of groundbreaking in the first week of November.
[00:14:24] And then three, all of our plans, site plan, building plans, all of that is under review with the town right now.
[00:14:29] They've gone through rounds of comments.
[00:14:31] And so we're hoping and praying that we would get those final approvals needed so that we can kick off in November.
[00:14:37] But here's the challenge.
[00:14:39] The town hasn't approved our site plan yet.
[00:14:42] and everything is backed up and you know they just because of the growth in mooresville and on friday i just happened to be in that area buying some paint and i've been painting my garage and i and i said you know i'm gonna swing by a town planning office i need an audience with them and i'm like lord
[00:14:58] You need to be with me right now.
[00:15:00] I need to plead the church's case on their behalf.
[00:15:03] And I walk in there and they just ended a meeting and they're like, yeah, come on in.
[00:15:07] And I came in and I got an audience with them and I basically laid our case out and said, look, we really, really need your guys' help here.
[00:15:14] We need some information right away.
[00:15:17] can we all stand this morning you know god is working many different ways and in your own life i know you come here this morning with a mix of challenge and breakthrough in your own life and as we enter into this time of worship i would just say you know what you need to give that challenge to god today amen lord i thank you for what you're doing in this congregation here in mooresville in this surrounding area lord
[00:15:40] And Lord, I just pray that this congregation would give their challenges to you and have faith that you are going to resolve those and make a way.
[00:15:49] And in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Amen!
[00:16:08] Of exultation I was born to lift the name above all else
[00:16:10] You hear the melody of all creation But there's a song of praise that only I can bring And who else is worthy?

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Sing it out!
[00:16:30] Who else is worthy?

[00:16:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
There is no one, only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:16:57] Who else is worthy?
[00:16:58] There is no one, only you, Jesus You are the infinite, God of the ages
[00:17:00] You chose to make my heart Your dwelling place You healed my brokenness Showed me Your blown way Come on So I have songs of thanks Not even angels Sing it out Who else is worthy?

[00:17:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
Who else is worthy?
[00:17:28] There is There is no
[00:17:32] Jesus, who else is worthy?
[00:17:52] Come on.
[00:17:52] Who else is worthy?
[00:17:53] There is no one but you, Jesus.
[00:17:53] Who else is worthy?
[00:17:54] Who else is worthy?
[00:18:06] Who else is worthy and there is none?
[00:18:31] Only our Jesus we sing it out We have a Father, anointed One Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy Come on, let's sing it out!
[00:18:34] Righteous One of Genesis
[00:18:38] All this love, Jesus Christ be lifted up Come on!
[00:19:00] Lamb of God, the way to earth Was and is and is to come Seated on the throne Come on, sing it out!
[00:19:02] Come on, righteous!
[00:19:02] Righteous one, you should
[00:19:44] Who else is worthy?

[00:20:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]:
Come on, let's give them praise in this room.
[00:20:31] Lord, there's no one like you.
[00:20:32] We thank you, God.
[00:20:34] We magnify your name.
[00:20:36] Lord, you are worthy.
[00:20:38] God, I pray that you would just continue what you started in this moment through the rest of the morning.
[00:20:45] In Jesus' name, you guys can take your seats.

[00:20:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
We're at the Life Group Leaders Dinner, and we're asking people, what is your favorite Life Group memory?
[00:20:59] Hey, Gail, what's your favorite Life Group memory?
[00:21:03] Wait a minute.
[00:21:04] When we was telling jokes.

[00:21:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
I'd say our end-of-year ice cream party.

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
When the Mormons showed up to my Life Group.

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Whoa!
[00:21:15] My favorite Life Group memory?
[00:21:18] Yeah.

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Wow.
[00:21:20] Too many to count.
[00:21:25] Hey, Kristen.
[00:21:27] Hey, Kristen.
[00:21:28] Kristen.
[00:21:29] Kristen.
[00:21:30] Kristen.
[00:21:31] Kristen.
[00:21:32] Kristen, wait, wait, wait, wait.
[00:21:33] Hey, I need to ask you a question.
[00:21:34] What is your favorite life group memory?
[00:21:38] Oh.
[00:21:38] Oh no, don't do this!
[00:21:42] Oh no!
[00:21:43] Hey Sue!
[00:21:44] Hi!
[00:21:44] What is your favorite life group memory?
[00:21:48] Um, going out to eat!
[00:21:51] Woohoo!

[00:21:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Oh man, favorite life group memory was probably the first one that we did with Mike and Miranda and making those relationships and all the fun times we had in there.

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
I don't know if I have a specific memory but just the friendships that are forged in the talking about being bolder about life and what you're going through being able to help each other I think that's my favorite part in general.

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]:
We had one occasion where a person who
[00:22:14] Well, good morning, everybody.
[00:22:22] Good morning.

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
I brought my girlfriend with me today.
[00:22:45] Yeah, Dinah, anything you want to say?
[00:22:47] It's been a long time.
[00:22:49] A long time, why?
[00:22:52] How many years, like 52 or 53?
[00:22:56] Oh, that's what you're talking about.
[00:22:59] It's been a long time being with me, is that what you're trying to say?
[00:23:02] It hasn't been easy, I guess, is what she's saying.
[00:23:07] Well, today we want to talk to you about fitting
[00:23:11] In the family, the family of God.
[00:23:14] And so talking about family, today is Grandparents' Day.
[00:23:19] We've got a kind of a small table for two people, don't we?

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Move your stuff.

[00:23:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Move my stuff, okay.
[00:23:25] Did y'all know that today is Grandparents' Day?
[00:23:28] How many of you actually knew that?
[00:23:30] So how many grandparents do we have in the house?
[00:23:32] Let me see your hand.
[00:23:33] Let's give it up for these old guys out there.
[00:23:38] I remember when I thought, grandparents are really old.
[00:23:43] Now I just think they're really cool, right?
[00:23:46] So I want to give a special shout out to grandparents who, in most cases of necessity, have had to step up and be more involved in the raising of your grandchild than you ever expected.
[00:24:02] But I just want to give you a word of encouragement.
[00:24:04] It's making the difference, literally making a difference in that child or those children's lives.
[00:24:12] So, when you talk to a grandparent, there's one thing, and all you younger guys, if you talk to a grandparent, there's one thing you always need to be prepared for, and that is, hold it just a second, we're not quite ready for that, I don't think.
[00:24:31] Are those the angels singing again?
[00:24:33] The one thing that you'll always have to endure is pictures.
[00:24:42] Grandparents always have pictures of their grandkids.
[00:24:46] And so Diane and I, we are grandparents.
[00:24:51] We have four adult children, 16 grandchildren.
[00:24:54] Two of them are in heaven.
[00:24:56] And our first great-grandchild is going to be born next month.
[00:25:01] So you're not only a grandmother, you're going to be a great-grandmother.
[00:25:05] And yes, we have some pictures.
[00:25:10] So, you guys, would you just indulge us for about two minutes because we gotta show you some pictures.
[00:25:17] Now, picture number one.
[00:25:19] Go ahead, you guys.
[00:25:21] There it is.
[00:25:22] That's our whole family.
[00:25:25] That is our family on our 50th wedding anniversary.
[00:25:32] And so there they are.
[00:25:33] We've got a wonderful family.
[00:25:36] We're very proud of each and every one of them.
[00:25:37] And then picture number two.
[00:25:42] All the grandkids.

[00:25:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
And we just want to shout out to these grandkids that are, they're all really serving the Lord.
[00:25:52] Most of the older ones are involved in worship.
[00:25:56] The tall guy up there near Rob Hudson, he just left to go to ministry school in California.

[00:26:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
So we've got a lot of, we don't have any brain surgeons in our family.
[00:26:08] We operate on the other side of the brain, you know what I mean?

[00:26:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Spiritual creativity.

[00:26:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
But we've got some up and coming gospel preachers and teachers there.

[00:26:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Graham, the one next to Hudson there, he just put out his own original song, played all the instruments on it, produced it.
[00:26:25] and I'm just like he's 15 what in the world and Jalen next to him his older brother leads worship for two campuses so I'm really excited that they're just serving God and following Jesus and it's the greatest yes it's the greatest gift yes it's so awesome

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Folks, it doesn't matter how much money you have in the bank account.
[00:26:48] It doesn't matter how many houses, how many toys you have.
[00:26:53] If, in the end, you don't take your family into the ark of salvation, you have not succeeded at doing that one thing that God really wants you to do and do it well.

[00:27:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
and I believe too you know what God redeems things that maybe we didn't have when we were younger and we didn't do the right things but God is the God of redemption and so everyone here that is praying for children or grandchildren to come to Jesus just keep those prayers going I believe God honors the prayers of parents and grandparents and they will be in the kingdom so keep those prayers

[00:27:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Don't stop praying.
[00:27:31] Don't stop praying.
[00:27:32] Well, recently, one of our granddaughters did something that put a smile on our face, and that is that our daughter Hannah and her husband Paul McClure, they recently released their latest Bethel music worship album.
[00:27:50] And our nine-year-old daughter, we call her Maymay, granddaughter, excuse me, was dancing.
[00:27:57] She's learning to dance, and somehow she was captured in this video.
[00:28:02] And so if you would just indulge us just a few more seconds.

[00:28:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Watch this!

[00:28:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
We gotta show you.

[00:30:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Well, we're going to pray over the message, and I really wanted to share that little clip because we're here to sit at the feet of Jesus today.
[00:30:11] We're not here to glorify anyone else but Jesus, and that song captures everything that's important in life, and that is to be at the feet of Jesus.
[00:30:23] So, Father, we thank you for this time that we can gather together and talk about
[00:30:29] God, in Jesus name, Amen.

[00:30:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Amen.
[00:30:52] Well, I told you that grandparents, what they do is they show pictures.
[00:30:57] Thank you for indulging us.
[00:30:59] And secondly, they're proud of their grandkids.
[00:31:03] That's what grandparents do.
[00:31:05] But today we want to talk about the broader family and we want to talk about fitting in the family of God.
[00:31:14] And I want to begin in Ephesians chapter 2 verse number 13 where it says, In Christ Jesus you who were far away had been brought near through the blood of Christ.
[00:31:25] Verse 19 it says,
[00:31:27] You are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.
[00:31:36] The New Living Version says you belong to God's family.
[00:31:42] You belong to God's family.
[00:31:43] So as Christ followers, you are a member of God's family.
[00:31:48] now every one of us we are a member we are members of the human race but more specifically you are a member of a specific family a particular family it may be the Miller family or the Smith family or the Jones family or the Spradley family or whatever your last name is but think about this right now
[00:32:11] God's universal family, His universal body of Christ is comprised of about 3 billion people globally.
[00:32:21] That's a lot of people.
[00:32:22] And there's no way that you can connect with billions of people.
[00:32:28] It's just overwhelming.
[00:32:29] The good thing is that every Christian is also designed to be a part of a local church, a local church body, a local expression of the family of God.
[00:32:42] And so speaking about the figurative body of Christ, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12, 12, he says, "...the body is a unit, though it's made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body."
[00:32:58] So here he's describing a healthy local church as a church where its members are functionally and relationally connected to one another.
[00:33:08] And then he goes on in verse number 14, he says, "...the body is not made up of one part, but of many."
[00:33:15] In verse 18 he says, in fact, God has arranged, some versions says placed, one version says fitted, every one of them just as he wanted them to be.
[00:33:28] Sometimes you hear about people in the yellow pages, anybody remember the telephone book?
[00:33:35] I know you guys you guys don't know what I mean there used to be yellow pages and it used to advertise uh be a part of the church of your choosing and and um
[00:33:47] As I read this scripture, I realize it's really not about your choosing or my choosing.
[00:33:52] It's about his choosing because he's the one who fits us together in the body of Christ.
[00:33:58] And so God has a special place.
[00:34:00] This is what this verse is saying.
[00:34:01] God has a special place reserved for you where you fit perfectly in the body of Christ, the local family.
[00:34:09] Obviously, the family of Lake City Church is a whole, whole lot smaller than the universal church of billions, but you still have to be intentional about connecting and fitting in the family.
[00:34:26] So if I were to make it plain, I would put it like this.
[00:34:30] You don't get fitted in the family just by attending a public service like this and sitting there looking at the back of someone's fuzzy neck.
[00:34:40] That's not how you get fitted.
[00:34:42] You have to intentionally interact with people.
[00:34:45] You have to intentionally do things that help.
[00:34:48] and many more.
[00:35:08] And tonight, between 5 and 6 o'clock, you can be here for a dessert drop-in.
[00:35:13] You can meet the life group leaders.
[00:35:15] You can ask questions.
[00:35:16] You can sign up for a group, and you can leave on a sugar high.
[00:35:21] Woo-hoo!
[00:35:22] So I can't wait to see you here tonight.
[00:35:25] And this semester we have, I don't know, it's about 70 groups.
[00:35:30] And I don't know, do they get this online?

[00:35:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
We'll pass these out when you come tonight.

[00:35:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Yes, and it's a listing, it's a catalog really of all of the groups.
[00:35:41] And let me just... Categorize, yep.
[00:35:43] Yep, we have them categorized in women's groups, a whole bunch of women's groups, a bunch of men's groups.
[00:35:50] Here's a nifty new group for men.
[00:35:52] It's called Men of the Mountains.
[00:35:57] That's for guys who like to hunt and fish and camp and all that kind of stuff.
[00:36:01] Boy, that sounds like fun.
[00:36:02] If you're a lady, you're sitting there thinking, no way.
[00:36:06] We've got plenty of groups for women.
[00:36:08] We get hotels for the women.
[00:36:10] Okay, well, you guys stay in the hotels.
[00:36:12] Here's one.
[00:36:13] It's a homeschool hangout life group for all you homeschoolers.
[00:36:18] That's cool.
[00:36:19] There's a place for you.
[00:36:20] Hey, and for you older guys, here's 50-plus groups.
[00:36:25] Yeah.
[00:36:27] We wouldn't qualify for that, would we, hon?
[00:36:31] You've got support groups like Grief Share.
[00:36:34] Diana spoke about that on the video.
[00:36:37] And food and health groups.
[00:36:38] Dinner and Worship Connection.
[00:36:40] Wow.
[00:36:41] All of these groups.
[00:36:42] Here's one.
[00:36:43] I know you guys will love this.
[00:36:45] It's called Firepower.
[00:36:48] This is a shooting group for men and women.
[00:36:50] You have to be at least 13 years of age and up, and you can go out and shoot stuff.
[00:36:56] I don't know what they're going to shoot, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun.
[00:36:59] And there's a group, a financial group, where professional wealth managers can help you.
[00:37:05] You say, well, I've got so much money, I don't know what to do with it.
[00:37:09] Well, good, because that group is just for you.
[00:37:12] You may say, well, I don't have any money and I need to make some.
[00:37:16] That group is just for you.
[00:37:18] Check it out.
[00:37:19] But all of these groups, and what a variety that we have.
[00:37:22] And just a second, Diane is going to take us a little deeper and tell us more about how we can work on fitting in the family.

[00:37:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Yeah, there's only one way to fit in God's family, and that is to gather in small groups, to meet with people in a smaller setting.
[00:37:41] Because when we're sitting in church, there's only a few people you can talk to.
[00:37:44] Have you noticed the lobby's so crowded when you go out there?
[00:37:48] You can barely move or speak to people.
[00:37:50] But I love what Paul said.
[00:37:52] He said,
[00:37:54] Make my joy complete by becoming like-minded, being one in spirit, one in mind.
[00:38:01] In Romans 12, 10, it says, Be devoted to one another in love.
[00:38:06] Honor one another above yourself.
[00:38:09] And so the only way we can practice these words is to get together with small groups of people.
[00:38:16] And every time Rob and I, we get together with other people in the church and just fellowship and share what God's saying, it's so exciting and it's so inspiring and it just builds fire and passion within us.
[00:38:34] I love that he says, be devoted to one another in love.
[00:38:38] You can't do that by just coming to church one day a week.
[00:38:42] You've got to be here and meet people.
[00:38:45] Don't be afraid.
[00:38:46] Step out in some new territory.
[00:38:49] God wants to give you new territory, but you've got to start walking in it first.
[00:38:54] I love what he says about
[00:38:57] Honor others above yourself.
[00:38:59] The culture of this world says make yourself great.
[00:39:02] It's like do everything you can to exalt yourself.
[00:39:06] But Jesus says make other people great.
[00:39:09] Do for others like you would want to do for yourself.
[00:39:13] And so it starts with connecting with other people, other people in the body.
[00:39:19] And I just feel like, I feel so strongly about this.
[00:39:25] Rob and I have...
[00:39:26] We've always had life groups, small groups in our churches for the last 50 years, and we will continue until Jesus comes, which could be very soon.
[00:39:36] And so we want to be ready.
[00:39:38] We want to be unified.
[00:39:40] A couple things that life groups and small groups do, it brings that like-mindedness.
[00:39:47] It helps us to be one in spirit and heart.
[00:39:50] It gives us unity of purpose.
[00:39:53] And when we show love to each other, when we start working together, like I think one of the greatest times is serving together too.
[00:40:03] And you can join our Celebrate Recovery food team if you want.
[00:40:08] but we have the best time serving together because we are working for one purpose and that's to build the kingdom and it's not about building ourselves it's about building that kingdom of God so I am super excited about what God's doing he's given us more leaders more groups we have everything from art to
[00:40:31] Bible studies, a lot of Bible studies, men's groups, women's groups, all kinds of things that you need to come tonight and just check out the different groups because God, He brought us into His household.
[00:40:45] Think about that for a moment.
[00:40:46] Like, we are part of the divine family.
[00:40:50] and it's up to us to become a part of it to jump in and I want to share this little word I have a little book of important Hebrew words to know and that I'm not real good with that but um one of the words that I read a while back is anava anava and
[00:41:12] The translation that we get in our English version is humility.
[00:41:16] That word humility comes forth.
[00:41:18] But the true Hebrew meaning of this word is to occupy your God-given space.
[00:41:26] And just think about that for a moment.
[00:41:29] Occupy your God-given space.
[00:41:31] We got to start in the church.
[00:41:33] We got to start in the body of Christ.
[00:41:36] And I totally believe
[00:41:38] Many people are searching for identity and they need to find it here in the family of God.
[00:41:45] You know what?
[00:41:45] God can share something with you, but you need people around you who love you and will affirm what God is calling you to do and who God is calling you to be and what God has for your life, your callings.
[00:42:00] They're so important.
[00:42:02] So when we meet with other people, we have this
[00:42:06] Spirit of passion for Jesus and we have this growing I don't know just a joy to be with the family of God it's like whenever I meet with my group on Saturday mornings with the women I just feel like we have so much joy and excitement about what God's doing and we we just can't wait to see what God's gonna do and and the things he does through in
[00:42:32] And I'll just mention this real quick.
[00:42:36] Interesting little scripture in the New Testament that says, And I think it's easy to sit here on Sunday morning and look really great and
[00:42:49] But then there's some of us that are going through a huge trial and you're afraid to say anything because you feel like you're the only person going through this hard time.
[00:43:01] But there's so many people in here that are going through the same things.
[00:43:05] And when we get together in a smaller group and we can talk about stuff and we can pray for each other and the Word says that when we confess these things, we are healed.
[00:43:17] Like, I think that's healing in spirit, in soul, and in body.
[00:43:22] So, it's so many things that happen when we connect with each other in the body of Christ.
[00:43:28] It's so powerful.

[00:43:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Amen, amen.
[00:43:33] There's so much more we could say, but Diana has a little video that she wants.

[00:43:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Are you ready to introduce that?
[00:43:39] I do want to share one more thing.
[00:43:40] Well, you better keep going then.
[00:43:42] And then I'm going to introduce the video, but I just...
[00:43:46] We were talking about Grandparents' Day, and I feel like just as important as physical parents and grandparents is spiritual grandparents and parents.
[00:43:57] And you can be an aunt or an uncle.
[00:44:00] You can be a brother or sister.
[00:44:02] You know, we're all related by the blood of Jesus.
[00:44:07] It's not physical.
[00:44:09] It's divine intervention that Jesus came, He shed His blood for us, and now we're all related.
[00:44:16] And I just feel like...
[00:44:18] Thank you, Gail.
[00:44:19] Whoo!
[00:44:21] I just feel like there's such a need.
[00:44:24] I love, like, just adopting younger gals.
[00:44:27] I have so many spiritual grandkids now, and I just love being a part of their lives and encouraging them to find what God has for them.
[00:44:39] And I think every one of us, we have that space that we need to fill, and nobody else can fill it but you.
[00:44:46] So we're going to share this video real quick from Mike and Miranda about joining a life group.

[00:44:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]:
Hey, Lake City.
[00:44:54] Happy Life Group Sunday.
[00:44:55] You guys already know, but life groups are such a big deal here at Lake City Church.
[00:44:59] Pastor Rob and Diana have thoughtfully designed these life groups to literally bring life.
[00:45:05] I know that sounds silly, but that's what these groups do.
[00:45:08] and the Holy Spirit.
[00:45:26] These are the people that you do life with, that when the going gets hard, when times are just so tough, these are the people that you call.
[00:45:34] And even for the good stuff, the fun stuff, the laughter, the really special things that life group and community brings, that's what we want you guys here to have at Lake City Church.
[00:45:45] We don't want you guys to feel lost in the shuffle.
[00:45:47] We want you to find your people and find your community and we know you guys can do that with a life group here at Lake City Church.
[00:45:53] Find me, find Micah, find Pastor Diana, any of us.
[00:45:57] We are so happy to point you in the right direction and find the group that's right for you because there's one.
[00:46:03] There's definitely a group for you.
[00:46:04] There's probably multiple groups for you.

[00:46:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
and like she said we don't believe that you have to be in a life group to be a Christian or even to attend Lake City but we do believe it's essential because it is a way where we can take the big church make it small build community it's biblical Jesus did it that's the reason why he had 12 disciples it was guys that he could do life with and in our experience
[00:46:24] The people that we've done life with through these groups, the relationships that are built mean more to us than actually even the meetings because we've been through some really tough things together with just one being the loss of my dad and just the way that our group showed up during that was essential to how we recovered from that.
[00:46:42] and so we encourage you guys sign up take time to get plugged in you don't have to just leave the doors when church is over you can build community here it's a great way to feel connected to feel wanted to feel needed and it's a great way to just make new friends that become family so we encourage you sign up for one two as many groups that stand out to you that you can fit into your busy schedule and commit to and watch what God can do through these life groups in your life yeah this is what church is all about you guys join a life group

[00:47:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
All right, so you guys go ahead and stand up with us.
[00:47:19] In just a second, Diana's going to pray.
[00:47:22] She's going to pray over all the life groups that are going to be launching, and everybody who's going to be a part of a life group.
[00:47:30] I also want to mention that you can go online, you can go on the church website, and you can see all the groups.
[00:47:37] The church app.
[00:47:38] They can see them.
[00:47:40] Can they see them on the website?

[00:47:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Yeah, they can see them on the website, but get the church app.
[00:47:43] Download the church app if you don't have it because that's where communication happens between the life groups and the people.

[00:47:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
I don't know if I have it or not.
[00:47:52] I should get the church app.
[00:47:56] Yeah, you have it.
[00:47:57] Oh, I do have it.
[00:47:58] Okay, well.
[00:47:59] We're going to pray.
[00:48:00] Diana's going to pray.
[00:48:02] And we are so excited.
[00:48:04] Couldn't be more excited about this fall semester of Life Groups.
[00:48:07] It's going to be the biggest, the best ever.
[00:48:09] And so, Diana, would you just pray as we get ready to launch this semester?

[00:48:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]:
Father we thank you again that we are part of your divine family and Lord we want to do all that we can to fill our space in your family we want to support others around us and we know that when we're going through struggles that you have people that can encourage us even today right now Lord as as people may be struggling with different things God
[00:48:38] Bring us into those closer relationships.
[00:48:40] I pray that you would give us courage to step out and try new groups and become a part of what you're doing at Lake City Church.
[00:48:49] So, Lord, we thank you.
[00:48:51] We bless these life groups.
[00:48:52] We pray that you would be honored and glorified in all that is said and done in Jesus' name.
[00:48:58] Amen.

[00:48:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]:
Amen.
[00:48:59] Can you all give a thank you to Sister Diana here?
[00:49:05] Thank you, babe.
[00:49:08] If you're a guest this morning, one of the things we do every Sunday morning is we share together in the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.
[00:49:15] So once again this morning, we're going to receive the elements.
[00:49:20] And during Communion, it reminds us of the fact that God the Father loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus.
[00:49:28] And Jesus loved us so much that He surrendered His body, He sacrificed His body for us.
[00:49:36] and the Bible says that without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins and so Father in just a moment as we receive these emblems Lord we are reminded of that little cracker that that speaks to us of the body of Jesus that was bruised and broken for us and the cup it reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed so that our sins could be forgiven so God today once again Lord may you help us remember
[00:50:05] What you have done for us.
[00:50:07] Help us to remember your great love.
[00:50:09] If there's anyone here today who is doubting your love, may they sense your love surround them in a big way today.
[00:50:16] Lord, help us to remember that our sins are forgiven only because of the blood of Jesus.
[00:50:22] Father, we thank you.
[00:50:23] We pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus.
[00:50:28] Thank you Lord.
[00:50:29] Amen.

[00:50:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
I love you, Lord, for your mercy never fails me And all my days have been held in your hands From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head
[00:51:14] Oh I will sing of the goodness of God Cause all my life you have been faithful And all my life you have been so, so good
[00:51:46] I will sing of the goodness of God I love your voice You have led me through the fire In darkest nights You are close like no other I've known you as a father
[00:52:14] I've known you as a friend And I have lived in the goodness of God For my life you have been faithful

[00:52:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
Your goodness is running after, it's running after me Your goodness is running after, it's running after me With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now I'll give You everything Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
[00:53:35] The goodness He's running after, He's running after

[00:54:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
All my life you have been faithful And all my life you have been so, so With every breath I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God I'm gonna sing hallelujah

[00:55:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God we thank you for this season of life we're in in our homes in this church God what an honor and privilege it is to be a part God I pray that you open our hearts and our minds to receive what you have for us Lord but also give us clarity in this season of what group to join what group to be a part of what group to build relationships with
[00:55:54] Lord, we trust you in the process.
[00:55:57] And we give this time to you in Jesus' name.
[00:55:59] Amen and amen.
[00:56:02] Lake City Church, we love you.
[00:56:04] God loves you.
[00:56:04] Make it a great week.