A Call to Oneness: Waging the Good Warfare of Faith

01:41:41:24 – 01:42:07:08
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All right. So I am here today feeling like there is a a challenge by God on on us, on our church. And that challenge is related to this community idea, this community concept, because it’s what what Jesus has been all about.

01:42:07:10 – 01:42:32:25
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And there’s a there’s a reality to this that is hard for us to, to deal with sometimes because the reality of that is God’s community is different from the one we are so accustomed to. It is it is a.

01:42:32:27 – 01:43:06:07
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It is an intent of God to bring oneness to his creation. And so there’s this this idea of community where, you know, there’s connection and relationship and those sorts of things that we talked about that are so good and, and, expected. But then there’s this understanding of community where you’re literally one with someone and that’s not a normal concept.

01:43:06:13 – 01:43:20:18
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That’s that’s not something we just grasp. That’s a, that’s a, difficult thing for us to wrap our heads around.

01:43:20:20 – 01:43:42:09
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But we’re watching struggle in our world. We’re watching conflict show up and in every place where that conflict shows up there becomes an opportunity of division.

01:43:42:11 – 01:43:57:29
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Or love and. Everything about what God is asking of his church is to bring love.

01:43:58:01 – 01:44:03:17
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A man that is tough.

01:44:03:20 – 01:44:21:07
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If you understood my morning, you would understand how true this is. Someone I love dearly, at odds with me and me with them.

01:44:21:09 – 01:44:42:19
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Why? What is able to do that? We’re in one moment. You’re in love. And in the next moment you want to walk away from each other. It wasn’t my wife. You guys.

01:44:42:21 – 01:44:46:12
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But truly, somebody I love.

01:44:46:14 – 01:45:03:08
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And it’s. It’s amazing to me that a situation that had nothing to do with the relationship can cause division.

01:45:03:11 – 01:45:32:26
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Now God understands this and he’s not bothered by it, right? He’s created a plan that really has solved this. And we’re we’re walking this out trying to figure out how to do life together. And these are the these are the realities of these challenges. We fight about what it should look like. Sometimes we fight about how things should function.

01:45:32:29 – 01:45:55:15
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We fight about, you know, who should be included. All these fights are affecting relationships. All right. So it’s pretty pretty simple, pretty clear. But furthering God’s kingdom is what we’re called to do.

01:45:55:18 – 01:46:42:12
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And as Pastor Shelly preached last week that there’s a time that we’re stepping into there’s a timing of God. I believe there is a timing of God releasing the revelation of this oneness, where we actually see ourselves the way he sees us. And when we when we start to grasp that, we start to wrap our heads around the situations that are causing division because it’s it’s in that place that we have some decisions to make.

01:46:42:14 – 01:47:06:26
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Our world is displaying chaos and fear. But we have to respond with peace and love with joy and confidence.

01:47:06:28 – 01:47:12:15
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So I need to to figure out here how to,

01:47:12:18 – 01:47:24:21
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Step into our our new year. All right. We’ve got we’ve got some fasting planned. We’ve got some prayer planned.

01:47:24:23 – 01:47:28:12
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And I believe that.

01:47:28:14 – 01:47:50:28
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We we walk in this understanding that as we do life, things are only going to get worse. So we’re watching some crazy things happen right now. And the the sense is what can we do about it?

01:47:51:00 – 01:48:01:05
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What can we really do? It’s only going to get worse. So what’s the point in trying?

01:48:01:08 – 01:48:16:00
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Now that to me, May is maybe is a helpful statement to some. Maybe it’s the reality and we just got to accept it.

01:48:16:03 – 01:48:42:27
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But then I read a scripture like like Matthew 513 where Jesus says, you are the salt of the earth, but if that salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled upon.

01:48:42:29 – 01:48:52:08
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And he says, you are the light of the world, a city built on a hill that cannot be hid.

01:48:52:11 – 01:49:04:00
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Now I, I read the Scripture and in context with, you know, the world growing darker and things getting worse.

01:49:04:02 – 01:49:40:27
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I hear this statement that you’re the salt, that you’re the light. And if the salt loses its flavor, then it’s good for nothing but to be trampled upon. Now, I’ve grown up in America where I feel like the church has lost a lot of its relevance and a lot of situations, and people trample on it. It’s no longer good for use in their minds.

01:49:41:00 – 01:49:52:20
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And I can agree with that. I can agree that there’s definitely some some error that has caused some destruction.

01:49:52:22 – 01:49:57:27
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But I’m hearing a challenge about salt.

01:49:58:00 – 01:50:25:11
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That doesn’t lose its flavor, that doesn’t lose its saltiness. I’m I’m hearing a call about a light that is built on a hill that can’t be hidden. And it’s it’s this challenge that we have got to understand as we step forward.

01:50:25:13 – 01:50:42:29
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I believe this time for fasting is this opportunity to reset at the start of the year, to really rethink our lives. A bit? Has this that we get to lock into?

01:50:43:01 – 01:51:16:05
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I think about the word that Katara shared, you know, with what happened with pastor Bob, that that was a shock to our hearts. And I believe it was for this purpose that we would not lose our saltiness, that we would be a light on the hill, and that no matter what does happen in our world around us, we’re not victims to the crisis.

01:51:16:07 – 01:51:50:08
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We are, in fact, strong in faith and walking with strength and carrying a confidence and a peace that brings some flavor, that brings some direction, that enables people to go, wow, I need to be there. I need, I need to be a part of this. This is this is true.

01:51:50:10 – 01:52:18:02
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So that’s where I think we’re headed. All right. That’s where we’re headed for, 2026. God’s calling us up. So turn to your Bibles. If you wouldn’t mind, first Timothy one verse 15 is where I want to go. And what we’re, talking about here is, a letter that Paul wrote at this point in time. He had already been in prison once.

01:52:18:05 – 01:52:36:19
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He’s dealing with false teaching, infiltrating the church. He’s dealing with cultural influences. Pressing in on the order of the church. And these are, important things that he has to address.

01:52:36:21 – 01:52:56:24
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So verse 15, he says here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst and.

01:52:56:26 – 01:53:02:09
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And I don’t disagree with you.

01:53:02:11 – 01:53:41:15
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But for that reason I was showing mercy, so that in me the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, that by recalling them you may fight the battle well.

01:53:41:18 – 01:54:10:23
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Holding on to faith and a good conscience. In another translation, it says, you may wage the good warfare. So Paul is giving an instruction to Timothy to fight the battle. Well, to be a soldier for the faith, holding on to what is true. You know, how about that with Matt’s prophetic word today? Lining up with what God has put in my heart.

01:54:10:25 – 01:54:26:19
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This is our instruction as we live out our lives in this time, where there is all this uncertainty, where world events are deadly. God’s people has an opportunity to shine.

01:54:26:21 – 01:54:55:03
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We must fight the good warfare of faith with justice, peace and joy. We are called to wage not warfare, but the good warfare. This is where God’s calling us that warfare is holding on to our faith.

01:54:55:05 – 01:55:08:22
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With a good conscience. That word holding there comes from the Greek word echo. So, right. We’ll see.

01:55:08:24 – 01:55:29:21
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And it means to possess. Hold a view, regard a certain opinion. The good warfare is thought oriented. It directs our decisions and actions. But more importantly, it positions us for use.

01:55:29:24 – 01:55:38:12
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Good conscience. The word there as soon I desus maybe.

01:55:38:14 – 01:56:11:03
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Having moral judgment. Distinguishing of good and bad. We’re called as soldiers. That that word comes from fight. It’s referring to men who take position as soldiers. Right. They understand what their purpose is.

01:56:11:05 – 01:56:23:24
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This warfare, for Paul, is the struggle to accomplish what God asks of us, and the challenge to do it with a good conscience.

01:56:23:27 – 01:56:43:27
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The soldier holding on to what is true begins from a place of humility and need. You see, Paul said that he was the worst of sinners. Now this is where most people are getting hung up.

01:56:44:00 – 01:56:50:04
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Sometimes we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to.

01:56:50:06 – 01:57:24:23
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Proverbs three seven says, do not be wise in your own eyes. James 416 says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 2923 pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. Now I have no problem agreeing with the fact that I’m the worst sinner, right? It actually does a lot for me because I discover something.

01:57:24:25 – 01:57:30:01
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I discover that nothing about this walk is because of me.

01:57:30:04 – 01:57:35:18
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And what it also does is allows me.

01:57:35:21 – 01:57:40:27
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To accept and appreciate others.

01:57:40:29 – 01:58:17:14
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It’s interesting that that Paul says it is Christ Jesus that came in the world to save sinners. God is focusing on saving the sinner, not the righteous. Now this is totally opposite of how we do life when we’re thinking about who we’re going to marry, when we’re thinking about who we’re going to hire, when we’re thinking about who we’re going to be a roommate with, when we’re thinking about who we want to, you know, hang out with.

01:58:17:16 – 01:58:49:01
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We are not looking for the sinners. We are looking for people that maybe are really considerate about other people’s space. We’re looking for people that understand responsibility and are going to show up when they say they’re going to show up. We’re we’re really looking for righteous people to do life with. You know, you actually want to protect your kids from bad influences.

01:58:49:04 – 01:59:31:29
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You want them to be friends with kids that have respect. You want them to be friends with kids that embrace responsibility or are concerned about their future and are not rejecting wisdom. Right? That’s not an easy, you know, young person defined. But those are the the friends you want your kids to have. Right. It takes a lot of wisdom to stand in that kind of a position, to stand in a position where you, you view yourself as a soldier with a purpose.

01:59:32:01 – 01:59:37:28
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Right? That’s that’s what is being discussed here.

01:59:38:00 – 01:59:51:06
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But Jesus came into the world to save sinners. So the people he’s looking for are you and I.

01:59:51:08 – 02:00:08:13
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All right. This is a reality to the situation. Ultimately, none are righteous. As Romans tells us, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

02:00:08:15 – 02:00:49:25
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So really, the war that God is fighting is not against creation. He’s not fighting against the the creation that he’s so in love with. He’s fighting against the sin that is affecting the decisions that his creation is making. Right. He’s really mad about that, that there’s been a disturbance to his order, that there’s been a perversion to truth, that there’s been this unsettling of his perfect creation and that unsettling his sin.

02:00:49:28 – 02:01:00:16
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And again, we all stand here as sinners saved by grace.

02:01:00:19 – 02:01:09:08
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The reason that’s helpful is because until you learn this, your life is very fragile.

02:01:09:10 – 02:01:16:09
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If you’re not starting at this point of humility and need for him.

02:01:16:12 – 02:01:41:28
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Then you literally walk from a place of self attainment. You walk from a position that behaves as though you might be better than somebody else. And what that does is it gives you the ability to look down on somebody because they’re not making good decisions. It’s obvious.

02:01:42:00 – 02:01:48:05
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But why are we able to make good decisions?

02:01:48:07 – 02:02:03:07
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What is it that’s happening? Well, at some point you had a revelation. At some point. You came to a conclusion and that conclusion was.

02:02:03:10 – 02:02:09:22
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That there is a God and that he needed to be your God.

02:02:09:25 – 02:02:14:23
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Not just somebody bailing you out.

02:02:14:26 – 02:02:31:06
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You know, I was reading up on the The Ten Commandments and it’s really interesting. What is the first commandment?

02:02:31:09 – 02:03:01:11
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Yeah. Jesus. Jesus says all the commandments can be summed up into two to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and then to love your neighbor. Right. So all the commandments get summed up there. But when you read the list in the Old Testament of the Ten Commandments, the first commandment is I am the Lord your God.

02:03:01:13 – 02:03:08:12
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It doesn’t even sound like a commandment. That sounds like a statement.

02:03:08:14 – 02:03:25:04
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But that statement. Is necessary for other every other statement to follow. Without that statement, it’s actually impossible for you to have a right or wrong.

02:03:25:06 – 02:04:11:19
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It’s it’s it’s necessary to have the Lord calling the shots. But we don’t operate like that. We don’t operate with the Lord calling the shots. We operate as gods unto ourselves. With the privilege of navigating right or wrong through our logical, astute intellect that sets us above the person next to us that can’t seem to make good decisions.

02:04:11:21 – 02:04:30:11
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It’s logical. Why are you doing that? You know, it just makes sense not to steal. It just makes sense not to cheat until it doesn’t.

02:04:30:13 – 02:04:37:14
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Until you feel like you deserve something.

02:04:37:17 – 02:04:45:11
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I’m gonna. I’m gonna chit chat at work and get paid for it.

02:04:45:13 – 02:05:00:20
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Well, you can. I don’t think that’s part of the job description, but you just robbed your employer of time.

02:05:00:22 – 02:05:31:13
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But I love that commandment. Don’t steal. And I really like when people don’t steal from me. You see the problem with this, statement about moral, good conscience, right? As we get into that, that’s a understanding of right or wrong. You can’t have that understanding of right or wrong unless the Lord is your God, and the Lord is not your God.

02:05:31:16 – 02:06:01:19
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If your your, grappling with your privileges. This is a position that we have to understand. It is a necessary position for us to step into the mercy of God.

02:06:01:21 – 02:06:16:11
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And then for the mercy of God to flow freely from us, because he is the Lord, and I am his creation.

02:06:16:14 – 02:06:48:17
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We gain everything. And when we step into that place, we become a part of his plan. And then we we are positioned to release this great thing called the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. We’re learning all about it, and we’re spending a lot of time trying to understand it because it is so good.

02:06:48:19 – 02:07:30:18
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The Kingdom of God is the fullness of God and the glory of God, and the completeness of God being released in the earth and the earth is demonstrating a lot of need and a lot of chaos and a lot of conflict, a lot of poverty, a lot of pain, a lot of hate. The only response to any of this has to be that the Lord my God is who I trust, and I will follow him.

02:07:30:21 – 02:07:56:24
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In verse 19 it says, which some have rejected, and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are harmonious. And Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. All right. So there is a reality that your faith can be shipwrecked.

02:07:56:26 – 02:08:17:27
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What? That what that means is you lost sight of who you are. And until you come back to the agreement that the Lord is your God, your faith gets shipwrecked and things go really bad.

02:08:17:29 – 02:08:56:11
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Not permanently. Just until you realize again that the Lord is God, but until you realize that again the pain of of your life is very real. So then it goes into chapter two and he says, I urge then first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people, the kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness.

02:08:56:13 – 02:09:33:28
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This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. This is where I want to learn today, that we can respond to this urging of the Lord to draw close, to draw close in prayer, that we would recognize our opportunity to shine in a world that’s just getting darker and darker.

02:09:34:00 – 02:09:57:23
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And that world getting darker and darker, needs some light and needs some salt. And as long as we exist, may we rise in courage. Pastor Bob’s declaration today that he has not been afraid.

02:09:57:25 – 02:10:40:08
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That’s where we want to be. Where he arrived. We get to be there when we understand who our Lord is and who we are. We are his creation, and we get the opportunity to shine. But that shining comes through our faith. That the understanding that I am the worst of sinners. But I’m saved. And that I get to live in freedom with a good conscience, with a good decision making capacity.

02:10:40:10 – 02:10:45:21
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Because I follow him.

02:10:45:24 – 02:11:22:24
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It’s not a condemnation message. And if if I’m putting, fear into somebody, I need to. I need to speak to that. God so loved the world, and he continues to love us no matter what we’re doing. It doesn’t mean that our bad decisions don’t have consequences that affect people next to us. It just means we are captured by his love and we get the opportunity to shine.

02:11:22:27 – 02:11:26:29
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It’s just decision making.

02:11:27:01 – 02:11:30:15
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Let him be Lord.

02:11:30:17 – 02:12:04:25
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We get to respond to him with prayer. So shall come on up. We’re going to we’re going to step into this this month, you guys. Just put in some opportunity for challenge out there, and, I’ll let shell take it over. Yeah. So I’ll try to make this quick, but, we are going to be setting aside some intentional time for prayer and fasting this month of January, not just to add something else to do or just to check a box for some spiritual activity.

02:12:04:25 – 02:12:29:05
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And, you know, the beginning of the year is something we have to do. It’s not. It’s really about recentering our lives around God’s presence. So, prayer is going to be our primary focus. It’s really how we draw near. It’s how we realign our hearts under his rule. And fasting supports that posture by helping us remove distractions and create space to pay attention.

02:12:29:07 – 02:12:49:29
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Space for him in our lives. So throughout this month, we’re going to have some corporate prayer opportunities where we can gather together. So, we’re going to do this for the month of January and really put our focus into prayer. And we’ll send this out as well. But God, please. Well, that was really small. It was really big on my PowerPoint.

02:12:49:29 – 02:13:12:28
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So I’m not sure how that got so small. It was like the whole thing, like, really long, so that’s okay. I’ll just read it to you. We’re going to have Wednesday nights. We’re going to get together between 7 and 830 here in the sanctuary. Four weeks for the next four weeks. So instead of engage in the fellowship hall, we’re going to ask that everybody come corporately and join us if you can.

02:13:13:04 – 02:13:38:02
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And we’re going to pray. We have some morning prayer opportunities both Tuesday and Thursday mornings. In the chapel at 630. And then Monday through Friday at noon, we have a team of guys that gets together already. So I want to challenge you guys. If you’re available, get to the chapel with Pastor David and Jim and chair by, to pray into what God is doing in this season.

02:13:38:05 – 02:14:00:01
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Saturday mornings, the Joleen and Eric Lemke have opened up their home. They are in Sonora. We’ll send out that address, at 1030 in the morning for an opportunity to prayer. And you guys, the chapel is open every day. Every day. So if there if you have a break, if you’ve got a minute, swing by five minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, whatever it is, really.

02:14:00:01 – 02:14:25:21
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Let’s dedicate this time to really pray into what God’s doing. And then we’re going to just end our month of prayer, with a worship night on the 30th, at 7:00 here in the sanctuary. So we’ll get we’ll get this all sent out to you guys. But, we also want to invite everyone to join us in fasting in a whatever way feels appropriate to you, whether that’s food, whether that’s media, other daily habits.

02:14:25:26 – 02:14:46:27
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But use this time for intentional prayer. There’s a lot of teaching on fasting. We’re not going to go through it, but if you’ve got questions on it, come and talk to us myself. Pastor Pat loves to teach on fasting. Our spirit school, team, there’s some fantastic teachings, and we’d be happy to to share this with you.

02:14:46:27 – 02:15:07:13
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If you’re new or you need to have a greater understanding in it. And it’s not this one size fits all approach, right. It’s just an invitation to create space to seek God. That’s really what this is. Prayer is how we speak with God and listen for his voice. Fasting helps us quiet the noise so that prayer can be focused.

02:15:07:16 – 02:15:33:16
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Amen. So we’re not fasting instead of praying. We’re not praying instead of fasting, right? We are fasting in order to pray. Yeah. Does that make sense, you guys? Awesome. So through prayer, we open our lives to God. Through fasting. We make room for that prayer to take root, and together it slows us down to listen and seek first the kingdom.

02:15:33:19 – 02:16:06:19
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Amen. So we’re actually going to have different prayer topics for each week. And we’ll send send a more robust opportunity out for the week. I’m going to I was going to do a little bit more, but I think we’ll just get through this real quick. Week one this week. This first week is going to be about reordering our hearts, and our main scripture is Hebrews 1019 through 22 says, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart, with the full assurance of faith that faith brings, having a heart sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience, and having our bodies washed with pure water.

02:16:06:21 – 02:16:26:03
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Week two. Like I said, we’ll send it out and lots of other stuff with it is going to be listening for God’s direction. We see Proverbs three five and six says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you what path to take.

02:16:26:05 – 02:16:53:17
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I love this, it’s this week isn’t about God blessing our plans, but it’s about God asking him to establish our steps. Asking God to establish our steps. I think that’s a really distinct difference. We can say, God bless us in all the things I want to do, or we can ask him to establish our steps. Week three we’re going to be going into unity one body under one king.

02:16:53:19 – 02:17:17:27
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Ephesians four four through six says, for there is one body and one spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for a future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and living through all. Week four we’re calling. I’m calling it faithful in the in-between.

02:17:17:29 – 02:17:45:23
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Jeremiah 29 seven says, work for the well-being of the city where I have sent you, and pray to the Lord for this. For if it is well with the city you live in, it will be well with you. So often we want to blame escape all the different things, but this is where we bring things into real life.

02:17:45:23 – 02:18:06:12
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Praying into where God has placed us. You know, most of our faith isn’t lived in big moments. It’s lived in the in-between. It’s lived in our jobs. It’s lived in our homes. It’s lived in our schools. You know, so we’re going to be praying into those places of our community where we live it out, praying for and living faithfully in those places.

02:18:06:14 – 02:18:26:13
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And we want to invite everybody to take part in praying daily. Join us in fasting if you are able, especially this first week where we’re really centering Recentering our hearts on the Lord. I just want to challenge us to really pray about what God wants us to fast. And then whatever God leads you for the rest of the month is great too.

02:18:26:16 – 02:18:49:14
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But there’s just something about setting some things apart so that we can focus on him in this season where we’re launching into the new year. So as we step into go ahead and start playing, as we step into this month of prayer and fasting, first, it’s important to remember why we are able to draw near to him at all, right?

02:18:49:16 – 02:18:54:03
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Because Jesus paid it all.

02:18:54:06 – 02:19:16:09
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So I know we’ve talked schedules and and weeks of things, but before we really enter into a week of prayer, we really wanted to a month of prayer. We really wanted to do communion together. Hebrews reminds us that we come with confidence, not because of our own efforts or our own discipline, but because Jesus has already made a way.

02:19:16:12 – 02:19:48:10
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Yeah. Jesus already made a way. And like Pastor Jonathan said a few moments ago, we don’t begin from a place of strength and self-confidence. We begin from a place of humility and need. It’s easy to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Right. But communion brings us back. It brings us back to remind us that it doesn’t start with what we’re doing, but it starts with what Christ has already done.

02:19:48:12 – 02:20:05:16
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So before we ask God to reorder our steps, before we ask him for direction, before we talk about unity or faithfulness. Heart. Pray for our community. We want to come to the table.

02:20:05:18 – 02:20:27:13
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And be reminded and remember what he did for us, because it’s the only reason we’re here today. We have to come from a place of humility, knowing that yes, I’m a sinner. The most like Paul said. Or Pastor Jonathan said.

02:20:27:15 – 02:20:37:18
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But he provided a way. He provided forgiveness. He provided mercy. He provided grace.

02:20:37:20 – 02:20:41:20
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And that’s what it’s all about.

02:20:41:22 – 02:20:51:28
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The grace before the effort. The presence before the purpose. It’s all about his presence.

02:20:52:01 – 02:21:29:08
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It’s all about his presence. So as we begin this year together, we come humbly asking God to remove anything that divides us to help us receive what he wants us to do. What he wants to work in us for this year. So we’re going to come to the table. I’m going to grab my communion.

02:21:29:11 – 02:21:38:05
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Do you have my.

02:21:38:07 – 02:21:43:00
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There’s more in the back if you need to go grab it.

02:21:43:02 – 02:21:49:08
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But first Corinthians 11.

02:21:49:10 – 02:22:19:12
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Verse 27 says, therefore, whoever eats this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, and in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. So let a man examine himself, and let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment, not discerning the Lord’s body.

02:22:19:14 – 02:22:42:07
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For this reason many are weak. Many are sick, and some sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. So before we take communion, I want to just take a minute.

02:22:42:10 – 02:22:56:03
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And ask us to let down the walls. Let down the barriers, let down the divisions.

02:22:56:05 – 02:23:03:28
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The places of frustration. The places of hate, bitterness.

02:23:04:00 – 02:23:10:04
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That will prevent us from moving into the next thing that God has for us.

02:23:10:07 – 02:23:15:04
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This is just between you and God.

02:23:15:07 – 02:23:25:25
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Letting go and forgiveness isn’t isn’t something that requires another person. It’s between you and God.

02:23:25:28 – 02:24:02:03
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Letting it go, opening our hand. Not letting it rule our lives. So, Lord, we come to you today grateful for what you did on the cross. Grateful for the stripes that you bore for us. Grateful for the life that was raised. So that we could live in freedom. That we could live with peace and with joy and with love and with restoration.

02:24:02:06 – 02:24:21:10
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And we come to you today, and we lay aside the things and the offenses, the frustrations. We choose to let go of the pain.

02:24:21:13 – 02:24:35:02
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Even if it’s our right to hold it. Even if we were wronged or today we want to start this year off well.

02:24:35:05 – 02:25:24:15
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We want to release the offense. The bitterness that something someone said. And we thank you for your forgiveness, for your love, for your mercy. How quick we are to want the mercy and slow we are to give it. So today we open our hand and we choose to release the pain. To release the person, the courts and find the freedom and the liberty.

02:25:24:17 – 02:25:41:20
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Walking in your has.

02:25:41:22 – 02:25:50:18
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That in us.

02:25:50:20 – 02:26:09:14
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Just.

02:26:09:17 – 02:26:35:07
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For this I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. That on the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread. And he gave thanks to God for it, and he broke it in pieces. He said, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

02:26:35:09 – 02:26:51:14
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Lord, we receive your bread. We receive your body. We remember the price you paid.

02:26:51:16 – 02:27:16:17
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And in the same way he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant between God and his people. An agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink. For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

02:27:16:19 – 02:27:40:21
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Lord, we receive the life that you poured out. The blood that you shed. We remember. We don’t take it for granted.

02:27:40:24 – 02:28:55:08
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I sing praises to your name O Lord. Praises to your name, O Lord. For your name is great and greatly to be praised. I sing praises to your name, O Lord. Praises to your name, O Lord, for your name is great and greatly to be praised. I give glory to your name. I give glory to your name. O Lord.

02:28:55:14 – 02:29:53:13
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Glory to your name, O Lord. For your name is great and great me to be praise. I give glory, I give glory to your name, O Lord. Glory to your name, O Lord. For your name is great and greatly to be. Praise for.

02:29:53:16 – 02:30:30:18
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Father, thank you that we get to stand each day, Lord, because your mercies are new. And father, today we close this service, knowing that the freshness of your love continues. Father, that the wonder of your work and your incredible mercy covers us. Go before us, Lord, and all that we do. God strengthen everyone here.

02:30:30:21 – 02:30:43:00
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Restore the breaches, God. And we praise you for this. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen. Church.

02:30:43:02 – 02:31:02:04
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Well, today we had the kids in the fellowship hall, so they’ve been, eating whatever food is over there. If there’s anything left, we would, love for you to find out with us and, join us across our parking lot here. Get to know us and, Happy new Year, everybody.