Chris Hodges - Love One Another
Alright, who's glad to be in church today? Anybody? Anybody? Oh, give God all the praise, everybody! That's awesome! Oh, it's so good to see you. You look absolutely great, and I wanna say a big hello to not only all of those here at Grants Mill but to every person at one of our locations across Alabama and Georgia. I just want you to know how much I love you, pray for you every day, what God's doing at those locations, and of course, to the men and women in the Alabama Department of Corrections.
We are now in 26 of the 28 facilities across our state, and it's the honor of our lives to be part of your life. We're so glad that you're with us as well, and then, of course, there are people that are watching online or on demand somewhere around the world. Grants Mill, help me out. Say a big hello. Come on, everybody! Oh, you can do a little bit better than that. That's awesome. And we're in week number four of a seven-part series that we've called "Disciple: The Journey of Spiritual Growth".
We've been in this series since Easter really to focus on our faith and growing. And if you'll notice at the bottom, you may not be able to see this or not, but part of the artwork here are these little badges at the bottom. Those actually mimic exactly what's at the top of your app to show you the different things that all of us can do after we decide to make Jesus the Lord of our life, how we can grow in our faith, and that's really one of the messages of our church. May not even know this. That's why we even called it Church of the Highlands is that we wanted to be on this continual journey of all that God has for us, and that we are continue, as we used to say, reaching new heights, you know, in our faith, and we want to encourage you guys in that.
And the theme verse that we've had for this series is found in one of the final things that Jesus said. In fact, it's the last verse of the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus said in Matthew 28, "Therefore go and make disciples," the word "disciple" literally means student or one who's being instructed of the things of faith, "Go make these disciples". So he's telling his disciples, "Go make disciples". So I'm under a command by our God to do this, "Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them," so that's one of the first things that we do after we've given our life to Jesus, and let me just pause for a second and say that if you've never had a significant baptism experience post-decision, so a lot of us have been dedicated or christened as children, which is a beautiful thing.
We don't say anything, we're not undermining that in any way. That's a beautiful expression, but honestly, it's more dedicatory in a way. All of the baptism expressions in scripture, Old and New Testament, are after a person made a decision to follow Jesus. So we encourage you to do that, and that'll be available to you next Sunday. If you've never had that experience, I promise you it will be one of the highlights of your life, "Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," and then I love this line. I've highlighted it on the screen. One of my jobs is to teach you how to obey it.
So, it's not always so clear when you read these commands of God or these different things that the Bible's encouraging us in, and my job is to make it plain, and simple, and practical and, we're gonna do very practical today, "Teach them how to obey all of these commands. And surely I'm with you always, to the very end of the age". Can I just stop for a second and say aren't you just grateful that God never leaves us and nor forsakes us? Can we just thank God that he's an ever present, yeah, he's an always God, yeah. So, so far in this series in week number one, Pastor Mark Pettus kicked it off with "God has more for us". We just wanted to paint that picture. He has more. You have not experienced all that there is to be experienced in this thing called faith.
And week number two, I talked about what I consider to be the most important mark of a disciple. If there's a baseline, it's that you've developed this ability not just to come to church on Sunday, but you develop this quiet time every day. You're spending time with Jesus every day, and for a lot of people, that's never been fun for you. It's always been very hard, one of those things that you know you need to do, but you have a hard time doing it, and so, I showed you how dynamic, and fun, and exciting a daily quiet time could be with the Lord. If you missed that message, go back and watch it.
And then last week, Pastor Mark came back, and he did a whole message on what disciples also do is they commit to a local church. So, we are all part of the capital C Church, but then we're all have these local churches, these families, that we are connected to. And today, I wanna kind of pick up on that and just take that concept just a little bit deeper. Because not only are we in a local church who are part of a body of believers, but honestly, one of the marks of a disciple is that you're also in, when you're in this big group, there's also just a few people that you've allowed your life to get close to in faith, like with another Christian, for the benefit of them and for yourself, and I want to show you that.
In fact, Jesus said it this way in John chapter 13. He said, "Everyone's gonna know that you're really a disciple because of your love for one another". And he wasn't just, like, saying, "Oh, be loving". That's not actually what the phrase means. It means that you have significant, important, dynamic, real relationships with other believers. You love one another, and you're getting the benefit of relationship. And I wanna talk to you about that today. All of us know that our lives are shaped not by what you know but who you know. Your life is gonna be shaped by people, all right, and relationships.
And man, you show me your friends, I will show you your future. And I want all of you young people just to lean in for just a second. And parents, don't say amen, but I know you're saying amen right now. But I want you to hear the incredible importance of, like, choosing the correct friends, having right relationships, and I wanna show you how in the early church that was one of the first things that happened. So, I don't know if you know much about your Bible, but the New Testament begins with four accounts of one story of Jesus. So there are four different expressions, same story: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospels.
The fifth book of the Bible is called the Acts of the Apostles. So Jesus is now ascended into heaven, and the church was born. In fact, Jesus actually appears in chapter 1 and gives his final words to all of us. And then, in chapter two, the church was born, spirited, empowered, and dynamic, and the apostle Peter stands up, and he gives this sermon. It's the first sermon ever. So he's giving this first sermon as a Christian in the new church, the 1st century church, and he only preaches just a few minutes. And the Bible says that "Those who accepted his message," there it is again, by the way, "were baptized," immediately, "and about three thousand were saved. They were added to their number on that day".
So I don't know how many people were there, but 3,000 people got saved in one day. By the way, can I just pause for a second and show you something about this? Like, big things happened when the church was born, and 3,000 people got saved in one day. And I just like that because people sometimes say, "Man, you guys are always talking about numbers, and you're just so big". It's because the Bible's big, everybody, and the reason why this is important for us to never forget, the reason why we must be a big church, is because people and souls actually matter to God. Like, people really go to heaven or hell.
This is not a game! Come on, you can clap a little bit better than that! I'm very serious about this. We're not trying to be big for big's sake. We're trying to be big because heaven and hell are real places, and people actually go there. We have no option but to reach as many people as we can, and the Bible doesn't mind saying that, but the church is also supposed to be very, very small at the same time.
And I want you to notice the next verse, verse 42, says this. Now, all these thousands got saved, and this dynamic big thing happened, but then, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to," say this word out loud, "and to fellowship". So they didn't just show up at the big event, not just the big Motion Conference, no, no, no. We're also at the small thing, We're in fellowship. We're in relationship with one another, "to the breaking of bread," that's actually referring to Communion.
And by the way, this Wednesday night, I'm gonna be preaching our First Wednesday service. We only have one Wednesday service a month for all of us, and I'm inviting you to come, but part of it is is that we actually have a little bit longer worship, more ministry to you. We consider it really a believer's service, and then we'll serve the Lord's Supper, or Communion. And if you'd like to participate in that, I would encourage you to come be a part of it, and then I'm gonna share with you, and we'll have times of prayer. And the Bible says that "Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles," and that's because it was a Spirit-empowered environment. And you can expect that on Wednesday night too, by the way, as well.
In fact, you can expect it right now. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, Jesus is in the midst of us". And then here it is, says it again, just for emphasis sake, I think, "And then all the believers were," again, "they were together". They didn't just show up for an hour on Sunday. "They were together and they had everything in common". In fact, they even found out those who had needs, "And they sold property and possessions to help people that had need". They were so close, they knew what the person on their row was going through. They were talking. There was this dynamic that I wanna submit to you is what disciples do. They don't just show up for church. Man, they have friends.
"And every day," not just Sunday, "Every day they continued to meet," and there's that word again, "together in the temple courts. And they broke bread in their homes," and this is not Communion, this is actually chips and dip. Come on, can I get a better amen, every... right? They got together and had gatherings, and they ate together. Probably nothing more intimate than just sharing a meal with one another and being together, "with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying all the favor of the people. And the church continued to grow," why? Because it wasn't just big on Sunday. It was also very small between Sundays. It had this dynamic of community.
Look at me everybody. Community marked the early church, not just growth, not just miracles, not just big things. I celebrate the big things because I will maintain that it matters. People matter to God, but the big not, doesn't just matter, you matter. The individual matters too. And I truly believe that community is actually needed more than it's ever been needed before. There's never been a generation since I've been in ministry that has needed community more than it needs it right now. I'm celebrating my 41st year of full-time ministry, to God be the glory, and I've seen a lot already. In fact, when I started ministry in the '80s and '90s, content was scarce, and community and connection was abundant.
I remember when I was growing up in church, I literally went every day. There wasn't even anything planned, but I just went. We had this youth building that was open. We had foosball, and they was always serving food, and people were hanging out because there was nothing to watch on TV. Can I get a better amen? And there was nothing to stream. There was no streaming anything. You couldn't stream. There wasn't an internet. That didn't happen, and so, community and connection was abundant. And then now, you go 30 years later to the 2000s and now the 2020s and content is abundant.
You don't even need to come to church to get a good sermon. There, you can just click, it's all over the internet. Content's everywhere. Community and connection is scarce. In fact, they say we're the loneliest society in human history. We've never been more digitally connected and feel more lonely at the same time. They say we're the first generation, and this is secular sociologists, say we're the first generation in human history to actually disband our tribes. That we're all about individualism, and every, it's about hatred, and we're always, we're picking a very small thing that we believe in. We hate everybody else.
There's a mantra in today's society that it's not biblical: "Man, just do you, girl. Just do you. Like, you just be yourself". No. Be us. Be we. And I dedicate this message to anybody who has tons of people around you, and you're on all the social media platforms, but you're lonely. Look, there's something going, you're missing something in your heart, and I've got a message for you today. King Solomon spoke about it. He says, "There was a man," and he's speaking about himself, "who was all alone," and when you're alone, "There is no end to your toil".
So when you have problems, even though you may have the means to deal with them, you still are not satisfied. 'Cause watch this. The most important thing that you can ever have in your life, the wealthiest people in the world aren't the ones who have big bank accounts, it's those who have lots of friends who love them, know them, understand them, believe in them. And I want to talk about this today because this is the mark of a disciple. If you're gonna be a follower of Jesus, followers of Jesus have relationship, real relationship, with other followers of Jesus. And he says that "his eyes were not even content with his wealth".
Solomon was considered to be the wealthiest person ever to live. He was very, very wealthy, and he was miserable at the same time. So, what do we do? I wanna get practical now as we jump into this message. And that is, I wanna really make this our theme verse for today's message, and that is: "A mirror will reflect your face, but what a person is really like is determined by the kinds of friends they choose". And notice that the last word... now, if you're a notetaker, and I hope you are, the truly godly people, there's gotta be a discipleship message in there somewhere for notetakers, I don't know, but anyway, they're choosing relationships.
So let me say it this way. And I wanna say this to someone because I know it's actually very important. Your expectations are relationship higher than your effort. So it takes lots of work to have great relationships. They aren't, the people who have them aren't lucky. They work very hard at this. They choose it. I'm gonna give you the skill set to choose right relationships today. Can I get a good amen, everybody? You with me? All right, so here's the first one. In fact, I'm gonna give you four, and then after we give you the four, I'm gonna show you what those relationships actually do for one another. And the first is that they nurture their important relationships.
So, what I mean by "nurture" is they add fuel to that fire. I had a lady, I was talking to this couple, and she was kind of ragging on her husband a little bit and how their relationship wasn't what it once was. And she made this statement, "It shouldn't take this much work". And I was saying, "Oh yes, it should". That's like complaining at the fireplace, "You always burn out"! That's not the fireplace's fault. It needs more wood all the time and so do important relationships. Are y'all following me, everybody? And I'm talking about with God. Your relationship with God is not gonna stay at this feverish pitch. Your marriage isn't, your kids.
Listen to me. It takes work! And if you don't even hear anything else today, can I just encourage you that any relationship that matters to you, to go throw a log on the fire and just add some fuel to it? You say, "I don't like it. It's not even barely flickering". Why don't you just put some wood on it and watch what happens? In fact, in the end of the Bible, I'd love to teach this someday, but in the Bible, it gives the end-times in the book of Revelation, and this angel comes and warns the church about seven things, and this is the first of the warnings. It's found in Revelation chapter 2: "I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you've fallen! And just repent".
Now, repent doesn't mean going, "Oh God, I'm so sorry". No, repent literally means metanoia, change your direction. So if you weren't doing this, why don't you try doing some of this, and put some effort into it. And so, I'm actually gonna give you a lot of homework in this message if you really wanna apply this, which is what I encourage you to do, and that is everybody who has a significant relationship, your marriage, your kids, to do something even today to add some fuel to that fire, even if you're not feeling it, and watch what happens. In fact, I looked up this. It's just kind of fun.
I've had this in my file for years. I call it "Marriage Builders," and Marriage Builders, it's just some ideas, like start every day with a hug. Come on, couples, y'all need to do that. In fact, if you're with your spouse right now, would you grab their hand and give a little squeeze? Look over at 'em and go, "Mm". That's the closest y'all have been in three months. All right, okay. Say "I love you" every time you part ways. Come on, compliment freely and often. Oh, this is a big one. I'm gonna speak about it on Wednesday. Slow down! Slow down. Go on a date every week. Tammy and I have been married, well, this next month will be 38 years, to God be the glory, everybody, and we still go on date, date lunch, date night, every week. Ready for this? Kiss unexpectedly, not right now, okay? Apologize sincerely.
Come on, be forgiving. You ready for this one? Let her give you directions when you're driving, guys. Just let her do it. Ladies, laugh at his jokes. I know they're not funny, but just try, okay. Men, ask her to marry you again. Ladies, say yes, okay, just. Never go to bed mad. Can I get a better amen right there? Look, just always work it out. The point I'm trying to make is that all takes work, and if relationships matter, and they do, your whole life will be marked by them. Listen to me. Don't complain that it's not where it should be. Put some logs on the fire, and don't expect it to stay there. It's not gonna stay there. You have to work at it.
Here's the second one, and that is, restore broken relationships. So this one's a tough one, okay, because all of us have relationships that we either once had, maybe it's with a brother, or sister, or mom, or dad, or someone at work, or a friend, I don't know, but it's broken, and it hurts your heart, and I get that. I don't have time to teach this, but this is a great teaching all by itself, and that is do everything you can to make it right, but if you can't, sometimes you just can't because they won't participate, in fact, the Bible says in Romans 12, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil".
So if someone's been ugly to you, you don't need to be ugly back. By the way, the next line says, and I don't have it here, it actually says, "God will repay". So let God be the righteous judge. But I love this next sentence. It says, "If it's possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone". And if you can't with them, then just be sure to do it in your heart. So I don't know someone who has great relationships that carries around bitterness. So the healthiest, let me say it this way: the healthiest people I know are actually quick to forgive.
And I'm gonna encourage you, by the way, that's why Jesus put it in the everyday prayer, "The Lord's Prayer". Not everything's in that prayer, forgiveness is. So what would it be like if every day, "God, today, I don't feel like doing it because it really hurt, but Lord, today I release that person". I'm gonna tell you what's gonna get released is you. You're not setting them free, you're setting yourself free. Colossians says, "Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you have. Forgive as the Lord forgave you". So I'm just talking about relationships. Relationships, you have to nurture them. Relationships, you have to restore them where you can, and at least, restore it in your own heart.
The third is, and this one's a big one, I wanna lean in just for a second but not long, but I wanna lean in hard, and that is for some of us, we need to redefine some relationships we shouldn't have. So for those of you who have that buddy at work or somebody that always telling those nasty jokes that you kinda laugh but you really don't like it and it's beginning to influence your life or you go to that place where you're asked to compromise, I speak to the college students that are listening to me and high school students that when you know you're around that person, they're always trying to get you to do something that go against your values and your family's values, that it takes courage and it takes guts to say, "I'm not gonna allow that person to influence me that kind of way".
And honestly, I don't think we think about this enough, about separating from unholy relationships. The Bible, honestly, I could have done two hours's worth of material on this topic alone. The Bible is not silent on the relationships that you have that are dangerous for you. In fact, you should see the notes I deleted. My notes used to be like 20 pages long, literally. I found all these scriptures of every relationship that you should avoid. The Bible says you gotta stay away from this kind of a person. Let me just summarize it in this one Proverb. It says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools gonna put you in jail".
You get around the wrong person, it's going to take from your life, and some of us, honestly, are in an unholy relationship right now. And if you are, young lady, if that guy just keeps trying to make advances on you, and you know it's wrong, and maybe you just needed to hear it from Papa Chris here today that you need to text him and say, "My brother, you can come to church with me, but we ain't doing that again," because do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character". And by the way, the Bible's not even suggesting this, it's commanding.
Because this scripture in 2 Corinthians says, "Do not be yoked," the word yoked, the yoked was common in their language because a yoke was that piece of wood with two holes in it. You put the ox's head through it and made 'em plow down the same, so they wouldn't separate while the farmer was plowing. It was a yoke, and it literally means, it translates in English, "common fellowship". So you can't get away from lost people or those with... you know, that are evil or have negative influence, but you cannot, look at me, you cannot have common fellowship "with those that are unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common"?
The answer is they don't have anything in common. "Or what fellowship," there's our word, "can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial"? That's a demon. "Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever"? And the answer is they don't. In fact, later on in that text it says, "Come out from among them and be ye separate, says the Lord, touch no unclean thing; and I'll receive you".
So what are we saying here is I'm just saying that if you're gonna have healthy relationships and you need them, this is what disciples do. I'm just discipling you, okay? Thank God for the big. Thank God for all of this. Thank God for, you know, 6,444 people that got saved at Easter. Thank God for that. Thank God for Baptists. Thank God for all of that. But really what disciples do, they don't just get in big rooms, they don't just go to the motion conference, actually, that's why I love this Motion Midweek that we have. They also sit in the circle. I love the direction that we've taken our church in.
So they're in circles looking each other in the eye and getting some right relationships. Can I hear a better amen out there everybody, right? You know this is true. But this is the one I wanna finish with today, and that is, but disciples also initiate. So we start a relationship that I don't have, some meaningful relationships. And I say this almost to, like, give you permission because I've never done a message like this that people go, "Well, that's exactly what I want, but I don't have it like you. You're blessed". No, no, no. You have to go initiate this. I'm asking you to step out and go form the kind of relationships that are gonna build your life, and you take care of those other three.
Say what three should I have? Well, let me just tell you a quick little story. I told you last time I did this installment of this series two weeks ago that I got discipled right after I got saved as a 15-year-old, and I remember my youth pastor and those who were discipling me say, they said, "Hey Chris, you need a Paul, you need a Barnabas, and you need a Timothy". I said, "What is that"? I didn't know who those people were. And Paul was a mentor to Timothy. So you need somebody in your life that's like a Paul. You need people that just speak into your life, correcting you, encouraging you. They're daddies, big brothers. I need somebody like that in my life, a mentor. I need, I also need a Barnabas. Barnabas was Paul's friend.
So he wasn't over him, wasn't under him. He was just a buddy. By the way, this is the one you're probably gonna be the most honest with. You're probably gonna talk to more. These know what's really going on in your life. You need this Barnabas. You need solid Christian friends. I was taught this. And they said, "But you also need a Timothy". You need somebody you're speaking life into, and I have been living this way for now 40 something years of my faith, where I've been working hard on mentors, somebody who's just gonna pour into my life. And by the way, mentors won't find you. You have to find them. I've gone after people who didn't give me the time of day and I like, "Not on my watch, you're not. I'm gonna go".
And I've leaned into, and I've asked people, I've said, "Would you teach me how to do this"? I've done it in finances. I've done it in marriage. Tammy and I actually found couples that we admired and just, we said, we took them to lunch and said, "Teach us what you know about marriage. We want a great marriage just like yours". You ask for mentors. Secondly, you need that Barnabas. I call it an accountability partner, and I want you to put a star next to this one, some exclamation marks, highlight in yellow, and circle it. I really want you to notice this one because your life is gonna be so much better if there's somebody else watching out for your life. Say amen or oh me. Come on, everybody, right?
What I mean by that is they know. No, like, they know. They know what you're thinking. They know what's behind the smile. It's an accountability partner. And then lastly, I would encourage every person to have that Timothy, or an apprentice, or a protege, whatever word you wanna use there, but it's somebody that you're gonna pour your life into. At 15 years old, I was leading a small group of junior high students. I didn't even hardly know the Bible. But what these leaders were teaching me, how they were discipling me is, is that you're gonna grow so much faster, watch this, don't miss this, if somebody's depending on you, and it's true.
Fact, some of you ought to lead a small group just so you'll clean your house once in a while. Come on, somebody, right? Like, people are coming over. And you'll notice that you and the Mrs. are probably gonna get in a big fight right before it starts. And you're thinking, "Honey, we gotta work it out".
Now, I'll tell you a story. I'm just gonna, confession's good for the soul, bad for the reputation. Here you go, okay. About two months ago, Tammy and I had a knockdown. Now, Tammy and I don't fight. I'm not bragging. I'm just telling you the truth. We go a year or more without even a cross word. That's to her credit. She's an amazing woman. We just, we don't fight. The best part of my life is my marriage, and I have an amazing wife, and we really deep, like, we really, really love each other. We sit on the couch, hold hands, watch "Jeopardy"! every day.
Come on, somebody, where y'all at? Okay, we do. Okay, but about two months ago, we had, I don't even know, I can't even remember what happened, and Tammy got up, went and slept on the couch. That hadn't happened in a decade, and I couldn't sleep. It's Saturday night, and God be my witness, I woke up that next morning, and there she was laying on that couch. I poured my coffee, and she was laying on that couch, and I went downstairs to prepare to come here. And I said, "I'm not doing it". 'Cause I can't stand here without a clear conscience, and I'm not gonna be fake in front of you. I don't know what you think about me, but I can tell you, when I stand here, I stand here with a clear conscience of who I am.
And so I texted Mark. Yeah, thank you. So I was typing out the text to Pastor Mark, saying, "Guess what? You own today". Hope you didn't have a fight last night because you own, right? And Tammy walks down, and before she could get the words out of her mouth, of course, I asked her to forgive me. And we made up at 5:45 in the morning on a Sunday morning, and I was able to stand here with a clear conscience. Okay, you ready for this? You're good for me. What would my marriage look like without you? I don't know. I would like to think it'd be the same, but your life is gonna be so much better if you're leading somebody.
I'm very serious about this, and that's why, 'cause it says I have to. And I want my motivation to be just for her, but let me be honest with you, you're a major motivation for me to keep this strong, and that's, I say it's okay. And I think it's okay for you too, okay? The Bible wants us to live this way though. I don't have time to teach this. I need to get moving, all right? But this is a four generation sentence. Paul tells Timothy to take what I've given you and trust it to reliable people who are able to teach others also. He was living his life generationally, and I want you to do the same.
So let me close with a story, and you're looking at your app going, "My God, son, you have five more points". I promise you, I'll get 'em in, okay? If you're looking at that, and you're thinking, "He ain't gonna be able to do it". Yes, I will. So the night before Jesus went to the cross, Good Friday, the night before, that Thursday night, that's the night of the Lord's Supper, that's the night or the Last Supper, that's the night of the washing of the feet of the disciples, and only the book of John covers the conversation at that table. In fact, it does it in five chapters.
John 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 is the conversation that happened that night, and to me, it's the playbook for healthy relationships. Check this out. The topic of conversation on the last night before he would die, he didn't preach a sermon, didn't go to the church, he leaned into his relationships. This is important. And five themes, five themes, the first is he expressed how important it is to care for each other, to care. Care is a ministry term. Care means I find whatever's bothering you and I'm going to help you out with it. When he finished washing his disciples's feet, the Bible says, "Do you understand what I did for you"? And of course they really didn't. He goes, "What I'm doing as a teacher in your Lord is an example I'm setting for you, that you should also wash one another's feet".
You should find the place, the feet represent what you carry. The load of your life is on your feet, so it's a representation of, "Hey, tell me about the load you're carrying. I'm gonna help you lift it". That's what friends do. Galatians chapter 6: "Carry each other's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ". Yeah. You wanna be a disciple? Find out what the person on your row needs and help them out. The second thing in the next chapter, that's 13. Chapter 14, he encouraged them. He encouraged one another. Encourage means to lift the spirit. People need this. In fact, people need encouragement more than they've ever needed it before.
He said in John 14, I'm just walking you through the chapters, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me," and he started talking about heaven and their future. And he encouraged them, and people need it. There's somebody on your road who just needs a "Hey, you're looking great today. Sure do love you. I'm with you," anything to lift the spirit, and the Bible says that we should do this daily, "Encourage one another daily, as long as we can call it Today, so that none of us are hardened by sin's deceitfulness".
So here's my question for you: who can you encourage today? In fact, would everybody get in your mind somebody right now that could use a little encouragement and just text 'em. Call 'em today. And what would it look like if 40, 50 thousand of us today all reached out to somebody and said, "Hey, I'm gonna lift your spirit"? John chapter 15, Jesus talked about partnering with one another. In other words, I'm gonna do a project with you, I'm gonna produce, I'm gonna consider you a work buddy. And this is in the things of faith. He said in John chapter 15, "Remain in me, and I'll remain in you. But if you're going to try to be all by yourself, you can't bear any fruit that way".
In fact, he says, "I'm the vine; you're the branches. And if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear, you'll produce a lot, bear much fruit; but apart, if you're gonna be by yourself, you can do nothing". Ecclesiastes, he said it this way: "Two are better than one," why? Because they can have a buddy? No, "because they have a good return for their work," and that's what I love about our groups. That's what I love about, we don't just sit around and eat Doritos. We also go serve widows, and we have serve days together, and we're partnering together.
In John chapter 16, he talks about protecting one another, protecting, and he has this verse, this is still the conversation at the table. This is all the things he talked about, and he says, "All this I've told you so that you will not go astray". Do you know what the Greek word for the word astray is? It's gonna shock you. It shocked me. Get ready. The Greek word for astray is "skandalizo," and it's where we get the English word "scandal".
I've told you this that you don't ever end up in any scandals. My job is to keep you out of the newspaper unless you took out the ad. And who's doing that for you? Anybody doing that for you? Anybody got your back? Anybody standing side by side? In fact, Ecclesiastes says, "Back-to-back". Why do I need something to be back-to-back with somebody? Because I don't have eyes on this side of my head, but there's still something going on back here that I need somebody else to see when I can't see it, and if you don't have that, I want that so badly for you. Thank God these rooms fill up. Thank God. This is not what we're all about though. We're about Christians with Christians, saying, "Dude, I got your back. I got your back".
You know, John Wesley, the father of the Methodist denomination, all my kin are Methodist, and the word "methodist" came from their methods. And John Wesley's method was small groups, but not just chips and dip and curriculum, real accountability, and he was famous for... I looked it up. He gave all of his congregants questions to ask each other every week, and I've got the list. Have you been in a compromising situation this week? Have any of your financial dealings lacked integrity? They were supposed to ask each other this.
Have you viewed any sexually explicit material? Have you spent quality time in the Bible study and in prayer? Have you given your family priority time? Have you fulfilled the mandates of your calling? And the seventh and the last is my favorite. And have you just lied to me? Come on, everybody, right? Lean in for a second. Lean in. And every one of you needs somebody asking you those questions. Not everybody, just somebody. And your life's gonna be so much better, caring, encouraging, partnering, protecting. And in John 17, he prays for his disciples. Pray for another. So who's praying for you? Praying for you? After this, Jesus looked to heaven, and he prayed for 'em. He says, "Lord, I'm praying not just for the world, but for the friends, the disciples, you've given me".
With every head bowed, every eye closed in this auditorium and all the others, God, I'm asking every one of us to have the courage, the wisdom to choose better relationships and to be so intentional about having the right ones in our Life. And Lord, I pray, God, for healing. I pray, God, for just divine connections, Lord, that you'll just put people together, and Lord, I'm asking that you deepen our church not just by what happens on Sunday but what happens with each other. We want to be a New Testament church who have fellowship, connection, and real relationships.
Keep your heads bowed your eyes closed. And if you're here today, you obviously know that the most important relationship to nurture or to initiate is your one with God. And listen to me, he stands ready to say yes to your invitation, no questions asked. The Bible says if you just come to him, he receives you, and loves you, and forgives you. And if you're here today and you've never made a decision for Jesus or you're not, you just know it's not right, you just know it's not right, and you're ready to make it right, I'm not gonna have you stand up or come down to the front, but if you wanna be included in the prayer, our campus pastors are gonna come to the stage.
Every head bowed, every eye closed, nobody moving around, just for a second. You say, "Chris, include me in that prayer. I'm ready to get that relationship right today". Without hesitation, would you lift your hands, say, "Pray for me, count me in". Just lift it high. Lift it high. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. Anybody else? Yep, thank you. Just lift it up. Lift it up. Yep, yep, thank you. Thank you, takes courage. Takes boldness to do that. Pastor Blake, lead them in this prayer, my friend.