Morning. It's a great privilege to be up here this morning hoping to work with you. Very humble to be up here.
A few housekeeping notes I wanted to. They're kind of updates that I wanted. Go over first.
I didn't know this is probably just an oversight. I didn't see the speaker sign up sheet to host for lunch today out in the hallway.
But it's okay. We're available. All 7 mechanics are available for lunch today.
I'm so I know someone was probably Planning that and have it on their hard to host us today.
So it's okay. It's not too late. We actually can't make it.
So we'll have a second rain check. We're taking our let's take our daughter to camp today and we have to think there's a birthday party.
There's always something going on. So, the other update I wanna give on is, just camp ministry update and camp has always been a big part of.
Our assembly's history, I think for the 100 years. And I look around the room, I just see people's lives who have been impacted by camp ministry.
Jim Quincy is his father. I see. John Duckorn was actively involved with see Mark Weber.
Many as a service you think of his 2 daughters and all both in full time camp ministry. Carol Smith, Schwarz Figures, both their children are involved.
I see Joanne. Most of these people on total bias are, are, It shows Jeff.
So. Forgive me for that if you've been involved in other cave ministries besides the action you use camp that's okay that's great.
One of the things that we've, I think it's really sustained us over the 100 years is being involved in cave ministry and sending kids to camp.
Now this year we have sent that I'm aware of not that we sent but parents sent 33 children from our Sunday school are going to be at campus summer.
It could be more and there's For those that haven't signed up yet, there is still opportunity.
I know actually, but has a camp starting today. It might be able to wait for that one, but next week, junior high.
And team campers, co-ed both weeks are available. And the other thing I just want to have when I can't ministry if you're too old like myself to be a camper you can be involved in camp.
They always have needs an election. He was always like for help counseling for weeks and, we definitely have people of age over 16 who can help out there.
And I just. I think there's a lot of good things happening. And at Ls camping.
Supporting camp ministry is I think very important and I think we do. Good job of that here. So that's my update on our I can't manage your status.
The other thing is just the camps expensive. So that's maybe what's holding parents back from registering their kids from camp.
We, are committed to, Using our funds, we have a account fund that we use that can help support that and we also Most camps nowadays.
Offer sponsorships. I know actually because the camp has a sponsorship program you just have to go online fill it out.
Because they like us want to make sure that No kids miss out on that opportunity to. Here at God's gospel and just kind of be away from their family and have that time to just really be immersed in, so it's just, Father, we just thank you for this morning.
We thank you for The message you wait to my heart and just pray for. Confidence in delivering it, Lord, and just pray for your voice.
You just, open. My heart and open our ears to just hear what you have first day where we just thank you for.
This time this morning we could remember you and we just thank you for how these camp ministries going on and we just pay for the Our kids going off to camp this week and the ones that just came back and the they would just be open to your gospel and just learn more about you and just grow in your grace and
truth. Never always is Christ C man. So the topic I chose today, wanna talk about truth.
And kind of gave it a title. It's not a strong being created, but It's does truth matter.
And living for truth in a world that completely denies it. So does truth matter? We are living at a time, you know, in a world and a in a country, in a state, even in a city.
Where, truth is. Completely denied it is denied it all levels are society It's denied by her government.
My schools in the corporate world and even I would submit to you in a church. Thanks for not. This church.
What really matters is your truth and your happiness. True today is not an absolute thing, right?
It's fluid. Absolute truth is restricting and it's not tolerable.
In our times today. Have you guys heard of this term? Post truth. Posture.
It's it's actually been around for 7 or 8 years and it came out of like the political world, but it's really you define truth by your feelings and your emotions.
More so than objectified though and verifiable facts. So your feelings, your emotions are more important than the actual facts.
That's that's post truth and that's Really to me, means that we're having a time after truth.
No longer matters. To this world. And that is exactly what, the that' would want us to believe that truth doesn't matter.
And also, is really perpetuated by. Social media and those kind of things and
You know it just really sums up our calls for today. Is this post truth? Feelings over facts, but This puts absolute truth in moral absolutes, you know, in direct conflict with our world today.
And can everybody hear me okay? And direct conflict with our world today. You know, Christians in church.
We're just under attack for being labeled. I mean, we're And the time we were being labeled as hate groups.
Intolerable, anti women. Anti-human rights just to name a few. Today I would like to, you know, kind of like look at truth.
Find truth. I know I've there are many ways to go with this and Now I'm not educated or knowledgeable enough to go down this deep philosophical meaning of what truth is and what life is today.
I just want to kind of take a simple. Approach to it, you know, just a numbers guy.
That's where I'm comfortable at. More analytical and I would like to begin today by looking at Just a patches from John.
Chapter 18, verse 37. When Jesus was for pilot And Pi would ask Jesus this question.
The Pirates said to him So you are a king and Jesus answered. You say that I am a king.
For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world. It's a bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. How it said to him. What is truth?
Now I've read in a couple of comments here is that there was a lot of debate about, the tone in which This question may have been asked to Jesus Bi-pilot.
Was it a sincere question? Was he really asking? Was he really searching for the truth or was he being kind of sending and putting you know marking price with his question after these words from from reward and I think either way you would want to look at it kind of fits in with our world today.
You know, there's a lot of mocking and disdain for those who stand for the truth and there's also people sincerely looking for the truth and open to finding that truth.
The MERRIBIN Webster Dictionary, I'm not sure if that's a Good dictionary or not, but figured it was better than Wikipedia.
Defines truth and has 4 definitions of truth. Okay. Numbers one through 4. It's listed.
At least when you Okay. The body of real things, events and facts. So actuality.
There are actual things that are real and there's a reality. There's the state of being the case.
So more like a fax. Number 3 is sincerity and action character or utterance.
So that would be just kind of the way that you live that you live in a truthful manner. I guess your reactions are truth.
And number 4, they finally got to it was God. Was a capital G. So I think the order might be a little reversed on those, but at least they got it.
So when I'm thinking about truth, I mean, there has to be. Absolutely true, right?
There has to be absolute. It's objective. Whether you believe in it or not.
It is true. That's objective truth. You know, if you look at the loss of nature.
Those are pretty objective. Those are pretty absolute. I think of gravity jumped out of a 10 story building without a safety net.
Parachute or anything you find out very quickly. That gravity is real. Hey, it exists and you are subject to it.
And does anybody know how quickly you would find that out?
Rate of acceleration, I believe is 32. Point 17 feet per second squared. That's how you would find out.
The law of nature of gravity. But there's also subjective fears, right? So there are things that.
No more like an opinion. My opinion, my truth is One of them would be that Gene Mackenzie is the Priest.
Woman on the face of the earth. That's my truth. Now I think there's probably other people that feel that way but I won so.
And we look at truth and what we believe to be true and we make decisions on how we and shapes our lives right so what we believe to be sure what we what we believe in.
We base our lives off that and we spend our lives. Seeking out to Shreve Hack, have laid that up at Gene in it.
Cause me to pursue her. I'm asking you to marry me and I've been married 15 years this year and we have type children.
And, it's been a true bosom, but that's a sought after that because that was.
What I believe to be the most producing in the world and I just heard this story this past week at work.
We have a neighbor. Of the owners where I work and he you know, as one of those old school guys hadn't been a doctor for a while.
Wasn't feeling sick when the doctor, the doctor said, hey, we need to run some tests.
Ring some tests on them and the results were here. They came back. Got stage 4 cancer and He had a couple of months to live.
This guy was, you know, I won at this point in his life and he.
Went home and started liquidating his assets. He sold his house. And he was just trying to maybe I'm not sure it wasn't told me by my boss but he maybe he was liquidating or maybe he was checking off his bucket list right things that he always wished he had done, but he hadn't
done yet, cause he thought he had more time. And he went back for a checkup a couple of months later.
And they had discovered that he did not have stage 4 cancer. If you do not have months to live.
Now, you can imagine he would have been overjoyed, right? You'd be overjoyed in that situation.
You basically in some sense had a second chance at life. And he would have been filled with joy but he was also homeless.
So we can see how what he took. Now where he knew to be true, there is no reason to not.
Think that that was true from what the doctors had told him and it shaped how he lives his life over this past few months.
And so truth. I would say is very important and what I would like to Look at this morning is passes from John chapter 8.
As we were like to Turn to with you this morning. It's starting in verse 31.
John chapter 8. 31. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him. If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
And they answered him. We are offspring of Abraham and have never been in slaves to anyone.
How is it that you say you will become free? Jesus answered them, truly truly I say to you, everyone who practices sin Here's a slave just in.
The slave does not remain in the house forever. The sun remains forever. So the sun sets you free.
You will be free indeed. I know that you are the offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my work finds no place in you.
I speak of what I have seen with my father. And you do what you have heard from your father.
So I'll ask Anne after this passage. Does truth matter? As we just read, it is a truth that will set us free.
This is a very widely used phrase I think from the Bible that's taken out of the context in a lot of ways the truth will set you free.
But it must matter then. If it is what is needed to be free and not only that So we're here is implying that there is something that we need to be freed.
From. In verse 34 he says everyone who practices sin. As a slave to sin and we know that all of us were born into that.
State. So it's everyone. This life in that state. With the Jews that he was talking to here did not understand that he was talking about their spiritual condition.
They also forgot their own history of slavery, of course, because they said we haven't been as anybody.
And he even gives them an example to point out. Understanding with Christ. And they miss that as well.
He compares the son of the household. So the slave of a household. I'm not an example of that would be I guess the royal family.
We just saw the new king was coordinated and that was because of his birth status, his birth order.
Online, a whole bunch of things that are involved in that. And that gave him the rights to The riches and the Also, I feel like I have a lot of service, right?
They have a lot of people around them that Yeah, I'm gonna ask their back and call and do everything for them.
And those people compared to probably the other English citizens have different access to the royal family, right?
They have different different rights that have different standing than a regular citizen. But they don't have access to.
Is the throne or the royal ridges. They can be let go at any time. They mess up.
But Jesus is speaking to you here thought that they were in the position of the sense. Okay, and but they were really in the position of the slaves and without believing in the truth that is where Hey, what remain.
In verse 36. We see Jesus now replaces the truth. With the sun. It says in verse 36.
So if the sun sets you free. You will be free in need. The book of or the gospel, John, was written by the Apostle John.
And, he's writing to show the DD of Christ. And the message about Jesus is the promised Messiah as the Son of God and that And verse 36 here is the sun.
Who is your referring to? Have like 38 or 37 38 just go on to show that Jesus is serving his father and these Jewish leaders are serving.
A different father and that would be Satan and the father of wise. So the first point in this patch is what we see is that Jesus is proclaiming that he is the truth.
The Son of God and we need to put our faith and trust in Him. To be free from sand.
We have Yeah, the Bible, which is the inspired word of God and it's it's the truth I mean if you look at the back where bulletin.
We believe here that the Bible is inspired in errant word of God and the soul authority and pattern for church practice personal faith.
And conduct. So it's the truth and it reveals who Jesus is and reveals God's way.
I, everything is truth about His creation and about his redemption story and about his love for us.
It's on 1 19 1 60. The sum of your word is truth. And every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
Jesus lived on this earth and interacted with humanity. That is true. I believe scholars generally agree that that is factor.
I'm like. Hi Jesus was a real person there's not too many people nowadays I think that are arguing that's the person, if Jesus Christ did not exist, that it's this mythical figure created by Christianity.
To you know, fool all of us into getting in line and living a certain way. He is a real person.
And so then it matters, you know, what do you do with The truth about him. Other religions don't deny the existence either, but they do not believe that he was more than just a man.
For profit. Or a great moral teacher and those kind of things. If we look at John chapter one, verses one through 5.
We read this in the beginning was the word. And the word was with God and the word was God.
He was in the beginning with God and all things were made through him and without him there anything Without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life and the life was the light of man. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness.
Has not overcome it. Jesus was with God and is God. Everything was made through him. And he is life.
Jesus is this life. Shining that the world needs and And the world needs the truth and no matter how dark the world might get we need When he's a writer Jesus and the darkness cannot As it says here, cannot overcome.
So I can't overcome the truth. And if we go down just a few verses and John chapter one.
See verse 17. Says for the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
There is truth in the law, right? The truth of the law is that we can't fulfill it, right?
The truth in the law reveals that we are in need of. But being, Savior, Only Jesus Christ can do that.
He's the only one that can fulfill the law. Warren Wearsby says of this passage, if God dealt with us according to truth, None of us would survive.
But he deals with us on the basis of grace and truth. Through Jesus Christ. Truth without grace would just condemn us.
Thankfully, to where Jesus is willing to take our place and pay our penalty for the sin. I think of Romans 6 22 and 23.
But now you have been set free from sin and you have become slaves of God. The fruit you get leads to sanctification and it ends.
Eternal life. And it's an eternal life for the wages as soon as death. But the free gift of God is eternal life and Jesus Christ our Lord.
And then John, 14 6, Jesus proclaims again. That he is the truth. John, fourteen-six, Jesus said to him, I am the way.
The truth in the life. No one comes to the father except through me. It sounds pretty absolute to me, doesn't it?
I think. That's the only way. To, get back right standing with the father and the second point of this chapter is the sin problem, right?
That, and he mentions in verse 34. And that's the reason. We need Jesus to get back to the Father is because of sin.
If you work back. In the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3. Where we have.
Satan interacting with even and flipping the truth of God around on her right and telling her like surely You will not die.
Timothy Carter says this about that interaction. He said the first chance man was faced with choose between the truth of God.
And the lies of the devil. And show us that one man was created. To be in fellowship with a cat.
Our doubt is a relational god. And he watched his creation and he loves his he loves us.
Relationships are completely built on trust, right? In a marriage relationship and a parent relationship and a business relationship that has to be trust in order for a relationship to be functional and to be healthy.
And God wants us to trust him for everything. I remember one of the first verses I can remember memorizing as a kid ascribers 3 5 and 6.
Trust in order to all your heart lean not on your own understanding all your way is acknowledge him He was director pass and that's what.
God wants us. Not much from us. Who wants us to just where everything has for you trust in him by saying wants to deceive us.
If we look down a few versus in John chapter 8 back to where we were. Down chapter or chapter 8 verse 44.
It's Jesus is still talking to these Jewish leaders or choose that you know we're not true disciples and he says to them You are of your father in the devil.
And the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and he does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks the I, he speaks from his own resources for he is a liar. And a father of wise.
But because I tell you the truth, you do not, believe me, because
Let me go to the next page. You know, they were not seeing the truth. These Jews were not seeing the truth because it didn't line up with they're sure, right, with what they wanted to be true.
I mean, that's called like. Confirmation bias where you use a Little bits of fact to confirm what you want to be truth and what they wanted to be truth was not Jesus as the MSI, that wasn't what they thought.
The Messiah was going to be and it wasn't who they pictured at being so they were unable to see past their own truth.
And recognize that they needed to be freed. What wise are you believing today about yourself?
I may be holding you back from fully giving yourself to. Things like, God can't use me.
God could not love me for the things that I've done. There's even, little wise, And those are either one that I have an example from this past week is on Saturday night.
Seems kinda Not ridiculous, but. The night before camp started, so Saturday, Sunday was when camp started and the Christian.
Channiker, it's an executor. Actually, you can't message me. And gene at Facebook was like, hey, guys, can you get a email out there?
About counselors, we had kids on the waitlist. We're having to turn kids away right now that can't won't be able to come to camp next because we don't have.
People to counsel and my Honest initial thought was like Okay, Christian, I can send a I can send an email out but it's Saturday night like what is that gonna do you know and that was a lie right like it's like who are we believing in here and everything we do and the word can provide for that need.
And so I sent the email out. And I know I talked to some people who said that they You know, maybe talk to their kids and try to get help with that.
And I was. Kind of forward by that but I know you maybe I'll know Alice Walters who was here.
Few years ago, new tribe student or ethno student. She reached out and said, she is home right now.
She's staying with her parents for the next few weeks. She's gonna be at Storybrook in a couple of weeks, but she would be available.
I would have never in my hours dreams. Imagine that when anybody ever responded to that email. And 2 that somebody would actually fully respond and be available.
Now it's didn't work out for last week. I think they had found people, but she's actually, I believe, there this week.
Counseling, June hires I think and maybe junior cohort campers and You know, think about the impact that that could have.
She has a really powerful testimony. And now there's gonna be other people who had not sent that email out.
I could have just gone it off. I mean, I don't think Christian Raleigh would have really even powered up me or said it to me like.
Tully blown it off and listen to that why of that there's nothing that can be done.
It's too late. But I didn't and I just blown away by how God responded to that and how you know, he knows the needs of, make sure and use camp and another camp ministries and he knows and he's the kids that are gonna be there that week and people that need to be there to connect
with those kids. That's the truth. The other side of that is, what lies are you believing today that are keeping you in your sin?
That's, I think maybe a worse place to be than keeping you from. Serving him, keeping you in and your sin.
These are things like it's not harming anybody else. It's not that bad.
Everybody does it. It's who it's who I am. That's just who I am.
That's a good one. Sometimes, and I have spiritual consequences. Are not swift and they can cause us to tear.
In our in our sand. God is gracious and slow to anger. Waiting for our repentance.
But he is also just. Is he speaking to you about some area I've seen that you need to be free from?
Are you hesitant to let go? Because you want the freedom to do what you want to do.
That brings us. To the third point from Nurse Mage is is freedom.
People throughout history look at freedom as having no constraints. No rules being able to do what they want when they want.
And they see the Christian life as restricted. Narrow minded, constraining. But what is really restrictive and contraining is being in bondage for your sin.
Whether you're a believer or unbelievable, if you're a believer, you can still be amounted to your sin if you're believing these slides.
And your Look at that, look at like an alcoholic, right? They're definitely in bandage.
Alcoholic only cares about their next drink. I have co-worker whose brother is an alcoholic.
Sorry, keep touching the microphone. His brother is an alcoholic and He. Was a functioning alcoholic and he would drink 250 to 280 beers a week.
I mean that is a ridiculous amount of beer, right? And he had to do that to function. His family had no idea.
He would be at family functions. Go to the garage to get beers. He would drink like 3 or 4 beers in the garage and he had a spot that he would throw them up and the garage and no one saw until after he admitted to his problems.
But he was drinking that is just an incredible one on alcohol and a credible amount. Of bondage that he was tied to.
Just from an aspect of physical aspect of what that would done to his body. And also just the financial constraints of that.
But he ended up going to jail and that was what and his drinking day so you know he's still needs to live life refraining from that, but it's always gonna be there for him.
But that's, where it got him, right? So being in jail, Film Lane was actually in a physical bondage.
Where you can see it and feel it. He didn't want to be there anymore. And he knew that the only way he was gonna not go back there.
Where's you give up alcohol? So, and some people look at that as restrictive and restraining, right?
Some people. Want to be able to drink when they want and where they want.
You know, there's, so it just gives the idea of having to serve somebody and I think there's 2 people you can service.
And Jesus said here with, I mean, you know, I'm of my father, your father.
Just, Luke's Maricas is probably think the same thing, got to serve somebody.
Bob Dylan song. It's a song that's called got to serve somebody and it says No matter who you are, what you're standing on life, what moral grounds you stand on.
Every single human being. Has to serve one of the 2. Maybe the devil. It may be the law, but you're gonna have to serve.
Somebody. Only by faith and trust in Lord Jesus Christ, can we be free to be who we were created to be?
Christianity is not a one way street. Where we have to come to God and submit and obey. Yes, that is necessary.
But it's also God comes to us. Look again at this words, that we read from the first verse.
And John A team. When she's assessed the pilot for this purpose, I was born. For this purpose, I have come into the world.
To bear witness to the truth. I love the verses in the songs. I'm not sure if the one that was about this morning, had it in there.
Where, it says he and client to me. I'm not sure how many times it's used, but one goes on 40.
Some 40 begins with I waited patiently for the Lord. He and kind to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction. How does the Maori bog and set my feet upon a rock?
Making my steps secure. I just when I hear that get this picture of the father bending down on a knee.
With his arms wide open. And his child running into his arms. He inclined to me. And then the last point from this passage that I want to bring out is our freedom.
Comes with a price. Freedom is not free. We just celebrated freedom in our country on July the fourth in recognition of that fact, right?
We live in a free country. We're able to do whatever we want. As long as it's under the Constitution, under the laws, right?
So we're free, but we're still restricted, right? We still have to file.
A functioning society and an economy and all kinds of things. But we remember the sacrifices. That's what we do on that holiday, right?
Remember that freedom. Had a cost. And if you just look at the history of our country along, we see continual conflict to gain freedom with revolutionary war, civil war.
Cold War and it goes on. The Lord Jesus came in this world as a sacrificial lamb to take our place.
And pay the ultimate price for his decking across and defeat the bandage so that we. I know the truth and be set free.
And once we put our trust in him. Where to grow in is Grace and we are to spread the truth.
But how are we to do that in a world that is seemingly darker? And more confusing every day.
And I would just like to give, 3 practical ways. We can do this today.
The first way is right inverse. 8 31. Where Jesus says. Abide in my word.
And it says, if you abide in my word. You are my disciples in T. So we need to.
Be in his word and being in his verse how he becomes sanctified and John 1717 Jesus praised sanctified them in the truth.
Your word is truth. We need to be in a word to know the truth and be able to stand against the Father of ice abiding and uses a constant daily discipline.
We just went through the spiritual disciplines this past year at the manager street. There's a lot of them.
That we're, to us. But one of the things that they talked about was prioritizing.
I think in the book there was like 17. You can't go tomorrow and be like, I'm gonna do all 17 disciplines starting today and expect to.
Get that accomplishing your first week and be a changed person. You have to prioritize.
You have to be realistic, right? If we are going to make the priority. Discipline of getting into the work of God on a daily basis.
You're not going to read through the New Testament in the first week and meditate on it and understand it.
In its entirety, right? You've got to start with maybe a passage or reverse. You know, being disciplined.
And also helps to. Have accountability. That, that is a great need for a discipline. An example from my life is Gene.
How desire. We've always had a desire I think to be in better shape. And she has been more disappointed in that area than I have been.
But we, even went as far as buying a membership at a gym that didn't. So that's that for a couple of months or just like spending money.
And not getting any result. And I said, that's what got me going, right? Being the numbers guy being the money guy was like, alright, we're not gonna.
Spend this money if we're not gonna use it. So we've got at least start using it.
But that involves, you know, prioritizing it coming up with a plan. And then acting on it.
And without Janine, I think she'd say the same thing. And without her, it would be really hard for me to get out because we decided to get up at 5 in the morning before school.
I'm not a morning person. She pops out about at 5 am. And I'm there for I went there for a little bit longer, but.
If she didn't get up, I wouldn't be getting up. I would be sleeping. And so there are days where sometimes she go sleeps and guess what?
So do I. Cause though, you know, we're misery lost company, right? But here we are now going on 7 months strong.
Of at least 3 times a week where we're doing it and that has really become one of the The part of the where I feel physically the best afterwards and so that.
Is what Biden and works should be for us, right? Like that should be. The best part of our day.
I remember dancing with talked about it not always being dessert. It's not always gonna be this great like sweetness that we're tasting but it's that's part of the discipline.
So finding a Bible study get involved and ask your spouse to read with you. Our family started doing one this year.
During the school year and it was easy because we all leave at the same time. Now that we don't have that schedule and at routine, guess what?
We're not doing that every morning. Because my kids are still sleeping when I leave for work or.
Now if someone's at camp someone's there's always an distraction and if we don't do it right away.
Part of prioritizing is you have to have that time set. Another. Way to stand for truth is with each other.
We were, we were blessed with a great Chapel family here in
We need each other. Hebrews, 13 says, but exhort one another every day as long as it calls today.
But none of you that not, let me try it again, but exhort one another every day as long as this call today.
That none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness who sin. We need to be in fellowship with one another.
As well as with other Christians. And when you leave here on Sunday, and you go by your week and you're only interacting with non-believers.
I mean, you have Mac Christian friends of your you know that are fun that you're hanging out with and you're only coming here on Sunday mornings.
That's gonna be hard standing answer lies, right? The secular workplace today has become an expression of our culture.
They celebrate worldness and promote it which makes it really hard to stand for truth unfortunate enough to be working for a Christian company today, but it hasn't always been that way.
And I've seen things that former companies of mine and policies that they put in place and things that they're standing for.
I don't know how I could reconcile working for them if I was still there. It, you know, but some of us have to do that, right?
So prevalent in our world today is that we can't all work for a vision company.
It would be great if we could. But. Just. It's really hard to do that.
But don't even get me started on this. Alright, I mean just I'll just say this one thing I want to go as being right now in our school district being sued for and acting a policy to use the bathroom everywhere.
And enforcing it. So they're being sued. They have restraining order. They're not allowed to enforce that policy.
It's just seems kind of like madness, right? Like how Why does that even need to be a power?
It probably was never a policy for. You know, history man until the last few years, but it is but we need to be in fellowship partner we need to prioritize each other and seek out ways to connect during a week.
We cannot live together on Sunday mornings along. We can do this in many ways from, you know, phone call.
Going to a chapel event during the week starting a small group I was starting at home I know these things happen but I just like to encourage us to prioritize these advanced prioritized chapel events.
What about the ones in that Bible study? How good would it be to be and we're in a prayer together on a weekly basis?
And I know there's a group of us who are, but there's, it's definitely not this.
On Wednesday evening, I can tell you that. And I'm. I am no role model there.
I get it. But Janine and I have desire to go to these things and we try and make an effort when we can.
But we always come away feeling blessed. We never. Come away from meeting meeting with you guys and meeting with other travel family.
Not feeling blessed and not feeling Riccardi ever gone to any event in walk gravy and like man can't believe we wasting our time on that.
You know, it's never happened. Another, 1024 and 25 says and let us consider how to stir one another up.
Stir one another to a lot and good works. Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of sum.
But encouraging one another and all the more. As you see the day drawing here. We need to challenge each other.
We need to be able to share each other's burdens. And doing it in a right manner.
And my third point would be that we need to add. Are called to be witnesses to the truth those of us who have come to an understanding of.
Who Jesus is and have, made that professional faith. Need to do so truth to make disciples and we can't just do that.
By remaining silent. We need to not only be hears of the word, but also do words of the work.
First Peter, 3 15 says, but in your heart, honor Christ's Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
Yet do it with gentleness and respect. Having a good conscious so that when you are slandered, those for your value, your good behavior in Christ, maybe put to shame.
Who is better to suffer for doing good. If that should be God's will. Than doing evil.
I think about social media how many times You just need a pause. You've seen probably all seen people going back and forth.
Just being saying things you've never say to somebody in person, but because it's. On social media you feel more.
I think embolden and things that just aren't a good testimony aren't a good witness.
So pausing. When you're trying to do it in those kind of situations, but Natasha Kane is a Christian author.
And apologist. And she wrote a book called Keeping Her Kids on God's Side.
And in this book, she tells a story of how she made a blog post. She's all excited about this creation research that she did and she made a blog post.
About creation verse 7 or evolution and went viral. But it went viral and the atheist.
Circles of the interwebs. And she was personally attacked along with Christianity and this was really jarring to her and really eye opening because.
She was raised Christian home. Had a family of her own that she was raising in Christian church.
She had her church trench. All her friends are Christians. All the things that she does are Christians she was never had to defend her faith to that level.
And made her realize how unprepared she was to explain to non-believers. Most importantly, her children.
Why is she believed in Jesus? So we need to know how to finish truth to ensure that our children know what they are up against.
We need to teach them what they are up against and what they are going to be learning. And the school with my kids are fortunate to go to Christian school, but if they're if they're not.
They're still gonna hear these things in the world. They're still gonna be faced with secularity and wise within Christian schools.
So they need to be able to know what they're up against. We need to be educating them.
It's not just a You know, believe it because it's true. It can't just be that.
It has to believe it's true and this is why Iuring this is why we live and this is what other people believe.
And why that's wrong and why it doesn't line up with what we believe. And those kind of conversations need to happen and we need to be able to do that in a within the world in a in a gentle manner and not to you know, I found people.
Anymore. Another way to stand for truth is to get involved, right? To do to server where get involved it's more I believe as the same goes to, walk the talk.
When Roly Wade was overturned. My minute. It was a couple of years ago now.
I mean, I was Overjoy. Like, I mean, I was like, I probably excited.
It just seemed like such a hopeful day to me. And I could really feel it Jeanne could feel it and we just really.
Just feel that it was a great stride for our country, right? It just. Felt like this thing that was gonna be.
A turning point maybe we're gonna start making better having better government in our country and We can see the backlash that has caused.
But the lie about abortion is one of the most tragic wise. Of the evil one and it's really sad.
And shows that a gravity of man. Jean and I have had many conversations about, you know, about it and about being pro-life.
But what does that mean, right? Yeah, we're pro-life. Our church is pro-life.
Okay. But how are we? I'm showing that. How are we living there?
And I think there's there's many ways that that we can do that. I don't begin as an example I think of that of the Every year she would be at the the.
Hand, I'm not sure what it was, but every year was the March for Truth or Something out on high 100.
So I chain, that's it. I think about, you know, Jenny and I have talked about ways in how we can.
Not just say we're pro-life and not just believe that but actually live it. One example I have in my life is a great example is my parents were involved with ECFA.
And that's evangelical child and family agency and they had a program called Unwed Mothers.
Not sure if they still have that program. But they, basically this program for a pregnant. Like teenage women who didn't have a place to live if I wanted to carry their babies to full term.
And give them up for adoption. But in order to do that, they needed a safe place to be.
And so, they would, you see if they would look for homes. Where people that'd be willing to open their homes to allow that to happen.
Now is in that. A great example of how you can stand for being pro-life. The girl that we had when I was 15 and her name was Geneva.
She was also 15. Her mother dropped her off in an abortion clinic and said, don't come home.
Without an abortion. I said 15 years old, she was basically kicked out about our house if she did not get an abortion.
And so we, gave a place to live. She lived with our family, went to school with me.
You know, I don't really think it impacted my life as much. Then as it does now looking back and seeing what a great example.
Now my parents were, for the things that they believed in to be true. And my parents, if you know them, continue to live that life of just living it, not just saying it.
And I'm not saying we all need to go out and Go to ECFA tomorrow and open our homes, right?
But we can support ECFA financially. We can get involved with ministers that they have. We can you know, there's foster care.
There's Just, you know, there's pregnancy crisis centers that you can you know, take phone calls on there's a whole bunch of different ways in which you can without the truth that we believe.
And that one being a sanctity of life. So just in closing, I think there's 3 categories.
Of people, that the scriptures bring out. This is the true disciples. Those who know the truth and are abiding in Christ.
There's the, I guess you call them the untrue disciples who Think there they are.
One of the sons but they're not and then there's just the lost And you know, we need to be.
Embracing the truth of the gospel and sharing it with those around us and being with one another and building on one of those up and then going out in the world to change it and shed the light of truth and causing this like to read first John
Chapter 5 verse 20 and it says And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding.
So that we may know him who is true. And are in him who is true and his son. Jesus Christ.
He is a true God and eternal life. Let's go Zimbabwe. How many Father, we just thank you for your word and for the truth that it teaches us what we pray for.
Is there something here in as we are living in a time where truth doesn't exist and We need to stand for it or understand for.
Your word and your truth and do it in a way that is an offensive and we just pray for opportunity is pretty much to open doors for that if we're willing order and we pray for.
Maybe there was that. I think they're true to Cypress here today or that or not and they need to.
Let go of the bondage and constraints that they are holding on to. And accept the truth of your gospel and or your son order to grace and pray for those who I've just lost and I haven't.
Receptive your word order pray that the Holy Spirit would move and open their hearts and minds.
To your gasp. So I'll come a week and like is going to camp and we just pray for let me show you there.
And we just thank you for all these things.
Yes