Rob Ketterling: Hey, church,
I loved Robert Madu's message
last week, and I
know you did too.
And if you didn't see it,
you need to see
Robert Madu's message.
It was so good.
And while he was preaching
it, he read the Scripture,
Matthew 6, verses
31 through 33, "So do not worry,
saying, 'What shall we eat?' or
'What shall we drink?' or 'What
shall we wear?' for the pagans
run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father
knows that you need them.
But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will
be given to you as well."
And he's saying this, and on the
second time I head it-- 'cause I
watched him multiple
times bein' at service,
and on the second
time I heard it, I just got
inspired, and I wrote this
message right then and there.
As he's preachin', I'm
writing' another
message, but I'd
already head it.
And I wrote this message
called "The Next New Normal."
"The Next New Normal."
Because that just
resonated with me.
There's so many people sayin',
"I wonder what's gonna happen?
I wonder what's gonna happen?
Can God take care of me?
What's gonna go there?"
And so we're talkin'
about the next new normal.
We're not goin' backwards.
And a lot of people wanna think
about "It was better back then,"
and it's even in the
Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:10,
says, "Do not say, 'Why were the
old days better than these?' for
it's not wise to
ask such questions."
We're not goin' backwards,
we're goin' forward,
and we're going in to
the next new normal.
And I didn't say "new normal,"
"next new normal."
Because it's always changing.
People are like, "Well,
it's never gonna be the same.
It's never gonna be normal."
Well, it's never normal, okay?
We're goin' into
the next new
normal, and we're
movin' forward.
And, by the way, I'm optimistic.
I just believe we're
gonna get a vaccine.
I believe there's
gonna be a breakthrough,
a herd immunity--all this.
And we'll figure out
how to adapt to it.
That's what we do.
But there'll be a
next new
normal, and we've gotta
be goin' forward.
But, again, the world's
like, "What's gonna happen?"
Axios said this in an
article: "Things will never
truly return to normal."
Hopkins Medicine said, "The
COVID-19 pandemic has
changed life as we know it.
What will the new
normal mean to you?"
It's just the next new normal.
I mean, it has changed household
behavior, individual behavior,
church behavior, but we adapt.
We adapt, and we
keep moving forward.
Let me read it
again: "So do not worry,
saying, 'What shall we eat?'
'What shall we drink?'
'What shall we wear?' for the
pagans run after these things,
and your heavenly Father
knows that you need them.
But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things
will be added to you."
Okay, or "given to you as well."
Don't worry.
This is just tellin' me,
"Don't worry because God's
provin--providential--sorry.
God's
providential care is there.
Here's my point, if
the grass is growin',
God's still got
it under control.
If the snow is
fallin' in the winter,
God's still got
it under control.
Don't worry, because
we have faith in God.
Don't worry, because
he knows our needs.
Don't worry, because,
when we obey and follow him,
he'll take care of us.
There's a sign in my office
that Lucas made
from the Shakopee Campus.
It says, "I got this, God."
And it just reminds me
I don't have to worry.
As I go into the next
new normal, God's got it.
We're gonna be okay.
And I wanna just
reaffirm, everybody,
we're going to be okay.
We are moving forward.
God has this.
It may not look the same
way we thought it would look,
but we're movin' forward
into the next new normal.
So here's a couple things I
wanna share about going
into the next new normal.
Number one, you
gotta stay connected.
You gotta stay connected.
Jesus said this in John
15:5, "I am the vine.
You are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in
you, you will bear much fruit.
Apart from me, you
can do nothing."
I mean, I know we are
practicing social distancing,
but do not practice
spiritual distancing.
I mean, we've gotta stay
connected to one another.
And I know it's not a
building, but it's a belonging.
It's an active faith, and I can
say this to those that have been
comin' to the
building to worship.
You know, we've got multiple
campuses, and we wanna
spread out across America
and maybe even around the world.
We miss you if you
are part of the local,
you know, and you come
when you're comfortable.
If you're online and you're
part of our online church,
we wanna get to know you better,
and we're gonna even have Zoom
Life Groups in the fall.
I mean, we wanna
get to know you.
We're in this together.
We are connected.
We're gonna stay active.
We're gonna stay connected
in the next new normal.
And in the pressures of life, it
just feels like there's a--
"I might not go with you,"
"I'm holdin' back,"
"What's your motive?"
And it's almost like a
mutiny, if you will.
I think about movies,
and in every action movie,
there's, like, a mutiny thing,
like, "We're goin' forward."
"No, we're goin' this
way, we're goin'--"
and, you know, I
think about a movie that I saw
years ago, "Saving Private
Ryan," and they were havin'
this, you know, "We're
not goin', we're not goin'.
I'm not goin'.
I'm not doin' it."
And Tom Hanks, who's the leader,
he just finally yells out,
"I'm an English teacher--"
and why is that significant?
They had been guessing
what he did for a living,
and he's trying to
calm 'em, and he's like,
"I'm an English teacher, I'm
just tryin' to get home.
I'm just tryin' to do
the mission to save Ryan.
That's all I'm tryin' to do."
And he pulls 'em back together,
and he gets them to connect.
I'm just speakin' to
the church right now.
Hey, I'm a pastor.
I grew up in Eagan.
I'm just tryin' to
stay on mission.
Stick with me.
Stay connected.
Don't drift in the
next new normal.
Let's do our Bible
reading with SOAP.
Let's worship together.
Let's have Life Groups.
Let's have serving.
Let's pray.
Let's call people.
Let's stay connected.
Let's use Zoom.
Let's gather.
Let's stay connected as we
head into the next new normal.
It's critical.
If you don't stay connected,
you detach from Jesus.
He's the vine; if you detach
from him, you will dry up.
You will drift away.
You just--dry
things just blow in the wind,
and then you'll spiritually die.
We don't want that for you.
Stay connected.
In the next new normal,
I just gotta say this:
we gotta live lighter.
Some of us are headin'
into the next new normal,
and we're gettin' heavier.
And I don't mean, like,
the COVID--what is it?
COVID-15, COVID-19,
COVID-whatever
they're, you know, gainin'?
I determined I
wasn't gonna be that.
But we gotta live lighter.
Matthew 6:19, says, "Do
not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth where
moth and vermin destroy,
and where thieves
break in and steal.
But store for
yourselves treasures in heaven,
where moths and
vermin do not destroy,
and where thieves do
not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
Hebrews 12:1, says
this: "Therefore,
since we're surrounded by
such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us."
Live lighter.
We gotta live lighter.
And so many of us with the COVID
world that we're living in,
you know, we
couldn't travel, and, you know,
I love to
travel and couldn't travel.
So they said RV
sales through the roof.
Cabin sales through the roof.
Jet skis, boats, four-wheelers,
motorcycles-- "boom."
Walmart said that multiple
Walmart stores sold out of TVs
the day after the
stimulus checks arrived.
Boom, people were like, "Aah,"
grabbin', "Get it all."
And it's not bad in
and of themselves, okay?
By the way, I thought
about buyin' a jet ski,
a boat, a motorcycle, a cabin,
but Becca is in my life as I got
the Holy Spirit and Becca,
and Becca's like, "Come on."
And I was like, "You're right,
you're right, you're right."
But I'm just tellin'
you 'cause, I mean,
I'm like, "You
wanna go to a movie?"
Argh, can't do that.
"Wanna go shopping?"
Oh, shorter hours.
"Wanna go to a concert?"
Oh, no concert.
"Wanna go to sports?"
Uh, you know, so
you're like, "What can you do?"
So you're like,
"Get a jet ski, get a boat,
get a--" you get the point.
My point is this--again, they're
not bad, they're not bad things.
Everybody's like, "Oh--" no, I'm
sayin' this: but if it redirects
your resources from where
God told you to send your
resources, then it's wrong.
Like, "I'm gonna make
this kingdom group--well,
COVID means no Kingdom Builders,
we'll buy the jet ski."
You see what I'm sayin'?
If it redirects, if it weighs
you down with payments you can't
afford--listen to Dave
Ramsey, Financial Peace.
Come on, don't get--wait,
live lighter, live lighter.
If it keeps you further
away from your mission,
the money you were settin'
aside for a global team all of a
sudden goes--you see,
and it keeps you
away from your mission.
If it occupies more time
than you have available,
which, I mean, it
keeps you from church,
you're not livin' lighter.
You're living heavy, and you're
encumbering yourself with weight
that is keeping you from the
mission in the next new normal.
You gotta be ready.
And I mean, physically, you
should be physically ready,
spiritually ready,
financially ready.
We should be living lighter.
I mean, our
mission hasn't changed.
We still, in the
next new normal,
we are going in
to all the world.
We're gonna preach
the name of Jesus.
We are gonna start new campuses.
We are gonna send
500 missionaries.
We are going to be
about the Great Commission.
We're gonna build disciples.
We are going to stay on mission,
and if we're so heavy and we're
bloated and we have all this
distraction in our life--can you
imagine you're on the jet ski--
[engine revving]
Sorry, Lord, sorry, Lord, I'll
hear you, [engine revving]
One more lap, and then
I'll get to you,
and then I'll talk to you.
No, live lighter, and as we
head into the next new normal,
we have to live lighter.
Now, the third thing,
we gotta get
creative, we gotta get creative.
And I'll summarize this
story in Luke chapter 16.
It's worth reading
in Luke chapter 16.
Story of about a shrewd manager.
What happens is this
guy is getting fired.
He's getting fired, and so
he's like, "I don't wanna have
to work for a
livin', like do stuff hard.
I've been a manager, I've been
a leader, a vice president."
And so what he does is
he goes around and says,
"You owe my manager this much,
cut it down to this much."
And he gets all these
favors from people,
and he's like, kind of,
really extorting and blackmail,
and he's doin' side deals,
and it's really kind of sketch,
and you're lookin' at this like,
"Jesus, why are you
talkin' about this
guy like that?"
And the point is--there's so
many points in that parable that
Jesus is talkin'
about, you know,
like, kind of, like, "You
can't serve God and money."
See, there are so many
stories in the parable,
but the main one is
this: Jesus is like,
"The people of this world, they
are way more creative in their
survival and in their
business than the people
of God are in following God."
That was, like, the thing,
he's like, "This guy,"
he's like, "This guy was shrewd.
This guy was thinkin'.
He was always looking for a way
to advance himself," and he's
sayin', "Can you be creative
and always look for a way
to advance the kingdom?"
It's worth readin', and,
again, you're thinking,
like, "Is Jesus endorsing
embezzlement and blackmail?"
No, he's not, he's not.
He's saying, "The
world uses that,
and I wish my followers were as
creative and always thinkin' of
angles to advance the cause."
And so in this
moment here--again,
don't embezzle, but he's
saying, "Don't stay stuck."
I love what
William Barclay said.
He said, "Over and over,"
he's a commentary guy.
He said, "Over and over again a
man will expend 20 times the
amount of time and dollars
and effort on pleasures and his
hobby, his sports, as
he does on his church.
If only men would give as much
attention to the things that
concern their souls as
they do their business."
I mean, there are people
that are worshiping in church,
and they're kind of like,
"Oh, I gotta think about this.
Oh, that's an angle," and
jot that note down and walk out
of church, and, you know, you
pause the service in your living
room, and you're like,
"Oh--" 'cause you're thinkin'.
He's just sayin', "I wish you
would be as creative for the
things of God and looking for
creative solutions instead of
being stopped as you stare
at the next new normal."
We're staring at the next new
normal, and we get stuck.
Spencer Johnson wrote a
book "Who Moved My Cheese?"
and it's all about,
like, "They moved it.
The cheese moved.
It's no longer there."
And you gotta adapt, you gotta
change, you gotta move,
you gotta be
flexible, and you gotta go.
We have got to innovate, church.
We've got to innovate.
I'm speakin' to everybody
right now that's watching this.
Innovate.
Let's be creative.
Let's be more shrewd
than the guy that's-- "I don't
wanna work, I don't--" let's
be more creative than that.
And I'm thinkin' about this,
like, if you told me, a year
ago, 90% of the
churches in the world
would be digital, I'd be like,
"No, they're not,
they're not, they're
just--they don't get it."
A lot of people don't even
know how to use their phone.
Some people still
have flip phones.
I said, "No, no they're not."
But all of a sudden, COVID--
boom, boom, boom,
and now 90% of the churches are
online with online services.
I mean, we're using Zoom groups.
We had John Maxwell in one
of our Zoom Life Groups.
I mean, we can do that.
We're being creative.
I mean, our all-staff
meeting, if you don't know,
like, our all-staff
meeting is done digitally like,
just, like a digital conference.
We have our staff
go to their campus,
and we don't commingle 'em.
You know, we're tryin'
to isolate with COVID,
and, you know, not have
all cross-pollination.
You just never know.
I heard of a church, the
other day, they all went
on a retreat, and they
all got, you know, exposed
to one person--had to
shut down, okay?
So we're trying to protect
against that and we--you know,
obviously, Becca and I had it,
and thankfully we stayed away
and didn't give it to anybody.
But we're bein'
innovative, and the other day,
I was like, "That was
a great staff meeting.
That was really enjoyable."
We're innovating.
My doctor--I had a doctor's
appointment, you know,
cholesterol medicine, and
I had to do a checkup,
and it was digital.
I'm sittin' there, talkin' to
him, and, you know,
he's--I'm at home,
and he's in the office,
and we're talkin' back
and forth, we're innovating.
I mean, have you seen they had
cardboard cutouts for baseball,
and they're in the fans,
they're in the stadium?
One church did that too.
They had cardboard
cutouts for the congregation,
which I don't do.
I just know that
you're watching,
and I'm in this studio
here, but I feel--I know.
I know that you're watching.
I've seen it in church.
I've seen it in
your living room.
I've participated
in my living room.
But they had cardboard cutouts
'cause--do you know most people
sit in the same seats?
Year after year, the same seats,
and then, so you can kind of
almost take attendance with
where people sit, you know?
But they had cardboard cutouts.
And here's what hit me, that
made me think about reopening,
like, accelerated my thinking.
First of all, I wanted to, and
I assessed the risk, okay?
But then I realized they said,
"Las Vegas is being creative in
the way that they're opening,
and they're gonna have masks,
and they're gonna have
sanitization stations,
and they're gonna wipe down
the games, and they're gonna--"
and I'm like, "Are you serious?"
Las Vegas is gonna open casinos?
And the church is
like, "Oh, no,
what're we gonna do in the
next new normal?"
I was like, "Uh-uh, mm-mm, nope.
The next new normal
is comin' upon us,
and I'm jumpin' in it."
I'm jumpin' in it, and
I've got my face mask.
I've got my stuff.
I mean, we're sanitizing.
We're doing whatever we can.
We got rid of doughnuts and
coffee onsite--and we've gotta
figure out how to
bring those back,
but, I mean, the next new
normal needs creativity.
The next new normal needs you to
be shrewd like that manager that
says, "Wait, wait, wait,
wait, I don't wanna do that.
I don't wanna lose that.
I've gotta do this."
The best way to do church
has not been thought of
yet, and we need to think of it.
We need to go into it and
say, "How can we do--"
we've got to be creative.
And then the last thing heading
into the next new normal is
this: get ready to spread out.
I mean, get ready to spread out.
You gotta stay
connected, live lighter.
We've gotta be
creative, and we've
gotta be ready to spread out.
What does that mean?
I believe, when you head
into a next new normal,
all of a sudden,
somethin' happens.
Like, the Romans created a
next new normal with the roads
everywhere, and
the gospel goes out.
The internet has
created a next new normal,
and a lot of "poof," go out.
But I've noticed this, that
persecution and pestilence and
plagues tend to spread
people and cause things to
change, it's the
next new normal.
Like, New York City, if you'd
have told me two years ago,
you know, "Don't buy New York
City, it's a terrible--"
I would've said,
"No, are you kidding me?
It looks amazing," okay?
"Pshoo."
Million people, gone.
The spread is happening.
You see people movin' out of
the cities, movin' here.
I talked to one person.
They said, "Our company said,
'Indefinite, not goin' back.'"
I mean, that's devastating
to the community
where this business is located.
You understand that
"pshoo," spreading,
people working from home.
Homeschool--next
new normal, which,
by the way, I'm prayin' for you.
If you're homeschoolin'
and you're workin'-- and,
honestly, I mean, we've
gotta figure this one out.
I mean, as an empty-nester,
I was like, "Lockdown,"
you know, but for
those of you with kids at home,
and you're doin' this
school--but it just changes.
And all of a
sudden, people are like, "Oh,
I can work from the cabin.
I can work from the lake.
I can work from here.
I don't need to
live in the city.
I don't need to do the commute."
"Pshoo," and it just spreads,
and that's why our online campus
is so critical now 'cause
I could see our church
all over the world,
all over the world.
We had a global team
in Iowa last week,
and they were watchin'
the service in Iowa.
They said, "We got an Iowa
campus," just for a weekend.
But think about it:
persecution, pestilence,
plagues, it does--in Acts 8:1,
"On that day a great persecution
broke out against the church in
Jerusalem, and all except the
apostles were scattered
throughout Judea and Samaria."
Persecution, "pshoo,"
the next new normal.
Spread 'em.
But you also see
plagues and pestilence and,
just, crisis that happens.
In 2004, a tsunami hit India,
and a place that wasn't really
open, all of a sudden,
allowed people to come
in with the gospel.
Also the European refugee
crisis, people that we couldn't
reach, all of a sudden, are
being displaced by war.
The Syrian refugees, all of a
sudden, we're able to minister
to people that it would've been
dangerous to minister to.
You understand?
It just has a wave.
The next new normal has an
ability to spread the body
around, and all of a sudden,
"pshoo, pshoo, pshoo."
What if your remote work allows
you to go to a country that has
restricted access and
allows you to be a tentmaker?
You know what that means?
The apostle Paul, when he'd go
into a place, he was a
tentmaker, and he'd support his
needs by making tents, okay?
He didn't need any money to
go and be--do all this work.
What if you could be sent by
your company to remote work in a
country around the world, and
you weren't thinkin' about it
until COVID hit, until the next
new normal, "pshoo," came in?
And now you could be one
of our 500 missionaries,
and your budget is like this
big instead of this big,
because your
company is paying for it.
Thinking creative, remember?
And being ready to be spread.
What if your living lighter
allows you to say, "You know,
I have a decreasing interest in
the things of this world"?
"The American dream doesn't
hold the pull on me anymore.
And guess what?
I'm able to be sent.
I'm able to go.
I'm living lighter.
I'm ready to be spread."
There's something about that.
I mean, the digital world that's
there is allowing us to be
spread throughout
the world digitally,
and I thank God for that.
I've got this thought that,
even these services right now,
we could make
digital services, like,
with an Indian host pastor that
we could do and reach India.
We could have a
Russian host pastor.
We could have--do
you understand?
And we could have the
sermon--I'm just sayin',
let's think creatively and
be ready to be spread using
digital, using the ability to
say, "Lord, here am I, send me."
Not, "Here am I,
send somebody else."
Maybe it's time for us to
realize the next new normal is
filled with opportunities.
It's not fear.
I wanna speak that.
It's not fear, and
I really believe
there's gonna be vaccine.
I just have some
wishful thinking.
It's just the fact that the
history--we get vaccines,
and we look at like, "Oh, it's
been months," and God's
like, "Show me the other day.
Look at the years these
people were in exile.
Come on, get ready for
the next new normal."
I'm like, "All right, we're in."
Don't fear.
Don't quit.
Don't get heavy.
Let's get ready for
the next new normal.
Jesus said this, he said,
"Night is coming,"
when no one could work,
"let's work while it's day."
We have an opportunity to move
in the next new normal season.
Grab hold of it, and do
something amazing for God.
I'm just believing that.
I just come against
fear in Jesus's name,
I pray blessing on you, and
I pray you'd step into the next
new normal with faith and
boldness and confidence.
So, Lord, give them that.
In the next new normal, let us
be leaning in, ready to go to
grab hold of every opportunity
and work while it's still day.
You've got it under control.
You've got this.
You're God, and
we will trust you.
We will lean into
the next new normal,
in Jesus's name we
pray, amen, and amen.
Now, if you're
watchin' and you're saying,
"The next new normal is actually
pretty scary to me," "I don't
know that I feel like God's got
it and he's taking care of--"
he does have it, but
he may not have you.
And if that's you, and you're
sayin', "God's got the future,
but he doesn't have me," I'd
love to give you an opportunity
to say, "God, can you take me?
Could you have me?
Would you forgive
me of my sins?"
See, the thing that's
separated you is your sins.
You've done this
wrong, these sins,
and God says, "I'll forgive you.
I gave my Son, Jesus Christ,
to die on the cross and pay the
price for your sins."
And if you're sayin',
"Hey, will you have me?"
He says, "I will have you."
Bible says he's not willing that
any would perish, okay?
So, if that's you, you're
sayin', "I wanna move into my
next new normal without fear,
with confidence, and knowing
that God's got me," I'd love for
you to pray this prayer
after me, and God
will change your life.
Would you pray this?
Pray, "Dear Lord Jesus, I'm
sorry for my sins and all
that I've done wrong.
I ask you to forgive me.
I believe you died on the cross
and rose again from the dead so
that I can be forgiven.
I give you my life.
I wanna follow you.
I'm yours, Lord.
Thank you for loving me."
And if you prayed that, the
Bible says you've been forgiven.
The Bible says your
life has changed.
You said, "I'm no
longer in charge.
Jesus, you are.
You're my Lord and my Savior."
And if that's you, we
are so excited
that you made that decision.
And if that's you,
could you do this?
Could you text
"NOWWHAT" to 94000?
"NOWWHAT" to 94000.
We'd love to just congratulate
you on that and help you
grow in this walk with God.
As you go into
your next new normal,
you're changed in Jesus's name.
Everything you've
ever done wrong,
everything has been
forgiven in Jesus's name,
and you're movin' into
the next new normal,
forgiven, free, new life,
and we celebrate it with you.
So text "NOWWHAT" to 94000
so we can celebrate with you.
Let's move in to
the next new normal,
a new creation in Jesus Christ.
