PASTOR NATE: Praise the Lord, family and friends.
I'm so glad that you are with us today.
Today I'm not bringing the word, but I have
a special guest for you, my brother in ministry
and in life, Dr. Bobby Manning.
He's the pastor of the First Baptist Church
of District Heights.
He is a husband of one wife, father of three
children, an accomplished author and speaker.
I'm so glad that he's here to bring a word
in my absence, and I truly believe you will
be blessed.
So get your Bibles together, get your notes
or whatever you're going to take, get settled
in, and prepare to hear from God.
God bless you all.
I can see the Promised Land Though there’s
pain within the plan
There is victory in the end Your love is my
battle cry
When my fears like Jericho Build their walls
around my soul
When my heart is overthrown Your love is my
battle cry
The anthem for all my life
Every giant will fall, the mountains will
move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in
two
Over fear, over lies we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible with You
There is hope within the fight In the wars
that rage inside
Though the shadows steal the light Your love
is my battle cry
The anthem for all my life
Every giant will fall, the mountains will
move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in
two
Over fear, over lies we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible
Every giant will fall, the mountains will
move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in
two
Over fear, over lies we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible with You
No greater name, no higher name No stronger
name than Jesus
You overcame, broke every chain, Forever reign,
King Jesus
No greater name, no higher name No stronger
name than Jesus
You overcame, broke every chain, Forever reign,
King Jesus
Every giant will fall, the mountains will
move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in
two
Over fear, over lies we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible
Every giant will fall, the mountains will
move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in
two
Over fear, over lies we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible with You
Walking around these walls
I thought by now they'd fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle's won
For You have never failed me yet
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence,
You've never failed me yet
I know the night won't last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You're still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again, oh
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence,
You never failed me yet
I've seen You move, You move the mountains
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
You made a way, when there was no way
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
I've seen You move, You move the mountains
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
You made a way, when there was no way
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
I've seen You move, You move the mountains
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
You made a way, when there was no way
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence,
You never failed me
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence,
You never failed me yet
I never will forget
You never failed me yet
And I never will forget
TIM: Good morning, Bethany Community Church.
My name is Tim Quigg, and I am so happy that
you're joining us from here in Maryland or
around the world.
We're just so grateful you've decided to join
us this morning for worship.
Hey, if you haven't been to our website yet,
please go to that.
Bethanylaurel.org.
It's been revamped and it's really cool.
So we invite you all to go check that out.
We also have a cool app that you can find
in either Android or Apple app stores, and
I would encourage you all to go download that,
because we've spent a lot of time and energy
and we think it's a really great tool for
you guys to stay in touch with what's happening
at Bethany Community Church.
If this is your first time joining us, we
would love to connect with you.
We want to walk alongside you during this
crazy time.
Even though we can't all be together, we still
want to reach out and make an impact in the
community.
So if you need anything from Bethany Community
Church, please connect with us through our
website and the app.
You can also send emails to office@bethanylaurel.org
and let us know how we can walk alongside
you.
Hey, Bethany Community Church is still doing
many things during this crazy COVID-19 pandemic
lockdown, and we want to let you know what's
happening, so we want to point you towards
our mid-week email that either goes out on
Wednesdays or Thursdays.
It has tons of information, more than I've
talked about today, and so if you are not
getting that, we want you to send an email
to office@bethanylaurel.org or elders@bethanylaurel.org
so we can get you signed up so you can get
our email so you know what's going on and
you can join in with what's happening at Bethany
Community Church.
Now it's time for our offering.
We are so grateful that God has allowed us
to participate in His kingdom work.
And it's still happening even in this crazy
lockdown time.
Even when we're not together physically, we
can be together in spirit.
And one way we do that is through our tithes
and offerings.
There's so many different ways to give.
Once again, you can go to our website, www.bethanylaurel.org.
There's a place for you to give on that.
You can go to our app.
Find it in the app store.
You can give through that.
You can even text BCCGIVE to (888)364-4483.
However you do it, we're so grateful that
you've joined Bethany Community Church in
the work that we're doing around the world.
Please pray with me.
Deaf Heavenly Father, we know that nothing
stops You and Your kingdom from advancing,
and so we are so grateful that You are allowing
us to join with Your work.
So we want to be faithful to what You are
calling us to do, and we want to be faithful
in giving our tithes and offerings.
Lord, we thank You that You are still working
and we see You working, and we want to participate
in that even more.
So whether it's in the local community, around
the world, Lord, we ask that You take our
times and offerings and You just do amazing
things with them, more than we could ever
imagine.
So we want to thank You for Your Son, His
gift to us, and in some small way we give
back to You, Lord, but it can never measure
up to all the things You have given us already.
So we thank You, Lord, for these tithes and
offerings, amen.
Have a great day!
I've carried a burden
For too long on my own
I wasn't created
To bear it alone
I hear Your invitation
To let it all go
Yeah I see it now
I'm laying it down
And I know that I need You
I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding
No reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon
My soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father
Again and again
And again and again
Oh, oh, oh
You saw my condition
Had a plan from the start
Your Son for redemption
The price for my heart
And I don't have a context
For that kind of love
I don't understand
I can't comprehend
All I know is I need You
I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding
No reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon
My soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father
Again and again
And again and again
Oh, oh, again and again
And again and again
Oh, oh, oh
My heart has been in Your sights
Long before my first breath
Running into Your arms
Is running to life from death
And I feel this rush deep in my chest
Your mercy is calling out
Just as I am You pull me in
And I know I need You now
I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding
No reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon
My soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father
Again and again
I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding
No reason to wait
And my heart found a surgeon
My soul found a friend
So I'll run to the Father
Again and again
And again and again
Oh, oh, again and again
And again and again
Oh, oh, oh
Again and again
BOBBY: Amen.
JACQUES: Good morning.
My name is Jacques McCord, and I'm one of
the elders here at Bethany Community Church.
And it's my privilege to have the Lord's supper
with you today.
The Apostle Paul tells us of the institution
of the Lord's supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26,
and it reads as follows: "For I received from
the Lord what I also delivered to you, that
the Lord Jesus on the night that He was betrayed
took bread, and when He had given thanks,
He broke it, and said, 'This is my body, which
is for you.
Do this in remembrance of Me.'
In the same way He also took the cup after
supper saying, 'This cup is the new covenant
in My blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance
of Me.'
For as often as you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until
He comes."
Please bow your head to prepare for the bread.
Lord, thank You for this bread, which represents
Your body, that was broken for us.
We remember that You are the Bread of Life.
You feed our souls, you nourish our hearts,
and You give sustenance to carry on through
these difficult days.
We thank You for the great price You had to
pay, in Jesus' name, amen.
Jesus said, "This is My body, which is for
you.
Do this in remembrance of Me."
Let us eat together.
Please prepare your cup.
Bow your heads so we can bless the cup, please.
Lord, we thank You for this cup, that represents
Your blood that was shed.
As we pour it out, let us see Your sacrifice
poured out on to us, Your sacrifice poured
out on to us and the pain that You suffered
on the cross.
We dwell upon the price that You ultimately
had to pay to set us free.
Thank You, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.
On that night, Jesus took the cup and said,
"This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance
of Me."
Let us drink together.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with us all.
Amen.
Now, let us prepare and receive today's message.
Thank you.
PASTOR BOBBY: Lord, we thank You so much for
this day.
We thank You for Your grace.
Thank You for the privilege of gathering together
as believers.
And even though we are not in the same room
worshiping as we would prefer, we thank You
for the gift of technology that allows us
to worship online together, to be with one
another, and to be with You.
I ask Your blessing over this time that we'll
share together.
I ask Your blessing over this great church,
Bethany Community Church, and I pray that
You would have Your way in our time together.
As we look to Your word, I pray that You would
teach us, encourage us, empower us, push us
forward to further discipleship growth together
as the body of believers.
I thank You, God, that You have allowed us
to spend this day together and that You have
allowed me the privilege of spending this
time with this church.
I pray that You would speak once again to
us strongly today as we go to Your word, in
Jesus' name, amen.
Well, happy Sunday, Bethany.
I'm Pastor Bobby, grateful for the privilege
of spending these few moments with you today.
What a great day to worship online.
And I want to encourage you, wherever you
are, to fully engage as we go to the word.
Surely there are some distractions maybe around
you, but if you can do your best to eliminate
the distractions, I believe that God will
meet us right where we are.
The great thing about our great God is that
He is omnipresent.
That means that wherever you are, God has
this ability of turning it into His sanctuary.
And so whether you're in your bedroom or in
your kitchen maybe cooking some food or in
your living room or the man cave, God has
the ability to turn that space into His space.
I'm excited and privileged to be here with
you today.
It's a special day as we celebrate the anniversary
one year in the pulpit of my friend Pastor
Nate and Lady Brittany.
I'm so grateful for them as my friends, but
I'm also grateful for you, Bethany, because
you have received my friend as your pastor
and have grown with him over the past year.
I'm grateful for what this church is continuing
to do for the glory of Christ.
What a great testimony.
What an amazing testimony of the power of
the body of Christ, the power to overcome
any barriers and walls that we humans set
up and the grace of Christ and the power of
the Spirit that is at work here at Bethany.
I'm grateful also to call Pastor Nate my friend.
We've known each other for over a decade,
and we have been friends and brothers.
I'll begin just by saying this, that my growth
as a Christian has, for many years, depended
on my friend Pastor Nate.
That growth happens for myself and for my
friend because we are connected as disciples.
And if you'll allow me, I believe that that's
what I want to share with us today as we grow
as believers together, that there is no such
thing as a lone ranger Christian, that if
we're going to be what God has called us to
be, we are in this thing together.
That's the purpose of the local body of believers.
That's the purpose of church.
That's the purpose of us being disciples.
The purpose is not just that we individually
are good with God, but the purpose is that
we collectively are good with God.
It's one of the many reasons I praise God
for, again, my friend Pastor Nate, and one
of the reasons that I believe that God's word
will challenge and encourage us today from
Ephesians 4.
If you have a Bible nearby or you want to
flip over to your Bible app on your device,
I want to encourage you to take a look at
Ephesians 4.
We'll pick up reading in one moment at verse
11.
Ephesians 4, picking up at verse 11.
Throughout this chapter that I'll encourage
you to read in your time with the Lord as
you spend this week, throughout this chapter,
Paul is setting the scene of what it looks
like to walk with Jesus.
And in this particular section that we're
going to read today, he's highlighting how
walking with Jesus intersects with us walking
with each other.
Let's take a look at the scriptures in Ephesians
4, picking up at verse 11.
It says, "And He gave the apostles, the prophets,
the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for the building up of the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of the faith
and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature
manhood, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ, so that we may no
longer be children, tossed to and fro by the
waves and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness
in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are
to grow up in every way into Him Who is the
Head, into Christ, from Whom the whole body,
joined and held together by every joint with
which it is equipped, when each part is working
properly, makes the body grow so that it builds
itself up in love."
Wow, in these few verses, there's plenty for
us to talk about, but let's start right here
of what it means to truly be a disciple, that
these six verses really tune us in to the
reality that being a disciple means that I'm
being a disciple together with other disciples.
Sure, it's probably been difficult over the
last several months.
Probably the most difficult span of time in
your and my life to be fully engaged in our
discipleship because the truth is, we haven't
been able to connect in person as disciples.
But I want to encourage you, because I'm sure
it's probably more difficult than it normally
is to fully engage in your discipleship, but
please, don't let COVID-19 derail your discipleship.
I know that you and I, I've been sick of doing
things online.
Like you, probably, I'm all Zoomed out.
But I want to encourage you to make sure that
you are fully engaging.
Yes, it's a sacrifice.
Yes, it's work.
But I want to encourage you to fully engage
in your discipleship and do what it takes
to remain connected.
Please, don't let the pandemic be an excuse
for us to disengage from our discipleship
because you cannot walk alone.
Write that down.
That's the whole message for today and what
we really want to dig into and how this passage
is going to explain that, is that we as disciples
cannot walk alone.
Here's why we can't walk alone.
A few principles I want to share with you
today.
The first principle, the first reason why
we can't walk alone, is because we serve together.
We serve together.
Watch how he begins this paragraph talking
about how we have been equipped to serve one
another.
He says, "And He gave the apostles, the prophets,
the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for the building up of the body of Christ."
He begins with this listing, something that
we call the five fold ministry giftings.
There's five of the many spiritual gifts that
are laid out in scripture, and he begins by
saying that God has given us several gifts,
several different types of gifts, that come
together for the purpose of serving the kingdom.
I need you to catch this, that we all have
a spiritual gift, something that God has deposited
in you and I, that it's our responsibility
to understand, refine, and use it as a tool
to benefit the kingdom of God and to reach
the world with the gospel.
For some of us, that gift is evangelism.
And for some of us, that gift is apostleship
or starting new ministries.
For some of us, that gift is pastoring and
teaching.
For some of us, those gifts are a vast array
of different spiritual gifts throughout the
Bible.
But I need you to catch this, that every single
one of us is gifted.
And because every single one of us is gifted,
all of us have a responsibility to bring our
gifts to the table of the kingdom of God and
the local church, for you here in Bethany,
because God has designed for all of us to
be equipped for the work of ministry.
Did you catch what it says?
It listed all of those spiritual gifts, all
of those persons that serve within the church.
But watch what it says in verse 12.
It says "to equip the saints for the work
of ministry."
Notice it doesn't say to equip the pastor
or to equip the elders or to equip the deacons
or to equip the leaders.
No, that we all come together with our gifts
because it is the saints -- it's you and I.
It's every single one of us that should be
equipped for the work of service!
That word "service" is the Greek word diakon,
where we get our English word deacon.
Basically what Paul is saying is if we're
doing this right, all of us are deacons.
All of us are leaders.
Or, in other words, we serve together.
It's not just the pastor or the leader or
the elder or the deacon or the staff members'
responsibility to serve the kingdom.
At our church, at the Heights, I encourage
us.
Every time I hear one of our members say "y'all
are doing a good job," I correct them.
I say, "No, we, because you are part of this
as well, that we all should take ownership
to what the Lord is doing through us, through
our church, and be a part of it."
Because if we are going to be disciples, we
can't be alone.
We have to serve together.
Not only do we serve together.
I hope you wrote that one down.
But there is another principle in this passage
that I want us to grab ahold of, as disciples,
we do this thing together.
And number one, we serve together.
But number two, I believe the text is teaching
us that we grow together.
Take a look at verse 13 and see how the text
illustrates how we all are to grow together
with one another.
In verse 13, it says "until we all attain
to the unity of the faith and the knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ, so that we may no longer be children,
tossed to and fro by the waves and carried
about by every wind of doctrine, by human
cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are
to grow in every way into Him Who is the Head,
even Christ."
Did you catch all those "we's" in that passage?
Particularly verse 15, where it says "we are
to grow," that we grow together.
And it's not a win until we all win.
It's not growth until we all grow.
It's important for us to catch this thing,
because as we, as believers, grow individually,
it's easy for us to get comfortable.
But the reality is, God has not called us
to grow as individuals.
God is calling us, clearly in this passage,
for us to grow together.
I like to think of it this way, that Christianity
is a team sport.
Christianity is a team sport.
Unfortunately, American evangelicalism has
caused us to have a skewed view of what Christianity
is.
It's caused us to view our faith as something
that's private and individual as well as something
that is eternal but not present.
That the whole purpose of us as Christians
is to make sure that we have a personal relationship
with Jesus and that we're going to heaven
one day.
But y'all, Christianity is so much bigger
than the ticket that we've stamped to go to
heaven.
No, it's a team sport.
And we're not waiting for eternity to play
the game.
We're playing the game right now.
One of my favorite athletes for what he has
done on the basketball court as well as what
he's done off the court and how entertaining
he is, is Charles Barkley.
If you are familiar at all with sports, particularly
basketball, you may be familiar with Sir Charles,
Sir Charles Barkley.
He is, in my opinion, one of the best -- and
it's not just my opinion; it's many people's
opinions -- one of the best basketball players
to ever play the game.
Charles Barkley was an NBA or pro basketball
hall of famer.
He was a many-time NBA all star.
He scored over 20,000 points, over 10,000
rebounds in his NBA career.
But many of us who are basketball enthusiasts
know that as great as Sir Charles Barkley
was as an individual basketball player, many
people consider his career to be incomplete
because Sir Charles Barkley never won an NBA
championship.
As great as he was as an individual player,
there's this notch that he's missing in his
career, and the reason why that part of it
keeps coming up even though he was a great
individual player is because basketball is
a team sport.
And the ultimate goal of basketball is not
to be great individually.
The ultimate goal of professional basketball
is to be great as a team.
And the greatness is measured by the championship
wins.
And I believe, my brothers and sisters, that
Christianity is the same, that God has called
us not just to be individually great, but
for us to be collectively great.
For me, not just to take responsibility for
my own personal spiritual growth, but also
for me to take responsibility for the growth
of others.
The way we say it at my church, at the Heights,
we say real disciples make disciples, because
the goal is for us all to attain.
I don't have time to dig deeply into these
measurements of our growth, but I want to
highlight them really quickly, as the Apostle
Paul lays them out in verses 13-15.
How do I know that I'm growing together?
What are the measurements of us growing together?
Watch what he says.
He begins by saying, "until we all attain
unity in the faith."
That's one marker of maturity for us growing
together is that we are united and together.
We're on one accord, and we have open communication
and listening to one another.
We don't let our differences overcome our
similarities.
We don't allow the painful differences that
we have because we come from different backgrounds
stop us from being unified together by the
one ultimate thing that unifies us which is
Christ.
Unity is one way to know that we are maturing,
that we're growing together.
Another way we can note is by intimacy.
Watch.
It says, "until we all attain unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God."
That word "knowledge" means to know, to have
intimate knowledge of or understanding about.
You see, one measure is unity, but another
measure is intimacy.
How well I know Jesus and how well we know
Jesus together.
Another sign that we are growing together
is maturity.
Doesn't he say right there in verse 13, he
says "to mature manhood, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ, so
that we may no longer be children."
That idea of maturity, because children are
short sighted and self focused, but as we
grow to maturity, we will be able to see things,
see a little bit further than our own issues
and our own hand.
As an adult, there's an expected stature and
a maturity, and the way that we grow into
maturity is us growing together.
Another way to know that we are growing together
is stability.
Watch what it says in verse 14.
It says "so that we may no longer be children,
tossed to and fro by the waves and carried
about by every wind of doctrine and human
cunning, by the craftiness in deceitful schemes."
He says, when we are growing together, that
means we have a solid rock of a foundation,
that the winds of life and the winds of doctrine
and other people who are calling into question
the faith to which we hold, when all of that
comes around -- because it will come around.
Somebody is going to question your faith.
Somebody is going to call the Bible into question
in your family or in your community.
Somebody is going to tell you that there is
a different way or a better way.
But when we are growing together, that means
we're growing in our stability in the faith
as well.
Here's another way to know that we are growing
together, here's a marker that's in the passage,
is honesty.
Did you catch what it says in verse 15?
It says, "Rather, speaking the truth in love,
we are to grow up in every way into Him Who
is the Head."
Man, that's a difficult thing to do, but it's
a necessary thing that we must do as believers,
especially if we're going to strive towards
unity, is that we speak the truth in love,
that we are open and honest with one another,
but that we don't let our truth telling become
disrespectful or dishonoring, that we merge
love and truth, or as Jesus did, merging in
John 1, merging grace and truth.
And again, this is one of the measures by
which we know that we are growing together,
that we're growing into Christ, that we're
growing into an image of Who Jesus.
When I was younger, I had a toy.
It was called a Play-Doh pump.
You're lucky I couldn't find one.
I was looking all over the internet so that
I could bring one with me to Bethany today.
I couldn't find it.
But try to imagine that in this toy, you get
the Play-Doh, you get a pump, and then you
would get an assortment of different shells.
And you would attach the shells to the pump
and then you would insert the Play-Doh.
And the more Play-Doh you pumps, you couldn't
see it, but the more the Play-Doh took the
shape of the shell.
The more you pumped, the more it grew.
And the more it grew, the more it looked like
the shell that was around it..
I believe Christianity is much like the Play-Doh
pump, that the more we grow and the more we
pump each other up, the more and more we look
like the shell, which for us is Jesus Christ.
Isn't that the goal of what we do together
as believers, that we grow together, and as
we grow, we look more and more like Jesus
and less and less like the blob of clay that
we used to be when He found us?
You see, we need to do this thing together.
We cannot be isolated and still be Christians,
at least as the Bible describes Christians,
that our discipleship is something that we
do in community, and the text of is teaching
us that we serve together, that we grow together.
Finally, the text is teaching us that we fit
together.
Take a look at verse 16 and see if I can show
you what I mean when I say we fit together.
Speaking of Christ, it says, "from Whom the
whole body, joined and held together by every
joint with which it is equipped, when each
part is working properly, makes the body grow
so that it builds itself up in love."
.
Y'all, when we are connected, that's how we
know that we're growing.
When we fit together, that's how we know this
thing is working.
And even though we can't be in the same room,
even though we're physically distancing, we
won't allow physical distancing to cause us
to be spiritually distant, because we fit
together.
You see, the body always grows together.
I have an 11-year-old son.
My oldest is 11, almost 12, and my oldest,
Levy, man, he is growing like a weed.
He's in a season in his life where he is hitting
a growth spurt.
And y'all, he is getting tall.
He's almost as tall as his mom, which isn't
a huge thing, but you know, he's 11, almost
12.
And so because he's getting tall, he's not
just getting tall, y'all.
His hands are getting bigger.
His feet are getting bigger.
We have to buy him new shoes I feel like every
6 months.
Y'all, his head is getting bigger, if you
could imagine.
His appetite, that's the most expensive part
of it, his appetite is getting bigger.
Folks if everything was getting bigger except
his left arm, or if everything was getting
bigger except his right foot, then we would
need to take him to the doctor, because he
has one body, and his one body grows together
at the same rate.
Folks, if I'm growing and you're not growing,
something is wrong with the body.
Did you notice by now hopefully that oftentimes
in scripture, and particularly in this passage,
the Apostle Paul refers to the body of Christ,
to the church, as a body?
And y'all, just like my son, my 11-year-old
son's body should grow together in proportion,
so should we!
If we're connected together, and if we fit
together, that means we should grow together.
You supply what I need, and I supply what
you need.
And he supplies what she needs, and she supplies
what he needs.
We all need each other because we fit together.
So our growth depends on each other.
I did some research, and I had to find the
tallest and strongest trees on earth.
And I ask this question often and many of us
get the answer right and some of us get the
answer wrong.
If I was to ask you what is the tallest and
strongest tree on earth, what would you say?
Go ahead and put it in the comment section
if you want to.
Let somebody know if you're smart enough to
know what is the tallest and the strongest
trees on earth.
I'll give you a second.
Now, if you put in the comment section that
the tallest and the strongest trees on earth
are the oak tree, that's a great guess, but
it's wrong.
The tallest and strongest trees on earth are
a rare tree that you find on the coast of
California called the coastal redwood tree,
which is the tallest and the strongest tree
on earth.
And you would think that the tallest and the
strongest trees on earth have very, very deep
roots.
But actually, no.
The coastal redwood tree does not have deep
roots.
Actually, the roots are quite shallow.
But the reason why the roots are so strong
with the coastal redwood tree is because when
the roots go into the ground, they go out.
And when they go out, what they do is they
wrap themselves around the roots of other
coastal redwood trees.
And the strength of a coastal redwood tree
is not brought by deep roots.
The strength of a coastal redwood tree is
brought about by that coastal redwood tree
being connected with a village of trees.
Folks, I believe that God wants to illustrate
for us through coastal redwood trees how we
ought to operate as disciples, that although
we want roots that run deep, we also want
roots that run out and grab ahold of other
people's roots, because we are in this thing
together.
If you want to grow tall and strong as a disciple,
my challenge to you is to make sure that your
roots intertwine with somebody else's roots,
maybe a few other people's roots, so that
we can be connected together.
There are several ways that this could happen
within the local church, but I want to challenge
you and encourage you to make sure that you
are fully engaged with what God is doing here
at Bethany, how God is growing this church
and the members of its church together.
What God is doing to keep us united even though
the pandemic tries to separate us.
What the Lord is doing in each and every one
of us as we serve together, as we grow together,
and as we fit together.
And so, Lord, Jesus, I thank You.
I thank You, God, that You have designed the
body of Christ that we might always be connected
to You Who is the Head, but also so that we
might be connected to each other, so that
we might serve together and grow together
and fit together.
I pray for every person who is engaged with
me here online.
I pray that You would strengthen us.
I pray, Lord, that You would connect us, first
to You and then to each other.
I pray for somebody who needs to make a decision
today.
Maybe that decision is to trust You for the
first time, or maybe that decision is to rededicate
their life to You today.
Maybe that decision is to recommit to being
together with the church because we've been
disconnected for a little while.
I pray that that decision will be made today
and that the follow-up commitments will be
made as well so that we might be the disciples
that are described in the scriptures, that
we would be healthy, that we would grow, that
we would be strong, and that we would be together.
We thank You for Your word, and we thank You
for Your Holy Spirit that convicts our hearts
and challenges us forward, in Jesus' name,
amen.
God bless you, Bethany.
Thank you for letting me be a part of this
great day.
Love you guys.
PASTOR NATE: I pray that word blessed each
and every one of you, as we were again reminded
that it takes all of us together, and in us
being together, it's there where we grow,
it's there where we are edified, and it's
also there where we are strengthened to go
and equip someone else.
This discipleship walk is one that takes each
and every one of us.
It's a journey that begins at the moment we
decide to follow Jesus and continues until
we meet Him again.
And for some of you, you may have been listening
to that and saying, well, I'm not connected
either to my God or to my brothers and sisters.
If that's you, we can fix that right now and
in this moment.
What do I mean by that?
Right now, on any platform, I'm going to pray
with you, but specifically if you're on our
church online platform, click that button
that says "I've decided to follow Jesus,"
click that button for live prayer, and let
us connect with you so that we can walk with
you, and like those redwoods, get our roots
intertwined in such a way that we continue
to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Let me pray with each and every one of you.
You see, the Bible tells us that "If you confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the
dead, you shall be saved."
And that's the beginning of our walk.
But it's not the end.
So I want to connect with you who say that
you believe that, and let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for each and
every person on the other side of this lens
that is viewing this cast and has received
that word.
I thank You for those who don't know You personally
but are in this moment seeking a relationship
with You.
I pray now that You would hear from heaven
what is going on in their hearts, that You
might hear the confession of their faith,
that they have decided to follow You, that
they believe that Your Son died just for them,
and that You raised Him from the grave, and
as Your word says, that "If we confess with
our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in
our hearts that God raised Him from the dead,
then we shall be saved."
So now we call on Your name, Lord, confessing
just that before You, but also turning our
lives over to You, so that we might walk according
to Your will as we mature as believers, following
the likeness of Christ.
Father, I also pray for the individual on
the other side of this cast that is saying,
I've decided to follow Jesus but haven't done
it consistently.
I pray that You might remind them that this
is not a journey alone, nor is it one where
You might turn Your back on them.
But instead, You call them back to You just
like the prodigal son was called back to his
father.
So now, Lord, I pray that they might know
that they can come back to You, and even now,
as they confess whatever it is that is drawing
them from You, that they might turn from that
and return to Your warm embrace.
And Father, I pray now that even as they return
to You and others come to You, that we might
also connect one with another, that we might
not only begin a relationship with Jesus Christ,
but that we might grow in it with one another.
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
I'm so grateful and excited for you who are
beginning your journey and those who are now
continuing it.
I pray for each and every one of you that
you might connect with either our ministry
or another ministry where you will not walk
this walk alone.
You see, we're not called to be alone.
Instead, we're called to be in community,
which gives us a common unity in Christ Jesus.
So until we meet again and until we greet
again, may the Spirit of God and the sweet
communion of the Holy Spirit rest, rule, and
abide with you.
In Jesus' name, be blessed.
