The Fathers House

00:02 Well, we greet you this morning in the name of Jesus. Let the church say amen. 00:06 It is good to be here this morning and to sense the presence of the Lord and to appreciate fathers, what they mean to us. No father is perfect, but I think that's by design. 00:22 Part of that design is the fact that we are fallen people and we fail to come to perfection until we're perfected in glory. The other part of that design, I think, is due to the fact that God wants to be the Father that's worshiped. 00:41 We appreciate and thank and honor our fathers as men, but our Father in heaven we worship. And we don't worship Dad. We follow Him as He follows Christ as He worships Christ. 00:57 And so I think God wants every father to deflect attention to the Heavenly Father. 01:06 And so what I want to talk this morning about is not a Father's Day message as such, but it is a message that relates and dovetails well with Father's Day because every father makes a place in his home for his sons and daughters. Amen? 01:25 Every father makes a place in his home or should make a place for his sons and daughters. 01:30 And so part of being a father is to provide a home, provide a place for those children to be protected and to be provided for and to be loved and to be taught and instructed and to be nurtured and raised up. 01:48 And fathers are to bring forth their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We understand that verse. We know that verse well. We take that verse seriously. But have you ever thought that God Himself has made a place for His children? He's made a home for them? He has. 02:07 And I'm not just talking about heaven because He is preparing a place for us for the final destination for our eternal dwelling, but He's also given us a home where there's love, where there's nurture, where there's protection, where there's instruction, where there is honor, respect, 02:25 where there is 02:28 giftings that are being used and working together, learning to relate to others. And that is the local church. And so I want to talk to you this morning about our father's home, our father's house. The Bible says we are His household. 02:47 We are His building and His household. We are the structure that God lives in. He lives in the church and the household of God lives in the church. 03:00 And so just like we want to be a part of a human family, and everybody I believe wants to be a part of a human family unless they've been conditioned otherwise. I did hear a couple recently from the community that was inviting a homeless youth into their home, 03:20 and he didn't want to be a part of the home. And he was used to living under bridges and locally here and wherever he could find a place in people's houses from this house to that house, wherever he could find a place to sleep. 03:33 And so this couple gotten to know him and interacted with him in their home and finally felt prompted of the Lord to invite him into their home to live with them. And they said she made a special meal to celebrate this. And of course, he didn't know what was coming. 03:54 And finally they asked him, "We would like to ask you if you would like to come and live with us in our home." And his immediate response was, "Why would I want to do that?" Not exactly the response that they were looking for. 04:07 But eventually that young man became a part of their family, but he had been so conditioned by things around him not to want to be a part of someone else's life that this was strange territory for him to be a part of a family. I believe that there are those out there today who don't see the value of being connected in families. 04:29 And there's also those out there that don't see the value in being connected in a church family. But nevertheless, when there's a healthy understanding of the family and a healthy understanding of the church, there should be a natural desire to be a part of the family of God. And I'm not just talking about the great invisible universal family of God, 04:50 which is hard to connect with, but I'm talking about local fellowships, local fellowships of believers, which are really like a platoon. I want to recommend this book to you. A number of years ago we passed these out to every family. It's called Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus. It's by a man named Jonathan Lehman. 05:09 He's not a Mennonite. He's a Baptist and comes through with a strong message on the validity of church membership. But basically he refers to the local church as a platoon and a subset of the larger army. And if you have a platoon of soldiers, those are the soldiers that stand with each other, 05:29 and those are the soldiers that meet together to represent the universal army. And so it's a little hard to understand and relate to the army of the United States or the military of the United States of America. It's big. It's large. It's unattainable. 05:46 But they break that down into representatives of the earthly kingdom of the United States vested with the authority of the government of the United States and in platoons or regiments or companies. And so it is with the local church. 06:05 It's a lot harder to connect with that out there. What is that out there? And who is that out there, the universal church? But we can connect with the local, and it's in the local area, the local church where real spiritual growth happens. And so I like to ask you the question this morning, 06:23 answer the question, "Why should I be a member of a church?" And for our text, I'd like for you to turn in your copies of the Scriptures to Acts 2:41-47. Some of our thoughts will be drawn from this text, but there will be a lot of supporting Scriptures because we want to be biblical. 06:41 We want to be scriptural on this whole thing of being a part of a local church. Verse 41, and the setting here is that Peter just preached on the day of Pentecost and preached a powerful sermon proclaiming Christ. And then the people were convicted in their hearts, and they said, "What should we do? 07:00 How do we respond to this?" And Peter said, "Of course, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." He reminded them this was a fulfillment of prophecy, and this is the Lord's doing both now and for wherever people will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 07:22 And then in verse 41, this is the natural reflection and the natural growth of having connected with Jesus. Having connected with Jesus, when you connect with Jesus, you want to connect with other people that have connected with Jesus. Amen? You want to. It's just a natural... just like demon-possessed people find each other and connect. 07:43 And those who are involved in sin, it's amazing how rebels find rebels. It's amazing how sinners find sinners that struggle with the same sin, even so that saints find saints. Isn't it something? Saints find saints. And people who connect with Jesus want to connect with other people who connect with Jesus. 08:05 And that was the case in Acts 2:41, "Then those who gladly received His word were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them." Interestingly how they kept count. They counted. There was a count. You were on the roll, 08:25 as it were, of this fledgling church. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, 08:46 had all things in common, sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. 09:05 And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." So we asked the question this morning, "Why should I be a member of a church?" Number one, it is biblical. It is biblical to be a member of a local church. Notice what these people did. 09:24 "As many as received His word gladly, they were baptized, and they were added to the church." Verse 47, "Added to the church." And other people who trusted Christ were added to the church. Sure, there was not a lot of structure to this because it was just starting. It was in its infancy. 09:43 It was barely born, and it was already being added to. But there was a role. There was 3,000, and then the Bible says there were 5,000, and then it grew and grew from there. So what do we see about it being biblical? Acts 2:41, and we just referred to that. And Hebrews 10:25, 10:05 "We're admonished not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some, but exhorting one another." So much the more as you see the day approaching. We're to be regularly meeting with the people of God. And especially when you see the day approaching and you see the end coming, it's going to be a tendency to want to pull back, but don't do that. 10:27 Press in, continue meeting, and not forsake the assembly. And then, of course, we see that local platoons developing in the early church. 1 Corinthians 16, "I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanus." That is the first fruits of Achaia, "and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints. 10:46 That you should also submit to such." Submit to that local church. And that household of Stephanus. You'll notice down there in verse 19, "The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila, Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord with the church that is in their house." And verse 17, 11:06 "I'm glad about the coming of Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus. For what was lacking on your part, they supplied, for they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men." And so you see the development as time went on of these little platoons of fellowship where you were to honor one another, 11:25 where you were to submit to one another and live out your faith in practical ways. And so then we go on. We see in Galatians 6:16, "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them." You see there was those that were in and those that were not in. 11:46 Colossians 4:15-16, "Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and Nymphus and the church that is in his house." Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans that likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 12:01 And so you begin to see these house churches develop and flourish and multiply throughout the communities and throughout the locations. 2 Thessalonians 3:6, "But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Oh, now this is a little different take on things. 12:20 "That you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he has received from us." You see there's a place then where you submit and you join and you honor those in the fellowship, and then you withdraw from those who are outside the fellowship, 12:41 who are walking in a way that is not reflective of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so how do you do that unless there are identifiable locations where these things are lived out? 1 John 3:10, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. 13:01 Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor he is he who does not love his brother." And here you have already in 1 John the clear distinction between those who are in and those who are out. Those who are in and those who are out. And we're not writing to make more of this than what we see here, 13:22 that there's a distinction being made. So why should I join a church? Well, how else do you look here at 2 Timothy 4:10, "For Demas has forsaken me." How'd you like to be Demas and have your name plastered in the New Testament as being a scoundrel? Huh? Well, there's something we learned from him. 13:41 Something we learned from him. That is the apostle Paul was saying, "Don't follow Demas. Watch out for Alexander the Coppersmith. He did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You must also beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words." How do you do that in a global church? 14:03 You do that in local churches. And as those in our day, some of that information has to be disseminated beyond just the local community as well. 14:13 Titus 3:10-11, "Reject the divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-conniving." How do you do that except by having a commitment to a local fellowship? How do you do that on a global scale? Well, 14:33 he's talking about local expressions of the body of Christ. The second reason... well, let's back up just a moment. The thing that I want you to take away from this is that already in the early church there was a mechanism developing to determine who was in the church and who was not in the church. 14:54 Now the second reason why you should be a member of a church is because it expresses my love for Christ. It expresses my love for Christ. Verse 42, "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and breaking bread and prayers." There was a devotion here. 15:10 There was a devotion to Christ that ended up affecting their devotion to the people of Christ, to the brotherhood there in Jerusalem. 15:23 Ephesians 5:32, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." And the apostle Paul said, "For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." See, Brother Todd, what does that have to do with the church? Well, let me explain it like this. 15:42 We're talking about my love for the church, for Christ being expressed by my love for his body. And Paul used the church as a picture of the body of Christ or of the marriage. He used marriage as a picture of the church. 16:00 And he used engagement as a picture of engagement with Christ. And I explain it like this. When you marry and when you commit yourself to a fiancé or to a wife later, a wife, how much do you take of her? 16:21 What do you commit to? You kind of commit to all of her, right? Justin, when you married your wife seven years ago today, which part did you marry? The whole thing. The whole kit and caboodle. Even married the family. Right? You got them. Whether you knew it or not, she got yours. 16:43 The point is when you marry, you don't just marry a head. You marry a body. You marry a person and all that is meaningful to that person. 16:55 And when I married my wife and she married me, I didn't even look at her body and say, "Well, I love your body, but your head's kind of weird." And so she didn't look at me and say, "Well, I love your head, but your body's kind of weird." No, we took each other wholehearted, spirit, soul, and body. 17:13 And everything that was meaningful to her is meaningful to me, and everything that's meaningful to me is meaningful to her. And we entered into a commitment to her head and the body. And there are a lot of people who want to love Jesus. Do you see where this is going? They don't want to love the body. They don't want to love the body. 17:34 I don't see that as being possible any more than loving my wife's head and not her whole person. So that's what those verses have to do. We're speaking about Christ and the church. 17:49 We're speaking about espousing a group of people to one head and loving our Christ by loving his people. Do you realize that all spiritual realities of great importance have spiritual dimensions and physical dimensions? The spiritual dimension of marriage. 18:10 You're married in spirit, but you're also married in body. Communion. Your communion with Christ is spiritual, but you also take communion in the emblems. Baptism. You're baptized into one body by one spirit, but you also participate in water baptism as the physical expression of the spiritual reality. And the church is no different. 18:31 Our commitment to the spiritual reality is evidenced by our commitment to the local expression of the body of Christ. And so we commit to the whole body. We commit to the body and our Lord Jesus Christ as a whole package. By the way, 18:51 another verse that goes along with this, it expresses my love for Christ. Do you realize that we as pastors express our love for Christ by being a part of this local fellowship? Jesus said to Peter, "If you love me, do what? Feed my sheep." He did that three times. 19:09 Expression of love for Christ as a pastoral team is exemplified by our feeding of the sheep. If we were to not feed the sheep and tend the sheep, it would be a reflection upon our love for Christ. Isn't any different for the sheep? 19:27 Number three, it provides a place for service and for the gifts that God has given to you, to the church through you, to be used. Ephesians 4:11-12, "And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, 19:46 for the edifying of the body of Christ." The idea is captured in the New Living Translation where it says this about the first part of that verse. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. Did you realize that the gifts of the spirit that are given through you are given to the body? 20:10 They're not given to you. They're given to the body. And so when I learned this, it became so freeing. When I learned this and God spoke this to my heart many years ago, that, "Todd, what I have given you as a gift to be stewarded is not given to you. It's not about you, Todd. 20:30 It's about the body." And so I committed myself, "Lord, where you want me to use my gifts, where you want to bless people through me, then you take care of that." And so it gives a place for spiritual gifts to be used. Romans 12:4-5, 20:50 "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another." So the local church gives us a place to serve, gives us a place to develop our gifts, to serve with our gifts. 21:09 But now God has set the members, each of them, one of them in the body just as he pleased. Why are you a part of Living Water Church? I hope it's because God set you as a member in this local fellowship. 21:27 So God sets people where he wants them if they're working and being obedient to his will. Now look at what we did with Bible school. Not what we did, but what God did through us as a congregation. I said, "Wow. See the body working. 21:44 There isn't one person alive in this church who could have pulled off what we pulled off in Bible school. Not one, but many, many, many people working together." There were people that were organizing and there were people that were serving and there... Well, everybody was serving in some capacity. 22:04 There were some that were teaching. There were some that were leading. There were some that were baking. There were some that were feeding. There were some that were driving. I mean, it's a beautiful picture of the body working together. I think God is pleased when he sees that. And maybe I saw... 22:25 I didn't see everything. I was kind of stuck in the upper room with some very fine young folks. I didn't see anything, but I didn't hear anybody saying, "Boy, I don't want this job. I want that job. I want to do that over there. I don't want to do this job." I didn't hear any of that. It's just, 22:44 "I want to serve." Yeah, there's some places I'd rather serve than others. But put me where you need me. 22:52 And so the local church gives an opportunity for that kind of thing to happen. Number four, it builds enriching relationships. My relationships are enriched by being a part of local church. I've been a member of four churches in my life. The church I grew up in, 23:14 the church where I pastored initially, which was outside of the community that I grew up in, the church where my wife attended, where we settled in when we first came to Indiana, and where she was from, it was a natural for us to go there and then Living Water. And unless the Lord... Now I'll be careful with this, 23:34 but unless the Lord 23:37 calls us somewhere else or this church apostasizes, I intend to die here unless something else happens. We don't know. We don't know the future. But you folks are the kind of people I'd like to die with. I'd like to die for. I told my family some time ago, 23:59 "I'd love to die in a pulpit." They didn't think that was a very good idea. Loved to die preaching. They thought that they'd rather have it happen somewhere else. Acts 2:46, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their meat with gladness and simplicity of heart." Feel the heart in that. 24:21 Daily with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house... Gladness, simplicity of heart. Philippians 4:1-3, "Therefore my beloved and my longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord beloved." And how'd you like to be Eodia and Senteki? 24:41 Have that plastered in scripture forever. I implore you to be of the same mind in the Lord. Oh, they had challenges in the Philippian church. I also urge you, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are written in the book of... Whose names are in the book of life. 25:01 He had a bond with that Philippian church. That Philippian church. There was a special and enriching relationship. Let me ask you this. Are my relationships more important than my pet issue? 25:21 Are my relationships more important than my issue? And I don't think we have huge conflict here at Living Water. So if you're a guest, don't get the wrong impression. We have issues that we don't all see the same. Is not the cause greater than the conflict? Ask that sometimes when you're in a conflict with somebody. 25:42 Isn't the cause of fellowship and the gospel and serving the Lord and pulling together and enriching in relationships and growing together in God's grace? Isn't that more important than my issue? Think about it. 26:01 These are the people on the local level that I learned to live with and to serve with. These are the people to whom I give myself. These are the people that the fruit of the spirit is developed and tested and increased and growing. Number five. 26:20 Why should I be a member of a church that provides security through accountability? Security through accountability. 26:30 Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Considering yourself less, you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." How does that get fleshed out best? 26:49 It's fleshed out best right within the context of those who know us best and love us the most. One of the things that gives security in a relationship, in a family... 27:04 I'll tell you what gives security in a family is knowing that we're going to stick together through thick and thin. Come what may, your family is always your family, right? Haven't you been taught that growing up? Your friends may come and go, but family is always family. 27:27 And there's security. And you put up with a lot from family members. And you know that people aren't just going to walk out. Now do they walk out? Yeah. 27:39 And it destroys trust and creates insecurity, especially in small children, but in any child. So how about the security and accountability through a brotherhood? Knowing that we're going to stick together. We're going to be together. We're going to work together. 27:58 We're going to cry together. We're going to disagree together, and we're going to submit to one another together. 28:07 What a blessing. 28:10 You know, a disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ, and everybody ought to have somebody that you answer to. Amen? Everybody ought to have somebody that you answer to. Everybody ought to have somebody who can correct them if they get out of order. 28:30 You see, discipline, it has been said, is the right and responsibility of every church member. It's your responsibility to me, and it's my responsibility to you. And it's your right as a believer in Christ, a member of this church, to expect that someone come to you and correct you if you are wrong, 28:52 or at least encourage you. And depending on the level of your wrongness, either admonish, exhort, or rebuke depending on the level of that wrong. And so we have a policy on discipline. Living Water has a discipline policy. 29:12 Did you realize that? When was the last time you looked at it? It's biblical. Kind of gives the outline of what to expect if you walk away from Christ and you... Or I walk away from Christ, or if I start teaching false doctrine, false teaching, or if I start failing morally or drifting away from Jesus. 29:35 It outlines how we go about those things to give us some direction. Why should I become a member of the local church? Because it provides spiritual training. Oh, this goes back to our last point. Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. 29:54 If he hears you, "You have gained your brother." What's the purpose of this? Is accountability and brotherhood and enriching relationships. 30:04 James 5:19-20, "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." Isn't that powerful? That's a powerful verse. 30:21 Number six, it provides spiritual training and development. Matthew 28:20, "Teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you." That's part of the discipleship process in a local church. 30:36 It happens best when people are committed to that local assembly for training and development. 30:44 2 Timothy 2:2, "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." How does that process work where you're going from one faithful man to another faithful man to another faithful man? And again, I challenge people. I've said this before, 31:03 but I challenge people not to think about yourself as just an isolated Christian, but to think about yourself as a part of a train of faith, of faithfulness from one generation to another to another. And you link faithfulness from the past to the future. 31:24 That's how we ought to be looking at training and spiritual development. Titus 2:7, "And all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works and doctrine showing integrity and reverence and incorruptibility." This is at the end of that section where Paul talks about the teaching and training of the church, 31:43 the old men teaching the young men and the old women teaching the older women, teaching the younger women and and and and transferring that body of knowledge and experience from one generation to the next so that we might show ourselves a pattern of good works, integrity, reverence, incorruptibility. 32:06 Some time ago, I had this weird thought. I thought... And it's almost science fiction, but not anymore. I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice? 32:18 Wouldn't it be something to be able to take a USB drive or a chip of some sort and take it from Walter Beatty's brain with all of his information and put it in mine? Wouldn't that be neat?" No. You know what? They're talking about doing that anymore, taking chips that'll take and transfer people's thoughts. 32:41 Weird, science fiction. It doesn't work that way. How does it work? How do you disseminate knowledge from one person to the next? Through discipleship. Through discipleship from one man to the next man to the next man to the next, and women also. All right, Acts 4:35, 33:01 "It recognizes God-ordained authority." 33:06 Acts 4:35, turn over to that because it's near our text. You see, one of the things that happened in these enriching relationships was something that was a little unique to the early church and that they began to share and to pool their goods. It was kind of a communal kind of thing. 33:25 It was strictly voluntary. 33:28 But by the way, let me jog your thoughts back to this thing of gifts. How do we share our goods with the brotherhood? Well, we can do that in a physical way, yes. 33:43 But we also do that in a giftedness way, taking the gifts and abilities that you have and contributing them to the common pile, as it were, for whatever anybody has need of. We draw on the gifts. And so it was with financial things. 34:01 They brought their gifts and sold their properties and brought them to the proceeds. 34:07 Verse 34, "Nor was there anyone among them who lacked, for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles' feet, and they distributed to each as anyone had need." What does that speak of? That speaks of apostolic authority, 34:27 a recognition that not just anybody was authorized to do everything. Okay, did you get that? Not just anybody is authorized to do everything. So what am I authorized to do? 34:44 And then recognize the authority structures that are put in place to bear out those responsibilities. And so it is a place that recognizes God-ordained authority. I place myself under the authority of Christ by placing myself under the authority of the church. Matthew 18, "Assuredly I say to you, 35:04 whoever, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loose in heaven." Again, I say to you that if two of you ask or agree on earth concerning anything they will ask, it will be done for them. And that is in the context of the church. Hebrews 13:17, "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls. 35:25 As those who must give account, let them do so with joy, not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." And so we come under the authority of the church. Who watches for your soul? The local church watches for your soul. The local pastors watch for your soul. The local elders watch for your soul. 35:47 And now I want to ask you a question. Who has the authority to speak into your life? And who do you listen to? I've been asking that question to myself. Who do you listen to? Well, who do you listen to? Who do you listen to? Does anybody have the right to tell you what to do? 36:11 You want to see our self-rise is when somebody tries to tell you what to do. I have already told my wife in some of my carnal moments, "I did not marry my mother. 36:29 I did not marry you for you to tell me what to do." That's not very nice, is it? Any father's ever had that thought? Don't raise your hand. You'll incriminate yourself. "I did not marry my mother because this guy doesn't really like to be told what to do. 36:48 I'm just enough of a sinner that I have to work at that." I would guess you are too. Anybody have the right to tell you what to do? "I just listen to Jesus." Oh, what would you say about a child who says, "Mom and Dad, I'm not going to listen to you anymore. 37:08 I'm just going to listen to Jesus. 37:12 Jesus is going to tell me what time to go to bed. Jesus is going to tell me what I have to eat, my peas or not. Jesus is going to tell me how long I can stay out after curfew." And we'd say, "How foolish." And yet when we don't listen to each other, 37:33 we're just going to listen to Jesus. Aren't we, in a sense, saying the same thing? 37:42 So who does have the right to tell me what to do? I'm asking the question. You have to answer it. I have to answer it for me. 37:55 When my leadership team, our leadership team, we come to a meeting and I've got a great idea, and I think this is what we ought to do. And leadership team says, "Ah, wait a minute. Take a step back. We're not so sure about that idea, Pastor Todd." Okay, I'll listen. 38:16 I'll listen. I'll learn. I'm going to learn. So don't think that pastors can just do whatever they want to do. It doesn't work that way. We work together. But we value the church speaking into our lives. 38:33 We value the local fellowship speaking into our lives. What would cause me not to listen to the local church fellowship? I'm not trying to beat up anybody this morning. I'm asking questions. 38:52 So it recognizes God-ordained authority. And then lastly, it qualifies us for a special revelation of His presence. It's something we don't often think about. But Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, 39:13 I am there in the midst of them." I recognize that God is with us everywhere. That I can worship God sitting on a rock out in a parking lot. I can worship God in a prison cell. I can worship God in my study. I can worship God in my office. I can worship God in my attic. I can worship God where I was this week, 39:34 incidentally not worshiping, but I was up there. I could worship in the attic. I could worship God anywhere because God is ever present with me. But oh, let me tell you something. There's something about two or three gathered together. There's something about 120, 140, 150 people gathered together worshiping. 39:56 That qualifies for a special manifestation and revelation of God's presence. I've said it many times that according to this verse, there is a dimension of His presence that is experienced corporately, that is not experienced individually, 40:19 according to that verse. So what a wonderful thing to be able to know that people love me, they're committed to me, to know that we can express our love for Christ together. 40:31 What a wonderful thing to have a place to serve and exercise the gifts that God has brought, has given to the common pile of gifts through me and through you and through each one of us. What a wonderful thing to build enriching relationships and provide security that I know that if I start going astray or my fire grows dim, 40:51 there's going to be somebody there that's going to come after me. What a wonderful thing to know that I can come under authority, the authority of the church, and it will protect me because authority is given for protection, not for manipulation. What a wonderful thing to know that I can experience God's presence on a Sunday morning, a Sunday night, 41:10 a Wednesday night, a Forge morning, whatever it is when the people of God meet together in the local fellowship. So why should I be a member of Living Water Church? Why? 41:25 Well, not because it's perfect. You can say, "Amen to that." Or not because of who is here or who isn't here. You really shouldn't even be a pastor of the Living Water Church because who the pastors are because someday one of us won't be pastoring. All of us won't be pastoring here anymore, 41:46 either by death, disease, or the passage of time. Why should a person be a member of Living Water Church? I think there's a couple of good reasons. Number one, good reason because God leads you here. That God hath set them in the body as it pleases Him. 42:10 Secondly, because you share a common unity of purpose and conviction in the truth, that we believe the Word of God in a common way, not in a complete total agreement, but at least in a foundational way and a person, in a purpose way of how we move forward in the truth. 42:31 And there's purpose in the body. And then because you desire to make a contribution to the body of Christ here. You know, really, people that don't make a commitment to the church really kind of cheat the church out of their gifts and out of their full participation. 42:54 Here's our statement of mission statement of Living Water. This church, through its structure, worship, and practice, covenants together to be a brotherhood based on the teachings of the inherent Word of God as understood by the early Anabaptists. 43:10 It exists for the purpose of teaching and equipping all who attend here to live out the faith we profess and thereby glorify God in all of life. Really wrestled with this when Living Water started in September, the first Sunday in September. 43:31 It'll be 20 years that Living Water has been an entity. 20 years. Sounds like a long time. Wrestled with that. Why a Living Water? Do we need more churches in Elkhart County? Do we need less? 43:51 I remember asking Walter Beachy and Paul Emerson, who helped form our church as it was that managed division from the Pleasant Grove Congregation 20 years ago. 44:05 I said, 44:08 "Why?" And we were going to ask that. "Why another church?" And Paul, I remember Paul Emerson saying, "Well, how many churches is the right number in a community?" Oh, well, I hadn't thought about that. Is it 19, 20, 120, 140? What's the right number? 44:28 And it challenged us. Could it be that a community needs as many churches as it takes to get people plugged in to serve God? Could be. 44:40 So in thinking about that, we've kind of summarized just a sentence that goes like this: the purpose of Living Water Church is to proclaim, practice, and promote the truth in faithful, committed brotherhood relationships. 44:58 Let's pray. Let's not pray yet. There's one thing I wanted to say yet. 45:05 Why is this important? Why is this important? Since you're already in Acts and hope your Bibles are still open, look over to Acts 20:28. 45:22 Therefore, 45:25 Paul talking to the Ephesian elders that he met for the last time on his journey to Rome. Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 45:45 Who makes overseers in the church? According to this, it's the Holy Spirit. 45:54 Shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. I'll tell you what, there have been very, very few things in life, if any, that I have purchased with my blood. But if I ever did, I'd say it's pretty important. 46:19 And God, through Christ, purchased the church with His own blood. We can't just dismiss it. We have to shepherd it. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank You. 46:40 Thank You for this congregation. Lord, we're not perfect by any means, but Lord, I honestly believe this: there's no other congregation in the world that I'd rather be a part of. 46:58 With all of our differences, with our from time to time disagreements, these are My people because they're Your people. 47:14 And I thank You, Lord, for each one. And I pray a blessing on this local fellowship. Lord, You know we're trying to get it right. We're trying to be faithful. We're trying to be a faithful bridge from the past to the future, 47:36 discipling, reaching out in our community. 47:42 Lord, help us to do it even better as we pray together, love together, laugh together, cry together, rub shoulders with one another, work together, serve together, and agree together in the truth. In Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you.