To wonderful seen you are beautiful beyond description iy in of and my I Stand All you I stand I stand in all you holy God to all praise is you I stand in all of you you are beautiful beyond description to to wonderful for like nothing ever seen or heard the of
Your you are beautiful beyond description majesty and I stand I stand all you I stand I Stand All You holy God to all praise is you I Stand All of You all Jesus surrender all to him fre I will love and Trust his presence Surrender surrend surr all all toor to Jes surrender I to me by love and Power my BL surrender Sur surrend surrender all to the my Surrend all right everybody’s quiet and it’s 9:30 so we’ll get rolling she’s in here I got you covered it’s all good all right how is everyone today doing good good morning good morning it’s good to see you uh I am Josh but I’m not Josh uh so
I’m filling in Josh texted out late Friday night and said that his daughter gave him Co so he was going to be out so um Josh put me in a text chain with like four other people with extremely small children so I felt like I probably
Should volunteer and so I did uh so here we are um I think that was kind of like you you should volunteer for this Josh it’s all right um I am going to send around signups for the Fall Festival okay so there is multiple sheets that you can
Sign up for uh Rachel wanted me to just go ahead and remind you as if you are a family with small children for the games and booths we’re not really looking for you to fulfill that role unless you just want to we expect you to kind of be
Walking around with your children and and getting them through so if you’re not a family with small children and you can do a gamer booth sign up there there are other signups below this one that you can participate in so I’ll send that around that can kind of work throughout
The class it’s a great time has anyone not been to our fall festival yeah coule okay few of you highly recommend it it’s going to be uh it is a lot of fun I think are we doing the petting zoo again does anybody know it’s fun yeah I mean it’s great so
It’s a lot of fun so come come hang out and help in any way that you can it’ll be a good time hopefully we’ll have good weather you never know it’s either going to be 90° or 40 and raining it’s rarely in between but maybe we’ll have we’ll
Have a good one um let’s go ahead uh we’re going to stick with a Josh them and Josh is going to say our prayer um what kind of prayer request uh do we need to be mentioning today yes I have several okay my own going depression okay that’s the first thing I feel
Passion shook up at times it comes and goes it’s been going on for over a week and the second thing is when I go to work I no matter how much I eat I I get Li headed and feel low blood sugar I went to the fire station and my blood sugar was
Normal and I did go see my doctor which is that Baptist Princeton talk about this and he was kind of really short and abrupt towards the end of B is it okay all right we be praying for Greg thank you I pray that there’ll be some relief and some hope I can feel
Some okay thanks for sharing what else perhaps for our nation and world events there’s a lot there yeah lot going on a lot of people that need prayer we need some divine intervention I would think when we’re talking about those we’re going to mention that a little bit
Today um Josh last week I had a prayer request of some friends of mine were in Israel and they are not in Israel now they are on their way home great wonderful Riley had their baby girl so I know everybody’s happy and healthy but just pray thanks and um it just they’ll get
Home safely everybody stay healthy oh did they go home you can’t hear that Logan and Bry black had their daughter Thursday beautiful little girl um Greer Elizabeth so excited for them they made it home I so just quick injection of that my daughter has had the little baby that
You take home from school that cries and you have to feed it this weekend and she assured us it was broken at one point because it kept crying I was like no that’s really that is quite accurate on how that is and uh woke her up at 3 she
Wrote it on her whiteboard 3 two or three time 3: in the morning uh 6:00 in the morning on a Saturday for an eighth grader that was awesome uh so you know um and then she sent an email to the teacher explaining that she thought it
Was broken so then it was quiet for a long time and then she got sad cuz she thought I I didn’t really want it turned off and I was like what we are going all over the place with this thing um so uh probably some postpartum hormon
Going on there so I showed up at midnight madness and mvin told me that my grandbaby had been crying a lot and I was like whoa whoa that’s not right so anyway that’s exciting Good Good Times all right other prayer request we’re flying out Tuesday just prayers
That we get to our destination safely and we don’t get stuck over there and we able to fly back safely goods are going to Korea yep South Korea stay on the South Side I’m not allowed to go yeah it’s fine just just just making sure didn’t want you to get lost
Last all right joshu will you lead our prayer please sure let’s bow let’s pray heavenly father thank you kindly for all of our blessings thank you for protecting us every day protecting our families or children thank you Father for your church the friends and family we have
Here thank you for Josh and his willingness to up and Lead facilitate today’s class bless him as he uh leads us today I pray that we study in truth and spirit and honor you with our our devotion and our studies towards you father at this time we have prayers uh
We have requests we present before you in prayer we have um if we all think about all the family and friends in our lives there’s a lot of health concerns there’s cancer there’s varying surgery of different kinds there’s diabetes struggles there’s depression and father there’s many more
And and we have folks here in our midst that are suffering from depression pray uh especially pray for Greg as he’s been battling that not feeling well he’s seeking relief and some hope and please comfort him and and pray for all of us that we can encourage Greg and
And lift him up and be a positive influence in his life Father prayers for those who are traveling the goods are traveling overseas to South Korea pray for their safe travels to and and from that that destination and I hope they have a great time and keep them safe also thankful very
Thankful for Logan Riley’s baby girl Greer Elizabeth please be with her and Logan and Riley that family it’s a blessing to have children babies and pray that all goes well there at Home Father we’re also wanting to pray for the friends in were in Israel but they’re traveling back in the Tor
Turmoil that’s happening over over there around the world there’s a lot of events a lot of wars and battles and conflict both uh internationally as well as domestically at home as well and these things are out of our individual control but father you are in control and you put people in leadership you
Take take people out of leadership you in control and we we place our faith in you that you you know what needs to be done and you are eternally patient and loving but father there is consequences and repercussions for all actions and we leave all that up to you that you judge
All and everything is in your your hands for a purpose for a reason in your time Father prayers uh for our nation as we have upcoming local elections and national elections next year and a lot of uh a lot of conflict at home in in the political Arena pray for our
Leadership and our nation right now that you guide their decision-making process and your will be done whatever that is your will be done and father again please bless our studies this morning help us to learn and grow in Jesus name amen amen all right um so I want to go ahead
And just kind of apologize or put a disclaimer in uh I’ve been attending primarily uh the teen parent class so I haven’t been in here a lot so I I I don’t want to um either repeat some of the things that you guys have have gone over but I Ask
Josh if if he’d spent time in Colossians 3 and he said he hadn’t so I imagine as we talk about a class on Fellowship it would be some similar some similar thoughts uh but he he hadn’t planned to go to this chapter and uh hadn’t yet so
Uh we’ll at least spend time on some uh a fresh piece of the word of God for that um so if you want to go ahead and open to Colossians 3 that’s where we’re going to be spending time today uh but as I I like to do to be most of class I
Like to just kind of ask a few questions to set set the tone um so we’re talking about Fellowship uh in this class and and again maybe this is a question that’s been answered but what are some types of groups that you have fellowship with outside of church
Groups work work right uh who has some good work friends that they like to hang out with spend some time with right good very exor friends or exor friends that’s fine that’s right congratulations um what else family family right okay we spend time with family right other groups we
Might be in uh you know nonprofits and so forth that y do good service you don’t hear about this as much anymore but it used to even be like there was the Civitan and the rotary and um Kanas right and those were those were a big social Fellowship gathering with a
Purpose right uh and those still things still exist but maybe not quite the popularity maybe they’ve had in the past what else yeah I have a group that when our children start kindergarten we started meeting and they’re all juniors in college now yeah so our our children
Make friends for us uh in a lot of ways yep very good what else sports sports right our sports teams uh often times and uh it’s very frequent now that you’ll get on a team and that team will want to stay together and why does that team want to stay together often times
It’s not because they’re really good it’s just like the parents really like hanging out with each other so let’s keep our kids in the same team and we can continue to to be a part of this group together right or sometimes they’re just really good and they want
To stick together uh very good what else neighborhood neighborhood right we have a neighborhood Fall Festival tonight uh in our group and so we have some friends that we like to hang out with our neighborhood it’s very good what else or is there anything else so who has who has friend groups
That they spend time with one of those groups regularly okay good so yeah I have a neighborhood our neighborhoods uh generate friends for us our sports teams generate friends for us to work uh recreational who does anybody have a workout group that they spend time with
A lot there’s a lot people that you think of like the CrossFit Community right and it’s these people they work out four five six days a week uh and they get together and that becomes kind of their group of friends it’s pretty common uh school friends uh Rachel and I
Still get together every year at least once a year with uh some of our friends from Harding and we have we get together on Labor Day and we kind of have some of the same um Gatherings and and fun uh and so we have all these groups with
Fellowship that are outside of church groups now who has those groups who has a large percentage of Christians that are part of those other groups okay all right so so so so so yeah um so what are some things we enjoy about Fellowship outside of church what are some things you enjoy
About those groups common interest right yeah it’s common interest right you like to talk about your work things with your work group and you can usually you guys are all passionate about something you’re working about uh or your sports teams uh and Friends things like that yeah so uh
Shared experiences common interest right that’s why you’re in that group right we all have something similar uh what else common hobby or common thing that you’re doing I guess yeah yeah enjoy the same thing everybody likes going to the same baseball games or we like going and doing uh trying
Different restaurants or whatever uh or a hobby that’s uh enjoyed with that yep what else common beliefs common beliefs you don’t get along with them in other ways you’re probably not going to hang out hang out with that’s right very good what else just fun right right you have fun
Yeah go ahead K I was going to say a a lot of times they have common problems or issues so we can support each other because we have shared experiences that’s right so Paige as youve been with this group as your kids went K you guys went through some ups and downs together
Right as as your kids went through some of the same experiences and and life yeah that’s right um Traditions right there’s a lot of times which oh it’s our it’s our annual thing at work we have annual things at work that we do that we
All look forward to uh that we can do it with our group uh that we meet with with Rachel’s friends there’s things that we kind of always do every year that we look forward to or maybe it’s a certain tournament that your team always goes to
Out of town and you look forward to going to this restaurant or being a part of that experience uh we also receive some support from these groups like we just said as you go through some of these things uh you need support and you you know that someone understands the
Situation that you’re in because they’re typically in a situation similar to you uh and then we kind of have some common goals right you’re trying to obtain uh a certain success at work or a certain success with your team uh or certain um frequency with your work out group all
Of those things uh come together so part of the my thoughts behind this lesson was um back back during Co when we were uh either restricted or was harder for us to worship together um we lost a little bit of that Fellowship that common Fellowship of seeing things um and so
One of my fears was uh what the benefit of of online worship was great because it allowed us to be connected when we we were disconnected which was good but I worried that people would get their worship experience online uh and have their Fellowship experience outside of
That yes right uh and that’s something that that was uh a con it’s still a concern of mine uh that we start to draw on our fellowship experiences with with people outside of our faith um and again that is not bad is not wrong um but there are certain things that I think
Should be a part of our fellowship as Christian and so the the question I want to put now is what is or what should be different between these types of fellowships and our fellowship with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ so I’m going to put up two
Disclaimers as you think about it for a second and as Josh’s Line’s so great he’s like I have I have three kids silence is something I really enjoy so I can be quiet for a little bit as you guys think about this um but many of these groups have Christians in them
Right so it’s going to alter our thought process maybe a little bit um and also I’m not sure I have a great answer I I I do have an answer and something I want to think about um but I’m not sure I have a great answer so what is or should
Be different between this fellowship and those Fellowships I guess in some ways I think they shouldn’t be that different because I should act the same no matter where I am and who I’m with so yeah maybe a hard question for us because here we are uh in the Deep South uh and again we’re
Going to be drawn to people similar to us so I would think the vast majority of your groups uh are filled with with people that are are good people right and hopefully even Christians uh and so yes not maybe not totally different but there’s Bond okay there’s a bond here I
Would think in your church family and and it really doesn’t matter if you travel very much you you understand it it’s it’s it’s outside these walls it’s wherever you meet with you know like-minded Believers you know you’ll meet people just like you you know we you know our kids are tclusa and we’ve
Gone and you visit with our College age class and we me meet some of those kids and talk with them and find out their parents were you know we grew up with their parents we did this and the the you know the connection are um deep and
Um the bond is there that you wouldn’t find outside in my opinion y who’s who’s this one first what we should prioritize this one put this one first okay should be a priority one yeah all right all right I like that go ahead we’ve relied on other people in other places when
We’ve traveled um you just know that you can rely on we’ve had people even pick us up for church and all kinds of things to to get things done whereas you would you would not necessarily go call someone in another state another city based on these other
Groups in that way maybe so qu I don’t know but but uh but usually not usually usually you don’t know if you can depend on those other groups like you can depend on other Christians and you would expect them to allow to have the same role someone call them you
Yeah go I would say for kind of church groups um like people that I’m in prayer group with or in class with where they been prayer request shared um I feel like we generally would follow up on those if we have fellowship with these people whereas you know if I have something
Come up I’m probably not going to go to the school mom’s group or the volleyball mom’s group you know I wouldn’t share that as much as I would share with people go I’m PR group with and maybe just could have a chance to be a little deer more
Personals what you’re saying yeah I think so I mean I think we um Jake how long have we been in prayer group together now since I’ve been years so 10 10 11 years yeah so and uh SE I mean several of us have been in a a monthly
Per monthly I mean we’re not talking about all the time monthly prayer group together um and there is there is a a deeper level uh of of known of each other and sharing and now we’re we’re not open like we’re not just exposing ourselves all the time
To our deepest darkest Secrets but we know things about each other um and I I I can’t imagine another group that I would get to that that point um in doing uh so that that’s good and I I want to play that the so I graduated from
Harding and so we go and we visit other churches we always kind of play like who do you know game right and it’s like uh and you many of you probably have experienced this have you been in other churches like oh do you know so and so
Who’s they’re from this way and and you can start you make that connection and and it’s there’s almost just this kind of easy level of understanding right and this shared experiences and and maybe that’s similar to um people fraternities and sororities as they go through that
Oh but it’s a little bit different right because you can maybe you have some kind of crazy experiences that you shared in college or whatever but not a sharing of a faith and understanding and a belief um that you have from that uh any other kind of thoughts on maybe the difference
Between these things well when I um when I was at Price waterhous we we go out to dinner or various things and I think it was very important they understood where I stood and there was no um there’s no difference in me there or anywhere else they would enjoy having having their
Alcohol or whatever and it wasn’t any pressure or attempts to say hey you know what are you missing out on or whatever um in fact they like having a designated that’s right that I think that’s important that in that they know what we’re like yeah like you said
There are Christians in there and there were others that were Christians but there were a lot of them that that was just part of their life yep y yep yep good okay well let’s uh let’s go ahead and let’s head to Colossians 3 now let’s see if colossian 3 shares with us a
Little bit about what we should be like in terms of our fellowship uh and I think we’re going to find one um one maybe big difference uh that that’s going to stand out or hopefully that’s going to stand out between these uh so as we start to read Colossians 3 uh who
Wants to read the the Bible’s little the the publishers kind of subtitle uh to chapter 3 who what what do you got at the beginning M has rules for holy living okay and midways rules for Christian households all right rules for holy living and rules for Christian
Households what else do we have put on the new self put on a new self okay what else family relations family relations family relations okay anything else kind of interesting that we have Colossians 3 Colossians 3 the little like the the the little kind of title above the chapter mine says those made
Alive in Christ all right that’s what mine says living as those made alive in Christ anything else all right so that’s what these Publishers have kind of thought about this section uh definitely speaks to some fellowship um so who will read Colossians 3 1-4 for me I have it on the
Screen if you want or you can read if you don’t want to stare on that somebody give me a little wave that we be willing to do it oh Carol you looked at me way to go I’m proud of you I can do it all
Right go for it if then you have been raised with Christ seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God set your minds on things that are above not on things that are on Earth for you have died and your
Life is hidden with Christ and God when Christ who your life appears then you also will appear with him okay so here’s here’s my first thought on a on a significant difference uh between a Christian fellowship and a non-Christian fellowship and that is an eternal Focus
Right so all those groups have some sort of commonality and focus but what happens when we make our Focus an eternal Focus what’s different about that have say that question again what’s what’s different about having an eternal Eternal Focus as a focus as opposed to something that’s a part of this life our
Work our groups our kids uh those kind of things what what changes things priorities priorities right you us going to stick with the priorities it’s yeah it’s good he you got a good answer stick with it right it’s kind of like Jesus when with the kids you know it’s
Probably a good one what Else think it matter those things more of this world kind of matter like the problems that you deal with kind of matter a little bit less because you recognize they’re um that they’re temporal but also they have a purpose right they they serve a purpose towards interal as well and then
In that same same line of thinking like yeah things are temporal and yeah these things maybe don’t matter as much but they also take on a different meaning like these things serve a purpose towards the Eternal goal as opposed to just being some thing that you do
Because you just got to go to work yeah when we start looking through that lens we should see everything through that lens and that should change each and every one of our interactions it should change all of our plans maybe not change but it should should influence
And direct and focus uh all of our things to living as Christ would live right since you’ve been raised with Christ set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated set your minds on things not on Earthly things for you died and your life is now hidden with
Christ and God uh and so we have a sense right uh and there’s a sense in what he’s referring back to in chapter 12 or excuse me chapter 2 um is this idea of of fullness in Christ uh of what what we’ve done with him and then we have
Freedom from these kind of human rules so he’s separating them from a lot of the the the religious Tendencies uh but to just focus put our focus on God if we put our Focus Fus on God and what he wants and we try to live like Jesus did
To the best of our ability that that puts everything through that lens uh and that changes in my opinion how we deal with people and he’s going to get more specific in that later on in the chapter uh why designate why why repeat himself so he says set your hearts on things
Above and then set your mind on things above why why designate those things separately I I think it’s the two parts of our our being our mind is our thinking part and our heart is our feeling part and those he wants both of those yeah put your your mind on things
Above think about things above feelings this is not all that this world is there’s something else yep who who likes it go go ahead mine said doesn’t say heart mine says seek okay so it’s a matter of pursuing and as well as thinking about not not only is that far
Off but it’s now okay I like that thought good any other well your heart can get you into a sense of desire and if your mind keeps you focused on it you might be able to overcome it what I was thinking earlier the immediate gratification as opposed to the
Long-term end result yeah so who who likes a good chick-flick right is that great and you always got there’s always kind of the love triangle right and there’s the there’s star of the show and her mind’s telling her one thing and her heart’s telling her something else right
And she’s got to make this decision right uh and Colossians 3 says those things should be the same right our passions our desires what what we want what drives us should also make sense and we should think logically about those things and it uh and so those
Things need to be be together and we need to put our heart and our passion into God and we need to spend time uh mentally uh working on those things and controlling our thought process on on that so uh first thought we need to have as as our
Fellowship is to have this eternal focus and we have this eternal Focus together U that’s going to set the stage uh for the rest of us all right uh now let’s read um Colossians 35 through 11 who will read that for me car you look new you scar you want to
Just keep rolling okay that I’m very proud of you go on therefore what is Earthly in you sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire and covetousness which is idolatry on account of these the wrath of God is coming in these you too once walked when you were living in them but
Now you must put them all away anger wrath malice slander and obscene talk from your mouth do not lie to one another seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed and in knowledge after the image of its
Creator here there is not Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised Barbarian Sian slave free but Christ is all and in all excellent all right so our next focus is uh we need to have a a pure Focus um and I think when we talk about having a a
Good fellowship and a Godly fellowship and a Christian Fellowship it starts where starts with me right uh and it starts with who I am uh and so we get this kind of uh laundry list things of things of not to do um first which we need to not
Be sexual immoral we you don’t don’t need to be impure uh we don’t need to lust or have evil desires or greed um you used to walk in these ways but now you’ve got rid of them not only that those are a lot of actions now he’s
Going to get more and to anger and rage and Malice and slander filthy language from your lips don’t lie to each other you’ve taken off that old self uh and you put on your new self which is being renewed in the knowledge of the IM image
Of its creator uh so when we talk about good Fellowship we we have to start with us we have to make ourselves pure and holy we have to set ourselves apart from how the world looks uh and and how we want to do these things um and so that’s
Uh that’s important and what what is a lot of times people’s frustrations with Fellowship it’s it’s on what everybody else is doing right uh and we’re mad at that person or we’re mad on how that person’s handling those things uh and but first of all we need we need to
Focus uh on ourself uh and and make sure that that we are we are right uh with God and using to and working the right way and and who who has experienced um frustration with their children before all right how often times is that frustration with your children very
Similar to an own personal shortcoming who’s who’s trigger through their children is their own personal shortcoming to right and that that’s that’s with me when I get the most frustrated with my kids is when they’re either making a mistake I made or they have a personality trait or tendency
That’s annoying that I also have right and it just it just sets you off right uh and so I I think as we we think about having a holy Fellowship a good Fellowship we need to make sure that we’re living right that our hearts are right and when you get really really
Frustrated with somebody else you need to make sure that you don’t have that same characteristic um and uh speaking from personal experience that’s happened a lot to me I get frustrated and then I realize I’m coming at this from the wrong way I’m mad because I’m also I
Think they’re being selfish and why are they being so selfish and I’m being selfish right uh or I I get angry because they’re angry and we’re both angry uh and we have a lot of problems uh with that so good Fellowship starts with being whole and we need to continue
To to to drive ourselves uh to be holy now next is uh this idea of an equal Focus so Eternal focus a pure focus and an equal Focus Fus uh and here’s really really key verse uh in verse 11 in our fellowship there’s no Gentile or Jew circumcised or uncircumcised Barbarian
Skan syian slave or free but Christ is all and in is in all so here to me is one of the the biggest differences that should be uh in a Christian faith uh and another Christian faith so what do we say about those other groups they they
All have things in common right uh and they all if we’re in our neighborhood group we’re all in our neighborhood group we’re probably in about the same socioeconomic status we probably all do something similar and so we all get along because we’re all very similar uh
And when we choose our our our kids friends or kids friends are going to typically be around kids that are like them because we like to be around people we’re like right nothing wrong with that that’s normal it’s really how the way the world works but when we’re looking
At the first century Church and we’re looking at our church that is not how it was you had very very diverse thought processes coming together and having the fellowship he lists Gentile and Jew getting along how’s it going with the Gentiles and Jews right now not so well
Not so well right and you’re thinking about these Gentile and Jews now had to worship one God together with vast differences and he says no Christ is all and is in all and that’s how you see that person a slave or free there is a significant difference between a a free
Person and a slave they were different and he said you guys got to worship together you got to be in the same fellowship with uh with each other Barbarian cian I don’t even know what those are but it has to be bad and they have to not get along right um uh
Circumcised or uncircumcised so when we talk about having a Christian Fellowship this is a pretty big group and we got a lot of differences got a lot of similarities too but we have to get along and we have to love each other and I have to recognize that you’re probably
Going to bring a cultural difference to the table that’s that may make me uncomfortable that I may not understand but we got to worship together we got to hang out together we got to have a meal together we got to be together I got to support you and I got to understand you
Uh and that’s all throughout the New Testament because it was a way bigger deal for them than probably it is for us because now we’re here and we’re in the Birmingham area and you got about I don’t know how many churches we could choose from and you can go find the one
That looks most likely like you and not be rubbed wrong but I don’t think that’s what God wants I think God wants us to to get together to see each other as equals uh and to see Christ and each other so it goes back to that Eternal
Focus when I have that Eternal focus and when I look at you at Ethan and I see Christ that’s what supposed to see and we got to get along and we got to help each other and when you’re hurting I’m hurting when you’re rejoicing I’m rejoicing that’s in the Bible too right
We got to do that and we got to be a part of that Fellowship uh with each other but it also has to be with this person and that person and that person that’s different as well and we got to be able to to to stretch uh ourselves in
That way so we got to have an eternal Focus we have to have a pure Focus uh and an equal focus and see Christ and others all right let’s move on now thoughts on that before I just move on nope okay all right so uh now let’s move on to 12 through
14 uh and let’s read that Carol I’m going to give you a break all right Ronan go ahead Carol needs yeah she’s so good 12 through 14 therefore is God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved clothe yourselves with compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience bear with each other and
Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another forgive as the Lord forgave you and over all these virtues put on love which binds him all together in perfect Unity will you keep going through 17 right yes sir you’re asking for more I am Let the Peace of Christ
Rule in your heart since as members of one body you were called peace and be thankful let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing Psalms hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God and
Whatever you do whether in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord giving thanks to God the Father through him all right what what jumps out at you there what what what seems hard in that group of SC scriptures what strikes me uh among some
Other things here is as he starts out sort of there uh clo yourselves with these things and he mentions compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience uh forbearance are bearing with each other and U uh our our culture U and I’m talking here about the diverse culture that we call the United States
Uh uh there’s some commonalities in what what’s on the surface and that is a it’s it’s it’s the very worst of the reality uh uh shows and talk radio and it’s it’s not it’s about um hollering it’s about yelling at each other and it’s you know
It’s about talking from Jim or or or you know some of these other guys I man no one knows what I’m talking about I know what you’re talking about Ron what you’re talking about man I’m just using examples you know but it but it’s it’s
This idea of you got an opinion I got an opinion everybody’s got opinion you going I want you to hear my opinion yeah um you know yep and he the things that he says here are things that will say you have your right to your opinion no matter how
Outlandishly you screen it um but here’s how we’re to act and that’s different yep good other thoughts as you read this first thing that jump out at me is uh the first sentence as God’s chosen people yeah with everything going on in the world today I just just jump out on
Me yeah it’s so it’s reference back reference back to the Jews who were chosen and they were supposed to look different than those terrible cultures that were around them right that were sacrificing their kids in the fire that were were they were supposed to be different they were supposed to eat
Differently they were supposed to wash differently supposed to live differently worship differently uh and so as God’s chosen people we got to look different and as Ron’s saying we look a lot different if we’re compassionate we’re kind we’re humble we’re gentle we’re patient that makes us look different
Than a vast majority of the world what else jumps out bearing with one another yes that’s the hard part right now we’ve taken it up a notch uh bear with each other and forgive now let’s talk about our our nice Fellowship group of sports teams right uh who has been a part of
One of these nice little travel teams that everybody gets mad at each other and they break oh yeah yeah we know what we’re talking about right and this person gets mad at this person and my son’s not playing and this is Daddy ball and whatever and they break up and
They’re gone right uh or same thing you know so neighborhood group so and so won’t mow his grass right and his shrubs are terrible and why did they paint their house purple uh and they’re mad at each other and they’re done and they’re not talking anymore uh but that’s not
How we’re supposed to be we’re suppos to bear with each other and forgive um as as how as God forgave us right somebody told me you don’t have to like everybody but you have to love everybody because Jesus loveed Amen to that right one of the one of the hardest
Scriptures in the Bible is when we’re told to forgive and if we don’t forgive what happens to us no forgiveness no forgiveness and I had the conversation with one of my kids recently and trying to explain that forgiveness is for you it’s for you and you can go around
And you can be mad and you can hold on to stuff but it affects one person and it’s you uh and you got to let let those things go and so as a group as a fellowship this scripture to me separates us we got to bear with each
Other and when we’re different and when it’s hard and we’re angry we don’t just break up and separate we figure it out uh and we work together and then next is uh in 16 so let the message of Christ dwell among you as you teach and what admonish one
Another with hymns and songs from the spirit right and so I I think there’s another idea here as this Fellowship as as our goal is to teach which is great but we also are to admonish and we’re supposed to correct each other when we mess up right when tells me all the time
When I mess up and I just like all right when I’m sorry I messed up again right and I can’t get mad at when because he knows more about this and he’s correcting me all the time uh so we have to be able to teach and what be taught be corrected uh and
That’s hard and that hurts our pride most of you are to each other it’s easier to take it though than some of you know that’s right that’s right and when you do it with humility and compassion and gentleness and love that’s a lot easier too right um and so
When we think about this last little uh idea of what this Fellowship is supposed to about it’s about to be it’s about to be uh it’s it’s supposed to be about forgiveness and love and teaching and admonishing each other um and doing that all in the right way which is with kindness and
Compassion and gentleness and so what is the number one thing that that makes that hard or what’s something that makes that really hard and you don’t have to try to Guess My Number One S I mean ourself our pride it’s our pride um and so that sends us all the
Way back to the start of this chapter and it says what since you’ve been put your minds as Christ right um since you’ve been raised with Christ you died and you’re done your life is with God and if our life’s with God if Christ is within us
We have that Eternal Focus that we’re looking through that lens then all the rest of this stuff should be a lot easier and we should get along we should work together we should support and this group should look different than those groups it should be a mix we should be
Different we should get along we should accept each other we should call each other out and we should be willing to be called out and work together through those kind of things as we do that and it should be Eternal and we should work through it over and over and over again
Uh and we can last uh through eternity till we get to celebrate together uh with God in heaven uh last uh comments or thoughts or questions as we wrap up yeah twice you mentioned put on all of this is something we are not what we do yeah good thought all the way through
Us so one thing I wanted to add so our campus ministry see I told you he was going to correct me we had a campus Minister and one of his favorite phrases was you’re not students who happen to be Christians you’re Christians who have happen to be
Students so I feel like that you know applies to every should apply to every aspect of their our life whether it’s parenting you know Sports anything it’s above it first and foremost we’re Christians and we should say the same thing yeah yep cool excellent well thanks for sharing with me today uh
For those of you headed to worship enjoy the rest of you have a wonderful day
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