1 00:00:00,594 --> 00:00:11,193 You can turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 2. 2 00:00:11,193 --> 00:00:16,388 Brethren, I'm ready to leave Ephesians 2, 3 00:00:16,388 --> 00:00:21,590 but not yet. 4 00:00:21,590 --> 00:00:26,363 Before we bid farewell 5 00:00:26,363 --> 00:00:38,084 and explore the wonders that lay ahead in chapter 3, 6 00:00:38,084 --> 00:00:40,305 I want to say a personal word. 7 00:00:40,305 --> 00:00:43,038 What I'm saying today is personal 8 00:00:43,038 --> 00:00:49,298 to me and to our church here. 9 00:00:49,298 --> 00:00:54,105 Look, I want to talk about race. 10 00:00:54,105 --> 00:00:59,486 I want to talk about the color of our skin. 11 00:00:59,486 --> 00:01:02,977 And you know, 12 00:01:02,977 --> 00:01:07,687 I don't know the best words to use. 13 00:01:07,687 --> 00:01:10,104 I've heard, well, if you're from Asia, 14 00:01:10,104 --> 00:01:13,000 you're offended if you're called "oriental." 15 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,865 I've heard that blacks don't like 16 00:01:14,865 --> 00:01:17,286 to be called African American sometimes. 17 00:01:17,286 --> 00:01:21,038 Look, I hear what whites are called, 18 00:01:21,038 --> 00:01:23,320 whether it's gringo or guero. 19 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:26,821 I don't know all the right terminology. 20 00:01:26,821 --> 00:01:33,791 So, let's just have a bit of thick skin among ourselves. 21 00:01:33,791 --> 00:01:37,532 I may not use all the exact right terms. 22 00:01:37,532 --> 00:01:38,634 But here's the deal, 23 00:01:38,634 --> 00:01:42,312 I don't want to leave Ephesians 2 24 00:01:42,312 --> 00:01:44,987 without really bringing the rubber 25 00:01:44,987 --> 00:01:48,066 down to meet the road. 26 00:01:48,066 --> 00:01:51,727 This is practical in my estimation. 27 00:01:51,727 --> 00:01:54,846 Really practical. 28 00:01:54,846 --> 00:01:56,636 And sometimes, it's hoped 29 00:01:56,636 --> 00:01:58,580 that when you deal with a chapter 30 00:01:58,580 --> 00:02:00,334 like Ephesians 2 - 31 00:02:00,334 --> 00:02:01,663 especially the last half 32 00:02:01,663 --> 00:02:06,666 from about v. 11 all the way to the end, 33 00:02:06,666 --> 00:02:13,164 it deals with racial issues 34 00:02:13,164 --> 00:02:18,742 at a level that is practical 35 00:02:18,742 --> 00:02:22,198 to racial issues among Christians 36 00:02:22,198 --> 00:02:24,692 anywhere at any time. 37 00:02:24,692 --> 00:02:26,969 And sometimes as I'm preaching these things, 38 00:02:26,969 --> 00:02:29,828 I'm hoping that people 39 00:02:29,828 --> 00:02:31,438 are making the application. 40 00:02:31,438 --> 00:02:32,419 But you know what? 41 00:02:32,419 --> 00:02:36,090 Sometimes the application needs to be made for us. 42 00:02:36,090 --> 00:02:39,722 It can be helpful. 43 00:02:39,722 --> 00:02:41,829 I want to tell you about the personal impact 44 00:02:41,829 --> 00:02:44,248 that Ephesians 2 has had on my own life. 45 00:02:44,248 --> 00:02:47,105 I didn't know why I had 46 00:02:47,105 --> 00:02:50,106 this picture in my mind 47 00:02:50,106 --> 00:02:54,875 of sitting at Community Baptist Church, 48 00:02:54,875 --> 00:02:57,242 and I can just see where I'm sitting - 49 00:02:57,242 --> 00:02:59,370 Pat Horner preaching up there, 50 00:02:59,370 --> 00:03:05,053 and he's probably preaching on Ephesians 2. 51 00:03:05,053 --> 00:03:08,352 Gospel. 52 00:03:08,352 --> 00:03:11,447 But I just have this picture in my mind of sitting there, 53 00:03:11,447 --> 00:03:15,303 as my mind is beginning to put together 54 00:03:15,303 --> 00:03:18,120 the realities of what the church 55 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,874 should look like. 56 00:03:22,874 --> 00:03:25,338 I'll just tell you right off, 57 00:03:25,338 --> 00:03:30,946 some of you know this. 58 00:03:30,946 --> 00:03:34,358 I went to a church in Michigan. 59 00:03:34,358 --> 00:03:38,965 The pastor - he didn't believe 60 00:03:38,965 --> 00:03:42,442 blacks could be saved. 61 00:03:42,442 --> 00:03:46,173 He believed they bore the mark of Cain. 62 00:03:46,173 --> 00:03:48,014 Now, I didn't know that. 63 00:03:48,014 --> 00:03:49,705 I wouldn't have gone there. 64 00:03:49,705 --> 00:03:51,298 Craig and I had little brothers 65 00:03:51,298 --> 00:03:53,336 in the Big Brother Little Brother program 66 00:03:53,336 --> 00:03:55,867 we were bringing from the inner city of Kalamazoo. 67 00:03:55,867 --> 00:03:57,859 And he told Craig after I came down here, 68 00:03:57,859 --> 00:03:59,758 "I don't know why you guys ever brought them. 69 00:03:59,758 --> 00:04:05,685 You know they can't be saved." 70 00:04:05,685 --> 00:04:07,975 Ruby and I got married. 71 00:04:07,975 --> 00:04:09,889 That pastor from Michigan 72 00:04:09,889 --> 00:04:11,905 specifically told Craig he would not 73 00:04:11,905 --> 00:04:14,340 send us a card 74 00:04:14,340 --> 00:04:18,353 because I had married a Hispanic girl. 75 00:04:18,353 --> 00:04:20,100 I didn't know these things about him 76 00:04:20,100 --> 00:04:21,310 when I was there. 77 00:04:21,310 --> 00:04:25,055 I would not have gone there. 78 00:04:25,055 --> 00:04:27,706 I came down and I sat at Community Baptist Church, 79 00:04:27,706 --> 00:04:34,034 and I began to see some diversity. 80 00:04:34,034 --> 00:04:38,332 And there was a pastor who seemed to like that; 81 00:04:38,332 --> 00:04:42,844 encourage that. 82 00:04:42,844 --> 00:04:44,452 I remember when Charles Wilson 83 00:04:44,452 --> 00:04:46,165 came over from Japan. 84 00:04:46,165 --> 00:04:47,895 He was transferring in the military. 85 00:04:47,895 --> 00:04:51,042 So now we had Hispanics and whites and blacks. 86 00:04:51,042 --> 00:04:54,600 I don't remember if there were any Asians. 87 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,601 Yeah, there were. The Tagawa's. 88 00:04:57,601 --> 00:05:01,852 They're kind of Hawaiian I guess. 89 00:05:01,852 --> 00:05:03,553 So, I saw this diversity. 90 00:05:03,553 --> 00:05:08,473 And the thing is I'm hearing Scripture. 91 00:05:08,473 --> 00:05:12,720 And really, I find nothing more impactful; 92 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:14,656 more prominent; 93 00:05:14,656 --> 00:05:19,154 more of an extensive treatment 94 00:05:19,154 --> 00:05:21,646 in all of the Bible than I find right here 95 00:05:21,646 --> 00:05:26,353 in the second half of Ephesians 2. 96 00:05:26,353 --> 00:05:33,440 If you train your eyes on v. 21, 97 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:38,396 notice the words: "being joined together" 98 00:05:38,396 --> 00:05:40,226 V. 21 "In whom the whole structure 99 00:05:40,226 --> 00:05:46,187 being joined together." 100 00:05:46,187 --> 00:05:48,395 That's what the New King James and the ESV say. 101 00:05:48,395 --> 00:05:49,959 The New American Standard: 102 00:05:49,959 --> 00:05:53,943 "being fitted together." 103 00:05:53,943 --> 00:05:56,264 The King James Version: 104 00:05:56,264 --> 00:06:03,154 "fitly framed together." 105 00:06:03,154 --> 00:06:07,006 That's the word that I especially want 106 00:06:07,006 --> 00:06:10,415 us to lay hold on today. 107 00:06:10,415 --> 00:06:12,508 It's one word in the Greek. 108 00:06:12,508 --> 00:06:18,286 "Fitly framed together." 109 00:06:18,286 --> 00:06:20,790 So, let's read v. 19-22, 110 00:06:20,790 --> 00:06:22,114 and just notice how this 111 00:06:22,114 --> 00:06:23,840 "fitly framed together." 112 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:27,418 And then, a close; a similar word in v. 22 113 00:06:27,418 --> 00:06:31,292 being built together. 114 00:06:31,292 --> 00:06:35,350 "So then, you..." now look. 115 00:06:35,350 --> 00:06:37,094 If you're just visiting with us; 116 00:06:37,094 --> 00:06:38,775 you're just joining in right here, 117 00:06:38,775 --> 00:06:40,856 you need to recognize who the "you" is. 118 00:06:40,856 --> 00:06:47,656 The "you" is specifically speaking to Gentiles. 119 00:06:47,656 --> 00:06:52,045 You Ephesian Gentiles. 120 00:06:52,045 --> 00:06:55,564 And that's exactly what the emphasis is. 121 00:06:55,564 --> 00:06:58,251 You who are Gentiles 122 00:06:58,251 --> 00:07:01,835 who have been saved. 123 00:07:01,835 --> 00:07:06,288 You non-Jews who have been converted 124 00:07:06,288 --> 00:07:09,868 "...are no longer strangers and aliens, 125 00:07:09,868 --> 00:07:12,000 but fellow citizens with the saints 126 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:13,894 and members of the household of God, 127 00:07:13,894 --> 00:07:16,619 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 128 00:07:16,619 --> 00:07:20,697 Christ Jesus Himself being the Cornerstone, 129 00:07:20,697 --> 00:07:23,077 in whom the whole structure, 130 00:07:23,077 --> 00:07:25,555 being joined together grows 131 00:07:25,555 --> 00:07:28,474 into a holy temple in the Lord." 132 00:07:28,474 --> 00:07:29,513 Now, notice this. 133 00:07:29,513 --> 00:07:33,115 He basically comes along and says 134 00:07:33,115 --> 00:07:37,770 almost exactly the same thing in v. 22. 135 00:07:37,770 --> 00:07:42,189 It's a lot of synonymous verbiage. 136 00:07:42,189 --> 00:07:45,672 You know what the big difference is? 137 00:07:45,672 --> 00:07:49,956 "You also..." that's the big difference. 138 00:07:49,956 --> 00:07:52,496 You see what he's doing here? 139 00:07:52,496 --> 00:08:00,500 "In Christ, you Gentiles also..." 140 00:08:00,500 --> 00:08:03,275 That's the remarkable thing to Paul. 141 00:08:03,275 --> 00:08:05,580 You're included! 142 00:08:05,580 --> 00:08:07,582 "You're also being built together 143 00:08:07,582 --> 00:08:12,130 into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 144 00:08:12,130 --> 00:08:14,326 You know what this last half 145 00:08:14,326 --> 00:08:15,860 is all about? 146 00:08:15,860 --> 00:08:21,639 It's a Jew-Gentile thing. 147 00:08:21,639 --> 00:08:23,301 That's what's happening. 148 00:08:23,301 --> 00:08:26,334 Look back up at v. 11. 149 00:08:26,334 --> 00:08:29,642 "Therefore remember that at one time..." 150 00:08:29,642 --> 00:08:30,670 Here it is. 151 00:08:30,670 --> 00:08:31,894 "...you." 152 00:08:31,894 --> 00:08:34,723 Now you see, I'm not making this up. 153 00:08:34,723 --> 00:08:36,302 What's on his mind? 154 00:08:36,302 --> 00:08:38,936 You Gentiles. 155 00:08:38,936 --> 00:08:42,717 That's specifically what he's got in mind. 156 00:08:42,717 --> 00:08:45,381 That's who he's speaking to whenever he says, 157 00:08:45,381 --> 00:08:51,990 "you" throughout this latter half 158 00:08:51,990 --> 00:08:54,882 of Ephesians 2. 159 00:08:54,882 --> 00:08:59,460 "You Gentiles in the flesh..." 160 00:08:59,460 --> 00:09:00,753 Now notice this: 161 00:09:00,753 --> 00:09:07,751 "called the uncircumcision." 162 00:09:07,751 --> 00:09:09,433 They don't call themselves that. 163 00:09:09,433 --> 00:09:10,906 That's what the Jews call them. 164 00:09:10,906 --> 00:09:12,625 It's derogatory. 165 00:09:12,625 --> 00:09:15,129 You know different races typically 166 00:09:15,129 --> 00:09:17,470 invent derogatory names 167 00:09:17,470 --> 00:09:19,019 for people of other races. 168 00:09:19,019 --> 00:09:21,898 Do you ever notice that? 169 00:09:21,898 --> 00:09:24,806 Even in our own generation? 170 00:09:24,806 --> 00:09:30,302 That's common. 171 00:09:30,302 --> 00:09:33,990 They're called the uncircumcision 172 00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:37,645 by what is called the circumcision, 173 00:09:37,645 --> 00:09:41,091 which is made in the flesh by hands. 174 00:09:41,091 --> 00:09:44,744 Brethren, we need to feel the difference here. 175 00:09:44,744 --> 00:09:51,941 Some of you who have stayed aloof - 176 00:09:51,941 --> 00:09:54,293 well, maybe that's not the best word to use, 177 00:09:54,293 --> 00:10:02,543 but those of you that stayed most connected to - 178 00:10:02,543 --> 00:10:05,232 even in the church - 179 00:10:05,232 --> 00:10:11,070 racial issues, 180 00:10:11,070 --> 00:10:13,596 you get an idea 181 00:10:13,596 --> 00:10:17,077 about the differences - 182 00:10:17,077 --> 00:10:19,582 the differences of opinion; 183 00:10:19,582 --> 00:10:21,976 how polarized these things can be. 184 00:10:21,976 --> 00:10:24,253 You don't feel that when it comes to 185 00:10:24,253 --> 00:10:27,176 circumcised - uncircumcised. 186 00:10:27,176 --> 00:10:29,036 Because we're not familiar with it. 187 00:10:29,036 --> 00:10:30,904 We don't have to deal with it. 188 00:10:30,904 --> 00:10:32,052 It's not familiar to us. 189 00:10:32,052 --> 00:10:33,701 It's not part of our experience. 190 00:10:33,701 --> 00:10:35,136 So we really don't get it. 191 00:10:35,136 --> 00:10:36,940 But let's try to get it again. 192 00:10:36,940 --> 00:10:38,512 I talked about it way back, 193 00:10:38,512 --> 00:10:40,684 but let's talk about it again. 194 00:10:40,684 --> 00:10:43,834 Jesus is dealing with a Syrophoenician woman 195 00:10:43,834 --> 00:10:46,254 and even He says the Jews are children; 196 00:10:46,254 --> 00:10:50,411 the Syrophoenician woman is a dog. 197 00:10:50,411 --> 00:10:54,012 Jesus comes to a well in John 4. 198 00:10:54,012 --> 00:10:57,299 The woman is surprised that a Jewish man 199 00:10:57,299 --> 00:10:59,240 would even speak to her. 200 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:01,104 And she says so. 201 00:11:01,104 --> 00:11:04,466 Jews don't have dealing with Samaritans. 202 00:11:04,466 --> 00:11:09,628 Do you know that when Paul 203 00:11:09,628 --> 00:11:16,104 has to rebuke Peter in Galatians, 204 00:11:16,104 --> 00:11:19,146 in his dialogue with Peter, 205 00:11:19,146 --> 00:11:24,458 he says we are not Gentile sinners. 206 00:11:24,458 --> 00:11:26,940 That was basically the attitude. 207 00:11:26,940 --> 00:11:29,587 Gentiles are lawless. They don't have the law of God. 208 00:11:29,587 --> 00:11:31,074 They don't have the true God. 209 00:11:31,074 --> 00:11:34,248 They're just sinners - Gentile sinners. 210 00:11:34,248 --> 00:11:35,956 That's how Paul, an apostle 211 00:11:35,956 --> 00:11:38,101 to the Gentiles themselves, 212 00:11:38,101 --> 00:11:42,344 would categorize Gentiles to another Jew. 213 00:11:42,344 --> 00:11:45,283 They're just Gentile sinners. 214 00:11:45,283 --> 00:11:47,759 Not without hope, 215 00:11:47,759 --> 00:11:50,417 but that's how he classified them. 216 00:11:50,417 --> 00:11:52,212 You remember how, again, 217 00:11:52,212 --> 00:11:54,207 derogatorily - here's the Pharisees. 218 00:11:54,207 --> 00:11:56,488 You want to say something wicked about Jesus, 219 00:11:56,488 --> 00:11:57,639 what did they say? 220 00:11:57,639 --> 00:11:58,804 You're a Samaritan. 221 00:11:58,804 --> 00:12:02,775 You have a devil. You have a demon. 222 00:12:02,775 --> 00:12:05,641 Derogatory. 223 00:12:05,641 --> 00:12:06,752 You know what? 224 00:12:06,752 --> 00:12:11,739 There was hatred between Jews and Gentiles. 225 00:12:11,739 --> 00:12:13,902 Both thinking themselves superior. 226 00:12:13,902 --> 00:12:16,066 Both at odds with each other. 227 00:12:16,066 --> 00:12:24,598 There was not unity. There was not harmony. 228 00:12:24,598 --> 00:12:25,987 Do you know what the point 229 00:12:25,987 --> 00:12:30,760 of the second half of Ephesians is all about? 230 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:36,039 It's that Christ's blood was shed 231 00:12:36,039 --> 00:12:41,636 to tear down; to destroy the barriers. 232 00:12:41,636 --> 00:12:43,068 You see that. 233 00:12:43,068 --> 00:12:45,248 Look at v. 14. 234 00:12:45,248 --> 00:12:48,083 "He Himself (this is Christ) 235 00:12:48,083 --> 00:12:51,449 is our peace 236 00:12:51,449 --> 00:12:56,254 who has made us both one." 237 00:12:56,254 --> 00:12:58,936 Ok, my agenda today is not to deal 238 00:12:58,936 --> 00:13:00,617 with Jew and Gentile other than 239 00:13:00,617 --> 00:13:02,925 how Jew and Gentile are a great reflection 240 00:13:02,925 --> 00:13:04,934 of black and white 241 00:13:04,934 --> 00:13:08,035 and any other racial issues that we have today. 242 00:13:08,035 --> 00:13:12,741 Listen, the same truth applies, 243 00:13:12,741 --> 00:13:15,508 that by the blood of Christ, 244 00:13:15,508 --> 00:13:20,407 black and white Christians are made one. 245 00:13:20,407 --> 00:13:25,814 That's a reality folks. 246 00:13:25,814 --> 00:13:28,343 Don't try to tear that down. 247 00:13:28,343 --> 00:13:29,793 Don't try to back away; 248 00:13:29,793 --> 00:13:31,685 don't try to wiggle your way out of it. 249 00:13:31,685 --> 00:13:33,257 And I'll just say this right off. 250 00:13:33,257 --> 00:13:34,979 Brethren, you know one of the truths 251 00:13:34,979 --> 00:13:36,613 that we find about Scripture, 252 00:13:36,613 --> 00:13:40,409 is that the devil comes and casts tares 253 00:13:40,409 --> 00:13:41,707 among the wheat. 254 00:13:41,707 --> 00:13:44,411 Have you ever read that? 255 00:13:44,411 --> 00:13:46,286 Anybody read that? 256 00:13:46,286 --> 00:13:47,657 What do you think that means 257 00:13:47,657 --> 00:13:49,091 on a practical level? 258 00:13:49,091 --> 00:13:51,668 You think it means we might have some tares in here? 259 00:13:51,668 --> 00:13:54,588 Or in the church at large? 260 00:13:54,588 --> 00:13:57,356 You think so? 261 00:13:57,356 --> 00:13:58,563 Let me ask you this. 262 00:13:58,563 --> 00:14:02,263 What color is their skin? 263 00:14:02,263 --> 00:14:04,722 The tares. 264 00:14:04,722 --> 00:14:07,249 What color do you think they are? 265 00:14:07,249 --> 00:14:08,952 If you were to examine their skin, 266 00:14:08,952 --> 00:14:11,039 what do you think? 267 00:14:11,039 --> 00:14:14,435 All colors. 268 00:14:14,435 --> 00:14:15,342 You know what? 269 00:14:15,342 --> 00:14:17,416 Just because someone professes to be a Christian 270 00:14:17,416 --> 00:14:18,943 doesn't really mean they are. 271 00:14:18,943 --> 00:14:21,268 And if they in any way speak to you 272 00:14:21,268 --> 00:14:22,919 in a way that would cause you 273 00:14:22,919 --> 00:14:25,166 to back away from this reality, 274 00:14:25,166 --> 00:14:27,350 turn it off. 275 00:14:27,350 --> 00:14:28,907 I don't care if they're white; 276 00:14:28,907 --> 00:14:32,243 they're black, they're green. 277 00:14:32,243 --> 00:14:34,703 The reality is that if we are black and white 278 00:14:34,703 --> 00:14:37,276 and we are in Christ, we are one. 279 00:14:37,276 --> 00:14:38,926 We are not separate. 280 00:14:38,926 --> 00:14:42,670 We are not two distinct peoples. 281 00:14:42,670 --> 00:14:45,587 Yes, you may like Menudo. 282 00:14:45,587 --> 00:14:48,334 You might like grits. 283 00:14:48,334 --> 00:14:50,446 I may prefer steak. 284 00:14:50,446 --> 00:14:52,790 Well, you probably like it too. 285 00:14:52,790 --> 00:14:59,834 But, yes, we may have those flavors. 286 00:14:59,834 --> 00:15:02,386 But you need to consider your identity 287 00:15:02,386 --> 00:15:06,450 at the deepest level. 288 00:15:06,450 --> 00:15:08,658 We are one. 289 00:15:08,658 --> 00:15:12,304 That's what Scripture says. 290 00:15:12,304 --> 00:15:13,576 One. 291 00:15:13,576 --> 00:15:16,119 "And He's broken down..." 292 00:15:16,119 --> 00:15:19,013 that means He's destroyed, 293 00:15:19,013 --> 00:15:22,226 "...in His flesh, the dividing wall of hostility." 294 00:15:22,226 --> 00:15:23,993 He tears it down. Now, I know, 295 00:15:23,993 --> 00:15:25,733 when it comes to Jew and Gentile, 296 00:15:25,733 --> 00:15:27,082 we may be speaking about 297 00:15:27,082 --> 00:15:29,809 legal realities - even realities from the Old Testament, 298 00:15:29,809 --> 00:15:31,000 but what I'm telling you 299 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,112 is that the reality is the same. 300 00:15:33,112 --> 00:15:34,270 That among the Gentiles, 301 00:15:34,270 --> 00:15:37,089 no matter where we come from, no matter what our background is, 302 00:15:37,089 --> 00:15:38,922 no matter what country you were born in, 303 00:15:38,922 --> 00:15:40,603 no matter what language you speak, 304 00:15:40,603 --> 00:15:42,299 no matter what color your skin is, 305 00:15:42,299 --> 00:15:45,065 if we are in Christ together, 306 00:15:45,065 --> 00:15:47,241 we are one. 307 00:15:47,241 --> 00:15:50,363 That is the greatest point of our identity 308 00:15:50,363 --> 00:15:53,994 in all the world, the universe, eternity. 309 00:15:53,994 --> 00:15:55,950 That is the greatest reality. 310 00:15:55,950 --> 00:15:59,342 Our identity is in Christ. 311 00:15:59,342 --> 00:16:05,664 Now listen, 312 00:16:05,664 --> 00:16:10,359 "we are made one." 313 00:16:10,359 --> 00:16:13,186 The reality is that Gentiles aren't made 314 00:16:13,186 --> 00:16:15,737 into physical Jews. 315 00:16:15,737 --> 00:16:17,134 There's a spiritual reality, 316 00:16:17,134 --> 00:16:19,123 but they're not made into physical Jews. 317 00:16:19,123 --> 00:16:21,574 Jews aren't made into Gentiles. 318 00:16:21,574 --> 00:16:23,686 What happens is this, 319 00:16:23,686 --> 00:16:25,134 and Paul clearly says this, 320 00:16:25,134 --> 00:16:29,361 all former categories dissolve away 321 00:16:29,361 --> 00:16:32,000 and are replaced by a new category. 322 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,201 That's what you see right there in v. 15. 323 00:16:36,201 --> 00:16:40,843 "That He might create in Himself 324 00:16:40,843 --> 00:16:47,224 one new man 325 00:16:47,224 --> 00:16:48,733 in place of the two." 326 00:16:48,733 --> 00:16:51,032 Did you catch that? 327 00:16:51,032 --> 00:16:55,298 There's a replacement. 328 00:16:55,298 --> 00:16:58,473 The Gentiles don't replace the Jews. 329 00:16:58,473 --> 00:17:01,001 The Jews don't replace the Gentiles. 330 00:17:01,001 --> 00:17:04,293 Both categories are replaced 331 00:17:04,293 --> 00:17:10,601 by one new man. 332 00:17:10,601 --> 00:17:12,301 And you know what happens? 333 00:17:12,301 --> 00:17:15,941 All these new men; all these new women, 334 00:17:15,941 --> 00:17:18,636 they are collectively together 335 00:17:18,636 --> 00:17:23,543 in what's called here "one body." 336 00:17:23,543 --> 00:17:25,622 Do you see that? v. 16? 337 00:17:25,622 --> 00:17:27,487 "...and might reconcile us both to God 338 00:17:27,487 --> 00:17:30,829 in one body through the cross." 339 00:17:30,829 --> 00:17:33,056 Now as I said when we dealt with that text, 340 00:17:33,056 --> 00:17:35,409 that's not Christ's body. 341 00:17:35,409 --> 00:17:38,120 That one body idea shows up in Ephesians 342 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,572 and in Paul's writings over and over, 343 00:17:40,572 --> 00:17:42,942 and he doesn't mean the body of Christ. 344 00:17:42,942 --> 00:17:44,738 He means the church. 345 00:17:44,738 --> 00:17:46,741 It's one body. 346 00:17:46,741 --> 00:17:49,552 Christ is the Head. 347 00:17:49,552 --> 00:17:53,795 One body. 348 00:17:53,795 --> 00:17:56,131 Do you know what it's comprised of? 349 00:17:56,131 --> 00:17:57,847 A bunch of people who were 350 00:17:57,847 --> 00:18:02,054 formerly disunified Jews; 351 00:18:02,054 --> 00:18:04,548 disunified Gentiles. 352 00:18:04,548 --> 00:18:06,262 But now they're all together 353 00:18:06,262 --> 00:18:10,494 in one body. 354 00:18:10,494 --> 00:18:11,683 And what's happening? 355 00:18:11,683 --> 00:18:14,127 They're being reconciled to God. 356 00:18:14,127 --> 00:18:15,746 We've just come away from a season 357 00:18:15,746 --> 00:18:19,307 where "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," 358 00:18:19,307 --> 00:18:21,745 is commonly sung: 359 00:18:21,745 --> 00:18:25,006 "God and sinners reconciled." 360 00:18:25,006 --> 00:18:28,629 But you see, Paul's point here - 361 00:18:28,629 --> 00:18:31,110 it's not just any sinners; 362 00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:34,476 it's sinners who formerly in their lostness 363 00:18:34,476 --> 00:18:37,269 were so radically divided 364 00:18:37,269 --> 00:18:40,217 and now in one body, they're brought together. 365 00:18:40,217 --> 00:18:44,199 They have reconciliation together, 366 00:18:44,199 --> 00:18:46,656 both by way of the cross 367 00:18:46,656 --> 00:18:47,870 and be certain of this, 368 00:18:47,870 --> 00:18:50,426 there is no reconciliation at all 369 00:18:50,426 --> 00:18:53,188 apart from the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. 370 00:18:53,188 --> 00:18:54,327 This is the church. 371 00:18:54,327 --> 00:18:55,456 It's reconciled. 372 00:18:55,456 --> 00:18:57,081 It's something absolutely new. 373 00:18:57,081 --> 00:18:58,798 Both Jew and Gentile. 374 00:18:58,798 --> 00:19:00,150 And you know what happens? 375 00:19:00,150 --> 00:19:02,343 The door gets thrown wide open 376 00:19:02,343 --> 00:19:04,132 to draw near to God 377 00:19:04,132 --> 00:19:06,047 for everybody in the body, 378 00:19:06,047 --> 00:19:08,177 and that's what you find in v. 18. 379 00:19:08,177 --> 00:19:10,490 We have access. 380 00:19:10,490 --> 00:19:12,263 And notice, 381 00:19:12,263 --> 00:19:14,649 "for through Him, we both..." 382 00:19:14,649 --> 00:19:16,520 Don't you like how he keeps coming back 383 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,340 and he says, "we both..." 384 00:19:18,340 --> 00:19:21,099 One new man in place of the two. 385 00:19:21,099 --> 00:19:23,757 We both have access. 386 00:19:23,757 --> 00:19:25,642 And again, I'm not wanting to deal 387 00:19:25,642 --> 00:19:28,085 primarily with Jew and Gentile today. 388 00:19:28,085 --> 00:19:30,706 I want to deal with every color of skin 389 00:19:30,706 --> 00:19:32,756 and ethnicity that we have in this room, 390 00:19:32,756 --> 00:19:33,975 because the reality is, 391 00:19:33,975 --> 00:19:35,090 there is a people here. 392 00:19:35,090 --> 00:19:37,842 And it doesn't matter what shade of skin we have, 393 00:19:37,842 --> 00:19:40,440 that by reconciliation through the cross 394 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,114 the door has been opened 395 00:19:42,114 --> 00:19:44,480 so that we actually have 396 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,276 real communion with God, 397 00:19:47,276 --> 00:19:49,265 and we can enter before Him. 398 00:19:49,265 --> 00:19:51,738 Again, we're dealing with the greatest realities 399 00:19:51,738 --> 00:19:54,768 about our identity. 400 00:19:54,768 --> 00:19:59,065 Your greatest identity is not the color of your skin. 401 00:19:59,065 --> 00:20:01,641 Your greatest identity is the fact 402 00:20:01,641 --> 00:20:04,173 that you are one who has been paid for 403 00:20:04,173 --> 00:20:05,785 by this blood 404 00:20:05,785 --> 00:20:08,799 and the doors are thrown open for you 405 00:20:08,799 --> 00:20:15,710 to come right into the presence of God. 406 00:20:15,710 --> 00:20:18,168 And you know what happened? 407 00:20:18,168 --> 00:20:21,527 I'm out there at Community Baptist Church. 408 00:20:21,527 --> 00:20:22,912 I'm not a pastor yet. 409 00:20:22,912 --> 00:20:25,060 I don't even know if I was preaching. 410 00:20:25,060 --> 00:20:29,962 But things are beginning to formulate in my head. 411 00:20:29,962 --> 00:20:31,471 Thinking about that pastor - 412 00:20:31,471 --> 00:20:32,957 it's now been made clear to me 413 00:20:32,957 --> 00:20:34,367 where I came from. 414 00:20:34,367 --> 00:20:38,810 It's like what is all that? 415 00:20:38,810 --> 00:20:41,656 And I'm watching the church at Community. 416 00:20:41,656 --> 00:20:43,662 I'm hearing verses like come out 417 00:20:43,662 --> 00:20:46,688 of Ephesians and there's a picture 418 00:20:46,688 --> 00:20:49,061 that begins to develop in my mind 419 00:20:49,061 --> 00:20:50,418 about what the church 420 00:20:50,418 --> 00:20:52,172 should be looking like. 421 00:20:52,172 --> 00:20:53,798 And the thing is here 422 00:20:53,798 --> 00:20:55,648 Paul's not done. 423 00:20:55,648 --> 00:20:57,555 Paul's not done. 424 00:20:57,555 --> 00:20:59,682 He just keeps going on and on. 425 00:20:59,682 --> 00:21:02,050 He wants to drive this point home 426 00:21:02,050 --> 00:21:03,484 over and over again. 427 00:21:03,484 --> 00:21:05,747 Your identity is no longer 428 00:21:05,747 --> 00:21:07,253 in your circumcision 429 00:21:07,253 --> 00:21:08,620 or your uncircumcision. 430 00:21:08,620 --> 00:21:10,736 It's no longer in the color of your skin. 431 00:21:10,736 --> 00:21:15,047 Your truest identity is not on that level. 432 00:21:15,047 --> 00:21:17,289 Your identity is somewhere else now. 433 00:21:17,289 --> 00:21:19,565 And look at v. 19. 434 00:21:19,565 --> 00:21:25,751 "...fellow citizens with the saints, 435 00:21:25,751 --> 00:21:28,893 members of the household of God." 436 00:21:28,893 --> 00:21:32,234 But then he goes even further. 437 00:21:32,234 --> 00:21:35,250 The reconciled ones are all being - 438 00:21:35,250 --> 00:21:36,689 and here's that word - 439 00:21:36,689 --> 00:21:39,388 jointed or joined together. 440 00:21:39,388 --> 00:21:43,454 Fitly framed together. 441 00:21:43,454 --> 00:21:45,501 "...Into a temple for God to dwell in." 442 00:21:45,501 --> 00:21:47,820 And you know, the thing about it is 443 00:21:47,820 --> 00:21:51,769 some might wonder at that. 444 00:21:51,769 --> 00:21:56,330 I just said Paul goes even further. 445 00:21:56,330 --> 00:21:59,667 Does that even sound right? 446 00:21:59,667 --> 00:22:01,203 Some might wonder that I say 447 00:22:01,203 --> 00:22:03,569 Paul goes even further. 448 00:22:03,569 --> 00:22:09,952 Look, to go from family to building - 449 00:22:09,952 --> 00:22:13,039 it is really an escalation of imagery 450 00:22:13,039 --> 00:22:14,685 to go from the one to the other, 451 00:22:14,685 --> 00:22:16,228 but it might not feel like that. 452 00:22:16,228 --> 00:22:26,140 Why? Well, family seems warm. 453 00:22:26,140 --> 00:22:29,746 It seems loving. 454 00:22:29,746 --> 00:22:31,468 It's just not as nice a picture 455 00:22:31,468 --> 00:22:35,367 to think about building pieces in a wall. 456 00:22:35,367 --> 00:22:40,520 Is Paul's imagery really escalating here? 457 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:42,714 Oh yeah. 458 00:22:42,714 --> 00:22:45,522 Don't think warmth. 459 00:22:45,522 --> 00:22:49,488 Think cohesion. 460 00:22:49,488 --> 00:22:50,760 What's that word? 461 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,602 That's like glue. 462 00:22:53,602 --> 00:22:55,960 Cohesive. Super glue. 463 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:58,335 You glue something together. 464 00:22:58,335 --> 00:23:00,516 Adhesion or cohesion. 465 00:23:00,516 --> 00:23:02,820 It's the stickiness. 466 00:23:02,820 --> 00:23:06,396 It's something being stuck together 467 00:23:06,396 --> 00:23:09,992 or built together. 468 00:23:09,992 --> 00:23:14,899 That's the imagery of cohesion. 469 00:23:14,899 --> 00:23:16,627 Being furthered. 470 00:23:16,627 --> 00:23:19,894 Is there cohesion in all being in the same country? 471 00:23:19,894 --> 00:23:20,789 To some degree. 472 00:23:20,789 --> 00:23:23,056 Is there cohesion in being in the same family? 473 00:23:23,056 --> 00:23:24,376 Yeah, maybe even more so. 474 00:23:24,376 --> 00:23:27,696 But when you're fitly framed together 475 00:23:27,696 --> 00:23:30,245 as a piece of construction material 476 00:23:30,245 --> 00:23:32,573 into the same wall, 477 00:23:32,573 --> 00:23:34,024 you know what? 478 00:23:34,024 --> 00:23:37,433 There's a truer merging of parts 479 00:23:37,433 --> 00:23:41,667 than even in a family. 480 00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:43,033 You say really? 481 00:23:43,033 --> 00:23:44,416 Yeah, you know what? 482 00:23:44,416 --> 00:23:47,661 One of the boards in that wall 483 00:23:47,661 --> 00:23:48,955 does not say, 484 00:23:48,955 --> 00:23:54,236 well, I think I'm going to get married and move to Missouri. 485 00:23:54,236 --> 00:23:56,651 They're together. 486 00:23:56,651 --> 00:23:59,041 You see, families - people can go 487 00:23:59,041 --> 00:24:00,697 different places. 488 00:24:00,697 --> 00:24:04,597 There is a closeness in family, 489 00:24:04,597 --> 00:24:08,833 but there's a cohesion in building parts 490 00:24:08,833 --> 00:24:11,708 that comes even closer. 491 00:24:11,708 --> 00:24:14,573 The idea of Jew and Gentile 492 00:24:14,573 --> 00:24:17,558 so closely fitly framed together 493 00:24:17,558 --> 00:24:19,662 into the same structure 494 00:24:19,662 --> 00:24:22,879 seems to be so exceptionally important to Paul 495 00:24:22,879 --> 00:24:24,101 that you know what? 496 00:24:24,101 --> 00:24:26,051 It's assumed that he actually 497 00:24:26,051 --> 00:24:29,222 invents a word right here. 498 00:24:29,222 --> 00:24:34,503 Now, I'm not the world's most renowned etymologist. 499 00:24:34,503 --> 00:24:38,019 (studier of words) 500 00:24:38,019 --> 00:24:40,838 But Lloyd-Jones says Paul invented it. 501 00:24:40,838 --> 00:24:42,766 He said there's no indication 502 00:24:42,766 --> 00:24:44,622 that the word ever shows up 503 00:24:44,622 --> 00:24:46,733 anywhere else in history; 504 00:24:46,733 --> 00:24:49,130 anywhere else outside of Ephesians. 505 00:24:49,130 --> 00:24:51,751 And it can't be found in any secular writing. 506 00:24:51,751 --> 00:24:54,454 It's thought that what Paul was doing 507 00:24:54,454 --> 00:24:58,449 was he was grasping for imagery 508 00:24:58,449 --> 00:25:01,286 or for a term and he was limited - 509 00:25:01,286 --> 00:25:03,376 limited enough in his own vocabulary 510 00:25:03,376 --> 00:25:05,253 that he needed to create a word 511 00:25:05,253 --> 00:25:07,384 to try to communicate to these folks 512 00:25:07,384 --> 00:25:09,242 exactly what he meant. 513 00:25:09,242 --> 00:25:11,172 And what he did was he basically took 514 00:25:11,172 --> 00:25:13,184 three separate words 515 00:25:13,184 --> 00:25:16,814 and stuck them all together 516 00:25:16,814 --> 00:25:21,772 in apparently what was an invention of his own. 517 00:25:21,772 --> 00:25:24,681 The three words are this: 518 00:25:24,681 --> 00:25:29,581 The first one is "sun," 519 00:25:29,581 --> 00:25:33,459 which means "together with." 520 00:25:33,459 --> 00:25:37,920 The second one is "harmos." 521 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,059 Now Jeff's going to correct me 522 00:25:41,059 --> 00:25:43,403 if my Greek pronunciation isn't right. 523 00:25:43,403 --> 00:25:45,001 You know, it's funny. 524 00:25:45,001 --> 00:25:46,855 As Americans we like to say 525 00:25:46,855 --> 00:25:48,944 about Greek or Hebrew, 526 00:25:48,944 --> 00:25:54,100 well, that isn't the way you say it. 527 00:25:54,100 --> 00:25:58,434 We actually had a Hebrew Christian 528 00:25:58,434 --> 00:26:02,590 sit at our table before. 529 00:26:02,590 --> 00:26:06,649 Brethren, he said words from the Old Testament 530 00:26:06,649 --> 00:26:08,660 in ways you would not even recognize them. 531 00:26:08,660 --> 00:26:10,747 And you know, we're correcting one another. 532 00:26:10,747 --> 00:26:12,452 Well, this is the way you say it. 533 00:26:12,452 --> 00:26:15,658 But if you actually heard the way that it was said in the original language, 534 00:26:15,658 --> 00:26:17,321 we'd probably all recognize 535 00:26:17,321 --> 00:26:19,224 that we're just doing good enough 536 00:26:19,224 --> 00:26:22,331 if we can communicate in our own 537 00:26:22,331 --> 00:26:24,173 Anglican pronunciation. 538 00:26:24,173 --> 00:26:27,917 But, you have "sun" - together with; 539 00:26:27,917 --> 00:26:32,730 "harmos" which means "joint." 540 00:26:32,730 --> 00:26:35,501 Joined together with. 541 00:26:35,501 --> 00:26:39,798 And then "logeo" 542 00:26:39,798 --> 00:26:42,723 which is the verb of "logos," 543 00:26:42,723 --> 00:26:52,383 which has the idea to arrange in order. 544 00:26:52,383 --> 00:26:53,988 You know what happens? 545 00:26:53,988 --> 00:26:55,404 The King James Version 546 00:26:55,404 --> 00:26:57,846 actually comes the closest 547 00:26:57,846 --> 00:26:59,626 to striving to bring 548 00:26:59,626 --> 00:27:01,825 all three components out. 549 00:27:01,825 --> 00:27:04,207 They actually use three words in the English 550 00:27:04,207 --> 00:27:06,557 to parallel the three in the Greek. 551 00:27:06,557 --> 00:27:10,505 Fitly framed together. 552 00:27:10,505 --> 00:27:15,141 It's the idea of logeo is to arrange; 553 00:27:15,141 --> 00:27:17,596 like even an arrangement of music 554 00:27:17,596 --> 00:27:20,268 or an arrangement of a sentence. 555 00:27:20,268 --> 00:27:22,758 But it's to put something in order, 556 00:27:22,758 --> 00:27:24,216 and it's a picture - 557 00:27:24,216 --> 00:27:26,128 it's what God is doing to us. 558 00:27:26,128 --> 00:27:28,777 It's not something that we're doing to ourselves. 559 00:27:28,777 --> 00:27:33,398 God is placing in the church 560 00:27:33,398 --> 00:27:38,904 and joining together with 561 00:27:38,904 --> 00:27:40,367 and fitly framing. 562 00:27:40,367 --> 00:27:43,347 It's the idea of harmoniously 563 00:27:43,347 --> 00:27:46,504 fitting together. 564 00:27:46,504 --> 00:27:48,591 It is a tight cohesiveness. 565 00:27:48,591 --> 00:27:53,484 And Paul just invents this word 566 00:27:53,484 --> 00:27:56,542 and says to these Gentiles, 567 00:27:56,542 --> 00:28:02,168 do you really recognize how one you are? 568 00:28:02,168 --> 00:28:06,090 How closely fitted together? 569 00:28:06,090 --> 00:28:08,736 And obviously there's something profound in this. 570 00:28:08,736 --> 00:28:11,713 When Paul does this; 571 00:28:11,713 --> 00:28:15,584 when he invents this, 572 00:28:15,584 --> 00:28:18,340 brethren, this is the church. 573 00:28:18,340 --> 00:28:20,359 That's what we have going here. 574 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,557 That's what we have a picture of here. 575 00:28:22,557 --> 00:28:24,065 He wants to try to explain 576 00:28:24,065 --> 00:28:25,779 to these Ephesian Gentiles 577 00:28:25,779 --> 00:28:28,253 to feel their close cohesion 578 00:28:28,253 --> 00:28:30,460 with these Jews and with everyone else 579 00:28:30,460 --> 00:28:31,441 who's a Christian. 580 00:28:31,441 --> 00:28:34,581 God takes each one of these living stones 581 00:28:34,581 --> 00:28:39,038 and carefully arranges them by design, 582 00:28:39,038 --> 00:28:41,845 and He puts them in here 583 00:28:41,845 --> 00:28:43,701 and fitly frames - 584 00:28:43,701 --> 00:28:45,388 you think about framing a window. 585 00:28:45,388 --> 00:28:46,398 And they're fitted. 586 00:28:46,398 --> 00:28:48,457 It's almost like there's one after another 587 00:28:48,457 --> 00:28:50,045 and they're fitly framed together 588 00:28:50,045 --> 00:28:52,875 and joined together in cohesion 589 00:28:52,875 --> 00:28:58,878 and a tightness. 590 00:28:58,878 --> 00:29:00,823 This is the church. 591 00:29:00,823 --> 00:29:03,107 And do you know what the building blocks are? 592 00:29:03,107 --> 00:29:04,734 They're living stones, 593 00:29:04,734 --> 00:29:07,566 and they've got every different shade of skin 594 00:29:07,566 --> 00:29:10,898 under the sun. 595 00:29:10,898 --> 00:29:13,329 That's the reality. 596 00:29:13,329 --> 00:29:14,649 Various nationalities, 597 00:29:14,649 --> 00:29:17,354 skin colors - 598 00:29:17,354 --> 00:29:20,680 they used to be separated, 599 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:22,261 disjointed, 600 00:29:22,261 --> 00:29:26,809 unharmonious, conflicting, clashing... 601 00:29:26,809 --> 00:29:28,854 It's like as a child, 602 00:29:28,854 --> 00:29:35,128 I remember I got a battleship model. 603 00:29:35,128 --> 00:29:36,530 Remember the old models? 604 00:29:36,530 --> 00:29:37,634 You put them together. 605 00:29:37,634 --> 00:29:41,943 I don't if young people even do that anymore. 606 00:29:41,943 --> 00:29:43,767 And you pull the top off 607 00:29:43,767 --> 00:29:49,053 and you basically have these frames of plastic 608 00:29:49,053 --> 00:29:52,556 with all the individual parts across there. 609 00:29:52,556 --> 00:29:55,453 And you've got, typically, several sheets of these things, 610 00:29:55,453 --> 00:29:56,885 and you pull them out. 611 00:29:56,885 --> 00:29:58,340 And you've got the big pieces 612 00:29:58,340 --> 00:30:01,529 like the halves of the hull and whatever, 613 00:30:01,529 --> 00:30:03,858 and you begin to put all these pieces together. 614 00:30:03,858 --> 00:30:05,459 At first, they're all disjointed. 615 00:30:05,459 --> 00:30:08,496 They're disconnected. 616 00:30:08,496 --> 00:30:10,628 But then you take out that model glue 617 00:30:10,628 --> 00:30:12,507 and you begin to put them together,. 618 00:30:12,507 --> 00:30:15,584 And you know, some of the pieces are the same. 619 00:30:15,584 --> 00:30:17,014 Many of them are not the same. 620 00:30:17,014 --> 00:30:18,439 They're not like each other. 621 00:30:18,439 --> 00:30:20,160 It's not like a cookie cutter thing. 622 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:21,646 If you just opened it up 623 00:30:21,646 --> 00:30:23,129 and you had a hundred pieces 624 00:30:23,129 --> 00:30:25,721 that all looked identical, what do you create out of that? 625 00:30:25,721 --> 00:30:27,198 It's the same with the church. 626 00:30:27,198 --> 00:30:29,839 Paul uses other illustrations in 1 Corinthians 12, 627 00:30:29,839 --> 00:30:32,095 but where do you get a body 628 00:30:32,095 --> 00:30:33,501 if everybody's an eye? 629 00:30:33,501 --> 00:30:34,316 You don't. 630 00:30:34,316 --> 00:30:35,822 Where do you get a battleship 631 00:30:35,822 --> 00:30:38,117 if everything is a gun turret? 632 00:30:38,117 --> 00:30:38,818 You don't. 633 00:30:38,818 --> 00:30:41,257 You end up with some ugly horrendous thing. 634 00:30:41,257 --> 00:30:43,725 It doesn't even go together. 635 00:30:43,725 --> 00:30:45,242 You could glue it all together, 636 00:30:45,242 --> 00:30:50,379 but it's going to be a monster. 637 00:30:50,379 --> 00:30:52,764 But as a child, you put all those pieces together. 638 00:30:52,764 --> 00:30:56,405 This is what God is doing in the church. 639 00:30:56,405 --> 00:30:59,110 Fitly framing. 640 00:30:59,110 --> 00:31:02,068 And brethren, I'll tell you this. 641 00:31:02,068 --> 00:31:04,698 About 17 years ago, 642 00:31:04,698 --> 00:31:09,300 when we started this church, 643 00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:12,691 I was just naive enough to think 644 00:31:12,691 --> 00:31:14,155 and to actually believe 645 00:31:14,155 --> 00:31:16,786 that texts like this 646 00:31:16,786 --> 00:31:19,911 had real life implications. 647 00:31:19,911 --> 00:31:22,026 I believe that. 648 00:31:22,026 --> 00:31:25,754 I actually believed that if such radically different people 649 00:31:25,754 --> 00:31:28,348 as Jews and Gentiles 650 00:31:28,348 --> 00:31:34,546 could actually lose their own native identities 651 00:31:34,546 --> 00:31:37,332 and so identify with Christ, 652 00:31:37,332 --> 00:31:39,014 that they could come together 653 00:31:39,014 --> 00:31:40,120 in the same churches 654 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,334 and function together and live together 655 00:31:42,334 --> 00:31:43,494 and love together 656 00:31:43,494 --> 00:31:45,129 and spread the Gospel together. 657 00:31:45,129 --> 00:31:47,107 I actually was naive enough to think 658 00:31:47,107 --> 00:31:49,447 blacks and whites could do that in San Antonio. 659 00:31:49,447 --> 00:31:52,658 Along with the majority population 660 00:31:52,658 --> 00:31:54,966 of the Hispanics. 661 00:31:54,966 --> 00:31:57,112 And thankfully, if God threw Asians 662 00:31:57,112 --> 00:31:59,858 into that mix as well. 663 00:31:59,858 --> 00:32:01,993 I thought it might be just reasonable enough 664 00:32:01,993 --> 00:32:04,383 to think that if we located our church meetings 665 00:32:04,383 --> 00:32:07,095 here on the east side of San Antonio, 666 00:32:07,095 --> 00:32:08,349 we might actually witness 667 00:32:08,349 --> 00:32:09,801 the same power 668 00:32:09,801 --> 00:32:11,859 that brought Jew and Gentile together 669 00:32:11,859 --> 00:32:16,904 bring all sorts of different people together here. 670 00:32:16,904 --> 00:32:20,449 That was my thinking. 671 00:32:20,449 --> 00:32:22,483 And you know what? Some might think 672 00:32:22,483 --> 00:32:24,677 that I'm reading too much into the passage 673 00:32:24,677 --> 00:32:30,239 in these last two verses of chapter 2. 674 00:32:30,239 --> 00:32:33,477 But the image produced in my mind, 675 00:32:33,477 --> 00:32:37,016 it wasn't just a theoretical image. 676 00:32:37,016 --> 00:32:40,718 It was an image that I saw 677 00:32:40,718 --> 00:32:46,847 came right down to local churches. 678 00:32:46,847 --> 00:32:50,172 See, I didn't really imagine the temple 679 00:32:50,172 --> 00:32:54,756 being built and all the stones over there 680 00:32:54,756 --> 00:32:56,662 are black; 681 00:32:56,662 --> 00:33:00,955 and all the stones right there are white; 682 00:33:00,955 --> 00:33:02,563 and all the stones right there 683 00:33:02,563 --> 00:33:04,018 may have a reddish hue 684 00:33:04,018 --> 00:33:05,686 or a yellowish hue. 685 00:33:05,686 --> 00:33:08,720 I didn't see it like that. 686 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,261 I saw them fitly framed together in my mind. 687 00:33:11,261 --> 00:33:14,145 Maybe you think I'm reading too much into it, 688 00:33:14,145 --> 00:33:17,731 but like I say, I was just naive enough 689 00:33:17,731 --> 00:33:23,308 to think that a brother with dark skin 690 00:33:23,308 --> 00:33:27,448 could be placed in there. 691 00:33:27,448 --> 00:33:29,348 And then a Hispanic sister 692 00:33:29,348 --> 00:33:32,984 could be placed next to that. 693 00:33:32,984 --> 00:33:35,958 And then an Asian sister 694 00:33:35,958 --> 00:33:40,332 could be placed next to that. 695 00:33:40,332 --> 00:33:43,407 And I actually believed, 696 00:33:43,407 --> 00:33:45,332 well, if God could do that back then, 697 00:33:45,332 --> 00:33:47,865 God can do that now. 698 00:33:47,865 --> 00:33:50,291 I mean, if God is capable. 699 00:33:50,291 --> 00:33:51,472 And the thing is, 700 00:33:51,472 --> 00:33:52,752 I didn't just think, 701 00:33:52,752 --> 00:33:55,532 oh, that's for heaven. 702 00:33:55,532 --> 00:33:57,209 See, we have to wait for heaven 703 00:33:57,209 --> 00:34:00,172 because here everybody's going to be in their Korean church; 704 00:34:00,172 --> 00:34:02,303 everybody's going to be in their Indian church; 705 00:34:02,303 --> 00:34:03,676 everybody's going to be in their white church; 706 00:34:03,676 --> 00:34:05,607 in their Hispanic church, in their black church. 707 00:34:05,607 --> 00:34:07,087 And we wait for then. 708 00:34:07,087 --> 00:34:09,404 Then, of course, it's all going to mix together. 709 00:34:09,404 --> 00:34:11,899 You see, I just kind of thought 710 00:34:11,899 --> 00:34:14,396 that the fact that we're being built 711 00:34:14,396 --> 00:34:16,411 together this way actually has to do with 712 00:34:16,411 --> 00:34:17,479 the here and now 713 00:34:17,479 --> 00:34:19,842 and right in our generation. 714 00:34:19,842 --> 00:34:22,185 And I kind of thought that 715 00:34:22,185 --> 00:34:24,984 side by side we could work together 716 00:34:24,984 --> 00:34:31,032 for the sake of the Gospel. 717 00:34:31,032 --> 00:34:35,304 Brethren, I'll tell you this. 718 00:34:35,304 --> 00:34:39,890 I did not know exactly how it would happen, 719 00:34:39,890 --> 00:34:42,556 but in those first seven months 720 00:34:42,556 --> 00:34:45,674 of the life of this church, 721 00:34:45,674 --> 00:34:50,442 this was becoming more and more 722 00:34:50,442 --> 00:34:51,729 of a burden. 723 00:34:51,729 --> 00:34:53,060 Now, let me tell you, 724 00:34:53,060 --> 00:34:55,022 we started by meeting on 725 00:34:55,022 --> 00:34:59,111 the south side of the city. 726 00:34:59,111 --> 00:35:02,461 I'm not going to say it's all Hispanic, 727 00:35:02,461 --> 00:35:05,177 but heavily so. 728 00:35:05,177 --> 00:35:06,859 That's where we had a Bible study 729 00:35:06,859 --> 00:35:11,427 for a number of years. 730 00:35:11,427 --> 00:35:15,102 But you know, as time went on, 731 00:35:15,102 --> 00:35:17,989 I didn't want to stay there. 732 00:35:17,989 --> 00:35:20,360 I had my eye on this part of the city. 733 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:22,071 And I know there were voices saying 734 00:35:22,071 --> 00:35:23,756 well, that's not right. 735 00:35:23,756 --> 00:35:26,154 If God called you to be on the south side, 736 00:35:26,154 --> 00:35:28,476 who are you to be moving away from it? 737 00:35:28,476 --> 00:35:30,821 Well, I'll tell you what God was doing inside me 738 00:35:30,821 --> 00:35:34,071 was trying to think strategically - 739 00:35:34,071 --> 00:35:35,605 if we're going to have a church 740 00:35:35,605 --> 00:35:38,277 where blacks and whites and Hispanics 741 00:35:38,277 --> 00:35:41,557 and other ethnicities are likely 742 00:35:41,557 --> 00:35:44,859 going to come together, 743 00:35:44,859 --> 00:35:47,612 what I felt like was 744 00:35:47,612 --> 00:35:50,029 if we could be close to downtown 745 00:35:50,029 --> 00:35:53,313 and maybe actually off into a more 746 00:35:53,313 --> 00:35:56,115 black part of the city, 747 00:35:56,115 --> 00:36:00,598 I thought that's the strategic location to be. 748 00:36:00,598 --> 00:36:02,351 Now, you may take issue with that. 749 00:36:02,351 --> 00:36:04,271 But that was my whole thinking. 750 00:36:04,271 --> 00:36:05,122 My thinking was, 751 00:36:05,122 --> 00:36:06,765 let's go to where the needs are; 752 00:36:06,765 --> 00:36:08,613 let's go to where the prostitutes are; 753 00:36:08,613 --> 00:36:10,721 let's go to where the drug problems are; 754 00:36:10,721 --> 00:36:12,598 let's go to where they need the Gospel; 755 00:36:12,598 --> 00:36:14,526 but let's also position this 756 00:36:14,526 --> 00:36:16,494 where we're close to downtown. 757 00:36:16,494 --> 00:36:18,180 You've got maybe what tends to be 758 00:36:18,180 --> 00:36:20,697 the more white areas to the north. 759 00:36:20,697 --> 00:36:22,894 You've got the more black areas to the east. 760 00:36:22,894 --> 00:36:25,947 West side is little Mexico. 761 00:36:25,947 --> 00:36:29,343 South side is going to be heavily Hispanic, 762 00:36:29,343 --> 00:36:32,548 but it felt central. 763 00:36:32,548 --> 00:36:35,799 That was my thinking: central. 764 00:36:35,799 --> 00:36:37,597 Because that was the desire. 765 00:36:37,597 --> 00:36:39,270 Now as I looked out at the church, 766 00:36:39,270 --> 00:36:41,668 it was all Hispanic in those first days 767 00:36:41,668 --> 00:36:43,616 except me. 768 00:36:43,616 --> 00:36:45,836 But I began to pray. 769 00:36:45,836 --> 00:36:47,549 I recognized, no matter 770 00:36:47,549 --> 00:36:49,309 where you are in this city, 771 00:36:49,309 --> 00:36:51,532 if God's working with us, 772 00:36:51,532 --> 00:36:54,069 Hispanics are going to be there. 773 00:36:54,069 --> 00:36:56,233 But it's going to take an extra effort 774 00:36:56,233 --> 00:36:59,272 to try to bring whites and blacks 775 00:36:59,272 --> 00:37:00,807 into the same church. 776 00:37:00,807 --> 00:37:02,691 So, strategically, where should we be? 777 00:37:02,691 --> 00:37:04,095 And I began to pray, 778 00:37:04,095 --> 00:37:05,119 Lord, please... 779 00:37:05,119 --> 00:37:07,090 And it wasn't just skin colors; 780 00:37:07,090 --> 00:37:08,723 I often prayed - 781 00:37:08,723 --> 00:37:10,742 those that were here in the early days, 782 00:37:10,742 --> 00:37:13,174 it was often that the converted lawyer 783 00:37:13,174 --> 00:37:15,261 would sit next to the converted prostitute, 784 00:37:15,261 --> 00:37:17,013 whatever their colors. 785 00:37:17,013 --> 00:37:20,061 But I wanted this different social strata as well. 786 00:37:20,061 --> 00:37:21,437 God saving from the rich. 787 00:37:21,437 --> 00:37:23,925 I know not many (1 Corinthians 1), 788 00:37:23,925 --> 00:37:27,124 but some and many of those 789 00:37:27,124 --> 00:37:28,720 in the poorer sections. 790 00:37:28,720 --> 00:37:30,350 Look, could we have moved 791 00:37:30,350 --> 00:37:31,385 up to the north side? 792 00:37:31,385 --> 00:37:32,879 Could we have moved up to Stone Oak? 793 00:37:32,879 --> 00:37:34,117 Yes, we could have. 794 00:37:34,117 --> 00:37:36,282 I mean, there was freedom there to do that. 795 00:37:36,282 --> 00:37:38,934 But that wasn't the agenda - 796 00:37:38,934 --> 00:37:40,299 not in my heart. 797 00:37:40,299 --> 00:37:42,181 Not based on texts like this. 798 00:37:42,181 --> 00:37:43,706 I had an image in my mind 799 00:37:43,706 --> 00:37:46,285 of this multi-colored 800 00:37:46,285 --> 00:37:50,204 fitly framed together, 801 00:37:50,204 --> 00:37:52,468 and I didn't want to wait to heaven for it. 802 00:37:52,468 --> 00:37:54,139 I wanted to see that cohesiveness 803 00:37:54,139 --> 00:37:55,203 worked out right now. 804 00:37:55,203 --> 00:37:56,924 Because brethren, I really believe 805 00:37:56,924 --> 00:37:58,032 that it's a testimony 806 00:37:58,032 --> 00:37:59,920 about the grace and the power of God. 807 00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:01,834 I believe that. 808 00:38:01,834 --> 00:38:03,576 I believe it says something about 809 00:38:03,576 --> 00:38:04,949 what the power of the cross 810 00:38:04,949 --> 00:38:08,203 is able to accomplish in people. 811 00:38:08,203 --> 00:38:10,448 And I knew what I saw up there in Michigan - 812 00:38:10,448 --> 00:38:11,751 that was not a testimony 813 00:38:11,751 --> 00:38:14,978 to any power of any cross. 814 00:38:14,978 --> 00:38:19,811 Not that kind of - was it racism? 815 00:38:19,811 --> 00:38:22,671 Or was it horrible ignorance? 816 00:38:22,671 --> 00:38:24,769 Definitely not a man qualified 817 00:38:24,769 --> 00:38:26,728 to be in the pulpit. 818 00:38:26,728 --> 00:38:28,795 But did Jesus say this? 819 00:38:28,795 --> 00:38:30,728 Did He say, well, 820 00:38:30,728 --> 00:38:35,191 people will know that you're My disciples 821 00:38:35,191 --> 00:38:37,020 by the fact that blacks need to stay 822 00:38:37,020 --> 00:38:38,190 in their churches, 823 00:38:38,190 --> 00:38:40,234 and whites need to stay in their churches, 824 00:38:40,234 --> 00:38:42,009 and there's Hipanics in theirs. 825 00:38:42,009 --> 00:38:43,640 Because we don't love one another 826 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:45,562 enough to work through the differences. 827 00:38:45,562 --> 00:38:46,585 Is that what He said? 828 00:38:46,585 --> 00:38:49,407 Is that how the world's going to know that we belong to Him? 829 00:38:49,407 --> 00:38:51,224 That is not what He said. 830 00:38:51,224 --> 00:38:53,191 What He specifically said is that 831 00:38:53,191 --> 00:38:57,168 "by this all people will know 832 00:38:57,168 --> 00:38:58,974 that you are My disciples, 833 00:38:58,974 --> 00:39:02,117 if you have love for one another." 834 00:39:02,117 --> 00:39:03,711 Brethren, the truth is 835 00:39:03,711 --> 00:39:06,134 that this is the truth. 836 00:39:06,134 --> 00:39:08,665 And you know it. 837 00:39:08,665 --> 00:39:11,693 If we can't make it in the same church together, 838 00:39:11,693 --> 00:39:18,600 it's a lack of love on somebody's part. 839 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:19,901 That's just a reality. 840 00:39:19,901 --> 00:39:21,834 Plain and simple. 841 00:39:21,834 --> 00:39:24,856 Do you remember the church there in Acts 6? 842 00:39:24,856 --> 00:39:26,068 Let me tell you about it. 843 00:39:26,068 --> 00:39:28,695 You don't feel this, 844 00:39:28,695 --> 00:39:33,193 but it's likely a difference of ethnicity 845 00:39:33,193 --> 00:39:34,957 stronger than blacks and whites 846 00:39:34,957 --> 00:39:36,395 in the same church. 847 00:39:36,395 --> 00:39:41,854 When you had Hebrews and Hellenist Jews 848 00:39:41,854 --> 00:39:43,142 in the same church. 849 00:39:43,142 --> 00:39:45,627 Did they have problems? 850 00:39:45,627 --> 00:39:51,299 Of course, they had problems! 851 00:39:51,299 --> 00:39:55,415 Brethren, some people walk around 852 00:39:55,415 --> 00:39:59,948 almost with this foreboding: 853 00:39:59,948 --> 00:40:05,952 "there are problems in this church." 854 00:40:05,952 --> 00:40:08,678 Of course there are! 855 00:40:08,678 --> 00:40:11,870 Were there racial problems in that church? 856 00:40:11,870 --> 00:40:13,912 Of course there were! 857 00:40:13,912 --> 00:40:17,969 Look, this issue isn't whether or not we have problems. 858 00:40:17,969 --> 00:40:21,169 The issue is that love works through those problems. 859 00:40:21,169 --> 00:40:23,532 You know what was happening? 860 00:40:23,532 --> 00:40:26,789 The widows - not any widow. 861 00:40:26,789 --> 00:40:32,036 Not widows indiscriminately. 862 00:40:32,036 --> 00:40:34,057 But the widows of a certain race 863 00:40:34,057 --> 00:40:36,306 in the church - 864 00:40:36,306 --> 00:40:43,125 the widows of the Hellenist Greeks. 865 00:40:43,125 --> 00:40:48,969 They were not being taken care of 866 00:40:48,969 --> 00:40:52,329 like the Hebrew widows were. 867 00:40:52,329 --> 00:40:56,086 That kind of a race thing. And it is. 868 00:40:56,086 --> 00:40:57,895 Somehow they were being neglected. 869 00:40:57,895 --> 00:40:59,711 Somehow they were being overlooked. 870 00:40:59,711 --> 00:41:01,878 You know what? 871 00:41:01,878 --> 00:41:03,511 Did the apostles say, 872 00:41:03,511 --> 00:41:07,885 Hellenist Greeks, this isn't going to work. 873 00:41:07,885 --> 00:41:09,158 The way to remedy this: 874 00:41:09,158 --> 00:41:10,910 pack your bags, go down the street, 875 00:41:10,910 --> 00:41:13,008 start a Hellenist Greek church. 876 00:41:13,008 --> 00:41:14,624 That's what we need to do. 877 00:41:14,624 --> 00:41:16,622 Because after all that's what 878 00:41:16,622 --> 00:41:19,539 just about everybody does today. 879 00:41:19,539 --> 00:41:21,756 That's not what they did. 880 00:41:21,756 --> 00:41:23,735 What they did was they looked at it 881 00:41:23,735 --> 00:41:27,285 and they said you know this is a reality. 882 00:41:27,285 --> 00:41:31,515 And they sought to meet the need. 883 00:41:31,515 --> 00:41:33,601 And what's interesting to me is 884 00:41:33,601 --> 00:41:36,341 that it has often been observed 885 00:41:36,341 --> 00:41:38,950 that the seven men that were chosen 886 00:41:38,950 --> 00:41:43,494 were actually Greeks. 887 00:41:43,494 --> 00:41:45,147 And I've thought about that. 888 00:41:45,147 --> 00:41:47,466 You know, that bothered me. 889 00:41:47,466 --> 00:41:48,990 That bothered me 890 00:41:48,990 --> 00:41:51,755 for a long time that they did that. 891 00:41:51,755 --> 00:41:53,877 Because I thought, 892 00:41:53,877 --> 00:41:56,478 shouldn't the Hebrews 893 00:41:56,478 --> 00:41:58,542 have been able to become deacons 894 00:41:58,542 --> 00:42:00,889 just as ably as the Greeks 895 00:42:00,889 --> 00:42:05,268 and minister to the Grecian widows? 896 00:42:05,268 --> 00:42:08,220 Why all Greeks? 897 00:42:08,220 --> 00:42:09,990 Well, it bothered me. 898 00:42:09,990 --> 00:42:12,002 Maybe it still does bother me a little bit 899 00:42:12,002 --> 00:42:14,128 that that happened that way, 900 00:42:14,128 --> 00:42:16,029 but maybe there's something to it. 901 00:42:16,029 --> 00:42:18,664 You don't have to pack up and move down the street 902 00:42:18,664 --> 00:42:20,120 and start your own church, 903 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:21,650 but maybe there is something to 904 00:42:21,650 --> 00:42:23,712 Grecian men. 905 00:42:23,712 --> 00:42:25,148 Maybe they're more plugged in. 906 00:42:25,148 --> 00:42:26,642 Maybe they're more sensitive. 907 00:42:26,642 --> 00:42:27,942 Maybe they're more aware. 908 00:42:27,942 --> 00:42:32,664 Maybe they would be able to relate better. 909 00:42:32,664 --> 00:42:33,901 That's just a reality. 910 00:42:33,901 --> 00:42:35,662 We come from different backgrounds. 911 00:42:35,662 --> 00:42:38,426 Maybe it was better on a practical level. 912 00:42:38,426 --> 00:42:40,742 Well, that's what happened. 913 00:42:40,742 --> 00:42:42,477 Yeah, they had problems. 914 00:42:42,477 --> 00:42:44,795 And you know what? 915 00:42:44,795 --> 00:42:50,473 I know that if we try to have multiple 916 00:42:50,473 --> 00:42:54,966 various ethnicities and different backgrounds - 917 00:42:54,966 --> 00:42:59,354 brethren, I've heard it said before in this church. 918 00:42:59,354 --> 00:43:01,432 I've heard it said. 919 00:43:01,432 --> 00:43:03,621 I know it's true. 920 00:43:03,621 --> 00:43:06,530 People have said 921 00:43:06,530 --> 00:43:07,808 they are now friends with 922 00:43:07,808 --> 00:43:10,208 and they hang out with people that in their lost state, 923 00:43:10,208 --> 00:43:12,262 they would have never hung out with; 924 00:43:12,262 --> 00:43:14,431 they would have never been friends with. 925 00:43:14,431 --> 00:43:17,276 Well, of course that's true. 926 00:43:17,276 --> 00:43:18,466 Of course it is. 927 00:43:18,466 --> 00:43:21,050 We ought to expect that that's going to be true. 928 00:43:21,050 --> 00:43:23,132 Because in our lost state, 929 00:43:23,132 --> 00:43:26,444 we were divided; we were disunified; 930 00:43:26,444 --> 00:43:27,853 we were unharmonious. 931 00:43:27,853 --> 00:43:28,960 There was clashing. 932 00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:32,252 There was no cohesion. 933 00:43:32,252 --> 00:43:35,260 We were hated by each other 934 00:43:35,260 --> 00:43:37,172 and we were hating one another. 935 00:43:37,172 --> 00:43:39,703 And that's fairly biblically descriptive 936 00:43:39,703 --> 00:43:44,465 of what lost people are like. 937 00:43:44,465 --> 00:43:47,310 But something's happened. 938 00:43:47,310 --> 00:43:49,678 And you know that church didn't remain 939 00:43:49,678 --> 00:43:54,077 just apathetic and indifferent 940 00:43:54,077 --> 00:43:59,820 to the needs - to the true needs 941 00:43:59,820 --> 00:44:06,437 of one of the ethnic groups in the church. 942 00:44:06,437 --> 00:44:09,833 Brethren, through the years, 943 00:44:09,833 --> 00:44:12,320 I remember we had when we were over at Fatty's, 944 00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:15,919 an Indian family came from Houston. 945 00:44:15,919 --> 00:44:18,036 I asked them where do you go to church? 946 00:44:18,036 --> 00:44:20,263 Oh, we go to an Indian church 947 00:44:20,263 --> 00:44:23,367 in Houston. 948 00:44:23,367 --> 00:44:24,924 I travel over to Romania 949 00:44:24,924 --> 00:44:26,748 and they've got the Romanian church 950 00:44:26,748 --> 00:44:28,447 and the Gypsy church. 951 00:44:28,447 --> 00:44:34,078 Now look, again, I'm reading Adoniram Judson. 952 00:44:34,078 --> 00:44:35,688 You know what, they saw converts 953 00:44:35,688 --> 00:44:37,843 among the British troops. 954 00:44:37,843 --> 00:44:39,325 He was an American missionary. 955 00:44:39,325 --> 00:44:42,091 But they saw converts among the British troops. 956 00:44:42,091 --> 00:44:45,034 They saw converts among the Burmese, 957 00:44:45,034 --> 00:44:48,275 among the Taling people and among the Karens. 958 00:44:48,275 --> 00:44:50,452 And they put them all in different churches, 959 00:44:50,452 --> 00:44:51,364 but you know what? 960 00:44:51,364 --> 00:44:53,752 They spoke different languages. 961 00:44:53,752 --> 00:44:55,459 I understand that. 962 00:44:55,459 --> 00:44:57,727 Look, we've got to be able to communicate 963 00:44:57,727 --> 00:44:59,774 to one another in a language that we understand. 964 00:44:59,780 --> 00:45:02,182 Otherwise, we're not going to be able to preach to one another. 965 00:45:02,182 --> 00:45:04,238 We're not going to be able to communicate. 966 00:45:04,238 --> 00:45:06,930 You know, the whole Christian life is involved in so much communication. 967 00:45:06,930 --> 00:45:08,790 If you can't speak the same language, 968 00:45:08,790 --> 00:45:10,497 there are real barriers. 969 00:45:10,497 --> 00:45:11,642 And I understand that. 970 00:45:11,642 --> 00:45:13,469 I understand that with the Spanish-speaking group 971 00:45:13,469 --> 00:45:14,589 that meets here. 972 00:45:14,589 --> 00:45:16,338 We're trying to have interpretation, 973 00:45:16,338 --> 00:45:19,183 hopefully put the music in Spanish 974 00:45:19,183 --> 00:45:20,287 up on the screen. 975 00:45:20,287 --> 00:45:26,126 I understand that when there's linguistic differences. 976 00:45:26,126 --> 00:45:27,463 But the reality is 977 00:45:27,463 --> 00:45:30,608 why the Romanians and the Gypsies 978 00:45:30,608 --> 00:45:33,967 have to be in different churches 979 00:45:33,967 --> 00:45:35,644 when they know the same language 980 00:45:35,644 --> 00:45:39,155 and they both speak Romanian very fluently. 981 00:45:39,155 --> 00:45:40,762 Do you know what happened 982 00:45:40,762 --> 00:45:48,184 when - the example I'm thinking of specifically, 983 00:45:48,184 --> 00:45:54,730 a bunch of Italians got converted 984 00:45:54,730 --> 00:46:00,413 in a revival situation in New York City. 985 00:46:00,413 --> 00:46:02,177 And I'm trying to think of the pastor 986 00:46:02,177 --> 00:46:04,963 who got so disgusted with the situation 987 00:46:04,963 --> 00:46:07,342 that he left. 988 00:46:07,342 --> 00:46:09,903 Was it Tozer? 989 00:46:09,903 --> 00:46:17,057 A well-known preacher saw 990 00:46:17,057 --> 00:46:23,413 where the white folks in New York City, 991 00:46:23,413 --> 00:46:25,103 they're preaching the Gospel. 992 00:46:25,103 --> 00:46:26,648 They were actually evangelistic, 993 00:46:26,648 --> 00:46:27,957 and you know what God did? 994 00:46:27,957 --> 00:46:29,975 Instead of saving a whole bunch of white people, 995 00:46:29,975 --> 00:46:31,704 He saved a whole bunch of Italians. 996 00:46:31,704 --> 00:46:34,623 Now, Italians might be considered Caucasian, 997 00:46:34,623 --> 00:46:37,943 but they were different. 998 00:46:37,943 --> 00:46:40,266 And you know what? 999 00:46:40,266 --> 00:46:42,221 The people in that church just felt like 1000 00:46:42,221 --> 00:46:44,578 it just messed up their church too much. 1001 00:46:44,578 --> 00:46:46,698 And so they shipped them all off 1002 00:46:46,698 --> 00:46:48,823 and they started an Italian church. 1003 00:46:48,823 --> 00:46:51,271 And whoever the preacher was there at the time 1004 00:46:51,271 --> 00:46:54,901 said, uh uh, I don't like this. 1005 00:46:54,901 --> 00:46:57,432 Was it A.B. Simpson? 1006 00:46:57,432 --> 00:46:59,132 Anyway, I can't remember the name. 1007 00:46:59,132 --> 00:47:01,007 But I feel the same way. 1008 00:47:01,007 --> 00:47:03,270 When I see those kinds of things happen 1009 00:47:03,270 --> 00:47:06,115 it's like wait. Isn't something broken here? 1010 00:47:06,115 --> 00:47:08,407 What are we saying? 1011 00:47:08,407 --> 00:47:10,216 Are we saying that those people 1012 00:47:10,216 --> 00:47:13,656 are too poor for them to be among us? 1013 00:47:13,656 --> 00:47:15,619 I recognize this: 1014 00:47:15,619 --> 00:47:17,566 That if we had gone up to Stone Oak, 1015 00:47:17,566 --> 00:47:19,289 we would not be attracting people 1016 00:47:19,289 --> 00:47:21,283 off of Hackberry and Cherry 1017 00:47:21,283 --> 00:47:24,995 to come to that church there. 1018 00:47:24,995 --> 00:47:27,021 Somebody recently told me but 1019 00:47:27,021 --> 00:47:28,796 I don't know when they visited 1020 00:47:28,796 --> 00:47:30,908 Hagee's church, but they were talking about 1021 00:47:30,908 --> 00:47:32,328 all the rich people up there. 1022 00:47:32,328 --> 00:47:33,490 That's up in Stone Oak. 1023 00:47:33,490 --> 00:47:34,360 I recognize this, 1024 00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:36,580 some rich people might be willing 1025 00:47:36,580 --> 00:47:38,704 to come here, but most of the people 1026 00:47:38,704 --> 00:47:39,990 from the inner city are not 1027 00:47:39,990 --> 00:47:41,732 willing to go there. 1028 00:47:41,732 --> 00:47:43,802 Perhaps. Perhaps there are some. 1029 00:47:43,802 --> 00:47:46,553 But I just felt like this was the most strategic 1030 00:47:46,553 --> 00:47:48,043 if we're going to really seek 1031 00:47:48,043 --> 00:47:49,115 to make this happen; 1032 00:47:49,115 --> 00:47:51,156 see these parts come together. 1033 00:47:51,156 --> 00:47:53,383 Brethren, from time to time, 1034 00:47:53,383 --> 00:47:54,528 I was reminded of this - 1035 00:47:54,528 --> 00:47:57,183 Ruby and I met with Jonathan and Letty 1036 00:47:57,183 --> 00:47:58,243 on Friday, 1037 00:47:58,243 --> 00:48:00,812 and Ruby brought up how 1038 00:48:00,812 --> 00:48:02,940 many different times, people who have 1039 00:48:02,940 --> 00:48:05,236 visited our church from the outside 1040 00:48:05,236 --> 00:48:07,218 and they have commented 1041 00:48:07,218 --> 00:48:09,389 on the racial diversity here. 1042 00:48:09,389 --> 00:48:11,113 And I've heard that too. 1043 00:48:11,113 --> 00:48:12,553 I've heard those comments. 1044 00:48:12,553 --> 00:48:14,184 How that blesses people 1045 00:48:14,184 --> 00:48:16,496 because they say things like 1046 00:48:16,496 --> 00:48:19,379 I haven't seen that before. 1047 00:48:19,379 --> 00:48:22,283 Brethren, let me tell you something. 1048 00:48:22,283 --> 00:48:29,003 The racial diversity that we have at Grace is unique. 1049 00:48:29,003 --> 00:48:32,449 I'm not saying we're the only place that has it. 1050 00:48:32,449 --> 00:48:35,334 But it's unique and it's special. 1051 00:48:35,334 --> 00:48:40,387 And look, it's not found in many other places. 1052 00:48:40,387 --> 00:48:43,847 And if we're going to keep this diversity, 1053 00:48:43,847 --> 00:48:47,808 we need to fight for it. 1054 00:48:47,808 --> 00:48:50,094 But here's the thing, you'll never fight for it 1055 00:48:50,094 --> 00:48:52,261 unless you value it. 1056 00:48:52,261 --> 00:48:54,176 See, I value it. 1057 00:48:54,176 --> 00:48:56,310 Because I look at Scripture and I believe 1058 00:48:56,310 --> 00:48:58,521 it bears witness to these verses. 1059 00:48:58,521 --> 00:49:00,604 And I believe it bears witness 1060 00:49:00,604 --> 00:49:04,066 to the reconciling power of the cross 1061 00:49:04,066 --> 00:49:06,885 and of the blood to remove the barriers. 1062 00:49:06,885 --> 00:49:09,510 When I hear about barriers being removed, 1063 00:49:09,510 --> 00:49:10,934 again, maybe you think I'm 1064 00:49:10,934 --> 00:49:12,564 reading too much into the text. 1065 00:49:12,564 --> 00:49:14,119 I recognize that there were 1066 00:49:14,119 --> 00:49:16,114 Scriptural barriers between 1067 00:49:16,114 --> 00:49:17,438 Jews and Gentiles. 1068 00:49:17,438 --> 00:49:18,458 I recognize that. 1069 00:49:18,458 --> 00:49:21,492 But when I hear about the barriers being removed, 1070 00:49:21,492 --> 00:49:23,436 again, I'm naive enough to think 1071 00:49:23,436 --> 00:49:25,712 that means every barrier that keeps 1072 00:49:25,712 --> 00:49:27,260 any ethnicity apart. 1073 00:49:27,260 --> 00:49:28,794 They have been broken down. 1074 00:49:28,794 --> 00:49:31,976 And that our identities in the two old men 1075 00:49:31,976 --> 00:49:33,005 that we used to be - 1076 00:49:33,005 --> 00:49:35,587 us and whoever else you want to compare yourself to - 1077 00:49:35,587 --> 00:49:37,547 have been dissolved if we're in Christ. 1078 00:49:37,547 --> 00:49:42,407 And our new greatest identity 1079 00:49:42,407 --> 00:49:46,758 is the new man. 1080 00:49:46,758 --> 00:49:57,693 Brethren, just recently, somebody mentioned 1081 00:49:57,693 --> 00:49:59,833 Hudson Taylor. 1082 00:49:59,833 --> 00:50:03,782 And I love Hudson Taylor. 1083 00:50:03,782 --> 00:50:06,796 I love his example. 1084 00:50:06,796 --> 00:50:11,071 Just recently, there's been some dialogue 1085 00:50:11,071 --> 00:50:14,846 among some in the church about music, 1086 00:50:14,846 --> 00:50:18,977 and maybe even racial aspects 1087 00:50:18,977 --> 00:50:22,471 that affect the music. 1088 00:50:22,471 --> 00:50:29,045 And it was suggested that maybe 1089 00:50:29,045 --> 00:50:32,709 the example of Hudson Taylor 1090 00:50:32,709 --> 00:50:36,256 might be brought in and applied 1091 00:50:36,256 --> 00:50:38,310 to this situation. 1092 00:50:38,310 --> 00:50:39,512 And I would agree. 1093 00:50:39,512 --> 00:50:41,404 What's the example of Hudson Taylor? 1094 00:50:41,404 --> 00:50:43,419 I love it. I think there's something there 1095 00:50:43,419 --> 00:50:46,104 for us to all glean from it. 1096 00:50:46,104 --> 00:50:50,715 Hudson Taylor, unlike the others 1097 00:50:50,715 --> 00:50:57,340 who went to China before him - 1098 00:50:57,340 --> 00:51:01,684 Hudson Taylor and a man named Burns - 1099 00:51:01,684 --> 00:51:05,629 he was used in a revival in McCheyne's church - 1100 00:51:05,629 --> 00:51:10,125 they dressed like the Chinese. 1101 00:51:10,125 --> 00:51:11,312 They wore their shoes - 1102 00:51:11,312 --> 00:51:14,335 really uncomfortable horrible things. 1103 00:51:14,335 --> 00:51:15,415 They grew their hair 1104 00:51:15,415 --> 00:51:17,547 in that really weird 1800's way 1105 00:51:17,547 --> 00:51:19,234 where they had the ponytail, 1106 00:51:19,234 --> 00:51:21,519 but the front part was all shaved. 1107 00:51:21,519 --> 00:51:23,878 So they had the hair that came off the back 1108 00:51:23,878 --> 00:51:26,493 in a ponytail (incomplete thought). 1109 00:51:26,493 --> 00:51:28,110 And you know, for a European, 1110 00:51:28,110 --> 00:51:29,753 you're in that sun and that heat 1111 00:51:29,753 --> 00:51:33,967 and it burns his head. 1112 00:51:33,967 --> 00:51:36,286 He wore their clothes. 1113 00:51:36,286 --> 00:51:37,441 So we look at that. 1114 00:51:37,441 --> 00:51:39,636 And sometimes that can be brought up today. 1115 00:51:39,636 --> 00:51:42,166 And it was suggested that 1116 00:51:42,166 --> 00:51:50,588 if we want to reach east side blacks, 1117 00:51:50,588 --> 00:51:54,914 shouldn't we be like Hudson Taylor? 1118 00:51:54,914 --> 00:51:57,015 And I would say yes, 1119 00:51:57,015 --> 00:51:59,534 we should be like Hudson Taylor. 1120 00:51:59,534 --> 00:52:02,670 But here's the thing, 1121 00:52:02,670 --> 00:52:05,407 Hudson Taylor went into China 1122 00:52:05,407 --> 00:52:09,713 because he desired to see a Chinese church. 1123 00:52:09,713 --> 00:52:11,722 You see, brethren, 1124 00:52:11,722 --> 00:52:13,466 I don't want a black church. 1125 00:52:13,466 --> 00:52:17,596 I don't want a white church. 1126 00:52:17,596 --> 00:52:23,418 If you're going to use Hudson Taylor, 1127 00:52:23,418 --> 00:52:25,430 what you want to think about 1128 00:52:25,430 --> 00:52:29,075 is what would Hudson Taylor have done 1129 00:52:29,075 --> 00:52:31,334 if instead of just reaching the Chinese, 1130 00:52:31,334 --> 00:52:33,725 he wanted to reach blacks, 1131 00:52:33,725 --> 00:52:38,422 Hispanics, Asians, and whites 1132 00:52:38,422 --> 00:52:44,991 all at the same time? 1133 00:52:44,991 --> 00:52:46,595 You might say, well, he probably 1134 00:52:46,595 --> 00:52:56,999 would have dressed really funny. 1135 00:52:56,999 --> 00:53:00,234 How do you do that? 1136 00:53:00,234 --> 00:53:01,327 Well, you know what? 1137 00:53:01,327 --> 00:53:02,973 When we came here to the east side, 1138 00:53:02,973 --> 00:53:04,426 I didn't know. 1139 00:53:04,426 --> 00:53:10,672 I remember we moved to Hackberry. 1140 00:53:10,672 --> 00:53:11,731 And it was like, 1141 00:53:11,731 --> 00:53:13,768 ok, we bought the place, 1142 00:53:13,768 --> 00:53:17,138 and it had a glass front door. 1143 00:53:17,138 --> 00:53:20,941 And I have this image in my mind 1144 00:53:20,941 --> 00:53:23,892 of us kind of looking out that door. 1145 00:53:23,892 --> 00:53:26,277 Ok, we're here. 1146 00:53:26,277 --> 00:53:30,326 What do we do? 1147 00:53:30,326 --> 00:53:32,890 I don't know. 1148 00:53:32,890 --> 00:53:37,051 But I know this, 1149 00:53:37,051 --> 00:53:42,142 our mandate is to preach the Gospel. 1150 00:53:42,142 --> 00:53:45,971 I remember going down to that Salvation Army 1151 00:53:45,971 --> 00:53:49,644 over there on Nolan. 1152 00:53:49,644 --> 00:53:51,722 We're speaking to people about the Lord. 1153 00:53:51,722 --> 00:53:52,965 We're handing out tracts, 1154 00:53:52,965 --> 00:53:55,469 and this guy says, 1155 00:53:55,469 --> 00:54:00,693 I don't know why you all came to the east side. 1156 00:54:00,693 --> 00:54:04,403 He said you're never going to change the east side. 1157 00:54:04,403 --> 00:54:10,063 I said you're right, but God will. 1158 00:54:10,063 --> 00:54:13,449 That's my hope. 1159 00:54:13,449 --> 00:54:17,663 Brethren, do you know what you find 1160 00:54:17,663 --> 00:54:20,255 when you go to chapter 4 of Ephesians? 1161 00:54:20,255 --> 00:54:23,282 You find that the same word is used: 1162 00:54:23,282 --> 00:54:24,597 fitly framed together. 1163 00:54:24,597 --> 00:54:26,084 Paul doesn't just use it once. 1164 00:54:26,084 --> 00:54:27,162 He uses it twice. 1165 00:54:27,162 --> 00:54:30,029 And he talks about us being joined 1166 00:54:30,029 --> 00:54:31,282 and built together. 1167 00:54:31,282 --> 00:54:34,347 Again, fitly framed together. 1168 00:54:34,347 --> 00:54:36,462 And he specifically says this: 1169 00:54:36,462 --> 00:54:43,416 "when each part is working properly." 1170 00:54:43,416 --> 00:54:45,564 Don't you like that? 1171 00:54:45,564 --> 00:54:47,058 You know what needs to happen 1172 00:54:47,058 --> 00:54:49,475 if this thing is really going to work? 1173 00:54:49,475 --> 00:54:54,811 Each part needs to work properly. 1174 00:54:54,811 --> 00:54:56,621 You see what they did in Jerusalem? 1175 00:54:56,621 --> 00:54:58,224 We've got seven guys over here 1176 00:54:58,224 --> 00:55:01,251 who aren't yet exactly working just properly right. 1177 00:55:01,251 --> 00:55:03,073 We need to put them in this position 1178 00:55:03,073 --> 00:55:04,873 where they make sure that the widows 1179 00:55:04,873 --> 00:55:06,203 are being fed over here. 1180 00:55:06,203 --> 00:55:08,789 And once they were properly working 1181 00:55:08,789 --> 00:55:11,088 up to their gift 1182 00:55:11,088 --> 00:55:13,675 and the need in the church, 1183 00:55:13,675 --> 00:55:19,299 then the thing was good. 1184 00:55:19,299 --> 00:55:23,029 Let's be fair. 1185 00:55:23,029 --> 00:55:25,524 The church came to the east side. 1186 00:55:25,524 --> 00:55:28,746 It didn't go to the north side. 1187 00:55:28,746 --> 00:55:34,814 Let's be fair in the evaluation of our ministries. 1188 00:55:34,814 --> 00:55:37,422 Men of every ethnicity - 1189 00:55:37,422 --> 00:55:39,791 not every nation in the world, 1190 00:55:39,791 --> 00:55:41,181 but you think about the men 1191 00:55:41,181 --> 00:55:43,552 who have stood in this pulpit and preached. 1192 00:55:43,552 --> 00:55:45,193 It hasn't just been one color, 1193 00:55:45,193 --> 00:55:47,846 one ethnicity. 1194 00:55:47,846 --> 00:55:49,286 Think about our evangelism. 1195 00:55:49,286 --> 00:55:51,025 Have we tried to each UTSA? 1196 00:55:51,025 --> 00:55:52,528 Yes, we've tried to reach SAC. 1197 00:55:52,528 --> 00:55:54,083 We actually have tried to reach 1198 00:55:54,083 --> 00:55:57,044 every single college campus in the city. 1199 00:55:57,044 --> 00:56:00,685 But we didn't bypass St. Phillips. 1200 00:56:00,685 --> 00:56:03,035 When we've done nursing home ministries, 1201 00:56:03,035 --> 00:56:05,723 we haven't gone up to Stone Oak 1202 00:56:05,723 --> 00:56:09,570 or the Dominion. 1203 00:56:09,570 --> 00:56:11,922 The vast majority of nursing home ministry 1204 00:56:11,922 --> 00:56:13,879 that's been done out of this church 1205 00:56:13,879 --> 00:56:16,345 has been right on Nolan Street. 1206 00:56:16,345 --> 00:56:18,042 Anybody that's ever been there, 1207 00:56:18,042 --> 00:56:23,486 they can tell you the ethnic makeup of that place. 1208 00:56:23,486 --> 00:56:24,887 Do you know in our missions - 1209 00:56:24,887 --> 00:56:27,156 the missionaries we've supported; 1210 00:56:27,156 --> 00:56:28,860 the missionaries we've sent out - 1211 00:56:28,860 --> 00:56:30,234 you're pretty hard pressed 1212 00:56:30,234 --> 00:56:32,481 to find any kind of Caucasian people 1213 00:56:32,481 --> 00:56:34,890 that we have sought to reach out to. 1214 00:56:34,890 --> 00:56:36,570 There's been some perhaps. 1215 00:56:36,570 --> 00:56:39,704 You've heard me talking more recently 1216 00:56:39,704 --> 00:56:41,704 about Poland and Ireland. 1217 00:56:41,704 --> 00:56:45,165 But that's after 17 years. 1218 00:56:45,165 --> 00:56:47,096 Primarily our outreach has been what? 1219 00:56:47,096 --> 00:56:49,496 Indians of India, 1220 00:56:49,496 --> 00:56:54,801 The Nepalese of Nepal, or the Nepali, 1221 00:56:54,801 --> 00:56:59,346 Mexicans, Nicaraguans, 1222 00:56:59,346 --> 00:57:01,209 Indonesians; 1223 00:57:01,209 --> 00:57:08,136 again Papua, Indonesians. 1224 00:57:08,136 --> 00:57:11,634 To be fair, and I'm bringing that up 1225 00:57:11,634 --> 00:57:15,133 because there have been comments made 1226 00:57:15,133 --> 00:57:16,444 that have come to my ears 1227 00:57:16,444 --> 00:57:18,607 about the fact that our church 1228 00:57:18,607 --> 00:57:20,153 is not given sufficiently 1229 00:57:20,153 --> 00:57:23,403 to certain social justice issues. 1230 00:57:23,403 --> 00:57:28,235 Listen, you're not showing due justice 1231 00:57:28,235 --> 00:57:30,463 to any race or ethnicity, 1232 00:57:30,463 --> 00:57:33,635 unless you're willing to take the Gospel to them. 1233 00:57:33,635 --> 00:57:36,688 And that has been the primary agenda of this church 1234 00:57:36,688 --> 00:57:40,922 and will continue to be the primary agenda. 1235 00:57:40,922 --> 00:57:43,818 The reality is our Grace Houses 1236 00:57:43,818 --> 00:57:46,639 have housed Asians, 1237 00:57:46,639 --> 00:57:50,296 Hispanic, black, and white. 1238 00:57:50,296 --> 00:57:52,354 That's just a reality. 1239 00:57:52,354 --> 00:57:57,194 The reality is that when we have had schools, 1240 00:57:57,194 --> 00:57:59,622 children of different ethnicities 1241 00:57:59,622 --> 00:58:00,981 have been in those schools. 1242 00:58:00,981 --> 00:58:02,822 When we've had programs for helping 1243 00:58:02,822 --> 00:58:04,950 husbandless mothers, 1244 00:58:04,950 --> 00:58:07,003 that's primarily been blacks 1245 00:58:07,003 --> 00:58:11,346 that have been helped. 1246 00:58:11,346 --> 00:58:15,050 Brethren, here's the thing. 1247 00:58:15,050 --> 00:58:18,186 This body, made up of all these 1248 00:58:18,186 --> 00:58:20,587 different pieces and parts 1249 00:58:20,587 --> 00:58:23,482 and different colors and ethnicities. 1250 00:58:23,482 --> 00:58:25,705 It's not cookie cutter. 1251 00:58:25,705 --> 00:58:27,141 God loves diversity. 1252 00:58:27,141 --> 00:58:28,651 He loves to make us different. 1253 00:58:28,651 --> 00:58:30,562 And you know what we should expect? 1254 00:58:30,562 --> 00:58:32,118 Different people in the church 1255 00:58:32,118 --> 00:58:34,376 are going to have different burdens? 1256 00:58:34,376 --> 00:58:36,536 You know what my burden is for the new year? 1257 00:58:36,536 --> 00:58:38,852 My burden is that the Word of God 1258 00:58:38,852 --> 00:58:42,077 might have power in this church. 1259 00:58:42,077 --> 00:58:43,637 I preach. 1260 00:58:43,637 --> 00:58:45,345 I want that to happen. 1261 00:58:45,345 --> 00:58:47,461 I desire God would use me in that. 1262 00:58:47,461 --> 00:58:48,722 We start the APT. 1263 00:58:48,722 --> 00:58:50,587 I desire that reality. 1264 00:58:50,587 --> 00:58:52,443 I have a burden to see harmony 1265 00:58:52,443 --> 00:58:54,143 over in Poland. 1266 00:58:54,143 --> 00:58:56,196 I have a desire, yes, to see 1267 00:58:56,196 --> 00:58:57,967 a church started over in Ireland. 1268 00:58:57,967 --> 00:59:01,931 I desire to see Jinotega protected and grow. 1269 00:59:01,931 --> 00:59:05,253 I desire to see Monteray under Alberto 1270 00:59:05,253 --> 00:59:08,146 really prosper. I desire that. 1271 00:59:08,146 --> 00:59:10,999 I desire to see how God might use 1272 00:59:10,999 --> 00:59:15,137 Diego and myself in Cuba or in Ecuador. 1273 00:59:15,137 --> 00:59:17,056 I desire that. Those are my burdens. 1274 00:59:17,056 --> 00:59:18,396 And you know what? 1275 00:59:18,396 --> 00:59:22,176 You may have different burdens. 1276 00:59:22,176 --> 00:59:23,792 And that's ok. 1277 00:59:23,792 --> 00:59:26,841 And your burden does not have to be my burden. 1278 00:59:26,841 --> 00:59:29,227 You say what about bearing one another's burdens? 1279 00:59:29,227 --> 00:59:31,243 Well, yes, but you need to bear mine 1280 00:59:31,243 --> 00:59:34,201 just as much as I need to bear yours. 1281 00:59:34,201 --> 00:59:36,404 You see, the reality is 1282 00:59:36,404 --> 00:59:38,303 that if you have a burden for something 1283 00:59:38,303 --> 00:59:40,176 that you don't feel like our church is 1284 00:59:40,176 --> 00:59:41,250 (incomplete thought). 1285 00:59:41,250 --> 00:59:42,518 You know, I've noticed that 1286 00:59:42,518 --> 00:59:44,258 there's basically two kinds of people. 1287 00:59:44,258 --> 00:59:46,142 There are the people that come along 1288 00:59:46,142 --> 00:59:49,005 and they see a need and they go after it. 1289 00:59:49,005 --> 00:59:50,260 They say there's a need, 1290 00:59:50,260 --> 00:59:51,735 and I can answer that. 1291 00:59:51,735 --> 00:59:53,480 I love that. 1292 00:59:53,480 --> 00:59:56,478 I remember like Alex Dufre, she comes into the church 1293 00:59:56,478 --> 00:59:58,221 and she's got a burden for this, 1294 00:59:58,221 --> 01:00:00,415 and let's start this women's Grace House. 1295 01:00:00,415 --> 01:00:02,358 That's where James Jennings was. 1296 01:00:02,358 --> 01:00:04,115 He comes to talk to me 1297 01:00:04,115 --> 01:00:06,927 about a men's Grace House 1298 01:00:06,927 --> 01:00:09,017 and I've already been praying about that. 1299 01:00:09,017 --> 01:00:10,790 I saw the example of Keith Green, 1300 01:00:10,790 --> 01:00:13,019 and I thought, Lord, we need to do that. 1301 01:00:13,019 --> 01:00:14,231 And so I'm praying, Lord, 1302 01:00:14,231 --> 01:00:15,753 give us a house; give us a guy. 1303 01:00:15,753 --> 01:00:16,996 And here comes James. 1304 01:00:16,996 --> 01:00:19,041 You know, I've been burdened about this. 1305 01:00:19,041 --> 01:00:21,001 Lay hold on the need. 1306 01:00:21,001 --> 01:00:22,978 Then you have the second kind of people 1307 01:00:22,978 --> 01:00:24,357 that come in and say, 1308 01:00:24,357 --> 01:00:25,986 look what they're not doing 1309 01:00:25,986 --> 01:00:28,517 and they want to find fault with everybody. 1310 01:00:28,517 --> 01:00:29,650 Well, you know what, 1311 01:00:29,650 --> 01:00:31,203 if you see that there's a need, 1312 01:00:31,203 --> 01:00:33,849 don't expect that I need to be burdened about the very same thing 1313 01:00:33,849 --> 01:00:37,148 that you think there's such a dramatic need about. 1314 01:00:37,148 --> 01:00:42,118 That's the diversity of the church. 1315 01:00:42,118 --> 01:00:44,695 Brethren, we have a calling: 1316 01:00:44,695 --> 01:00:48,449 The Great Commission. 1317 01:00:48,449 --> 01:00:50,726 Let's take that Gospel out. 1318 01:00:50,726 --> 01:00:52,968 We're on the eve of a new year. 1319 01:00:52,968 --> 01:00:56,277 I'll tell you what turns the world upside down, 1320 01:00:56,277 --> 01:00:57,686 what changes this world: 1321 01:00:57,686 --> 01:01:00,365 it's preaching Christ. 1322 01:01:00,365 --> 01:01:02,292 What turn the world upside down; 1323 01:01:02,292 --> 01:01:03,820 what Satan fears: 1324 01:01:03,820 --> 01:01:05,243 praying people, 1325 01:01:05,243 --> 01:01:08,835 righteous people, holiness. 1326 01:01:08,835 --> 01:01:10,615 You know what he fears? 1327 01:01:10,615 --> 01:01:15,207 He fears holy, righteous, praying people 1328 01:01:15,207 --> 01:01:16,882 who love one another 1329 01:01:16,882 --> 01:01:18,137 and love the world enough 1330 01:01:18,137 --> 01:01:19,717 to take the Gospel out to them. 1331 01:01:19,717 --> 01:01:21,107 He fears that. 1332 01:01:21,107 --> 01:01:23,523 Because that does turn the world upside down. 1333 01:01:23,523 --> 01:01:25,367 People get saved when that happens. 1334 01:01:25,367 --> 01:01:30,763 His kingdom is damaged when that happens. 1335 01:01:30,763 --> 01:01:32,681 Brethren, I think, racial diversity 1336 01:01:32,681 --> 01:01:34,651 in this church is something to fight for. 1337 01:01:34,651 --> 01:01:35,931 I think it's a good thing. 1338 01:01:35,931 --> 01:01:38,175 I think it's a testimony to the world. 1339 01:01:38,175 --> 01:01:39,277 And you remember this: 1340 01:01:39,277 --> 01:01:41,527 Jesus said they'll know that 1341 01:01:41,527 --> 01:01:42,838 you're My disciples 1342 01:01:42,838 --> 01:01:44,526 when you have love for one another. 1343 01:01:44,526 --> 01:01:46,310 Do you know what that means? 1344 01:01:46,310 --> 01:01:48,233 That means that Jesus really did expect 1345 01:01:48,233 --> 01:01:50,511 the world to be watching us. 1346 01:01:50,511 --> 01:01:52,578 Believe me, they're watching. 1347 01:01:52,578 --> 01:01:53,912 Your lost family members, 1348 01:01:53,912 --> 01:01:55,022 your lost friends, 1349 01:01:55,022 --> 01:01:56,577 your lost co-workers, 1350 01:01:56,577 --> 01:01:57,918 they're watching. 1351 01:01:57,918 --> 01:02:03,113 The world is watching. 1352 01:02:03,113 --> 01:02:04,858 Is this worth fighting for? 1353 01:02:04,858 --> 01:02:06,645 To me, it is. 1354 01:02:06,645 --> 01:02:12,413 To me, this construction, 1355 01:02:12,413 --> 01:02:16,002 fitly framed together. 1356 01:02:16,002 --> 01:02:18,267 Our truest identity: 1357 01:02:18,267 --> 01:02:22,471 we are in the dwelling place of God. 1358 01:02:22,471 --> 01:02:25,783 We are reconciled in one body 1359 01:02:25,783 --> 01:02:27,569 through the cross. 1360 01:02:27,569 --> 01:02:30,569 One new man in place of the two. 1361 01:02:30,569 --> 01:02:33,779 I don't want a black church. I don't want a white church. 1362 01:02:33,779 --> 01:02:34,885 You know what I want? 1363 01:02:34,885 --> 01:02:37,318 I want a new man church. 1364 01:02:37,318 --> 01:02:38,968 That's what I desire. 1365 01:02:38,968 --> 01:02:43,316 (incomplete thought) 1366 01:02:43,316 --> 01:02:47,055 Have you ever noticed? 1367 01:02:47,055 --> 01:02:50,473 You'll never see the same sunset twice. 1368 01:02:50,473 --> 01:02:51,933 Ever. 1369 01:02:51,933 --> 01:02:54,043 Now, you people that aren't from the north, 1370 01:02:54,043 --> 01:02:55,655 you don't know this probably, 1371 01:02:55,655 --> 01:02:58,396 unless you just heard it through the grapevine somewhere, 1372 01:02:58,396 --> 01:03:00,281 there's never two snowflakes 1373 01:03:00,281 --> 01:03:02,917 just exactly alike. 1374 01:03:02,917 --> 01:03:04,325 They're always different. 1375 01:03:04,325 --> 01:03:06,415 You think how different could they be? 1376 01:03:06,415 --> 01:03:07,976 Oh, you just put your glove out 1377 01:03:07,976 --> 01:03:09,262 and let them fall on there, 1378 01:03:09,262 --> 01:03:11,101 and you begin to look at them. 1379 01:03:11,101 --> 01:03:12,828 It's kind of like going out at night 1380 01:03:12,828 --> 01:03:14,234 and looking up at the stars. 1381 01:03:14,234 --> 01:03:16,370 Even Paul says there in 1 Corinthians 15 1382 01:03:16,370 --> 01:03:19,286 no two stars have the same glory. 1383 01:03:19,286 --> 01:03:22,064 There's a glory of this and a glory of that. 1384 01:03:22,064 --> 01:03:24,206 It's the same way in the building together 1385 01:03:24,206 --> 01:03:25,306 of the church. 1386 01:03:25,306 --> 01:03:27,213 There's a glory about every one of us. 1387 01:03:27,213 --> 01:03:29,137 There's a specific glory. 1388 01:03:29,137 --> 01:03:33,446 There's a specific distinctness. 1389 01:03:33,446 --> 01:03:38,774 And in all that variety and distinction, 1390 01:03:38,774 --> 01:03:41,154 there's a unity. 1391 01:03:41,154 --> 01:03:42,909 There's a oneness. 1392 01:03:42,909 --> 01:03:47,460 One new man in place of the two. 1393 01:03:47,460 --> 01:03:50,004 One body. 1394 01:03:50,004 --> 01:03:52,177 One kingdom that we're citizens of. 1395 01:03:52,177 --> 01:03:53,595 One family. 1396 01:03:53,595 --> 01:03:56,321 One building. 1397 01:03:56,321 --> 01:04:03,244 Fitly framed together. 1398 01:04:03,244 --> 01:04:05,694 And I pull in that text from Philippians. 1399 01:04:05,694 --> 01:04:07,626 Side by side 1400 01:04:07,626 --> 01:04:11,852 for the sake of the Gospel. 1401 01:04:11,852 --> 01:04:14,640 Look, I'll just tell you. 1402 01:04:14,640 --> 01:04:17,074 I was here from day one. 1403 01:04:17,074 --> 01:04:22,859 I was the first officer in the church. 1404 01:04:22,859 --> 01:04:28,296 I think that God put a desire for this 1405 01:04:28,296 --> 01:04:31,520 and a vision for this. 1406 01:04:31,520 --> 01:04:34,835 It was a prayer that I have desired 1407 01:04:34,835 --> 01:04:36,349 from the very beginning, 1408 01:04:36,349 --> 01:04:37,899 that I think God to some degree 1409 01:04:37,899 --> 01:04:39,651 has answered. 1410 01:04:39,651 --> 01:04:42,007 I actually don't think it's naive 1411 01:04:42,007 --> 01:04:44,972 to think that this should work 1412 01:04:44,972 --> 01:04:48,266 here and now. 1413 01:04:48,266 --> 01:04:52,027 And I hope that you will seek 1414 01:04:52,027 --> 01:04:54,111 to fight for this 1415 01:04:54,111 --> 01:04:57,718 as we go forward. 1416 01:04:57,718 --> 01:04:59,826 Yeah, we're going to have problems. 1417 01:04:59,826 --> 01:05:01,978 But we need to be thinking, 1418 01:05:01,978 --> 01:05:04,378 how does love deal with this? 1419 01:05:04,378 --> 01:05:08,032 For the sake of the Gospel, 1420 01:05:08,032 --> 01:05:11,252 how do we move forward? 1421 01:05:11,252 --> 01:05:15,758 Listen to me carefully. 1422 01:05:15,758 --> 01:05:22,113 The world out there is full of racism. 1423 01:05:22,113 --> 01:05:24,148 It's full of disharmony. 1424 01:05:24,148 --> 01:05:26,917 It's full of hatred. 1425 01:05:26,917 --> 01:05:29,114 And if you rub shoulders with it, 1426 01:05:29,114 --> 01:05:33,041 and I was talking about this last week on the Internet - 1427 01:05:33,041 --> 01:05:34,986 a lot of what purports itself 1428 01:05:34,986 --> 01:05:37,140 to be Christian, is not Christian. 1429 01:05:37,140 --> 01:05:39,471 It's ungodly. It's wicked. 1430 01:05:39,471 --> 01:05:43,153 And it's divisive. 1431 01:05:43,153 --> 01:05:46,290 And look, it's not going to work. 1432 01:05:46,290 --> 01:05:48,464 If your greatest identity is being white; 1433 01:05:48,464 --> 01:05:51,264 if your greatest identity is being Mexican; 1434 01:05:51,264 --> 01:05:53,867 if your greatest identity is being black, 1435 01:05:53,867 --> 01:05:57,739 before it is finding your identity in Christ, 1436 01:05:57,739 --> 01:05:59,928 then you're going to have a problem. 1437 01:05:59,928 --> 01:06:01,666 You're going to have a big problem. 1438 01:06:01,666 --> 01:06:04,208 Brethren, this is an identity issue. 1439 01:06:04,208 --> 01:06:06,353 Where is our identity 1440 01:06:06,353 --> 01:06:09,364 at the deepest level? 1441 01:06:09,364 --> 01:06:10,894 Identity. 1442 01:06:10,894 --> 01:06:13,306 Brethren, I'm a Christian. 1443 01:06:13,306 --> 01:06:15,584 If you're a Christian, you're my brother, 1444 01:06:15,584 --> 01:06:17,657 you're my sister. 1445 01:06:17,657 --> 01:06:21,393 We're being fitly framed together. 1446 01:06:21,393 --> 01:06:23,688 If you lend an ear to the world, 1447 01:06:23,688 --> 01:06:25,534 they will tell you this can't work. 1448 01:06:25,534 --> 01:06:27,014 You ought to hate each other. 1449 01:06:27,014 --> 01:06:30,431 You ought to stand up for your rights. 1450 01:06:30,431 --> 01:06:34,270 That's not Jesus' message. 1451 01:06:34,270 --> 01:06:37,891 That is not His message. 1452 01:06:37,891 --> 01:06:42,702 So don't bring the world's trash in here 1453 01:06:42,702 --> 01:06:44,936 in your minds, in your brains. 1454 01:06:44,936 --> 01:06:46,878 Don't listen to it. 1455 01:06:46,878 --> 01:06:47,883 You know what? 1456 01:06:47,883 --> 01:06:50,374 Some people need to read their Bibles 1457 01:06:50,374 --> 01:06:51,876 more than they need to listen 1458 01:06:51,876 --> 01:06:58,579 to what's happening on Facebook. 1459 01:06:58,579 --> 01:07:00,032 May God help us. 1460 01:07:00,032 --> 01:07:06,484 Father, please, nothing starts ahead of You. 1461 01:07:06,484 --> 01:07:08,883 Lord, I believe that any burden 1462 01:07:08,883 --> 01:07:10,169 that was given to me 1463 01:07:10,169 --> 01:07:11,784 and to the rest of the brethren 1464 01:07:11,784 --> 01:07:13,565 back there 17 years ago - 1465 01:07:13,565 --> 01:07:15,717 Lord, that was Your doing. 1466 01:07:15,717 --> 01:07:22,059 The idea to try to be strategic 1467 01:07:22,059 --> 01:07:23,981 in making this happen; 1468 01:07:23,981 --> 01:07:26,703 to have a desire, to pray, 1469 01:07:26,703 --> 01:07:30,027 Lord, it was because You burdened us. 1470 01:07:30,027 --> 01:07:32,038 And Lord, when we prayed, 1471 01:07:32,038 --> 01:07:36,095 we've seen answers to those prayers. 1472 01:07:36,095 --> 01:07:40,035 Father, my prayer is that 1473 01:07:40,035 --> 01:07:47,621 as we move forward, 1474 01:07:47,621 --> 01:07:49,221 Lord, I pray that there would be 1475 01:07:49,221 --> 01:07:51,714 such an ethnic makeup of this church 1476 01:07:51,714 --> 01:07:54,407 as would indeed show 1477 01:07:54,407 --> 01:07:57,545 the power of God, the power of the cross, 1478 01:07:57,545 --> 01:08:01,099 the power of regeneration. 1479 01:08:01,099 --> 01:08:02,780 Lord, may we see the beauty 1480 01:08:02,780 --> 01:08:06,105 of this fitly framed together 1481 01:08:06,105 --> 01:08:08,837 work out right in our own midst. 1482 01:08:08,837 --> 01:08:10,791 And I pray, Lord, 1483 01:08:10,791 --> 01:08:13,961 I pray that You would raise up laborers 1484 01:08:13,961 --> 01:08:17,253 to lead this church 1485 01:08:17,253 --> 01:08:20,872 who are Hispanic 1486 01:08:20,872 --> 01:08:23,454 and black and white, 1487 01:08:23,454 --> 01:08:26,363 Lord, give us a variety 1488 01:08:26,363 --> 01:08:28,965 in the leadership level, 1489 01:08:28,965 --> 01:08:31,389 in elders, in deacons, in missionaries, 1490 01:08:31,389 --> 01:08:33,054 in evangelists. 1491 01:08:33,054 --> 01:08:41,437 Lord, I pray, bring us depth. 1492 01:08:41,437 --> 01:08:45,300 Lord, we see that the real agenda 1493 01:08:45,300 --> 01:08:49,286 is that we all attain to the full measure 1494 01:08:49,286 --> 01:08:51,892 of the stature of Christ 1495 01:08:51,892 --> 01:08:54,022 and we're all being united together 1496 01:08:54,022 --> 01:08:56,357 in the same faith 1497 01:08:56,357 --> 01:08:58,189 and the same doctrine 1498 01:08:58,189 --> 01:08:59,465 and the same knowledge 1499 01:08:59,465 --> 01:09:00,745 of the Son of God, 1500 01:09:00,745 --> 01:09:02,668 and I pray Lord, that that would happen, 1501 01:09:02,668 --> 01:09:05,029 and that it would be a reality in this church. 1502 01:09:05,029 --> 01:09:06,680 Every piece. 1503 01:09:06,680 --> 01:09:10,235 Every part 1504 01:09:10,235 --> 01:09:15,422 working as it should 1505 01:09:15,422 --> 01:09:19,493 when every piece and every part 1506 01:09:19,493 --> 01:09:22,075 is working properly. 1507 01:09:22,075 --> 01:09:24,167 It makes the body to grow 1508 01:09:24,167 --> 01:09:26,991 so that it builds itself up in love. 1509 01:09:26,991 --> 01:09:34,458 Lord, may that rule the day. 1510 01:09:34,458 --> 01:09:36,309 I pray in Christ's name, 1511 01:09:36,309 --> 01:09:37,174 Amen.