You are invited to examine where your treasure truly lies and offer your heart back to God in radical generosity. Let the truth of His love transform your worship from a routine into a lifestyle of giving. Take a moment today to pray and ask God to reveal His voice to you.
Welcome to the Real Church podcast. Our mission is for you to know the love of Jesus and live out your God given purpose. Now join us and listen in to the latest message from pastor David John Phillips.
Without further ado, let's get into the message. We are in the middle of the character series, the third week of the character series. Have you guys enjoyed this so far? Yeah? Some of you have, 2 or 3.
That's okay. So the character series, what we're doing is we're looking at, the different characters of the Bible, and we're realizing, 1, that they're more than just characters. These are real people with real problems, real issues, and the Bible actually says that they're men and women just like us. Meaning, yes, they experience real problems and real issues, then God impacted their situation in supernatural ways, and then used them in supernatural ways to impact the world around them. And if they're real people just like us, then God can do the same thing in your situation.
So today, we're going to get into that. And before we do, I would like to pray because I believe God can use people to speak to people. I believe God wants to speak to you today in a way that's gonna touch you and impact your situation and change change your situation in a way because you understand more than ever. Our prayer is that you understand more than ever that God loves you and God cares about you. So let's pray.
Father, thank you for who you are. *Lord God*, we just we give you this service. Father, I I don't wanna be just another good speaker. Lord, when people walk out of here and say, oh, that was okay. That was decent.
You know, what he said, and you know, he was really animated. Well, that's normal. I I don't want them to just say that because that's not good enough. Because it's not about me. It's about them.
And, Lord, I ask you just to speak through me, Lord God. You to speak through our team and then the way that they were greeted. Lord, you to speak through so they experience your voice because it's you who change people from the inside out. You love people, Lord. So, Lord, I just ask you to take control, God.
*Lord, if there's any distractions or anything like that, just rebuke it. Get out in Jesus* name so that people can hear who you are and how much you love. In Jesus' name. Amen. So today's message, I believe, is gonna be a reminder to some.
I believe that some of you might think, well, this is just rudimentary. Like, aren't we supposed to we're all supposed to know this. Some of you just can be like, don't you say that all the time? For some of you, you're gonna hear something that you've heard all of your life, but you have trouble receiving it. You have trouble taking it in and applying it to your life.
Maybe it's something that you know in your head, but really deep down, you're like, you have trouble really believing it. And I believe that this is something that many people struggle to understand. We're talking about the core of the gospel today. It's so simple and yet so profound. And it's found in 3 words.
**God loves us**. God loves you. Period. *John-3:16*, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever would believe in him would not perish, would not pay for their own junk, would not end up being separated from God for eternity, but would have eternal life. Eternal life is defined in John-17 as knowing God.
*God* loved you so much that he came so that you could know him, so that there could be a relationship. *Love*'s worth it when it's reciprocal. God loving us and us loving God. In Matthew-22:36-38, we find the greatest commandment is this. Pharisee came to Jesus and he said, teacher, what what is the greatest commandment in the law?
And Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The greatest thing that we can do in the world is to love God with everything that we are. It's all about relationship. God desires relationship.
In Romans-12:1, I think it really brings this out. *Romans-12* verse 1. Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as **living sacrifice**s, holy and pleasing to God. This is your "true and proper" worship. This is your true and proper worship.
When I read that that word right there, worship, it just sticks out to me. What what does worship mean? Like, really, like, what is your definition of worship? This is not a rhetorical question. I I wanna hear somebody.
What is what is your definition of worship?
Loving God.
Loving God. Loving God. You know what? When I read the word, I think I think that words matter. As a matter of fact, the Bible says that that this word is alive and active.
It's valuable to us. As a matter of fact, it's God's word. When we understand, in order to understand his words to us, in order to understand how he speaks to us in prayer or in circumstance, in relationship with others, or hearing from from a pastor, if I say anything that doesn't line up with his word, I'm telling you junk. Because everything should line up with his word. Right?
It's important and it's valuable. So when I get into his word, when I dive into his word as as a believer, I'm doing it for relationship. I'm doing it to understand more who he is. So when I do, I say I pray as like, God, would you show me who you are more clearly as I read these words? Would you communicate them to me in such a way that they're simple that I so that I can understand it.
And God, I wanna understand it in such a way that I can re communicate it through my life and through my words, through my actions, so that when other people see me and when other people hear me speak about this, it's able to they're able to understand it in the same way that I did and even grow from it as much or more than I do. I don't wanna just read this as just a couple of paragraphs every single day in order to check it off my list so I can feel better about myself like I love God that day. And that kind of prayer, when I open this, that kind of relationship, that's not just for the pastor. That's not just for me. Man, that's for you.
I I I'm it's a challenge. Hey, I encourage you to approach the word like that because the Bible says ask and it will be given to you. If you seek, you will find. You can have the same relationship, the same kind of revelation, the same kind of, oh my gosh, God just said that that I do, and even greater. So here's how I do it as I as I read this.
When words jump off of the off of the page to me and or I have a question because I wanna understand every single word inside and out. Like the word worship in Romans-12:1, if you could bring that back up. The word worship jumped off the page. Well, I have a a pretty decent understanding of worship. Shoot.
I've grown up in church all my life. But yet, sometimes there's some nuances in in words that I want understand more. So you know what I do? I'm super spiritual about it. I Google it.
So I Google the word worship, and I look for Merriam Webster's dictionary because I don't know. Growing up in school, always heard that Merriam Webster was the best. I don't know. So that's the 1 that I end up using. And you know what?
When I read the usually for every word when, you know, in that dictionary, there's like 3 or 4 different definitions, and there's the the transitive verb, and the noun, and worship, and all this stuff. And some of those definitions are even too high and mighty for myself. So I I don't know about you, but I scroll to the bottom. If you scroll to the bottom of that website, at the bottom, there is the English learners definition, and then there's the kids definition. What I find is usually those are the most simply put.
And when you really understand something, you can break it down simple. You don't have to use all those high and mighty words. And so I I I went back and I looked because words matter. The English learner's version said, worship is the act of showing respect and love for a God, especially by prayer and believing with people who believe in the same God. We're worshiping, guys.
Court, you
were
right. Super simple. Worship is loving God, the act of loving God. So then now when I read that verse, therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper act of loving God.
Well, man, I I wanna have a true and proper act of loving God because that is the first and greatest commandment according to his word. Okay. Well, then how do I have a true and proper act of loving God? Well, it says to offer my bodies as a living sacrifice, offer my body as a living sacrifice, *holy and pleasing to God. Well, because I've looked up holy, I know the kid's definition says, it means set apart unto God*.
So I'm to offer myself my life as a sacrifice to him. Meaning, I'm not to live for myself and what I want and and what I desire in this situation and this situation. No. I'm to give up everything that I have set as set apart to God, and that's how I'm showing that I love him. Wow.
Lot of you are like, okay pastor, I understand that. I hear that. And you know what? I try to do that. I try as hard as I can to offer my body as a living sacrifice.
I try to live for God. I believe in God. I try to read my bible sometimes, or a lot of times, I try to go to church, or I go to church all the time. I try to do this, and I try to do that. Because I wanna love God, and I wanna love God more.
Man, I get it. But it just doesn't seem maybe maybe you're thinking it just doesn't seem that I can. It seems like every time that I try to give over my life to God, it just doesn't work. The Bible says, in connection with this, it says, he who loves his life will lose it, and he who loses it for my sake will find it. It's like every time that I try to give over control and to sacrifice my control to give my life for him, it seems like I end up reaching back for control.
And I'm in this "endless cycle" of depression and and hurt, and I'm trying to love God, but sometimes I'm like, God, where are you? I don't understand. This endless cycle of sickness and and and people dying all around me and me wondering where are you God? This endless cycle of depression and pain, destruction, sorrow and torment, hopelessness. I'm trying pastor.
I'm trying to offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, as my true act of worship. But it ain't working. I get it. And going through this verse like we've done, we're missing the most important part. We gotta read it in context.
Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's *mercy* to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship. Where is our view? It's on his mercy, not on what we're doing. What is God's mercy? Well, once again, I went to Webster's kids definition of the dictionary.
*Mercy, according to that, at the very bottom of the page says, kind or forgiving* treatment of someone who could be treated harshly. In view of God's mercy towards you, God is kind and forgiving towards you, and that's what we have a trouble receiving. I'm good. No, you're not good. You've born a sinner, born to lie, born to want everything for yourself, born to live controlling things.
But you know what? God loved you so much that he sent his son and lived a perfect life for you, and then died on the cross as you, and then rose again so that you could experience his life. That is kind and merciful, *forgiving* you so that you don't get what you deserve. Kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly. We could be, if God gave us what we deserved, separated from him because we've been choosing self and not God.
We could end up in hell. We're created to live for God, created to be in relationship with him. But when we choose ourself, we're choosing not relationship with the 1 who is life, the 1 who is joy, the 1 who is peace. We're choosing to be separated from him. And instead of that out of his kind and loving heart and forgiving heart, he made a way for us.
So how do we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice? How can do we have the capacity to do that? How do we have the capacity to do that as holy and pleasing to God, to love him? It's because we have our view set on what he's done for us, Not set on our ability to love him, not set on our ability to sacrifice, but set on his constantly. That is in view.
And if you're like, I've heard this over and over and over. Good. Hear it over and over again, so it's all you think about. Because if it's all you think about, guess what? You're gonna live like that towards other people.
Where your focus is, that's where your life is. Let me show you. I'm having some trouble with my microphone today. I don't think I taped it right. Give me 1 second, guys.
For the characters part of the series, 2 different pictures of how to live, of how to worship, of how to love God. 2 different pictures. Peter and John. Let's go to John-13:33. My children and this is Jesus talking there at the Passover there at the Last Supper.
*Jesus* says, my children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me and just as I told the Jews, so I will tell you now, "where I am going", you cannot come. A new command I give you, love 1 another as I have loved you. It's all about love. So you must love 1 another.
By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love 1 another. And then Simon Peter asked him, where are you going? Now you have to understand, Simon Peter, like, his personality as we've seen throughout scripture is he's like all out for Jesus. He's the he's the disciple as they're in the boat and they're going on the water and they see Jesus, all the other disciples are are waiting till they get to the shore to go hang out with Jesus. And Jesus, Peter sees him, he's like, I love him more than all you guys, and he jumps in the water and goes swimming after him.
He's like that crazy, I wanna demonstrate my love for God. I'm going all out. 7 Peter asked him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus replied, where I'm going, you cannot follow, but you will follow later. This is key.
Verse 37, Peter asked, Lord, why can I follow you now? I will lay my life down for you. I imagine as Peter is thinking about what Jesus is saying, Peter's probably thinking about when Jesus said, greater love has no man than this than to "lay down his life" for a friend. Just maybe, maybe that's going through his mind. Peter's saying, woah woah, I love you a lot.
I'll lay my life down for you. I can go wherever you wanna go. In this, Peter is boasting in his love for Jesus. Then Jesus answered, will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly, tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me 3 times.
It's interesting what happens when we boast in our own love for God. 3 separate times later, Peter disowns Jesus after boasting of his great love for him. Why? Because Peter's focus was his own love for God. Get it?
It doesn't sound bad. It doesn't sound terrible. It actually sounds good. I'm doing this, and I'm doing this for God. I'm reading my Bible for God.
I'm going to church for God. I'm doing this. I'm loving God a lot. I'm loving God more than you are. Sounds great, don't it?
But to love God more, to show that we love God in the way that Peter was was all focused on him, and pride comes before a fall. So question, we must understand, where does love come from, really? In 1 John-4:7. Where does love come from? Dear friends, let us love 1 another, for **love comes from God**.
That's pretty simple. Like, that's real clear. Don't have to look anything up in Webster's dictionary for that 1. *Love comes from God*. Period.
Verse 10. This is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin. Verse 19. We love because he first loved us. Now we find the difference in Peter and John.
Peter's boasting in his love for God. Now let's move to John. What about John? John was a a gospel writer. He wrote the book of John.
He also wrote the first John, second John, and third John. And and he does this weird thing. There's this 5 different instances where he's referring to himself, and he refers to himself as the 1 who God loves. He refers to himself as the 1 who Jesus loves. I'll show you.
Let's go to John-13, right before this instance we were talking about in Peter with Peter. John-13:23. 1 of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him, reclining next to Jesus. It's very interesting that John would write about himself as the 1 who God loved. It would be kind of like if I called my kids into here, and I had my oldest, Trip, introduce, you know, himself and introduce the kids, and he he and his sisters, and he say, oh, this is Eden.
She's 4 years old, and she's beautiful, and she, you know, she likes to play with Play Doh and bubbles. And this is Selah, and and Selah is 5 years old. She's the middle my middle sister, and and she loves to sing, and she won't stop singing ever. And then me, well, I'm the 1 daddy loves. It would be like it almost seems kinda arrogant.
Right? It almost seems like like boastful. It would be as if, you know, I'm up here with the microphone and and I start to introduce some of the leaders of the church, and oh, that's that's Heidi and Jerry. Heidi and Jerry, we just appointed them as elders, and God's just done so much. They've been serving people.
It's a wonderful thing. And oh, and that's Josh Cortez and and John Krueger, they kind of lead our band and lead the music and lead the worship and are learning and growing amazing young leaders. And it's a powerful thing. And Patty King and and and Christina Littlejohn, Patty King kind of leads the cafe. Christina leads in a lot of areas behind the scenes.
And and we have Steven and Claudia Perro, they're amazing leaders and and they're leading in a in the elementary area, which is awesome and wonderful. And oh, yeah, my wife, Courtney. Courtney leads pretty much the whole church. If without her, it would it would fall apart, which is awesome. And then, oh, and then you have the guy that's speaking today.
I'm the 1 who God loves. It sounds kinda like, hold on, John. Where are you going with this, man? When you boast of your great love for the Lord like Peter, of what you can do for God, you will always fall. Pride comes before fall.
But when you boast of God's great love for you like John, now that's different. You're closer to God because you don't have to prove anything. All you do is remember that God proved himself to us by sending his son to die for our sin, and we can rest in his love for us. It allows us to boldly sit in his presence, to receive his love for us. I'll show you the picture.
So in John-13:23, when he said that 1 instance there, the 1 who Jesus loved, they're sitting there at the Passover table. This is the last supper. It's a very important moment. Right? And and it's the moment I didn't put the picture up on the screen, but but it's the moment where, you know, Jesus is you see those portraits on the wall, Jesus told all the disciples to come around to this side for the picture?
Some some of you catch that. Anyway, yeah. Corny pastor joke number 1 on the day. But no. So so they're sitting around the table, and Jesus says some very, like, strong a very strong statement.
He tells them, 1 of you are is gonna betray me. Now you you know how close someone is in relationship with you or you know how close friends are when when they're able to ask people the tough questions. When they're we're able to ask them, like, the hard stuff and ask them, hey, what did you mean by saying this, this, and this? Well, Jesus said 1 of you is gonna betray me. I I just kinda picture the *disciples* around let's read it actually.
In verse 21, he says, after he said this, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and testified, very truly, I tell you, 1 of you is going to betray me. His disciples stared at 1 another at a loss as to which 1 of them he meant. 1 of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter mentioned to the disciple and said, hey, ask him which 1 he means. So leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, Lord, who is it?
And Jesus answered. So once again, Jesus says that 1 of you is gonna betray them. I just imagine the disciples are sitting around the table and and and some of them like Bartholomew or or or Matthew or something like that. It's like, hey, did he just think 1 of us is gonna betray you? Betray him?
Who who's he talking about? Is he is he talking about you? I I don't know. You you should ask him what he mean. I ain't asking Jesus.
I ain't asking him what he means. Hey, you should ask him. No way. I'm kinda scared too. Hey, Peter, you're the rock.
You ask him. Hey, John, you're the 1 he loves. You ask him. Because of his relationship. See, I I don't believe I don't believe that Jesus loved John more than he loved the rest.
He didn't. But John knew how much Jesus loved him more than the rest. That's a big deal. And what was the result of that? In the trial, the the biggest trial that they were going to go through, Jesus being crucified and them wondering if everything that he said was true, you know, wondering if they had just wasted their life for 3 years, every 1 of the *disciples* ran in *fear* in a tough situation.
Every single 1 of them ran in fear except for John. John was found at the foot of the cross. See, there's no fear in love, but "perfect love casts out fear". Stress, worry, doubt, fear. Stress and worry are just cousins of fear.
If you don't understand that you're loved, then you can't trust them in the midst of the trying situations. John was found at the foot of the cross when everybody else ran. And as a matter of fact, because of his understanding of God's love, of Jesus' love for him, he drew near to Jesus in the trial, and Jesus turned to him and said, son, John, this is your mother. Talking about his mother. Mother, this is your son.
Take care of her. Jesus gave John more responsibility than the rest in that moment because John knew where to turn in the midst of the trial. Ain't that amazing? John wasn't the 1 boasting of his love for Jesus. John was boasting of Jesus' love for him.
Where was his focus? *Romans-12:1*. His focus in view of God's mercy. I don't deserve to be sitting at the feet of Jesus, but he saw me where I was and asked me to follow him because he loves me. So I'm following him because he loves me.
I'm a sit at his feet. Loving *God* is not a result of trying to love God more, of boasting in how much you love God and how much you do for God. That's religion. That's bullcrap. Pride comes before before a fall.
Soon as you do that, you're destined to fall. Nope. Loving God, which is worship, is a response to a more clear understanding of God's love for you. If you're having obedience issues, if you're having fear issues, if you're having worry issues, if you're having stress, all of those things, that's not really the problem. It's a love problem.
It's an inability in that moment to understand and receive God's love for you. Let me prove it. First John. Chapter 4. Remember, verse 7, love comes from God.
It doesn't originate from us. It comes from him. So why would we boast in our love for God if our love for God originated in him? Verse 9. This is how God showed his love among us.
He sent his 1 and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Now this is John. This is first John. John wrote this letter.
John is the 1 that understands his love for us. I would listen and understand love from John as he's writing this. Verse 15, if anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in them and they in God, and so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them.
It's a *relationship* thing. That's what we're created for. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment. In this world, we are like Jesus. Skip verse 18 for now.
Verse 19, we love because he first loved us. Our ability, our capacity to love God, to follow the first commandment is not because of our effort to follow the first commandment. Our ability to worship him, our ability to lay down our life as a living *sacrifice* daily, forsaking what we want for what God wants. It's not because of our effort, but it's because of our understanding of his love for us. Because really, you're created to live that way?
And if you're like, oh, wait, hold on. Wait a second. Why would I wanna give up what I want? Here's why, Because God created you to be in relationship with him, and he knows what's best for you. And as as long as you're trying to hold on control, everything that you're holding on control is just death to you, and it's not gonna work anyway.
You ever notice that? The more things that you try to fix in and of yourself, it just gets worse and worse and worse over time. But when you finally release it to God, the God who loves you, all of a sudden, man, you have peace and you have joy and and things that you thought you wanted, you didn't want. And all of a sudden, you know, in the midst of things, you're blessed in ways you didn't couldn't even imagine, and it's because you begin to trust your life with everything that you used to hold valuable to the 1 who holds you valuable. It's a relationship thing.
When we see his love for us, we begin to love more. We begin to love our wives more. We begin to love our husbands more, our kids more, our friends more, our enemies more. Our view is his mercy. There is no *fear* verse 18.
There is no fear in *love* because fear has to do with punishment. Oh, I'm sorry. I skipped the part. There is no fear in love. Verses 8 verse 18.
There is no fear in love because but perfect love drives out fear. Who is perfect love? God is perfect love. God is constantly trying to drive out fear of your life if you would put your focus on him and how much he loves you. Perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment.
We think we deserve what's coming to us. Oh, I'm just being punished by the Lord. No. The punishment fell on Jesus. Tetelestai, **it is finished**, is what that means.
It was finished, it is finished, and always will be finished. The punishment fell on Jesus so that Jesus could unconditionally *love* you. Period. He doesn't punish you for your junk. He disciplines you to to make you look more like him, but it's he's not he's not this angry guy like a lot of people think, that he's he's just waiting to slap you every time that you mess up.
And every now and then, Jesus will step in the way. Come on, man. That's junk. *God loves* you. He's a good father.
The 1 who fears is not made perfect in love. Now guess what? I'm not perfect. I still stress. I still worry.
Sometimes on a Sunday morning, I'm like, god, is anybody gonna come to church today? God, what's what's gonna what's going on? You know? I still stress. God, are we gonna have enough money to continue?
I still I still stress. But *God loves me so much that he meets me in the middle of my weakness because of our relationship* and comes through in more ways than you think. And it's absolutely amazing. God shared something with Scooter, And he called me and told me, he said, look, I believe God wants me to share something to the church. And I was kind of hesitant at first.
And I was like, well, you can share it to the dream team. But he said, no. I wanna share it to the church. And I want I want him to share it, and I want you guys to listen. And I want you to listen to what God set up after that.
It's pretty miraculous. Scooter.
This is for all of you to be encouraged. We're going through each of us are all in our different ways are going through financial crisis, and I'm no different. But 1 thing that I've committed to is my tithing that is so, so important to me. And as I'm praying, I'm saying, God, I'm tithing, and I'm trusting in you. This is your money.
Show me where I can cut back. At the end of the month, I have nothing left. Show me with your money where I can cut back. I just have nothing left. And I'm praying and I'm praying and I'm meeting with Jerry and I'm praying and I'm saying, Lord, I'm being conservative.
Show me what I can do. And I'm fasting and I'm praying and the Holy Spirit's saying, just trust. Trust. I'm going, trust is good, Lord, but money's better. So I'm tithing and I'm being faithful.
Well, this has gone on for months, and I'm still tithing and I'm still being faithful. Well, out of the blue, a gentleman that owns a boat behind mine says, would you be interested in redesigning the interior of my boat? Well, in my flesh, I said, no. It's a big job. Well, during my devotion time, the Lord says, really?
You're praying for finances. I'm giving you an opportunity, and you're saying no? You know, Lord, just spank me. And so I go back, reconsider, and I pray about it. Lord says, really?
So I say, yes. Now I'm really not thinking about the finances. The Lord's saying, I took care of this. So the guy beside his boat says, hey, I need this done on mine. Would you be interested?
Now I know better. So I say, yes. So last night during the rainstorm, I'm standing in the back of my boat, and I'm thanking the Lord for this church, and I'm praying for the pastor, and I'm thanking the Lord for you guys, and I'm praying for each of you. And I'm praying for the rain, and I'm thanking the Lord for everything. And the Lord says, you asked me financial help.
You asked me to bless you, and it went right past you. And I went, woah. And I just start bawling. And I said, father, I didn't even think about it. I asked you for help, and you just opened the doors for me.
How thankful am I? And he said, all I asked you to do was "trust me". And I took care of you, and I said, God, you are amazing. He said, now, I want you to go back and tell your brothers and sisters, trust me. Lean into me.
Have faith in me. I'm gonna take care of you. I am going to take care of you. And when the devil puts it into your mind, you know you can cut back on that tithe. I can help you pay that bill.
It's okay. *God*'s got enough money. You know what? It's about God. It's his money.
He will provide for you. Trust and have faith. *God* bless you.
Thank you, Jude. Bible says, and it's it's part of that letting go of control type of thing. Right? I want you to what I'm about to say is very, very important. Bible says where your treasure is, there your heart is also.
I want you to know where the heart of this church is. In 2 Corinthians-8, it says, and now brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability, entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in the service to the Lord's people. And they exceeded our expectations.
They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God to us, they gave out of their poverty. Now as a church, I want you to know God has blessed us. And we're we're not like, oh my gosh, we need bill. Mean, need money for bills or anything like that. But look, next week, I wanna tell you this because I wanna challenge you.
*God* has connected me with a local pastor in the area. He's a church planter. He's planting a new little baby church in Tampa in September, is awesome. He's asked me to be 1 of his overseers, which means I'm helping to ensure the church plan is healthy and he's healthy, he has a strong marriage and all that kind of stuff. And just encouraging him, he's somebody he can talk to.
He's gonna be preaching next week. And I wanna challenge you guys to be "radically generous". To ask God what you would do, what he would have you do to sow into his church plan. Everything that comes into our offering that we would normally take to pay our bills, to pay this rent, everything that comes into our offering that we normally would use to help us with ministering to the city. On Sunday morning, that offering next Sunday, an offering that comes in online, it's all gonna be sowed into his church.
So I want over this next week. Why? Because we trust God. Because we let go. Because where our treasure is, our heart is also in our treasure.
Our heart is with his kingdom and expanding his kingdom, not just expanding ours. Our heart is in sowing into the local church, the bride of Christ. You'll never catch me down in the local church. You'll never catch me talking bad about about the bride of Christ. It's his beautiful bride.
I'm gonna wash her by the water of his word saying that it's a beautiful bride, and I'm gonna encourage people and build them up. And we're gonna sow into other churches to help them to grow. So I encourage you to pray and be radically generous. Also, and we're closing. If you hear this and you're like, man, wow, that's crazy.
I heard you talking about love. I heard you talking about loving this other church and loving this city. And I heard you talking about peace and joy. And I heard you talking about relationship with God. And I heard all these different things and like what you're saying, it matters.
I feel valued being here. I feel like God loves me, but I don't know Him personally. I desire a relationship with this God that you speak of. I've never heard of, I've never seen this before. If that's you, you can have a relationship with the God of the universe right now.
You can experience the same joy and peace that I'm talking about. You can know like John that you are the 1 that God loves. You can experience his his his voice. You can pray to him and and listen to him and it it impact every aspect of your life. Be made new from the inside out.
You can experience that right now. If everybody would close your eyes and bow your heads, just I guess we wanna make people feel comfortable. But if you heard this whole message of love, you heard this whole thing and you're like, you know what? I wanna experience that love. I want a relationship with Jesus.
And I know this is my time. On the count of 3, want you to raise your hand. 1, 2, 3. I saw you. Anybody else?
Why don't you pray this prayer with me? Mean it with everything that you have. I was saved as a young boy myself. That God, I choose to follow you. I give you my life.
Teach me what that means. In Jesus' name. *Amen*.
Thanks for listening to the Real Church podcast. If you have questions, comments, or would like to get to know us, be sure to check us out on social media by searching real church clear water or visit us online at www.realchurch.us. If you'd like to play a part in what we're doing, you can do so right where you are. Your prayers are powerful and effective. You can also be a part through giving.
Go to realchurch.us and click the give button. Whether you're praying, giving, or serving with Real Church, you are playing a part in every life being changed. Thank you. Until our next podcast, be blessed. We'll see you next time.