WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Fortress Church - Culture Publishing Date: 2025-08-03T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/fortress-church-culture/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.000 We will continue with the Fortress Church. 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:25.000 Today we will be talking about culture. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:35.000 So guys, culture forms when people gather. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:41.000 Anytime people gather, culture forms. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:49.000 Usually people gather because they have a purpose. They connect because there is a purpose to their connecting. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:57.000 There is an aim to why they gather. So it doesn't matter whether it's the gathering downtown today or whether it's just gathering. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:03.000 Culture forms when people gather. There is always a purpose or an aim for their gathering. 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:08.000 And if there is no purpose or aim for gathering, the gathering doesn't last. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:28.000 And so because they have aims and because they have purpose for gathering, there are beliefs and values that begin to determine their action. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:36.000 There are beliefs and values that begin to determine their actions. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:44.000 You see that as early as Genesis 11, verse 4, where God had specifically told Adam and his descendants, 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:49.000 that listen, go forth, multiply, replenish the earth. It was a distribution. 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:57.000 And yet in Genesis 11, verse 4, you see that Nimrod begins to tell people, 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:07.000 Hey, let's not disperse. Let's begin to gather in the plains of Shinar and let's begin to purpose things together 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:12.000 so we build a tower that can reach into the skies and literally challenge God. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:21.000 And so you're talking about thousands of people gathering in the plains of Shinar and building a tower that is meant to defy God. 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:25.000 And that's when God comes down and the nations begin to happen. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:34.000 But Nimrod had the ability to shape a people, to change their values 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:41.000 and the knowledge that was passed down to them orally through their ancestors, to change it. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:47.000 And culture was formed. And then God had to come and literally break up that culture. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.000 So culture forms whenever people gather with a purpose or a name. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.000 And beliefs and values then begin to determine their actions. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:03:08.000 And these values that initially are individual become corporate or become that which belongs to a group of people. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:17.000 And so if you were to think of it in terms of a plant, an individual plant, 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:36.000 an individual plant, be it a tree, a flower or a vegetable plant, regardless of what it is, 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.000 an individual plant is a value, has a value, is a value. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.000 But imagine that a collection of plants together. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.000 Imagine now a collection of plants together. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:54.000 And now you have what's called culture. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:59.000 And this collection of plants is called a garden. 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:03.000 A garden could be an orchard because gardens have purpose. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:06.000 A garden could be an orchard. It could be a vegetable plot. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:10.000 It could be a vineyard. 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.000 It could be just a flower garden. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:21.000 Suddenly, these collection of plants together form culture. 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:26.000 Initially, it was just an individual plant, a tree, a flower, a vegetable plant. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.000 It has value. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.000 But the moment it begins to come into a collection of plants together, now you begin to form culture. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.000 It's almost inevitable. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:40.000 And depending on the aim, this collection of plants is now called a garden. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.000 And so we could use the word a church garden. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:48.000 But what is it? Is it an orchard? Is it a vegetable plot? Is it a vineyard? Is it a flower garden? 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:52.000 It depends on who. It depends on the gardener. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.000 And who in this case is the gardener? God. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:02.000 He has wine dressers to help him, but he determines purpose. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:10.000 And once that purpose is determined, then you begin to grow a culture that's conducive to the aim or the purpose. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:13.000 So if it's a vineyard, it's to produce wine. 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:17.000 If it's a vegetable patch, it's to produce bok choy. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:22.000 If it is flowers, it's for viewing pleasure. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.000 If it's an orchard, it's for fruit. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:32.000 Who determines what kind of garden it should be? God. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:40.000 So the purpose of the garden church or the garden is determined by the vision of the gardener, God, 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.000 and he passes it on to his vine dressers. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:56.000 Which means then that the individual values I may have 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:07.000 in the garden must align with the vision of the gardener 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:25.000 so that he can have what he wants from the culture he's creating. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:38.000 And so there are some things that are fundamental to all cultures when it comes to kingdom, 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:43.000 but then there are other things that are specific to tribes. 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:48.000 Just like Jacob's sons, 12 of them, they all had commonalities. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:59.000 They were born from Jacob and Billa and Zilpa and Rachel and Leah. 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:03.000 So there were things that were common to the tribes, 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:12.000 but then there were specifics that were very determined by what God wanted each tribe to end up being. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:20.000 The question though that we have to continuously ask is, the litmus test is, 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:29.000 is the culture real or is it just words? Is the culture kingdom? 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:39.000 Does the culture reflect the king? 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:46.000 And if it does, then it is kingdom culture. Is it countercultural? 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:51.000 That's one of the ways to identify if a culture is actually working, 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:59.000 because everything about this kingdom and this culture that we are supposed to both create and live in 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.000 is supposed to be countercultural. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:07.000 If it's not countercultural, then there's something deficient in it. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:11.000 Is it countercultural? 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:22.000 Then lastly, is it impacting or benefiting others? 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:31.000 Because remember that famous saying, 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:38.000 Christianity is the only club that operates for the behalf of its non-members. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:46.000 Our religion is the only religion that exists solely for the benefit of its non-members, not for the members. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:55.000 So these are the questions one must ask with regard to culture. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.000 So church culture then, and every church has a culture. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:13.000 Church culture is the sum of our actual priorities, 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:30.000 values, actions, attitudes, preferences and biases. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:34.000 And guess who knows this best? 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:41.000 You know, when in most churches you have these cards that guests and visitors are supposed to fill out, 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.000 I wish we didn't have those kind of cards. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:49.000 What if we asked them at the end of the service when they go home, 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:56.000 what if we asked them, hey, what did you notice about this church that you came to that stood out for you? 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:58.000 That should be the question, not how do we get in touch with you? 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:02.000 What's your number? Do you need a tithing and envelope? 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:07.000 No, what if they filled out a form saying, this is what stood out? 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:10.000 Because visitors see it quite quickly. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:17.000 We don't realize over a period of time it's cultivated. 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:29.000 So any questions on that before we move on? 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:36.000 Countries of cultures, cities of cultures, churches, every church has a culture. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:43.000 How about edification? You're saying it's the benefit of others. 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:49.000 How about edification? Yeah. Edification of ourselves, right? For the sake of others. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:57.000 At the end of the day, me being encouraged, me being strengthened is again for the benefit of somebody else. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:04.000 So it all comes out to being poured out for the benefit of others. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:14.000 Yeah. So all the things that happen in a service like this is meant for the benefit of the people for the sake of others. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:18.000 In the temple, there would be no noise of chisel or hammer. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:26.000 All the actual work was being done in the quarry. The quarry is Monday to Saturday. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:31.000 Any questions? 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.000 Okay. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:39.000 Now here's the thing. Culture impacts every area. 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:50.000 Culture impacts every area for good and bad. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:53.000 It's not just the good. 00:11:53.000 --> 00:12:17.000 And so leaders by the spirit, meaning under the control of the spirit, must be proactive in shaping good culture or things that God wants to create in us. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:24.000 Because if that doesn't happen, you have this word which is very common in the business world where all these words are used. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:27.000 You have something called culture drift. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:50.000 Culture drift is where you end up having something that doesn't serve original vision, doesn't serve original vision. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.000 And therefore, if you don't take stock, it's easy to drift. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:58.000 It's easy to drift. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:03.000 The Holy Spirit can be pretty determined when it comes to these things. 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:10.000 One of the stories that really bothers, I'm sure all of us, is Acts chapter five, verses one to eleven. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:19.000 In the new church in Jerusalem, there were two people called Ananias and Sapphira. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.000 And here's what they wanted to do. 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:32.000 They wanted to be important in the church, well recognized in the church, perhaps even used in the church as leaders by the money they gave. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:36.000 They began to use money as a tool to promote themselves. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:45.000 And strangely enough, at that stage in the life of the church, if that wasn't dealt with, if that wasn't shaped, a fledgling church would have gone sideways. 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:50.000 Peter even gives them an opportunity saying, hey, did you sell everything? 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:55.000 Because they went around saying that, you know what, we've laid everything down. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:57.000 We sold everything we had. 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.000 We laid it down at the apostles' feet. 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:02.000 It was for self elevation. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:06.000 And Peter goes and says, listen, nobody asked you to give. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:09.000 And when you give, you could have given how much ever you wanted. 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.000 Why have you gone around doing this? 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:14.000 And the guy denies it and he falls dead. 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.000 His wife comes, same question. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:17.000 She falls dead too. 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:19.000 You think, man, that is so severe. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:26.000 If that happened now, then perhaps Vibi and Timothy is standing. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:38.000 But Vibi, because God would have mercy on him, Timothy because he's innocent. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:41.000 Where's Vibi? 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.000 Oh, OK. 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:50.000 OK, so but both Peter and the Holy Spirit dealt with something 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.000 because otherwise the culture would have gone sideways. 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:57.000 That's how important this is to God. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.000 For us, it's not because it's not such a big deal. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:01.000 Go ahead. 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:04.000 And there's something they were doing with the lying about what they did. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:08.000 Yeah, they were lying to the people, lying to the Holy Spirit, 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.000 lying just when something was beginning to emerge. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:17.000 That's why when you start something, make sure that it's contamination free. 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:22.000 And if you don't arrest it, culture propagates. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.000 It just keeps going. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:32.000 Seems like a severe story, but it put an end to any such action in that 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:40.000 people were now careful, reverent and afraid, it says, after that. 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:46.000 So it is important to take stock of where we are in terms of the culture 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:48.000 God wants us to build. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:52.000 And if it's going sideways, we have to be proactive in shaping it, 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.000 and the Spirit of God will help us. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:16:02.000 Culture is defined by how we live, not what we say. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:16.000 How we live is affected by how we think. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:23.000 Proverbs 23, verse 7, as a man thinks, so is he. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:27.000 Culture is defined by how we live, not what we say. 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:32.000 In fact, when there's a difference between how we live and how we say, 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:36.000 there's another fancy word called culture gap, where there's a gap. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:39.000 And into that gap, a whole lot of people can fall. 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:42.000 It's like a crevasse. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:47.000 When there's a gap between what we say and how we live, 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:49.000 it creates problems for others. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:52.000 How we live is determined by how we think. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:17:08.000 How we think is affected by what we learn or what we are taught 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:13.000 and what is demonstrated or example or modeled. 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:22.000 If you read Mark 3, 14, you will see that the reason Jesus called the 12 to himself 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:31.000 was so that they could learn and be like him. 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:36.000 And I love the words in Acts 4, 13. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:40.000 In Acts 4, 13 it says that when they heard the disciples speak, 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:45.000 it just says it this way, they realized that these men had been with Jesus. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:50.000 Jesus had died. He had gone on. He had risen, he's gone. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:55.000 But they are listening to these disciples speak and they say they knew that these men had been with Jesus. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.000 What a statement, eh? 00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:59.000 How we live is determined by how we think. 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:04.000 How we think is affected by what we are taught and what is example and demonstrated. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:09.000 When there is a gap between how we live and how we talk, that's called a culture gap, 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:12.000 where people talk a culture but they do not live that culture. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:18.000 There's a gap. And into that gap, new people will definitely fall because they are caught confused. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:25.000 You're saying this, but you're living this and they fall into this crevasse, 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.000 especially ones that come in new. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:40.000 And so we've got to be careful that the crevasse becomes a crevice and then becomes a fracture and then becomes non-existent. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:52.000 Another thing we need to realize is leaders are culture shapers. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:55.000 Leaders are culture shapers. 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:57.000 Leaders are culture shapers. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:09.000 Sometimes you have people who aren't leaders but have influence. 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:12.000 And that's great too. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:26.000 Because as long as the influence is helping shape the vision and the garden, that's good. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:39.000 Not everybody has to be on a board or a table of leaders before it is effective. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:47.000 There are people that aren't anything and yet have the lives that reflect what it is that God is trying to build. 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:53.000 And so that's good. But leaders are culture shapers. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:20:05.000 Sometimes the ones that aren't leaders who influence can do so by their age, by their experience, through their lives. 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:14.000 Sometimes through forceful personality and sometimes through popularity. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:20.000 These are good. These are usually not helpful. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:48.000 Question is always, does the influence of a leader at the table or not, does it shape or distort God's design? 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.000 That's the question. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:03.000 And if leaders are culture shapers, then the blame for culture gap, for culture drift, rests on the leader. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:13.000 So if there is a gap that is there at Acts 29, or if there's a shift from what God has for us, 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:19.000 then I don't even want to use the word the onus is on the leaders. 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:28.000 I'm saying the blame is on the leaders. And the blame is on the first leader, which is the pastor, and then the rest of the leaders, whenever there's a gap. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:33.000 And so they then have to pull up their socks and say, OK, so we need to re-examine where we are supposed to go, 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:37.000 and whether there's a gap or a drift, and then we bring it back. 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:43.000 When we bring it back, a drift becomes a shift. Culture drift becomes culture shift. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:55.000 How do we bring things back? By reinforcing those things that are important, by recognizing them, by endorsing it, by rewarding it, by complimenting it, by elevating it. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:22:05.000 How do we make known those things that are not for us from God? By condemning it, by not rewarding it, by exposing it. 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:10.000 That's one of the easiest ways to reinforce culture. Easiest ways. 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:18.000 Doesn't matter whether it's a dictatorship, a theocracy, a church, an organization. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:24.000 That's one of the first and perhaps the most prominent ways that culture has shifted. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.000 Any questions? 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:34.000 Any questions? 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:46.000 Because hearing what is criticized or hearing what is championed has an effect that really begins to decide which way to go. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:53.000 So if you go to 1 Samuel 2, verse 22 to 24, you see it there. You see what happens. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:57.000 Guys, entire churches are lost when culture is corrupted. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:04.000 1 Samuel 2, 22. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:10.000 But because of his love for his sons and because he was getting old, he would not stop them. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:19.000 And in the sacrifice and the worship of Jerusalem, worship of Israel, a new culture began to come in, which was the priest taking the best portions for themselves. 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:25.000 The priest sleeping with women, just like the priests of the Canaanites used to sleep with women. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:32.000 And all that Eli would say to his sons is, this is not good. It's not a good thing that you're doing. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:38.000 Till God had to come in and God had to say, listen, you have honored your sons and what they're doing above me. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:45.000 And this is what's going to happen to you. There will not be a man to sit in your seat from this day forth. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:53.000 And that's when Icabod happens. Icabod, the departing of the glory of God, happened because a new culture 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:57.000 that was so perverse was introduced into the flow of things. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:03.000 From that comes Samuel and that comes David. So we don't realize how important this is. 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:11.000 Any questions? 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:17.000 Okay. When two cultures develop within a church, when two cultures develop within a church, 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:28.000 we have another fancy word which is called culture clash. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:34.000 Where two cultures are developed within a church, 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:37.000 we have another fancy word which is called culture clash. 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:45.000 Where there's a conflict in values. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:56.000 And whenever that happens, it leads to complaining, misunderstandings, 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:02.000 because now it's not that anybody wants to destroy the church or do harm to the church. 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:06.000 Anyone's coming in with evil intent. But when two cultures develop, 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:10.000 it always ends up in a conflict of values and there's complaining and misunderstanding, 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:16.000 and it becomes a burden for the leaders in particular. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:23.000 Where do we see this? We see this in Numbers 11, verse 1 to 4. Numbers 11, verses 1 to 4. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:27.000 Numbers 11, verses 1 to 4, the people start complaining. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:33.000 Because the Bible says that there were people that were besides the Israelites that joined them. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:39.000 Israel would form a crucifix-like arrangement for their camp. 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:42.000 Four tribes this way, four tribes this way, and this way. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:46.000 And then along the borders would be others, riffraff. 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:50.000 The message calls them riffraff. That's why I'm using the word. 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:53.000 Riffraff and others that had joined Israel in their journey through the desert, 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:56.000 and they began to form on the outskirts. 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:59.000 And they started provoking Israel to complain. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:02.000 We don't have meat, we don't have water, we don't have this. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:08.000 It became too much to a point where Moses began to say to God, kill me, take me. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:11.000 I don't want this anymore. I don't want to go further. 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:17.000 When two values begin to clash, when two cultures begin to clash in one congregation or church, 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.000 it is almost inevitable that murmurings and complainings will start. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.000 How did God address it? Thank God he doesn't address it that way nowadays, 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.000 or at least not publicly. He sent fire. 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:31.000 Where does he send fire? On the outskirts. 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:34.000 And you think to yourself, why on the outskirts of God? 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:37.000 I thought you were an equal opportunity God. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.000 Like fall everywhere. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:43.000 No, it's on the outskirts. He calls it taberah, or burning, 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:50.000 where the people besides the Israelites would camp and create this murmur, 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.000 was this portion that was undone. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:59.000 This is important to God, and therefore must be important to us. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:06.000 And we must do whatever it takes to bring it into alignment with his vision and his garden. 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:09.000 Any questions? 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:13.000 You know culture shifts, how Nehemiah and Ezra used to do it? 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:24.000 Let's just read how Ezra and Nehemiah went about fixing things that were not working out well. 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:30.000 If you go to the book of the Bible, 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.000 what you have to do is expose that which is distorted, 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:40.000 and expel that which is misshapen. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.000 And so let's look at Ezra in 10, 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:47.000 and then we'll go to Ezra in 10, 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:50.000 and then we'll go to Ezra in 10, 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:53.000 and then we'll go to Ezra in 10, 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.000 and then we'll go to Ezra in 10, 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:00.000 and so let's look at Ezra in 10. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:05.000 We're not talking about people, we're talking about values first. 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:11.000 People are a last resort in terms of God dealing with them. 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:16.000 He wants to deal with the values so that people can still be a part of what he's doing. 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:20.000 Ezra 10 verses 9 to 11. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:23.000 Ezra 10, 9 to 11. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:27.000 Betty, remind me again at the end. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:36.000 Ezra 10, 9 to 11. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.000 And so he had a problem. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:43.000 One of the problems that Ezra was facing, and Nehemiah faced too, is the same problem. 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:46.000 The Israelites were beginning to marry foreign women, 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:50.000 and in the process of marrying foreign women, Israel's culture was being corrupted. 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:52.000 And here's what it says. 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:55.000 Ezra 10, 9 to 11. 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.000 Within three days all the people of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:01.000 This took place on December 19th. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:03.000 That's what the New Living Translation says. 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:06.000 And all the people were sitting in the square before the temple of God. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:11.000 They were trembling both because of the seriousness of the matter and because it was raining. 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.000 Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them, 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:16.000 You have committed a terrible sin by marrying pagan women. 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:18.000 You have increased Israel's guilt. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:23.000 So now confess your sin to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:27.000 Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.000 Then the whole assembly raised their voice and answered, 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:32.000 Yes, you are right. We must do as you say. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:38.000 Some of these women, they probably liked, loved, knew for a while. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:44.000 Let's go to Nehemiah. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.000 Nehemiah 13, 23 to 27. 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:49.000 Same problem. 00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:57.000 This one gets a little more dramatic. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:05.000 About the same time I realized that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, from Ammon, and from Moab. 00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:13.000 Furthermore, half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of some other people and could not speak the language of Judah at all. 00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:15.000 So I confronted them and called down curses on them. 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.000 I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.000 Ain't happening here, I think. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:27.000 I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:31.000 Wasn't this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin? I demanded. 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:36.000 There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:40.000 But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives. 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:46.000 How could you even think of committing the sinful deed and acting unfaithfully towards God by marrying foreign women? 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:50.000 That's dealing with culture. 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:59.000 If there was anyone who was wise and whose reign was called the Golden Age of Israel, it was Solomon. 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:09.000 And yet that culture, in the end, produced more shrines, more temples, more high places, and more descendants that were corrupt than anybody else. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:21.000 So what are some of the, if we were to ask, what are some of the important things in Acts 29 culture? 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:23.000 Let's have a look at that. 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:27.000 Acts 29 culture. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:36.000 We can broadly put them under family, fathers and sons, 00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:40.000 presence, 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:47.000 and being apostolic in nature. 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:49.000 Broadly we can put it on that. So let's look at it. 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:51.000 First, M4. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:53.000 Make disciples. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:58.000 Multiply churches. 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:01.000 Make the Father known. 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:11.000 Manifest presence. 00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:23.000 I'm praying that this will be something that you will look at and that here on, moving forward, that the things we do and the things we don't do, 00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:31.000 the things we embrace and the things we expel will be based on some of these things that is supposed to be our culture. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:36.000 We'll look at the positive and the negative today, and then we'll continue next week. 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:43.000 Next one. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:46.000 I am not my own. 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:50.000 I belong to Christ. 00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:56.000 I belong to you. 00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:02.000 So Jacob, what if some of these things are not true? 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:04.000 Then we'll have to work harder at it. 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:07.000 But is it part of who we are? Yeah. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:16.000 And any event, anything that's not conducive to this, must be re-examined. 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:20.000 And if you're sleeping right now, and I can see two of you sleeping, wake up, because this is important. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:22.000 Most likely you won't go home and look at this. 00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:24.000 Eudicus! 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:30.000 If that doesn't wake up, I'll have to come and... 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:33.000 Okay, maybe you did have a late night. 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:35.000 You still haven't woken up. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:37.000 Next one. 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:41.000 The body of Christ. 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:42.000 Next one. 00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:51.000 The body of Christ as my primary family. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:34:07.000 The body of Christ as my primary family that we serve, are served by, and are defined by. 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:20.000 The body of Christ as in this local body, is my primary family that I serve, that I'm served by, and that I'm defined by. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:28.000 Next one. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:32.000 The saints do the work of ministry. 00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:37.000 The saints do the work. 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:40.000 Not the pastors. 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:42.000 The saints do the work. 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:55.000 And they serve at cost, inconvenience, and sacrificial generosity. 00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:02.000 This is so different from most churches, eh? 00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:03.000 Next one. 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:17.000 We try to move people from orphans to sons by recognizing the fatherhood of God. 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:25.000 As we go through this, if this does not apply to your life, ask the question, why? 00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:32.000 As we go through this, if this does not apply to your life, ask the question, why? 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:41.000 If you still struggle with orphanhood and have not come into a place where you have the freedom to be a son and a servant, ask the question, why? 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:48.000 Before you turn your finger and point at anybody else, ask this way first. Why? 00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:58.000 Next one. 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:05.000 Fathers, as in leaders, it doesn't matter whether you're male or female, the terms are genderless. 00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:23.000 Fathers raising sons, so they in turn can be good fathers raising others. 00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.000 Orphan to son to servant, there, I forgot to put that in. 00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:37.000 Fathers raising sons, so they can be good fathers that raise sons, raise others who empty themselves. 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:46.000 These are some of the critical values and culture of this church. 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:50.000 If it is not active in my life, then I must ask why. 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:58.000 If it is not a common thing and it's still limited to pockets, I must ask why. 00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:07.000 Because if this is the garden God wants to plant, then what are the vine dressers doing that isn't working? 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:12.000 Where do you need to change things? What instruments do you need to use? 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:41.000 Here's another one. Your walk, who you are in Christ, is our business and responsibility. 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:48.000 And you can't say, M-Y-O-B. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:38:00.000 Your walk with Christ, with each other, and your, who you are in Christ, is our business and our responsibility. 00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:06.000 So saying mind your own business won't work here, shouldn't work here. 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:22.000 Next one. Honor and order in relationships. 00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:45.000 So that lives are lived openly and can be imitated and Christ formed. 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:50.000 You know, I had this strange conversation with Vibi about a month and a half ago. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:58.000 When Caleb was here six months ago, Vibi and Caleb used to come over to my place, 00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:02.000 and I spent a lot of time with Caleb and Vibi just because he would visit frequently. 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:06.000 And then after that I would meet with Vibi every so often. 00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:11.000 And one of the things I realized is that, you know, 00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:17.000 one of the things I realized is that because he had met me enough times, 00:39:17.000 --> 00:39:22.000 there was in our relationship a casualness that was developing, which was good, 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:26.000 but a back-slapping casualness that was developing that was not conducive to Vibi. 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:31.000 Where he was like my buddy Jacob and so sometimes when I would say things, 00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.000 the familiarity would prevent him from receiving it. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:37.000 There is something to honor and order. 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:39.000 And I remember having this conversation with Vibi saying, 00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:47.000 Hey Vibi, I'd love to give you more, but the dynamics of the relationship have to change if you want to receive. 00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:49.000 There is something to honor and order. 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:53.000 And if you don't get that right, you will not be able to imitate. 00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:57.000 And if you don't imitate, Christ will not be formed in the areas of imitation. 00:39:57.000 --> 00:39:59.000 And he understood it. 00:39:59.000 --> 00:40:08.000 Sometimes live examples like this have to be given not to expose a relationship, but to help others. 00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:18.000 This is part of our culture. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:19.000 Next one. 00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:23.000 We are unafraid or should be unafraid. 00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:28.000 Unafraid. 00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:41.000 And maybe always be this way, unafraid to confront, content, challenge, correct. 00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:48.000 Even if it means that an offended brother may walk away. 00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:57.000 Even if it means that an offended brother may walk away. 00:40:57.000 --> 00:41:18.000 The next few are about presence. 00:41:18.000 --> 00:41:25.000 We try to found ourselves in the word, founded in the word. 00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:30.000 Led by the spirit. 00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:34.000 In decision making. 00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:42.000 You can go to people like Heidi and others who were here from the beginning. 00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:47.000 And very rarely has this church ever made a decision that was based on anything else. 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:51.000 But the spirit of God saying, Hey, do this or do that. 00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:52.000 Very rarely. 00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:56.000 I mean, I'm saying very rarely because it perhaps has happened. 00:41:56.000 --> 00:42:06.000 But almost every decision is made based on the ability to know what the Holy Spirit wants and whether it matches in terms of its integrity with the word. 00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:18.000 The other thing this church insists in terms of culture is sustained by the presence of God. 00:42:19.000 --> 00:42:26.000 And hearing and the prophetic. 00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:33.000 So sustained awareness of presence. 00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:37.000 You see during worship, you see it in the way Tuni does things. 00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:42.000 You see it in the way Priyanka will add something extra to her testimony. 00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:45.000 You see it in the way sometimes kids talk. 00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:47.000 You see it in everything. 00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:51.000 There's a desire to be aware of the presence of God. 00:42:52.000 --> 00:42:55.000 How does all this come about? 00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:57.000 You need to recognize that. 00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:00.000 How have we gotten to where we have gotten? 00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:09.000 The reason we've gotten to where we have gotten is because it's been taught, retaught, modeled, insisted upon. 00:43:09.000 --> 00:43:11.000 That's how culture catches. 00:43:11.000 --> 00:43:17.000 Culture doesn't catch because the Spirit of God sends a fluffy cloud and everybody now begins to do things. 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:19.000 It's laborious. 00:43:19.000 --> 00:43:21.000 It's laborious. 00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:25.000 Honor your leaders for what they've done in your midst. 00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:27.000 Honor them. 00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:30.000 It's through repetition, repetition, repetition. 00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:33.000 Flaws are easy to find. 00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:35.000 Honor is hard to give. 00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:40.000 Don't wait till they turn 60 because that's still quite far away for a lot of them, though I enjoyed my 60th. 00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:50.000 Strong reliance on hearing and the prophetic. 00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:59.000 I love something else that we have, spontaneity in worship. 00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:18.000 And less emphasis on excellence and a non-emphasis on performance. 00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:24.000 Spontaneity in worship. 00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:26.000 Less emphasis on excellence. 00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:28.000 Non-emphasis on performance. 00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:30.000 Very little in this church is actually performance. 00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:39.000 Very little. 00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:42.000 Now we turn to the apostolic and that's the last one. 00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:54.000 A church that is sent to build, plant, tear down in nations. 00:44:54.000 --> 00:45:01.000 Always been this way right from the inception. 00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:17.000 Of late, there's a fresh desire to proclaim the word and long like we've never longed before for signs and wonders. 00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:29.000 It's always been there but there's this please, oh God. 00:45:29.000 --> 00:45:31.000 Tear down, tear down. 00:45:31.000 --> 00:45:38.000 We go places and we dismantle stuff too. 00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:46.000 Another thing that this church does is God crafted sometimes global, sometimes local ventures. 00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:57.000 God crafted global ventures which we do not have resources for. 00:45:57.000 --> 00:46:18.000 We have to go back to the past, either in manpower or in money, but we won't back down and we've seen the impossible. 00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:21.000 This church is unafraid. 00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:24.000 We have to change. 00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:27.000 Open and flexible. 00:46:27.000 --> 00:46:30.000 At the drop of a hat. 00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:36.000 People who can't do that will leave. 00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:38.000 Will leave. 00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:48.000 I've seen so many good people come here who cannot handle change that happens at the drop of a hat and eventually they leave. 00:46:48.000 --> 00:46:57.000 Not because of any other reason but because this is part of this culture. 00:46:57.000 --> 00:47:00.000 Last one. 00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:26.000 A commitment to model these things or systems or ways for others, future generations, other churches. 00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:33.000 One of my favorite things to do is say come and see. 00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:35.000 Come and see. 00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:42.000 And when they come and see, they don't come and see me, they come and see us, they come and see you. 00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:44.000 This is our culture. 00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:46.000 These are the positives. 00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:57.000 And if there is anything that is not now beginning to go down this route, then we have to examine if there is a culture gap. 00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:00.000 Things that need to be removed, things that need to be reinforced. 00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:03.000 We're talking about the fortress church for the last five, six weeks. 00:48:03.000 --> 00:48:05.000 This is part of the process. 00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:14.000 Any questions on these before we move to the five or six negatives? 00:48:14.000 --> 00:48:23.000 Okay. 00:48:23.000 --> 00:48:24.000 Okay. 00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:30.000 His question is has there been a time when God said go one way and then he said no, change directions? 00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:31.000 Yes. 00:48:31.000 --> 00:48:38.000 One of the things that was prophesied long ago, the churches, do not worry about the things that are incomplete. 00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:42.000 I know each building block and I will use it when it's time. 00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:44.000 So it's like a man who's cutting. 00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:48.000 Have you seen those artists who begin to draw and you don't know what they're drawing? 00:48:48.000 --> 00:48:50.000 It's a line here and a line there. 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:52.000 And you think to yourself, what's wrong? 00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:53.000 Sometimes God is like that. 00:48:53.000 --> 00:49:01.000 When you have these building blocks and you think to yourself, build a blooming building and it's not being built, but eventually every block is used. 00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:02.000 So that's one thing. 00:49:02.000 --> 00:49:07.000 Second, yeah, there have been radical changes in directions. 00:49:07.000 --> 00:49:17.000 But sometimes puts people off because it's almost like you don't know what you're doing, which is what they said of Jesus when he was supposed to go and raise Lazarus from the dead. 00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:30.000 Sometimes it's good to know what you're doing so that you have the complete picture and you can keep pointing people towards it. 00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:32.000 What if you don't know? 00:49:32.000 --> 00:49:33.000 Then what do you do? 00:49:37.000 --> 00:49:46.000 God either shows you the horizon and tells you that's what you will see, like he did with Abraham or other times he doesn't tell you and he says, just trust me, take a step at a time. 00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:50.000 Negatives. 00:49:57.000 --> 00:49:59.000 Sluggishness. 00:49:59.000 --> 00:50:14.000 We are a culture that is sluggish and we don't run or rush to be first. 00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:17.000 We are sluggish culture. 00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:26.000 Till you're in charge of something here, you don't realize how sluggish we are as a people. 00:50:26.000 --> 00:50:28.000 We'll get there eventually. 00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:31.000 But never ahead of time. 00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:40.000 One of the things that is also common in this culture is that we start everything late. 00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:42.000 We laugh at it. 00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:44.000 We compensate for it. 00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:46.000 We keep saying it's okay. 00:50:46.000 --> 00:50:48.000 People are more important than time. 00:50:48.000 --> 00:50:53.000 But the fact is this church has a wicked culture of turning up late. 00:50:53.000 --> 00:50:56.000 I use the word wicked deliberately. 00:50:56.000 --> 00:51:02.000 Because God is not laissez faire or do whatever you want, guys. 00:51:03.000 --> 00:51:04.000 He's not like that. 00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:10.000 But for us, starting late has become part of our habit. 00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:14.000 In India, we say it's Indian stretchable time. 00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:19.000 In Indonesia, it is IET, Indonesian eternal time. 00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:23.000 Like there's no guarantee that anybody will show up. 00:51:23.000 --> 00:51:25.000 Here, we've got a problem. 00:51:27.000 --> 00:51:30.000 All of us have a problem. 00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:37.000 May I just, because I was preaching this at 4.45 today, I actually did a count. 00:51:37.000 --> 00:51:43.000 There were 23 people here, out of which nine were music and sound. 00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:50.000 Recognize that it is part of our culture now. 00:51:56.000 --> 00:51:58.000 We sometimes have good reasons. 00:51:58.000 --> 00:52:01.000 But most of the time, it has become culture. 00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:10.000 We'll talk about how we'll change these things. 00:52:11.000 --> 00:52:13.000 Sometimes you have reasons. 00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:22.000 If you walked in late today because you had to take care of four kids or one kid or two kids or two dogs or some one to pick up, 00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:28.000 please, I'm not pointing a finger at you, but please understand that this has become a habit for us. 00:52:28.000 --> 00:52:30.000 It's a habit. 00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:33.000 Next one. 00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:41.000 As the church gets younger, and if it's a culture, then remember, the one to blame the most is who? 00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:43.000 The one at the top. 00:52:43.000 --> 00:52:45.000 Obviously not God, me. 00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:50.000 Because once you begin to tolerate something, it becomes normal. 00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:51.000 I tolerate it. 00:52:56.000 --> 00:52:57.000 Second one. 00:52:57.000 --> 00:52:59.000 As we get younger as a church, as the church gets younger, 00:52:59.000 --> 00:53:00.000 as the church gets younger, 00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:10.000 intensity in reading the Bible 00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:16.000 and prayer 00:53:19.000 --> 00:53:24.000 may not be where it should be. 00:53:24.000 --> 00:53:32.000 So the scripture for the first one is Proverbs 12.27. 00:53:32.000 --> 00:53:34.000 Proverbs 12.27. 00:53:35.000 --> 00:53:37.000 Proverbs 12.27. 00:53:45.000 --> 00:53:48.000 Lazy people don't even cook the game they catch, 00:53:48.000 --> 00:53:51.000 but the diligent make use of everything they find, 00:53:51.000 --> 00:53:52.000 depending on which version you read. 00:53:52.000 --> 00:53:56.000 A lazy life is an empty life, but early to rise gets the job done. 00:53:56.000 --> 00:54:01.000 We are lazy and sluggish when it comes to the thing called time. 00:54:02.000 --> 00:54:09.000 Second one is, as the church gets younger, the intensity in reading of the Bible and prayer may not be where it should be. 00:54:09.000 --> 00:54:14.000 Proverbs, sorry, Psalms 119, verse 9. 00:54:14.000 --> 00:54:17.000 How can a young man keep his way pure? 00:54:17.000 --> 00:54:21.000 How can a young man keep his way pure by cherishing your word? 00:54:21.000 --> 00:54:28.000 For whatever reason, again, I think the blame should lie first on the ones that are older than you, 00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:30.000 because it was not emphasized. 00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:41.000 But when I was 30 or 27, it was important that the ones that were older insisted that I read the Word. 00:54:41.000 --> 00:54:43.000 They tested me on the Word. 00:54:43.000 --> 00:54:49.000 So it was very natural to know the Word. 00:54:52.000 --> 00:54:56.000 And that isn't something that we cultivate as a church. 00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:04.000 In the long run, it will affect us terribly. 00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:12.000 You know, one of the things I liked about Tarun when I met with him some weeks ago 00:55:12.000 --> 00:55:17.000 is once he became a believer, he sat and in six or seven months he read the whole Bible from cover to cover. 00:55:17.000 --> 00:55:22.000 I thought to myself, oh, shucks, that's been a while since I did it. 00:55:22.000 --> 00:55:24.000 It enriches us, right? 00:55:24.000 --> 00:55:28.000 Never back off from that, eh? 00:55:28.000 --> 00:55:32.000 These are negatives that this church has. 00:55:33.000 --> 00:55:35.000 Next one. 00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:37.000 Too loosey goosey. 00:55:37.000 --> 00:55:39.000 That's a Greek word for... 00:55:41.000 --> 00:55:42.000 Blah. 00:55:42.000 --> 00:55:44.000 Too loosey goosey with the sacred. 00:55:46.000 --> 00:55:48.000 Too loosey goosey with the sacred. 00:55:48.000 --> 00:55:52.000 And what that means is there are things that are important to God. 00:55:52.000 --> 00:55:55.000 Sometimes in this church, because of our casualness, 00:55:55.000 --> 00:55:58.000 and most of the casualness starts here, 00:55:58.000 --> 00:56:00.000 it gets so... 00:56:00.000 --> 00:56:04.000 It becomes less weighty. 00:56:04.000 --> 00:56:06.000 It becomes too casual. 00:56:06.000 --> 00:56:11.000 And so what happens when things get too casual is it begins to blur reverence. 00:56:11.000 --> 00:56:14.000 And worse, culture does not permeate. 00:56:14.000 --> 00:56:17.000 Things that are important don't go down to the next generation. 00:56:17.000 --> 00:56:19.000 It becomes too casual. 00:56:23.000 --> 00:56:25.000 The hard part is to change, eh? 00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:27.000 Because it's become a habit, right? 00:56:27.000 --> 00:56:29.000 Next year we'll be 20 years old. 00:56:29.000 --> 00:56:33.000 When for 20 years you have a casual attitude 00:56:33.000 --> 00:56:36.000 towards things that are sometimes weighty and important, 00:56:36.000 --> 00:56:39.000 then what happens? It's so hard to change. 00:56:39.000 --> 00:56:41.000 I find it so hard to change. 00:56:44.000 --> 00:56:46.000 Yeah. 00:56:51.000 --> 00:56:54.000 I've been in situations where we did communion 00:56:54.000 --> 00:57:00.000 in a way that was so casual that the elements were taken and used wrongly. 00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:05.000 The elements were given by mistake into situations 00:57:05.000 --> 00:57:07.000 that it should not have been given to. 00:57:07.000 --> 00:57:10.000 Things were said about the elements being distributed 00:57:10.000 --> 00:57:12.000 that should not have been said. 00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:14.000 And if I had been a pastor in any other church, 00:57:14.000 --> 00:57:16.000 it would have bothered me like crazy. 00:57:16.000 --> 00:57:18.000 I went home and I literally cried saying, 00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:21.000 I'm so sorry for what I've done to your church. 00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:27.000 I'm just talking about something as sacred as communion. 00:57:27.000 --> 00:57:29.000 Yes, it's a joyful occasion. 00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:34.000 Yes, children and grown-ups should enjoy it. 00:57:34.000 --> 00:57:36.000 It's not a mournful funeral. 00:57:36.000 --> 00:57:39.000 It's a celebration of the life of the risen one. 00:57:39.000 --> 00:57:41.000 But in the process, things are lost. 00:57:42.000 --> 00:57:45.000 I'm just giving you one example that troubled me like crazy. 00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:47.000 I'm not even going into the full details of it 00:57:47.000 --> 00:57:51.000 because when the people did it, they did it without knowing. 00:57:51.000 --> 00:57:54.000 But if I had done better, they would not have done that. 00:57:56.000 --> 00:57:58.000 Just giving you one example. 00:58:01.000 --> 00:58:05.000 Where the lines get blurred, where the sacred becomes quite common. 00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:07.000 And guess what? 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:09.000 Culture isn't passed down. 00:58:09.000 --> 00:58:12.000 Guys, this is the scripture that troubles me most. 00:58:12.000 --> 00:58:16.000 Guys, this is the scripture that troubles me most about culture. 00:58:16.000 --> 00:58:17.000 Judges chapter 2, verse 10. 00:58:17.000 --> 00:58:19.000 Can someone read it out really loudly? 00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:21.000 Judges chapter 2, verse 10. 00:58:21.000 --> 00:58:23.000 Judges chapter 2, verse 10. 00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:25.000 Just someone read it really loudly. 00:58:25.000 --> 00:58:27.000 Without a mic, it should be louder than me. 00:58:27.000 --> 00:58:29.000 Judges chapter 2, verse 10. 00:58:29.000 --> 00:58:52.000 How is that possible? 00:58:52.000 --> 00:58:55.000 Joshua is a champion who leads Israel into the promised land. 00:58:55.000 --> 00:59:00.000 How is it possible that his children do not know Yahweh? 00:59:02.000 --> 00:59:03.000 It is so scary. 00:59:03.000 --> 00:59:08.000 It takes less than a generation for culture to shift. 00:59:09.000 --> 00:59:11.000 Less than a generation. 00:59:13.000 --> 00:59:16.000 And you and I should say, not on my watch. 00:59:21.000 --> 00:59:22.000 And if it's not on your watch, 00:59:22.000 --> 00:59:24.000 then the next generation will take up the flag 00:59:24.000 --> 00:59:26.000 and they'll make sure it's not on their watch either. 00:59:32.000 --> 00:59:35.000 2 Samuel 6, they lost reverence. 00:59:35.000 --> 00:59:38.000 They knew that the ark was not to be touched. 00:59:38.000 --> 00:59:43.000 They knew the ark was to be carried on the shoulders of Levi Priests. 00:59:43.000 --> 00:59:44.000 What does David do? 00:59:44.000 --> 00:59:47.000 David is responsible for the death of two men. 00:59:47.000 --> 00:59:48.000 What does he do? 00:59:48.000 --> 00:59:52.000 He says, put the ark on a cart because that's how the Philistines brought it. 00:59:52.000 --> 00:59:54.000 Sounds like a great idea. 00:59:54.000 --> 00:59:56.000 They put it on a cart, the oxen stumble, 00:59:56.000 --> 00:59:59.000 Uzzah and Hiawt touch it, they die on the spot. 00:59:59.000 --> 01:00:02.000 The ark is then left for months in Obaididum's home 01:00:02.000 --> 01:00:04.000 because it cannot be brought. 01:00:04.000 --> 01:00:08.000 2 Samuel 16 or thereabouts, David now comes to his senses. 01:00:08.000 --> 01:00:12.000 Reverence is blurred and culture is not passed down 01:00:12.000 --> 01:00:15.000 when we become loosey-goosey about things that are sacred. 01:00:16.000 --> 01:00:22.000 And it usually begins with a certain casualness towards God 01:00:22.000 --> 01:00:25.000 and the things of God. 01:00:25.000 --> 01:00:27.000 Here's another one. 01:00:27.000 --> 01:00:36.000 We settle for doing things poorly 01:00:36.000 --> 01:00:43.000 because we are anti-performance. 01:00:43.000 --> 01:00:49.000 But in the process, we don't improve what we can. 01:00:49.000 --> 01:00:52.000 Of late, it's begun to change. 01:00:52.000 --> 01:00:56.000 I mean, you should have come here some years ago 01:00:56.000 --> 01:00:58.000 when we would make do with whatever. 01:00:58.000 --> 01:01:00.000 Now it's beginning to change. 01:01:00.000 --> 01:01:04.000 But because we are so anti-performance, 01:01:04.000 --> 01:01:06.000 which is on one hand a good thing, 01:01:06.000 --> 01:01:09.000 on the other hand it ends up with doing things poorly 01:01:09.000 --> 01:01:11.000 and settling for it. 01:01:11.000 --> 01:01:14.000 When there is enough skill to do it better 01:01:14.000 --> 01:01:18.000 or there is enough knowledge to do it better. 01:01:18.000 --> 01:01:22.000 With kids, with everything. 01:01:22.000 --> 01:01:25.000 These are cultural traits. 01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:30.000 Unfortunately, each negative trait is like a... 01:01:30.000 --> 01:01:33.000 is like someone hitting a tambourine on my head. 01:01:35.000 --> 01:01:37.000 Here's another one. 01:01:37.000 --> 01:01:41.000 Ready for new adventures. 01:01:41.000 --> 01:01:44.000 Ready for new adventures. 01:01:44.000 --> 01:01:49.000 This is more so ready for new adventures, 01:01:49.000 --> 01:02:05.000 but resistant to responsibility, discipline, and order. 01:02:05.000 --> 01:02:10.000 This is more a young problem than an old problem, eh? 01:02:10.000 --> 01:02:16.000 Where as someone young, you want adventure. 01:02:16.000 --> 01:02:18.000 You want to step into things of God. 01:02:18.000 --> 01:02:21.000 And so you're ready for adventure, 01:02:21.000 --> 01:02:26.000 but resistant to responsibility, to discipline, and order. 01:02:26.000 --> 01:02:29.000 Let's say I'm talking about Ali. 01:02:29.000 --> 01:02:31.000 So she's ready. I want to do this. I want to do that. 01:02:31.000 --> 01:02:33.000 Great, Ali. Now here's what I want you to do. 01:02:33.000 --> 01:02:35.000 This is your responsibility. 01:02:35.000 --> 01:02:37.000 Turn up at 8 o'clock, finish by 5. 01:02:37.000 --> 01:02:38.000 These are the things. 01:02:38.000 --> 01:02:39.000 No, I don't want to do this. 01:02:39.000 --> 01:02:41.000 This is not exactly what I want to do. 01:02:41.000 --> 01:02:43.000 I'm a free spirit. I want to do what... 01:02:43.000 --> 01:02:46.000 This has to be changed. 01:02:46.000 --> 01:02:48.000 This is becoming part of our culture, 01:02:48.000 --> 01:02:58.000 and I'll oppose it vehemently. 01:02:58.000 --> 01:03:04.000 Ali is... I picked on Ali because she's not the problem. 01:03:04.000 --> 01:03:06.000 Meaning we haven't put her under this, 01:03:06.000 --> 01:03:08.000 so we won't know until we put it under. 01:03:08.000 --> 01:03:10.000 Then we can use her as an example. 01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:13.000 Right now she hasn't. 01:03:13.000 --> 01:03:15.000 Here's another one. 01:03:15.000 --> 01:03:22.000 Multiple voices and itching ears. 01:03:22.000 --> 01:03:27.000 That's from 2 Timothy 4.3. 01:03:27.000 --> 01:03:30.000 Read it from the NLT, and you'll get the hang of it. 01:03:30.000 --> 01:03:32.000 Where I'll go... I've got a problem. 01:03:32.000 --> 01:03:34.000 I'll go to Derek. Hey, Derek, this is my problem. 01:03:34.000 --> 01:03:35.000 What do you think? 01:03:35.000 --> 01:03:37.000 Derek tells me something. Eh. 01:03:37.000 --> 01:03:39.000 Not exactly what I wanted to hear. 01:03:39.000 --> 01:03:41.000 Let's try Tuni. Tuni, go to him. 01:03:41.000 --> 01:03:43.000 And it almost looks like Tuni spoke to Derek, 01:03:43.000 --> 01:03:45.000 and they're both saying the same thing. 01:03:45.000 --> 01:03:47.000 No, this doesn't seem like the Holy Spirit. 01:03:47.000 --> 01:03:50.000 Then I go to Dilna. 01:03:50.000 --> 01:03:52.000 Then I go to Don. 01:03:52.000 --> 01:03:57.000 Don finally tells me what I want to hear. 01:03:57.000 --> 01:03:59.000 This is itching ears. 01:03:59.000 --> 01:04:06.000 Going looking for something that'll please what I want. 01:04:06.000 --> 01:04:10.000 These are things that are becoming culture in this church. 01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:12.000 These are negatives. And who is to blame? 01:04:12.000 --> 01:04:17.000 Wah. 01:04:17.000 --> 01:04:21.000 Last one. 01:04:21.000 --> 01:04:25.000 Yep. 01:04:25.000 --> 01:04:28.000 How do you balance... Yeah, great question. 01:04:28.000 --> 01:04:33.000 How do you balance it when God is putting something in your heart? 01:04:33.000 --> 01:04:37.000 Find out in this garden where you fit and begin to grow there. 01:04:37.000 --> 01:04:42.000 And the very things that God has put in your heart will begin to flower. 01:04:42.000 --> 01:04:53.000 And if it doesn't, then if you're sure it's God and this garden isn't helpful for you to grow and blossom, 01:04:53.000 --> 01:04:56.000 wait till you find another garden. 01:04:56.000 --> 01:04:59.000 And then still don't uproot yourself. 01:04:59.000 --> 01:05:04.000 Go check out that garden because every garden looks greener on the other side. 01:05:04.000 --> 01:05:07.000 Go check it out. 01:05:07.000 --> 01:05:09.000 Find out whether it's good. 01:05:09.000 --> 01:05:12.000 If it's good, please tell before you leave. 01:05:12.000 --> 01:05:17.000 Or otherwise, just come back quietly and nobody will know. 01:05:17.000 --> 01:05:20.000 Honestly, this might sound silly, but it's the best way to do it. 01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:23.000 Do you ever quit your job unless the Lord specifically tells you? 01:05:23.000 --> 01:05:25.000 I know people here looking for jobs. 01:05:25.000 --> 01:05:27.000 They're not saying, I want another job. 01:05:27.000 --> 01:05:29.000 So listen, boss, I'm quitting right now. 01:05:29.000 --> 01:05:33.000 You don't do that. You go check it out. 01:05:33.000 --> 01:05:39.000 So God may have put things into your heart that need to flower, need to blossom. 01:05:39.000 --> 01:05:42.000 And it's not happening. 01:05:42.000 --> 01:05:44.000 Try this first. 01:05:44.000 --> 01:05:46.000 Try being responsible. Try being disciplined. 01:05:46.000 --> 01:05:48.000 Try working under order for a while. 01:05:48.000 --> 01:05:50.000 See if it begins to flower. 01:05:50.000 --> 01:05:52.000 If it begins to flower, great. 01:05:52.000 --> 01:05:55.000 If it doesn't and you've tried hard and it's not working, 01:05:55.000 --> 01:05:59.000 go check some other garden where you will really grow well. 01:05:59.000 --> 01:06:04.000 And we'll buy the pot and transplant you. 01:06:04.000 --> 01:06:06.000 But don't approve yourself until you're sure. 01:06:06.000 --> 01:06:10.000 Because then coming back, you can still welcome, but it'll look a little shameful. 01:06:10.000 --> 01:06:16.000 Like it's like going to another company and they fired you and you came back. 01:06:16.000 --> 01:06:25.000 That isn't as much fun. 01:06:25.000 --> 01:06:32.000 Last one. 01:06:32.000 --> 01:06:39.000 Increasingly, there's a fellowship of peers now. 01:06:39.000 --> 01:06:41.000 And it's not helpful. 01:06:41.000 --> 01:06:46.000 Whenever you have a fellowship of peers, you create echo chambers 01:06:46.000 --> 01:06:49.000 where you all hear the same thing being repeated back to you 01:06:49.000 --> 01:06:51.000 in different languages of the same words. 01:06:51.000 --> 01:06:59.000 And you stunt your growth. 01:06:59.000 --> 01:07:04.000 Fellowship of peers, as in it becomes an exclusive, 01:07:04.000 --> 01:07:06.000 I'm 60 so I'll hang out with the 60s. 01:07:06.000 --> 01:07:09.000 I'm 20 so I'll hang out with the 20s. 01:07:09.000 --> 01:07:12.000 I'm 40 but I'll hang out with the 25s. 01:07:12.000 --> 01:07:16.000 It creates an echo chamber and it stunts maturity. 01:07:16.000 --> 01:07:20.000 One of the things we need to realize, what is the aim of fellowship? 01:07:20.000 --> 01:07:22.000 What is the aim of fellowship? 01:07:22.000 --> 01:07:24.000 Is there an aim to fellowship? 01:07:24.000 --> 01:07:29.000 Is there an aim to getting together? 01:07:29.000 --> 01:07:32.000 Spur each other on. 01:07:32.000 --> 01:07:37.000 The aim for fellowship should again be connected to the singular purpose 01:07:37.000 --> 01:07:39.000 that we are being called to. 01:07:39.000 --> 01:07:44.000 What's the purpose of a vineyard? 01:07:44.000 --> 01:07:47.000 The purpose of a vineyard is to produce a cluster of grapes. 01:07:47.000 --> 01:07:49.000 What's the purpose of a cluster of grapes? 01:07:49.000 --> 01:07:50.000 It's very simple. 01:07:50.000 --> 01:07:51.000 Isaiah 65, 8. 01:07:51.000 --> 01:07:53.000 The juice is in the cluster. 01:07:53.000 --> 01:07:56.000 You get wine out of the cluster of grapes. 01:07:56.000 --> 01:08:02.000 If that is not the end game, if it is just fellowship for the sake of fellowship, 01:08:02.000 --> 01:08:06.000 collapse it. 01:08:06.000 --> 01:08:10.000 It is actually going to turn on us. 01:08:10.000 --> 01:08:18.000 It will stunt maturity and it will become an echo chamber. 01:08:18.000 --> 01:08:23.000 Don't encourage it. 01:08:23.000 --> 01:08:26.000 Don't create it. 01:08:26.000 --> 01:08:28.000 Don't make it easy. 01:08:28.000 --> 01:08:36.000 Fellowship must have reason. 01:08:36.000 --> 01:08:39.000 Those are some of our negatives. 01:08:39.000 --> 01:08:41.000 You can add more to it. 01:08:41.000 --> 01:08:46.000 One of the other things that we struggle with is we have a dislike for structure. 01:08:46.000 --> 01:08:50.000 We have a dislike for structure. 01:08:50.000 --> 01:08:55.000 We have a dislike for structure. 01:08:55.000 --> 01:09:02.000 But the thing is as you grow, you need barns. 01:09:02.000 --> 01:09:05.000 When the dirks at one child, it is okay. 01:09:05.000 --> 01:09:11.000 When you have four children, they went and bought a van. 01:09:11.000 --> 01:09:16.000 You need structure. 01:09:16.000 --> 01:09:17.000 These are some of our negatives. 01:09:17.000 --> 01:09:22.000 I'm sure if I asked around, you could add more. 01:09:22.000 --> 01:09:24.000 These are definitely some negatives. 01:09:24.000 --> 01:09:30.000 Next time we'll deal with how do we handle the negatives and what do we do about the positives. 01:09:30.000 --> 01:09:39.000 How do we reinforce the positives and how do we make sure that the negatives are exposed 01:09:39.000 --> 01:09:41.000 and expelled. 01:09:41.000 --> 01:09:48.000 That's the only way you elevate, reward, recognize, commend that which is positive. 01:09:48.000 --> 01:09:51.000 And you do not do that to the negatives. 01:09:51.000 --> 01:09:54.000 That's how culture is reinforced always. 01:09:54.000 --> 01:09:57.000 Doesn't matter whether it's a business or a country. 01:09:57.000 --> 01:10:04.000 That's how it's done. 01:10:04.000 --> 01:10:07.000 And then the Bible teaches us how to challenge this. 01:10:07.000 --> 01:10:09.000 We won't talk about it today. 01:10:09.000 --> 01:10:10.000 We'll deal with it tomorrow. 01:10:10.000 --> 01:10:12.000 Next Sunday. 01:10:12.000 --> 01:10:13.000 How to challenge it.