Good morning, church. We're so glad that you're here with us.
I'm going to invite you to stand as we prepare our hearts for a time of worship.
And as we call ourselves into the presence of God, we'll be reading from Psalm 133.
And we'll read responsively.
A song of a sense. Behold,.
How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.
Precious oil on the head running down on the beard on the beard of Aaron running down on the collar of his.
Robes altogether.
It is like the dew of Herman which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing.
Life forever more. Amen.
Morning church.
Let's put our hands together.
We're going to sing a new song.
Believe that God is so good.
No matter what we're going through, we're going to declare it together.
Let's learn this.
I got the joy of the Lord deep down inside of my soul and I can hide it no more.
Got to praise.
I got the joy of the Lord deep down inside of my soul.
I can hide it no more.
Got to praise the one who broke my chains,.
Bought my freom.
What else can I say? But thank you, Jesus,.
Cuz you're just that good, just that faithful, and you're just that kind.
I'm so grateful that you save my life like you said you would.
Come on, let's go. Heat.
Heat.
You just.
Put a song in my heart.
I sing with all that I got.
And tell the world who you are.
I'm going to praise you. You put a song in my heart.
I'm going to praise the one who broke my chain and for my freom.
Why else can I say.
Thank you Jesus?
Yeah.
His word.
Praise the.
Lord. Praise the one who broke my chains and bought my freedom.
What else can I say?
Thank you, Jesus.
Yes.
One who broke my ches.
My freom.
You're just that good, just that faithful, and you're just that kind.
I'm so grateful that you save my life.
Yeah. Heat.
>> >>.
I.
Just you just.
Come on church. Let's praise him this morning.
Let's lift up his name together.
Come on.
Everything.
Changed.
It's getting harder to recognize.
A personal.
Voice.
Before I encountered Christ,.
I don't walk like I used to.
And I don't talk like I used to.
I was washed from the inside.
I've been washed from the inside.
Hallelu.
Even though it wasn't.
Could have only been a blood.
I know it was a blood.
It could have only been a blood.
It could have only been blood.
I cannot explain.
When nothing's more real than this.
In the presence of God.
Oh, what my heart experience.
When my shame at the wayside.
And my sin met the most high,.
Hallelujah.
Wasn't.
Good.
It could have only been the blood.
>>.
>> could have.
Been.
I thank you. I thank you for.
It is never.
Before.
It's never been enough to serve you.
Or worthy.
To give us free.
Let me tell you,.
It's only my life.
Does anybody want to be holy.
Or righteous?
Your might is loveless.
It's only by the Lord.
Does anybody want to be worthy.
For.
Justice.
Living?
Let me tell you.
A story about.
Thank you Jesus.
Sing what you've done this morning.
By your love.
Oh, it's never been about performance.
I tell you.
It's only.
About deserving.
To give the fre.
It's onlybody.
Right.
It's only by the.
Way.
Just.
Living.
It's all in my heart.
I know it was right,.
But I'm only.
I know it was a night.
Could have only been the night.
Could have only been the blood.
I know it was the blood.
Could have only been.
>> Let's continue to sing to him.
Jesus,.
Precious.
Lord,.
None of the earth.
Heavens.
Above.
That I have found.
Beautiful.
You are my treasure,.
My great reward.
I just want to know.
Your heart.
It's all I want to do.
I just want to stand.
Ignore.
Pour my love on you.
No matter how much.
The cost.
Really give it all.
To you.
All.
Jesus.
Offering.
All my ambitions,.
My heart, my dreams.
Here's my love.
Sacriice.
Oh, just to bless.
You.
I just want to move.
Your arm.
For my love on you. No matter how much.
I fall.
Oh.
I just want to move your.
Heart.
To call within your gaze. I'm here in your presence.
Where I want to stay. Oh, just a dwelling.
Your house.
My.
Days.
On you.
On.
Is it a fragrance?
Then I'll pour my oil out.
Is it a light.
Lay down?
Then here I give my vows.
Is it a song.
I sing?
Then here is.
Me.
Just tell me what moves you.
Tell me what moves you.
Is it a phrase?
Then I pour my oil out.
Is it a life.
Laid down?
And here I give my vows.
And here's every me.
I just want to move your heart.
Is all I want to do.
I just want.
And for my love on you.
Give it all.
You come within your gaze. Right here in your presence.
Is where I want to stay.
Oh,.
Your.
Is in my days.
Is it a prayer.
And I'll pour my oil out?
Is it a life?
Then here I give my.
And here is every me.
Just tell me what moves.
Your heart this morning. Just show me what moves you.
Is it afraid?
Then I'll for my own life.
I see?
Is every melody.
Let's just sing this one more time.
Whatever you can, let's just offer up to the Lord this morning.
Just tell me whats.
>> Just tell me.
>> Tell me what moves you,.
>> Lord. As we offer you these these songs of praise, as we.
Consider the costs of what it is to move towards you, God,.
Lord, help us to see that.
It is an offering that we give.
We offer our lives. We offer our time.
Well, Lord, we Lord, we offer this first step to you.
Maybe we just need a step forward.
People.
As you are leading us to make choices to take part in what you are doing even all around us here in.
This place. Lord,.
Would you just let us be filled with faith this morning to receive your word, to receive stories, to receive.
The knowledge and the truth of what you are doing here in this church, oh God, so that we may.
Say yes Lord,.
We all want to partake.
And be together as your people, as one body.
So thank you, Lord. Thank you that we can worship you fully this morning.
You are worthy. You are our king.
You are our God.
We love you. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Amen. You may be seated.
Well, before we get started, I have a public service announcement.
Uh if you own a Toyota Sienna.
And you parked just out here in the visitor spot, your alarm keeps going off.
So again, Toyota Sienna minivan right out here.
Um outside the doors, your alarm keeps going off.
Well, with that, uh, good morning.
Uh, I'm Todd. I'm the outreach director here at Open Door.
And as you know, all month long, we've been talking about gospel communities.
And as you hopefully know by now, our mission statement is gospel communities sent in the everyday.
And so, for a few minutes this morning, we want to focus in on that last phrase,.
Scent in the everyday.
What might that look like? And to help me out, I have um two awesome brothers here, Craig Wong and Samuel Son,.
To help me out. Uh please give them a warm welcome.
Um Craig, Sam, thanks so much for joining me up here this morning.
Um as you know, we talk a lot about being sent in the everyday.
And it sounds simple,.
But when you think about it, you know, being sent in the everyday is challenging because it's different for each one of.
Us. It's different for each one of our groups.
And Craig, I know you for one, u I'm sure there's many others, but you've thought a lot about this.
Please tell us your story.
>> Well, sure. We started coming to ODBC.
Right around the pandemic time. And so for years I've been hearing.
The sermons talk about the importance of reaching.
Outward.
And I felt defeated.
A lot of those times coming off of some of those Sundays.
And the reason I felt defeated was.
I work in IT and I told myself.
I sit in front of a computer all day and maybe I work with.
Maybe the same five people literally every day.
And I thought like, you know, I I just don't have the same opportunity that everyone else has.
To.
Reach out to people or to talk to people.
And so I'd hear this year after year.
And then in GC's.
We would talk about this also.
And this year.
I thought, you know, maybe I'm.
Imagining this problem.
And so.
I challenged myself.
And I said,.
I'm going to set up this challenge for myself.
So I said, for seven days in a row, I'm going to go talk to someone.
And I called it the firstname challenge.
I said, "I'm going to go talk to someone that I'm not on a firstname basis with,.
And I'm going to say, "Hi,.
Todd." For example, if I didn't know Todd, or if I knew Todd, but we weren't on a first-name basis,.
I would say, "Hi, Todd." And that was it.
Nothing any anything more.
Complicated than that, but just enough to open up a little bit of a relationship.
With Todd.
And so, uh, RGC,.
Uh, we we meet on Fridays, Friday nights.
And so, I we had been talking about this subject.
And so, on a Saturday, I was raring to go.
And so, that Saturday, I was just planning on staying home.
I had no plans to talk to anyone.
So, I actually I forced myself into the car.
I drove to Fairfax.
I went to a meetup that I knew about.
And I introduced myself to people.
And that gave me my first opportunity to say hi to somebody.
And that wasn't bad. The next day was here at church.
I I found someone that I wasn't on a first-name basis with and I said hi to that person.
And yeah, it was I think it was a little surprising both for me and for the other person because we we.
Passed each other in the hall many times and we weren't on a first-name basis and all of a sudden I was.
Kind of going outside that normal, you know, relationship that we had.
So yeah, I think this was a little bit.
Scary is too strong a word, but it was a little unusual.
It felt like going out of my comfort zone.
And then the next day was, you know, in back in the office and I found some an employee that I just.
Crossed by them all before and I said hi to that person.
Same reaction.
But one thing that happened was one woman in the office when I said hi to her the next couple days she.
Was my best buddy all of a sudden.
She's like, "Hi.
Craig. Oh, come over. You need to meet this person."
She was one of those gregarious people.
And so she would introduce me to whoever she she saw at her desk when I walked by, which was great.
So I did this successfully for seven days in a row.
And I thought, "Hey, hey, this really works."
Um, so then I I sort of packaged it up.
Created a little flyer and then I presented it to our GC and I said, "Hey, this has been really interesting.
And fun.
Would would anyone here in the GC.
Be interested in trying this?"
And.
People thought, "Yeah, this is right in line with um you know what what we're all about, what we've been talking about."
So, let's try this. Now, it wasn't for everybody.
So, not everyone on our GC participated.
Uh but people decided to try this and everyone had their own technique of doing it.
Um for example,.
Sam would, you know, he would go out and text and he would say, "Hey, I just reached out to soando.
Does that count?" And then I would text back and I would say, "That does count.
Good job.
And so I think we had a lot of fun with it.
>> Yeah, this is great. Um.
Sam, obviously, yeah, you're in the same GC you started trying this out.
Uh in fact, you told me before a grocery store.
Um example,.
But for you, I know it's actually very personal.
Can you share with us about that?
>> Yeah, absolutely, Craig. Oh, Todd.
So Craig inspired me initially to make small moves like making U-turns at the selfch checkckout line and going to the full.
Service line interacting with the cashier even if just momentarily.
And um in light of my current situation.
It's become very relatable and means even more to me now because um a couple of months ago I felt called to.
Leave my job as a project manager to start working for a window and door replacement company operating out of Costco.
Um for those of you who've ever been to a Costco, I'm basically one of those people standing at the exit everyone.
Tries to avoid.
Um is it's definitely not where I pictured myself being at this point in my career.
Um but I've learned so much during my time there and um at first I thought this job was about providing for.
My family, but uh over time I've realized God has been using it to teach me and shape me in my heart.
Posture and just ways I never expected.
And so here are some things I learned um regarding being sent in the everyday.
So.
Number one, every person deserves dignity even if they're an inconvenience.
Um, so I'd be lying if I said this job hasn't been extremely hard more often than not.
Um, but I realize there's a right way and a wrong way to reject somebody.
Um, I regularly encounter people who are rude and dismissive for no reason, rolling their eyes, giving me attitude, making rude comments,.
Or just ignoring me altogether. And, um, on a side note, after conducting my own independent research, I've reached a conclusion that.
We Koreans are the biggest culprit of this.
Um, we're we're elite at ignoring salespeople.
So, it's kind of kind of impressive, honestly.
Um,.
And so,.
Um, also for any young singles in the room, um, if fear of rejection is keeping you from meeting your future spouse,.
Let me know. We have a pretty good referral program, and this is pretty much free rejection therapy.
Anyway, I've definitely been guilty of ignoring salespeople in the past myself.
But, um, now that I was on the receiving end, um, it definitely hurt at times and felt like people were treating.
Me like less than human. um not giving me basic human interaction.
And simply because they saw me as a pest, inconvenience or annoyance when really I'm just there trying to provide for my.
Family. Um so that brings me to the right way of rejecting people.
I've had people say, you know, no thank you but good luck today.
No thank you but you're doing a great job.
Um it's all rejection but with completely different heart postures and a simple interaction made all the difference and uh made me.
Feel seen. Right? So God used that to convict me.
I started thinking about all the people that I and we encounter every day.
Cashiers,.
Um that person asking for a donation, waiters, customer service representatives.
How often do we treat people as interruptions, inconveniences,.
Or just simply a faceless transactional process instead of people made in the image of God?
So Jesus didn't just love people who are convenient.
He noticed people everyone else overlooked.
If we're called to be sent in the everyday, maybe one of the simplest ways we can do that is by just.
Treating everyone we interact with with.
Kindness, dignity, and love, even if if it means we're just saying no.
Number two,.
Our words and actions carry more weight than we realize.
When I first started this job, I would end every pitch with, "Have a good day.
Have a great day." One day in particular, no no special reason, I ended it with, "Have a blessed day."
Didn't think much of it. The next day, the guy went out of his way to come up to me and he.
Said, "Um, yesterday you told me have a blessed day and I just wanted to come and tell you you have a.
Blessed day as well." So, that really stuck with me and made me realize how something as little as just changing a.
Couple words can have a big impact on somebody.
So, since then, I've made it a point to end every pitch with, "Have a blessed day.
God bless you." And most people don't think much of it, but I I get a ton of people who will light.
Up and tell me, "Oh my gosh, that that made my day.
That made me feel so good.
You have a blessed day, too.
I actually have a handful of regulars now who will say, "God bless you.
Have a blessed day." before I even say anything to them.
It's been pretty awesome.
Most people, um, so.
It made me realize that we don't always need a long conversation to point people toward Christ.
Sometimes God uses something as little as just a few intentional words or small acts of obedience to have a big ripple.
Effect. Um, so take a look at this room around us at all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
It's it's crazy to think all of this started with 12.
And Proverbs tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue.
So, as followers of Jesus, we have opportunities every day to speak life, encouragement, and blessing into those we may never even.
See again.
>> Wow. Thanks so much. Uh, two great lessons.
Uh,.
Craig, any final comments?
One of our GC.
Members.
Used this firstname challenge and she reached out to one of the employees at her job.
Who was a little bit.
Uh not fully integrated say in the social circuit within within the uh the office.
And I think that went well.
She had a conversation with that person, but then she noticed in later days.
That other people who of course weren't related to this person named Challenge started interacting with that that person.
So my takeaway is that even very.
Small gestures.
Can have a very big effect.
>> Thank you so much. I think we can summarize by saying God cares about those in your everyday.
Uh, you know, last week we we talked about the ordinary.
He cares about the ordinary people in your everyday, but it does take a little bit of intentionality,.
A little bit of a risk,.
But anyone can do what we've been talking about this morning.
Craig, um, Sam, thank you so much.
Have a blessed day.
Thank you.
Thank you, Todd.
And Craig and Sam. Thank you both.
Uh for sharing with us.
Uh my name is John and I serve as.
One of the pastors here on staff.
Uh as you've been hearing, uh we are going through a series and a set of Sundays.
Focusing on gospel communities.
And perhaps for some of you here, you're not in a gospel community, but you have some questions or you'd like to.
Chat with somebody who is in a gospel community.
If that is you,.
Um we actually have time right after service.
If you head over to the gym, you'll notice a couple of tables with blue table covers.
And those are tables that are being hosted.
Uh by people in our gospel communities or GC's.
And uh there are some GC leaders and GC members.
They're hosting a a brunch.
So if you're not in a GC and you'd like to chat with somebody or find out more, please go to those.
Tables. Enjoy.
Some time of connecting with people who are in our GCs.
Now, for all of us here.
In uh next week, next Sunday at 6:00 p.
P.m. on the turf field,.
We're going to actually have a mass meet and greet through a picnic.
We're going to have a picnic that is sponsored by RGC's.
And um it's going to be a fantastic time of just an amazing dinner, some games, but also some time for you.
To find out more about gospel communities.
And so, uh, please come and join us.
Your family is welcome to come and join us 6 pm on the turfield,.
Uh, next Sunday. So, we would hope to see you all there.
We're continuing our series on the theme of gospel communities.
And this morning's passage comes from Hebrews chap 10:es 24-2.
And James 5:16.
You can turn to your Bibles and also look up at the screens.
I'll read for us. Hebrews chapter 10:es.
24-2.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds,.
Not neglecting to meet together,.
As is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
James 5:1 16.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another.
That you may be healed.
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Our sermon title for this morning is running our hills together.
Encouraging.
And confessing.
Running our hills together.
And the flow of our message actually follows.
The title.
Why do we need to face our challenges together?
Or I put it metaphorically, why do we need to run up our hills, those challenges.
Together?
And how can we grow in encouraging one another and also in confessing our sins to one another as we face.
Those challenges,.
Those hills?
So 40 years and 50 pounds ago,.
I ran cross country.
And back in the 1980s,.
There was a hill or I'm sorry, there was a race that all Virginia cross-country high schoolers ran.
It was called the Piedmont Classic Invitational,.
And it was held at Pedmont Community College in Charlottesville,.
Virginia.
And what would happen is all the schools, local schools would go, uh, state schools would go and run together at and.
Compete at that invitational. There would be about 40 to 50 schools.
And you'd have close to a thousand total number of runners running in all the different heats.
And like any race you have a point A which is the starting line you have point B which is the finish.
Line.
And then at this Pedmont invitational.
Towards the last leg.
There was this notorious.
Hill that everyone knew about. It was called Cardiac Hill.
And the reason why it was called Cardiac Hill is because it was just a steep.
Uphill climb.
For 300 meters.
And then the course would bend around a small pine tree and then you'd come.
Steeply.
Running down.
And what was really uh daunting and grueling about this is not only is it towards the end of the race when.
You're exhausted,.
But as you're going up,.
You're basically.
Just uh shuffling up. You're you're some people are just crawling.
They actually get on their uh.
Hands and and they're just crawling.
And they go up.
And then when they're coming down their legs are so wasted it's like wobbly jello that a few of the runners just.
Tumble down and they just fall and other runners either step on them or have to jump over them.
It's pretty scary. It's a daunting hill.
Cardiac Hill. It was an infamous daunting and dreaded part of the race.
You can say that every single one of us here in this room.
Are running.
Our course.
Of life.
We all started at a point A.
And we're all running towards a point B.
And if I can describe that point B for us as a church and especially in this season,.
Our point B.
Is in light of our church ministry vision.
As you can see in our banners,.
Together like Jesus,.
God is forming us.
In the likeness of Jesus. And he's doing it.
With all of us together.
But while we're running from point A to point B,.
Every person here is.
Or will face.
Our cardiac hill.
That grueling,.
Unbearable.
Obstacle.
Or trial.
Or crisis.
That leaves us scrambling.
Or even crawling up that hill.
And on a pastoral note,.
Um.
Quite a few of us on staff were.
Uh with.
Several of you here in this congregation.
And when I say hill,.
Um, it's perhaps some of the most difficult.
Times of your lives.
In the book of Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews is calling the church to run their race from point A to point.
B. Point A when they first came to believe and to trust and know Jesus.
Point B when they have run their race of perseverance.
And they have persevered in their faith to enter.
The writer of Hebrews uh gives this analogy of an eternal rest that they could enter into.
Which is amazing.
And then the early church hit.
Their cardiac hill.
They began suffering from persecution.
From Jewish leaders and from Roman.
Empire. They were imprisoned.
We find out later in verse 34.
Of Hebrews 10 that their homes and possessions were actually being confiscated.
And plundered because they were identifying themselves publicly as Christians.
They faced execution and death. And that was all external.
There was also.
This internal cardiac hill.
Of sin.
And sin's hardening of the heart.
Look with me at Hebrews chapter 3:12.
The writer of Hebrews says, "Take care, brothers,.
Lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart.
Leading you to fall away from the living God."
So, not only is there kind of a hill and an obstacle outside.
With the circumstances, but even internally,.
They had to face some challenges.
And obstacles like sin.
How about for us now?
We are God's children.
We are beloved.
Daughters and sons.
Forgiven and saved by Jesus. And that is our point A.
And ahead of us is a life where we are together becoming like Jesus.
That is our point B.
And that means that we're not just superficially.
Acting all like Christians on Sunday morning at service,.
But it means Monday through Saturday,.
Day and night, at home, at work, at school, at play,.
We are changing from the inside out.
And that's that's our point B.
But wait,.
There is this cardiac hill.
Ahead of us. Unlike the early church, we don't face persecution and imprisonment.
And execution.
But we're running up that hill.
Of that really.
Painful.
Family dynamic,.
That broken relationship.
We're facing the hill of that.
Toxic.
Work culture or that drama at work.
We're facing.
The chronic long-term.
Health needs of a loved one.
That we care so much about.
And that's just the external.
We also have our own sins that lead us away from God.
Our pride,.
Our stubbornness,.
Our unforgiveness,.
Our addictions.
We have our own cardiac hill.
In our hearts.
Here's the question. What do we do?
This leads to our first question.
How can we run up our hills?
When our cross country coach knew that we would race up cardiac hill, she designed this workout.
Uh plan for us.
And what she did was she had us uh focus on this uh access road that was part of our high school.
And it was not as steep as cardiac hill, but it was a lot longer than cardiac hill.
So, she picked that hill and she had us during this uh cross country season uh through throughout the summer.
So, during August, like times like now, we would have a full workout.
And then at the end she would tell us to run up that hill.
We're exhausted, it's hot,.
We're just running up that hill and we were doing awful.
Like some of us just started walking.
Others of us were shuffling up, but we were just barely going faster than a walking pace.
We're in a bad headsp space.
We're just thinking, "What am I doing?
What am I?" I was just thinking my calculus homework.
Uh just to get my mind off the pain.
And then we had horrible times.
We had horrible times. And our spirit, we felt so defeated.
And this was when our coach introduced now the running plan for us.
And it would go like this.
We would run in groups.
We'd run in a pack of eight.
And she would assign to each of us a number one through eight.
And this was what we're supposed to do.
If you were number one, as we at the bottom of the hill,.
You run up and you surge to the front.
And you just say something like, "Keep it up.
Let's go, guys." And you just.
Lead the group in a steady,.
Solid pace. You don't you don't sprint out.
You just steady solid pace and you just run and the rest of us will run with you.
And after a while you get tired and it's okay.
You fade in the back and then number two runs up to the front and then you just move us in that.
Steady solid pace.
And then when number two fades, number three goes in.
Number four, number five, six, seven, eight.
By number eight, we're at the top of the hill.
And then we come back down.
Now, we did this and we timed ourselves.
And we cut our time in half.
And none of us walked.
Some of us are thinking, you know, I'd like to try that.
In fact, I'd love to run in a pack like that.
In life.
And many of you already are.
It's your gospel community.
You have a pack of 8 to 14 people.
Who can take turns.
Leading the surge,.
Blessing the group, rallying each other with prayer.
You're sharing your testimonies.
Just hearing.
Craig and Sam.
As they shared,.
They rallied to the front. They they surged to the front of the rest of us.
And kind of led us in.
This charge.
There might be times when you get tired encouraging others, but that's okay because it's not supposed to be about you.
If you get tired, then someone else.
Will jump in and surge to the front and keep you all encouraged.
The writer of Hebrews is coaching the early church.
Run in a pack.
Don't run up the hill alone.
Don't do this alone. Hebrews 10 verse 24-2.
It sounds awfully like a cross-country coach.
And let us consider how to stir up one another in love and good deeds.
Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.
And all the more as you see the day drawing near.
In other words, run in a pack.
Lead the surge.
And take turns.
So how do we do this.
Exactly?
How can we grow to encourage one another.
In our journey from point A to point B?
What inevitably happens is that we feel tired.
And overwhelmed by this hill that we face.
We feel feel discouraged.
Now let's look at that word discouraged.
Uh closely.
The word discouraged the prefix is this which means apart from.
So when you're discouraged, you're literally apart from.
Courage.
You're separated from your courage.
Now the word encourage,.
If you look at that word closely, the word in uh is the prefix for into.
And what it means is that you're pouring.
Or putting courage.
Into.
Another person. When you encourage someone, you're putting courage into that person who is discouraged,.
Who is apart from their courage.
Most often,.
You know, when we see each other, we say good job or thank you and we we we.
Think that well that's my encouragement.
But.
Let's think a little bit more about this.
If a GC member in your GC.
Is coordinating,.
Let's say coordinating an outreach with Coats Elementary.
And let's say in the beginning like everyone says there's like 20 people who said they'll come.
All right. But then on that morning only two people come.
You know that member who coordinated all this will feel discouraged.
What can you say or do.
That will pour courage back into them?
Wow. I don't.
That I don't know that's there's a lot there.
There is.
Encouragement.
Will take a lot more than just.
A word.
It may require a few more things.
So how do we do this?
Let's look at the passage.
And let's just make some observations.
Let's just look at the passage and make some observations.
First.
Notice the word.
Consider.
Let us let us consider.
Now that word consider occurs only one other time in the book of Hebrews which is chapter 3 verse 1.
And in chapter 3 verse one it says literally.
Fix your thoughts.
Consider or fix your thoughts on Jesus.
Meaning.
Look at Jesus.
Fix your gaze on Jesus. Think about Jesus.
Know him.
Ponder upon him. Reflect upon him.
Now, in the same way in our passage.
Hebrews 10:24,.
When it says consider.
One another or consider,.
It's talking about us to consider the person.
Consider them, know them, think about them, fix your gaze upon them.
Now, here's where the ESV.
And the NIV, the TRA translations we use the most are are kind of short.
They fall short because in the ESV it says consider.
How.
So we automatically think oh it's methods I I have to know the different ways and the methods but it's actually literally.
One another.
How to spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
So in other words consider.
The person that you want to encourage.
Let us consider.
So think hard about.
Other people that you want to encourage.
What is this person going through right now?
What should I say or do that will best.
Pour courage into them as I surge ahead of them by a few steps and I want to put them on a.
Steady pace.
Knowing Jenny,.
Right, knowing Jenny,.
I'm just picking a random Jenny person.
She needs.
Friends.
And she needs time to unpack and process.
And so it'll be great.
If we just get two of her close friends here to spend time listening.
And as she listens and as she's unpacking and they could help her debrief.
And then affirm her,.
She'll be in a better place and feel more encouraged.
Mike, he loves food and he just loves being active and showing up and serving.
Let's take him out to lunch and then afterwards go to the Lamb Center and we'll volunteer and serve there together and.
That will pour courage into him.
Here's the point. What would most cause.
This person that you're thinking about.
To get back on pace uphill towards love and good deeds?
And when you wake up on Sunday morning and you're coming here, or when you're driving out to your gospel community,.
Your meeting,.
Think about that one person.
And say, "Okay, they're at point A.
God wants them here at point B.
There's this thing that's going on in their lives that is discouraging.
Them.
How can I.
Speak.
Or do something to help them.
Continue.
On their pace?
It all begins with considering one another.
During my seminary year years,.
Um, our seminary encouraged students to attend office hours with the professors.
And I signed up to meet with Dr.
Jim Houston.
Now, Dr. Jim, Dr. Houston was a 75year-old.
Scottish.
Uh professor.
He was the professor of spiritual.
Direction.
And he was so.
Profound.
Um that the running joke among the students was when you go in and you meet with him you come out more.
Confused.
Than when you go in. Like all the students are kind of like uh scratching their heads trying to interpret what what.
He said.
I went in and um I sat down and his first words to me was John tell me your dream.
And I was totally caught off.
I didn't what what kind of literally literal dream or what what is it?
So I just share what was on the desire of my heart.
So I said here Dr. Houston.
Um here's what my dream is.
I envision.
A big.
Dinner table, kind of like a banquet table,.
And there are all these people at this table,.
Uh, from different backgrounds, all walks of life,.
And over.
Great food and great drink,.
We just.
Enjoy each other's presence.
We just start sharing stories.
And soon we start sharing in laughter.
And then.
Tears,.
Heartache,.
Joys.
And towards the end of the evening our hearts are full.
Because.
We.
Are starting to know each other.
And we are starting to be known by each other.
And there's this fullness of heart.
And then the food and all the drink kind.
Fade away and they're replaced by.
A loaf of bread.
And a cup of wine.
And it's only through.
Communing with Jesus that all this happens.
And Dr. Houston said, "That's a splendid dream."
I said, "Well, Dr. Houston, there's um I have a question though."
And he said, "What is it?"
I said,.
"How in the world am I supposed to host a table.
That brings about intimacy.
And closeness.
When I never ate at table like that?
I never grew up.
I never grew up with a relationship with with.
My dad. My dad passed away early when I was 15.
And even when he was alive, we didn't have just times of intimacy and closeness.
He was a first generation very stoic.
Uh non-expressive.
Uh dad.
Loving, but I knew he loved me, but I just didn't.
Connect or see at that level.
So, how am I supposed to host this kind of table?
And then Dr. Houston said,.
That's when you know it's grace.
Because grace is when you're able to do something.
Out of nothing.
If you grew up with that intimacy and closeness all your life and now you're giving it,.
That's natural.
That makes sense.
But if you give intimacy.
And closeness and offer it to people.
When you've never had it growing up,.
Then where else could it come from.
But by the grace of God,.
He poured courage into me.
In that office hour.
And so from that point on.
In our home.
And here at this church,.
I've been setting up tables.
In different ministries I'm a part of for the past 27 years.
Even though it's something I didn't grow up with,.
I'm able to share it.
Or give it or help others.
Create that table.
And you ask me, where does it come from?
And my answer would be the grace of God.
Something so good out of something.
That was absent in my life.
Every six months I go back to Dr.
Houston's words.
He considered me. He thought of me.
He thought of what I went through in my life.
And spoke.
Now, that's a good place for us to start individually,.
But look up again at this passage.
Notice that this is not just about me personally or you personally individually, but it's also about us.
Uh communally.
Um it's not just done by the pastor.
Or the leaders or the those um.
Extroverted people or peppy people who are always optimistic.
It's not those people. All of us, all of us are supposed to do this.
Look with me again at verse 24.
Notice.
Um in verse 24, and let us cons, let us,.
Okay, us, all of us here in this room, consider how to stir up one another.
So that's those are the people right next to you and in front of you and behind you.
To love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together,.
Right? As is the habit of some, but encourage.
Again one another.
And all the more as you see the day drawing near, it's everyone.
No one here is disqualified.
And no one here is exempt.
There's something mutual going on. Everyone is involved, not just a certain few.
And this communal encouraging of one another, it happens.
As we commit to each other.
Notice with me in verse 25, not neglecting to meet together.
As is the habit of some.
I want to stress committing.
To meet together because for the early church there was this danger.
Of the people no longer meeting.
Remember back then in those days.
There was this risk for them as Christians to meet.
We heard ear I shared with you earlier in verse 34 people's properties Christians properties were getting plundered and confiscated if they.
Were identified as Christians. So if you're a Christian and you're going to meet with other Christians,.
You're you're you're.
Paying you're uh you're putting yourself at risk.
And so what would happen is back then people would stop meeting with other Christians.
And could you imagine how discouraging.
That would be.
For you to gather and then find more and more people not coming out because they don't want to lose their property.
You might you're probably thinking, well then why am I coming out here?
The writer of Hebrews.
Wants them to encourage each other.
To gather so that they could pour courage into each other.
Today.
We are not persecuted.
By the world.
But I believe that we are preoccupied.
And every time that I go and I I don't fellowship.
With you because of reasons A, B, and C,.
Then basically what I'm saying is reason A, B, and C is more important.
Than.
This fellowship.
And soon it becomes a habit.
And so I just want to ask you here this morning, can you diagnose yourself?
Is there a habit of non-engagement,.
A lack of commitment when it comes to fellowshipping with others?
One of the uh stats that we had going on um talking about in our GC ministry, our gospel community ministry is.
That on average,.
Give or take a few percentage, our members engaged in about.
60%.
Of of the time.
Meaning that when we have people who are supposed to gather.
Um we at try to we make it at about 60%.
We make it out to 60% and we just want to increase.
That level of engagement.
We want to meet regularly because the opportunity to do good and the needs of others happens.
Every day.
Sin happens every day.
The heart hardens.
Regularly.
We face our hills.
That's why we want to meet regularly.
We looked at this verse earlier.
It says, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart.
Okay, we read that verse. Now look at what the writer of Hebrews says to remedy this.
Verse 13.
But exhort one another.
Again that communal word.
As long as it is called today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness.
Every that's that's the remedy that that's the way that we keep ourselves.
From being dragged away by sin and getting hardened by sin is that we just meet with each other.
Now tied in.
With this,.
I just want to move on to the next question.
How can we grow to confess to one another?
Sometimes when we try to go from point A to point B, the hill is not external,.
The hill is internal.
What if the hill that we face before us is not something.
Regarding other people or circumstance? What if it's us?
What if it's our sins? What if for me my biggest hill is my pride,.
My stubborn pride? What if it's this temper.
Or me nursing this grudge that burns bridges with other people?
What if that hill in front of me is an addiction.
And that addiction just sabotages.
And undermines the work of the Holy Spirit?
If then.
If so, then the greatest need for my life is not encouragement.
From other people.
It's for me to confess my sins.
To other people.
James.
5:16.
Says, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed."
When we confess,.
We tell people.
What we did.
You know, I lied or I stole something or I gossiped.
I'm not forgiving this person.
But here's the thing about confession that I just want to add.
When we confess to each other, don't just share the what,.
But share the why.
Why did I do that?
When I confess my sins to other people,.
I tell them what I did wrong.
But you know where.
It gets actually really personal.
Is when I share with them why did I do that?
And then I start talking about my motives.
And my intentions. My desires start to come out.
Sometimes as I'm doing that, I start talking about my fears.
Sometimes I start talking about.
Something else, an idol, something I love more than God.
And then my confession just gets a lot more deeper.
When you confess,.
Um, confess.
What you did, but also confess why.
You did that.
Now, as I'm talking about confessing our sins to one another,.
Immediately I know.
A lot of us, if not all of us, would be like, "Why would I do that?"
There's uh several reasons why. Just looking at our passage verse uh James 5:16, one reason is so that others can pray.
For you and so that you can be healed.
There's this power in prayer that when we turn to God, especially on behalf of each other,.
There's healing that can take place.
And I believe that that is supernaturally,.
Miraculously.
Possible for God to heal.
Another reason is for accountability and support.
When I share with somebody, before that sin was secret.
No one else knew about it.
But now that I do share it, it's on the radar of all these people and they can hold me accountable.
And I know in your GCs, you will not have people who will take your what you just shared and just keep.
Hitting you over the head. They will just lovingly walk with you and ask you, hey, how are you doing in that.
Area? And it will be so good for you to have these people with you.
Finally, when I confess my sins, it brings my sin to the light.
Before my sin would be in in darkness.
And there would be this shame around the sin and the secrecy of this sin and in many ways that would make.
The sin feel that much.
More daunting.
But the minute I share and confess my sins to other people, I bring that sin into the light.
And then its hold.
Over me just starts to wither.
Who have confessed their sins to one another here at our church,.
They've often, if not always, have said things like,.
"I've I feel so much freer.
I feel so much lighter.
I feel like I've been set free."
Um, no one has ever said, "I feel worse."
They always say, "I should have done this earlier or sooner.
All this sounds hard.
To pour courage into each other.
For us to.
Confess to one another.
But it's here where we come back to the gospel.
We come back to Jesus. I chose this uh cross-country metaphor in the beginning because in Hebrews chapter 12, our faith is.
Actually illustrated as a running course.
And all of us as runners.
And Jesus is our ultimate.
Forerunner.
Hebrews 12:es 1-2.
2 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by.
So great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us.
Run.
With endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith,.
Who for the joy that was set before him,.
Endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
This is the gospel.
Because Jesus knew that we were at point A and we had to get to point B.
And Jesus knew that in between point A and point B, there was this hill.
There are actually two hills called sin and death.
There was no way that you and I or any of us could overcome this hill.
So Jesus ran with us.
He came into our world, into our lives.
He ran with us and he surged ahead.
And he surged all the way to the top of a hill.
And he died on the top of that hill, the cross.
On the cross.
And he overcame sin and death.
You know what that means for us?
That means that there is no hill.
And especially.
Sin and death.
That can overcome.
Us. We can overcome the hill.
In Christ.
But we just need to pour courage into each other and offer hope when we confess our sins to each other.
So let's close with some next steps.
Step number one,.
Sign up for a GC. If you have not signed up for a GC,.
This is your running pack.
These are the people who are committed to run with you.
Sign up for a GC.
This is where you regularly share your struggles,.
Where you regularly pray. This is where you hear God's word.
And insight and truth and and you don't get it anywhere else.
If you are in a GC,.
Then I want to challenge you further.
Step number two, consider another person.
If you are in a GC, think about this person in your GC.
What is their point A?
What is their point B? What what does God want for them?
And then is there this hill.
As they're sharing with you this obstacle that just discourages.
Them?
Can you pray for them?
And can you ask God, God, how can I pour courage into them?
Consider another person. And step three, consider yourself.
What is your point A?
What is God calling for your point B?
And is there a sin that you're facing that keeps undermining or sabotaging.
Your journey, your running.
To the point where you're discouraged?
You're apart from your courage.
Can you pray.
About confessing.
That sin?
Not just to God,.
But to other trusted brothers and sisters in your GC.
Or friends.
So, if we could rise together, I'd like to translate all this into prayer.
So, if we could stand together, here's our prayer points.
God, thank you for sending.
Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has forever defeated.
The once unconquerable.
Hills of sin and death.
And we just want to take time to praise God.
Thank you for running those hills,.
Surging ahead.
And dying on the cross for those hills for me.
Second, God, who is one person this month that I can encourage regularly?
What is their point be a and what is their point?
How can I pour courage into them as they face their hill so that we can run that hill together?
And then lastly, God, what is the hill.
And the sins of my own heart?
Is there someone trusted that I can confess to and share with that together.
We can witness.
Your forgiveness.
And your healing.
In my life?
These prayer points are just there for you to start praying.
And so, Father, we thank you for your word to us.
We thank you for your son, Jesus,.
That because of him,.
We can face any hill.
We thank you for brothers and sisters who are here and in our gospel communities.
That they are here to remind us.
And encourage us and to offer hope when we confess our sins.
We pray that you'll continue to work.
Here in the life of our church and in the life of our gospel communities.
It's in Jesus name we pray.
Let's continue praying and very uh soon our worship team will lead us in our response.
Just lift up the song together in your body.
Seek to bless his name.
>> Blessed are those who run to him who place their hope and confidence.
In Jesus.
He won't forsake.
Blessed are those who seek his face, who bend their knee and fix their gaze on Jesus.
May you all be sh.
Come on and praise.
The.
Lord.
With me.
Sing you love.
His name.
Come on and lift.
He's worthy.
Of all.
Our praise.
Bless are those who walk with him.
Those hearts are set.
Pilgrim.
With Jesus.
They'll see his glory.
Bless those who died.
Joy it is to give it all for Jesus.
And pour them all.
Oh Jesus.
All for your glory.
And praise.
Sing if you love.
His name. Let's sing together.
And lift.
Voice to.
Come on and bring.
Sing.
Of your holiness.
Bless God in the sanctuary.
Bless God in the fields of plenty.
Bless God in the darkest valley.
Every chance I get, I bless your name.
Bless God when.
Are.
Bless.
Me. Bless God when nobody's.
Watching.
Every chance I get, I'll bless your name.
Bless God.
For me.
Bless God when the walls are falling.
Bless God cuz he go before me.
Every chance I get, I.
Bless God for the victory.
Bless God. He's always with me.
Bless God for always with me.
Every chance I get.
Sing if you've known.
His face.
Up your.
Holy.
Hands.
Here at Open Door Presbyterian Church, we believe that we are sent in the everyday to share Christ's love.
God's mission doesn't end after Sunday's service.
It continues wherever we go.
In our homes, in our workplaces,.
In our communities, and in our relationships.
To be sent is to be a missionary in every part of our lives.
And so when we give and when we serve,.
We're doing God's redemptive work in this world.
So as we give our tithes and offerings to the Lord this morning, let's do so joyfully.
And prayerfully,.
Trusting in God to use us to open new doors to his life-changing grace.
Won't you join me as we pray for our tithes and offerings this morning?
Father, we praise you and we thank you for who you are.
Father, in your wisdom.
That you created us not to be.
Individuals,.
But Father, you called us to be a family.
That you call us not only to consider ourselves and our wants and our needs, but to consider one another.
And that together,.
Not only that we may pour courage into one another, but together.
That we may be sent into this world to usher in your kingdom, to be your hands and feet, to encourage.
This world.
That is so set apart in being discouraged and.
All about me, myself, and I.
And so Lord, we pray that you would use our witness,.
Our serving, our presence,.
Our hellos,.
Our God bless you,.
Father, to communicate who you are and your love for each and every single person.
And so Lord, we give you our tithes and our offerings.
Would you bless it, multiply it, and use it in ways that you you find.
Fitting.
And Father, for your.
Name to be known.
So God, we thank you. We love you.
And in Jesus name we pray.
Church, before we have our seats, can we turn to one another and let's greet each other this morning.
Again, it's so great to see all of you.
Welcome to our church. My name is David.
I serve as one of the pastors here, and it is my pleasure to be able to not only welcome you, but.
To invite you and let you know about the different things that are happening in our church.
As you see the calendar behind me, these aren't just events that we want to share with you.
But again, these are opportunities for you to get involved in the community life of our church.
And we can't stress enough throughout this month.
This is just part of God's design that we're not meant to do this alone.
But as we get involved in these various different ways, it's an invitation for you to join the community life of our.
Church. And we're, you know, really again just privileged and honored to be able to share two a few ways that you.
Can do that this morning. The first announcement that I want to highlight for us is that we have these wonderful opportunities.
Throughout the years to be able to go and serve and see what God is doing not only here in Northern Virginia.
But in different places in the world.
And as we've been making announcements for a few months now, we have the India.
Short-term mission trip that is going to be happening in November.
The application.
For this trip is ending soon.
And so if you're interested, you can click on that QR code or you can also look up more information on our.
Website. In India, we partner with our um you know, organization that we've been for the many many years that works to.
Uh end extreme poverty and challenges.
That have to do with like trafficking and human sexuality and all that kind of stuff.
And so uh please join us and again prayerfully consider coming apart and being a part of this short-term mission trip.
The other has to do with our children's ministry in our grove.
As you all know, um, and as my children are lamenting the fact, but they go back to school tomorrow.
Some of our Lowden County students have already gone back to school.
But even for us, we begin a new academic year.
And children's ministry, our youth ministry is not possible without volunteers,.
Many dedicated parents and teachers,.
People that are willing to pour into our students.
And we still have a lot of needs and holes in our children's ministry and also our growth.
So if you look up on the screen, this is all the information for our children's ministry.
We have.
Openings everywhere from Fruitful Vineyard, which is the youngest to our first and third and then fourth through sixth.
You can find this information as you click on that QR code.
Please join us for that. And the next slide is empty slots for our Grove, which is our youth ministry.
We're still looking for Friday Bible study teachers for Sunday family time folks and also for various different ways for you to.
Get involved in our youth ministry.
We want to ask you again prayerfully consider serving.
Uh there's no such thing as too old or too young.
Um or I guess there is too young.
Uh but there's no such thing as too old.
Um and we want you to come and serve as you are, not someone else that you think you have to be.
And again, this is ways that you pour courage into our young people.
So, please prayerfully consider serving with us.
Uh, all of the other information and announcements can be found on our website.
You can simply click on the QR code.
You can register to get our happenings, which is our newsletter.
And so, please connect with us there.
At the end of every service, we have our prayer team that's willing to pray with you and for you to my.
Left. And so, please join us for that.
And um yeah, again, we'd love to pour courage into you that way as we pray alongside.
You. At this time, I'm going to invite you to stand.
And as we go out into our everydays.
That we speak these words over not only ourselves, but to the people to the left and to the right of us.
That God calls us to make disciples of all nations and then he promises us that he will be with us wherever.
We go. So, let's read these words together as we go forth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,.
Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit,.
Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.
Thank you so much for worshiping with us.
You are sent.
The streets.
Broken.
Taste of the world.
At the table's.
Openising.
Prodesus.
Join the song of heaven.
Darkness.
Trembles.
As the church awakens.
Lord we love to sing your praise.
Of your sorrow.
Every te.
Overflow.
Let the river.
All the painis.
Chains are.
Resurrection.
Power.
Spirit.
Brea.
The gates.